Gossip

May 16, 2008 in Bible - NT - James, Meditations, Tongue

James 3:6 (NKJV)6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

James’ stern warnings against the tongue are nothing new. Given the power of the tongue that we observed last week, the abuses to which the tongue can be twisted have long been addressed by our Lord in His Word. The Old and New Testaments both are full of instruction regarding the use and abuse of the tongue.

In Psalm 15, for instance, the psalmist meditates on the type of person who shall be able to dwell in peace with God. His answer? “He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart; he who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend.” The psalmist informs us in no uncertain terms that control of the tongue is one of the central virtues that will characterize he who desires to dwell with God. And those who backbite or who spread tales about others have no guarantee of a place in his temple.

This observation of the psalmist is itself based on God’s words to Moses in Leviticus 19:16. Listen to the Word of God:

Leviticus 19:16 (NKJV)16 You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

Smack dab in the middle of the law God included a prohibition against bearing tales – and, what’s more alarming, he links the telling of tales with premeditating murder. So why is the telling of tales so serious?

Solomon informs us in Proverbs 18:8 that, “8 The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, And they go down into the inmost body.” The nature of tales is that they descend into the heart and cause suspicion and coldness to grow. Even though talebearing or gossip, as it is also called, does not always leave an outward wound, the internal damage it causes is extensive both for the one telling the tale and for the one hearing it. For though we find ourselves making light of the tale brought to our ears or even wholly despising it, nevertheless the poison works. “Suppose it should be true,” we say to ourselves. “Perhaps, though it may be exaggerated, there is some truth in what was said.” And this thought, indulged only for a moment, breeds suspicion, distrust, coldness and often ends in the separation of the most intimate companions. The tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity.

What then is the solution? Well Solomon tells us quite plainly in Proverbs 11:13 – “A talebearer reveals secrets,” – that’s what he does. He or she goes about looking for tasty morsels to consume and after chewing on them awhile spits them out and shares them with his neighbor. Yum. But what’s the alternative? “But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.” That’s the alternative. Don’t go blabbing about your friends’ faults; don’t reveal your grievances against your spouse; don’t advertise a minor indiscretion – conceal as much as possible. That’s what love does; that’s what a faithful spirit does. Is that what you do?

Reminded that we are often tempted to carry tales from one location to another, let us kneel and let us confess our sins to the Lord.

The Power of the Tongue

May 16, 2008 in Bible - NT - James, Meditations, Tongue

James 3:3-5 (NKJV)3 Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!

“The pen is mightier than the sword,” is a common English proverb and its truth is attested in our passage today. Though perhaps James would have us modify it somewhat. Rather than use the word “pen” James would use the word “tongue” – the tongue is mightier than the sword. Proverbs 12:18 declares, “There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, But the tongue of the wise promotes health.” This distinction between the wise and foolish tongue is the one that James enters upon in our text today. In anticipation of detailing the abuse to which the tongue can be turned, James begins by making sure we understand the power of the tongue.

James uses three analogies to help us grasp the power, the might of the tongue. First, he compares the tongue to the gear used to control a horse – with special focus on the bit. A horse is truly a mighty animal. Anecdotes of their strength and agility abound – mine concerns a horse who particularly hated pigs. One day a lady brought her pet hog to the stables – and a large one at that. Venturing into the territory of our swine despising equine, the hog soon came to a miserable end. The horse became enraged, clamped onto the pig’s back with his teeth, and proceeded to lift the pig off the ground and shake him back and forth again and again before finally casting him aside as a dead heap of ham. Don’t underestimate what a horse can do! And now, James tells us, meditate on the wee bit of metal that we stick in the horse’s mouth – suddenly this animal capable of tossing pigs to and fro submits to his rider and goes wherever the rider desires. That bit – that small piece of metal – is just like the tongue.

Second, he compares the tongue to the rudder on a ship. Go down to the dockyards. Look at all the massive ships at anchor in the bay. Get a due sense of their size and proportion. Then glance underneath – do you see that little flap of metal, wood, or, these days, fiberglass there under the water at the stern of the ship? That’s the rudder – and it’s job is to control the direction of the entire ship. Even though it is so small, it directs the course of the ship wherever the pilot desires. That, brothers, is the tongue.

Finally, he compares the tongue to a small flame of fire. Every parent, of course, warns his children not to play with matches. But the match is so small. Why worry? Because it only takes a little spark to start a massive fire. And that spark is just like the tongue.

