While doing my morning devotions (thanks to Jon McPherson for a great devotional aid – available at Amazon), I was trying to work out what Christ was trying to tell me (you have to figure out what he is trying to tell you) concerning today’s scripture.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)
What is the peace he gives us and what is the peace the world gives?
We generally think of peace as the absence of war, but do people in America have peace even though we are not in a shooting war? Crime, inflation, terrorism, government corruption, overreach and inefficiency are a constant source of stress, which is the opposite of another definition of peace: “a state or condition conducive to, proceeding from, or characterized by tranquility.”
Worldly “peace” is illusionary and temporal, at best. Christ promises real peace even in the face of conflict and affliction, because disciples of the Messiah are looking to life after death, they are not living for this world.
The Apostles all faced torture and death (except for John – he died in prison) for their faith in Christ, but none of them renounced their faith. They were no doubt scared and did not want to be executed, but they were at peace with their circumstance because they knew what awaited them based on what Messiah had told them.
The dilemma I spent much time contemplating is what are we doing to help further the gospels?
We are in election season in America (there appears to be a three-month relief from this dreaded season after the elections before it ramps up again for twenty-one mind-numbing months) and we need to make a choice of who will represent us in government. Which representative will foster the spread of faith is seldom talked about on the campaign trail, but it is vitally important for the souls of the constituents.
We have numerous political parties, but effectively, there are only two parties that ever have a chance at winning: the Democratic party and the Republican party.
America is a prosperous country so the issues we must decide on do not appear to be survival concerns. That is why affordability and cultural questions top our list of concerns.
My analysis is that the platform of both parties is evil, but in different ways. The choice is not the lesser of two evils, but which will help foster true faith, or not.
The Democratic Party platform is overtly evil: abortion (6th Commandment), mutilating children to “change their sex”, LGBT+ agenda, soft-on-crime policies, and extorting money from working Americans to give to non-working people to buy their votes (7th & 10th Commandment).
Under the last Democrat president (Biden), the government weaponized the functions of government against its own citizens. Conservatives were spied on and censured, political opponents were smeared and arrested, Christians were arrested for praying, parents objecting to men in their daughters’ restrooms and locker rooms were sued and arrested, soldiers and citizens were fired for refusing to take an experimental vaccine, businesses were told they could not operate, violent felons were released back on the streets, Antifa mobs destroyed many cities and businesses, discrimination by gender and race was mandated, and rampant taxation and inflation was destroying people’s savings (much of that money was going to corrupt politicians after being funneled through NGOs and other cut-outs).
This agenda was leading the citizens of America into enslavement to a band of antichrists that held power.
The Republican party is much more subtle in their evil: they preach prosperity, lower taxes, limited government, and a reversal of the Democrat agenda.
The new Republican president (Trump) is seen as a savior of this country from the heavy-handed tactics of the Democrats. Many of the evils foisted on us by the Democrats have been temporarily lifted (through executive orders), but since Congress refuses to act on the president’s agenda, the next president can reenact all these evils and more.
Crime is down, inflation is down, corruption is being exposed and prosecuted, job growth in the private sector is up, prosecutions of Christians (for doing Christian things) is down, and mutilation and indoctrination of our children is being stopped. Wealth beyond imagination is being promised through tariffs and the advocates of AI technology. It sounds like we are entering into a utopian or a golden age.
This agenda is leading people into enslavement through the prosperity being promised by the saviors of our country. This is the enslavement of Joseph, who, because he was the regent of Egypt (second only to Pharaoh), was exceedingly wealthy and his siblings lacked for nothing. They no longer had to rely on the God of their father, Jacob, because Joseph’s largess met their needs.
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24)
The Democrat agenda is the enslavement of Pharaoh that caused the Israelites to cry out to the Father for salvation.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. 71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. (Psalm 119:67, 71)
The dilemma is, do you support the party that encourages good times and deludes the people into believing everything is okay as it is, or do you support the party that will afflict the people, hopefully causing them to seek an actual savior, since the churches will bend their doctrine to assist in the oppression in order to maintain their tax-exempt status.
Unfortunately, the modern Christian church does not teach the doctrines of Christ. Depending on the denomination, it is a collection of feel-good teachings (“Christ loves you as you are” – BS! He loves you and wants you to be better) that ignore Yeshua’s explicit instructions concerning faith and his Father’s Law. If you confessed him as Lord, you should be doing what your Lord commanded (https://graftedonline.com/2022/02/07/lord-lord/).
There is nothing wrong with wealth if you are rooted in Yahweh’s Word, as Abraham, Jacob, David, and Job were. Prosperity for prosperity’s sake gives little incentive for actively seeking salvation. Affliction can help us recognize that we need a savior, one that will help us through our affliction.
Before he died on the cross, one of the criminals asked Christ to be saved in the coming kingdom. He was probably not a theologian, and had very little time left to change his life, but he recognized that the man hanging next to him could do what no other person could do for him.
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee To day, thou shalt be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43)
Christ gave him the peace of knowing that his execution was not his final chapter.
Don’t wait for prosperity or affliction – seek Christ now, obey his commandments now. He has not made it difficult (preachers make it difficult – they are running a business, your salvation is secondary to them turning a profit) to know him and serve him – you have got to want it more than you want the peace of this world. That kind of desire will be rewarded by your Lord with actual peace.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)
