Our church just began a sermon series (likely a long one, since the intent is to preach through the whole book) on Exodus. It'll probably be months before we get here, but much of the political drumbeat in our congregation and elsewhere reminds me of nothing so much as the golden calf of
Exodus 32.
(
Calf making in Exodus )
How does one effectively discern and differentiate passion for a candidate vs. calf-making in others? I've seen so many christians strongly imply or outright assert that the emotion and hope people are feeling over Obama means that hope for him is taking precedence over the truth of the gospel. Do you agree with that?
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Pray for, love, encourage others - hope in, love, trust Jesus.
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Don't you love Lee's posts. He should write a book.
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Lee is one-of-a-kind and I appreciate his insights and his heart.
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Why do we need both? Why would we want to place our trust in someone/something that can fail us? Why place our hope or faith in something/someone that can fail us? Well, will fail us.
Jesus is who he is regardless of what I do. I only have the power to change who I am and how I come to him.
This is just how i believe, of course. It's also a reflection of where I am right now in my life. But honestly, I hope I stay here forever.
:)
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Trusting someone doesn't mean we put our entire weight down upon them, but that we trust that she or he has been given the wisdom needed to lead in a particular way? This seems like a benefit of living in a democratic nation.
To suggest that we shouldn't trust people because they can fail us seems really unusual to me. It's like telling the military to not trust the field commander who is radioing directions in the midst of a battle. He could fail - he *could* be a bad guy - so best just to pray and plot our own course through the mess.
The suggestion that trusting other people - particularly leaders - that somehow there isn't room in our hearts to do both - is quite concerning to me.
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if not, eat a few more brussel sprouts and try again. they're like tiny brains.
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i don't know what this means.
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So my question becomes (if you don't see this coming, I'll be surprised): Who are these Christians making these implications and assertions? Specifically, who are they to you (or to whomever they are directing their assertions and implications)?
That question has two major implications:
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Well, some have been on my friends list. Not people I've known well, but from their posts they strongly imply that emotion for Obama - trust and hope in him - means that Jesus is diminished. Which has been both hurtful and surprising.
Some are people I don't know at all but read online, friends of friends on my list, and other forums. And lastly, people in my life who have actually suggested that they actually can draw some fairly strong conclusions based on a few utterances and a few posts.
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What we do need are those people who are following Jesus with us who can check us. Again, it's pretty common not to have that. So we have a bunch of Christians running around, responding to and dishing out all kinds of opinions, with no one letting themselves be known by, loved by, or answerable to anyone. No wonder we're neurotic, tired, mistrustful, and all the rest. That's no way to live.
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