are consistent with that wisdom. Colossians 3 says:
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
One of the indicators of what is in our hearts is the language we use. Jesus said out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. What we say, how we say it, and the wisdom that is contained within our words all go to show the condition of our relationship with Christ. So, we have to make sure our words line up - if we say that we believe in Him, we have to make sure that we speak His truth, in love, in a manner that builds up and does not tear down. We can participate in meaningful conversations that are devoted to improving the conditions of others, as well as ourselves, rather than merely complain about our current circumstances.
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I want to return to James 3, which deals primarily with the power of words. As believers in Christ,
our words can be the roads on which godly wisdom travels. Consider this:
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
In the midst of our national transition, it gives America and its leaders an opportunity to evaluate and hopefully address some of the problems that we facing in our culture. But, who do you go to for answers? LifeWay Research has attempted to measure who Americans would actually talk to about our challenges, giving them the chance to choose between a number of professions.
The question was this: “In America today, who is in the best position to generate a healthy conversation on challenges facing our society?” 23 percent said the elected President of the United States. Only 11 percent said local church pastors, and 10 percent responded that university professors were in the best position. Then you have the single-digit responses: media members, at 8 percent, business leaders, at seven, and members of Congress at six percent. At one percent, professional athletes do not seem to be regarded as people who could lead these conversations; "musicians" came in at less than one percent.
The winner: "none of these" at 33 percent.
Executive director of LifeWay Research, Scott McConnell, said, “There’s a vacuum of public leadership in America,” adding, “We know we have problems and that we should talk about them. But there’s no one who can bring us all together.”
The findings were also broken down into categories. Younger Americans were more likely to trust the media than older ones. African-Americans were more likely, among ethnic groups, to choose pastors and the President. Those identified as Christians, not surprisingly, are more likely to look at pastors over members of other faiths, and less likely to look to professors. Over one-third of evangelicals said that pastors were in the best position.
So, who's talking? Who is leading the way into the future? Well, as America inaugurates a President, you do recognize that position carries with it an incredible weight. What the President says - and does - affects an enormous number of people. That's why the President needs our prayers. But, apparently Americans get it when almost a quarter of them see that the President's influence is limited, according to this LifeWay study.
I would have liked to see the "pastor" number higher, but faith leaders do slightly outdistance professors and the media, as well as business leaders. And, perhaps this challenges to recognize the place of a pastor in our social structure. Pastors are put in the position to speak God's truth - to speak for Him, in a sense. They are leadership mouthpieces, and they need to be regarded as such.
McConnell used a phrase in this quote that I want to concentrate on: “Musicians or athletes get a great deal of attention for their public statements about the issues...But few Americans seem to look to them as thought leaders.” Thought leaders. Is that what you aspire to be? I think to a certain degree we can all present a valid point of view. When we converse about bigger issues, we can find people to converse with and subjects to converse about. The Word of God and resources that help us understand the Scriptures more fully, such as what our Bible teachers on Faith Radio offer, can prepare us to be influential in the circles to which God has called us.
Our challenges are daunting; and the polarization is stifling. But, the injection of Biblical truth into conversation in a way that wins and not repels can be powerful in crafting a way forward for our nation.
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