“One Nation”
One of the greatest things about the USA is that we get to actually vote in elections! We have so many things to be grateful for (that we all take for granted). It’s Amazing God let’s us live in this country and a time such as this; however, the breaking news is the…America is not the Promised Land nor is it God’s only & favorite nation. So how do we reconcile our faith with our politics?
This letter from Paul to the Church is Ephesus is believed to be while he was in prison or house arrest. And even though Paul was in prison, in a terrible circumstance, Paul still uses this opportunity to care about others! Paul starts his letters so eloquently with “Grace and Peace” be with you…not peace then grace…we can only experience peace when we first experience God’s grace.
As Paul goes on to write he reminds of the election of those God choses (not talking of 5 point Calvinism), but the words that Christ even reminds us…”you did not chose me but I chose You”. When we step into a relationship with Christ we realize even more how He chose us over anything to set us free from sin and death by the commencement of all overflow…God’s love for us!
Paul goes on to write about our Adoption to Sonship through Christ. Not our citizenship of an earthly nation but our adoption as sons & daughters of the living God. So many times we hear about free will of man and neglect the free will of God. God has the free will to chose whom He gives & takes away, who leads and who follows, who is rich and who is poor…yet the American Dream can cripple us and say “pull up your bootstraps and work to be blessed”…not the same in God’s economy.
It was the riches of God’s grace that Christ Jesus came and made a way for us to be adopted into a nation of Christians. Not because of how good, or “righteous”, we are but because of how good God is. The saints and martyrs who have gone before us on the front lines operated in the same grace we get to today as they followed God’s will and plan to bring His name fame to the ends of the earth! And in the process the things of Christ in Heaven and the things in Christ on earth are reconciled to the Father in the end! His entire creation! We are no longer separated as Jew or Gentile but we are one through Christ.
The Holy Spirit is our seal from God of His love for us. It is so much different than a pledge. A pledge is given, and then it is taken back again when the condition is carried out. Not so with a seal!
Do I love America? Yes! Do I stand for the pledge? Yes! But I know that I am a child of God first, and an American second! If what I do every day reflects America more than Christ…I’m doing it wrong! Remember today to you are chosen by God! Nothing man says can take that away! A Hebrew word for Chosen is Bachar (which means rooted in). Where are you rooted today?
Take Away:
How does knowing you’re chosen by God change the way you view your role in this life?
How well do you feel Christians are doing at representing Christ? How are you contributing?
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Tyler West 