It's that time again. Elections are around the corner and every candidate is doing his or her best to win your vote. Before you continue reading this post please understand something - this is not going to be about politics or who I am or am not voting for. I try to stay away from all that chaos. However, I do find it slightly maddening when candidates are asked a question and are incapable of giving a direct answer.
For instance, last night a local news station had two candidates on who are running against each other for a state office in North Carolina. Each candidate was asked what he planned to do to bolster education in North Carolina. Both men bemoaned the sad state of public education in North Carolina and each went on to boast that his plan would help to turn the education crisis around, but neither of them would tell us what their plan actually was. They didn't say anything. I felt like I wasted a good five minutes of my life listening to them. Please, just answer the question and tell me the truth!
Whether it's trying to wade through the muck of a political debate or you are simply trying to get to the bottom of which kid broke your favorite vase, the truth can often be hard to come by. Everyone seems to have an opinion about everything but it seldom seems as if anyone really has an answer.
Christians have long been criticized for being intolerant and exclusive when it comes to their faith. One of the major objections from those who do not follow Christ is with the statement, "Jesus is the only way." (read John 14:6) That offends people and it makes believers uncomfortable so we declare that to be true when we are gathered together but we seek to avoid it amongst mixed company. Besides, you don't talk about religion and politics when you are at the dinner table, right?
Not exactly. Jesus did. When He sat at the table with disgruntled Pharisees or unbelieving average Joe's, He always discussed what was true. He didn't start a fight but He also didn't back down where the truth was concerned. It's pretty obvious that He wasn't seeking to win popularity contests. He came to seek and save the lost. (read Luke 19:10)
There are a lot of men and women who have been given the awesome responsibility and privilege of leading God's people, yet when they have the chance to stand before them all that they can think of to say is the equivalent of, "God loves you, so do good to someone else today." God does love us and we should seek to do good, but that is hardly the full extent of the truth of the gospel message. Jesus never ducked the issue of sin and the need for repentance.
If you are a follower of Christ then you too have been given the awesome responsibility and privilege of speaking God's truth. You may not stand before a congregation week after week but you do have a voice. Almost daily you will be faced with a situation that challenges what you know to be true and you will have a choice to make: Will you speak truth or will you acquiesce and pour sugar on it?
Jesus did not die on the cross for a good cause. He died to pave the only way to the Father. There's no hemming and hawing around that one. There are men and women all around us who simply want to hear the truth. Are you prepared to share it with them?
For instance, last night a local news station had two candidates on who are running against each other for a state office in North Carolina. Each candidate was asked what he planned to do to bolster education in North Carolina. Both men bemoaned the sad state of public education in North Carolina and each went on to boast that his plan would help to turn the education crisis around, but neither of them would tell us what their plan actually was. They didn't say anything. I felt like I wasted a good five minutes of my life listening to them. Please, just answer the question and tell me the truth!
Whether it's trying to wade through the muck of a political debate or you are simply trying to get to the bottom of which kid broke your favorite vase, the truth can often be hard to come by. Everyone seems to have an opinion about everything but it seldom seems as if anyone really has an answer.
Christians have long been criticized for being intolerant and exclusive when it comes to their faith. One of the major objections from those who do not follow Christ is with the statement, "Jesus is the only way." (read John 14:6) That offends people and it makes believers uncomfortable so we declare that to be true when we are gathered together but we seek to avoid it amongst mixed company. Besides, you don't talk about religion and politics when you are at the dinner table, right?
Not exactly. Jesus did. When He sat at the table with disgruntled Pharisees or unbelieving average Joe's, He always discussed what was true. He didn't start a fight but He also didn't back down where the truth was concerned. It's pretty obvious that He wasn't seeking to win popularity contests. He came to seek and save the lost. (read Luke 19:10)
There are a lot of men and women who have been given the awesome responsibility and privilege of leading God's people, yet when they have the chance to stand before them all that they can think of to say is the equivalent of, "God loves you, so do good to someone else today." God does love us and we should seek to do good, but that is hardly the full extent of the truth of the gospel message. Jesus never ducked the issue of sin and the need for repentance.
If you are a follower of Christ then you too have been given the awesome responsibility and privilege of speaking God's truth. You may not stand before a congregation week after week but you do have a voice. Almost daily you will be faced with a situation that challenges what you know to be true and you will have a choice to make: Will you speak truth or will you acquiesce and pour sugar on it?
Jesus did not die on the cross for a good cause. He died to pave the only way to the Father. There's no hemming and hawing around that one. There are men and women all around us who simply want to hear the truth. Are you prepared to share it with them?
1 comment:
Biblically correct; Jesus is the only way! Thanks for the encouragement to share it at "the dinner table."
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