Daily Devotional – June 1, 2020

of history are in the books. Five months of history in the year 2020 are in the books.

That reminds me, I read this morning in John 21, verse 25, the end of John's gospel, and he's writing sort of a concluding statement about the life and the ministry of Jesus, and he says that Jesus did so many other things than what

John wrote down in his gospel, that he says, if it were all written down, the whole world couldn't contain the books.

Well, that got me wondering, can you imagine how many pages and pages and pages could be written to cover the last five months of our lives?

Wow, libraries full of books, huh? Well, anyway, by the way, I did see,

I was reading a news summary that I get every day, and I saw this interesting article this morning that said that so many parents are apparently enjoying the homeschooling experience so much from over the last couple of decades, that they conducted a poll, and the poll indicates that a surprising number of parents are in fact more likely to consider homeschooling for next year, and it cuts across the political spectrum.

Democrats, Republicans, it doesn't matter. More and more people interested in homeschooling.

I'm wondering how many of the kids are feeling that way. I bet the kids would prefer it.

I mean, after all, they've figured out, hey, you know, we can get our schooling done in like two and a half, three hours, and we got the rest of the day.

This is really great. Well, I don't know. Whatever the case, your case of homeschooling experience,

I hope it has been a good one for you. Well, I'm sure that you have been as disgusted and sickened to see what's going on in cities all over the country as rioters and looters, these anarchists and insurrectionists, have been exploiting the death of George Floyd this last week, wreaking havoc, creating chaos and fear.

Well, I've watched, as probably you have as well, as these tough guy thugs who think they're really something, throw water bottles and bricks and fireworks at police officers.

I've seen the masked and hooded hoodlums as they shout profanity as if that kind of behavior is going to constitute reasoned dialogue.

All of this attitude expressed and hostility expressed toward police officers and those in that kind of authority, it kind of reminds me of the protests that the riots that we saw back in the late 60s, early 70s, at least old guys like me, when police officers were called pigs and they were treated with this kind of disdain and even violence.

I've also seen, watching these reports of buildings burning and police cars burning, and what's been most disturbing to me is to watch people of all kinds, young, old, men, women, young people, walking out of stores with their arms full of stuff that they've pillaged, that they've stolen, and the looks on their faces, you can see their faces in many of these cases, you can see their faces, their looks on their faces suggest that they have no sense of shame, no attitude whatsoever that suggests that they think they're doing anything wrong, it's just like they're doing their

Saturday morning grocery shopping down at the Kroger or something. It's disgusting, it's distressing, and perhaps like you,

I've also witnessed the spread that which started out in Minneapolis and then spread in all directions from there.

A couple of nights ago in Chicago and then last night I just saw a report a minute ago about the number of people arrested, over 600 people arrested,

I think it was 17 people shot, some killed in Chicago, and then all of this mess, this anarchy is spreading out from the cities, heading into the suburbs, even some of this in DeKalb last night was just like 45 -50 minutes away from us, and then today

I read a disturbing attempt to justify it all. Here's what

David Sirota wrote in Jacobin, I think that's how you would pronounce it, it's an American socialist quarterly that's published in New York City, that great bastion of conservatism, and this is what

David Sirota wrote, he said, we have to understand that terms like looting are an example of the way our media often imperceptibly trains us to think about economics, crime, and punishment in specific and skewed ways.

Sirota says that, working class people pilfering convenience store goods is deemed looting.

By contrast, rich folk and corporations stealing billions of dollars during their class war is considered good and necessary public policy, aided and abetted by arsonist politicians in Washington, lighting the crime scene on fire to try to cover everything up.

Why are protesters setting fire to stores like Target and CVS? Well, Sirota says, quote, public companies received one billion dollars meant for small businesses.

Recipients include 43 companies with more than 500 workers, the maximum typically allowed by the program.

Several other recipients were prosperous enough to pay executives two million dollars or more, end quote.

In summary, Sirota appears to be excusing the looting on the grounds that the investor class, millionaires, oil companies, and public companies did it first, attributing the protesters' reactions to a fight against capitalism, and that's the end of the quoting from that article.

So let's suppose that Mr. Sirota's argument were true in the first place, that corporations are filthy thieves and politicians are a bunch of arsonists.

Does the repaying evil with evil approach ever really bring about something long -term that is good?

Well, not according to what God has to say through the Apostle Paul and also through Peter.

At one point, I don't know if you remember, Paul was being accused of encouraging people to carry on in sin by preaching grace.

Paul was being accused of preaching or encouraging people to keep on sinning so that grace may come back, grace may abound.

Well, Paul responds to that by this statement in Romans 3, verse 8.

He says, And why not do evil that good may come? Some are asking, as some people slanderously say, charge us with saying,

Paul says. And then he says this, Their condemnation is just. And so, in essence, what

Paul is doing is totally rejecting the notion that anything truly good is going to come from doing evil.

And furthermore, Paul says, those who would promote such a perverted form of so -called justice would be justly condemned.

But then Paul addresses this whole subject more specifically and precisely when he says these following things, also in Romans and then also in 1

Thessalonians. Romans 12, he writes this. He says, Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God.

For it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. And in 1

Thessalonians 5, he says this. He says, See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

And the Apostle Peter echoes this in 1 Peter 3, when he says in verse 9, Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless.

For to this you were called that you may obtain a blessing. Now, admittedly,

Paul is writing to Christians, exhorting us, we who are followers of Jesus, he's exhorting us in particular.

But that standard of righteousness, repay no one evil for evil, that standard of righteous behavior, it's not limited to followers of Christ.

It is, in fact, a guiding principle in civilized societies. Parents all over the world teach this little maxim to their children in some form or another.

And we've probably heard it frequently in our English language. It goes like this, very simple.

Two wrongs don't make a right. Two wrongs don't make a right.

Was what happened to Mr. Floyd last week wrong? Absolutely it was wrong. But two wrongs don't make a right.

And so all of this chaos and violence and rioting, what in the world is really going to be accomplished by this?

What good do these think is going to come of it? There is no good to come of it, only destruction, only to chaos.

Well, unfortunately, such sound words are going to fall on deaf ears among those who are intent on violence.

So what we need to do is appeal to the one whose ears are never closed to the cries of his children, to our

Heavenly Father. Someone shared this prayer, I want to pray here in a and at first I wasn't sure where it was.

I used it yesterday morning in our morning service, and I've since come to find out it comes from a book entitled

A Book of Family Worship. It was published in 1916 by the

Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath School Work. So it's a offered, quote, in time of insurrections and tumults.

And if you remember 1916, right around World War I era, this would be an interesting prayer for that time.

But it's certainly a suitable prayer for our time. And join with me as we pray it together, shall we?

Oh Almighty Lord God, who breaks the power of the oppressor and stills the noise and tumult of the rabble, stir up thy great strength, we beseech thee, and come to help us.

Scatter the counsels of them that secretly devise mischief, and do thou bring the dealings of the violent to nothing.

Cast down the unjust from high places, and cause the unruly to cease from troubling.

Allay all envious and malicious passions, and subdue the haters and evildoers that our land may have rest before thee, and that all the people may praise thee, our help and our shield, both now and evermore.

This we pray in the name of Jesus, our Savior and our Lord. Amen. Well, I trust the

Lord will hear and answer that prayer speedily, and he will send confusion and desolation to those who want to bring that upon others.

So let's pray to that end, and may God bless you richly for the remainder of this day as you seek to serve him.