Render Unto Caesar

In the 1941 biographical film Sergeant York, Gary Cooper stars as Alvin York, a young man scraping by as a dirt-poor farmer in the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee near the Kentucky border who has a reputation for being a hard drinker with a bad temper.

After a local man reneges on a deal to sell him a piece of land and instead sells it to a man trying to woo the same girl that York has fallen for, York gets drunk one rainy night and is on his way to get revenge on his romantic rival. Along the way, however, he is knocked off his horse by a bolt of lightning, and it splits his rifle in half. Stunned and sensing divine intervention, York staggers toward the sound of singing coming from a small nearby church as if drawn by a higher power.

As York timidly enters the church, the small congregation begins singing "Old Time Religion," and as they sing York is gently urged forward by people in the congregation until he is face to face with the preacher at the altar, where he has a dramatic conversion experience.

York is a changed man, and strives to live according to biblical principles—so, as America enters WWI, York has no intention of responding to the army's draft notice due to his view of the Bible's principles of nonviolence. The pastor helps York apply for conscientious objector status, but the application is denied because his church is not one of the large, recognized denominations.

Now officially in the army, York shows himself to be an expert marksman, but still expresses reluctance to accept his role as a soldier. An empathetic officer who recognizes York's potential gives him a 10-day furlough to go home and reconsider his reluctance to embrace his military duty, a duty that involves killing—something York deeply believes to be contrary to God's Word.

While at home in Tennessee, York goes for a hike in the mountains, and as the sun is setting he sits to think and read his Bible. The wind starts flipping the Bible's pages, and he is led to read the following verse:

It is an epiphany for York, and the rest is history. Sergeant Alvin Cullum York (1887–1964) went on to become one of the most highly decorated soldiers of WWI, receiving the Medal of Honor, France's Croix de Guerre, and several other awards for his bravery and heroism in combat.

What brought this film to my mind is something that occurred in my personal life recently—I had a bit of a Sergeant York moment myself, so to speak, and I felt compelled to make it the topic of my next article.

Tell you what...let's circle back for that Sergeant York thing.

Red vs Blue

Several months ago, I wrote an article about the current coronavirus vaccines that have been rolled out and that are being pushed on the populations of countries around the world. In that article, I discussed how we are being lied to by Big Pharma, the mainstream media, and the government concerning the relative safety and efficacy of the vaccines, not to mention the dangers of the coronavirus itself.

And I confess that I took a wee bit of heat for it. In retrospect, however, and after re-reading that article, I can understand why:

There were times when I came across as quite the conspiracy theorist.

That wasn't my intention, of course, because I'm not...not really. All I want to do is seek the truth—and keep my ego from getting in the way.

But whether you're for them or against them,
vaccines are just one part of a bigger picture.

As I'm sure you are aware, we are witnessing a growing divide in our country that dwarfs anything in living memory. And it's not just about the vaccines.

It's about Trump and the Republicans, Biden and the Democrats, the integrity (or the lack thereof) of the 2020 election, the so-called "insurrection" of January 6, critical race theory being taught to our children, kneeling for the national anthem, tearing down statues of respected historical figures, mask mandates, lockdowns, domestic terrorist groups like Antifa and BLM rioting in the streets with abandon, defunding the police, and any number of other hot-button sociopolitical issues.

All these things and scores of others are swirling together into a roaring maelstrom that is creating a schism in this country that is undeniable, unavoidable, and seemingly unstoppable.

And vaccines are just one piece of the puzzle.

As I wrote in a recent Commentary entry (8/10), the unvaxxed are being blamed for any increase in COVID-19 cases, and clueless talking heads are howling about the "pandemic of the unvaccinated," completely ignoring the statistical fact that in most regions roughly 40–50 percent of new cases are of fully vaccinated people. The blame for any outbreak of the coronavirus is laid at the feet of those selfish nincompoops who deny science and listen to tin-hat conspiracy theories and as a result refuse to take a safe and effective vaccine. It is the unvaxxed who are responsible for endangering the lives of everyone else and undermining the efforts all the sensible, responsible people who have done their civic duty and received the vaccine.

