When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.- Proverbs 29:18

As we all watched what happened yesterday, we saw a lot of the first part of that scripture from the Old Testament in the Bible, but not really any of the second.  And should we be surprised?  Not at all.

It says in the New Testament, in II Timothy 4 that there’s going to come a time when men will not put up with sound doctrine and they’ll gather around them a bunch of people saying what their itching ears want to hear.  They’ll turn away from the truth and turn aside to myths.  We saw that yesterday, especially from those holding the flags and signs that had the name of Jesus on them.  It’s bad enough to turn away from the truth, but then you want to drag Him there with you.  And before you say I’m being judgmental, Jesus said by their fruit you’ll know them.  I think it’s fair to say there was a lot of rotten fruit in D.C. yesterday.  

Now, I’m not naïve enough to believe that everyone there yesterday were Christians, because there were a lot that weren’t and I’m not really writing to them.  I’m speaking to the sheep that decided to slip on wolves’ clothing and bust some stuff up in the name of one nation…. BUT WE CAN’T FORGET THAT THIS ONE NATION IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE UNDER GOD.  When the focus is more on the nation than the One the nation is under, we’re eventually going to run wild.  And that’s what we saw yesterday.

CHURCH, WHEN ARE WE GOING TO STAND UP AND SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH?  I mean, come on, man.  Even Joe Biden said it yesterday as he walked off the podium after talking about what was going on.  When are we going to start standing up and keeping each other accountable?  If you’ve read the Bible, you know where the story’s going.  Things in this world are going to get worse before they get better.  Don’t you think that it’s time we begin following more divine guidance and letting God use us to be the difference instead of just trying to make a difference?  Yes, there were things done yesterday that made a difference in the moment of yesterday.  But all those things did were just hold up things that still took place later in the evening.  I believe God wants us to get on our knees and seek after Him, asking how we can truly BE the difference.  Sometimes I believe we fail to realize that when we’re being the difference, a difference is being made, and words and signs and broken-down doors aren’t really needed.  And that’s the kind of difference that lasts.

I completely understand the disappointment people can feel when an election doesn’t go their way or the disappointment when they feel the government doesn’t truly represent them.  I get even more the anger felt over racial injustice and the desperation over social issues and challenges.  There IS a time and place for us to loudly and strongly take a stand and make all of those things known.  But church, if we don’t ask God for the wisdom and discernment for how and when we demonstrate them (and yes, I did say demonstrate), then we’re going to continue to run wild and become more and more irrelevant.  

And when that happens, the name of Jesus is going to carry about as much weight as the sign or flag it’s written on.

Or are we already there?  And should we be surprised?