Thanks to the kindness and generosity of our church members, we had a nice drive to visit with children and grandchildren in Marietta, Georgia and Manassas, Virginia. It was a long drive, but it was a time of joy and reunion with loved ones. Along the way, we decided to watch for any religious displays around court houses or other public buildings. There was lots of discussion in the media around Christmas time about the political correctness regarding Nativity Scenes on public property. We didn't see any until we reached Manassas. It is a little bit strange that anyone would desire to remove Christ from anything in our country. Our country enjoys a long history as a nation where many people enjoy freedom from sin that Christ brings to the faithful heart. This freedom that comes by faith includes an urge to tell the rest of humanity about the wonderful Good News. People in America regularly publish more Bibles and religious literature that any other nation on earth. Being disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ is not something we are ashamed of or are willing to turn away from just because of the loud noise of some who are lost in doubt. The present dominant theme of Political Correctness is the order of the day for many people in places of influence who are afraid of their own shadow. I suggest that 2004 is the year for us to affirm that we are willing to be considered Politically Incorrect in the interest of promoting the Gospel message and therefore the physical and spiritual welfare of all people on earth.
Let us be Politically Incorrect in the manner in which we speak about sin. Sin is living in disobedience to God who made us and gives us life. God makes the rules, not us. The Bible describes sin this way: "Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness." (1 John 3:4 NIV) Christians should never be ashamed or embarrassed to display the Ten Commandments, or any other portion of God's moral law. How will children grow up knowing what is morally right or wrong without being taught God's commandments? Let us be Politically Incorrect in our attitude toward all forms of immorality. We do not need to crumble under the weight of popular opinion and begin to call sin and sinners by more acceptable names. A person living in adultery and bringing shame and disgrace to the rest of their family does not deserve to have their sin called "living with someone else." Our compassionate Savior reached out to the Samaritan woman by revealing her moral condition, and by showing her that He is able to give eternal life to those who come to him in faith and repentance. (John 4) Let's be Politically Incorrect in the way we teach our children about being sexually active before marriage. They must understand that there are many responsibilities that go along with fathering a child in or outside of marriage. White washing this by publicly funding abortion will only continue to keep our nation in shame by choosing to end so many lives in this manner. Be Politically Incorrect in our attitude toward those who parade their homosexual immorality before the rest of us as if we are supposed to accept their sins and even encourage our children to accept these sins as normal. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are always hopeful that people who are committing such base sexual sins will repent and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and have all their sins forgiven. We must be willing to show forgiveness to people who truly repent and turn to God. We cannot accept as normal what God calls an abomination. (Leviticus 18:22)
Let's not be afraid to become Politically Incorrect in 2004 by showing true friendship to our neighbors, and let the world see by our generosity that we are truly disciples of Christ. Being a disciple of our Lord means to live a life of self-denial. That is something this greedy and sinful world needs to learn. It is time that we wake up out of our sleep and practice moral responsibility for all our behavior, and teach this to our children and the children in our community. Openly express our gratitude to others, and especially to God. Don't be afraid to pray in public, go to church, take the kids to church with us, have Bible discussions in public and show the world the advantages of a life devoted to Christ. Take back our country and world!
Have you accepted the amazing salvation that is offered to you by the gift of God's love? Receive Jesus Christ as your Savior by confessing that faith, repenting of your sins, and obeying the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ. You are invited to attend the services of the Church of Christ at the corner of 3rd and E Streets. Please write to me with any questions or comments at P.O. Box 186, Cedar Key, FL 32625 or dgbinkley@aol.com. Or you may also request to receive the daily WORD OF THE DAY by e-mail. Check out our web site at www.cedarkeychurchofchrist.com. | 