I also mentioned how the FDA was on the brink of giving the vaccines full authorization (as opposed to being "authorized for emergency use only"), which has just been rubber-stamped on through even faster than expected. This just eliminated one of the most sensible remaining reasons that people can point to in order to justify refusing the vaccine, and it will greatly intensify the pressure on those who sensibly decline to get vaccinated.

To me, one of the most disturbing aspects of this deepening rift is the growing identification factor with one of these two broad, mutually exclusive groups, which are identified with a diametrically opposed list of characteristics, qualities, beliefs, opinions, and positions on various issues. It is almost inevitable that you will be lumped into one group or the other; and once you are identified with either group, you will remain so identified from then on. There is essentially no middle ground in the minds of most people.

The split falls along the following lines, and I have taken the liberty of identifying the two groups with the appropriate colors:

Put...the stones...down: Of course, I understand that many people hold to opinions from both groups. In other words, I know there are plenty of people who cross over on a number of these issues. For example, there are Republican congressmen who urge their constituents to get vaccinated, and Democratic congressmen who oppose groups like Antifa and BLM, and so on. But these two opposing groups still exist as theoretical constructs, and can still strongly influence people's feelings, opinions, and expectations of others.

This is just a broad smattering of 20 typical issues, but it will more than suffice. My point is that as soon as you make it known that you agree with or support one of the Red Group issues or one of the Blue Group issues, you tend to be lumped into that group.

For example, as soon as you criticize those who disrespect the flag or the national anthem, express doubt about the integrity of the 2020 election, or question the idea of forcing experimental vaccines on everyone including children, it is assumed all the other red qualities apply to you.

Put 'er there, pal...welcome to the Red Group.

As soon as you indicate that you support men who identify as women competing with female athletes, casually dismiss the allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election as "baseless," or parrot what the mainstream media says about the "safe and effective" vaccines that absolutely everyone should take without hesitation, it is assumed all the other blue qualities apply to you.

Congrats...you are so in the Blue Group.

And so, for example, as soon as you refuse to take the vaccine, everyone in the Red Group tends to assume you are one of them. They assume you have done your homework and understand the fact that the vaccines are not as safe and effective as we have been told by a lying mainstream media, and that the dangers of the virus have been vastly overblown. They probably also assume you support Trump, are keenly aware of the fraud that was perpetrated to install Biden in the White House, etc., etc., etc.

At the same time, everyone in the Blue Group assumes you are a Bible-thumping anti-vaxxer who believes conspiracy theories about the coronavirus and who refuses to obey the rules and take a safe and effective vaccine to protect yourself and those around you. You're no doubt a knuckle-dragging Trump supporter, believe the Big Lie that Trump has sold to the mindless zombies who worship him, etc., etc., etc.

Now, let's flip it around:

As soon as you agree to take the vaccine, everyone in the Blue Group assumes you are one of them. They assume you believe everything the trusted mainstream media says about the vaccines—that they are safe and virtually 100 percent effective in protecting you from the dreaded coronavirus. Plus you certainly don't believe all those baseless fairytales about election fraud, support our fine, duly elected president Joe Biden, etc., etc., etc.

Of course, everyone in the Red Group thinks you must be a poor, deluded moron who believes the lies of Big Pharma, the mainstream media, and the government about the criminally undertested "vaccines" being forced on the world. Thus you are certainly not smart enough to understand that the election really was stolen through massive, widespread fraud, no doubt support the drooling dunderhead who was installed in Trump's place, etc., etc., etc.

Not only that, but once you are lumped into one of these two groups, you are generally expected to tow the line on the other issues. For example, if you are known to hate Trump and support Biden and are thus lumped into the Blue Group, many will expect you to be perfectly willing to take the vaccine. I mean, after all, it is safe and effective, right? CNN says so.

On the other hand, if you are a Trump supporter and believe the 2020 election was stolen through fraud and are thus lumped into the Red Group, many will expect you to go down swinging in your refusal to be vaccinated.

