‘When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!” When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself. ‘ John 6:14-15
I don’t know about you, but I find it difficult to escape the onslaught of political messages.
I used to be a political junky. I am conservative by nature so I was drawn to the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. But many years ago, after listening to talk radio for many years, I woke up and realized that I was angry.
I was angry at everyone.
This was about the time that God grabbed hold of my heart. I stopped listening to the talk radio, and with God’s help, my anger subsided.
What I came to realize on both sides of the issue, the way that they continue to bring you back is by stoking that anger. By pitting one group against another.
Along with alcohol and drugs, anger can be addicting. Anger can provide an adrenaline rush, which releases endorphins and can have the same effect that drugs do in our system.
The radio and TV stations we watch know this; this is their desired response to what they feed us daily over the airwaves.
The problem is that everything they broadcast to us is outside our direct control.
For the more liberal crowd, the enemy is the evil conservatives, and for the conservatives, the enemy is the evil liberals.
‘For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. ‘ Ephesians 6:12
If our fulfillment comes from any circumstance or another person changing, we are focused on the wrong area. Our sense of fulfillment should come from God and God alone.
If we’re waiting for the government to raise the minimum wage so that we can make more money, we are focusing on the wrong thing. We have more control over increasing our value by learning new skills that others are willing to pay for.
If we wait for the government to get smaller, we should start serving those in our local communities a little better so the government doesn’t have to. By the time our government gets the money and sends it back, it is a fraction of what it could be if it goes to the people directly in need.
Let’s look at today’s focus verse:
‘When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!” When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself. ‘
When Jesus came on the scene, the Jewish people were under the thumb of the Roman government, and they were resentful. They were rebellious. They caused a lot of problems for the governing authority.
When the crowds saw the miracles that Jesus did, they wanted to force Him to be their King. They wanted Him to be the overthrowing King they thought they were getting.
He was sent on a different mission. He was sent to suffer. He was sent to die for our sins. He was not sent to make this world what we wanted; He was sent to make our hearts right with God for those who freely accepted His sacrifice.
‘But it was the Lord ’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord ’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.’ Isaiah 53:10-12
When we desire things outside our hearts to change more than our hearts, we are looking for God to change.
Anything outside of our thinking, our words, what our hands do, and where we allow our feet to take us are in God’s hands.
This includes our weird brother-in-law, the President, and our cranky neighbor.
I know when my heart is not right with another person, it is not right with God. In other words, if my will supersedes the space for God to work in the other person’s heart, I am overstepping my boundaries.
The one thing that I have to continue to remind myself is that God’s timing is perfect. I draw on my own life when I think about this. He knew precisely when the time was right to change my heart. And this also applies to the lives of those around us.
So what do we do? We know what we see the other people around us doing is wrong; do we continue to let them do it?
‘A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.’ 2 Timothy 2:24-26
In the end, the only change that will mean anything is the change that God makes in the lives of those around us.
Heavenly Father, I pray for the hearts of those in my life. I pray that You grant them repentance and that You bring them into the saving grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
I thank You for Your grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
I pray that You continue to work in my heart and bring me closer to You.
I ask You to allow me to see the people in my life as Jesus sees them with love and compassion.
I ask that You allow for humility in my heart and to realize that the lasting change in anyone’s life comes by Your hand.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!! 🙏❤️
