I don't want to add to the noise on election stuff, and I'm very aware of that. But I can't. I feel like I need to say something. Okay. I did not post, this will post today, the day after the election. I had a podcast ready, but we did not, discuss anything post-election. Yeah. And so I held it just in case you had something you wanted to say. Oh. You're smart. Thank you. But I hope it's fitting and helpful. And if it's not, I'm very sorry.
But this whole thing is such a great opportunity to find out who is actually discipling you. And I'm saying this to, to believers and I think I'm sure most people listening are with are purported Christians or whatever. And we talk about the importance of being an actual disciple. You're apprenticed by, by Jesus hopefully. But you do follow somebody in something like, because we're all sheep. That's the whole point. Like, yeah. So the question is who's actually doing it?
And I would say it's a real opportunity because if you're if you're utterly bereft by election results, just just just crushed or you're absolutely elated for your deliverance. Then you might want to find out who's actually been discipling you because that's really not a Jesus thing. If you've been doing this any kind of time at all, where you're learning the way of Jesus and trying to do... you may be a Christian. But the problem is idolatry will always hit you that way. Right.
So and we find out a lot about ourselves like are you going to badmouth your brothers and sisters in public? Your Christian brothers and sisters. Are you going to do that? That's not a disciple thing. I can tell you that. Are you going to presume the worst of them? That's not a disciple thing. But if you've been doing that well then you have a chance here to reflect and go, “wait a second.... say maybe, You have some areas of real growth here. Yeah. And this goes for all sides every time.
By the way, last election, this election, next election, when your side wins, when your side loses all of that. But if you're going to, if you're going to presume the absolute worst motives of your brothers and sisters, that's exactly contrary to Scripture. Just so you know, it's contrary to the golden rule about like Jesus saying do for others what you want them to do for you. You don't want them. You don't want them presuming the worst of your motives. You might want to go. All right.
That person voted differently from me. I don't get it. I don't agree with it. But in their heads they've got it worked out... to be charitable so that you can preserve unity. And that can show you a lot. Another thing I thought about too is I was reminded about the Ten Commandments or everything that God tells us. It's for our own good. The first one you shall have no other gods before me. That's for your own good.
Because he's the only God and everybody has a god, at least that you consider the ultimate meaning... that provides meaning for your life. Yeah. If he's the one, then you'll have this peace He's, he's rock solid. But if, if politics is it. You're not. Period. You're going to be freaking out again. If it's not this election, it will be another one. Yes. It's all going down. Oh, and and.... it's just like... if you treat somebody like they're the Messiah themselves.
And then that's completely contrary to Scripture, too. And it can only last depending on what office or whomever it is, is two years, four years, six years, like you're it's it's a roller coaster because the person you know, we don't have a king, so to speak. So they only are in office for a certain amount of time. And so that's why it's such it's so fleeting. The anxiety is always there because I, I'm gonna have to gin all this up again
in four years. Yep. And it's very distressing to your brothers and sisters in Christ whom you love. Right. If you treat someone like the Messiah where they're like, what in the world? It's especially distressing. So that's a problem. But it's, it's this idolatry. And when we find out like we find out if something crushes us or again, we... it's the ultimate wonderful thing. Like that's, that's if we become discipled by the culture. That's what happened. Yeah. That's not Jesus.
So and by the way, Jesus doesn't seem concerned. We we made up the word Christian. It's in the New Testament three times. And it's to help delineate. I don't completely understand, but they're Gentiles and Jews. I just say this is what they. But Jesus was looking for followers. And. It's idolatry to if you know somebody who didn't vote and you're like you have failed your Christian duty. No. They've got convictions. They're following. You may disagree with it. But again it's an idol for you.
So you can't see they've touched it. Right. And that's when we get really: You touched my idol. So it's, it's I just want to say it's really revealing and it can be a moment where like Jesus with his disciples, whom he had infinite patience for, but when they, they freaked out and he's like, where you put your trust. What happened there? And I see believers online who are just... like one was like, I have never I, I... words cannot describe the despair, the utter despair.
Yeah. Like well, man, I just, I, I hope that we continue to grow up. And I hope that that's true of all of us, on all sides of everything. Well, I had someone say I was talking about how I just am not going to live. And I'm not I'm not I am not going to live a life that is in and out of peace and joy. No, I'm not doing that. I'm not doing it. And so, and that is what will happen if my peace and my joy is tethered to a system. Right? That is is not the kingdom of God. It's not. It's manmade.
It's it's it's populated by humans and men and and so, no, I am not tethering my joy and my peace to that. That's ridiculous. Right? That's when my joy and peace will go up and down with this manmade system. And joy is, again, for people have been listening to our podcast, you know this. But like Dallas Willard’s definition is, it's a pervasive sense of well-being regardless of circumstances. Right. And so to have that, I would need that to be tied to something that is fixed, permanent.
Right. And so I said that. And then someone, basically said, you know, I'm tired of people using God and trying to, you know, get us out of, you know, us mourning, mourning... Was the word. And and there was a word they. I can't remember something about spiritual. Gaslight, whatever it is. And I said, well, then go ahead and live in fear and anxiety. Like I'm not telling you not to do that...they’ve the freedom. I'm telling you, I'm not going to do that.
I'm telling you that based on the history that I have with God, I feel like that it doesn't matter who or what is where in in what part of government. God is for me. His favor is on me. I know that. So I'm not going to have fear and anxiety. If you would like to... I'm not trying to take that off you. I think that it's not healthy, but I don't want you to feel like... I'm not telling you not to do that. Like, let's let's be honest. Jesus would be accused of toxic positivity. Yes he would. Yes.
We should just be of good cheer. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. You're right. In this world, you will. Or during the time he was living like they’re in occupation, right? Oh, yeah. All of it? Yeah. This. What is this? Talk of peace. Don't you understand? Yeah, yeah. That happened like... you don't, you don't get it... when he actually totally gets it. He totally gets the big picture. But, see, whatever God you serve, some are really tough to serve. Yeah. And they will take you in fact, almost all of them.
They will take you on a ride. What a great point. That is miserable. What a great point. And then Jesus says, tether yourself to me and I'll give you a lighter, easier way to live. I'll actually give you rest. Yeah. They won't. Yeah. This will not end until you die. So, like. So here's your way to have... have peace. Yeah. It's. You're gonna invest in him. If none of this has to do with going, “All this stuff doesn't matter” , It's not saying this stuff doesn't matter.
It's not central. It's not everything. There's a deeper reality. Yeah. To be aware of. It's not naivete. It is again, it's the opposite. It's where you actually know more. And I don't care next time if you're like yeah, but my side one okay. Well next, next time when it loses. What what do you say about your Christian brothers and sisters? What about going off on them because they didn't vote enough or they voted wrong. They didn't show up like, okay, all right.
Now let's, let's be discipled by Jesus and then we'll have a different character maybe two years from now, four years from now, and then we'll react differently.