I was talking to a precious friend the other day. She was stressed about her job. She was the only evangelical Christian she knew in her position. She was surrounded by coworkers who were not religious and considerably more politically liberal than her.

My friend told me, “I feel persecuted because I have to keep my opinions about gender roles and taking God’s name in vain to myself.”

I asked her if anyone had been unkind to her and she said, “No, not yet.”

Then I asked her how Jesus treated the people who lived sinfully in his day (tax collectors, women caught in adultery).

She quickly responded, “He loved them.”

I asked her, “Who did Jesus call names like ‘white-washed sepulchers’?”

She thought just a few seconds then answered (because she is well-read in Scripture), “The Pharisees.”

“So,” I followed up, “Jesus fussed at the religious leaders, not the sinners?”

“Right, he treated the sinners with love.”

“Then, how might you look at your coworkers who don’t know God and live lifestyles you don’t feel comfortable with?”

“I could love them and treat them kindly. I could let Jesus love them through me!”

“Awesome!” I was happy for her, but followed up with, “What if you get persecuted when someone finds out you are a Christian?”

“Well, I won’t like it, but Jesus said, “blessed are they when they are persecuted for righteousness sake.”

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

My friend was feeling more empowered. Then she paused, looking perplexed. “But the epistles tell us to straighten up when we behave sinfully.”

“And who were the Epistles written to?” I inquired.

We looked: to the church.

Perhaps we Christians can relax a little. Sometimes it is fun to feel like everyone is out to get us. It helps us draw together against a common enemy, but the world is not our enemy. God so LOVED the world.

We need to look at who is the author of that *it’s bad to be persecuted* mentality. If we get angry and upset because people are insulted by our faith, then hooray!

When we think of New Year’s Eve, we often think of:

• Preparation for a party with friends and family or Watch Night Service at church
• Creating your new New Year’s Resolutions

That’s good stuff. Here’s another thought that might be personally life-changing. What if you dedicate a few minutes of reflection about the outgoing year and the important things you have experienced or learned?

Spending time in reflection might sound airy-headed, but it I think it is simply a practice of wisdom. How can you truly learn about yourself if you don’t slow down and think about what has happened in life, what is good and not-so-good in yourself (and in life) AND what God is doing?

If we all spend a few minutes thoughtfully reviewing the past year, we might learn something that will help us in the New Year.

Here’s how to take time on New Year’s Eve for reflection:

Choose a block of time that is realistic to you (5 minutes, 15 minutes, 2 hours, whatever is realistic for you).

• Grab a journal or open a document.
• Create some heading on things that would be valuable for your reflection:
  • Things you are grateful for this year (large and small)
  • Significant events from this year (wonderful, weird or tragic)
  • Important people in your life this year
  • Challenges you overcame, survived or made progress on this year
  • Successes you experienced this year
  • Good things you have done for others this year (large or small)
  • Ways you have seen God’s hand, support, intervention (or felt His silence, which is also valuable- He means many things by His silence)
  • Questions you have for God and for yourself in the upcoming year

When you are done, you will know yourself and God’s work in and through you better. It might even help you set your New Year’s Resolutions.

How to Take Time on New Year’s Eve for Reflection

Let me just say it: Many Christians are sinful voters.

What on earth am I talking about? Let me explain.

Prayer people like me often love this verse as a foundation for our intercession:

2 Chronicles 7:14

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land. KJV

We intercessors then spend a lot of time praying that God will cause people (particularly non-Christians) to behave righteously.

But can I make a Biblical point? II Chronicles 7:14 says: If MY people.

It’s God’s people who need to turn from their wicked ways. I believe one of our wicked ways is: slothful voting.

Slothfulness is laziness. We Christians are often lazy. We vote what we are told to vote. We have an *assigned party* and we vote party line without ever checking in (and truly seeking his face and listening penitently) with God about His opinions.

I have noticed 4 things:

1. Each major party has what I call a *golden carrot* that it dangles in front of it’s members to keep them voting with the party. This carrot is powerful and party members believe powerfully about it.
   1. For Republicans the golden carrot is abortion. For 40 years, abortion has been the one reason many people stay with the party. It is the only party that takes a pro-life stand. (I’m pro-life and have been watching this for 40 years.)
   2. For Democrats the golden carrot changes, but each election cycle the carrot is the one reason many people vote with the party. Right now the golden carrot is climate change.
2. Each major party has no intention whatsoever to actually DO something meaningful about the golden carrot issue. Think about it:
   1. Republican party: Has there been any change toward pro-life legislation in 40 years? 40 years? Nope. Legislators often throw a weak bill into committee just to say they’ve done something or tack a regulation of abortion onto some other random bill knowing it will be dropped or the bill fail. But nothing meaningful.
   2. Democratic party: Is there lasting, powerful legislation about climate or the environment? Not really.
3. Why is it that the golden carrot issues never get fixed? I believe that if legislators actually take action on these issues and the problem is solved, the *one issue* voters won’t need to stay with the party. Think about it.