The point is that each one of the Red Group's positions and characterizations carries a preponderance of the others along as baggage, as do each of the Blue Group's positions and characterizations.

Of course, this type of simplistic, binary thinking is harmful, and does nothing but lead to a divided, embittered population. And it certainly doesn't come from God—so we know who it does come from.

But what does Satan have to gain by promulgating this type of thinking? What purpose does it serve? How does it help him achieve his goals?

I don't claim to have all the answers, but there is one thing about this type of thinking that comes through to me loud and clear:

It gives an unsaved world a laundry list of reasons to hate and persecute born-again believers.

For example, if I am a member of the Blue Group and I find out you go to church or that you believe the Bible, I now have a ready-made cornucopia of what I consider perfectly valid reasons to hate you, mock you, exclude you, and otherwise seek to persecute you—because if you're a C-h-r-i-s-t-i-a-n, that means you're probably (drum roll, please)...

• a boot-licking Trump supporter who believes the Big Lie!
• an anti-vaxxer who believes debunked conspiracy theories!
• a homophobic bigot who thinks you're born male or female!
• a Confederate-flag waving white supremacist!

Take your pick...or mix and match. It really doesn't matter, because if I am in the Blue Group and I find out you are a born-again believer, it pushes whichever of the above hot buttons strike closest to home for me, and I automatically paint you with the red brush. And for those reasons I hate you and look for ways to persecute you and want to see you sandblasted from the face of the earth.

Of course, this type of thinking is nothing new. In the '20s and '30s, Adolf Hitler used a somewhat similar type of thinking to build the case that the Jews were responsible for every problem post-WWI Germany was experiencing, and thus every single Jewish man, woman, and child needed to be eliminated for the good of the Fatherland...and ultimately every land.

And it worked spectacularly.

I believe this is precisely the type of thinking that will pervade the Tribulation, and will motivate an unsaved world to seek out and eliminate all who name the name of Christ. There will be some additional reasons why such people need to be eliminated, of course, but what Satan is doing is causing this type of binary, knee-jerk thinking to become as deeply entrenched as possible. He is going to use it to his advantage as he seeks to establish his kingdom in the person of the Antichrist—a kingdom in which rigid adherence to foolish, archaic myths such as those found in the Bible is threatening to torpedo mankind's ability to successfully "ascend" and evolve spiritually.

But like everything that comes from Satan, this type of thinking is a lie—and any reasonably clear-minded person can see that. Such button-pushing is a shallow pretense of rational thought, and we shouldn't allow this type of dichotomous thinking to provide us extraneous reasons to hate others.

It is especially important for born-again believers to be wary of this type of thinking, because if we allow ourselves to fall into that sort of mindset, it can take our focus off what is truly important.

Which is...what?

Like I said, there are only two groups...but they are not the Red Group and the Blue Group. They are not the Republicans and the Democrats. They are not Trump supporters and Biden supporters. And they are not the vaxxed and the unvaxxed.

They are the saved and the unsaved.

As soon as we allow anything to shift our focus away from that, we are not being the witnesses God intends for us to be. We are not allowing the love of God and the truth of His Word to permeate and radiate from our lives. When we allow any of these various characterizations or attitudes to overshadow and distract us from the simple fact that what really matters is whether people are saved or lost, we have rendered ourselves ill-prepared to play whatever role God has given us in taking the gospel to a lost and dying world and pointing people to the Savior while there's still time.

Now, let's circle back to the mountains of Tennessee...

A Sergeant York moment

If you've read a lot of my articles, you know I rarely dig into my personal life to any significant degree. Like my website says:

It's not about me. It's about Him.

But I'm going somewhere with this, so bear with me.

Speaking of the Red Group, I openly admit I'm about as red as they come. We're talking deep red, and I don't care who knows it. I could run down the above list of 20 items one by one and do a full-blown red rant on each one, but I'll spare you the excess verbiage.

