Tuesday, October 24th, 2017

Everyone has their own past. Everyone has their own pain. As Christians, we form our testimony through the past and pain that led us to Jesus, who takes them both and changes them into a future with purpose. When it comes to other people’s testimony, we respect the reasons they turned to Jesus, even celebrate them! We listen to other’s testimony, even if we don’t understand it ourselves or are unable to sympathize with what someone has been through. We also do not try to belittle or degrade someone else’s testimony because it is not dramatic or powerful. We just love that person because they, too, love Jesus.

What if we viewed political opinions as we see testimony? We form our political opinions in much the same way as our testimony – through our past and pain. But yet, for some reason, we tune out and fight against anyone who has different opinions and experiences from us. In Proverbs, it says, “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” With the partisan rancor over every issue facing our nation, listening, understanding, and bridging divides are skills that are in danger of being lost in our society. It is only through Jesus that we can reclaim the propriety we give to our testimonies and apply it to our lesser and earthly, but still very personal, beliefs. Today, remember that your relationship with Jesus is more important than expressing your political opinions, and if you are close to Jesus, then your words will not be used to incite but to encourage others.

“A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” – Proverbs 18:2 ESV