Notice then that James uses each of these analogies to say the same thing – though the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it boasts great things. The tongue controls the rest of the body. Just as the bit controls the horse, just as the rudder controls the ship, just as the spark starts the fire, so the tongue controls you. What you do with your tongue is not a minor thing. If you don’t control it, it will control you. No wonder then that James tells us that the tongue is mightier than the sword.

“There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, But the tongue of the wise promotes health.” Have you considered fully the consequences of your words this week? Have you considered the way in which the words you speak are affecting others and even affecting yourself? Are you like one who stabs with a sword each time you speak or are you instead one who uses his tongue to bring healing – both to yourself and to others?

Let us kneel and confess that we have been prone to underestimate the power of the tongue and have used that power to evil purposes.

Extreme Teaching

April 27, 2008 in Bible - NT - James, Meditations, Tongue

James 3:1-5 (NKJV)1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

Having concluded his discourse on the importance of good works accompanying any profession of faith, James now addresses one species of good works that is of particular importance to him – the tongue.

Already James has admonished us to be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. He has warned us that if anyone thinks himself to be religious, and does not bridle his tongue, then his religion is worthless. And now James returns to this subject to instruct his audience about the nature of the tongue and its dangers.

He begins his discourse on the tongue by addressing teachers – those entrusted with the task of using their tongue to instruct others. James warns his audience from pursuing such a calling lightly – knowing that those who do pursue it shall receive a stricter judgment. It is no light thing, James tells all of us entrusted with the responsibility to teach, to carry out that function. It is a holy calling, a serious business, one of the most “extreme” of activities. Some may very well have been tempted to pursue the calling simply for the sake of the authority which teachers in the church possess – and so he warns his readers from jumping on the bandwagon just for the kudos that come along with the privilege. Teaching in the Church is a dangerous thing.

The warning that James gives is directly connected with his burden to address the power of the tongue. And so James follows up his warning against becoming teachers with a brief explanation. He notes that we all sin in various ways and that restraint of the tongue is one of the most critical virtues to possess – leading as it does to the control of the rest of our faculties. We’ll return to this observation next week – at this point let us simply remark that James’ warning is vivid because no one is more tempted to misuse his tongue than one who is commissioned to use it.

But lest you think that you are off the hook if you have not been called to the office of teacher in the church, let me remind you that many of us are called to teach in other settings. Parents, for example, are exhorted to teach God’s commandments diligently to their children and to talk of them when sitting at home, when walking along the road, when lying down, and when waking. Likewise, those in authority are commissioned to give wisdom and direction to those under their charge. And so James’ words apply to you – if you are called upon to teach, whether formally or informally, beware lest the use of your tongue cause others – or yourself – to stumble into sin. Speak wisely, speak sparingly, speak shrewdly.

Reminded that we often fail to consider carefully the words that we speak, let us kneel and confess our sin to the Lord.

Define Your Terms

April 27, 2008 in Bible - NT - James, Justification, Meditations

James 2:20-24 (NKJV)20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

The passage before us today has been the center of much controversy since the time of the Protestant Reformation. How can we possibly reconcile Paul’s statement that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law with this assertion by James that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone? Roman Catholics have consistently pointed to this text to prove Luther wrong. See, Luther, this text proves that our salvation is dependent upon our works. Indeed, Luther was himself so perturbed by this text that he called the epistle of James an “epistle of straw” and at times even recommended that it be excluded from the canon. Let us be thankful that cooler heads prevailed.

We know, of course, that there can never be any ultimate contradiction between different portions of the word of God. All works in harmony. So how do we reconcile Paul and James? Must we, with Rome, assert that our works are part of the basis for our standing with God – that God will save us because we live in a certain way? To answer with a Paulism, “May it never be!”

Whenever we are confronted with an apparent disagreement between two positions it is always good to make sure that the two are defining their terms in the same way. If George claims, “½ of all high school graduates are illiterate,” and Fred insists, “No, only 1/3 are illiterate,” then we have the makings of a great debate. However, once we discover that George defines illiterate as unable to read above a 3rd grade level and Fred defines it as unable to read at all, the debate is over – because the two statements are easy to harmonize.

Likewise with Paul and James – we appear to have the makings of a nasty argument until we realize that they use the term “justification” differently. Paul defines justification as “set right with God” and insists that a man is not set right with God on the basis of his works but solely on the basis of Christ’s righteousness – which is grasped by faith. We do not, we cannot, we dare not try to earn our salvation. Any such attempts are doomed to failure – those who attempt to do so prove themselves ignorant of God’s righteousness, seeking in vain to establish a righteousness of their own.

