Ashventurous

Just for a moment, pretend you aren’t, well, human. Close your eyes. Sit back in your chair. Do whatever it is you need to do in order to accomplish this task. It’s important.

Picture yourself standing at the throne of God. In spirit form. You can even imagine the soft glow of a halo above your head if that will give you a clearer perspective.

You’re standing there, surrounded by an untold number of angels and saints who have gone before. You stare down at the little ball in the galaxy we call Earth. You see masses of green dotted with splotches of blue. Your gaze deepens, and you see people. Millions, no billions of people spread out across the planet.

You see injustice. Pain. Horrific cruelty. Racism. Abortion. Fraud. Despicable acts of violence.

Something catches your attention, and you focus in on the United States of America.

There is a loud cry ringing out from every corner of the fifty states. Christians shaking their fists at the TV as President Obama delivers a speech. They are angry. They are defiant. They are almost militant.

They petition for more guns. They shout their displeasure at gays and lesbians. They scream judgment and condemnation at the young girl walking out of an abortion clinic. The pull out their Bible’s and start hitting people. Beating them down until they are lying prone on the ground, trembling in fright.

You watch as they fight over flags and Supreme Court rulings. Disagree over political affiliations. Debate their denominations.

A soft noise causes you to turn around. God is sitting on the throne, tears streaming down His face.

You step closer and bow to one knee. “Look at them taking back the country for You. We’re winning, right?”

He slowly shakes His head. “I already won. They just don’t realize it.”

I read this on Facebook yesterday:

If you’re more concerned with the U.S. Constitution than you are the Sermon on the Mount, you might be more American than you are Christian.

This is something I’ve been thinking about so much lately. It’s a very delicate issue if you truly dig into it. We’re so invested in this world, we forget that once we are born again, our lineage is the Kingdom. And that Kingdom is not of this world.

Jesus said it on more than one occasion.

I have never been interested in politics. I’m almost forty three years old, and I have never stepped foot inside a voting booth. People will say there are men and women fighting in other countries so I can have the right to voice my opinion when it counts the most.

They are also fighting to give people the right to produce pornographic movies and kill babies.

But, I’m not participating in those either.

We aren’t going to stand before our King one day and be questioned about our political affiliation, church denomination, or how many times we joined a picket line to boycott something offensive to our Christian beliefs.

It’s going to be more about our relationship with Him and not how many scriptures we memorized. Not if we voted for the best candidate. It will have nothing to do with how many petitions we signed.

I see people stomping on the American flag, and it breaks my heart. Not because of their actions, but because of their heart’s condition. They need Jesus. They need a true encounter with love, not “Leave this country!” or “You’re a disgrace to America!”

As Christians, we need to be about our Father’s business. Advancing the Kingdom. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done. On earth as it is in Heaven.

The Kingdom of God supersedes citizenship, voting preferences, and what church we go to. We need to set our eyes on the things above. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God.

Going to church on Sunday and complaining about everything else all week isn’t going to cut it. We need to eat, sleep, and breathe Kingdom.

Obama isn’t the enemy. ISIS isn’t the enemy. The LGBT community isn’t the enemy. Our war isn’t against any of that. It isn’t against flesh and blood.

There is a spiritual battle swirling all around us. We’re smack dab in the middle of it all. The true enemy wants us to chase after everything but a deep relationship with God. We live in the natural. We see things with our eyes. It’s hard not to believe that’s all there is.

The Gospel is supernatural. It takes faith to walk it out. Faith in the unseen.

The lack of knowing is the presence of faith.

We are in the world, but not of it. I’m not sure why some think that just means we aren’t to participate in bad things. As Christians, we have a much higher calling. More than politics. More than denominations. Jesus said we are the light of the world.

Are we more concerned with the Constitution or advancing the Kingdom?

Life is short. We need to redeem the time. Not for our own wants and desires. But for His.