Good Day, Meetpastordan Readers…As many of you know, I put out a “voter guide” on Facebook last week, and if you are aware of this, you also know that my stated intent was for you to see where each candidate stood on fifteen issues that are “hot topics” in this upcoming election. I then asked you to decide which platform represented your own values, then I asked you to vote according to your conscience, NOT according to the personality of either candidate. This is a VERY important election, and the consequences of the results are much bigger than either candidate.
As you know from reading my blogs, I am not only a proud American, but a concerned American. I love my country, even with all of its warts and blemishes, and the thought of rewriting our founding documents, limiting our personal freedoms, and discarding American traditions that have made our country great is not to my liking. Therefore, I have decided to stand on the principles in which I believe because at this time in our country’s history, THE truth (meaning, God’s Word) desperately needs to be heard. I do that unapologetically, but at the same time, I consciously try not to shove my beliefs down anyone’s throat. If you don’t believe what I believe, that IS OK with me. Having said that, I don’t want issues that I disagree with shoved down my throat either. Unfortunately, that is the inevitable result of politicizing issues. Sane discussions fall by the wayside, tempers flare, name calling and finger pointing are plentiful, and physical action can take center stage.
When I posted the voter guide, I did that knowing that I would take a certain amount of heat, and my expectations were right on the mark. I don’t mind taking some heat, but what does bother me is the lack of knowledge that accompanies some of the comments. I want to highlight three examples here, because I am fearful there may be others who are equally ill informed.
- “Why, when Jesus fed the crowds, it was called Christianity, but now that the government wants to do it, it is called socialism? What’s the difference?
That answer is simple. It goes to the character of the people involved and their motivation. Jesus’ motivation was based on compassion and concern for the well-being of the people. Matthew 15:32 reveals this: “Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may faint along the way.” Again, in Matthew 9:36: “When He stepped ashore and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick.” In every act of kindness expressed by Jesus, there was never an ulterior, or self-serving motive attached. Everything was motivated by “agape” (self-sacrificial) love.
The intent of Socialism is entirely different, and the intent is definitely NOT based in agape love. Merriam-Webster’s definition of Socialism is “any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.” Since a government is made up of people, there are definitely ulterior motives involved, especially the desire for wealth, power and control. The power of Socialism is in the government, and more often than not, that power can be used to control the people. (We experienced a brief glimpse of Socialism during the lock-downs of the past six months.) The proponents of this form of government always present their message in the most alluring manner. “Things will be better”, “college will be free”, “healthcare will be free”, “everyone will be equal”, “a level playing field”, etc. etc. (You’ve heard the rhetoric.) But unfortunately, we discover, only too late, that the cost to us is really the loss of personal freedoms. I’ll let my friend Mark explain how this often plays out. “
Mark J. Perry, concurrently a scholar at American Enterprise Institute and professor of economics and finance at University of Michigan wrote an article in 2009 entitled, “Why Socialism Fails.” His opening statements included these two indictments: “Socialism is the ‘Big Lie’ of the twentieth century. While it promises prosperity, equality, and security, it delivered poverty, misery, and tyranny. Even if there are initial signs of success, those signs quickly fade as the fundamental deficiencies are exposed. It is the initial illusion of success that gives government intervention its pernicious, seductive appeal. In the long run, however, socialism has almost always proven to be a formula for tyranny and misery. Equality was achieved only in the sense that everyone was equal in his or her misery.”
- “Why do Christians get so wound up about Planned Parenthood? God is the biggest abortor through miscarriages!” Unfortunately, God takes a bum rap for many issues that are not of His making. So, lets review some Truth. The first thing God did when He created us was to honor Man with “free will”. He didn’t have to do that; He could have made us all perfect, always carrying out His will. But if He had done that, we would be robots rather than humans. Remember, He created us for a relationship, therefore He gave us the right to choose. He did that so we could choose to enter into that desired relationship with Him, but as we know, Man didn’t always use his free will for God’s intended purpose. No indeed! From “The Fall” (of Man) until today, Man’s “human nature” (the Biblical term is “sin-nature”) became focused on honoring “self” rather than honoring God. No doubt, some of our choices grieve Him, but His will never trumps our choices, and therein is the answer to the above question.
