Dorette Saunders
Stop in the name of love!
Pause for a moment and look at our country. We are on a collision course (with ourselves) and it’s happening so fast that we can’t help but close our eyes, cover our ears, and wait for the boom.
But God…is not finished with us yet.
“God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live” (Ephesians 2:10, CEV).
Why, then, are we experiencing so much antagonism and hatred toward each other? Civility has quietly stepped through the back door and social media platforms, despite their value, have emboldened us to unleash the fury and vitriol of our evil twin. (Of course, we would never act like that!)
Let’s face it, sometimes even Christians have a way of thumbing our noses at people who have not yet come to Christ. If we are guilty of such behavior, it’s never too late to be repentant for passing up the opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ.
In the second chapter of his letter to the church at Ephesus, the apostle Paul reminds both Jews and Gentiles that despite their checkered past, God gave them the free gift of salvation. Neither group has done anything to earn it, so they cannot brag about being righteous.
Paul says:
“Once we were also ruled by the selfish desires of our bodies and minds. We had made God angry, and we were going to be punished like everyone else” (Ephesians 2:3, CEV).
Shocking to be called out like that. Yet, Paul is not done…
“But God was merciful!” (Ephesians 2:4, CEV).
Do we still do things that make God angry? Do we remember when we were ruled by the selfish desires of our bodies and minds? Can we recall times when God was merciful?
Sometimes we “forget.”
However Paul reminds his audience and us that “We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much he made us alive with Christ…” (Ephesians 2:4,5, CEV).
Do you see the pattern? God’s has loved us consistently despite our sin. And, it is God’s love that gives us hope when we feel as if our world will collide.
“You were living in this world without hope and without God, and you were far from God. But Christ offered his life's blood as a sacrifice and brought you near God” (Ephesians 2:12, 13, CEV).
Paul tells us that Christ has reconciled us to God therefore we need not worry about external circumstances.
“Christ came and preached peace to you Gentiles, who were far from God, and peace to us Jews, who were near God. And because of Christ, all of us can come to the Father by the same Spirit” (Ephesians 2:17, 18, CEV).
We must come together to pray, in the name of God, who is love, that we will demonstrate love to those around us—whether they speak our language, look like us, or even believe what we believe.
We must come together to pray, not just for our own country, but for countries everywhere in the world where strife threatens to upend peace.
Can this peace permeate our country? Yes, it can. The Scriptures remind us that we Christians have much work to do. It tells us:
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14, NIV).
PRAYER: Lord, we are those who are called by your name. We seek your hand of mercy as we repent on behalf of ourselves and our nation. Let us not be too proud to humble ourselves, to call upon you knowing that our individual healing and the healing of our land rest with you. Refresh us, Lord, with your love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
©M©dytations 2024