Well, it’s finally here. Tuesday, November 5th, 2024, Election Day in the United States. I have seen a lot of Christians write on this topic and the conclusions run the gambit. Some say it’s a sin not to vote, while others say it’s better to remain apart from the political madness. Some say you must vote for Candidate A because this is the one God would prefer, while others say that God would never embrace Candidate A. Some say that because Candidate B supports these positions, voting against him or her would be a sin, while others say that because Candidate B supports those issues, you’d be sinning to vote for candidate B.
We all have our well-reasoned purpose for who we support and the tragedy is that we can often make an enemy out of someone who holds a view on who to support that is different from ours. Even among brothers and sisters in Jesus, we can sometimes feel no love for those who support a different candidate from us. It is outright embarrassing just how petty and ungodly we can be toward each other because of our political leanings.
If only we had the drive, passion, evangelism, energy, willingness to be a martyr for King Jesus that we have for our favorite candidate (without the vitriol toward others), imagine what an impact we could make in the Lord’s vineyard.
I have always been a civic-minded person, but during most of my adult life, I have let election season turn me into a bitter, judgmental, political animal who happily excluded those who didn’t share my political beliefs. To my shame, I was not always the nicest person to those who belonged to a different party as me. While this tended to be a year-round thing for me, it was 10 times worse once every four years when we elected a new president.
It seemed every election was the last chance for us to save the country. Perhaps, one day it will be, but we have always survived those past apocalyptic elections and lived to fight another day. Well, things have changed for me over the years, and this is what this post is all about.
Here are the important things to understand about this post as you read. First, these are my personal views, based on my fervent desire to use my human reasoning of Scriptures to wrestle for answers. They are mine, and I do not force them upon anyone. I simply share them in case they might help someone who is struggling with some of the issues that Election Day often exposes. If you agree with my conclusions, then fine. If you hate my conclusions, then fine. I promise, it really won’t bother me. I would only ask that we all give grace to each other as we come to different conclusions. If you can’t do that, then that’s fine too. I’ve dealt with worse.
Also, this post will not tell you which candidate to vote for or what positions should be the ones that any Christian “must” use as he or she considers who to vote for. I am immensely convinced that you may be a better judge of those things than I am, and it’s not something that I tend to focus on fighting over any more. If you thought you were going to hear a list of candidates to vote for or issues to support, I am sorry to disappoint you.
That said, there are some things about Election Day that I want to point out that have been transformational to me and I hope can be transformational to you. Some things may cause you to take pause and think, while others may make you so mad, you may be ready to spit nails at me. If that’s the case, it is not my intent, but these things sometimes happen when we talk about politics.
Okay, enough said. Here are my observations around Election Day that I wish to share with you.
1. All the candidates and their surrogates are made in the image of God and that alone demands a modicum of respect, yet the way we think and speak of image bearers of God we disagree with can be downright unchristian-like.
“but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.
My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” (James 3:8-10 ESV).
There is nothing anyone can say to me that will convince me it is alright to speak with the contempt of others we often speak during election season. It just does not represent our Lord and King Jesus Who, when we may be tempted to make excuses to speak in such disrespectful ways of others, said this:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:43-45 ESV).
Whether friend or enemy, there is no place in our life to speak with such contempt against another image bearer of God
2. King Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings. His Father placed Him on a throne when He ascended into heaven and placed all authority under His feet. He is sovereign. By His will, people serve in positions of power. It is up to Him to lift up and it is up to Him to cast down. Do we remember what He said to Pilate during His trial?
“Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” (John 19:11 ESV).
While we live in a land that allows us to have a voice in who rules over us, Jesus is still the ultimate decider of when people can rule and when they cannot. While some may rule against His precepts, it is up to King Jesus how long He will allow that person to rule. While He still permits our leaders to rule, He has a certain expectation for each of us.
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” (Romans 13:1-2 ESV).
While I do not believe the people who are reading these words would advocate anarchy against our rulers, I wonder if we foment a rebellious heart toward rulers of a different party than we belong. We are fortunate to live in a land whose laws permit us to have a say in who rules over us, but that does not give us the right to rebel, or encourage rebellion against our leaders in any way.