This is where our slothfulness as voting Christians comes in.

What if God wants us to tackle these golden carrot issues in a more effective manner? What if the Holy Spirit has wisdom about these issues that we are not learning from Him because we don’t listen. We just vote the party line and forget about it.

You know the AA definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.

Here’s a question that leads into the 4th thing I’ve noticed:

4. God is not a Republican…or a Democrat. He’s God. His ways are not our ways.

What if we voting Christians become praying, seeking God, repenting of our laziness Christians? What if we open our hearts to God’s agenda, whatever that is?

In II Kings 19, King Hezekiah was faced with a hopeless situation. Jerusalem was besieged by the Assyrians who had just sent him a letter with totally non-PC threats of what they were soon going to do the the city’s residents.

Hezekiah had exhausted his options. The situation was hopeless.

So Hezekiah tore his clothes in repentance, took the letter to the temple, spread it out before the Lord and prayed.

This is what God wanted from Hezekiah. God sent the prophet Isaiah to him to let Hezekiah know that God was fed up with the Assyrians. In the morning, the king woke up to the news that an angel of the Lord had slain 185,000 Assyrians during the night and the rest had gone home.

We Americans aren’t in Hezekiah’s situation but we still need God’s help. What if we seek God’s help:

• To identify what golden carrots are being dangled to manipulate us
• To learn how God wants to handle the truly pressing issues of the time
• AND Who God would like us to vote for in this election (it may come as a surprise)

May I encourage you to seek God’s face, pray and turn from any sinful/slothful voting ways? Wouldn’t it be cool if we aligned ourselves with God rather than one party? Let’s see what He will do in our nation.

I’ve been around a long time and learned a lot of things. Here is one thing I have learned recently: The world is not a better place.

I remember when I was a kid that grownups were telling us that each generation of humans were evolving to get better and better. They would say, “Look how much better the world is than back in the pioneer days!”

That generation of adults looked to my generation (the Boomers) with misty eyes, just knowing in their hearts that the wars they had fought and the economic despair of the Depression they had endured would be a thing of the past for our generation, or at least, our kids’ generation.

The adults back then would talk glowingly about how our democracy gets better and better with each generation. They knew that we would live in peace and prosperity. They sacrificed so much to bring the hope of a better world to my generation.

My generation is now nearing the hand-off to the present and future generations. And guess what?

The world is NOT a better place.

The world still is devolved into:

• Wars and rumors of wars. (My adult kids don’t really remember a time when our nation hasn’t been actively engaged in military conflict.)
• Hatred and distrust of other races and places. (Think about what it’s like being African-American and not knowing what will happen if you get pulled over for a traffic stop. Or what it’s like to be a Native American who wants clean drinking water and finds corporately funded, militarized *police* standing against their stand. Or to be an immigrant in our unfriendly environment. Or to be Jewish and just want to worship in safety.)
• Greed, corruption, self-serving-ness in those with power and money. (I don’t have room for the examples…)
• Egocentrism and lack of courtesy in everyday life.
• (And lots of other rotten stuff)

The world is not a better place…

…unless you look at the things that may be more true than the evil and the not-better.

It is true there is bad, but it is more true that there are people who take prayer, like I Timothy seriously. They pray.

I Timothy 2:1-2

I exhort therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercession, and giving of thanks be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. KJV

I imagine that in God’s eyes, these prayers are more important than the greed and corruption that perpetuate poverty and hopelessness, the wars and hatred. Maybe in God’s economy, there’s a different *currency* than money?

Maybe what is richness in God’s economy is:

• Graciousness
• Courtesy
• Fruit of the spirit
• Justice

Maybe *the world being a better place* is not the present goal for God, but us being the better people is most valuable.

Maybe in God’s economy, a few humble, praying people are more valuable than a group of greedy politicians and businessmen who profit from being in power.

The world is not a better place…

…unless you look at behavior that may be more true than the evil and the not-better.

Maybe what is most true is that there are a few people who show grace and courtesy, who live life according to Micah.

Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O Man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

For instance, maybe the gracious act of the young man who courteously gave up his seat for me at an overbooked concert weighs more in God’s kingdom than the 3 young athletes and store employees that pushed in front of me during in my latest grocery store trip. I imagine that in God’s economy, 1 gracious young man is more valuable that 3 rude young people.

God’s economy is SO upside down from ours.

