Today I plan to share a number of recent thoughts with you from previous TGIF messages and summarize them in an important conclusion for all of us today. The first message I want to remind you about was the one I shared with you on March 1, 2024. That message introduced the concept of Chosen Family and contrasted it with your biological family (blood and marital relatives) and church family. I received a lot of positive feedback from readers that week commenting on their “chosen families”.
The second message I want to share is from September 6 in which the focus of that TGIF was on unconditional love and praying for even those who may hate you.
The third message I want to share is from September 13 in which the focus of that TGIF was on fear we often have. The message focused on a devotional by Max Lucado on Faith and Fear.
Finally, my two most recent messages on September 27 and October 4 were both on Godly discernment and shared with me by my son-in-law Will on a recent visit to DC.
I believe that God has been working on my heart to bring you today’s message which is the culmination of each of these somewhat recent (March 1) and very recent (last 4) TGIF messages.
Genesis 1:27 – So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
The first point I want to make today is that God has made us all distinctly different. Our unique diversity leads us all to have different favorite colors, food favorites, car preferences, home styles, vacation destinations, TV shows, clothing choices, and even political beliefs. As long as I have been following politics in our country, I have believed that our country is split approximately where 40% of the adult population are Democrats, 40% are Republicans, and 20% are Independents.
The next point I would like to make is that my Biological Family, Church Family, and Chosen Family are all made up of people with differing opinions in each of the areas above, including political preferences. I LOVE all the people in my three family groupings and do not think any the lesser of any of them who may have a different political choice than mine! I consider all of these people great Christians first and foremost. Yet we seem to have arrived at a place in our world where we are expected to hate those who do not share our political beliefs – it seems that in today’s world we are to love hating those with different opinions than ours! We cannot and must not accept this idea as a true Christian!
Galatians 3:28 – There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
I love this scripture verse. It tells us that all those people who are one with Jesus are also one with each other. This verse does not conclude that God has designed racial, social, and sexual distinctions among Christians, but it affirms that any distinctions do not imply any spiritual inequality before God.
I refuse to accept and acknowledge that I must hate others who have different opinions than mine on politics, cars, food, home styles, etc. We must push back on forces telling us to become haters in a world that desperately needs more love and acceptance!
I have spoken to many people who have said they are praying for a Godly revival of Christianity in the culture of our country and world! I share that prayer that we can once again be a country who proudly believe that we are still One Nation Under God, as it still states on our monetary currency! May God continue to bless America and the world!