A Remnant
Submitted by Linda Franklin on Fri, 2007-11-02 10:05.
Justice | Politics
I have read some of the blogs on this site and I feel a need to say something. I have lived a long time and have observed a lot of history. I have been involved in politics since I was 16 years old. I was Vice President of Tennessee's Young Americans for Freedom, Young Republicans Club, been an assistant delegate to conventions, etc. I care so much for freedom as that is what the Lord has given us -- free will. I believe that we can practice the Christian Faith so much better in a Capitalistic Society (economics) and I believe more in a Republic which is what our Founding Fathers intended for us to have instead of a Democracy.
I have seen the Executive Branch of our government be terrible, be great, be mediocre, etc. I have seen the same thing in the Legislative Branch. I have seen fair judges and grossly unfair judges. I have always had hope as I have seen this country do some of the most stupid things in the world and when Americans get fed up with it, they vote to change it big time as they did when electing Ronald Reagan. They handled the "Hitler Situation" so slowly and so stupid allowing it to go on for so long. They have handled international affairs worse than the domestic affairs so many times. ETC, ETC,ETC.
But the times today are very bad and I can see the future getting worse and worse before it turns around. Note the Old Testament - yes, it does turn around --- maybe after 500 to 1000 years. Read the Old Testament especially the prophets --- the people can be told what to do by the prophets and be given chances to do that, but they don't and they in turn have to suffer the conseqences. Ezekial and Jeremiah are fabulous books to read now.
But the Lord has always provided for the Remnant of Believers. He has always won out. The Remnant has always been taken care of. I intend to the be part of the Remnant. I will pray to the Lord to help me to become more Holy everyday, to be stronger in the Lord, to trust more and feel secure in the Lord. I am not going to participate in the games many others are playing in -- preaching to the ignorant; to protect myself with guns; to talk and talk about the situation; to pretending everything is okay; ----all of this won't prevent God's plan nor change God's plan for all of us. It will just get me involved with the non-remnant.--- interfere with my holiness, my spiritual growth -- I need to look toward the Lord and talk with Him, trusts Him, love Him, and even love the ignorant, the stupid - the way the Lord loves them ---DO THE RIGHT THING.
I will adhere making the Lord my Master --- to be close to him -- to feel secure with him, to be filled with his Holy Spirit and therefore be filled with Love until it overflows from me. My goal in life is to become who he wants me to become; to feel that peace that passes all understanding; to be more spiritual than human (as much as I can on this earth). To be in contact with Him every moment that is possible. I want to do His Will for me and for the world; To take care of my body and my mind-His Temple and my Spirit that he has given me; Trust and to be Christ Like; To show all of the attributes in Galatians 5:22 to others --Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. One can not get these attributes by putting them on oneself, but only through Spiritual Growth.
Then I will be a part of his Remnant!!
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| | | | | | | | | Yes, it's important (i.e.,
Submitted by Wayne on Fri, 2007-11-02 12:08.
Yes, it's important (i.e., obedient to God) to work on improving society, helping others, evangelizing, etc. However, we cannot all rush headlong into doing so if we're not prepared. First, we must be right with God, working on our own holiness and obedience else we might stray. Matthew 7:3-5 is a brief parable of just that. Even the great Saint Paul took time out before heading into the fallen world to preach (see Galatians 1:17). And the greatest Prophet of them all, the One who perfectly spoke the Word of the Lord (for this is the definition of a prophet), went into the wilderness--alone--for 40 days before He began His public ministry. If even Jesus Himself needed this quiet time with the Father, even though He was already perfect, so much more so do we. And He returned often to quiet time with His Father throughout His ministry. So much more so should we.
Don't retreat
Working on Godly obedience (holiness) is definitely a good thing. However, it cannot be done at the expense of our participation in society, however corrupt and lost society might be. This is the error of monastic life. Of course, our participation must itself be Godly and obedient, not done in the same way as the unbelievers do it. Nevertheless, we must participate.
The best way to participate in changing a fallen culture is to show others their need for the Lord and to teach them to be disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). When someone responds, the Lord has reclaimed one of His own! These can spiritually grow up to be great warriors for the Lord and His coming Kingdom. When they don't respond, though, move on (Matthew 10:14; Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5) to others.
Note that we cannot know all of God's plans. We don't know what roles He has for us in these plans. We certainly cannot use His plans as an excuse to do something or not do something, for we are not usually privy to these details. How then are we to live? In simple, moment-by-moment obedience. By listing to Him and obeying Him, we fulfill our roles in His plan. But we cannot use the assuredness of His plans as an excuse to not try to do the right thing--the right thing not only in our relationship with Him but the right thing in our relationships with the rest of society. (Note that these two dimensions of obedience are evident in the Ten Commandments. The first several commandments pertain to our relationship with our Master, while the rest of them pertain to our relationships with other people.)
It is true that our involvement with the "non-remnant" can be a distraction from our relationship with the Lord. However, note Jesus' example: He spent much time with others, preaching, serving, healing, yet He also took time away from others to work on His relationship with the Father. The challenging part of this is getting the proportion correct. How much time to spend with the Father versus with others? Again, the Lord will lead if we listen to Him each day. There are times when we need to temporarily retreat from the world and be recharged by our Maker and Sustainer. But then we are to again engage this fallen world (Ephesians 6:12), preaching the Good News that salvation can be received by merely accepting the substitutionary death of God's Son.