“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Matthew 6:33

A few years ago, there was a movement among professing Christians that focused on the letters WWJD – what would Jesus do? It became rather common to see individuals wearing something with those letters prominently displayed. The premise was simple: before doing anything, pause and ask yourself that question: what would Jesus do?

Over the past few weeks we have witnessed unprecedented actions among citizens of the United States. We have seen our nation polarized like never before. This polarization has taken us down a path as a nation that has caused not only a sharp line of delineation between Republicans and Democrats, but also an underlying hatred for one another’s political point of view. There is anger and animosity at levels never seen before, and it grows more intense by the day.

Personally, I have very strong political convictions, and I have shared those convictions through my blogs over the past few years. Some have agreed, while others have disagreed. I have not written these blogs with the desire to cause divisiveness, but rather to simply shed light on issues of grave concern that face the American people.

But there is one thread that has run consistently through those blogs: our nation’s need for God. He is our only hope. Those who thought Barack Obama was the nation’s savior have now seen that his eight years in the White House laid the foundation for the civil unrest we see today. Then, those who truly believed Donald Trump would somehow turn this nation around are now in a state of unbelief that we are seemingly on the verge of an all-out civil war between the political factions that are so unbelievably polarized against one another.

Some are calling for more civil unrest – for protestors to continue causing havoc in our streets. Others are calling for civility among the parties – for politicians to sit down together and work with one another in solving our nation’s deep-rooted problems.

I am calling for something far greater, with a much more powerful ability to bring about the change we so desperately need in our nation: repentance. We need to turn back to God, to seek His face, to turn from our wickedness, to repent of our sin. We need to fall on our faces before Holy God with the sincere desire to surrender all to Him.

The verse quoted at the beginning of this blog is to be understood first and foremost in its context. This is a very personal word from Jesus to His disciples, encouraging us to seek the kingdom of God for our personal needs: food, clothing, etc. But the implications are much more far-reaching than that. The implication of this statement of Jesus is that His followers should trust Him, follow Him, obey Him, in all areas of life. This is the Christian way. This should be the Christian’s desire that undergirds all that we do.

Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians – they are all alike in this: they cannot do what we have come to expect them to do. They are completely unable to change the current of cultural practice. They can influence through propaganda, but they do not have the ability to bring about the change that is necessary to bring about an end to the divisiveness we are witnessing in our nation. Only God can do that.

But please understand something of grave importance. Even for those who sincerely seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, Jesus gave a sobering, somber word of warning. Read carefully and prayerfully the following words of Jesus:

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.”

Matthew 10:34

These are powerful and profound words, indeed. Jesus clearly states that belief in Him, and commitment to His teachings, will cause a spirit of unrest, a lack of peace, between those who embrace Him and those who reject Him. To make this even more personal, Jesus says:

“Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Luke 12:53

From my personal perspective, what we see happening in this nation is directly due to the rift, not between Republican and Democrat, but rather between followers of Jesus and those who reject Him. There is a crevice of enormous proportions between those who strive to follow the God-centered teachings of Scripture, and those who follow a man-centered philosophy of life. Many, if not most, of the problems caused by our current cultural, societal practices, are the direct result of the schism between those who strive to follow the teachings of the Bible, and those who follow the teachings of human-originated principles which are steeped in humanism, secularism, and atheism, to name but a few.

In conclusion, let me go back to where I started this blog. Our only hope is to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Specifically, the God of the Bible. The God who created us. The God who set His affection on us through His Son, Jesus Christ. The God whose plan is being worked out through the events of human history. The God who will bring His plan to its predetermined conclusion at a time appointed by God.

For now, it is imperative that Christians unite around God: seek His kingdom. It is imperative that we, in a spirit of repentance, turn back to Him as our only source of hope and help in this time of desperation. He invites us to come to Him, cast our cares upon Him, and trust Him.