James defines justification differently. James defines it as “vindicated in the eyes of men” and insists that a man’s profession of faith is only shown to be genuine if his claim manifests itself in a change of behavior. The claim to believe in God means nothing if one continues to conduct himself as though God didn’t exist. Faith must show itself in works.

And so both Paul and James would put the questions to us – do you trust in the Lord? Have you been set right with Him by faith? Have you believed Him like Abraham did, such that he was declared righteous only through Christ? And, if so, have you begun demonstrating in your life that this trust is real? That you really do trust Him even as Abraham offered up his son Isaac in full reliance on the trustworthiness of God?

Reminded that we frequently mishandle the word of God and that we stand in desperate need of the righteousness of Christ, let us kneel and confess our sin to our Heavenly Father.

What is Saving Faith?

April 14, 2008 in Bible - NT - James, Faith, Meditations

James 2:18-19 (NKJV)18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

Last week James invited us to make the distinction between the profession of saving faith and the possession of saving faith. If we merely claim to believe in Jesus but our claim is not validated by our works, then we are simply professors of faith not possessors of faith. We will be those to whom the Lord says on the last day – “Depart from me you who practice lawlessness for I never knew you.”

But what exactly is saving faith? What is this thing that the Lord works in the hearts of His people and through which He unites them to Himself? In the passage today James makes yet another distinction which helps form the foundation of the traditional way theologians discuss the various elements of saving faith – notitia, assentia, and fiducia. What do these fancy words mean?

Notitia insists that saving faith contains a basic knowledge of God and the content of the Gospel. In order to believe in the Gospel and be delivered from our sin, we must know the nature of our sin and the promise of the Gospel. Saving faith involves knowledge. “For there is a way which seems right to a man but in the end it is the way of death.” We must know the correct way.

But mere knowledge is not sufficient for saving faith. As James remarks in our passage today – the demons know as much and tremble! No one knows the truth quite so well as the evil one and his legions; but no one hates it so viciously either. And so joined to notitia, knowledge, must be assentia, assent. We must not only know what the truth is, we must acknowledge that it is in fact true. Saul knew in his bones that David was not out to destroy him, yet he refused to believe his better wisdom. We must give our assent to the things that the Spirit of God brings to our awareness.

But even joining knowledge with assent, we don’t yet have a sufficient definition of saving faith. For when we come in saving faith to our Lord, not only do we know the truth at a basic level, not only do we give our assent to these things, saying, “Yes, those things are in fact true and lovely”, we also heartily embrace the One who has revealed these truths to us and enabled us to give our assent to them. Saving faith involves not only notitia and assentia but also fiducia. Christianity is ultimately not about knowing a number of facts and giving our assent to them; it certainly involves this, but is not defined by this. Christianity is ultimately about putting our trust in the One who has revealed these things to us. And this is what fiducia is – trust; embracing Christ Himself and clinging to Him as the solution for our sin.

This saving faith – notitia, assentia, and fiducia – is the very thing that the Spirit of God creates within us when He unites us to Christ. He opens our minds that we might acknowledge the truth, He woos our affections that we might give our assent to it, He moves our wills that we might embrace Christ – and so what kind of people ought we to be? How thankful ought we to be?

Reminded of the true nature of what the Spirit of God creates in us and our failure to be grateful, let us kneel and confess our sin to the Lord.

Profession versus Possession

April 7, 2008 in Bible - NT - James, Faith, Meditations

James 2:14-17 (NKJV)14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

This morning we return, after our Easter hiatus, to the book of James. And it will be helpful as we do so to remember what James has told us thus far in this chapter. He began by rebuking his readers for showing partiality to the rich and famous while embarrassing and demeaning the poor. In response to their hypothetical objection that they were simply treating the rich as they would themselves desire to be treated – James says, “Fine, if that’s what you’re doing then well and good. But if you are showing partiality you are convicted by the law as transgressors – indeed,” James declares, “you are murderers.”

In the text before us today, James counters a possible objection to his scathing analysis of their behavior from the law, an objection that is frequently raised in our culture today. “How dare you judge us James?” his audience will no doubt be tempted to ask. “We profess the same Jesus as you. We believe. We have been freed from the law by Jesus. How dare you judge us!”

