The Mistake of Reading Between the Lines

  "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person."

Colossians 4:6

How often do you find yourself in the position of being misunderstood?

You attempt to make a point on a specific issue but discover that your words failed and others misconstrued what you were trying to say.  Instead of accepting your statement or question at face value and replying logically and with reason, they look for unspoken and hidden agendas behind your words.

The responses you get can vary.  You are either seen as lacking knowledge, judgmental, self-righteous, arrogant, hateful, or a host of other accusations.  If you attempt to continue to drive home your point by reorganizing your words, what you thought was only a soul-searching question can erupt into a full-blown argument.   In order to avoid that result, you walk away discouraged and defeated, dropping your point into the ash heap of unanswered and unresolved societal or spiritual conflicts.

It is understood that we don't all think alike when it comes to our world view and, unfortunately, that is even evident in how we express our faith.  Each of us are built in different ways, and the most revealing of that truth is when we attempt to discuss spiritual matters with others.  We won't always agree on everything that grabs our attention, but at least we can choose to respectfully consider what others are attempting to convey.  And the best way we can do that is by not inserting something into the discussion that was never intended to be there.

A recent conversation with a dear and beloved brother in Christ made me realize that I am not alone in this problem.  He is also experiencing it.  The problem we both have faced is that negative reactions and condemnation can come from Christian family members and/or friends.  He was accused of being "too devoted" to Christ (I was stunned.  Is there such a thing?!).  It was subtly insinuated that I was being hateful and not understanding how God works through others (at least, it appeared to be aimed at me).  We expect to get negative reactions from the secular world.  But when we are called to task by a professing Christian who has misunderstood what it is we are attempting to reveal, it becomes a bigger problem.  The end result can be painful for those of us who are only trying to bring certain things to light, things that may have a direct or indirect effect on others and how they view them, and asking others to consider our point and respectfully inject their own thoughts.

However, what is even more troubling is when our point is understood and we then find ourselves being preached at, directly or indirectly, for asking it in the first place.  I am not perfect, and if the issue at hand is deserving of correction on my part, then I will thankfully and gladly accept being steered back onto the right course.  There have been times when it has been necessary because of my ignorance over certain things.  I am grateful that the LORD has placed others in my life who keep my feet firmly planted.  But when conviction propels me to press home a troubling issue, I expect different reactions from those whom I value as trusted members of the family of Christ.

I am probably the worst offender of having knee-jerk reactions, being forced to recant and apologize.  I read so much that I have formed a bad habit of quickly skimming over things, looking for the meat of what is written, and sometimes not deeply considering what is there before I react.  But one thing I am truly working on is to not make the mistake of reading between the lines and misunderstanding what it is someone is attempting to convey.  When we do that, we become the judgmental ones.  Instead of asking for clarification in order to properly respond, we allow self-righteousness and arrogance to overcome us, forgetting that we are speaking to someone who is also supposed to be valued and trusted to properly handle and dispense the Word of God.

Because of the current problems that are raging around the world, we are often forced to read between the lines, looking for the truth behind what is being told.  What the secular world is allowing us to see can confuse or misdirect us, leading us off the righteous path and onto one that is full of dangerous pitfalls.  The enemy never tires from his deceptions; never growing weary of luring us away from the truth, and his greatest weapon is the church.  Therefore, we are commanded to stay vigilant (Matt. 7:15-16), to exhort (Col. 2:1-3) and, yes, even to correct a brother or sister who has strayed away from truth and is in danger of being deceived (1Thes. 5:14-15).

In order to be able to accomplish this, we must all be united in one spirit and with one mind.  And this uniting should be the most obvious in our conversations with each other.  Each of us have been given the amount of wisdom that God wants us to have.  No more.  No less.  But if a brother or sister poses a important question that reveals the difference between what you have been given and what they have received, it is our responsibility to share the knowledge we have in order for them to gain further understanding.  We should never read something else into what they have presented to us.  And we should never become Pharisee-like in our response by assuming we have greater understanding than they have.

Our reaction should be full of the love we are expected to convey to them, never elevating ourselves above them or lording our self-perceived wisdom over the conversation.  If we would employ the apostle Paul's exhortation in the beginning verse of this post, there would be far less pain inflicted on others and less division among us.

Unless the point being made by others is clouded with unspoken words or obviously off-track, stop reading between the lines.  But if you must, at least have the courtesy to see the point being made.  If you will do that, you may discover that they have wisdom that can be passed onto you as you engage in the conversation.

A pure and honest discussion full of grace and "seasoned with salt" is far better than one that has the potential to break the unity we should have with each other.  Stop allowing the enemy to control the time we spend talking about the things of God.  Pause and consider, then enter into the conversation with a clear mind and heart that is focused entirely on what God may be trying to teach all of us.

Only then will we be able to truly say that nothing was left to conjecture or speculation, but resulting in fruitfulness and for the benefit of us all.

The Christian Compromise Party

Isn't labeling yourself a "Christian Democrat" an oxymoron?

In a broad sense, Webster defines "oxymoron" as "something (as a concept) that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements." Of course, it can be argued by those bearing the title that they are "fiscal Democrats," as opposed to those who are "social Democrats." However, when you try to separate the two, failure is the only outcome.

Consider this...

If you attempt to define yourself as one or the other, you are compromising your Christianity.  How, you ask? Because if you declare yourself to be a "fiscal Democrat," you are saying you support bigger government, higher taxes, abortion on demand (paid for by your tax dollars), and every other "entitlement" the Federal Government deems worthy  and necessary (paid for by your tax dollars).

