The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the Lord that a man gets justice. An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked. Proverbs 29:25-27
If there is anything I have learned from this election season, it is this: American "Christianity" 2016 resembles biblical Christianity very little. I have been amazed and disappointed in the behavior of many professing Christians in recent months. I'm a bit disillusioned at many "Christian" leaders to whom I have looked for spiritual wisdom over the years. Friends, family members, even many pastors I know seem to have lost sight of the truths of God's Word this year.
At this point, it's not even about who people are voting for. I honestly think we are past the point where that is even relevant. I tend to lean toward the Spurgeon approach, "Of two evils, choose neither." But I can understand that people feel compelled to participate in the democratic process even in these very dark days of the Republic. Folks feel that they have two options, and they believe that they must pick a side. I get it. I don't happen to agree, but I get it.
But here's what I don't get: If you claim to be a follower of Christ, how do you justify the words and actions of either candidate? There is no biblical perspective you can take to defend the misdeeds of either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. So please stop! Stop pretending that your candidate is somehow more righteous than the other one. I understand that to cast your vote for either, you must convince yourself that there is some righteous reason for your choice. But please stop publicly defending their behavior! Your Christian witness loses a bit more credibility every time you try to justify sinful behavior.
Both of the mainline party candidates are bad. Many of you believe that Hillary Clinton's "badness" is much, much worse than Donald Trump's "badness". Others believe the exact opposite. Who is right? Biblically speaking, I would say NEITHER! God is not "grading on a curve," so to speak. One candidate's badness is not inherently worse than the other candidate's badness. They're both just bad. (And for the record - so am I and so are you. Scripture says, "There is none who does good, not even one" Psalm 14:3, Psalm 53:3, Romans 3:12...)
Many will argue, "But the Supreme Court..." to which I say, "What about it?" There is no guarantee of better justices with one candidate than the other. And while I understand the theory that the potential for conservative appointees could be very important for the future of America, I'm not sure that I agree. We have had a majority of Republican appointed justices since the 70s (all appointed by presidents far more conservative than Donald Trump). What good has it done for us to have a majority of supposed "conservative" justices to this point? Roe v. Wade has not been overturned. Gay "marriage" was determined to be a "right" while refraining from participating in a gay wedding was determined to be discrimination. Explain to me again why we so desperately need "conservative" justices?
I can only think of a couple of political scenarios that might set the course of our nation on a better track politically after this election:
1. Both Trump and Clinton acknowledge that they are completely unfit to hold the office of president and drop out immediately.
2. Either Trump or Clinton (or preferably both) fall under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, REPENT, and GENUINELY begin to seek the Lord.
Both scenarios seem pretty unlikely, but we certainly should pray for scenario #2.
So really, politically, the future looks pretty bleak. That's the bad news. The good news is that our hope for the future is not in politics.
The answer to the abortion problem is not a supreme court decision, though certainly we want that to happen. The same is true for every aspect of moral decline in our nation. The answers we seek will not be found in politics or government. What we need is not a more conservative president, Congress, or Supreme Court. What we need is a spiritual awakening! When people's hearts are turned to the Lord, they do not seek to murder their children or engage in sexual immorality or behave hatefully toward those with whom they disagree. I do not know if we will have the opportunity to see a great spiritual awakening in America, but that is really the only path to a better future for our nation.
An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked. (Proverbs 29:27) This is the reality that those of us who have been unable to support either of the mainline candidates understand: we find both to be "an abomination." We had candidates whose ways were "straight" in the primaries, but too many were captivated by the unjust.
The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. (Proverbs 29:25) In these crazy political days, many are giving in to the fear of man. Be encouraged, friends, that if we will simply put our trust in the Lord, He is our Protector and we need not fear what man can do.
It's hard to keep focus when political messages are bombarding us from every side. Remember, brothers and sisters, that we are not without hope. Even if ___________ (you fill in the blank) wins the election, we must remember that it is from the Lord that we get justice.
So relax. Stop fretting about the outcome of the election. Let's get busy doing what the Lord left us here to do - point the lost to Him.
That's my goal anyway.
Just a thought...
