2021 begins in turmoil, both in America and Uganda. Both are reeling under political tensions. This can easily be translated to the powers of this world, and to Paul’s description of “principalities, powers, rulers in high places.” Are you troubled? Yes, these are hard times to live in this earthly kingdom.
As we enter 2021, we just left the season of Christmas, and recall the words of the angel who appeared to the shepherds in the field: “Fear not! for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people. For to you is born this day a savior, who is Christ the King.” That Savior grew up to tell us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Rest for our weary souls.
The rest in Him is eternal, yet does that free us from impatience, stress, anxiety, anger, or uncertainty? It certainly can! We always have a choice, and our choices must be made by we, ourselves, and only by God’s leading Spirit. If we do not choose to trust in Christ Jesus, we will struggle with the constant compromises and poor choices of this world.
Some will remind us that Jesus also said, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34) He certainly did! He brought it to the world, where he told us about the unbelievers. “In their case,” Paul said, “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (II Corinthians 4:4) Once blinded by the god of this world, the light of the gospel of glory becomes an outrage to mankind, and we become targets because He is such an offense to their “god.”
Paul also reminds us that we become two people when Christ redeems us and brings us into His family. We carry the old man, who still thinks and acts like the world’s people.
“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” (Romans 7:21-25)
Who will deliver us? That struggle continues for life. Our obedience is determined by the god of our choosing, or by God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. Our hope, our goal, our understanding require obedience. We will always be tempted. We will repeatedly fail. We will temporarily succumb to the god of this world. Of course we will! If Paul acknowledged this war in his own members, who are we to stay above it? The hope is in Christ Jesus. The good works are in Christ Jesus. The outcome is assured in Christ Jesus.
Here at DCF, we unanimously agree to serve one another in order to keep our faith strong and to guide us. We share our struggles so that Jesus Christ will reign in our broken hearts. It is only this that keeps us out of the political fray, outside the horrors and hatred of this current age.
The future holds nothing but the promises of God. The natural man carries a sword of steel. His ambition is to rule on this earth. For us, the way to fight is with the sword of the Spirit. We wear the whole armor of God. We are arrayed for battle of a very different sort, because we know what the future holds. And who holds it.
“Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.” (I Corinthians 15:49,50)
We would love to have you join us, or, if you need to, struggle against us.