Shining like stars in a divided country

On Thursday, September 24, my devotional reading was from Philippians 2. What God inspired Paul to write in these verses struck me. So I shared the reading with my wife, Kathy, who was sitting in the next room. “Listen to this verse.” I said to Kathy. And then I read Philippians 2:2-4 to her. “2 . . . make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Thinking of the division and the unrest in our country, I mentioned to Kathy, “Imagine if our leaders and the citizens of our country acted like that! Imagine if we sought unity, agreement, being one in spirit and purpose. Imagine if we acted in humility and love ‘considering others better than ourselves!” Kathy’s reply was, “Wouldn’t that be a great place to live!”

However, perhaps with me you shake your head at the division that has grown in our country. Whether people discuss race relations, environmental policies, the work of our police, congress, our president, or the Supreme Court, there are wildly, passionate, differing opinions. The sad part is that the citizens of our country do not seem to be able even to talk with one another about honest differences. Many times in today’s world, if one person disagrees with another person, instead of discussing with them the perceived difference, those with different opinions are marked as enemies. How did we get to this place!?

Scripture makes plain that there is a role for government, and there is a place for God in our lives. In a conflicted conversation, Jesus instructed the religious leaders of his day, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Matthew 22:21) Sadly, I remember a time of more civility in public discourse than we see today. Yes, people had differing opinions on important issues including the Viet Nam War, welfare, the environment. But, I also remember people discussing those differences and often working toward a resolution which took both sides into consideration. As a child in school, we would recite The Pledge of Allegiance every day. I still cherish the values professed in that pledge, especially, “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Americans could disagree, but we were one nation. So we could still work together. We did work for the good of all. At least that was my perception.

Conversely, now people do not seem to even want to work toward ‘being in one spirit and purpose.’ Now people do act out of ‘selfish ambition or vain conceit,’ and seem to think such behavior is acceptable. I see politicians and citizens attack one another rather than listening to each other. Our political system seems broken, or at least it is not working well.

What can Christians do in such a world? Actually, the reading from Philippians 2 answers that question. Listen to verses 14-16 a. 14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life — . . .“ Paul did not tell the Christians in Philippi to revolt in order to change the ruling system of the day. Paul acknowledged that our world is “a crooked and depraved generation.” But, children of God are called to live lives that are “blameless and pure.” We can seek to 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. We can work toward “being one in spirit and purpose.” When children of God work toward unity, in actions of humble love, we can be a blessing to the world around us, and to our country. Living in in “a crooked and depraved generation,” we will “shine like stars in the universe.”

Unfortunately, each of us is sinful. We all fight the inclination toward selfish ambition and vain conceit. That is part of our sinful nature. But, as God inspires Paul to write, we are strengthened to bless others when we “hold out the word of life,” We may indeed struggle with our own sinful desires. But, as Paul writes, “ . . . it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13) Because Jesus acted in humility and love, we seek to live in the same way. We are told of Jesus, “being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! When we learn the amazing depth of sacrifice and love God gives in Jesus, God works in us so that our actions “shine like stars” in a corrupt world, in a divided country.

When I read the verse from Philippians 2 to Kathy she responded, “Wouldn’t that be a great place to live!” How are you working to “shine like stars in the universe’ in this “crooked and depraved generation in which we live? If the children of God seek to live as Jesus did in serving us, our world and our country will be better for it.