Articles
Politics, But Read On....
Politics can be the 3rd rail (the electrified one in a subway system) if somebody tries to write something about it. It only takes one differing opinion to generate a deluge of comments. I don't want to be political today, but it's about politics, so if you are offended by something said, there is no intent to offend.
I would hope no one would argue that there is room for improvement in our political system, government from the federal to the state to the local level. There's always room for improvement in everything where human beings are at the helm. Most of the time, we hear about the "left" (Democrat) and the "right" (Republican) parties. We know there are some small independents, but neither has of yet been able to mount a threatening challenge to the two major parties. My hope and intent in this writing today is simply this, and truly nothing else, I'd like for us to commit to being a part of a different party, God's party, regardless of who we seem to be aligned most closely with in our earthly political beliefs.
God without question want's righteousness from the people of this planet, and if we choose God over the devil, that's obviously what we want too. But for that to prevail, it takes people who choose righteousness for themselves, and if they are leaders in our nation, their decisions must pursue the righteous side of things. We know we desire righteousness, fairness and things that please God, but God isn't running for office, nor does He have a designated political party full of candidates to vote for. So being compelled to live under a man-made political system, who do we vote for?
I think it is truly important for Christians to get out and vote for the simple fact that if righteous people don't show up and vote, then obviously, the people of the world which scripture says belong to Satan will vote for and get what they want. We know the only possible result from that, don't we? So if you get nothing else out of this article of encouragement, I urge you to vote, and be active in encouraging other righteous people to vote as well.
Secondly, if you are like me, you know what you'd like to see in government, and you have some idea who is best suited to make that happen. I don't think it's wrong to pray to God to help get a particular individual elected over the alternative, as long as we do one thing, make certain that we ask God for His will to be done above our own.
Jesus, as He prayed in the garden before His arrest, asked God repeatedly to spare Him from the pain and suffering He was about to undergo, but each time He said, "...yet not my will, but yours be done.” Matt 26:39, 42, 44
I believe God is open to our suggestions, based on what we feel would benefit us (1 Tim 2:1) but in the end, He and He alone knows what is best for us (Rom 8:27-28), so that should be what we ultimately want too (Matt 6:33).
On Tuesday, November 8th, we get a chance to vote in our nation's mid-term elections. Many would argue this is more important than the year we vote for President. History shows us that it's sometimes in these mid-term cycles that the majority of our nation wants to see a change, particularly in the House and Senate, and makes that happen through the election process. This branch of our government has such great influence over the direction the entire nation goes. State and local elections obviously also bring about desired change.
So in a little over 5 weeks, we get an opportunity to mark our ballot in an effort to bring about righteous change in government at all levels. In the meantime, let us do our research on who we believe will align themselves the closest with God's will, pray about that fervently, and let God direct our minds and hands as we enter the voting booth.
