Many battles are looming. The battle for the election is still ongoing. There are economic battles over business closings, and possible battles over mandatory vaccination.
Philippians 4.5 was written to Christians, and speaks to us about how we are expected to act. It says: “Act in such a way that everyone can see the amiable spirit in your actions, since Jesus is in our midst and may be returning soon.”
We Christians are not to be aggressive, angry people. We can be confident and assertive, but always with a “sweet reasonableness.” We sing about a “sweet, sweet Spirit in this place,” but then it’s hypocritical to go out and do violent acts and be nasty to people. Everyone should able to readily tell we are Christians by how we handle ourselves: Confident assertiveness grounded in true friendliness. And this is not just toward Christians, but even towards our enemies and those who persecute us.
And Paul tells us why: Because we claim Jesus is in our midst, and Jesus Himself said that when we are gathered in His name, He is there within us and He’s in the mix. We also know that we don’t have to be fierce or nasty since we know when the Lord comes, He will set everything right. We can leave that part up to Him. As Jesus often said, our part while we wait for His return is to be faithful to truth, justice, love, and peace. Make Every Minute Count.