And so James asks a series of common sense questions to drive home the distinction between the profession of saving faith and the possession of saving faith.

14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?

Using a different analogy than James’ to make the same point, I can claim to be a patriot all day, but if meanwhile I’m out selling secrets to the enemy I can hardly use my claim of patriotism in my defense. No patriot sells secrets to the enemy; and no Christian lives lawlessly. And so, James says, my judgment is simple common sense – I’m judging you because you are hypocrites. Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. James tells us that there is a distinction between professing to have saving faith in Jesus Christ and actually possessing that faith.

Such judgments are of course easy to make of our neighbors. But James would have us to turn the mirror toward ourselves – to look at ourselves in the perfect law, the law of liberty, and to note what kind of people we are. So what of us? What excuses have we made of late for our disobedience to God’s commands? What outbursts of anger have escaped our lips? What impatience has marred our homes? What hypocrisy has tainted our witness? Do we merely profess to believe in Jesus or do we demonstrate by our Spirit empowered works that we actually believe in Him?

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’” Look, Lord, at all these spiritual experiences we’ve had. I raised my hand, I prayed the sinner’s prayer, I signed the card. “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Mt 7:21-23)

Reminded of the distinction between professing saving faith and possessing saving faith, let us kneel and beseech the Lord that He would cultivate the latter in our hearts and forgive us for transgressing against Him.

Applying the Law

March 5, 2008 in Bible - NT - James, Law and Gospel, Meditations

James 2:8-11 (NKJV)8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

Having exhorted his readers to cease showing favoritism to the rich and famous, James counters a potential objection. “But James,” his readers think to themselves, “has missed the point of Jesus’ exhortation. Jesus told us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Aren’t the rich our neighbors?”

To this objection James responds with typical acumen. If you really are simply loving the rich as yourselves then you have done well, he declares. The rich are in fact our neighbors, and there is nothing inherently wrong in riches nor anything inherently virtuous in poverty. But James proceeds to ask the probing question – is this really what’s going on? Is this really what’s motivating you as a congregation? Because if you aren’t loving them as yourself but are instead showing partiality then you are convicted by the law of God as transgressors against God.

“How so?” we are tempted to ask and James answers. First, notice that James highlights the goodness of God’s law. The law of God has been given to us to direct our conduct as the people of God and to evaluate our behavior. When Paul says we are not under law but under grace, he is by no means contradicting what James has to tell us here. Rather Paul is announcing our freedom from condemnation, while James is addressing the lawful use of the law as a standard by which to evaluate our conduct.

But notice, secondly, that a proper use of the law requires wisdom and discernment. The law is not to be applied in some wooden, ham-fisted way. Rather it reveals principles of life and godliness that describe for us the life of our Lord Jesus Christ and that have to be applied carefully in any given situation. And notice the way James makes application of the law in this particular situation – an application that may cause us to do a double-take – he identifies the showing of partiality as a species of murder and thereby convicts his readers of transgressing the law.

Showing partiality, murder? Yep. When you favor the rich over the poor for your own selfish ends you are committing murder. For what is murder but the taking of innocent life to further one’s own desires? And here you are crushing the dignity of the poor, humiliating them in your assembly, making them sit at your footstool, and for what? For their benefit? Hardly. Rather for your own. You are murderers.

So the next time you are tempted to slight someone for your own advantage remember the stern words of our brother James – to do so is to commit murder and be convicted by the law as a transgressor.

Reminded that we frequently fail to handle the law with wisdom and that we fail, thereby, to see the true character of our sin, let us kneel and confess to our Lord that we too have been guilty of murder.

Looking for Help in All the Wrong Places

February 24, 2008 in Bible - NT - James, Meditations

James 2:5-7 (NKJV)5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?

Christians are notorious for looking for help in all the wrong places. This was true in James’ day and it is true in ours. The congregations to which James wrote were facing the great temptation of cow-towing to the rich and famous. The truly influential people are these rich people, they reasoned, and so we need to make sure that we treat them exceptionally well. I know, when they come in let’s give them the best seats. This will show them honor and respect.

Aye – that’s true enough. It will show them honor and respect. But James reminds his audience that no amount of honor and respect from men can make up for the honor and respect we should be seeking from God. To highlight for his readers the folly of their actions, James makes two observations by asking two rhetorical questions. First, he asks, “Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?” These folks are not really your friends. Why are you showing preference for them when they aren’t even decent to you? When they treat you abominably ill? This is plain old common sense. Why show preference to someone who is simply out for their own advantage – trying to squeeze out of you every bit of worth there is rather than pour into you more worth than you can hold? Don’t be so enamored with their status or wealth that you miss the obvious point – these people are your enemies.

