"A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand."- Abraham Lincoln

"Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be uncontentious, gentle, showing every consideration for all men." Titus 3:1-2

"Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king." 1 Peter 2:13-17

I was planning on taking a few days to let some thoughts simmer around in my brain and heart before I posted another blog, but in lieu of today's events and posts, I just can't help myself. I've seen several posts this morning referring to the government shutdown. All in all, I wouldn't see that as anything out of the norm on Facebook. We tend to, myself included, jump on the bandwagon of whatever is deemed "news-worthy" that day. You know what I'm talking about. If GA wins a game, you will undoubtedly scroll through 20 consecutive posts saying something to the effect of "Go Dawgs", "Sick 'em", or "Rise Up" (oh wait, maybe that's the Falcons?). Or if we get a random snow flurry, you'll have to endure hundreds of posts stating where each flurry fell within a 20 miles radius. I mean really, who needs WeatherBug when you have Facebook?! I guarantee my Facebook friends will alert me of a tornado, hail storm or snow flake well before Ken Cook does. Seriously, it's awesome. Y'all rock.

So, why are my feathers so ruffled by the onslaught of "government shutdown" posts? One thing I've noticed among my Christian friends is the bitterness and disdain in their posts or responses. Don't tell me you can't read "tone" through text or post. You most certainly can. Friends that NEVER post on Facebook are literally coming out of the woodwork to bash, even virtually slaughter, their brother or sister in Christ who has an opposing view.

I will say this as nicely as possible, but again, since you can virtually read my tone, you may sense my frustration here: 

YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED. 

Reading through these multiple posts, and i mean MULTIPLE, I began seeing a pattern among us Christians…CHRISTIANS! Why are we the first to state our opinions about how dissatisfied we are?! Shouldn't we be leading by example?! If we look no different then the world, and in this case I'd say some of us have taken it to an extreme that even the world isn't touching, then what should cause the world to turn and follow us as we follow Christ? Am I saying you can't have an opinion in the matter? Of course not! But I am adamantly saying you shouldn't speak it with outright disrespect for authority or your brothers and sisters in Christ. Keep in mind, I'm speaking to those of you who profess Christ is Lord of your life. You know, the Christ you say you trust with your life, your health, your belongings, your livelihood, your family and your future. Do you really??
C'mon guys! We as Christians know how all this ends. Its not like we should be dumbfounded that we are facing struggles and despair.

Jesus reminded us, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). He also warns us of what the end should began to look like in Matthew 24:5-8, "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." We know things MUST get bad before they get better. We know that we all are living on borrowed time. Make the most of it! "Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels" (2 Tim 2:23)

Am I justifying our current President and every decision he makes? Absolutely not. There are some things I downright disagree with and I will be sure to let my voice and my vote be heard. But why do I need every Tom, Dick and Harry to know my voice and opinion on these matters?

What power do they have to change my circumstance or situation? None! 

Can we afford healthcare premiums of $1,000 a month? Maybe. If we pinched pennies and ate PB&J sandwiches for every meal. But can we work together with an agent and find out what options would work best for us within our budget? Absolutely. That's being proactive. Can we downgrade my car and get a lower car payment to adjust for upcoming health care expenses? Absolutely. I believe God would love to see America out of debt sooner anyway. Are we better than you because we've taken this approach? No! But I do want you to take a look at your life and your heart and ask God to show you your motives in this matter and why you feel the need to be so brash concerning things you can't control anyway. Ask God to lead you to the best plan for you and your family. Do your research.

But most of all, TRUST HIM with your future. He has promised He will never leave or forsake us. He has told us He is still in control no matter who is running Washington and for "...everyone to be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God" (Romans 13:1).

Let's remember what Jesus came to do. He came to break down walls. Barriers that divide us. Yes, he came so that the Jews and the Gentiles would live at peace together, but isn't it safe to say we almost have the same amount of hatred between the Republicans and Democrats.

I imagine Jesus would see that wall of division just as great as the one that stood between Jew and Gentile.

Let's set an example, Christians, of a people who love despite our differences. Of those who trust in God no matter how dark or gloomy our economy seems. Let's give the world hope. Let's not create division where God wants peace. They will know we are Christians by our love.

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near." Ephesians 2:12- 14