Don’t Let Civilian Affairs Steal Your Heart and Mind

1/18/2021

No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 2 Timothy 2:4

Morning! I would like to think we’ve been building in such a way that not a single person here needs this reminder. But if it weren’t deceptively easy to get off track, the above passage wouldn’t be in the Bible!

This week, with the inauguration and protests and yada yada, the news media will be buzzing with energy. They will try to make you think that current events are “unprecedented” and amazingly scary or important. Their one goal will be to distract you. (Well, actually, their one goal will be to sell advertising. But they will try to do that by distracting and manipulating you.) And there will be people yakking about it in zoom meetings or at the proverbial water cooler in the office.

Don’t let it steal your heart or mind! Don’t get drawn into civilian affairs! Stay very focused, each moment of the day and night, in pleasing your commanding officer. Don’t forget who He is or whose you are.

All this is just politics. I’ll grant you that American society is characterized by tribalism and confusion and hype. There’s a new conspiracy theory every minute. But I’m old enough to remember the 1968 wasn’t such a great year either. And from what I’ve read, 1932 was pretty bad. Hardly anyone still thinks about 1856, when a proslavery senator from the South took his walking stick and nearly beat to death an anti-slavery senator from the North on the Senate floor!

So, are things bad? Yes. Unprecedented? No. Just fallen world politics sinking to their own level.

Some awareness of current events is OK, although you need to be honest about your threshold. And you could actually do just fine with a very little awareness. Other than a few people like Paul, most of our first century brothers and sisters probably knew next to nothing about any news events occurring more than 50 miles from their home. They were aware of what was going on around the world in the spiritual arena (1 Thessalonians 1:7-10), but hardly in the political arena. So no, you don’t need to be an expert in current events.

All that’s going on is that creation is groaning in expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. So be one of those. Help each other be one of those, too. Make sure that it’s your focus this week and every week.

Deal?