Well, the Astros did it . . . they won the World Series . . . and I am one happy gal. . . I’m also very thankful they did it at home, during game six, on the night we all got an extra hour of sleep. Because it was wearing me out.
But enough about sports . . . midterm elections are tomorrow . . . yep, I’m going there. Talk about a swing from fun to serious. I don’t have much stomach for politics or politicians so that’s not the point of this. I’m honestly ready for it to be over and am not looking forward to the madness of another presidential election.
Having said that, I always want to be sure that I’m totally transparent, and I think it’s important that people understand, as much as is possible via the internet, who I am and what I believe. How I vote and what I believe are informed, not by a political party, but by a very literal and traditional biblical world view. The word of God over politics every single time. Having said that, I also have cultural beliefs and personal convictions that determine how I vote on certain issues and topics, and sometimes those convictions and ideals can shift. The thing is, I think it’s so important to distinguish between biblical beliefs, which are the moral absolutes, and the personal convictions and culturally based stances and ideals. Because my biblical beliefs are my “lines in the sand”, non-negotiables that I believe God set out in His word for all of mankind to follow . . . and when I say “all” I mean “all”. There’s no changing my mind or getting me to view these from another perspective. These are not shifting in any way. That’s not to say that I believe that it’s okay to treat those who disagree unkindly. It’s most definitely not. But when I say biblical beliefs and moral absolutes vs personal convictions, I think personal convictions can and do vary from person to person. Some are my opinions and are influenced by my own history and upbringing. Some are because I believe God has led me to a certain position and/or choice to which I certainly don’t think He leads everyone, and I’d venture that they are ever evolving, shifting, and growing as I grow in my relationship with Christ. If you want to read more about my thoughts regarding the distinction between the two, you can read Moral Absolutes and Personal Convictions. However, I think, as Christians, when we get the two, the moral absolutes, the biblically based beliefs, and the personal convictions, confused, we do others and our witness for Jesus such a huge disservice.
A long time ago I wrote a post entitled Uncompromising Beliefs, and you are certainly free to go read it. But just in case you don’t want to bother with clicking over and wading through the other stuff to get to the point, I thought I’d share (i.e. copy and paste) a bit of what I wrote on that post here. These are not just my personal convictions but although I’m certain there are those who would say otherwise, because I believe that the bible is the inerrant word of God, are absolutes:
Starting point- because this is why I think how I think and believe how I believe. I believe in the Bible cover to cover. I believe that it is literal and God inspired and God breathed . . . both the harder parts and the easier parts to accept. And I cannot and will not compromise on that. These aren’t opinions to me. These are non-negotiables in my world.
And because of said “starting point”, I believe Jesus is the only way to God. Period.
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ ” John 14:6.
I believe that Jesus loves everyone deeply and passionately and compassionately and completely, unconditionally. I believe that He sees people for who He created them to be and not who they are right now . . . I’m so thankful for that because I’m far from perfect.
I believe in the sanctity of life . . . I don’t just mean I’m anti-abortion. I am pro-life. I am pro-adoption. I am pro-helping and supporting and giving resources to parents that want to raise their children. And there are a million ways to support these causes, but screaming hellfire and brimstone to those who are making choices with which we don’t agree isn’t one of them.
I am pro-marriage . . . traditional marriage . . . between one man and one woman . . . for life. I believe in this because the Bible is clear on how God created us to live. I believe that God knows what’s best for us and loves us deeply. I believe there is forgiveness and grace and redemption for everyone at the foot of the cross. I believe that no matter what is in your past, God is here to redeem you. And I believe that we can live and walk out what we believe while still loving others deeply no matter where they are in life. Because again . . . hellfire and brimstone and pounding Jesus into people really doesn’t do the trick. (And as I’ve said before, there are times when you need to walk away from a marriage, after a lot of prayer and seeking God, because the marriage vows have been broken and cannot be repaired whether that be through emotional and/or physical abuse and manipulation, continued unrepentance and infidelity on the part of a spouse, abandonment . . . please seek help if you’re in this type of marriage.)
I believe that God created all people equal, and I believe that He created a myriad of beautiful skin colors (and hair colors and eye colors . . . ) because He is the God of beauty and creativity. I do believe we need to look at our hearts and our motives and our attitudes toward others and be one million percent certain that there isn’t even the hint of racism or prejudice there. There is nothing wrong with evaluating deep seated thought patterns that likely need to change. Rather than trying to deny or justify or argue, take it to Jesus. Ask Him to transform you because I promise, it’s not from Him.
I believe the church, Christians that profess to follow Jesus, need to look deeply at their own hearts. Because if we’re harboring hatred, unforgiveness, ugliness, bitterness, and anger . . . if we’re feeding on and perpetuating those things, then not only are we not a witness for Christ, but we are not following the Bible. We’re not walking out His word. We tend to give weight to sins here on earth. And while I’ll completely own that there are sins that are heinous and horrible and have larger, more destructive, consequences that hurt others deeply, I’ll also say, that allowing any of the things I listed above to simmer, unchecked, just below the surface, causes huge damage to ourselves and others as well. Maybe not the obvious, in your face kind of damage that we can call out, but if my actions, words, and behaviors push others from Jesus . . . and I’m not talking about speaking biblical truth set out by God here . . . then I’m doing more damage to the Kingdom of God rather than the kingdom of darkness.
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”
Galatians 5:19-26
Courtney's Contemplations . . . 