Division makes me sad

HopeSings

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I see political division devouring people like a hungry wolf. It's full of gossip, slander, rebellion, judging, condemning, lust for power and prosperity, division, confusion, complaints, discontent, fear, worries, contention and it lords over others.

This is not from God's spirit. But it's ok when your side does it, for some reason
 

HopeSings

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Psalms 37:1 Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit[a] your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off;
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plots against the just,
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword
And have bent their bow,
To cast down the poor and needy,
To slay those who are of upright conduct.
15 Their sword shall enter their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.
16 A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The Lord knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the Lord,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.
 
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HopeSings

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Isaiah 55:6 Seek the Lord while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the [a]wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as [a]have a contrite spirit.

James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Do Not Judge a Brother

11 Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one [e]Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who[f] are you to judge [g]another?
 
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HopeSings

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1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all [a]speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Titus 3:1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. 3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.

Avoid Dissension
9 But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. 10 Reject a divisive man after the first and second [a]admonition, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned
 
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HopeSings

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We need more moderates. The extremes are the problem, and indifference will not help.
We need people to put down their lives of political and religious division and instead obey the simple commands of Jesus. Instead of the divisive theology created by man.
 
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We need people to put down their lives of political and religious division and instead obey the simple commands of Jesus. Instead of the divisive theology created by man.

God desires the good of all humanity. Politics is basically whatever process we use to live together in some kind of harmony/cooperation. If you think God is not concerned that we live together in peace, then you don't understand the "simple commands of Jesus."
 
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HopeSings

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God desires the good of all humanity. Politics is basically whatever process we use to live together in some kind of harmony/cooperation. If you think God is not concerned that we live together in peace, then you don't understand the "simple commands of Jesus."
No, politics is not our way. It's the way of the world.
 
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HopeSings

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God desires the good of all humanity. Politics is basically whatever process we use to live together in some kind of harmony/cooperation. If you think God is not concerned that we live together in peace, then you don't understand the "simple commands of Jesus."
Politics is not peace. It's slander, gossip, resistance, fighting, judging, suspicions, debate, rumors, conspiracy theories, bitterness, strife, wrath, unforgiving, keeps records of wrongs, calls for blows, vengeful, domineering, rebellious, worried, fearful, greedy, envious, covetousness, discontent, complaining, pride, vanity, division, and factions.

None of that is from God. It's not faith, love or hope. It's not fruit of the Spirit
 
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No, politics is not our way. It's the way of the world.
I have some sympathy with what you're saying. Our Lord's kingdom does not operate as the kingdoms of this world, for sure. Our ability as citizens of Christ's kingdom puts limits on our how we participate, but I wouldn't say it eliminates our responsibility to contribute to the common good as far as we are able within those bounds.

But even more pressing, perhaps, is our current political situation because it can feel as if no matter what you do, it will go badly. There is a part of me that is almost convinced we're going down a road that will go badly no matter what we do. Whether we recover in anything close to being civilized is the better question, I guess. Still, self-fulfilling prophesies are not honorable nor do they glorify God. They're embarrassing, actually, This idea that it's all going to ruin because it's been foretold will never be an adequate excuse for not having tried to do better.
 
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HopeSings

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I have some sympathy with what you're saying. Our Lord's kingdom does not operate as the kingdoms of this world, for sure. Our ability as citizens of Christ's kingdom puts limits on our how we participate, but I wouldn't say it eliminates our responsibility to contribute to the common good as far as we are able within those bounds.

But even more pressing, perhaps, is our current political situation because it can feel as if no matter what you do, it will go badly. There is a part of me that is almost convinced we're going down a road that will go badly no matter what we do. Whether we recover in anything close to being civilized is the better question, I guess. Still, self-fulfilling prophesies are not honorable nor do they glorify God. They're embarrassing, actually, This idea that it's all going to ruin because it's been foretold will never be an adequate excuse for not having tried to do better.
It's a trap. The division, contention, worry, complaints, and fear is not for the common good but is the destroyer of good.
 
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It's a trap. The division, contention, worry, complaints, and fear is not for the common good but is the destroyer of good.
Okay, well, since we've hopelessly done away with mundane matters, we can talk about what really matters: grits are better with cheese than without.
 
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