thirty biblical reasons to vote democratic in 2020: #5 Forgiveness

September 5, 2020September 20, 2020 / Apple Hill Cottage / Leave a comment

“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” — Colossians 3:13 (NLT)

Ah, sweet forgiveness…

Hundreds (thousands?) of books have been written on forgiving, so how can I write just one small blog post about it? I can’t and I won’t even try. But I will show you the photograph that graced the bulletin board over my desk for three years.

Imagine the anger and the hatred that would disappear from this president if he would only forgive those he holds a grudge against. In my kinder moments, I feel sorry for him–indeed, for anyone who can’t forgive. It is a radical act, against all our selfish instincts for survival, yet it sets us so free. No longer a prisoner of our bitterness and resentment, forgiving allows us to love again.

And here’s a freebie verse: “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven…” — Luke 6:37 (ESV)

And that is a segue into tomorrow’s final verse of this series–Colossians 3:14.

thirty biblical reasons to vote democratic in 2020: #3 Compassion

September 4, 2020October 2, 2020 / Apple Hill Cottage / 7 Comments

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” –Colossians 3:12 (NIV)

We have a chalkboard in our kitchen for Bible verses. I leave them on the board until I have it memorized, or until it ceases to convict me. Colossians 3:12 was on that board from January until May of 2020. Yes I needed to be reminded daily to get dressed. To put on the robes of compassion, the apron of kindness, the jeans of humility, the soft sweater of gentleness, and my patience t-shirt.

Some of these traits come easier than others depending on our personalities. I’m generally kind and compassionate until i have to be patient, and then my gentleness suddenly no longer comes through. I get it. I struggle with these qualities and that’s why this verse was on my chalkboard for so long…

But hear me: we need a little compassion from this president. Thousands of people have died from the Covid-19 virus, and he has expressed sorrow only that this virus ruined his economy. We need a little kindness from this man. Surely I’m not the only one offended at his tweets, his brashness, his plain unkindness? We need some humility here, Mr. President. Do not speak only of your greatness. Gentleness? Mr. President, we long for no more reckless, rude, and callous words. Patience? Ok, I’ll let you slide here–we all have trouble with patience…

We are called to be better people tomorrow than we are today. It’s not easy, but most of us try. We need a leader who takes responsibility and will stop blaming other people for things gone wrong.

And yes, things have gone wrong…

Tune in tomorrow for Colossians 3:13.

Post Script: Today the President and First Lady announced that they had tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. I wish them a recovery; but I also pray that this struggle will produce in the president a compassion that we have not yet seen. Our struggles make us stronger and better people, yes? Lord, may it be so…

thirty biblical reasons to vote democratic in 2020: #4 Lying

September 3, 2020October 2, 2020 / Apple Hill Cottage / 3 Comments

The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth. — Proverbs 12:22 (NLT)

Mark Booker from Park Street Church said in his sermon on Sunday, August 30, (from Psalm 81) that If we listen to God, He speaks the truth as to the way he created the world. His truth is the pathway for us to flourish in the world He created.

God speaks truth to us and in return, we are to speak the truth. A few years into my journey as a Christian, I caught myself in a lie. It was an insignificant fib, said only to make myself look better to someone I cared about impressing–my boss. Later, I sat at my desk, stricken and convicted. It was a lie for the sake of my pride. No one suffered because of it (except me) but I vowed from that moment on I would no longer lie about anything, no matter if the cost was nothing or if the cost was great. I have plenty of other sins, but lying for the sake of pride is no longer one of them. A life of lies is no way to live. A liar cannot be trusted.

The Washington Post fact checker determined that on July 9, the president crossed the line of 20,000 lies told (since he became president).

Forbes Magazine says he tells on average, 23 lies per day.

Yes, it’s the ninth commandment.

And so far, there hasn’t been an update.

The Word of God