"The Smorgasbord Table"
Today's Menu
****** INCITE OR INSPIRE? ******
"Bite-Devour?"
Galatians 5: 13-15
It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out–in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?
The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
Break The Spirit? Shape The Will? Which Do You Choose?
God spoke to my heart one day after listening to Democrats and Republicans back-biting and name calling: You can either incite or inspire? Which do you choose? Citizen Of United States Of America, Will You Incite Or Inspire?
One Choice=All
One choice either way, affects the whole of us! Yes, you are free to choose, but the consequences of your choice may affect the quality of all our liberty!
Complete Truth + Civility = Freedom 4 All
We can shape the will of this Country by speaking the “complete” truth in love and civility and inspiring others. Or we can break the spirit of our great nation by inciting with half-truths, suppositions, assumptions, name calling and bitter-biting, therefore devouring each other.
Bitterness-Bite= Broken Nation
Galatians 5: 13-15
My brothers and sisters, you were chosen to be free. But don't use your freedom as an excuse to live in sin. Instead, serve one another in love. 14 The whole law can be found in a single command. "Love your neighbor as you love yourself."–(Leviticus 19:18)
15 You must not keep on biting each other. You must not keep eating each other up. Watch out! You might destroy each other. 16 So I say, live by the Holy Spirit's power. Then you will not do what your sinful nature wants you to do.
New International Reader's Version (NIRV) Copyright © 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society
Life Or Death?
Which do we choose this day in America? Shaping the will or breaking the spirit? Truth and love or assumption and arrogance? Civility or inciting? Life to the spirit and unity of our Country or death to the spirit of freedom we have loved and enjoyed for so long? Which one will it be, because one choice affects the whole!
And The Solution Is?
2 Corinthians 6:1-8
We work together with God. So we are asking you not to receive God's grace and then do nothing with it. 2 He says, "When I showed you my favor, I heard you. On the day I saved you, I helped you." (Isaiah 49:8) I tell you, now is the time God shows his favor. Now is the day he saves. Paul's Sufferings 3 We don't put anything in anyone's way. So no one can find fault with our work for God.
4 Instead, we make it clear that we serve God in every way. We serve him by holding steady. We stand firm in all kinds of trouble, hard times and suffering. 5 We don't give up when we are beaten or put in prison. When people stir up trouble in the streets, we continue to serve God. We work hard for him. We go without sleep and food.
6 We remain pure. We understand completely what it means to serve God. We are patient and kind. We serve him in the power of the Holy Spirit. We serve him with true love. 7 We speak the truth. We serve in the power of God. We hold the weapons of godliness in the right hand and in the left. 8 We serve God in times of glory and shame. We serve him whether the news about us is bad or good. We are true to our calling.
New International Reader's Version (NIRV) Copyright © 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society
Nothing Is Working!
America, right now nothing seems to be working to bring unity and agreement, no matter how hard we try! 2+2 is not equaling 4! What is the solution? What can we do? What is our choice?
- God Is The Solution!
- Truth Is What We Do! Our Choice Is: Truth+Love=Civility!
Jesus Is The Solution!
Jesus! Jesus is the Solution and His way never seems to be equal to our way of thinking, but always better in the end. We don’t think we need God! This is the deeper problem that God is solving in this Country and the surface symptoms of disunity brought on by incitement and by a lack of truth and civility are the symptoms that we are living with.
Romans 5:5-7
Accepting God’s Sovereign Will
There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary–we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
6-8Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.
(MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
A Country Divided In Heart Can't Stand In Liberty For All!
There are are factions in America, yelling accusations and name calling and back-biting this country to death. Our President is Barack Obama, he was voted in by over half this country and was allowed by our Sovereign God to take this position of authority! This same God put His love on the line for us already, so in heavenly hindsight, I will trust His Will for this Country with the part of it I see, before His purpose and intents are fully realized. I know that His will can only be for our good. I am a Republican with a heart after God, therefore of course I do not like some of the policies of the Democratic Party, as well as I don’t like some of what is happening in the leadership decisions of the first 100 days, but that does not cause me to incite, it causes me to turn to God and to seek His face that I might learn of His true purpose for times such as these and be ready to follow His lead.
As Christians, Our Fight Is Not With People!
