August 27, 2024 Published August 28, 2024
Since 1985, I have been a Christian. I am still learning how to be a Christian. One of the things I am learning is being a Christian includes, suffering. To help ease the suffering, there are four words that I hold dear: hope, love, joy and peace.
Two of the four words have been major focal points for two recent president candidates’ campaigns. President Obama used the word “hope.” Vice President Harris is using the word “joy.”
Let’s take a look at “hope” in a Christian context:
In Christianity, hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised. It’s a part of faith, and hope is faith in the future tense. Hope is different from wishful thinking.
In the Christian faith, joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and a Christian virtue. It’s a lasting emotion that comes from trusting that God will fulfill his promises. Joy is often connected with, but not limited to, following Jesus and pursuing a Christian life. The word “joy” appears nearly two hundred times throughout Scripture. In the Old Testament, the psalmist who “shout[s] to God with loud songs of joy” and the prophet Isaiah describing “everlasting joy” are examples. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul reminds believers that joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, a virtue present within Christian believers.
God First. Government – not in the top five.
When I heard President Obama use “hope” and Vice President Harris use “joy,” my level of concern for our nation grew. Not because of any other reason than the government choosing to use these important words as their platform’s focus. Even the New York Times is not impressed with Vice President’s use of “joy and vibes” as her campaign platform.
And now for the specific ‘attack?’ As of August 27, 2024, what are the policies for the Democratic Party ? We really don’t know.
Secular Humanism is Hurting Us
When we see our politicians using words that have a Christian meaning, words such as: grace, mercy, hope, joy, love they are using them in a Secular Humanist setting.
Secular humanism is a naturalistic philosophy that denies the need for God. It’s been used since the 1930s by Anglican priests and the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned that secular humanism could undermine Christian tradition. Some say that secular humanism has failed because it:
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Deceptions
Secular humanism teaches that humans are an accident of nature, there is no plan of salvation, and all religions are equal. These beliefs have led to evolutionary theory, support for abortion and euthanasia, and disdain for organized religion.
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Morality
Some critics say that secular humanism is “morally corrupting” because it supports individual freedom, while others say it condones “injustice” because it defends democratic due process.
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Spiritual order
Christopher Dawson says that liberal humanism has failed because it severed the spiritual and cultural continuity between itself and the Christian religion, and because it has lost metaphysical conviction regarding spiritual order
We Need to Return to God
Probably the understatement of the early 21st century!
At least with God, we new who gave us Hope and Joy. When I read the Bible and I do what the Bible tells me to do, I have hope and joy. I have hope that my suffering will come to an end. Your suffering will come to an end. The simplest things (water / food / shelter / flushing toilet) give me Joy. Everything I have I see as gifts from God.
I encourage you to turn or RETURN to God, not to the government. Not to the politicians.
When the government says, “We have your hope and joy,” RUN! Run as fast as you can!
When you believe that people (and remember, government is made up by the people) are responsible for your hope and joy – you are LOST! You are going to be disappointed and you are going to get hurt! You need to go to God. Again, going to people can be a help and it is not THE help.
Go find a peaceful place. Open the Bible. Read. Read. Read. Pray. Breathe! Now, that special / focused time is a call for hope and the discovery of true joy. Give it a day. A week. A month. Make it a habit!
And again, what I am saying is not political. It just happens to be the same two parties that have used “hope” and “joy.” Government will always attempt to be the answer to your problems. Sometimes it will be an answer and too many times, it will not be the answer!!
What Happens When Government is the Substitute for God
In the Nation ran by “fill-in-the-blank-political-party,” joy is a fruit of our party’s leadership and a “fill-in-the-blank-party” virtue. It’s a lasting emotion that comes from trusting that our government will fulfill its promises. Joy is often connected with, but not limited to, following our party’s leader and pursuing a “fill-in-the-blank-party” life. The word “joy” appears nearly twenty times throughout our party’s platform. Your vote for our party will bring you and millions of others, “joy.”
Thomas Paine said, “Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one”. This quote appears in his 1776 work Common Sense. Paine’s view that government is a necessary evil provides the intellectual background for calling for rebellion against the British government.
When one chooses to follow the government, have the government be their “god,” that person has chosen a false “god.” What happens when we follow a false “god?” If you don’t know the answer to that question, it’s almost too late.
ALMOST!
God will never let you down like people can / will. Sure. God takes His time. Sometimes. God will give you what you want / need. Sometimes. But, always, GOD KNOWS WHAT YOU NEED AND WILL GIVE IT TO YOU WHEN He SEES YOU ARE READY. Government? Cannot and will not make that commitment. So, who are you going to choose to follow?
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