Monthly Archives: October 2020

Love of God, Religious Right, Zoe Love

The Man in the Voting Line [I wanna know what love is pt. 3]

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My wife was skeptical from the first minute since the man was not wearing a mask.  I checked the crowd to see who was missing a mask.  No one was.  Then I decided to ask if this guy had a mask to wear.  I sincerely wanted to convey good will as a first impression to the mysterious stranger.   He pulled out a mask saying he didn’t want to wear the mask while we were outside, but would when we entered the building.

He talked about how things are so bad now and how people are missing the point.  Okay, this anonymous guy seems to want to go on and on, but my wife and I are both observant enough to know that this conversation won’t be comfortable or polite.  I’m ready to clam up and ride it out as the line is moving pretty well and he’s stopped making comments.

All of a sudden, he has tuned his phone to a recorded sermon from some preacher but the sermon was not based on the gospel.  The preacher was talking about the great accomplishments of President 45.  I have nothing against preachers but this was too much and after about 15 minutes, I had heard enough.

We were about to enter the building and I asked “could you turn that off please?”

“Oh this is the best, I need it every day.  It’s the word of God!”

I exhaled. “I am a man of the Word also and this is what I read today:  Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not love, I am become as sounding brass . . . ” [1 Cor. 13:1 NKJV].    “Sir, the Love of God is stronger than the divisions between us.”

“Yeah, but the liberals are killing babies . . . ”

“Yeah, but Black people are being killed in the streets” I replied.

“Love is the greatest force in the universe; Love conquers all.  We need love to stop all the petty squabbles so that we can evangelize the world”

His eyes darted as he opened his mind to possibilities.  “We could do a lot more if  we stopped pointing fingers at each other” he said.

He was quiet for the remaining time we were in the queue.  I never asked his name.  I did wonder if he thought his efforts were enough to change my mind.  I’m sure he voted his heart, but fervently hope he caught a glimpse of the world from my shoes.

Leadership, Wisdom, Wise as serpents

Where is the Wise Leader We Need in America Today?

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In this season of elections, candidates are trying to convince us that their characteristics are worthy of our vote.  Are they portraying the kind of wisdom we need in this time of history?

What is the Wisdom from Heaven?

James 3:17 is the Bible verse that describes wisdom from heaven.  The description breaks down and defines wisdom while providing a hierarchy and/or blueprint of how this wisdom is constructed.  This description is valuable because it is dynamic.  It reveals the ongoing action necessary to maintain and exhibit wise leadership without corruption that frequently defiles leaders.  Let’s look at the verse more closely:

:17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  [NIV] 

We need to break this verse down piece by piece to catch the nuance locked within.   It describes a number of characteristics that the wisdom has.   

  • Wisdom is ranked first as described in the verse.  First of all pure:  free from carnality, faultless, clean, immaculate
  • Peaceable – loving peace, not squabbling or whiny
  • easily entreated – compliant, able to be persuaded [not closed-minded]
  • full of mercy  (eleos)– has manifest pity on those needing it and it has resources to fulfill those needs
  • good- pleasant    fruit – deeds (outcomes)
  • without partiality – unambiguous, without uncertainty  
  • without hypocrisy – sincere, not fake

 If these are the characteristics of leadership wisdom, what is the evidence of it?   We must return to verse 13 to find traits of this wise leader

What is the Evidence of a Wise Leader?

:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.  [KJV] 

  • endued with knowledge – has knowledge of an expert
  • good conversation – manner of life or lifestyle
  • meekness of wisdom (adding detail from Vines Expository Dictionary: The meaning of (prautes)  {Greek term} “is not readily expressed in English, for the terms meekness, mildness, commonly used, suggest weakness and pusillanimity . . . It must be clearly understood, therefore, that the meekness manifested by the Lord and commended to the believer is the fruit of power.”)

Therefore, before you cast your vote, ask yourself “do these candidates portray what I want to see?”