1st Peter 3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another"..... "be pitiful, be courteous: 9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. 10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile.
This passage of scripture admonishes us as Christians to take a completely different route, than that which is now being manifested in the political arena, with name calling, slander, and accusation being the order of the day. It seems as if suddenly we have come into a very toxic political environment, in which basic courtesy and respect have been abandoned in favor of the more satanic traits of character, and what is even more concerning is that it is becoming more and more appealing to the masses, as the vitriol is repeated over and over again by the news media, who seem to relish the testy sound bites, from the various candidates.
However, our passage for today cautions us as Christians not to partake of the same spirit, lest in our daily interactions with others, we manifest the same attitudes and use the same foul language that has saturated the airwaves recently. It is one thing for a candidate to run for the highest office in the land, but it is a another matter entirely for mud-slinging, and name-calling to dominate each interview, for what is being done, is that the spirit of satan is taking hold of both the media and the masses, and thus the evil is being churned and and repeated until the multitudes come to dwell upon the scenes with greedy interest.
The attitude of striving for the highest place is a manifestation of the spirit of devils, for it all began when the enemy sinned in the heavenly courts by assaying to be like The Most High, and therefore, every person who is energized by his spirit will manifest the very same characteristic in their deportment and demeanor. This is why we are to avoid as far as possible, the snare of being pulled into the atmosphere of debate, for by beholding we become changed, and this principle applies to both good and evil across the entire spectrum of the human experience. Let's read:
Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind"..... 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters"....
(Excerpts from Desire Of Ages pp. 435 & 436) Lucifer had said, “I will be like the Most High” and the desire for self-exaltation had brought strife into the heavenly courts, and had banished a multitude of the hosts of God. He sought for himself the highest place, and every being who is actuated by his spirit will do the same. Thus alienation, discord, and strife will be inevitable. Dominion becomes the prize of the strongest. The kingdom of Satan is a kingdom of force; every individual regards every other as an obstacle in the way of his own advancement, or a steppingstone on which he himself may climb to a higher place.
Let us therefore keep our eyes on Christ, and partake of His spirit of meekness, whilst taking care to avoid the current toxic, political environment, with the vicious character-assassination and mean spiritedness, which are being regurgitated and peddled by the news media, because Jesus Christ holds the kingdoms of this world in His hands, and God would have us understand that His purposes will be done, any which way, and therefore it is not necessary for us to imbibe or breathe in the poisonous atmosphere of verbal abuse, that is now being manifested.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which exemplifies the cautions ministered unto us as it pertains to the issues of self-exaltation and competitiveness for the highest place, and it is the will of God that His character be duplicated in every follower of Christ. Let's read:
Matthew 20:20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedees children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. 21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. 24 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. 25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!