This is where I may lose some people, but so be it. While the Declaration of Independence may offer legal authority to rebel against tyrannical leaders, the Word of God does not. As citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, we must shed the notion of earthly rebellion and listen to the Word of God which is pretty clear on what King Jesus expects of us. Perhaps we need to take a long hard look at which document is truly supreme in our lives. If we choose the wrong one, then every Election Day may be one that keeps the fires of hate and contempt toward our leaders stoked. There is a more peaceful way to choose to live, and it’s found in a heart that submits to our rulers because King Jesus said to. To pray for our rulers because the Spirit, through Paul, said to.
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,
for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2 ESV).
The Bible tells us how to treat our rulers when they were pagan, immoral, murderous, and often the enemies of the Lord’s people so much so that they often spilled their blood throughout the first few centuries of the church. I don’t think there is anything you can tell me about our rulers in the 21st century that will override the way the 1st century Christians were told to treat their godless rulers.
Election Day can do something to us to make us forget the fundamental obedience that we should have towards those who rule over us. Even the ones we find hard to love.
3. Election Day can be a catalyst for us to knock our loyalties out of balance. We are Christians, first and foremost citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. Our Kingdom should be where our focus lies. Sure, we live among men and have citizenship in one of the many nations upon the earth, but if our loyalty to our earthly kingdom surpasses our loyalty to our heavenly kingdom, then something is seriously out of whack.
Do we put as much time and effort into being citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven as we do in being citizens of our earthly kingdom? Again, we live in a unique nation where we can leverage the freedom and strength of this country to enhance our citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven. This nation can help provide money, food, clothing, evangelistic opportunities, and much more to help us be more productive members of the Kingdom of Heaven. But are we leveraging our American citizenship to enhance our work in the Kingdom of Heaven or is the glory of our earthly land what we are striving for?
I know I have said some things that people may disagree with, and that’s okay. It is not my hope to change you as much as it is to get you to pause and think. After doing so, you may still write off my observations and continue to approach Election Day as always. I am not concerned about who you vote for, what issues you support, or what civic activities you engage in.
What I am concerned with is that we pause every four years and ask ourselves,
Are we giving respect to other image-bearers of God due them?
Are we following the Word in remaining obedient to our rulers, and praying for them?
Are we more a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven than we are a citizen of a kingdom on earth?
I love Election Day. But I now approach it with a deeper perspective of being a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven first, with love and honor toward those who may even become my enemy one day. I sleep better at night because my peace is found in the Royal Law and not in the ballot box.
We are blessed to have so many legal ways to fight for our beliefs in this country that we need not resort to hatred, dishonor, or being so consumed with our political desires that we neglect the focus we should have on our spiritual kingdom.
These are just a few observations from my own human reasonings that you may consider or reject. As for me, I have stopped making excuses to behave badly in the name of politics, especially every four years when Election Day rolls around.
I bet you that the two talent man and the five talent man both started off as a one talent man.
No matter where we start, God can help us grow in our stewardship to Him.
I am in the book of Genesis in my daily Bible reading. There is an interesting event that happens when Jacob returns home with his wives and children.
His favorite wife, Rachel, stole the family idol from her father. Why? I really don’t know. That’s for another post.
But Laban, the father of Rachel and Leah, catches up with the fleeing Jacob, having been warned by God to leave Jacob alone.
After Laban accuses Jacob of stealing his idol, Jacob invites Laban to search for the idol and whoever had it could be put to death.
“Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our kinsmen point out what I have that is yours, and take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.” (Genesis 31:32 ESV).
I’m not sure that Laban would have killed his daughter had he found the idol, but it doesn’t take a lot of reasoning to conclude that he might have used this as another opportunity to force Jacob to work for him seven years or more to work off the offence of his wife.
But this time, God stepped in and protected Jacob. Laban never found out who took the idol and, being warned by God not to interfere with Jacob, Laban let Jacob fulfill God’s command to return home.
Isn’t it comforting to know that our God can step in and protect us, even when we make poor decisions or make honest mistakes?
God’s ability to protect and provide for us is not dependent upon us doing everything right. While we should not expect God’s protection and providence if we live in open rebellion to Him, let us find great comfort and joy knowing that His ability to do great things is not limited by our ability to set Him up for success.
I’m in the book of Hebrews in my daily Bible reading. This post doesn’t have many great truths to share- just an observation. There are many who people put forth as the author of Hebrews, likely most people fall on the side of Paul as an author.
