Skip to main content

Overcoming the World


                “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

          Yesterday afternoon, I saw a report that the Supreme Court of Colorado has refused to hear the case of the Christian baker whose First Amendment rights have been violated to placate people whose agenda is to suppress religious expression that disagrees with their dogma. I'm not surprised. We shouldn't be surprised when the world behaves in a worldly manner.

          Why do we keep expecting the world to do what is right? Why do we keep looking to the world for solutions to these problems? Jesus told us that we would have tribulation. Our peace does not and cannot come from the world. If our pleas, prayers and petitions are to the government, or to the people of the world, then they will receive glory for their answers.

          Instead, we should be praying to the One we desire to be glorified. Our prayer should be that He is glorified as He overcomes the world as He promised. We can't know what that will look like. What we can and do know is that even if politicians are on "our side," the political machine is not. Men will fail us. The system will betray us. We will have tribulation. But God loves us. Out victory is "'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty." (Zechariah 4:6.)

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Birthday of

John James Audobon

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...
2 comments
Read more

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...
1 comment
Read more

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more