Things I know to be true … as much as I can know such things.

1. God is the only just judge. I am not a good judge of you or me. I don’t know, but God knows. I will not judge my God. He is the good judge, He is justice, and I will follow His lead. I’m sure this will lead many to judge me. But I am not under man’s judgment.

2. God wants me to love more. My job is to grow in love. To love God and to love you more. To love my wife, to love my kids, to love my friends, and to love my enemies. To love my enemies. It is my job to love my enemies and do good to them, to forgive them, to bless them, to contend for their beauty.

3. God is grace. I am not grace … I am not love … I daily judge and withhold the goodness of God from others. Even so, God is grace, and I stand because of His grace. I will bring grace into the room, for grace is why I stand.

4. A bitter spirit will not advance God’s Kingdom. An angry, religious spirit brings death. I will not take part in any campaign, initiative, protest or movement that curses people who are made in the likeness of God. I will not curse Obama, I will not curse Palin. I will not bless my heavenly Father and then curse His creation.

5. Jesus Christ is my Savior. No politician, political party or just law has the power to save me. Only Christ. Christ is my Savior. I will not contend for anything but Jesus Christ and him crucified. I know Christ to be truth! As I walk in the Truth, I am free.

Whenever I spend a prolonged amount of time reading the Bible, I am struck by the divide between God’s word and God’s people. So much of “Christian culture” has nothing to do with Christ. The Bible simply does not defend many aspects of our Christian witness.

True Christianity is not a knee jerk reaction to the political whims of country and culture. My gospel is rooted in timeless truth, mighty grace, and irrevocable joy.

With this in mind, I encourage all my readers to put me down this week (not that way). Put this article down and then pick up a Bible. Why? Because I’m pleading and begging you to seek a better witness.

For those willing to follow my lead, I ask that you read chapter three of the book of James. For those of you who refuse to follow anything I say, then I ask you not to read the third chapter of the book of James. In fact, I forbid you … whatever you do … don’t read the third chapter of the book of James.

I’m convinced that even if you hate God and hate Christians, you will like chapter three. Chapter three says it better than I could ever express. Frankly, even if you hate James chapter three, then at least I know you hate the Gospel, not a poor substitute.

It is my prayer that our nation enters a better season. A season where we simply refuse to feed the beast of bitterness. A season where Christians are known for their love. For I know this to be true: God’s wants me to love more. For by my love, the world will know that I am a Christian.

Doug Bursch hosts “The Fairly Spiritual Show” at 6 p.m. Saturdays on KGNW 820 AM. He also pastors Evergreen Foursquare Church. Evergreen meets at 10 a.m. Sundays at the Riverside High School Theater. He can be reached at www.fairlyspiritual.org or doug@fairlyspiritual.org.