Guidelines for voting

    I thought in today's post I would try to provide you some insights into how you should vote in the upcoming election.  I realize there is a presidential election that will determine the future of our country for the next 4 years and possibly the next 8.  However the decisions made next Tuesday will probably impact our country much longer than the service of our president.  There are also elections for representatives and senators and any number of local and state level positions as well.

     I will not pretend to know every candidate or even every issue and I definitely will not tell you for whom you should vote.  However, I do want to provide you some guidelines that I think will serve you well in the upcoming election.  In the gospel of Mark we are told an interesting event in the life of Jesus.  From this story I think we can gain some important insights that will help us make a well informed decision. 

     Mark 12:13 states, "Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words."  I think it is pretty instructive how Jesus was able to unite polar opposites.  They may not have united for the right reasons, but at least he got them to agree to something.  But that is not what I want to talk about.  Look at what the rest of the passage states: "they came to him and said 'teacher, we know you are a man of integrity.  You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth." 

     It is from this verse that we gain some practical guidelines that will help us when we vote.  First we are to be people of integrity.  The dictionary describes integrity as adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty."  Jesus had it and even his opponents recognized this truth.  So when you go to vote make sure that you are a person of integrity.

     The second truth is that you should not be swayed by men or by the party they represent.  You should not care if a person is a republican or a democrat.  In the words of Martin Luther King, "you should not judge a man by the color of his skin, but  by the character of his heart."  People will disappoint you and frustrate you, but you are to maintain a clear conscience and not allow public opinion or even political affliations to determine your vote.  

     The third truth really sums it up and places your vote squarely upon you as the voter.  You are to vote the way of God in accordance with the truth.  In other words you are not voting for a republican or a democrat, but you are voting for God.  Yes you read that right!  Your vote belongs to God.  You are not reponsible for the actions of the candidates, but you are responsible for your actions.  As you go to the polls you are to be sure that the values you promote are the values that come from God.  Jesus always taught the truth of God and he lived according to those same values.  We are to do no less than the same.  Jesus did not back down when people challenged him as they do here in this Mark passage, but he stayed true to the truth.

     How did the story turn out?  They tried to nail Jesus on the tax issue when they said "Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?  Should we pay or shouldn't we?"  Jesus ultimately told them "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."  God owns your vote, so you are to vote for Him.  I know it goes against what society says and believes, but then we don't belong to them, we belong to Christ.  We were bought with a price therefore we are to honor him with our lives and that includes making sure that we vote how he would have us vote.

    So there you have it.  My two cents on this election cycle.  I know that no matter what happens, God is still King and He still sits on His throne.  What I find amazing is that He still wants to work through flawed individuals like you and me.  So don't blame God if the election does not turn out to your liking.  We are responsible for our vote and my vote is for God. 

     Who are you voting for this presidential election?  As for me and my house we will vote for God and with God everytime.  Now go get out the vote!

Where does the finger point?

     I think this picture pretty much sums up the debate last night, "He's the liar.  No!  He's the liar!  He can't be believed!  No, he can't be believed!  Liar, liar pants on fire!" 

However, I think it ultimately is indicative of a greater truth.  The truth is that none of us really want to accept blame for our actions.  We want to point fingers at everyone and everything.  It is someone else's fault for what has happened to me.  If my marriage goes bad, I can blame my spouse.  If I can't pay my bills it is because everyone else is taking advantage of me.  If I can't find a good job, it is because I received a bad education.  If I make a bad grade on an exam it is because the teacher did not present the material correctly.  If I am living in poverty, it is because everyone is against me getting ahead in life.  And the list goes on and on.  You know exactly what I am talking about.

I want you to know that what we see taking place in the world today is an exact replica of Genesis 3.  After Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, God gave them a chance to come clean.  Listen to the dialogue.  I will let God's Word do the talking.

Genesis 3:11 God speaks to Adam: "Who told you that you were naked?  Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"  (Seems to be pretty direct)  Verse 12 "The man said, 'The woman you put here with me - she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.'"  (He blamed the woman but ultimately he blamed God) 

Now look at verse 13: "The the LORD God said to the woman, 'What is this you have done?'"  (Again a pretty direct question. God did not ask "What caused this to happen, but what you have done?")   Verse 14 states "the woman said, 'the serpent deceived me, and I ate.'"

Both Adam and Eve pointed their fingers at the other and ultimately at God because he created both the woman and the serpent.  All God wanted them to do is confess "I did it!  I broke your one commandment!  No one is to blame but me."  But instead they started a chain reaction that continues to this day.  And unfortunately our society has bought into it hook line and sinker.

Yet God is still giving us a chance to receive forgiveness if we will just point the finger at ourselves and accept responsibility for our sins.  1 John 1:8 - 9 states "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 

Look at your situation and stop the finger pointing.  If you must point a finger, point it at yourself and then go to the only one who can provide the relief that you so desperately need.  I am not pointing my finger at anyone, but I am pointing you to the one who can truly forgive.  Think about it and let me know what you think.

Where are the men?

I was reading an article the other day that talked about a Christian book store that was closing.  Maybe we have become so used to things closing in this day and age that the closing of a Christian book store does not merit our attention.  But there was some remarkable data that came from this store that has greater implications for us.

The book store released some information about the demographics of their customers.  80% of the sales at the book store were to women.  Another 10% of the sales were to churches in general.  The other 10% were classified as other.  So what do these demographics reveal?  They reveal that at the most only 10% of the sales were allocated to men.

I personally was alarmed by this study.  It caused me to wonder where are the men that are buying Christian books?  I know there will be some that will say the men are buying their books online where they can save money.  But I doubt very seriously if men shop on line to say money on a book.  Perhaps the men are buying ebooks and downloading them to their Kendal or their Ipad?  You can choose to believe that if you want, but I know a lot of men and it is not happening.

What are men doing?  They are watching sports, playing sports or doing other manly things, so to speak.  They don't have time to involve themselves in other pursuits.  They work hard and play harder.  Any spare time they have cannot be wasted on such things as books, especially spiritual books.

However, perhaps the indication that men are not interested in spiritual things might reveal a greater problem in our world.  For too long we men have left spiritual things to our wives.  Church has become a place for women and children.  When someone looks for leaders in the church it automatically falls on the women, because the men are no where to be found.  Don't believe me?  Ask the following questions.

Take a look at the typical church on Sunday Morning. 

What do you see?  How many men are involved in teaching, especially teaching children? 

How many men are involved in leadership positions in the church?

Now look at Sunday evening if your church still has an evening worship.

How many men are present?

How many men are involved in children's ministry or youth ministry?

Now think of ministry in general.

How many men are stepping up to the plate to lead in ministry?

What are the men doing to provide a godly example to others?

My point is not to condemn men, but to bring things to a reality that so few of us men want to face.  We are to be the spiritual leaders of our families and that leadership does not stop at the church.  We are to be the leaders in the church. 

Where are the godly men?  I think it is a question we as men need to answer.

On a side note:  Praise be to God for the women who have stepped up to fill the void.  Your children will rise up and call you blessed and you will be greatly praised.  Without you where would the witness of the church be?  

Men will you wise up and rise up?