Sunday, November 6, 2016

Voting for President



Kopp Disclosure
(John 3:19-21)

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Who Comes First In Your Life Will Determine Who Comes Last in Your Life

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No one can serve two masters…You are for Me or against Me…
Those who acknowledge Me will be acknowledged by Me…
I am the way and the truth and the life…
No one gets to the Father
apart from Me!”

Jesus


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            I will never retire.



            That means convalescing after my hip toss, despite the most gracious affections of everyone around me, was very, very, very, uh, disconcerting.



            Not painful.



            The most painful thing was trimming my beard at the insistence of my wife who earned the right of that demand if you know what I mean.



            Restless and impatient to resume what I pray and try to do to honor Him tested the resolve of my wife; and I don’t think I have to detail that.


            Once I got that nasty Lyrica out of my system, I had lots of time to


pray and reflect on what the heaven our family of faith on the corner of Lincoln and Main should be saying and doing.



            O.K., I did watch every inning of the greatest World Series in my lifetime – and I want to assure our younger family members that I was not a little boy when the Cubs last won it! – and I endured Fox, CNN, MSNBC, and the Five trying to figure out who’s gonna win on Tuesday.



            Confessionally, I couldn’t handle the View or any of those stump speeches by wazzername and wazzhisname.



            Indeed, on my first return to Starbucks despite not being sure if they really like Christmas or not, I ran into one of my favorite BHS seniors.  I asked who’s gonna get her vote.  She said, “It’s tough.  Do I vote for a creep or crook?”



            Well, yeah, that just about sums it up.



            I had lots of jokes to share about the election, gleaned from all of that dope boxing, but then decided the only jokes are the candidates themselves.



            If you’re like me, and not one of those mindless drones who’d vote for satanos if it were your favorite political party’s nominee, this may be the toughest decision that you’ve ever made as a responsible citizen who must vote…or forfeit your right to criticize…or threaten the freedom of America by yielding your responsibility as well as right to determine who gets to lead, decide, and determine the future of the most blessed nation in human history.



            O.K., back to my prayers and reflections on what the heaven our family of faith should be saying and doing.



            But, first, a reminder.



            Jesus is the way to confident living and eternal life.



            Jesus is the truth about everything from here to eternity.



            Jesus is the life; or way to and truth about strong calm sanity in time and paradise aka heaven after the last breath.



            Now, as a further reminder, let’s be crystal clear.



            There are many paths to the bottom of the mountain but only one to the top; or as Jesus said so enthusiastically and unequivocally for everyone: “No one can serve two masters…You are for Me or against Me…Those who acknowledge Me will be acknowledged by Me…I am the way and the truth and the life…No one gets to the Father apart from Me!”



            That means certainty about safety in time and beyond are inextricably woven into the fabric of faith in Jesus; or as Paul wrote, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved…Anyone who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”



            O.K., back to my prayers and reflections on what the heaven our family of faith should be saying and doing.



            It’s simple.



            Recognizing we won’t always get Him right and the inevitability of correction by the example of Jesus, explanations of Holy Scripture, and common sense, we must always pray and labor to esteem Him as the first priority of our thoughts and actions if we want to be certain about His blessings now and forever.



            Again, simply, who comes first in our lives will determine who comes last in our lives.



            The safest bet is Jesus.



            He is the only sure thing from here to eternity.



            So what does this have to do with Tuesday?



            Everything!



            It is our Christian duty to vote in a way that honors Jesus by the book.



            It is our Christian duty to filter our votes through and for Him.



            It is our Christian duty to try to figure out who likes Him more by what she or he has said, done, and promised.



            For people who say they’re Christians, political parties and gender are irrelevant.



            For people who say they’re Christians, there’s only one litmus test.



            Given what we know about what she and he has said, done, and promised, who do we think and pray will honor Jesus more?



            I think of Cliff.



            He’s the faithful pastor of New Creation Church in Joplin, Missouri and a very good friend of our family of faith.



            Many years ago during a very contentious church debate in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Cliff got up and yelled, “Vote for Jesus!”



            He was right then and now.



            Vote for Jesus!



            It’s the only Christian thing to do.



            When we vote, more than less, despite the failures and fallibilities of our favorite candidates, we are saying what we think and believe about them juxtaposed to our devotion to Jesus.



            One more thought before we vote.



            While I may be wrong, I’ve always had this inspiration/indigestion (You decide!) about what happens a few moments before getting into heaven by grace through faith in Jesus.



            I’ve envisioned you or me sitting in a celestial theater…by ourselves.



            Suddenly, the screen lights up with the movie of our lives.



            Even more suddenly, the film stops, and we hear a voice, “Can you please explain this part of your life to me?  Is that what you thought it meant to honor My place in your life and eternity?”



            Well, that’s a tad fanciful.



            This is not.



            We don’t have to explain our votes to anyone.



            Nobody really knows who’s getting on our vote on Tuesday.



            It’s private…except for One…and He is in the ultimate judgment seat.



            Who comes first in our lives will determine who comes last in our lives.


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Blessings and Love!

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Salt! Shine! Leavenate!
Look up! Stand up! Speak up! Act up for Jesus!

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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

One of them believes strongly in abortion. Between the creep and the crook there is a murderer of God's children

Anonymous said...

The creep or the crook pretty much sums it up. I have said The Criminal vs. The Crude, but a friend said to look at the platforms of the parties that have nominated each candidate. Historically, about 75% of the platform is enacted.

What intrigues me is that almost no clergy will tell you how their faith leads them to decisions that really matter. Maybe it is fear ... fear of property being taxed and contributions being considered income by the church and not deductible by the donor upon the loss of a 501(c)(3) exemption. Melanie and I just saw the theater version of Cabaret. Germans feared to stand against the Nazi's. Will you renounce Jesus if told you must, else die? Is a 501(c)(3) loss more fearful than death?

One person's Methodist background is cited, but what about her foreground? One person's Presbyterian membership is cited, but the pastor of his church says he is not a member. One person is commonly described by those who have known her since high school as a lesbian. The other person had his daughter months before wedlock (at least she was not aborted), but he otherwise has been known to speak "locker room" language about women. Whether a criminal or crook, whether a creep or crude, it comes down, and always has, between a sinner or a sinner. So for all the theological training and study of Hebrew and Greek of the Scriptures, tell us without fear how we reconcile these conflicts into action.

Ella Jane said...

Bob,

Good Word
Great Timing
Excellent Advice

This sums it up... "For people who say they’re Christians, there’s only one litmus test.
Given what we know about what she and he has said, done, and promised, who do we think and pray will honor Jesus more?"

Much Love
In Prayer for our Nation