Keeping a Kingdom Perspective

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:4-8 NIV)

If you haven’t noticed, there is a lot of political upheaval in our nation and much of the western world.  Donald Trump becoming president, Brexit, the immergence of the alt-right, the pushback from the progressive left. And all of this is making its way into our own lives via social media, gatherings of family and friends of disparate political points of view, and, sadly, sometimes violent expressions of anger as we witnessed in Washington, D.C. on Inauguration Day and in my local community where offensive graffiti was sprayed on local buildings and a police car.  

The temptation is to get sucked into the anger and hate, no matter our political views.  We begin viewing the people with whom we disagree as less than ones created by the same God we worship and serve. The impulses of our fallen nature begin to gain dominance and we start losing our Kingdom perspective.  Our language becomes harsh and ungracious, our thoughts grow darker, and we become more focused on being right than being loving.  The end result is a victory for our mutual enemy.  Whatever he can do to distract us from Jesus, to lead us away from love into hate, and to ground our perspective in the viewpoint of the world rather than in the perspective of the Kingdom and Eternity, he will do it.

As I often point out, the world of the 1st Century was no picnic for followers of Jesus.  Persecution and suffering abounded.  When Paul wrote these words, he was in a Roman dungeon chained to a Roman guard.  No matter.  He refused to be shaken from his Kingdom perspective.  Regardless of how bad things were around him, he was going to focus on the Lord and His goodness.  And in doing so, he was able to keep the tumult of his personal life and of his world in proper view.  

Today, in view of the political upheaval in our midst, let us, as Paul commands, refocus our minds and hearts on the Lord.  Let us not succumb to the temptations of our enemy to darken our thinking, coarsen our language, and exchange love for hate.  Rather, let us focus our minds and hearts on what is good, let us be committed to prayer, and let us embrace an attitude of thanksgiving.  In doing so, we pursue a path leading to peace in our own lives and, perhaps, in the lives of many others.

© Jim Musser 2017