Living in the Spirit
November 20, 2018
Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 23:1-7
Is not my house like this with God?
For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and secure.
Will he not cause to prosper
all my help and my desire?
But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away;
for they cannot be picked up with the hand;
to touch them one uses an iron bar
or the shaft of a spear.
And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot. –2 Samuel 23:5-7
Our military is constructing defenses against illegal entry into our country stringing coils of barbed wire across various places on our southern border. I grew up surrounded by barbed wire even encounter some that also included electrified fencing which burnt holes in my gloves when I gripped it to maneuver my way over the prickly barrier. Of course, the barbed wire I encounter was designed to keep cattle in not people out. I agree an ordered, secure world is the desired outcome. The question with which we must struggle is: what does a world where all of God’s children live in peace, security, and harmony look like? How do we make that happen? For that is the call that David makes to God followers at the end of his life which his descendant in faith, Jesus, revisits in his incarnation on this earth. We are charged to work toward establishing the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom that’s prime directive is to develop such a world through acts of love.
Throughout history, war and other forms of violence charted the course of nation-building and governance with greed and lust for power being the prime directives. I was surprised when I received my genealogical DNA results to find I was 20% Scandinavian. I have no knowledge of any connection with Scandinavia. According to the DNA report, I am only 6% English, although I can trace many lines to England. I also know Viking invasions were common in that part of the world.
When my ancestors came to the New World, they came with the religious guidance of the Doctrine of Discovery and eventually Manifest Destiny. They believed that God gave this land to Europeans regardless of who was already here. They had short memories of their historical roots resulting from invasions.
We will never fulfill our calling regarding the Kingdom of God until we first conquer the sins of greed and lust for power. I do not think we can do either until we return to right relationship with God.
Prayer: God of Mercy and Justice, forgive us when the ways of evil entice us to love them more than we love you. Guide us in repenting of our foolish ways. Amen.