While there are other men who are put forth, perhaps the most intriguing to me is Timothy. Timothy is a younger preacher who studied at the feet of Paul, and would have been intimately immersed in the Pauline style of preaching and writing. While you see a thread of Paul’s writing style, Hebrews is distinct from his other writings.
And when you read the book of Hebrews, it reads more like a sermon than a personal letter written to an individual or a church. Without getting into details here, there are some breadcrumbs in the concluding remarks that lend credible consideration that the one who penned Hebrews may have transcribed a sermon he heard Timothy preach.
But this is all conjecture and people much smarter than me hold to other opinions. In the end, the book is inspired, regardless who spoke it or penned it.
One thing I love about Hebrews is that it seems to be penned to Jews right before the destruction of the Jewish Temple. There is no mention of this cataclysmic event that would have rocked the world of Jews and Jewish Christians alike.
Hebrews seems to be a word of preparation for an imminent change God was about to bring. When it happened, there would be no reason to panic or lose faith. God wasn’t destroying the priesthood and Temple worship, He was just changing the High Priest and the spiritual nature the Temple worship would continue. It would be a much better High Priest and Temple worship.
If this is true, it’s an amazing comfort to know that when our world is rocked by changes, we don’t have to worry that the cataclysmic changes we face are something that catches God off guard.
Let us all reach for God’s hand when our world comes crashing down, knowing His steady presence can lead us through any upheaval going on in our world.
Won’t it be wonderful when we exist on the other side of Judgement Day? I wish I was wise enough to understand it all, but God has given us enough to know that what awaits us is beyond what we can think or imagine.
First, we will have a transformed body that will live forever and never be subject to the curses of the world, all of which He will destroy and replace with the new Heaven and New Earth… no pain, no tears, no corruption.
Then, we will have a unified place where Heaven and Earth meet. No longer will God dwell apart from man. God will create a place, a new Heaven and new Earth, where God will dwell with us. How is that going to look? My understanding is limited, but by faith, I know it will be beyond what you or I could imagine.
Once again, we shall hear the sound of God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, but there will never again be sin that will cause us to fear and hide from His presence.
I believe you can tell me just how great you think these permanent realities will be, and I will do the same. When we use every bit of imagination and reason to create the most perfect existence we can conjure up, let us fall on our face in praise to God that what He really has in mind will blow away our best efforts to understand what awaits us.
I am in the book of Jeremiah in my daily Bible reading. It’s not a fun book to read. Poor Jeremiah. It fell to him to be the one who delivered the message of ultimate curse to the people of Judah.
All the way back to the days of Moses and Joshua, God spoke the blessings and the curses to Israel. The ultimate curse was that God would give their land into the hands of their enemies and they would be taken away in bondage.
After a few precious moments of reprieve from humble and penitent kings, the days finally arrived where God’s wrath would not be delayed.
Listen to the way God defends the calamity He was about to bring upon the people:
“Your evil will chastise you, and your apostasy will reprove you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the LORD your God; the fear of me is not in you, declares the Lord GOD of hosts.
“For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; but you said, ‘I will not serve.’ Yes, on every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down like a whore.
Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine?
Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me, declares the Lord GOD.
How can you say, ‘I am not unclean, I have not gone after the Baals’? Look at your way in the valley; know what you have done-- a restless young camel running here and there,
a wild donkey used to the wilderness, in her heat sniffing the wind! Who can restrain her lust? None who seek her need weary themselves; in her month they will find her.” (Jeremiah 2:19-24 ESV).
God showered blessings upon His people but they spurned Him anyway. The time had come where God was ready to bring this final curse upon them.
This message, as you can imagine, was not a popular one. Jeremiah had to suffer indignities because of his stewardship. He tried to walk away from his mission, but the Word of God burned in his bones like a fire, and he couldn’t.
Are we more like Jeremiah, willing to stand with God when everyone else is against him, or are we more like Judah and partake of the overflowing blessings from God while turning our noses up at Him?
May we all have a penitent and humble heart, leaning on the Lord and live in Him to avoid the ultimate last curse that awaits us if we do not.
Second only to experiencing the Garden of Eden personally, I would love to sit at Adam’s feet to hear him tell the stories of the magnificent garden paradise God planted and placed man in.
We all have a paradise once again promised to us.
I cannot wait to see this paradise with my own eyes.
By bending the knee to King Jesus today, I have faith I will one day see this paradise.
I hope to see each of you in God’s Paradise. What a day that will be!