Monday, November 30, 2020

Wrapping it up


The phrase "wrap it up" brings many images to my mind. There's the wrapping of gifts, the finishing of projects, the coming to an end of a disorienting year, the getting to the point of a lengthy boring narration. 

I'm hoping that December fulfills all of these for us. I'm ready for this year to end with it's infectious disease overload, it's political strife, it's walking on eggshells around people of differing viewpoints than ours. 

God must have said the same thing right before taking on human form and coming to Earth. He had had enough of the effects of sin in our lives and was ready to show us how to live differently. He knew we couldn't fulfill all of the law without his Spirit living in us. His Spirit couldn't dwell in us without him sacrificing himself to the point of death. He knew only he could come back from the dead and give us that ability. 

We Christians want to see this world be different. We want an end to racism, bigotry, mistreatment, corruption, injustice, etc. But non-Christians don't have the power to change their thoughts and behaviors and world views like we do. Government can't make people change their hearts and attitudes. We have to be in the business of sharing the gift of Christ and his regenerating Spirit with this world. We all have the right to participate in politics but we have to remember that only Jesus can get us where we want to end up.  

Let's keep renewing our minds and helping the people we know and love get interested in doing the same. Let's get serious about  praying for our Government, our world, this pandemic. Let's be of the same mind of Christ.