10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
There you have it - God calls us to develop a clean heart - a heart that is determined to walk in the ways of God that will inform our decisions so that we may be obedient to Him. Ultimately, we cannot harbor evil intentions and expect good expressions. We have to be careful to pay attention to our spirit, so that we can walk in sync with the Holy Spirit, who will direct us. He will illuminate those things that don't please Him, He will teach us what pleases the Lord, and He will empower us to walk in holiness, lined up with the new creation who lives in us.
It's the first day of December, and the first day of 25 days of Advent devotional - I call it, the 25 Advent-ure. This year, we're exploring symbols, powerful images that can call to attention the significance of the birth of Christ.
The need for a Savior is highlighted through the symbol of the APPLE, representing the forbidden fruit of which Adam and Eve partook in the Garden. God had forbidden the couple to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but Satan, in the form of a serpent, called that into question. They ate, and were separated from God...humanity had fallen, and the need for a Redeemer was apparent.
In Genesis 3, we read:
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
After judgment was pronounced on Adam and Eve for their disobedience, we read:
22 Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"--
23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.
The ramifications of the 2016 election continue to be analyzed far and wide, and I wanted to call attention to a survey that was conducted by Wilson Perkins Allen Opinion Research and commissioned by the conservative Christian Family Research Council.
The website, Faithwire, reports on the WPA Opinion study, which showed that 53 percent of Americans - a majority - agree that marriage is defined as a union between one woman and one man. Just over one-third, 37 percent disagreeing. 72% of those who supported Donald Trump embraced the traditional definition of marriage.
With regard to the Republican Party's position on social issues, such as life and religious liberty, 51 percent said the position affected their vote. 59% of Trump supporters said the platform’s view on social issues had an impact on their vote versus 48% of those supporting Clinton, with 41% of Trump supporters said that the platform's position “strongly” impacted their vote, compared to just 25 percent of those who supported Clinton.
Also, the firm stated: “Trump’s support was not solely concentrated among white voters, with nearly one-in-three Hispanic voters voting for Trump, and a significant number of African American voters forming a critical piece of his coalition.”
That's right - according to this survey, 14 percent of African American voters and 32 percent of Hispanic voters selected Trump. The survey also noted that 59 percent of African American voters believe marriage should be between a man and a woman. The summary of the survey also stated that Hispanic Americans were fairly split - 39% percent agreeing that marriage was one man and one woman, with 40% disagreeing.
The study's conclusion stated: “It is clear that, despite some elements of the media and other interest groups trying to declare victory in the ‘culture war,’ social issues remain an area of deep division,” and it added, “Furthermore, conservative positions on social issues mattered strongly to critical elements of the Trump coalition, stretching across racial lines.”
So-called "social issues" deal with the sanctity of life and the traditional, Biblical view of marriage. In attempting to view these issues Biblically, we can be challenged to recognize that a departure from God's laws can result in negative ramifications for our culture.
But, first, we have to look into our own hearts to see if there are areas where our deeply held convictions do not line up with the Scriptures. It's easy to look at the culture in general and see areas in which cultural norms don't line up with Biblical truth. But, there may be attitudes and practices in our own hearts that conform more with the ways of the world than with the things of God. These harmful attitudes can lead to sinful actions - we have to ask the Lord, as David did, to create in us a clean heart.
And, even though our desire for holiness may run counter to the values of the world in general, we recognize, as the early disciples did, that we must please God rather than man. To hold to ideas that are not culturally acceptable but Biblically correct is a worthy goal that God will bless. If we are allowing the Word to shape our attitudes, then we can activate the power of God to do the right thing when we are tempted to do otherwise.
+++++
It's the first day of December, and the first day of 25 days of Advent devotional - I call it, the 25 Advent-ure. This year, we're exploring symbols, powerful images that can call to attention the significance of the birth of Christ.
The need for a Savior is highlighted through the symbol of the APPLE, representing the forbidden fruit of which Adam and Eve partook in the Garden. God had forbidden the couple to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but Satan, in the form of a serpent, called that into question. They ate, and were separated from God...humanity had fallen, and the need for a Redeemer was apparent.
In Genesis 3, we read:
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
22 Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"--
23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.
We as Christians recognize that following Jesus, calling upon His name, results in salvation, and a departure from His ways results in negative consequences - for our individual lives, and for our culture. That is why, I believe, we are called to speak out on cultural issues of the day - these are more than political, they are spiritual in nature.
The ramifications of the 2016 election continue to be analyzed far and wide, and I wanted to call attention to a survey that was conducted by Wilson Perkins Allen Opinion Research and commissioned by the conservative Christian Family Research Council.
The website, Faithwire, reports on the WPA Opinion study, which showed that 53 percent of Americans - a majority - agree that marriage is defined as a union between one woman and one man. Just over one-third, 37 percent disagreeing. 72% of those who supported Donald Trump embraced the traditional definition of marriage.
With regard to the Republican Party's position on social issues, such as life and religious liberty, 51 percent said the position affected their vote. 59% of Trump supporters said the platform’s view on social issues had an impact on their vote versus 48% of those supporting Clinton, with 41% of Trump supporters said that the platform's position “strongly” impacted their vote, compared to just 25 percent of those who supported Clinton.
Also, the firm stated: “Trump’s support was not solely concentrated among white voters, with nearly one-in-three Hispanic voters voting for Trump, and a significant number of African American voters forming a critical piece of his coalition.”
That's right - according to this survey, 14 percent of African American voters and 32 percent of Hispanic voters selected Trump. The survey also noted that 59 percent of African American voters believe marriage should be between a man and a woman. The summary of the survey also stated that Hispanic Americans were fairly split - 39% percent agreeing that marriage was one man and one woman, with 40% disagreeing.
So-called "social issues" deal with the sanctity of life and the traditional, Biblical view of marriage. In attempting to view these issues Biblically, we can be challenged to recognize that a departure from God's laws can result in negative ramifications for our culture.
But, first, we have to look into our own hearts to see if there are areas where our deeply held convictions do not line up with the Scriptures. It's easy to look at the culture in general and see areas in which cultural norms don't line up with Biblical truth. But, there may be attitudes and practices in our own hearts that conform more with the ways of the world than with the things of God. These harmful attitudes can lead to sinful actions - we have to ask the Lord, as David did, to create in us a clean heart.
And, even though our desire for holiness may run counter to the values of the world in general, we recognize, as the early disciples did, that we must please God rather than man. To hold to ideas that are not culturally acceptable but Biblically correct is a worthy goal that God will bless. If we are allowing the Word to shape our attitudes, then we can activate the power of God to do the right thing when we are tempted to do otherwise.
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