My Last Political Post of 2008

This one works for republicans, democrats, third party or independent candidates. A truly non-partisan post.

He is a God of Order

Today being Election Day, I have decided not to discuss politics. Which is not surprising given that you can count my political entries on one hand and have fingers left over to whistle for a taxi.

Sometime today we will elect a new President, and we will hear about it soon enough.

I am just happy that I have a God who is a God of order. The sun rises and sets, and so does the moon. The stars wheel across our night sky. But our God is sovereign and never surprised. Our God is gracious and merciful and never has an off day.

I accept that deeply within my heart and trust in Him. Yet I do seem to spend a lot of time planning and organizing for the future. Am I being unfaithful? I do not think so (tell me if you differ). I believe He is a God of order in how He has purposed the workings of the universe He created, and I think He wants us to order our lives as well.

I think I can plan for the future and ponder contingencies without being worried about the future. It comes down to a heart issue. I can plan for a future as long as I accept it is His to reveal as he will. He wants us not just busy but industrious and in service, ministering with love and empathy. Planning our activities and planning how to utilize the gifts and resources he bestows on us.

But with a heart that accepts that His will be done.

He is a God of order and today will unfold as he deems. Don't kid yourself about that. Time will tell me what he already knows. So I can plan to receive it when He reveals it. So I do not worry about how the results turn out today. This is probably why I do not write about politics more often.

I Wish I Had Seen This Live!

I missed this on Saturday night, but it is great. My thanks to Caffeinated Thoughts for posting it after they saw it. My wife and I got quite a laugh out of a well done performance.

HT: Dave Price via Shane Vander Hart

The Day Before the Day After

Sometime tomorrow we will know who the American electorate has chosen to be the next President of the United States. If I make a prediction now, I have a 50% chance of getting it right. That's better than most TV weather forecasters do, but I will refrain.

What saddens me is that the election results will not signal the end of the political cycle and the advent of the governance cycle. It will just be more partisan politics writ large on the canvas of the new political reality which will last until at least the mid-term elections of 2010. It will be the party in power (or at least in control of the White House) fencing with the minority party (or the opposing party in control of the House or Senate or both). It will be a dance to begin to place the blame for whatever will be perceived to be wrong in two years on the policies and platform of the other political party. For some, November 5^th will become day one of the 2012 presidential campaign. (Which if you read my post which alluded to Mayan cosmogenesis and hold to that particular belief you will not sweat the 2012 election results for too long).

What this country desperately needs in these times of turmoil is governance, not politics. Men and women, dedicated to a career of public service that are looking to govern the nation, making decisions to administer and manage the affairs of this nation, not just run for office.

Let us pray we get some governance in the upcoming weeks, and months, and years. We have had enough politics to last our lifetimes, and the lifetime of the nation.

What Is God For?

My pastor gave a sermon at our church, 121 Community Church in Grapevine, TX on Sunday laying out a Christian worldview put into a biblical grid. No endorsing of candidates nor political parties, but he asked us to view the political platforms of candidates against a Christian world view to make our decisions. He asked us to consider the following grid. You could come up with a lot of different wording to lay out a Christian world view, bu this one works quite well for me.

He asked us to use the next few weeks to focus on prayer leading up to the election with a special emphasis on Wednesdays, coming to church in the evening to pray corporately. He asked that we do a media fast on the next three Wednesdays, using the time spent viewing various media in prayer instead. So I am not on the internet tomorrow, but I will post something in advance to run in my absence to fulfill a commitment to Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty. I will try to do a "media fast" the next two Wednesdays as well.

This is what he laid out as a biblical grid. I cannot give you all his talk points, the link above will take you to the church website where sermons are podcast. Here are some scripture verse (all from the NASB) to reflect on.

WHAT IS GOD FOR?

"So the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God for our good always and for our survival, as it is today.It
will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this
commandment before the LORD our God, just as He commanded us."

Deuteronomy 6:24-25

God's Word is our life; Jesus Christ is our life.

• The Authoritative Nature of Scripture
  

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

God's word is s word, it is a lamp, it is the truth.

• Subjection to Governing Authorities
  

Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Romans 13:1

God puts all governments in place. Submit to government up to the point it calls for disobedience to God.

• The Establishment of Justice and Restraint of Evil
  

Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake. Romans 13:2-5

We need governments to restrain the evil in our hearts, not that it always does a good job.

• Careful Management of the Planet
  

The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. Psalm 24:1

It is all His, treat it like that.

• One Man and One Woman Marriage
  

The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."
For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. Genesis 2:23-24

It is part of His plan for us and has been from the beginning.

