“And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31)
The sins that dominate our culture and those events that in the world that frustrate us are usually things that we really can do little or nothing to resolve. That is why they trouble us: we feel powerless and victimized. Thus it is so wonderful to hear the words of Jesus in the Beatitudes and the words of Paul to the Corinthians. They bring such comfort and peace to our troubled hearts for they help us put all these things in perspective.
From this perspective we can see from the present political atmosphere of America that the wicked ways and values of the world permeate society and government on every level. This whole situation which many find so frustrating just emphasizes over and over again that we believers do not belong in this world. We are not first and foremost citizens of our nation: we are primarily citizens of the Kingdom of God. And there is a great gap between the culture and values of the world and the Kingdom.
The Kingdom of God defines our value system, our standard of ethics and of religious devotion as well as the godly attitudes we should hold towards money, career, lifestyle, leisure, relationships and even those people who anger us. These standards are totally at odds with the values of the world. These standards tell us that we are not our own. We are under the rule and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are not to follow the ways or ideals of people in the world: celebrities, activists, philosophers, politicians, teachers, neighbors, friends or even members of our own family. We are to look to Jesus and His Word as our source of our values and our way of living. We are live as He desires, follow His lead so that we may shine with His glory and righteousness as lights in a world filled with darkness.