This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” vss. 3-4
1 Timothy 2:3-7
The early Christians had no problem praying for the leaders of the Empire because they believed that God desired everyone to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. There were no exceptions! Sometimes in our efforts to combat the brokenness of this world we forget God’s intentions. All creation is good and broken and humans are no exception. Even those persons that we despise bear the stamp of God’s image and deserve to be treated with love and respect. We hate to hear these gospel words because we find deep satisfaction in lambasting and critiquing people with contrary views. We love getting together with like-minded people so that we can freely ridicule and insult those leaders we hold in contempt. In those situations, we exaggerate faults, spread rumors, and put the most negative construction on all they say and do. Those behaviors can even seem harmless, but at times like this, when so many people are behaving poorly and acting uncivilly, it is particularly important for faithful folks to channel “the better angels of our nature.” And we can’t sit around and wait for other people to elevate the level of discourse in our society–being a Jesus person doesn’t work like that. We are the ones with the highest calling; we are the ones with whom much is expected!
Thought for the Day: How do I respond to offensive speech?
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