Wineskins Contributor・03/18/19

I am convinced that God cares about what goes on with politics...not always so much about the politics themselves but about how His people engage in the process.

We cannot claim the political high ground while producing "acts of the flesh" (Gal 5:19-21) rather than the "fruit of the Spirit" (Gal 5:22-26).

We cannot spew hate rather than show love and think Jesus is pleased even if the outcome seems right.

We cannot overlook evil in order to support our agenda.

We cannot be more focused on earthly kingdoms than on God's kingdom.

We can allow Jesus to shape and form our political thoughts.

We can show love to those who have conclusions that don't match our own.

We can sit down to dinner with people who don't have to agree with us to get along.

We cannot have the right conclusions while getting to those conclusions through terrible attitudes, ungodly conversations, unrighteous thoughts, and unruly actions.

If the right candidate (which means your candidate, of course) wins but you exhibited these things you are in the wrong,

"19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Gal 5:19-21)

If the wrong candidate wins (which means your opponent's candidate, of course) and you still exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, you can still be in the right,

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." (Gal 5:22-26)

As Christians we must go about things in a Christ-like way. Jesus should challenge our attitudes as much as he should challenge our politics.

Before you engage in that next debate or post that meme, ask yourself if you are doing it out of the fruit of the Spirit or in spite of the fruit of the Spirit? Ask yourself if it is a work of the flesh or a work of the Spirit. Jesus will help us sort these things out if we stop and consider not just which political view is right but what actions and attitudes must be exhibited as we have these conversations. Much ground has been lost in the kingdom, not as much over wrong positions, but over ungodly attitudes in the process. God care about the political process and that process is the inner process among His people.