The ICEman Cometh!

 

¹ Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, ² to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey! Isaiah 10:1-2 English Standard Version

¹ Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. ² Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. ³ For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, ⁴ for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Romans 13:1-4

²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29

¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Romans 12:18

            As a practicing Christian, I’ve struggled as recent events unfolded about how to comport myself as a practicing Christian. On one hand, God calls me to live in submission to the authorities, and the Roman authorities of that age were brutal tyrants whose cruelty was beyond belief. They only helped the poor and subjugated when it furthered their own aspirations. But, on the other hand God calls out rulers who abuse the poor, the widow, and the orphan. He calls me to live in a way that supports the marginalized on my society. He tells me to trust civil authorities with justice as He has handed them the sword…not me. God also instructs us to place our trust in and govern our behaviors by His rule, not men’s. In some ways these all create tension for me, especially when I see video and images of armed masked me menacing little children, breaking into homes without a judicial warrant, savaging those who protest their actions, and outright killing of men and women who do not pose an immanent threat. How do I, as a man seeking to walk out my faith in a way that honors the Lord, live peaceably in this chaotic age?

            Increasing my prayer habits is a great place to start. Ensuring that I seek the Lord’s guidance as I consume His word and news brings Him into the picture through His Holy Spirit. He’s promised to guide me, so I should take Him up on that and ask for His help. After all, this is a troubled time. Before I open the Bible or my newspaper, have I opened my heart to Him?

            Spending more time perusing God’s word is another good thing to do. After all, if I claim to be a Christian, I ought to know what’s in the book. Do I make decisions based on my culture and cacophony of voices it brings, or do I first consider what God has to say. This is difficult to walk out because God is the ultimate meddler. I do not care who you are, when God comes into the house of your life, He starts rearranging things, priorities, desires, joys, whatever. He considers all of it His domain…because it is. Opening the Good-Book, as we used to say, is quite perilous. None of us escape its stringent glaring light. Fortunately, God is patient with us as we seek to conform to His word and will.

            As God is patient with me, I should be patient with my fellow Christians and citizens. The issues that we face are complex and not easily solved. Various stakeholders vie for our attention and our support. As God extends grace to me as I try and grow into the man I should be, I need to extend similar grace and patience to my brothers and sisters in Christ. This age of increasing vitriol and extreme input desperately needs patience and grace.

            I need to monitor my intake. We all form our worldview based on various inputs. Developing a worldview based on a stream of pithy sarcastic memes does not serve us, our nation, or the Lord well. A meme with a few slanted phrases does not well capture a difficult or convoluted subject. As a Christian seeking to interact appropriately in this world, I am responsible for what I think and perhaps more importantly what I share.

            I need to monitor my output. In this age of raging social media I must consider what I am contributing to the conversation when I post or share something. I must ask the tough questions, is this true, will it be helpful, and does it honor God? If I share a post or a meme that is not true, I share in the lie. To live as an honest person who is truthful and trustworthy requires some effort on my part. If I share, I bear responsibility for what I shared.

            Curating my witness as a Christian takes effort and time. We like to think that there are separate realms, secular and spiritual. For those of us who claim the name of Christian, this is not so. God claims supremacy and rule over all of our lives and bringing our lives into subjection to His will is not easy; however, as Christians this process is not optional. To well represent our Lord and master we must make the time and take the effort required to honorably plot a course through the morass of this age.