Paul Smit sent the below reflection to me this week - some things he had been pondering in response to recent conversations. I am so grateful that he shared it with us - his honest musings and reflections on what can be difficult, messy topics. For me, this is a gift and a reminder that all of us have the opportunity and responsibility to reflect theologically in our lives, to bring our faith to bear on what we see in the world around us. I hear in these words of Paul honest wrestling, not ending with neat, simple answers, but that ultimately point and invite us towards love of God and love of neighbour.
 
Thanks be to God!

CG+
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 As I pondered the uncertainty of our world both north and south of the border I wondered as to why we were created in the first place..  
 
"Everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Isaiah 43.7. God created us for His glory and if we look at creation from the impossibly small creatures to the stars, creation really is incredible.
 
But "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him". Colossians 1:16. So here is the problem. God created leaders both good and bad. 
 
But we are also both good and bad. We are sinners by nature. I would suspect that each one of us, if we were really honest with ourselves, "sins" within the 1st minute of waking. In our minds, fed up with the boss / employee / service mechanic etc and after that it goes from bad to worse.
 
The bottom line is that we are given 2 commands. Love God and love your neighbour. Yes we all fail on a daily basis but it is not a competition but a journey. Church on Sunday is not a place where we celebrate our "successes" but it is a hospital where we come to be healed.
 
So much of the OT is about nationalism (land) but also the Israelites walk with God. (See the dichotomy here). They are close to God and all goes well, then they rebel, take things into their own hands, create idols etc and things go sideways and they get destroyed (of course this opens up the discussion as to why bad things happen to the good guys, but that is another whole topic).
 
So what are we meant to do?  Paul sums it up so beautifully in I Timothy 2: 1-3
 
"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior"
 
And there's the rub. Take note it says "that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness". It does not say anything about being a great country, making money, destroying other countries or destroying the people within our country by killing them, causing them to go bankrupt or whatever.
 
So often nationalism seems to have a rah rah, fist pumping, God is with us element, which means we are actually pumping ourselves up and using God's name as the justification. Very dangerous stuff. I am certainly not saying we must not be proud of our nation, work hard to make it great, etc, but are we doing it to glorify and thank God, or are we doing it for our own selfish purposes? Work hard but above all, pray for good government.
 
I finish off with:  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, ... Ephesians 1: 3- 7.
 
Paul