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Imperfect People Make a Difference

There are some things I don’t like about Donald Trump. He is curt, caustic, rude, abrasive, terse, self-ingratiating, egotistical, he calls people names, and dozens other reasons, BUT…

There are things I do like about Donald Trump, things not found anywhere else, anywhere. I like his stance on the borders, energy (drill baby, drill), the economy, foreign affairs, justice, taxation, education, and dozens of other things.

For me the latter grouping trumps the former grouping. The first grouping relates to his personal traits and the latter grouping his political positions.

For which do you think we will be electing a president, personality or positions? I may not like the way he does things, but I like the things he gets done. Even though they are not perfect, but they are done better than anyone else, repeat, anyone else on the ballot.

A flawed character isn’t a commendable character trait. A prudent political posture is preferable.

Could the two groups above be transformed into material substances and put on a balancing scale the political assets would outweigh the personal liability.

We will not be electing a pastor, but a president. Few pastors would make a good president. Fewer presidents would make a good pastor.

The Bible tells of many characters with flaws that were used by God, such as Abraham a liar, Moses was a murderer, David was a murderer and an adulterer, Rachel a nomadic kleptomaniac, Aaron made an abominable idol, Solomon the world’s greatest sex addict had 1,000 sexual partners, with rare exception, all the kings that followed Solomon had mammoth issues in their lives, and the prophets struggled with impurity, depression, and broken families, Peter rebuked the Lord and denied Him three times. Yet, the days came for each when God used all of them.

If a perfect God can use an unholy cast of characters like this He can use Donald Trump.

The imperfection of these is not a license for us to sin more and abuse the mercy that God has showered on our lives. Don’t use these as an excuse for your shortcomings.

I have read biographies on a number of former Presidents and each lacks perfection. Some fell way short of the standard of perfection, yet they were used of God.

Martin Luther popularized the phrase, God uses crooked sticks to draw straight lines. It’s a clever phrase that communicates the notion that God works through imperfect people to accomplish His perfect will. Though I believe God calls us to be transformed in our thoughts, words, and actions (Rom 12:1-2), and to strive for spiritual and moral purity (1 Pet 1:15-16), the reality is that He does not wait for us to be perfect before He uses us.

God uses imperfect people to make a difference. Spiritually we are made perfect in Christ. Even then we continue to make mistakes.

When Is Jesus Coming?

“Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ” (II Thessalonians 3: 5).

Some people exhaust themselves over the details of the next coming of Jesus Christ. They search for passages that will afford them details. Much time is spent delving into minute details of His glorious coming, hoping to find details overlooked for millennia that will confirm their belief His coming is near. They search for details regarding the hour of His coming while they should search for the conduct of prepared people.

Establish the fact that His coming is imminent, though not necessarily immediate. Imminent means His coming might be imminent, but it may be another 10,000 years. Live every day as though it is the day, but don’t delve so deeply you fail to be busy serving Him when He comes.

The text noted above indicates two things for which to pray: love and patience.

Your heart is to be a contemporary citadel for these two.

Jesus is the restorer of these two.

There are more than 650 Bible verses devoted to five key euphoric words: joy, rejoice, glad, happy, and delight. This indicates the life of joy is the intent of the Father.

Holy vivacity reveals spiritual vigor and results in victory.

The Hebrew word for strength, “mazo,” refers to the inner “fortress,” the heart, the inner you, is a stronghold of the Lord. It overcomes anxiety and stress and enables one to have love and patience.

In this fortress a New Testament principle prevails.

“Let the peace of God rule in your heart” (Col. 3: 15).

Robert Louis Stevenson said: “Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened but go on in good fortune or misfortune at their own private pace like the ticking of a clock during a thunderstorm.”

The loving heart that is patiently waiting for Jesus is never stressed over minutia or anxious regarding His coming.

“Wait on the Lord, run not before Him.” Jesus said the Father had not revealed the hour to the Son. If He doesn’t know, why should we know?

The certainty of His coming should satisfy everyone. Avoid date determining and time certainty.

We don’t know for sure and can’t know for certainty when He is coming, but we do know with confidence He is coming.

Exercise the Jesus patience.

To Give or Not to Give

Consider the following in light of the proposal to give citizens money for housing and education which would entail a step toward national bankruptcy.

Following is a speech by Davy Crockett (House of Representatives 1827-1831, and 1833-1835) regarding giving government relief to the widow of a Naval officer. He said in part the following.

“Mr. Speaker, I have said we have the right to give as much of our own money as we please. I am the poorest man on this floor. I cannot vote for this bill, but I will give one week’s pay to the object, and if every member of Congress will do the same, it will amount to more than the bill asks.”