Since “The Fall” (of Man), our nature has been to look out for, to honor, and to please “self” first. That is the very definition of Sin: “living for self rather than living for God”. That very act of disobedience is what keeps Man separated from God. In Man’s quest to satisfy “self”, he has made some very poor choices through the ages, such as unhealthy diet, unhealthy habits, such as smoking, alcohol, drugs, and illicit sex. With those choices came unhealthy reactions, such as lying, cheating, depression, anxiety, fear, guilt, shame anger and hatred. Those toxic mixtures undoubtedly lead to extraordinary levels of stress, which takes its toll on our nervous systems, our immune systems and can lead to emotional and mental disorders. The result can be unwanted genetic predispositions in future generations. Let’s look at how these behaviors can contribute to miscarriages.
The term “miscarriage” means the body expels the embryo because it is not developing normally. Some contributors to this unfortunate experience are poor diet, drug or alcohol use, untreated thyroid disease, issue with hormones, uncontrolled diabetes, infections, trauma, obesity, severe high blood pressure, and certain medications. Sadly, one generation’s poor choices can pass on to future generations, resulting in various maladies…including miscarriages.
In the Book of 1John, God is defined with one word: “God is LOVE.” (1John 4:8) It doesn’t say God is loving. It says He IS LOVE; His very essence IS LOVE. Therefore, nothing that is not rooted in love can emanate from Him; only such qualities as forgiveness, mercy, grace, kindness, faithfulness, acceptance and patience reflect His nature. Abortion, as it relates to Planned Parenthood, is a willing act of destroying life. That is absolutely contrary to God’s nature. No doubt, that practice is abhorrent in His eyes, because He IS the source of life.
- “How can a “so-called Christian” vote for such a disgusting, piece of s*** as Donald Trump. He is an embarrassment to our country. I can’t believe God hasn’t struck him down!” Well, no doubt, Trump is a fallen man, but so am I, and so are you. Let me preface my response with this Scripture from Isaiah 55:8-9: “My ways are not your ways, My thoughts are not your thoughts. As high as the heavens are above the earth, as far as the east is from the west, My ways are not your ways, and My thoughts are not your thoughts.” I believe it is clear that God was/is speaking to us through the prophet Isaiah, telling us not to sit around trying to figure Him out, because He is so far beyond us, we, with our finite minds, will never be able to grasp all of his actions.
To anyone who knows anything about God’s use of people to further His plan, this truth stands out in bold face: He doesn’t always call the equipped, but He always equips the ones He calls. Here are a few examples: He used shepherds, the lowest rung on the Jewish social ladder, to announce Jesus’ birth; Moses was a wanted murderer with a speech impediment; Peter was a delf-described “sinful man; Samson was a womanizer and a narcissist; Matthew was a cheating tax collector; David was an adulterer and a murderer; Paul (formerly Saul) was a zealous Pharisee who did his best to stamp all Christ-followers; Mary Magdalene was a former prostitute, and Dan P was a self-absorbed, sinful man! That may come as a surprise to those who are uninformed, but God’s transforming method is one without fail. (And, it is available to anyone who has the courage to knock and keep knocking, seek and keep seeking, ask and keep asking…even the Donald Trumps of this world). You may not like his methods or his words, but he is on a mission to serve a particular purpose. And crazy as it may look to you, he is draining the swamp and shinning the light on evil. (Hum…isn’t that what Jesus did? He wasn’t popular with the power of His day either.) Now don’t make the mistake of mis-quoting me by saying, “Trump is just like Jesus”, because that is definitely NOT what I am saying.
I hope that through highlighting these particular ill-informed responses, anyone sharing these same opinions might at least check out my responses to see if I am right or wrong. Unfortunately, lack of knowledge has never kept people from expressing their opinions, or from spreading vitriol, but as long as there are people on this earth, they will always be guided by the content of their hearts, which is fed by what they put into their heads. (what they see, hear, or read)
Feel free to respond to this message, and please share it with other social media friends.
May God Bless You abundantly,
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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