The Great Divide II
I previously wrote on this topic two years ago (November 9, 2020). I missed the mark in that article by failing to expose the primary etiology of the Great Divide. I kind of danced around the edges of it. Politics as divisive as it can be is not the issue here. Red states versus blue states and republicans versus democrats seems to be what we all focus on. Everything is not red, blue or even purple. No, we get carried away with this idea that everything will be ok once we elect our guy and hold on to power by knocking our opponent out of the majority. How is this working out for us? Not so good as far as I can tell. We are experiencing similar cycles that we have seen Israel experience with their Judges and Kings. Their issues were the result of a spiritual divide that led God's Chosen to their ultimate demise. They found themselves again and again on the wrong side of the divide, even after continuous warnings by the prophets sent by God to correct them. I contend that like Israel we have a spiritual divide in our country.
Psalm 1 outlines for us the divide. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and on his Law he meditates day and night." Do we find ourselves mixing in and siding with modern day "Canaanites" and "Moabites," when we are called to be in the world but not of it? Are we spending time in the Word so that we can avoid the same pitfalls that Israel experienced? There is a blessing in it for us if we heed God's call to us.
What does the man who abides in God's Word look like? "He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does , he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away." When we are nourished daily with living water we will flourish. The contrast couldn't be more clear here, we are to be, a bountiful tree that is deeply rooted and nourishes others, as opposed to the rootless dried out, dead chaff that is driven away by the wind.
"Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." As Christians we play the long game because in the end we win. Christ has already won the victory for us on the cross and by his resurrection from the dead. Politics is like the chaff that is blown away by the wind. We must put our faith in the eternal not the ephemeral.
What side of the Great Divide do you find yourself on? If you find yourself on the wrong side there is hope for you. However, there is only one way over and that is through the cross of Christ, by putting your faith and trust in Him you can find the bridge that leads to life and life eternal.