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By SHARON K. GILBERT
January 2, 2008
Election fever rises ever higher beginning this month and continues unabated through November’s first Tuesday.
Even then, it’s likely (in light of the past few election scandals) that US citizens will once again have to endure days if not weeks of post-election investigations and re-counts.
As a Christian, I’m expected to vote for a Conservative who espouses the ‘correct’ set of beliefs. I’m told, over and over again, by news pundits and personalities that my vote counts — that it’s possible to make a change in America by ticking the correct box at the polls.
But is it?
First of all, I ask you: Who is our true government leader? A human? I would argue not. If you’re a genuine follower of Jesus Christ, then your ruler, the head of your government (the kingdom of God) is Christ. He is our true King.
That being said, I concede that the spirit of AntiChrist currently rules the earth and human government (an institution permitted by God — for now) is a reality. So I must ask myself: Can we truly vote God into office?
No. Why? Because, we are voting for humans. Romans 3 has this to say:
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat [is] an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps [is] under their lips: Whose mouth [is] full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet [are] swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery [are] in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Whew! Paul could easily be describing politicians, couldn’t he? But remember he speaks here of ALL humans. While you and I may find some people ‘good’ and some ‘bad’, God sees all (my pastor used to say “all means all, and that’s all ALL means”) as sinners.
Ticking any box on a ballot is casting a vote for a sinner. Period. Sinners voting for sinners — that’s the electoral process. “But,” you might say, “my candidate is a Christian! Doesn’t that make a difference?”
To that, I ask: Is he or she a Christian? How do you know? Matthew 7:16 tells us a way: “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?”
In 2000, many Christians believed George Bush when he spoke of being ‘born again’. Yet he says Islam worships the same ‘god’ as Christianity. What kind of ‘fruit’ is that? Bush clearly serves interests outside those of Christianity — he is not the uniter, he proclaimed himself to be.
But what if a true Christian attained the nation’s highest office? What then? Couldn’t he or she make a huge difference?
Matthew 6:24 tell us “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. What is ‘mammon’? It is derived from the original Greek word mamonos. It means, simply put, ‘wealth’. Is Bush storing up treasures for himself in heaven or on earth? Could any politician not serve the interests of wealthy businesses — even once? What human believer could be perfect in his or her service to God? No one.
Therefore, I ask again: Can we vote God into office? No, we cannot. Is it better to have a Christian in that office? Perhaps, but I must ask you: Can one rise to the level of national office without compromise in this fallen world? Is there a truly righteous politician?
Finally, I remind you, dear reader, that God chooses whom He will for His purposes. God sets up kings and removes them (Dan. 2:21) He puts down one and sets up another (Psalm 75:7). It is not the ballot box that sets up governments, it is the Lord God Almighty.
What then should a Christian do at this time of year? When ‘talking heads’ stir up tensions, when even our church leaders cluck their tongues about this candidate or another, when polls pit one human against another, and we’re told ‘our votes count’ — what then?
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philipians 4:6, 7)
Pray, brother, pray. Pray, sister, pray. Pray for ALL those who run for office, that God’s almighty plans might be made manifest through them. Pray that the Body of Christ would undergo an earth-shaking revival — the likes of which have not been seen since Pentecost.
Make 2008 the year when the Body of Christ lights up the world! Remove your lights from beneath those bushels, dear friends. Sing praises to the Lord! Make time for daily Bible reading and meditation upon His word.
That is my ‘resolution’ for 2008. Will you join me?
So simple, so obvious, yet understood by so few. We are not in charge here. God is!