When I planned on writing this little devotional thought, I assumed I would start by expressing how thankful I was that the election was over. Personally, I was not a huge fan of either candidate, I was just excited for this to be over.
Trump won. Before that it was Obama. Before that it was Bush. Before that it was Clinton. Before that it was… you know who has never been elected to the Oval office? Jesus. We don’t elect a savior. Yet, many of us make the President out to be God. He’s not. He’s never been. Others make him out to be the antichrist. He’s not.
In my lifetime, I’ve never seen the country so divided. I just took a mental break by scrolling through social media. One of the first things I saw was an elderly man getting beat up and his car stolen because he voted for Trump. We are divided. We are broken. We are violent. We need Jesus.
Republicans are in desperate need of Jesus. Democrats are in desperate need of Jesus. Independents are in desperate need of Jesus. Why? Because we are all part of humanity and humanity needs Jesus more than ever.
So now what? How do we fight back in the midst of such evil? Go ahead and gloat that Trump won, it will divide. Go ahead and peg all Trump supporters as racist bigots, it will divide. I don’t know anyone that has ever been won over to Jesus in a political argument.
Stop. Wasting. Your. Time.
Evil is all around us. No party, no race, no person should throw a stone. We all put on pants in the morning. We all poop. We all sin.
So now what? What do we do? I believe more than ever in the mission of the church. I believe more than ever in the truth of the Scripture. I’d like you to consider a whole chapter of the Bible. In a short little devotional like this it defies logic to share a whole chapter, but it’s needed.
Romans 12 says this:
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
So what should we do now? We overcome evil with good. We love our brothers and sisters. We are not to conform to the evils of this world. We are not to seek revenge. We are to think of others more highly than ourselves. We are to act lovingly and honorably. We are to take a look at ourselves and consider our way of life. We are to hate evil. We are to serve. We are to be patient. We are to pray constantly. We are to stay humble. We are to live peaceably. Taking heed of all of this is a great start.
We exist to ignite a craving for Jesus by relentlessly loving our community. I believe in this more than ever. God is love. Showing love to our community is a way to show them Jesus. He brings hope. The world needs hope.
Tomorrow we are going to walk up to random people’s homes and rake their leaves. We won’t ask whom they voted for. We don’t care. Our focus is to show the love of Jesus. Politics has nothing to do with that goal. Politics only hinders.
So now what? Go relentlessly love your community.
Written by Pastor Jason Coache, Lead Pastor of Wellspring Church
