Living in the Spirit

October 6, 2022

Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 2:8-15

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David—that is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. The saying is sure:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself. –2 Timothy 2:8-13

I always have a problem with words like “elect.” They ring of privilege over others.  We are granted the freedom to choose to follow Jesus or not. I suppose that could be written elected to follow. Jesus, however, loves all of God’s children even those who do not choose to follow him. Jesus also saw the righteousness in people who did not proclaim to be his follower even though they lived his example. The phrase if we deny him, he will also deny us; may simply mean Jesus does not force himself upon anyone. It rings true to the instruction in Matthew 10:14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.

As we plow our way through our midterm elections, we may want to consider what “elect” means as we elect people to work together toward finding common ground for the Common Good which is their assignment. I fear we have lost track of that reality. Some do not want to work together in search of common ground, and it appears that some do not want the Common Good. Some have their own definition of what is Good that only includes those who agree with them. How we reshape our government during this election will have a lasting impact on our lives for many years. We need leadership that can walk away from the negative influences and bring our country together.

Prayer: Lord,  bring us together, Lord, bring us together in love.Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.