Loving Your Neighbor in a Divided World
Struggling to love people who see the world completely differently than you do? In this episode, discover how following Jesus means pursuing peace with everyone as much as it depends on you, even when you deeply disagree.
Struggling to love people who see the world completely differently than you do? In this episode, discover how following Jesus means pursuing peace with everyone as much as it depends on you, even when you deeply disagree.
Have you ever felt the tension between caring deeply about an issue and caring deeply about a person on the other side of it?
In a world where political and cultural divisions run deep, it's easy to let disagreement turn into demonization. Social media rewards outrage. The loudest voices get the most attention. And slowly, we start treating people who think differently as enemies to defeat rather than neighbors to love. Relationships fray. Conversations shut down. And before we know it, our political tribe feels more central to our identity than our faith in Christ.
In this episode, we look at the example of Eugene Cho, a Korean American pastor and founder of One Day's Wages, who is passionate about justice but refuses to lose his soul to anger. In his book Thou Shalt Not Be a Jerk, he challenges Christians to pursue justice without abandoning kindness, and to hold convictions without holding contempt. Through his story and the call of Romans 12:18, you'll see that following Jesus doesn't mean avoiding hard issues; it means engaging them without letting hatred and division have the last word.
BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:
- Why loving your neighbor includes loving the neighbor who votes, thinks, and sees the world differently than you
- How to tell if politics has become an idol that's shaping your identity more than Jesus is
- Practical ways to pursue peace and reflect Christ even in the most divided conversations
You can speak truth and still be kind. You can hold firm convictions and still pursue peace with everyone, as much as it depends on you.
Share This Episode:
https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/160
Want to keep these devotions coming? Please consider supporting this podcast.
https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/support/
Connect with Bart
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/dailydevotionsforbusylives
Website: https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com
Feeling spiritually drained? Start here. Download your free copy of my eBook Making Time for Jesus here.
Mentioned in this episode:
Subscribe to the Newsletter
If you’d like weekly encouragement delivered straight to your inbox, plus a free copy of my eBook Making Time for Jesus, sign up for the Daily Devotions for Busy Lives newsletter at https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/subscribe.
Track 1 00:00:01
Eugene Cho cares deeply about refugees, poverty, and
Track 1 00:00:05
racial reconciliation, but he refuses to demonize people who
Track 1 00:00:09
disagree with him. Eugene is a Korean-American pastor and
Track 1 00:00:12
founder of One Day's Wages, a movement fighting extreme global
Track 1 00:00:17
poverty. He's passionate and outspoken and willing to take
Track 1 00:00:21
stands on hard issues, but in a culture where advocacy often
Track 1 00:00:26
into outrage and political opponents become enemies, Cho
Track 1 00:00:29
has tried to walk a different path. He speaks truth, but he
Track 1 00:00:33
does it with grace. He fights for what's right without losing
Track 1 00:00:37
his soul to anger. In a world that rewards the loudest and
Track 1 00:00:41
angriest voices, why would someone choose to stay at the
Track 1 00:00:44
table with people who see things completely differently? Welcome
Track 1 00:00:50
Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger, and
Track 1 00:00:55
today we're talking about one of the hardest things to do in our
Track 1 00:00:58
current culture—loving your neighbor when your neighbor
Track 1 00:01:01
thinks completely differently than you do. Romans 12: 18 says,
Track 1 00:01:06
"Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone." That's
Track 1 00:01:11
tough sometimes. That verse doesn't say, "live in peace with
Track 1 00:01:15
people who agree with you." It says, "everyone." And it's
Track 1 00:01:20
honest about the challenge because it says, "as much as it
Track 1 00:01:23
depends on you." Paul knows you can't control other people. You
Track 1 00:01:28
can't force reconciliation, reconciliation, but you can
Track 1 00:01:30
control your own heart and words and your own posture. You can do
Track 1 00:01:35
all that you can. But we live in a divided world. Politics, race,
Track 1 00:01:41
vaccines, parenting, theology—it doesn't take much
Track 1 00:01:44
to find an issue that splits the room and ends friendships.
Track 1 00:01:48
Social media has even made it worse. Algorithms seem to reward
Track 1 00:01:53
outrage. The loudest, angriest voices get the most attention.