• Wholesome Sexual Relationships
  

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Read Song of Solomon in the Bible. See the gift God gave us in sexual relations within a God approved marriage.

• The Sacredness of Life
  

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for ^]I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. Psalm 139:13-16

All life is His from the beginning, from conception.

• Selfless Giving to Resources
  

"Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure--pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return." Luke 6:38

Be content with what you have and give cheerfully, in good times and in bad.

• Integrity of Leaders
  

The desire of the righteous is only good, But the expectation of the wicked is wrath. Proverbs 11:23

The integrity of our leaders will guide them, that is why they must have it.

• Humble Service to Others
  

"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. "All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' "Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' "Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Matthew 25:31-46

Meet the needs of others without them asking for help.

• Transformed Lives Through Jesus Christ
  

This one pretty much sums up what you have if you follow all the others above. I guess I would have to quote the whole Bible to get this one right. There it is, a Christian worldview through a biblical grid. No endorsements, but no condemnation either. No name calling, just loving people. No feeling superior to anyone because we are all sinners in the eyes of God. No one gets a hall pass on that one.

You may not like parts of this; you may not like any of this. But it stands up to biblical scrutiny, I like the way it lays out in our world.

His Hand

I had lunch with a friend a few days ago and he made a very interesting observation. He felt that when things are going on around you, things are going on in your life that make no logical sense, you can pretty much chalk it up to the hand of God. Only He can make things work when all makes no sense.

I think there is a lot of truth to that. God is in control of everything, and when things make no sense to us, it is because we are not aligned with God's will, that we do not see clearly (or at all) what His will and purposes are accomplishing.

My reading in Chambers this morning brought that lunch conversation back to me. "We are inclined to forget the deeply spiritual and supernatural touch of God." God is working in our lives, we do not always acknowledge it, we do not often see it until after the fact.

I look at what is going on in the U.S. today, the polarization around the election, the talk of political choices having consequences for the future direction of our country that we have not faced in previous elections; the deep seated issues in the economy that have been building for years. I think God is moving in our lives. To what end I do not know.

The people of God have often felt the hand of God in their lives. They have often ignored it, even when Jesus, God incarnate walked the earth.

The people of God have often felt the hand of God in their lives. It has often been unpleasant, because of the correction He needed to give us. Just read about the nation of Israel in the Old Testament.

God is moving in our lives today, but I am afraid not too many are listening.

Am I Wrong?

I had no desire to watch the debate last night, I even put up a somewhat sarcastic Facebook status (something about barking seals and fish). But I have been thinking about it a bit since I realized that I had missed the debate. (You see, I even forgot there was a debate last night until it was underway).

I care about my country, I am thankful I live where I can have freedom to follow my religious beliefs, freedom to express my opinions, freedom to vote for who I want to.

Well, that last one is not entirely true. I am free to vote for who is running (although I guess there is always the write in ballot).

I am not much of a political animal, I do not particularly enjoy arguing politics, listening to politics being argued, or engaging in politics. The term politics has such negative connotations and pervades so many aspects of our lives. But only those aspects that involve more than one person, so it is limited to some extent.

I did not watch because by now I know whom I will vote for. I do not put politics into my posts, nor will I disclose my choices, except at the ballot box. (Ballot box - I have not seen one of those in quite some time, but ballot screen with flywheel selection does not have the same patriotic ring to it.

I may catch part of the future debates, may a video clip here or there. But I will probably not watch any live. I just do not have it in me. I have read enough and listened enough to form what I believe to be an informed position on the candidates without watching partisan Family Feud.

Am I wrong?

What is Truth?

As we move full speed, full time into the election cycle, I want to avoid political posts. But I am already tired of all the hoopla that is going on. I do not want to see 17 year olds dragged through the national media because of a mistake they made in life. From what I remember being 17 was tough enough without being chased like that. I do not want this election to devolve into issues of race or gender. I want it to be about positions and beliefs.

Voters should want the truth, not just their truth. I offer up some thoughts on this from a very familiar place.

"Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?""

John 18:38 (NASB)

(Hey, buddy! You are staring the Truth in the face!)

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me."

John 14:6 (NASB)

(Too bad Jesus wasn't talking to Pilate here. But it answers the question)

And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.

John 8:32 (NASB)

(Seems simple enough)

I pray for everyone to seek out the truth. Do not be someone who has the truth staring you in the face but you continue to refuse accepting it.

Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief".

Mark 9:24 (NASB)

(I guess He really does help those who ask)

Turn to the Lord, ask Him for help and sort out where we need to be as a nation; what you need to be as an individual; what the church needs to be as the body of Christ. If we do not seek out the truth, we will get what we deserve. Not much of a political post, but that's all I got for now.