As I have mentioned before, parts of Taiwan have been on a "soft lockdown" since mid-May, with only certain things closed or restricted and with people being told to wear masks everywhere outside their homes and encouraged not to go out more than necessary. And I am happy to report that the COVID-19 situation has improved dramatically in Taiwan since the May–June time frame, and things have been slowly becoming a bit more relaxed in recent weeks. We've become single-digit midgets, averaging 4–5 new cases a day for about the last three weeks (down from a high of 543 on May 19).

As far as vaccines go, to the surprise of no one mainland China has quietly made it as difficult as possible for Taiwan to get vaccines from other countries. In spite of that, over the last several months Japan has provided Taiwan with several million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine (plus we have the Moderna vaccine from America). This was actually an opportunity for Japan to say "thank you" to Taiwan, who donated far more aid to Japan than any other country in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

Unlike many Americans, most Taiwanese—being the civic-minded sort that they are—don't seem to have any major qualms about receiving this vaccine. People are dutifully lining up at various locations to get their jab, and as of this writing we are at about 40 percent in terms of the percentage of the population that has received at least the first dose of any vaccine.

In mid-July, I got word that my school (which is a big, island-wide chain) was planning to fully re-open on Monday, August 30. Of course, I was ecstatic to finally see some light at the end of the tunnel. However, that ecstasy was tamped down a bit by word that some companies were making the vaccine a requirement for all employees to return to work.

And then I heard through the grapevine the news I had been dreading:

Teachers and staff at my school had to be vaccinated to return to work.

I felt as though my insides had been sliced and grilled by a Teppanyaki chef. There I was, so against the vaccine for so many reasons, faced with the decision to (gulp) get vaccinated and go back to work or...(gulp) not.

My reactor core went into meltdown. Me and my wife (who doesn't work outside the home) are in decent financial condition, so a three-and-a-half-month layoff is a speed bump, but not the end of the world. My job (which I love dearly) pays quite well, and we both have plenty of savings.

But at the same time, never going back to work was never an option. For a couple of years before I came to work at my school in 2005, I made a decent living meeting private students in coffee shops and such, but it's not that stable and besides, the coronavirus and all its attendant restrictions have made that an untenable option anyway. And I'm a bit too far away from receiving a modest monthly sum from Social Security for that to be any help. (By "modest" I mean it will be just enough to squeeze by on.)

And getting a different job is a big, fat zero. I'd probably face the same requirement anyway, and besides: I've taught English here for 29 years and my Chinese is mediocre, so I don't really have any other options. I don't do anything else.

Move back to the States? Oh, like the situation is better there? Over the last couple of decades, the U.S. has morphed into a foreign country to me where I just happen to speak the language like a native. Taiwan is our home.

The bottom line was pretty clear:

I had to go back to work to support my family.

It's that simple. And that meant I had to get a vaccine. No way to weasel around it...Red Group or no Red Group. I was devastated. I knew what I had to do, but I just couldn't fathom doing it. Every member of my family back in the States is a hardcore Red Grouper, and I imagined how disappointed they would be in me. Yeah, me—the weak-willed turncoat. The gutless defector. The traitor to the cause. And just to add the proverbial cherry on top, a couple of people close to me had recently stated that if they were forced to get vaccinated to keep their jobs, they'd quit, by golly. Thanks...'ppreciate it. (I noted that each was comfortably retired.)

For a couple of stress-filled days, my mind desperately searched through the rubble of my options, searching for...anything, and finding...nothing. I just didn't know what to do.

But I know exactly what to do
when I don't know what to do:

I take it to the Lord in prayer.

After those couple of agonizing days, my spiritual man had finally had enough and grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and practically threw me to my knees. I finally took my burdens to the Lord—and it wasn't fancy:

"Lord, you know how I feel about the vaccine, and you know my job situation. What do you want me to do?!"

I was fully expecting to agonize for days with this issue: In the flesh, I saw no end to it. I saw no way out. I felt I just couldn't take the vaccine because of what I knew about them and my established position as a hardcore Red Grouper, but I simply had to go back to my job.

