Juneteenth 2020

Today is Juneteenth 2020, or June 19th, 2020.

“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” 1 Corinthians 1:10

Taking a Side

Presently, the mainstream media is encouraging us to embrace a certain ideology and to “join a side.”

Seemingly, some Christians are for President Trump and some are against President Trump.  Additionally, there are conservative Christians and there are liberal Christians.  There are Republican Christians and there are Democrat Christians.  There are Christians that say “Black Lives Matter” and there are Christians that say “All Lives Matter.”  And, in this COVID season, there are Christians who wear masks and those that don’t.

Is Christ Divided?

“Is Christ divided?… 1 Corinthians 1:13

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28

If you have placed you faith in Christ, Jesus reminds us this world is not our home.

We Are Not of This World

“Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world…. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”” John 18:36-37

So, does this mean we should stick our heads in the sand or sit this one out?  In addition, Jesus says we need to be on the side of truth.

What is Truth?

The truth can be tricky.  The mass media conditions us to accept “truth” as whatever happens to be the most socially or politically expedient.  This makes truth somewhat arbitrary.  Yet, Jesus invites us to embrace THE truth.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Nothing New Under the Sun

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.  Ecclesiastes 1:9

Today is June 19th or  “Juneteenth.”  And, we celebrate the freeing of slaves some two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.  If we rewind back to March 4, 1865, the country was similarly divided.  In his second inaugural address, President Abraham Lincoln said this about the division between North and South, Republican vs. Democrat:

Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God’s assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces but let us judge not that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered ~ that of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes.

Whose Side are You On?

So, the question was then, and is now, whose side are you on?  And, most importantly, whose side is God on?

Back in the day, President Lincoln answered that same question:

“Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side, “my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

Will You Join Me?

Here’s what I have been praying lately.  And, if you confess Christ, I invite you to pray along with me on this Juneteenth 2020 …

“your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  Matthew 6:10

Contact me for encouragement.  And, please keep praying God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.