Today's Word
The next day King Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high ranking officers and the leading men of the city. At the command of Governor Festus, Paul was brought in. Acts 25:23(NIV)
Today’s Reflection
New Testament scholar, F.F. Bruce wrote the following regarding Paul's trial in Caesarea,
"All these Very Important People would have been greatly surprised and not a little scandalized had they been able to foresee the relative estimates that later generations would form of them and of the handcuffed Jew who stood before them to plead his cause."
It is sobering but important exercise to imagine what "relative estimates later generations" will form of us. I recently read that the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa only recently removed Apartheid from its doctrinal statements. Incredible isn't it? Good, intelligent, biblically literate, godly people had two hundred years legitimized racism with the Bible. My "relative estimate" of them is not good!. . . . ...until. . . . . .
Until I let the reality sink in. If people better than I could for generations, justify the unjustifiable, I am compelled to ask myself where I may be engaging in that which future generations will judge harshly.
Today’s Prayer
“Father, thank you for Paul's warning, 'do not think more highly of yourselves than you ought, but think of yourselves with sober judgment' (Romans 12:3). Please rid me of a judgmental spirit and replace it with honest, clear thinking humility that can see and speak the truth but only in love always seeking the best for others. Amen.”
Pastor, with all due respect, I understand what you are saying but you must also deal with the fact that we are in an evil world and governments are called to establish rule of law for the good and protection of the citizens of earth. Osama bin Laden spewed evil and death and it is the responsibility of our government to enforce rule of law. It is not always done with perfection but your comment about what would the world be like if just governments had no military might is easy to answer - we would have anarchy which is worse than totalitarianism. You are studying the civil rights movement - for that to be successful, there had to be rule of law, not from individuals but from our collective society. I myself will honor those who risked their lives this weekend to rid the world of the overwhelming evil that was promulgated by Osama bin Laden. Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Frank
Apartheid is not biblical.
ReplyDelete