But before God, less than five minutes from the time I went to the Lord with it, I suddenly felt a total, complete peace enveloping me. I knew from experience it was none other than the Comforter doing what the Comforter does, and in this particular case He did it with three words. And those three words reverberated in my spirit loud and clear:

Render unto Caesar.

That's it. Three words. And I knew. (Presumably the Holy Spirit knew I had seen that movie.) The message was crystal clear:

"Look, I know that you know the vaccines aren't as safe and effective as everyone is being told, but that's neither here nor there. Go ahead and get vaccinated and go back to work. I've got everything under control."

The Red Group's passionatae anti-vax position had released me from its death grip to some extent, and even though I still consciously knew the vaccines aren't what we are being told they are, I suddenly had such a complete, consummate peace about getting one in order to go back to my job that it literally shocked me for a few days (not to mention my family back in the States, who, as believers, turned out to be sympathetic and supportive rather than filled with condemnation as I had feared).

Confirmation: A few days later, my wife found out that if I took the initiative and voluntarily registered for the vaccine immediately, I could sign up to get the AstraZeneca, rather than the Moderna vaccine. That actually mattered to me since the Moderna is one of the dreaded mRNA types (as is Pfizer's), which I fear and distrust the most. AstraZeneca is not an mRNA vaccine; and even though more adverse reactions have been reported for AZ, I happily jumped at the opportunity to avoid Moderna. If I had done nothing and waited for the school to contact me and tell me where to report to get my required vaccine (which they did about a week later), I would have had no choice in the matter and probably would have gotten stuck with Moderna. Now, as far as I'm concerned, this was a confirmation. It's as if God was saying "See? What did I tell you? I said I had everything under control." Thank you, Father.

Note: It doesn't prove a blessed thing, but just in case anyone is wondering: It's been about a month since I got the jab and I feel fine and have suffered no ill effects from it to date. Thank you, Father.

Of course, and this is crucial, I had to make sure what I believed the Lord said to me really lined up with the Word. I felt compelled to carefully review a few things in Scripture to make 100 percent sure I was acting within the established bounds of God's Word, and wasn't just being overly influenced by some schmaltzy scene in a Hollywood movie and going off on my own whims.

Did I say "confirmation"? The reason I say it is crucial to study Scripture to confirm something you believe God has said to you is simple: If you think God has told you something and it doesn't quite square with the Word, the verdict is clear: You are simply imagining things, my friend, and your heartfelt sincerity and $4.75 will get you a White Chocolate Mocha (Venti) at Starbucks. There is a tsunami these days of people claiming God told them things He never told them. Don't be one of them.

OK, so first off, God obviously wants a man to love his wife, and that involves providing for her physical needs:

So, I am to love my wife as Christ loved the Church. And does the Lord provide for the needs of His Church? He certainly does:

And there's this from the pen of the apostle Paul:

Pretty basic stuff: A man has a God-ordained responsibility to provide for the physical needs his family. No surprises there. Of course, in today's world providing for your family's needs requires money, and money requires gainful employment. No surprises there.

OK, but what about obeying those in authority, and following the rules they promulgate? Are we ever justified in refusing to obey the orders or mandates they pass down, even if we know better or are passionately against them or disagree with them for some very good reasons?

In a word, no. Paul explains:

Paul makes it clear that we are to obey the government that God places over us (Peter reiterates essentially the same teaching in 1 Pet. 2:13–25). God instituted human government to promote a just social order and to punish those who do evil—and when we refuse to obey the government God has placed over us, we are ultimately disrespecting God.

And notice that nothing is mentioned about how just, righteous, or competent that government or its leaders may be.

For example, it's worth noting that when Paul wrote the above passage to the believers in Rome in about AD 57–58, he acknowledged the authority of Rome and its leader in spite of the fact that the leader in question was none other than Nero, arguably one of the most evil rulers in history. In AD 64, it was Nero who pinned the blame on Christians for the blaze that was consuming sections of Rome, and so as punishment he used the bodies of believers as human torches to light the streets of the city.

