Strength for your journey
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Meditation for your Inspiration and Elevation
John 13 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”Psalm 107: let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Promoting
Promoting Hate in the name of Jesus
In my preaching and teaching, I’ve generally steered away from political involvement. I think that preachers and teachers are mainly disseminators of information and wisdom rather than dictators of thought and conclusion. We promote truth and allow people to freely conclude how to respond to that truth. But when we see truth twisted and distorted for evil intent, we are sometimes challenged to resist those efforts with a more powerful presentation of that truth. Since the most major of major truths is being distorted in America today, this meditation is such an effort.
The major truth that is being twisted and distorted at this time in this country is the truth about Jesus, the most significant figure to inhabit the earth. The truth about Him is being distorted and used by some who don’t know Him or His followers, to promote ungodly, untrue, selfish, and evil agendas that are contrary to the teachings and purpose of Jesus. When that happens, those who know God should heed the scripture that says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord, say so.” Since I claim to be one of the redeemed, I feel compelled to say so.
I grew up around Jesus loving people who built their lives on His teachings and tried to be more like Him every day. They saw themselves as Jesus’ earthly representatives who should model after Him so that when people saw them, they would see examples of what He was like.
Growing up among such people, I saw them, admired them, and became one of them. Therefore, I know what it means to be one of them. So, I know what a Jesus follower looks like, thinks like, walks like, talks like, and acts like. And I know a fake version of Him when I see one or hear one.
Since I am deeply committed to Christ and His teachings, I am naturally disturbed when I see people who claim to be following Him but are simply using His name to promote things that have nothing to do with Him. Great numbers of them are around today promoting hate, which is the very opposite of what Jesus represents.
For the last few years, I have spent a lot of time driving to and from St. Louis to my hometown of Greenville, MS. During those trips I listened to quite a bit of talk radio, some of it religious.
However, the things I heard on these stations didn’t sound religious at all, at least as I had come to see religion. What I heard on these stations was a constant tirade of rhetoric about anyone who was not blindly falling in line behind the ignorant, racist, sexist, and Godless garbage spewed from the lawless lips of Donald Trump and his promoters.
What I heard were people who have sabotaged Christ and Christianity and are simply using that platform to advance their sick and sinful agendas. What a shame!
Their expressions of hatred for anyone who does not fall for their nonsense surprised and troubled me. They expressed hatred for liberals, homosexuals, Democrats, women’s rights advocates, and anyone who disagreed with them on their distorted positions, all in the name of Jesus.
These people claim to know God personally and that their relationship with God drives them and strengthens them to stand up against the evil of the world, which to them, is everyone who stand against that which is promoted by Donald Trump.
After hearing these people talk about how much they hate the folk who disagree with them, it was clear to me that they are not following Jesus, they are the exact opposite of Jesus. It is hard for me to believe that these people could have read what the bible says about Jesus and believe that they are acting in His behalf doing the things they are doing.
The Bible portrays Jesus as a loving, caring, and healing person. He taught love and behaved lovingly. He loves us, and we are taught to love Him and each other. The scripture that serves as the background for this mediation makes that point very clear to those who would follow Him: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
People who say they represent Jesus while showing hatred and ill will toward people who disagree with them are a discredit to Jesus and those who truly love and follow Him.
And to claim that there is any similarity between the work of Jesus and the efforts of Donald Trump should be insulting and disgusting to those who know Jesus. “And the redeemed of the lord ought to say so.” So, I am saying so.
I say so in the name of the people who taught me about Jesus, and on behalf of sincere Christians everywhere who love Him as much as I do. They would say to those who are attempting to spread hate in the name of Jesus,” You ought to be ashamed of yourself.” And I would add to that, if you knew anything about Jesus, you would know that your efforts will fail.
Jesus not only loves: He is love. And those who come to Him will do so in love and will become more loving every day they walk with Him. And while they walk with Jesus, they will remain out of the reach of Donald Trump and the hate promoters under his control.
William Jenkins