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"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
(Genesis 1:27)
The COVID-19 virus is still spreading across our nation, but it has taken a backseat to a moral and spiritual pandemic, the old plague and nemesis called racism. This week in my devotions, I will share with you what I have been contemplating over the last couple of weeks since George Floyd's murder in Minneapolis, MN. Interestingly, I am reading Ron Chernow's biography on Ulysses S. Grant entitled, Grant. It is a fascinating book which dives deep into the life of General Grant, the 18th president of the United States. Slavery and the economic and political issues with which it was intertwined were the primary impetus of Southern secession and the resulting Civil War (1861-1865). To view the events of the war and the aftermath through the eyes of Grant is very informative and also enlightening. I am still astounded when I think that roughly 750,000 men died in this bloody battle between the states.
As I share this week, I ask that you read with an open heart and mind and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Please swallow the meat and spit out the bones! You may not agree with everything I write, and you would no doubt say it differently if you were writing. I do not claim to be an expert on the problem of racism in our land. This is simply my humble attempt to do what an African-American pastor and friend of mine here in Austin asked of all white people when he said, "Please speak up!" So, I will speak up and share from my heart about the problem of racism, but moreover, a path forward to overcome this sin that has so deeply stained our nation and persists to this day.
I want to begin by saying my heart is broken and burdened for where we are as a nation. I think the high cost of low moral living has finally caught up with us. Our only hope is Jesus and His good news, also known as the Gospel. The title of this week's devotions is "The Gospel is Greater than Racism." Jesus is greater than any sin--societal, cultural, individual--it does not matter. When you try to address systemic societal evils like racism without the Gospel, you are going to lose; you will lose not only the battle against the problem, but also the precious commodity of common sense.
Let me be very clear where I stand on racism: it is evil. No group, regardless of skin color or nationality, is superior to anyone else. We are all human beings created in the image of God. Genesis 1:27 states, "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." The only division we have among us as human beings is gender: male and female (and even that distinction is overshadowed by Christ Jesus, says Paul in Galatians 3:28). All divisions are man-made and prone to error. I love my country and am proud to be an American, but I am first and foremost a human being created in God's image to love all people. But oh, how far our nation has drifted from Christ and biblical ethics and morality.
Thank you for carefully considering this prominent and difficult topic in our nation at this time. Pray for me, please, as I share more in the following days.
I am praying for you even now, for God to bless you, protect you, and guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).
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