“I will not go into an argument to prove that Congress has no power to appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every member upon this floor knows it. We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right to appropriate a dollar of the public money.”

“There are in that House many very wealthy men—men who think nothing of spending a week’s pay, or a dozen of them, for a dinner or a wine party when they have something to accomplish by it. Some of those same men made beautiful speeches upon the great debt of gratitude which the country owed the deceased—a debt which could not be paid by money—and the insignificance and worthlessness of money, particularly so insignificant a sum as $10,000, when weighed against the honor of the nation. Yet not one of them responded to my proposition. Money with them is nothing but trash when it is to come out of the people. But it is the one great thing for which most of them are striving, and many of them sacrifice honor, integrity, and justice to obtain it.”

The gist of the speech is it is not the job of Congress to appropriate funds for personal interest. Yet today members running for office are proposing such charities. There is consideration being given to give first time home buyers $25,000. Another is to give $6,000 to every person entering college.

In a different era Alexander Fraser Tytler gave the following speech. “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to selfishness; From selfishness to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage.”

Such is the depiction of a society spiraling out of control. A sure way to continue this decline is to propose to give gifts out of the public treasury. The recipients are sure to vote for those who will promise to give them gifts.

There is a choice and the time is right to make it.

Forgiveness Sets the Prisoner Free

As refreshment for your spirit read the following from Psalm 86. Then go back and pray them as you reread them.

“Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.
For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.
But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore.
In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, For You will answer me.”

This Psalm is known as the “Prayer of David.” It is notable because David uses the Hebrew word Adonai (“Master”) seven times when referring to God. To ask for the supply David needed and ask for, you need to submit to the Lord as Master. This is an expression of loyalty and devotion. Dare we call Him Master and not obey Him? It is not a title to be taken lightly.

Our holy God is “ready to forgive”. Sin blinds some people to sin leaving them to His readiness to forgive. Failure to call on Him for forgiveness leaves one captive to guilt. Resultantly some think that they must induce Him to forgive, by tears, promises of amendment, religious observances.

You may have fallen a hundred times, and are ashamed to come to God again; it seems too much to expect that He will receive you again. But He will, for He is ready to forgive. Don’t impose on God’s readiness to forgive, neither forget that He is ready to forgive.

We should rejoice in that like David we can say, “In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me….” The day of “trouble” is descriptive of days like we all have. In such days we can call on the Lord and He will hear us.

You will find He is attentive and responsive. He may not answer in the way desired, but He will respond out of His abundant love and unbound knowledge which exceeds ours. It is out of the reservoir of love and knowledge He provides for us.

Because we are forgiven we should be willing to forgive others. In the Lord’s Model Prayer is this maxim: “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6: 12).

We are instructed to “…be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4: 32).

The process of forgiving out of gratitude is this. In effect we pray: “Dear Father, I forgive this person as a demonstration of my gratitude for you having forgiven me.”

To forgive means the person you forgive means more to you than the wrong they did to you.

To forgive is to set a prisoner free only to discover the prisoner is you.

Blessing or Judgment?

The Book of Nahum was written to tell of God’s forthcoming judgment on Assyria. Of them it is said, “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked” (Nahum 1: 3). God is patient, but His judgment is inevitable.

“Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, And the rocks are thrown down by Him…” (Nahum 1: 6).  God says to His faithful people, “I will be with you.” Throughout the book there are statements regarding God’s judgment.

There are indications that God is about to bless America or judge America.

We should faithfully serve Him and pray lest it be judgment for us. His judgment is never a pleasant thing, but always justifiable.

In any society there is a faithful remnant. In America that is a large population. It is inevitable that the good suffer with the evil. How about His people?

There in Nahum, like a placid pool in an oasis amidst a desert storm rests Nahum 1: 7, “The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.” The righteous are not immuned, but they are enabled by God to cope.

There are numerous Bible examples of God disciplining nations. America should not expect to be exempted from God’s judgment as long as our response to His grace period is negative.

Again, consider our options: blessing or judgment. In either case God will be with His people. Living amid judgment is never easy, but even in the storm His grace is always sufficient.

A code of ethics can be designed using the following text. Don’t let your mind stumble over these ageless gems.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous…” (Psalm 1: 1, 2).

There is a biblical process often seen: God warns – – – God waits – – – God exercises judgment. He still does in dealing with people, and nations.

Plug your brain into reason and logic. Awaken sanity, stir the embers of judgment, put common sense to work in your life.

“The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether…” Psalm 19: 9.