Lucky me: Now, the authorities who ordered that all teachers and staff at my school had to be vaccinated to return to work may not be perfect, but by and large they aren't quite in the same league with Nero.

The bottom line is that all earthly authorities are ordained by God, and we are commanded to show the due and proper respect to such authorities through our obedience to them. Those who refuse to do so ultimately disrespect God and invite His judgment.

Now, let's cut to the scene that gave rise to the words "render unto Caesar." The Pharisees are once again partaking in their favorite pastime, which is trying to sucker-punch Jesus with a trick question—one where no matter what He says, they can spin His response into something they can use to discredit Him in the eyes of the people. This one concerns taxes reluctantly paid by the Jews to their despised Roman masters:

Since the Romans had taken over the region and subjugated the Jewish population, Caesar was their legitimate ruler—a fact that was clearly evidenced by the very coin Jesus asked to examine. This coin bearing Caesar's image was used as valid currency in the region. So, if you give to Caesar the coin that is his due, but give to God the worship and obedience that are His due, you will offend neither.

Pulpit Commentary sums it up thusly:

But should we always obey the government and its leaders, no matter what? We need look no further than the fifth chapter of Acts for an answer.

Peter and the other apostles are in trouble for preaching the gospel, getting people saved, healing people, casting out demons, etc. in Jerusalem, and got tossed in jail. An angel frees them, they get right back to it, and in no time they are right back before the Sanhedrin:

At that point, a prominent Pharisee named Gamaliel has the disciples put out so he can address the Sanhedrin privately, and he admonishes them to take care in how they treat these disciples of Jesus of Nazareth. Gamaliel sagaciously warns them that if the disciples' message is not of God, it will die of its own accord, as had been the case with every previous messianic fraud. But if it is of God, they could end up in the precarious position of fighting against the LORD Himself. And...

Christ commanded them to preach the gospel, and the Sanhedrin commanded them not to preach the gospel. In this case, the authorities clearly ordered them to disobey God, and they rightly chose to obey God and disobey the Sanhedrin. And they were punished for it—but they rejoiced because they were counted worthy to suffer for His name.

The point is that the authorities ordered them to disobey God—and that's where their authority ended. When we are ordered by those in government to disobey the clear teachings of the Word, we are obligated to disobey them and to obey God—regardless of the consequences.

So, the $64,000 question for me is simply this:

Q. Is taking a vaccine that's not as safe and effective as they say a sin? Is it against the commands of Scripture, or contrary to the Word of God?

A. Not in any way that I can think of.

Now, if you can think of one, feel free to let me know. But the last time I checked, there was no 11th commandment:

Now, please understand: I am still very much against the vaccines for a number of reasons, and I fully support all those who protest vaccine mandates of any kind—especially ones pertaining to employment. I think it's barbaric to force people to receive a highly questionable vaccine they actually don't need in order to earn a living.

In other words, I haven't changed my mind about the vaccines one iota—I am still keenly aware of the fact that they are potentially harmful and largely ineffective in protecting you from the coronavirus. I'm happy to say this is gradually becoming more apparent to people, yet we are still being lied to by Big Pharma, the mainstream media, and the government for political reasons that center around control of the population. I get that.

As I wrote several months ago in the same article I linked to earlier, I still believe it is theoretically possible that in several years there could be widespread deaths due to autoimmune reactions and other issues associated with the mRNA vaccines that could be part of the fourth seal judgment.

Does that worry me? Does that keep me awake at night?

Nope. Why should it? We won't be here.

At least I won't, and I pray you can say the same. On the other hand, refusing to take a mandated vaccine when it is the only way for me to fulfill my God-ordained duty as a man and a husband is something that does go against biblical principles in my considered opinion.

Late last year, I wrote an article about how the vaccine is not the mark of the beast, and so on. In that article, I cavalierly stated that I would be happy to get vaccinated. Of course, that was before I became aware of the issues surrounding the vaccines, and I have since added a note to that article indicating I have changed my mind about them.

When I made that remark, I quoted a verse of Scripture that I am going to quote again here, because it still applies...vaccine or no vaccine:

What can man do to me...or a vaccine, for that matter.

This one's for you

I know what some of you are thinking. But I didn't write this article to make myself feel better about myself. I didn't write this article just to defend my decision to get vaccinated. I didn't write it to repudiate the opinions of the Red Group in some way, or set myself above others in a holier-than-thou manner, as if I were more illuminated on some points than others.

No...a kazillion times no. The reason I wrote this article is to speak a word to those out there who may be facing a similar situation, and I'm absolutely certain there are some—and there will be an ever increasing number of them now that the vaccines have been given the green light.

If you're one of them, then this one's for you.

I'm speaking to believers—people who probably identify with the Red Group, and who are strongly against the vaccine for a number of valid reasons but who are facing a situation where they have to get the vaccine just so they can earn a living and feed their families.

Some Red Groupers may call me a Benedict Arnold, but that's of no concern to me. I just want you to know that it's not a sin to get vaccinated—and the reason I want to shout this from the rooftops is because a lot of Red Groupers act as if it were a sin. Well, it's not—if you get a vaccine, you are not violating any scriptural commands, mandates, or principles.

You may be made to feel as if you were
violating the Red Group oath, but you are
in no way violating the Word of God.

So don't feel or act as if you were. You may be made to feel as if you were a traitor by some Red Groupers, but that's their problem.

Now, if you just don't want the vaccine, that's one thing. That's great—more power to you. But Scripture is crystal clear. If you are faced with a choice between getting a vaccine and providing for your family, God's Word says your family wins that one every time...I don't care what the Red Group manifesto says. And I don't see a lot of scriptural wiggle room on it, either.

There seldom is.

Now, if the Lord speaks to your heart and leads you down another path, and perhaps opens other opportunities for you or provides you with some other avenue to deal with your situation, then I pray you run with it and that God will bless your efforts to honor and obey Him.

You go, girl. You go, dude.

But if such options are simply not available to you and you really are faced with a clear choice between a vaccine and providing for your family, first and always: Go to the Lord. And if He leads you in that direction, don't think twice about getting one. Don't let anyone make you feel guilty or as if you were doing something shameful or immoral or being disloyal to the cause, or that you're weak, or that you're a clueless chump that believes what the mainstream media says about the vaccines. You know better than that—by now anyone with half a brain knows better than that. But God says the welfare of your family comes first. And never forget:

God has promised to bless and protect
all those who love, trust, and obey Him.

Christ died and was resurrected to give us an opportunity to be eternally reconciled to the Father, and to be the recipients of His blessings and protection during our earthly lives and of an eternity of bliss in His presence afterwards. All He asks is that we trust and obey Him.

Christ died on a hill two thousand years ago
because it was the only way He could give us that.

But the vaccine is not a hill you need to die on
in order to receive it and possess it for eternity.

Could I become gravely ill from the vaccine? Yeah, maybe. Could I die from it? Sure. But that isn't going to stop me from doing what I have to do to fulfill my biblical responsibility to take care of my family. All I can do is trust God. And if He sees fit to allow me to die from this vaccine, well...

Catch ya at the mixer after the bema.

If you've read very many of my articles, you may have noticed that I have a tendency to look for a clever or witty way to close. Sometimes I succeed, and sometimes...well, whatever. I've only closed an article with prayer on a couple of occasions in the past, but I feel led to do so right now:

Heavenly Father, you are holy and your name is holy, and we worship you and want nothing more than to honor and glorify you—and we can't wait for the day when you are glorified here on earth in your kingdom. I pray that your Spirit would comfort every single person out there who is struggling with the decision to get a vaccine, either in order to remain gainfully employed so they can provide for their family in obedience to your Word or for any other reason, and that you would go before them and make a way for them to proceed. I pray that you would speak to their heart and guide them, and that you would be honored and glorified by their love, trust, and obedience. And I pray that you would bless and protect them as you promised in your precious Word. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Greg Lauer — AUG '21

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