I am learning to agree to disagree over the political culture, because my fight is not with President Obama or the Democratic Party, actually I have realized it is not my fight at all, the battle belongs to Jesus and He will lead. Jesus will lead by the example of civility and truth and in this atmosphere, the true will of God is to be revealed! Until then, I will reflect His nature, His character and speak His truth in His love.
Back To The Basics Of Civility
There are so many better ways to deal with our discontentment besides inciting others through half truths, name calling, bitter–biting and assumptions that in the long run make fools out of all of us! I believe that Glen Beck touched on it recently in theory, when he was trying to get all of us to begin at the basics of human civility, respect and friendship. Talk to your neighbor, open the doors of communication with those right around your sphere of influence, in your circle of relationship. We have been so busy and islolated and it is time to open up the heart of our homes again from community to community, and heart to heart.
Hear The Heart Of God, Be His Voice!
We can hear the heart of God and be its voice. Share God’s heart, share His truth and share a huge hope in God’s amazing life! I know we want to make these huge strides right now and we think that this political atmosphere calls for it, but I believe it is time to get back to the basics of what makes this Country so great! Talking Up The Truth In A Spirit Of Civility!
True Leaders Are Born House To House!
True leaders are born house to house from driveway to door to door and through heart to heart! This country is in desperate need of true servant–leadership! I feel like our whole generation, not just one party, but all of us have failed the next generation coming up, yet it is not too late to make a difference.
Invest In The Next Generation
Invest some quality time, God-time in the next generation, because they could just be God’s “Turning Point Generation”. Encourage them and point them to God’s Truth and a huge hope in Jesus Christ. Teach them civility by our example of loving our enemies, speaking the truth in love and caring about our Country enough to be involved in inspiration, not incitement!
Dig Past Symptoms To Heart
This country needs people with a purity of holiness that will stand in Christ Jesus, trust in the God of Justice for what is right, true and be devoted to liberty and justice for all. The Tea Parties all over the nation were a voice that showed a symptom of a deeper, greater need. I thought it was cool how people took so much of their time to put a voice to their heart, but I also realized that they were “preaching to the choir”. The main stream media did not cover it very much and what was covered were those who were “incited” and not those who were “inspired” by the heart of God.
They Are Us, We Are Them!
I heard a college pastor speak the other day about persecution and he said some of the most revealing words: “Realize that they are us and we are them and we all desperately need Jesus.” This backbiting that is going on, is just plain foolishness! Bite-Bitterness is a huge waste of time and words and all it is doing is devouring our liberty as a whole. When we call our President a communist, we are hurting the whole of our Country. He is the President of this Country, we are a part of. He is us and we are him! So that exaggeration to incite, tags all of us with the reputation of the name called. Be careful with your words, we are the United States and we all wear them.
Civility Begins With Me, With You!
I really believe that the Lord is exhorting us in the politics of our generation to get back to the basics of truth and civility. So where does that begin? It certainty is not going to begin with the politicians whose perspectives may be too warped by self driven motives to take the first steps towards reconciliation. It begins with me! It begins with you. The wholeness and purity of Truth begins with me and you. Am I talking up truth? Are the words out of my mouth assumptions, exaggerations, half-truths, bitter-biting or name calling? Because that is not pure truth!
Truth Was Created To Inspire
Truth was created to inspire, not incite. I feel like my words have power if they are wholly true, because God is in the midst of the fullness of truth. If I speak it: Did I see it for myself? Is it authentically proven? Did I hear it out of the person’s mouth? Have I experienced it first hand? Or am I repeating gossip, assumptions, exaggerations, bitter-bites and half truths; things that I don’t even know for sure whether they are truth, the real truth? This is inciting and God’s inspiration is not connected with it at all. Inciting tears at the foundation of our liberty and causes the fear and anger in people to be stirred up.
Our First Responsibility!
Our first responsibility is to the truth and the character of Christ revealed through us. So, the question God is asking us, His Bride of Christ in times such as these is this: Are You Inspiring or Inciting? I strongly encourage you not to stop here, but to go to every side dish available today and continue to hear God's Voice until you can answer this question with assurance that you are inspiring others with the fullness of truth in the civility of God's Love.
Side Dishes Available With This Meal
This meal is served with the side dishes that complement it's fine cusine! The side dishes are on the bar to your right. Click on the name of the available side dish! Hope you enjoy your selections! The side dishes available today are: