Funky title huh? Not living for Tomorrow, or today, goes against everything we're told by culture. This is what has been on my mind since last week- how to live for the forever and not for today. Francis Chan does a beautiful job explaining "living for forever"
Where is our focus? What are we living for? It's so easy to forget that that little red taped off section is our entire life on earth, yet we spend most of our life worried and concerned about that section. We freak out about who's in office, who's running for GOP nomination, we debate it over and over to the point that no one is changing anyone else's mind since their mind is already made up. God will not be at all surprised with election results in November, this I know for sure. He already knows, He's not sitting up there going "Oh! Oops. Gotta change my plans since they didn't get a Christian guy into office." Nah, I think He's got it under control, we're in His hands. But anyways, that's what, not even a sliver of that taped off section on the "rope" of our existence. It's important, but debating elections to death is not going to change someone's forever. It might change a sliver of their life on earth, but probably not. It's so easy to become focused and worried about the life we can see in front of us, this life on earth. What a wonderful reminder that God gives us when he talks about Government in the Bible!
"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor." (Romans 13:1-7)
How we treat the authority God has placed over us is as much of a testimony as is any other part of our life. We're commanded to respect the authority God has placed in our lives, this includes presidents and politicians. Ouch. That's hard when we disagree with them so often. Yet we must remember that they will be answering to God for their sins, not us. We'll answer for our own sins, not our politicians. The most beautiful reminder God gives us with politics is this "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ," (Philippians 3:20) Why do we spend so much of our life agonizing over who's running for President while we forget that we're aliens in this world, the 2012 presidential elections are not going to change your eternity, they may affect the life on earth, but not forever. We're so quick to debate politics and dig up dirt that helps the candidate that we prefer look better, but are we so quick to remember that how we treat those placed over us is part of our testimony to others around us? Especially non-Christians, they watch us more than we know. They make stereo typical assumptions about us just like we do about them. What could be a better testimony then to disprove their assumptions about politically active Christians wrong?
I guess the reminder for myself this week is to not spend my life stressing about a section of tape on a rope that goes on forever and ever and ever... but rather keep the reminder in the front my mind that my focus should be elsewhere- instead of looking at today and tomorrow, I should be Looking Up.
it’s the way that the rain won’t stop falling on me now
it’s the way that Gravity just ties me to the ground
it’s the way this Flood, these walls and the weight of it all keeps crushing me
…and leaves me so small…
It’s over my head
It’s out of my hands
I know the best I’ve got is not enough
You’re so far above me
Your love is still reaching all the way down,
….and I’m looking up
it’s the way that i’m getting older
and i just can’t stop
it’s the world sitting on my shoulders
I can’t let it drop
and there’s more than this flesh and blood and this empty treasure…all I need
is you above all.
Up, to where the angels hold me Up
Up, to where you are and i sing
holy, holy, hallelujah,
Up, to where you wipe away my tears
the world will disappear
sing holy, holy hallelujah
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