Month: May 2022

Jo Nova: Time For the Liberals to Reset

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Jo Nova writes:

Reinvention time: Liberals tried to win wealthy inner city Woke seats and lost the nation

If the Liberals stop trying to pander to the wealthy Woke electorates and focus on what most Australians want they can reinvent themselves to speak for mainstream Australia by the next election.

The dismal election result for the Liberals and Nationals in Australia may yet set them free. By shifting to the left on issues like Climate Change the Liberals were hobbled. They tried to be Labor -lite, but then couldn’t point out the sheer stupidity of trying to change the weather. Net Zero was a good goal they said, and so the voters voted for people who would do more of it sooner.  By adopting Labor-Green ideas and just trying to be better managers of bad programs they lost their mojo. There were no battles on principles in this election, just personalities.

The Right have been bullied into submission — afraid of being called climate deniers, racists, sexist or anti-vaxxer, they fought for nothing much. And so the voters voted for nothing much — splitting every which way. Astonishingly a new government will be formed that nearly 70% of Australians didn’t vote for. The Labor Party won with the lowest primary vote ever recorded in Australian history.

The great realignment of politics bit the Liberals

Waleed Aly, surprisingly, captured it better than anyone, pointing out that voters in wealthy electorates shifted left, while those in less wealthy seats moved right. The Liberals lost the traditional well heeled blue-ribbon seats to the renewables industry candidates in the Teal Party (the Sneaky Greens). But climate change is a fashion contest, and not only does it make no sense, but by definition, the sensible-option never wins on the cat-walk. Once one half of politics gave up fighting the intrinsic silliness of it, and stopped talking hard numbers, the only contest left was the fashionable one.

And popping the fashion bubble may yet even win those wealthy seats back. When everyone else is trying to outdo the Emperor, there’s nothing like pointing out the Emperor wears no clothes.

So much better than winning a pointless contest is to speak the truth and destroy the contest.

The loss of the Woke part of the party would be a blessing in disguise

Australian voters are fracturing into different party groups because the major parties are not serving their original bases. The Labor-Green Party was the party of the workers but has become the paired-party of the rich and fashionable, and the welfare dependent.  The Liberal-National parties were still trying to win the inner city blue-ribbon seats while also appealing to the suburbs, small business and rural areas. But that was an impossible deal. Something had to give.

If the Liberal Party can regroup against political correctness, they could storm back in just as Tony Abbott did. If they don’t, the minor parties on the Right will fill that space and do it for them.

Quote for the Day

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As God gives you freedom, it is your responsibility to keep it. You can’t go opening up old feelings and old thought patterns that you walked in under bondage. When you do that, you give permission for the tormenter to come.  Beni Johnson

Reflection on 2 Timothy 1:1-7

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Scripture

This is why I remind you to fan into flame the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.

Observation

Paul was chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ. His mission is to tell others about the life that comes through faith in Christ.

He thanks God for Timothy, praying for him night and day. He longs to see him again and will be overjoyed when they are reunited.

Timothy shares the faith of his mother and grandmother. Now he needs to fan into flame the gift God gave him when Paul laid hands on him. God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love and self control.

Application

All followers of Jesus have a deposit of the Holy Spirit. When we are filled or baptised with the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Holy Spirit flow out of us and into other people.

Paul reminds us here that we must fan into flame the spiritual gift that we have received. The christian life is a partnership with God, and there is always something that we must do to receive the fullness of Gods promises.

There are several ways that we can fan into flame the spiritual gifts that we experience.

Firstly, we must use the means of grace to care for our own spiritual life. We must devote ourselves to prayer, reading the scripture, worship, and so on.

Secondly, we must submit ourselves to spiritual authority – our church and pastor, an apostle or other accountability person.

Thirdly, we must use the gifts. Spiritual gifts are like physical muscles. They grow best when they are used. People benefit from practising their gifts in small groups before standing in front of a crowd. Individual ministry is also a great way to fan these gifts into flame.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Please help me to use your gifts effectively and to the glory of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour. Amen

Reflection on 1 Timothy 6:17-21

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Scripture
Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge.

Observation
People who are rich in this world should not be proud. They shouldn’t trust their money which is so unreliable. Instead, they should put their trust in God, being rich in good works and generosity.

Timothy should guard what God has entrusted to him. He should avoid godless, foolish discussions with opponents who flaunt their so-called knowledge.

Application
What has God entrusted to me?

  • a ministry of pastoral care and teaching
  • a dynamic faith community
  • the gospel of Jesus Christ
  • true knowledge of God and His word
  • spiritual gifts

We all have received these things and much more from the Lord, and therefore should guard them as a treasured gift.

The “so-called knowledge” was probably a reference to the various gnostic sects. They thought that by learning various secrets of spiritual knowledge, we could shake off the sinful physical world and ascend to higher levels of spiritual purity. While they blended together teachings from various religions, including Christianity, they were far from the true faith.

We must avoid the temptation of chasing Bible secrets and mystical formulas for our salvation. It is our relationship with Jesus that sets us free from all sin. That is all we need.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are my living King. Thank you for your unfailing love. Amen