Over the last few weeks the as the Presidential election draws nearer the negative campaigning increases and more extreme opinions are voiced. From both the left and the right political sides the bible has recently been used for the justification of electing one candidate over the other.
While the conservative right has compared the democratic candidate to the Anti-Christ, equating him being elected to the beginning of Armageddon and the biblical revelation. The liberal political left has compared our current government to that of Pharaohs reign in Egypt. Recalling our attention to the fact that Pharaoh called upon the services of a young adult Joseph to lead the country during seven years of plenty and famine. Joseph changed the country around under his leadership and the political left has compared the democratic candidate to Joseph.
The purpose of today's reflection is not to choose sides or pick favorites but to ask the question as always how is God being glorified in all of this? Our scripture for today's reflection comes from Matthew 22:34-46
34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ 37He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” 38This is the greatest and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’
The Question about David’s Son
41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: 42‘What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?’ They said to him, ‘The son of David.’ 43He said to them, ‘How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, 44“The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand,It's toward the end of a very long week for Jesus and here come more questions and testing. It seems as though the Jewish leaders are constantly focused on all of the wrong things. The people are constantly getting sidetracked and overwhelmed. Just like in our society it is easy to focus on our daily to do list and get overwhelmed by our political processes. We find ourselves being rude, mean, tired and less productive to society, each other and ourselves.
In the text Jesus reminds us to love God and place God first above all else, as well as love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Imagine if we lived, worked, and even elected our government in this way....
Today, reflect on ways you see yourself placing God first as well as how you show love to your neighbor daily.
Until tomorrow Be Well. Pastor J
2 comments:
The God, exist and imaginary. The God is exist, when you devout and pray to Him, or when you feel His existing in your spiritual experiences. But, The God must be lost in your mind, when you busy working, have a good time, laugh, be in love, or when you feel that your prayer do not answered by Him. The God will come at any time, wherever, and then forgotten, that is dependent in situation, your physical and spiritual condition.
It is quite possible that God does not exist and never exist. The existence of God is only an imagination of human being who need a super power figure. When human being pray to God, they thought that they in contact with God, but actually they in contact with themselves.
Is it right?
I beg to differ with you my friend. I totally have faith that God exist. Not because I need some super hero figure in my life to sustain, but more so because of the order of things and most of all my personal experience.
My goal is not to push religion on anyone, just to invite all to embrace the possibilities of a relationship with God. I feel that if a person truly accepts the possibility of a relationship with
God. Situations, circumstances and their outlook on life will change for the better. If a person tries to find peace, completion and satisfaction every where else then why not try God.
I hope I have answered your question, and If not please respond I would love to discuss any questions that you may have. I must confess I don't have all of the answers but I'm happy to search with you.
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