Dear Fellow Sister or Brother in Christ,
My heart has been heavy ever since I saw news reports about a golden statue of the former U.S. president at the 2021 Conservative Party Action Conference (CPAC).
Please Note: This is not an issue of political affiliation, but a heart issue. I would write this article if I had seen a Biden golden statue, a sign proclaiming "In Biden we trust," or anything similar.
Since seeing this golden image, I recalled Mark 13 in which Jesus warns us about the signs of the end times:
And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many."
- Mark 13:5-8
Although I was hesitant to write about this subject because of the current tense political climate, I am doing so because I do not want any believer in Jesus to go astray into idolatry.
I want all of us to finish our race well in the Lord.
The alarm first sounded after I saw a sign like the one below on the Interstate a few weeks ago. It chilled me because it replaces trust in God with trust in a man:
You may recall that the first commandment the Lord gave to His people was this:
You shall have no other gods before Me."
- Exodus 20:3
Even as Moses was receiving the Ten Commandments on the mountain, God's people were becoming restless at Moses' return.
Because Moses was delayed, the people decided to create their own god. They asked Aaron, the leader in Moses' absence, to make them a god in the image of a golden calf (See Exodus 32).
Tragically, Aaron complied with the people's demand. In a failure of leadership, Aaron led the people astray, fearing them above fearing God.
The people then directed their worship to the golden calf. I see parallels in what happened back then to what is happening among some of God's people today.
In Mark 13:33-37, Jesus tells us to watch and pray because we do not know the hour of His return.
Jesus affirmed the first commandment when asked which is the greatest commandment in the law:
Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
- Matthew 22:36-40
Because Jesus will return someday, we must guard our hearts now to ensure that we are not directing our worship toward a false god or putting our trust in a man.
This is true, no matter the political affiliation. Here is a quick heart check:
- Are we loving the Lord with ALL of our hearts, souls, and minds?
- Are we loving our neighbors as ourselves?
After seeing the above signs, they also remind me to ensure my own house is in order!
I also asked myself this question to ensure my heart is right before the Lord:
If I knew Jesus was returning tomorrow, would it change how I live today?"
We who believe in Jesus must beware that we do not allow the cares of this world to choke God's word within us and make us unfruitful in expanding His kingdom, sharing the Gospel with lost people (see Matthew 13:22).
As Believers, love is our calling card with people who do not yet know Jesus:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
- John 13:34-35
We also must share the truth with our Christian sisters and brothers in this matter with love as our motivator.
This is not about politics but eternal salvation. While I realize it would be a difficult conversation, think of it this way:
If you saw someone playing on railroad tracks with a train coming toward them and they did not hear the whistle blaring, would you not have a responsibility to warn them to get off the tracks?
The Lord gives us a similar admonition in Ezekiel 33:6-9:
But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’
“So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
If your Christian sister and/or brother refuses to heed the warning, you will have done your part. If they are lost, it will not be because they never heard the truth.
My prayer for all of us is that God perfect us in His love to cast out fear (1 John 4:18), that we will never be deceived, and that we watch and pray, looking out not only for ourselves, but for one another!