A Letter of Encouragement to Fellow Christ Followers (...and Myself)

"Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand"

Harris. Trump. Abortion. Education. Gender. Immigration. Inflation. Taxes. Hamas. China. Hezbollah. Israel. Iran. Russia. The aforementioned names and issues have become polarizing subjects in our society. Many are triggered simply by hearing some of these words. Maybe they make your blood pressure climb too. Perhaps it's not angst you feel around these subjects, maybe it's exhaustion and frustration. These are words that have inundated our news feeds, news cycles, and social media pages for months and years now. They end up in our inbox, on our TV, and on our phones countless times a day. The algorithms are feeding them to us because millions of other people are feeding on the same thing. Meanwhile, news organizations and media companies generate income and traffic off our inability to stay away from the drama as the algorithms feed us more of the same. It is a vicious cycle that wearies our minds, emotions, and ultimately our faith. If the Apostle Paul were to give us some advice today, I think he would say, "Fellow believer,

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. Colossians 3:1-4

How often are our minds consumed by the things going on in this world? I am guilty far too often of looking down at my phone instead of up towards the heavens. I often think too much about the things happening in this world and not the realities of heaven. The reality of heaven as we're taught here by Paul, is that Jesus sits in the place of honor right now at God's right hand. He rose from the grave. He ascended to heaven. He is alive and well. He is sitting on the throne of heaven waiting for God's signal to establish his throne on earth. He is our life and our hope. Nothing going on in this world has taken him by surprise. No world power scares him. Daniel tells us to

Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. Daniel 2:21

No matter which candidate wins this election or any election, God still rules and reigns. I'm not implying we do nothing in election seasons. We have the tremendous freedom of having a say so in our elected officials. By all means, get out and vote. Do your civic duty. Get educated on the issues. Vote on your biblical convictions. Don't live ignorant of what is going on around you in the world, and don't bury your head in the sand. Do your part to be a good citizen and steward of the things God has given you. Honor and respect others, especially within the household of God. Then leave the rest up to the King of Kings. He alone sets up governments and tears them down. He moves the king's heart like channels of water wherever he wants them to go.

The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases. Proverbs 21:1

In looking over the landscape of the church in recent years, it seems too often we are allowing politics to influence our faith rather than our faith influencing our politics. There is not a political party or affiliation that completely aligns on issues with the truth of Scripture and rather than work from Scripture to find unity on the issue, we work from the issues to find political harmony. This ought not to be among followers of Jesus. God's word is to be our foundation of truth, our guide in confusion, and our reference for right living. The Psalmist reminds us, 

The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them. Psalm 19:7-11

Beyond this election cycle, regardless of who takes office, our country will continue to be divided. This is not a gloom and doom statement, but a recognition of where we stand in light of eternity, prophecy, and biblical history. No man knows the hour when Christ will return but the Bible does give an indication of what things will look like on Earth as those days are approaching. Specifically, human depravity will continue to increase. Paul tells Timothy, 

You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly... 2 Timothy 3:1-5

These attitudes are running rampant in our society and in our government. They can creep into our lives as well if we're not deeply rooted in the truth of Scripture. Much of what I have written so far may not sound encouraging, let me end by reiterating what I said earlier in this post. God is still on his throne. Jesus is still coming back. God is still sovereign over all things. He is not alarmed. He knows the human heart. He is still working out his plan of redemption for mankind, and he will ultimately right all wrongs. We will spend eternity with the redeemer of our souls. And what an eternity it will be! The Apostle John was given a glimpse...

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:1-4

I especially love that last verse. Every tear shed over a lost loved one. Every tear shed over injustice. Every tear shed in anger, frustration, or grief has been seen by our heavenly Father. And he is creating a future where we will never shed a tear over these things again. THIS is our future hope! This is what we cling to in perilous times. This is why the good news of the gospel is such good news. The work of Jesus on the cross rescued us from our sin and shame. It brought us back into a relationship with a holy God who cares deeply for us. We are promised hope and a future and did ZERO to deserve it. We've been given grace upon grace out of the mercy of a loving Father. There is nothing this world can throw at us that will change our destiny or stop God's plan from being accomplished. I pray this encourages you today. And as one of my dear friends always says, "Keep looking up!"