If you label yourself a "social Democrat," you support the issues mentioned above,  and more (paid for by your tax dollars), thereby aligning yourself with those in the other category who ultimately take more from us to pay for the things you support.

Sadly, these things are a contradiction to the directions we are given by God in Scripture.  So, if you attach "Christian" to your Democrat party label, it behooves you to reevaluate whether you truly are what you claim to be.

Have I made you think yet?

The same thing can be applied to those who refuse to support either party, based upon their distaste for the current Administration and/or our Congress who appears to be inept at getting anything done.  Perhaps you like the title "Christian Independent" better. You say you love Christ but hate both parties for what you perceive to be their failures in governing this nation.  But, in the meantime, you look with favor upon the current President, in spite of his position on abortion, gay marriage, and every other deviant behavior that's defended by his misguided constituents. You know...a favor for a favor in order to get re-elected?

Or you could label yourself a "Christian Moderate," which makes you neither hot nor cold and places you in the position of being "spewed," or spit, from Christ's mouth because of the bad taste you are leaving there (Rev. 3:15-16).  There is nothing worse than a "lukewarm" fence sitter who will topple either way, depending upon the direction the political wind is blowing.

And of course we have those who stubbornly and determinedly will not budge from their "Christian Libertarian" position (or, better put, philosophy/ideology).  I hate to offend them, but that label is the biggest oxymoron out there.   I can't fault them for wanting to be liberated from the ever-growing monster we call our Federal Government that threatens to consume and rob us of our individual rights granted to us by our constitution.  But...live and let live?  Legalize drugs?  Refuse to lead the fight against abortion? Maintain an isolationist posture, turn your back on growing international situations that may threaten our sovereignty, and not defend our allies as we should - most notably, Israel?  These are just a few of those pesky little problems that define this party, and they certainly don't fit my idea of morality and virtue, much less the way to properly govern this nation and maintain order in society.

Although you may agree with certain talking points from specific candidates, each of these boil down to the position of belonging to the party of "Christian Compromise."  It's not a good position to be in, don't you think?   Especially when it comes to the faith one professes to have and the God you claim to serve.

What many fail or refuse to recognize is that every one of the candidates is just another human being who is a fallen creature quite capable of the things they vehemently insist they oppose.  And when we place too much trust in what they may be saying, we elevate them to a place they don't belong.  They are sinners, just like us.  Each one of them knows how to "game" the system, regardless of the time they have spent in public office and how much they vilify those who have been there longer.  And they will say and do whatever is necessary to draw you to their side and win the nomination.

Age and wisdom has convinced me that a politician is always a politician, no matter how smoothly and convincingly they speak against issues I, too, find disturbing or frustrating.  Campaign promises are empty and meaningless.  Ask yourself how many politicians have been able to accomplish the things they woo you with to garner your vote.  I am betting you will be sitting here a long time trying to come up with even one example.  And regardless of how well-meaning they may be, once they are firmly seated in the oval office and the things that are only privy to that esteemed position are revealed to them, the promises they made take a back seat to the reality of what's truly going on behind the scenes.

Politics is a necessary evil.  I strongly believe it is the responsibility of every citizen to exercise their constitutionally given right to vote for the candidate of their choice.   I may not agree with your choice, but I respect your right to exercise it.  But it doesn't mean that you wear your Christianity on your sleeve, then embrace and espouse the convoluted positions some have on how this country should be run.  By allying with certain candidates who have dangerous ideals that go against the grain of Scripture, and has the potential to further destroy this nation that was founded upon the laws and precepts of God that you claim to embrace, is a dangerous mix, and it's one that should be strongly avoided.

LIVE your faith.  SPEAK up for it.  WALK in it.  REFLECT it...even at the polls.

In order for America to be restored and hope renewed by eliminating the current administration and their dangerous agenda, many of us who will vote may have to choke down a great deal of bile by voting for someone with whom we differ on certain issues.  I am hoping we won't have to.  I am fervently praying that God will clearly and decisively reveal to us His choice.  However, if we refuse to stand up for Jesus Christ in the up-coming election and fail to vote for the man or woman who reflects Him the most, we'll stand for nothing and deserve everything that comes.

And that's not the position I want to be in when I'm standing before Him and He asks me, "So...how'd that 2012 election go for ya?"

When November rolls around, GET OUT AND VOTE, AND VOTE RESPONSIBLY!  Do yourself a favor and ignore all the media hype and influence, and the continual barrage of accusations of ignorance by others because you think and believe differently.  At this point in the game, all the name-calling and dirt-dredging is pointless and biased, from all directions.  This nation desperately needs a change from the "change" it got in the last election. It's time to toss out the labels and use the brains God has given us by applying HIS wisdom and electing HIS choice for America, regardless of the party platform the candidates are standing on.

Personally, I'll be eternally grateful when our true KING returns to reign. We sure won't find ourselves trying to choose the best candidate because HE will be the only one.  Until then,  when my pencil is poised over the ballot, I will remember Joshua's warning to the Israelites:

"Now therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and in faithfulness.   Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.  And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Joshua 24:14-15 ESV

I just wish Jesus would return before the next election.  Hardly a day goes by that I don't groan over what I read, hear, or see and long with every fiber of my being for Him to come back and restore order.  If He would, then we would have nothing more to concern ourselves with, the squabbling over who is best suited to bring America and the world out of the ashes of ruin will thankfully end, and true peace and prosperity will be known by everyone.

THAT'S a party I want to be part of.