2024-01-19
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Before tacking the issues at hand, I needed to do some intense praying for direction. The reason is so many people are full of unrepressed animosity toward other groups different from their own. But first, let me reiterate the citations on which this present group of devotions arose.
Let me begin by giving the reference citations for Christ’s Atonement and its aftermath: His arrest and trial [LK 23: 1-25]; His crucifixion [LK 23: 26-43]; His death and burial [LK 23: 44-49 & 50-56]; His rising [LK 24: 1-14]; On the road to Emmaus [LK 24: 15-35]; Christ’s appearance to the disciples [LK 24: 36-49]; His Ascension [LK 24: 50-53].
The lessons discussed so far are: getting God’s perspective; coming closer to Him; our understanding of God; God judges all on a fair, equitable, and even standard; the consistency of His teaching throughout the Scriptures; faith in the supernatural qualities God has; the value of the gifts of the Holy Spirit; God’s benevolent use of His power; the benefits of truth and God’s omniscience. Today’s topic, assigned to me by the Holy Spirit, is failure to accept cultural differences, resulting in hatemongering and societal fracture. In my father’s time in the beginning of the twentieth century, the larger cities in North America were divided into sections based on the cultures from which people immigrated to our continent. So, the Irish lived in their segment, the Italians in theirs, the Jews in theirs, the Chinese in theirs, and so on. It made sense that this would happen because of language and cultural differences coupled with the desire to relate to one’s neighbors. As long as these groups got along with each other, this system worked. However, there were gangs, tongs, and cliques that made life difficult for “outsiders.” While most young people in school adjusted to coming together there, the erosion of peace outside the schools exerted itself within them.
That began the problem that has eroded the former peace between these groups. A few made it uncomfortable for the majority, who simply wanted to work to make a living for their families and live in peace. Along with this deterioration of peace with neighbors, came secularism -a movement away from Biblical truth and ethics, making God a Resident in one’s homes, greater refusal to respect individual and communal differences, and generalization leading to snap judgments. PR 14: 21, “Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.” As far back as LV 19: 18, an often-repeated message in the Scriptures is said. “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people but love your neighbor as yourself.” We mustn’t forget PR 11: 12, “A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue.” This one from the NT is also helpful in knowing God’s will for us. 1 JN 4: 11, “Dear Friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
Sadly, as time has gone on past the beginning and middle of the 20th century, relationships between groups have eroded into the hatemongering, judgments, and fracturing of our society that is going on now. And yes, this is heartbreaking to many of us. ECCL 7: 8-9, “Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.” Note the wisdom in PR 29: 11, “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.” We all know that evil has existed as long as mankind has. The problem, as this author sees it, is that mankind isn’t learning lessons from history. We keep making the same mistakes over and over again! Moving away from Biblical truth is one of the biggest causes of this trend. Most ordinary Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Taoists, Christians, Jews, and believers in other systems of faith want to live in peace. It is only people who have “the disaster complex”—a combination of time on their hands, great wealth, and thirst for power—the extremists that cause our societal fractures. These are people who make negative generalizations about groups different than their own. That is how anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and other brands of hatemongering get going. Over the years and including the present, one group wants to wrest territory from another. The idea of living in peace with neighbors who differ culturally refuse to tolerate each other. Groups that believe in killing others are groups like these. This kind of evil can be between members of the same family, or on any level of society—community, national, between world countries and even regions of countries.
PRAYER: O Most Holy Lord, we appeal to You to teach us to learn from history, to invite You into our homes and daily lives, to show us how to be tolerant, kind, and peacemakers. Your words in COL 3: 5, 9-10 matter. “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry…Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and put on the new self, which is being renewed in the knowledge in the image of its Creator.” You have also instructed us, in COL 3: 15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Your words and what they can do for peace between us and our neighbors are precious treasures. We know serially evil people will be punished for eternity, just as we know those who live righteously will be rewarded with sweet and eternal fellowship with You. We are indeed thankful and pledge You our faith. In the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: There are still more lessons from faithfulness for me to discuss next week. Back in GN 2: 19-20 mankind was put in charge of all the animals and plants of the earth. Our attitude toward God’s creation, earth, and all the living things on it, is the topic the Holy Spirit is directing me to take up next week. As you all know, I was raised in a Conservative Jewish household. I knew nothing of the Lord Jesus and was raised to think that He was nothing more than a mendicant rabbi and carpenter from Israel. Because of my interest in genealogy, I learned that many of my ancestors were murdered in the Holocaust. Even their names have been made known to me in the last ten years. Sadly, many people in Israel who either survived the Holocaust or who were blessed enough to have parents who did, are now making some of the same mistakes their Nazi captors did. The hate is being passed down from generation to generation. Of course, not all Israeli Jews are doing this, but the extremists among them are. Join me in praying for them to learn the value of being tolerant peacemakers soon. Our Lord Jesus will hear those prayers and answer them according to how genuinely they are offered. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2023. All Rights Reserved.
<-- Back to Archives