3 states:
8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,
10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him...
We can respond to misunderstandings, conflict, and accusation through the power of the flesh, which certainly is the incorrect path; or we can rely on God's Spirit, as He helps us to navigate the complexities of life. Which can become frustrating. If we give into anger, our judgment can become clouded; we will become intent on retaliation rather than reconciliation, and we damage our credibility in the face of charges against us. We can seek God for vindication and maintain a humble spirit.
+++++
Anger and lack of honesty are powerful, destructive forces, and we must take steps to eradicate them
from our lives. We have God's power available to help us do that. Proverbs 29 says:
11 A fool vents all his feelings, But a wise man holds them back.
12 If a ruler pays attention to lies, All his servants become wicked.
13 The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives light to the eyes of both.
The long-anticipated Mueller report was released last week, and perhaps you have been exposed to the seemingly endless parade of media analysis and punditry, of legal experts attempting to apply their knowledge to the findings of the special counsel.
Bottom line: the Mueller team did not find that there was collusion with Russia or its representatives by the Trump campaign concerning the 2016 election. That much seems clear, and constitutes a clear win for the President.
But, whether or not the President impeded in the investigation - also known as "obstruction of justice," the clarity of the first finding was missing in the second half of the report. The team said this, as Al Perrotta points out at The Stream website:
“If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. However, we are unable to reach that judgement.”Perrotta points out: "That is not a legal statement. That is a political one. Note how the phrase 'clearly did not' puts the burden of proof on Trump." His translation: “We cannot show he committed obstruction of justice, hard as we tried. And we’re supposed to shut-up at this point, but we can’t help ourselves.”
So after two years, the highly-funded, experienced, legal whizzes decided that Congress would be a better determiner of the President's innocence than they. There were 10 instances that the team believed could have constituted obstruction of justice. Just a smattering here, again from Perrotta:
- The appointment of a Special Counsel and efforts to remove him.
- Efforts to curtail the Special Counsel’s investigation.
- Efforts to prevent public disclosure of evidence.
- Further efforts to have the Attorney General take control of the investigation.
- Efforts to have McGahn deny that the President had ordered him to have the Special Counsel removed.
McGahn was White House counsel.
It's been widely reported that the President's reaction to the appointment of Mueller included profanity and the declaration that his Presidency was done. He was mad at Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia investigation. It is a poorly kept secret in Washington circles that Trump considered firing Robert Mueller. But, in the end, the special counsel's work ended up moving forward without impedence.
Columnist and media host Erick Erickson says why:
...there is a key line in the Mueller report that “The President’s efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surrounded the President declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests.” In other words, the President tried to obstruct justice, but was not successful. For two years, individuals on the left and in the media have routinely engaged in harassment of any competent individual who might want to work for the President. We should be glad this effort at harassment and intimidation was unsuccessful.
Even among many of his supporters, I would say, Donald Trump is not a shining example of grace and mercy. He is known for his propensity to hold grudges and to fight back against those he perceives to be his opponents. And, there were plenty of people that he regarded as such here - James Comey, Jeff Sessions, Mueller himself, and members of the Mueller team. It became apparent that some on the team did not have clean hands regarding the investigation and certainly had a political ax to grind. Nevertheless, the report does not paint a flattering picture of the President, but the portrait should not be unexpected.
The Democrats will subpeona high-ranking officials, such as Attorney General Barr, former White House Counsel McGahn, and Mueller himself. There is plenty of "must see TV" ahead, which will provide compelling content, but perhaps add to the weight of the investigation that has already affected the American consciousness. Will there be impeachment? Democrats are divided: some Republicans would like to see it because it would hurt the Democrats, but the political reality is that even though the House might vote to impeach, the Senate would have to conduct the trial and ultimately vote to remove from office, which is unlikely given the party makeup. And, in contrast to the Clinton impeachment, as then-special counsel Ken Starr said on Fox over the weekend, his team had found actual crimes.
But, what I'd like to do is think with you about how we should respond when we are accused, perhaps falsely so. One dominant question would be: "How far do you go when falsely accused (or you believe that you are)?" I think one starting point would be to embrace the truth. Don't try to whitewash the situation, but be straightforward and honest.
We can also pray that the truth will prevail. In the process of doing that, we can be intent on resisting anger. We can also trust God for vindication. And, if there are circumstances in which we have missed the mark, we can make sure that we are honest, humble, and repentant, desiring to make things right. Clarity and truth can help to remove misunderstanding.
Anger can serve to cloud issues. Anger inhibits good judgment. By the power of the Spirit, we can control frustration and rely on God for soundmindedness.
The President, as we know, tends to favor a team of rivals approach. He demands loyalty ultimately, but apparently, he thrives on chaos among advisors. This is a model that he has used throughout his career. In this case, his choice of associates actually, in some cases, helped him; for instance, as Erickson pointed out, the decisions of his White House counsel may have gotten him off from an obstruction charge. The Bible speaks of a multitude of counselors...we can be devoted to enlisting assistance, but in the right way - we can be intent on surrounding ourselves with good, Godly counsel to help us navigate difficult situations.
Finally, in life, we will face accusations; not only from the human perspective, but from the spiritual. We are in battle with the devil, described as the "accuser of the brethren." But, Revelation teaches us that we can overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony. We can be secure in our position in Christ, forgiven by His blood, and grounded in the truth of the Scriptures.
The Democrats will subpeona high-ranking officials, such as Attorney General Barr, former White House Counsel McGahn, and Mueller himself. There is plenty of "must see TV" ahead, which will provide compelling content, but perhaps add to the weight of the investigation that has already affected the American consciousness. Will there be impeachment? Democrats are divided: some Republicans would like to see it because it would hurt the Democrats, but the political reality is that even though the House might vote to impeach, the Senate would have to conduct the trial and ultimately vote to remove from office, which is unlikely given the party makeup. And, in contrast to the Clinton impeachment, as then-special counsel Ken Starr said on Fox over the weekend, his team had found actual crimes.
But, what I'd like to do is think with you about how we should respond when we are accused, perhaps falsely so. One dominant question would be: "How far do you go when falsely accused (or you believe that you are)?" I think one starting point would be to embrace the truth. Don't try to whitewash the situation, but be straightforward and honest.
We can also pray that the truth will prevail. In the process of doing that, we can be intent on resisting anger. We can also trust God for vindication. And, if there are circumstances in which we have missed the mark, we can make sure that we are honest, humble, and repentant, desiring to make things right. Clarity and truth can help to remove misunderstanding.
Anger can serve to cloud issues. Anger inhibits good judgment. By the power of the Spirit, we can control frustration and rely on God for soundmindedness.
The President, as we know, tends to favor a team of rivals approach. He demands loyalty ultimately, but apparently, he thrives on chaos among advisors. This is a model that he has used throughout his career. In this case, his choice of associates actually, in some cases, helped him; for instance, as Erickson pointed out, the decisions of his White House counsel may have gotten him off from an obstruction charge. The Bible speaks of a multitude of counselors...we can be devoted to enlisting assistance, but in the right way - we can be intent on surrounding ourselves with good, Godly counsel to help us navigate difficult situations.
Finally, in life, we will face accusations; not only from the human perspective, but from the spiritual. We are in battle with the devil, described as the "accuser of the brethren." But, Revelation teaches us that we can overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony. We can be secure in our position in Christ, forgiven by His blood, and grounded in the truth of the Scriptures.
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