A Cold, Blustery Monday

Boy is it cold out! It is 7 degrees with a wind chill of -9. That is cold. Winter has come with a vengeance and it is going to hang out for a while. Thankfully, it won't stay this cold for too long. In fact, by mid week it is to be back into the 30's and perhaps even 40's. That will feel so warm and balmy. OK, maybe not balmy. But it will feel warm compared to where we are told.

Today is Martin Luther King's birthday remembered. He was a man who had a dream of equality for all people. He dreamed of a time where the color of a person's skin would make no difference. It is a grand dream, one that each of us needs to focus upon as well. The issue of race should not be an issue at all. God has made all people. We are all equal before the mighty God. He loves and cares for us all equally. I, too, dream of a time when we will not hear such phrases as: "The 1st black to do this," or "The 1st Hispanic to do that." Those are not equality statements. Those are racial statements, pointing out the inequality of the races. I dream of a time when we will say, "He did this," or "She did that." And we celebrate the accomplishment and not even mention the color of the skin or the race of the person. That, my friends, is equality.

Will it happen? No it won't As much as we work towards equality, it will never take place in this world.As we have shown in America over the past couple of years, it will only get worse. There is always going to be racial statements and actions. "Black lives matter" is a racially charged statement. It is foolish. Instead if the people wanted to promote racial equality, they would say, "All lives matter."

I know why it is being said. It is a matter of what takes place in this fallen, sinful world. We are sinful men and women who claim to not worry about race or feel like we are racist, but inside, that sinful nature sets apart people of different color than ours. It is not a matter of whites being more racial or blacks being more racial or Asian being more racial or whatever. All people, as they struggle with their sinful nature, are racial. It will be that way until the Lord returns.

Does that mean we don't strive for racial equality? Of course not! Our Lord Jesus Christ would have us strive to treat each other with equality and respect. He would have us love all people equally. He loved all people equally. "For God so loved the world that He sent His only-begotten Son..." means that God all people. He sent Jesus to save every person, not just some of them. He was not racial in His love. He would have us treat one another with the same love, the same respect, the same wonder of being brothers and sisters.

James writes, "My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." (James 2:1 ESV) Show no partiality. Love all equally. Don't push one person down to raise up another. All one, all treated the same - that is the message of the Gospel.

You and I need to repent of our racial thoughts and actions. We should pray that the Lord would empower us through the working of the Holy Spirit to show love to all people, even those of the race or races we struggle to respect and love. Yes, I have a dream too, Martin Luther King, and the dream is the same. Let's all work to make that dream come true, even if just for a moment.