If we become better people, maybe we will seek God’s face before voting for any other greedy, bigoted, self-serving official to any level of government… Maybe God will give us wisdom to vote in wise and good men lead our local communities, states and nation.

2 Chronicles 7:14

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land. KJV

Maybe if we seek God’s face, we will find His grace to live our personal lives justly, mercifully, humbly…more of the world will know grace and courtesy.

I’ve learned a lot of things over the years. One is that the world is not a better place.

But I’ve also learned that God has values and plans that are different than mine and He holds me (and all people) to a high level of accountability. He gives us mandates and we are required to live and act on them. Here are 3 mandates:

I Timothy 2:1-2, Micah 6-8, II Chronicles 7:14 (all quoted above)

I hope I will live closer and closer to that humble, God-seeking person He created me to become. I hope the same for my nation.

I want to choose to live gratefully in this present world because I know the more true world of God’s kingdom. (Even though, I admit it, I wish He’d just go ahead make the world a better place in the way I want…)

Want to pray together for our nation? I started an informal, non-political prayer group on Facebook. Join me? https://www.facebook.com/groups/553733668413863/

Ever feel like God doesn’t give a flip about what you are experiencing?

Of course, we all go through times where we pray and do our best to walk the walk of faith but it seems that our needs and desires are ignored by God.

I’m not going to do a Bible study here on the book of Job, the trials and tribulations of the apostle Paul or the prophet Jeremiah. I just wanted to take a minute and talk about God’s economy.

Economy is based on value. Human beings tend to value tangible things or things that we interact with :

• Money
• Time
• Health
• Fun
• Family

We know by reading Scripture that God’s economy is based on some other things such as:

Love 

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves is born of God, and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7-8 ESV

Justice, Kindness, Humility

He has told you, O Man, what is good;

What does the LORD require of you

But to do justice, love kindness,

And walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 ESV

We need stuff, we need health, we need time. But sometimes, in God’s economy, what He appears to be valuing is something different than what we value.

Take for instance: The Story of Lots of Stress vs the Crickets.

There are lots of stressors in my life. Everyone has lots of stressors. What I’d like is for God to intervene and change the stressors. It seems logical to me that if God loved me, He would fix the tough circumstances, right? Easing the difficult things is an important value, in my opinion.

What I know from years of experience is that God is working in HIS economy and giving me gifts from HIS economy. His economy is different from mine. In His opinion, the things that have value are:

• His grace
• Some tangible things (not all the things I feel I need or want)
• AND the beauty of the world around me. For instance: Right now it is August. In August where I live the crickets and cicadas sing ALL day long- loudly! In the early morning, the sun comes up all golden through a mist over the farm fields with the cricket and cicada songs at an almost deafening din.

In God’s economy, the crickets’ songs are more valuable than what I feel I genuinely need. God is abundantly giving me the more valuable things.

I wonder what it would look like if I could see God’s version of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs? (Maslow’s hierarchy defines needs going up a scale from physiological needs, to safety needs, to love and belonging needs, to esteem needs, and capping at self-actualization needs. We can’t truly proceed well to the next need if our lower need isn’t met.)

I wonder if God’s hierarchy of needs for us looks more like:

God’s love for us needs, to grace for daily living needs, to gifts of beauty needs, to giving/sacrifice/justice needs, to fruit of the spirit needs, and capping at worship needs.

I know God cares about the more tangible things, too, but in a different way than I do.

My job is to change my values. I can recognize my needs and wants. They have value, but in God’s economy, not as much value as the crickets’ songs.

In God’s economy the cicadas and the crickets are what are important. Those are his gifts to me.

God gives a flip and He gives gifts…gifts that He values from His economy. If I can tweak my values a little to notice His, then maybe it will strengthen me for the trails of the present.

This post is running concurrently at VickiTillmanCoaching.com.

In case you ever wonder what you should do, Scripture has some wise advice:

You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love works no ill against his neighbor.

That’s pretty clear.

And if that’s not clear enough. God made sure this sage advice was repeated in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, the Gospels and the Epistles (parentheses mine):

• Romans 13:9-10 You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love works no ill against his neighbor.
• Leviticus 19:18 You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord (giving you this command)
• Matthew 22:39 The second (commandment from Christ) is like the first: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
• Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
• James 2:18 Show me your faith without works (of love), I will show you my faith by my works (of love).

If you’ve read much Scripture, you’ve probably noticed that:

• If God says something ONCE, he means it.
• If he says it TWICE, you better not ignore it.
• If he says it 3 TIMES, you’re going to start getting “woe unto thee”.

So if it is in Scripture more than 3 times? I’d say that was high priority in God’s eyes.