United Church of God

Letter From Dan Preston - October 30, 2020

Letter From Dan Preston

October 30, 2020

Good evening brethren and Happy Sabbath!  Last week's memory verse was Amos 5:14 (NKJV), "Seek good and not evil, that you may live; So the Lord God of hosts will be with you, as you have spoken."  Read below to see if you can factor out some clues and recognize this week's memory verse.

Almost over, maybe...

This time next week, the presidential election will be over.  And while the various merits and shames of each candidate can be debated, the fact that there is division among our country is undeniable.  Please join me in praying that no matter who is elected, we have peace and that above all, God's will is done.

Someone's not going to be happy

Of course, no matter who is elected, the only sure thing is that a significant amount of people will not be happy about it.  Various political factions with all sorts of motives will likely cry foul, and the reality is, we may descend into a long, drawn out legal battle as ballots are reviewed.  

Beyond the election, there is unrest over any number of issues.  Tensions seem to be rising, and with the seemingly never-ending pandemic, people's fuses seem to be very short these days.  In a worst case scenario, some have even speculated we could have another civil war in our nation.

As students of the Bible, we know that there are all sorts of motivations for divisions.  And we know that there will be a time of tribulation prior to the return of Christ.  While we cannot stop these divisions and wars, there is something important we should be doing during them.

What does God think?

During difficult times, how do we act - or as the case may be - react?  Do we get angry and begin spouting off negotiates about one side or the other?  Or even worse, might our word or actions lead to divisions?  Or do our words and actions lead toward love and healing - things God approves of.

Whenever human beings get involved in something, division, it seems, is inevitable.  When they arise, we must strive to do things that are recognized as healing, not divisive.  By doing this, we will be approved by our Creator!