Let your gentleness [reasonableness] be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Philippians 4:5
How we need this today! You see, in the years before Coronavirus, we decided to vote populists into power. Do you know what a populist is? They are among the worst kinds of politician. They have few principles, if any. They choose a cause that will divide a nation. They then choose the side of the cause that will bring them the most votes, whether they believe it themselves or not. They use that cause to get into power, not for the sake of the people, but purely for themselves.
Think about how many divisive policies have been used simply to secure votes: Brexit, immigration, nationalism, exceptionalism, religion, gun control, harsh approaches to law and order... Do you see how it works now?
Now ask yourself, in the middle of this, are some of our governments taking decisions calmly, rationally, reasonably, by giving people a chance to air their views before coming to a well thought out decision? No. They play partisan politics, one side against the other. They create rumours, accusations, conspiracy theories... all just to stay in power.
Did you know the Bible is dead against this (1 Corinthians 1:10-13; Galatians 5:19-21)? Division was quashed pretty quickly by the Apostles each time it raised its head in the Early Church. And for good reason. A partisan spirit divides and weakens any group it touches (Matthew 12:25; Luke 11:17).
We are all in a battle: a battle with an unseen, merciless enemy. We cannot waste time or energy fighting each other. Paul discussed issues which divided the Early Church and came up with some clear principles which help us today: Instead of thinking negatively and judgmentally about someone who thinks differently from you, don't seek to put obstacles in their way. Don't make life difficult for them. Put their needs first (Romans 14:13).
People are as interested in your attitudes and behaviour as they are your opinion. Be a credit to it. Let your approach to those who disagree with you be something which encourages them to consider your opinion, not something which drives them away (Romans 14:16).
Remember: you are part of one body. Hurting those who differ from you will also hurt you in the end. So seek peace and encouragement (Romans 14:19).
The last time I read the Bible, I didn't see the text of the Fifth Amendment, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or any other legal right to free speech. That's not to say these things are wrong. Of course they aren't! But a Christian's most important right is the right to love their God and the second is to love their brother and sister. Out of love to them, rather than loyalty to our own opinions or points of view, there are times when we should not use our right to free speech. There are times when it's better to stay silent, to keep our opinions off social media and say nothing, so that we don't offend our brothers and sisters (Romans 14:22).
Of course, we do not ever compromise on the Gospel or what is taught in the Bible in black and white. However, there are so many other areas of life where it's better to be a credit to our opinions by either keeping silent, or being reasonable and listening to others first.
We live in a world where the person who shouts the loudest seems to be heard the most. Look where it has got us! If we want to combat the effects of this awful virus, and even the virus itself, then our resources cannot be stretched by petty, useless arguments. This is why Paul told the Philippians to ensure their reasonableness, their patience, their gentleness, was visible to all. They had a much more important enemy to fight than each other. That and the Lord being near - both His omnipresence and the realistic possibility of them being with Him in heaven.
It is the Lord's intention for His people to be one body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). I would not want to stand before the Lord and explain why I was anti-body.
It's time to show our leaders how it's done. It's time to be reasonable. So if the first two traits of good mental health are joyfulness and reasonableness, the next two are PRAYERFULNESS and THANKFULNESS:
Comments