How to love your neighbors after this 2024 election? Pastor Ed McGlasson
“For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” Matthew 5:45-46 (ESV)
Have you noticed how polarized people have become? Hatred has even become an art form in the news and social media. It’s time for a heavenly reboot when elections can tear families apart. The same kind of division
occurred when Jesus walked the earth.
Timothy wrote, “For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy” (2 Tim.
3:2 ESV). This verse serves as a powerful reminder of the challenges we face today. It calls us to reflect on how easily we can become consumed by self-interest, dimming the light that Jesus has empowered us to shine. Let us not fall into the mindset of the Pharisees, who sought to silence Jesus for teaching that God loves even the most broken sinners. Through Him, salvation is offered to all, transcending political divides and inviting everyone into the embrace of His grace.
Even in Jesus' time, the religious community often considered themselves superior to those they deemed as sinners, forgetting that every person is loved by God and worthy of salvation. We must guard against the temptation to adopt a superior attitude toward those with different beliefs. It is essential to remember that faith is a precious gift from God, opening our hearts to His forgiveness and the abundant life He has designed for us. “For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8–9 ESV).
Our salvation does not come from our perfection with God; it unfolds when we embrace the gift of faith that He graciously offers to turn our hearts toward Him. Because our salvation is a divine gift and not the result of our own efforts, we are called to love our neighbors as Christ has loved us, showing them how to receive the same beautiful gift of faith from God.
God the Father's secret to transforming us is beautifully captured in John
3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son...” We can choose to share the Good News of Jesus Christ or to let fear consume us, focusing only on the world's challenges. Yet, we have the incredible opportunity to love our neighbors as the Father loves us through Christ Jesus.
Half of our country will be disappointed with the outcomes of this election and whether your candidate wins or not. Remember, your greatest win happened the day the gift of faith captured your heart, and you received Jesus in your life. Celebrate God's greatest gift to you by reaching out to everyone you meet, not with the results of this election, but with the hope and joy that comes from a beloved son or daughter positioned by the Father in our neighborhood to be a light to the love, power, and resurrection of Jesus.
Let Us Pray:
Father, show me the people You want me to love this week. Take the filters off my eyes and let me see people like You do. Give me Your compassion and show me how to step out and love them with the same love that changed my life when I met You, Jesus. In YOUR' name, I PRAY, Amen!
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Praying for you!
Published 11/03/2024
Testimonials
"I realized I was not seeing my children the way God sees them. Learning I was a beloved son of my Heavenly Father has changed my life and how I father my sons. I am incredibly grateful, Ed, for your ministry.”
BILL D.
Ed Tandy McGlasson gives a great message on being a father in his book The Difference A Father Makes, which God placed in my hands a few years back. It challenged me to be the father that Jesus has called me to be.
Steven A.
Thank you so much for your devotionals everyday. I love diving into them! Starting my mornings with the daily bread really empowers me through the rest of the day.
Joseph C.
Your coaching and ministry to my son and me has healed a 30-year wound. My dad never taught me how to be a father, and never blessed me in my life. My son and I, for the first time, have forgiven each other. It has been one of the most powerful things I have experienced in my life.
Dave H.
I thank you for the insight and the meeting tonight. I really feel some hope. I believe God put you in my life to give me the hope that I need and coach me to be able to work on my marriage and with my daughter.
David W.
Because of Jesus becoming the center of my life, I've had the best month in my entire life! I fully expect it to get better and better, sweeter and sweeter as I learn to lean into the Father's invitation to live under His smile. Thank you for your efforts in the fathering arena on behalf of all His beloved adopted sons and daughters.
Kevin F.
Thank you, my brother, for your daily devotional emails. Bless you as you continue to serve the Lord.
Yohannes M.
God used you not only to set me free from the hurt I had carried from my broken father, but I was able to forgive him and share the love of Jesus with my dad. My life will never be the same.
Dan M.
Thank you for the time spent together on Zoom. It pointed me towards hope and recovery. I look forward to benefit from the program, and I look forward to being an excellent dad to my family!
Dare A.
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