Track 1 00:01:56
And slowly, we've been trained to see people who disagree with
Track 1 00:02:00
us not as neighbors to love, but as enemies to defeat. But Jesus
Track 1 00:02:05
calls us to something radically different. In the Sermon on the
Track 1 00:02:09
Mount, he said, "Love your enemies and pray for those who
Track 1 00:02:12
persecute you." If we're called to love our enemies, how much
Track 1 00:02:17
more should we love our neighbors who simply vote
Track 1 00:02:19
differently? Or think differently? Or maybe just see
Track 1 00:02:23
the world life through a different lens. Now, that
Track 1 00:02:26
doesn't mean we abandon truth. It doesn't mean we stay silent
Track 1 00:02:30
on things that really matter. And it doesn't mean every
Track 1 00:02:34
opinion is equally valid. But it does mean we refuse to let
Track 1 00:02:38
hatred and contempt have the last word. It means we can
Track 1 00:02:42
disagree without dehumanizing someone. We can hold convictions
Track 1 00:02:47
without holding contempt. Here's a question I've asked myself,
Track 1 00:02:51
and now I'm asking you: When was the last time you prayed for
Track 1 00:02:55
someone on the other side of an issue you care about? Not prayed
Track 1 00:03:00
that they'd see things your way? But genuinely prayed for their
Track 1 00:03:04
well-being? And their family? Their salvation? Or maybe their
Track 1 00:03:07
walk with God?
Track 1 00:03:11
the kind of love that reflects Christ in a divided world. It's
Track 1 00:03:15
also worth asking: Has politics become an idol in your life?
Track 1 00:03:20
Because an idol is anything that takes the place of God, anything
Track 1 00:03:24
that shapes your identity and your emotions and your
Track 1 00:03:28
relationships more than Jesus does? For some of us, our
Track 1 00:03:32
political tribe has become more central to who we are than our
Track 1 00:03:36
identity in Christ. And when that happens, we start treating
Track 1 00:03:40
people who disagree with us as enemies to be destroyed rather
Track 1 00:03:43
than image-bearers to be loved. In his book: "Thou shalt not be
Track 1 00:03:47
a jerk," Cho writes about the temptation for Christians to let
Track 1 00:03:51
politics become an idol and to treat people on the other side
Track 1 00:03:55
as enemies rather than neighbors made in God's image. He
Track 1 00:03:59
challenges believers to pursue justice without abandoning
Track 1 00:04:02
kindness, and to hold convictions without holding
Track 1 00:04:06
contempt. It doesn't mean abandoning truth or staying
Track 1 00:04:10
silent on things that really matter. It means refusing to let
Track 1 00:04:14
hatred and division have the last word. Following Jesus means
Track 1 00:04:18
pursuing peace with everyone as much as it depends on you, even
Track 1 00:04:22
when you deeply disagree. Maybe you felt the tension. You care
Track 1 00:04:26
about issues and you have strong convictions. But you've also
Track 1 00:04:30
noticed the anger rising within you, and sometimes the
Track 1 00:04:33
relationships begin to fray and the temptation to write people
Track 1 00:04:37
off because they don't see things the way you do. Here's
the invitation:
Let Jesus be louder than your political tribe,
the invitation:
and let love be stronger than your frustration. Let peace be
the invitation:
the goal, even when agreement isn't possible. You can speak
the invitation:
truth and still be kind. You can advocate for justice and still
the invitation:
treat opponents with dignity.
the invitation:
peace with everyone as much as it depends on you. Here's
the invitation:
today's challenge: Think of one person in your life. It could be
the invitation:
a family member, a co-worker, a neighbor, or an old friend who
the invitation:
sees the world very differently than you do on an issue you care
the invitation:
about. Instead of rehearsing your arguments or avoiding them
the invitation:
altogether... How about pray for them today? Ask God to bless
the invitation:
them, to draw them closer to himself, and to help you see
the invitation:
them as he sees them, an image-bearer worth loving. And
the invitation:
if you've let division damage that relationship, consider
the invitation:
reaching out, not to debate, but to reconnect. Do all that you
the invitation:
can to live in peace. Lord, we live in an angry, divided world,
the invitation:
and it's so easy to let that anger seep into our own hearts.
the invitation:
Forgive us for the times we've treated people who disagree with
the invitation:
us as enemies instead of as neighbors. Help us to hold truth
the invitation:
and love together. Give us the courage to pursue peace, even
the invitation:
when it's hard. Let our lives reflect you more than they
the invitation:
reflect any political tribe. Teach us to love our neighbors,
the invitation:
even the ones who think completely differently than we
the invitation:
do. In Jesus' name, amen. If this episode encouraged you,
the invitation:
would you share it with someone who might be struggling with
the invitation:
division in their relationship? Thanks for joining me today on
the invitation:
Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. Remember, following Jesus means
the invitation:
pursuing peace with everyone as much as it depends on you, even
the invitation:
when you disagree. Come back next time for more encouragement
the invitation:
to help you live grounded in God's truth. Until then, God
the invitation:
bless and have a great day.