Second, James remarks, these folks are not friends of Christ either. “Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?” For all their influence and importance in your city, they have no influence with the One whose will is truly influential. They blaspheme the name of God. Why show them favoritism? Why not rather call them on their sin? “Call them on their sin?” we reason. “But then they might treat us like Herod treated John. We might end up with our heads on a platter.” Yes, we might, but then we would be influencing others rather than simply being influenced ourselves.

James’ observations remind us that our true loyalty needs to be with those who confess the name of our Lord and Savior regardless of their social status or shortcomings. We must identify with those whom our Lord Himself identifies. How often do we separate ourselves from other believers who have shortcomings that make us embarrassed when in fact they are our friends? And then, simultaneously, we go out and seek favors from our enemies? We experience this same thing in our families. You older siblings, when your little brother or little sister does something that you find terribly embarrassing, do you distance yourself from your real ally – your sibling – in order to save face in front of others? And when you do so, are you not doing the same thing James warns about? We need to remember who our real friends are and be loyal to them – while there are not many wise, not many noble, not many glorious in the world’s eyes among the people of God, they are our brothers and sisters.

This problem of misplaced loyalty exists not only on an individual level, but also on a corporate level. How often do we see Christians panting after the so-called trend setters in society? How often is the “quote unquote” evangelical vote prostituted for men and women who could care less about the things of God? How often do we refrain from stating the truth simply because we are awed by someone’s social status or income level? We are a people who fear men more than we fear God.

Reminded that we often betray those to whom we should be loyal and simultaneously seek kudos from those who oppose us, let us kneel and confess our sin to the Lord.

Rich and Poor in the Assembly

February 18, 2008 in Bible - NT - James, Meditations

James 2:1-4 (NKJV)1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. 2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

According to Karl Marx, the founder of communism, the key to interpreting world history is class struggle. The rich and the poor have contrary designs and aims – the rich constantly endeavoring to repress the poor and the poor continually endeavoring to supplant the rich. This conflict is the key to understanding and interpreting history as well as resolving the problems of humanity. For, according to Marx, the problems of humanity will only be solved when inequalities of wealth have been eliminated.

But notice that James tells us that the solution for such societal ills lies not in the elimination of rich and poor but in the recognition that the distinction between them pales in light of the distinction between Christ and the rich and poor together. Wealth is not the source of the world’s problems, sin is. Consequently, communism is not the solution to the world’s problems, Christ is.

In Christ, divisions between rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, male and female, black and white, aged and young, tall and short are not simply minor errors but undermine the very fabric of the Christian faith. They preach another Gospel. They declare that humanity’s problem lies somewhere other than sin – and hence they proclaim that the solution for humanity is not the Gospel but some type of social engineering orchestrated by the state.

In the passage before us today, James acknowledges that both rich and poor will find themselves in the Church of God. However, he notes that their class standing has absolutely no relevance for their place in the Church of God.

Jesus, James tells us in verse 1, is the Shekinah Glory of God Himself. Notice that James makes this observation in the context of corporate worship – when a man comes into your assembly. In light of what we have learned about worship, James’ comment makes complete sense. When we enter worship, we are entering into the Temple of God, the very throne room of God, Heaven itself to appear before our great God and King as the Church of the living God. When we enter the Holy Place we come before the Shekinah glory – so how can we even dare to divide people based on lesser principles of glory among men? On an earthly plain the rich may appear more glorious – but does not this glory pale before the far superior Glory of our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, in whose presence we gather for worship? In Christ, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, male and female, black and white, aged and new born, tall and short are to worship together in joyful unity and complementary diversity, proclaiming the excellencies of the one who has saved us from our real problem – sin.

Let us then learn the lesson of James about the Gospel. We must beware lest we become deceived by the empty philosophies about us and imagine that humanity’s problems can be solved in some way other than through Christ. We are living through a period of electioneering in our country. Do not listen to the siren call of those who promise deliverance from societal ills through social engineering. The Gospel is the solution – not Barack Obama, not Hilary Clinton, not John McCain, not Mike Huckabee, not Ron Paul, but Jesus.

Let us pray that He would solve these problems by first and foremost forgiving us for transgressing His ways. Let us kneel and confess our sins together.