Stop fighting and know that I am God

Is it possible to disagree on things and still be at peace with each other? If we are serving Christ, I believe it is possible, but unfortunately the majority of the world doesn't serve Christ! Therefore, there are all manner of disagreements, arguments, hostility, and even wars. If we want peace, we need the God of all Peace to invade our lives once and for all, changing hearts and minds to see there is much more to be 'gained' in giving one's life to Christ than there is in all this endless striving and strife we pursue.

God says, “Stop fighting and know that I am God! I am the one who defeats the nations; I am the one who controls the world.” (Psalm 46:10)

He is indeed the one who controls the world, right down to the day-to-day operations of hundreds of 'heads of state', 'supreme commanders', 'world leaders', and 'elected officials'. Do they all serve God? Absolutely not, but "To the Lord, a king’s mind is like a ditch used to water the fields. He can lead the king wherever he wants him to go. (Proverbs 21:1)" What does God think about dictators? Maybe what Richard Perle described is close to how God views them: "Dictatorships start wars because they need external enemies to exert internal control over their own people."

Leadership is risky business - there is a whole lot of scrutiny from those 'external' to those decisions that have to be made. There will always be criticism one way or the other when it comes to those who hold government or official office. Why? Not all of society is in agreement with the 'agenda' of the one who leads. There seems to be multiple 'agendas' in society, and the one put forward by the one who leads at that moment may not always be the most popular or widely accepted. Perhaps this is why God asks for us to pray for our leaders - they need his wisdom and guidance to make wise decisions.

Perhaps it is time we stop fighting about everything and refocus our priorities as a nation, people, and community. We need one another. We need leaders to help guide our direction as a nation. Instead of poking fun, finding unending fault, or mudslinging, let's stop and pray for those who lead us. It could be our pastor, our boss, or our elected officials. They all need our prayers. I wonder what would happen if the prayers of the faithful were to be behind each and every leader in our nation. Just askin!

Really, the lesser of two evils?

Obey the government, for God is the one who has put it there. There is no government anywhere that God has not placed in power. (Romans 13:1 TLB)

There are times when I look at the state of things in our country and honestly wonder if God really had much to do with who filled some of these official seats.Then I remember the story of Israel demanding a king, just like all the other nation's around them had. He tried to remind them they needed but ONE authority in their lives and that was HIM. He attempted to dissuade them from "following suit" with all the other nations, but they continued to desire that "government official" sitting on the throne. So, he gave them exactly what they wanted - not exactly what they needed, but what they wanted. There are indeed times our stubbornness to pursue a certain course might just yield us what we want, but veer from what we really genuinely need!

While not all government officials are upright and godly in their attitudes or actions, God is still in control, and he has a few very important directions for us as it comes to our officials who hold office:

- We are to obey the law - not taking it into our own hands, or standing against it in any violent manner. We may not always agree with the laws that are passed, but as long as it doesn't violate scripture or our conscience, we are to adhere to it. We may not see the importance of the taxes we pay, or understand how each penny of those taxes are spent, but we have an obligation to adhere to the practice of paying our taxes. Even Jesus reminded his disciples to "give unto Caesar what is Caesar's and give unto God what is his."

- We are to pray for those who hold these positions - even more so when we see the decisions they are making as being in direct contradiction to what scripture declares. The heads of the leaders can be turned by the hand of God, but our part is to pray for them to listen, hear wisdom with ears that have been turned by God, and then to act upon that wisdom as God would desire. It starts with us praying, though!

- We are to be active in shaping our communities. Christians don't always "step up" to be part of the leading roles in our communities, but if we did might not our communities benefit from this step of obedience and faith? I think Christians avoid office so many times because of the tremendous "hit" they take from those who like to "stir the pot". They are an open book while in office, and the scrutiny of those accusing eyes is often enough to make them shy away from pursuing these posts. This might be all the more reason to pray for them!

It certainly says a great deal about our nation when we hear individuals say, "I voted for the lesser of two evils", doesn't it? If we are to ever see this change, it begins with us - in prayer, example, willingness to serve, and faithful commitment to the standards we know to be true and honest. Just sayin!

Vote Biblically, Not Republican or Democratic!

Today is election day in the United States.  Even countries around the world will watch in anticipation of the outcome of today's votes.  Why?  The next leader of these United States will do a lot to either continue to support or disintegrate world peace, and even to drive forward or veer dangerously from the founding principles upon which this nation was first formed.  They have an "interest" in the outcome - we, as citizens, have a "vested interest"! 

Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it’s God’s order. So live responsibly as a citizen. If you’re irresponsible to the state, then you’re irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible. Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you’re trying to get by with something. Decent citizens should have nothing to fear.  (Romans 13:1-3 MSG)

Paul lays it out well - be a good citizen.  Today is your day to either approve or disapprove candidate after candidate - federal, state, or local.  Propositions have been carefully placed on the ballot to receive the opinion of the people related to raising taxes, funding this growth opportunity or the other.  It is YOUR day - don't waste it!  Now that we have that non-paid political announcement out of the way, let me begin by sharing something my pastor shared this weekend.  We vote, not Democrat or Republican - but as a Christian, we vote the Bible!  As you well know, not any one candidate or specific proposition will totally and completely match up with scripture, but there are points with each which will come closer or be farther away from the scriptural foundations we all believe.  Some will support abortion, others will not.  Some will give way for our seniors to be well cared for in their old age, others will reduce their benefits even further.  When we look at today's choices, we need to keep in mind what scripture declares to be the standards upon which the founding fathers envisioned this country being solidly built upon - the Word of God.

Paul gives us a couple of salient points to keep in mind - even when the votes may not being the way we hoped.  First, and definitely foremost, God is in charge.  ALL governments are UNDER God.  Not some, but ALL.  Where are they?  UNDER God.  No one will enter office by accident - it is fully under his control....BUT remember what I blogged the other day.  Israel wanted a "king like all the other nations" had.  If all we hope for is what the other nations have, we will vote far below our potential as a nation!

Second, WE have a responsibility as citizens.  Not only to vote, but to live well within the rules of our states.  Paul goes on to say we only feel threatened by those in positions of authority when we are doing what is wrong.  If we are rightly aligned under God's authority, it is easier to submit to the authorities over us.  Keeping in mind, ALL governments are UNDER his authority, we are indirectly submitting to God when we submit to the leadership we have elected.  

Third, peace and order are not created by any man or woman - they are totally God's doing.  He directs the course of the world - not us.  We do our part in being responsible citizens by using the privilege we have been given - to vote.  He does his part by guiding the hands, heads, and hearts of the leaders placed into office.  He will always allow for their freewill, but if we are sensitive to vote "biblically", we will be placing those in office with hands, heads, and hearts more inclined to listen to his leading.  

Last, descent citizens have nothing to fear.  It is easy to get all worked up about the unknown.  Yet, in God's foresight, his all-knowing ability, nothing is truly unknown.  If we are prayerful in our vote, doing our "homework" on the candidates, getting past the smear campaigns on the TV, and really "honker down" to vote the scriptures, we are placing our vote in God's hands.  Did you hear that?  We are placing our vote in GOD's hands!  This is the best we can do!  Just sayin!