It's almost over...Maybe

    In just a few days we will exercise a right that distinguishes our country from many others.  It is a fundamental right of democracy,  a privilege as well.  Voting.

    The memes, gifs, emoji's flooding social media address all opinions and angles.  There are many I laugh at,  some I like and a very few that capture my thoughts.  

   A pastor friend recently shared one of those latter ones.  "To think that God could use a filthy minded, adulterous, wealthy man with evil in his heart to preside over a county is beyond me."  He wasn't referring to Trump or Biden.  He referred to a "man after God's own heart".  A man who history recalls only positively.  The great, great, great, great, grea, grea, gre, gre, gr + grandfather of Jesus, himself.  Israel's most famous King,  King David.   Yes,  David had a filthy mind,  impregnated another man's wife, had the man killed, lied to everybody.  He was a good man in many ways until that time when "kings go off to war"  or should have.  

   Apparently, even a man "after God's own heart"  can be sinful and make a multitude of mistakes.  Even more amazing,  God uses him mightily for His kingdom.  I find many parallels to our situation today.  

   God invites us to partner with him in decisions that govern us.  The constitution gives us the right to partner with Him.  Ultimately,  God himself will choose the one who advances His agenda.  His word assures us that "no authority exists without God's permission and the existing authorities have been put there by God.  (Romans 13:1  GNT).    

Let's remember that when the results come in.     

12 Days & Counting

      Tony Evans of OCBF in Dallas is a renown author, speaker and man of God. I've been "going" to his church virutually throughout the pandemic.  His speaking is solidly Biblical. After taking the entire month of August to study and pray about a sermon series, he began speaking about "Kingdom Voting". I was intrigued from the opening sermon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itt8gj5cAco

   I finally caught up on the video replays from all my travels. I suggest you watch them in order as he builds on each week. I started wishing I had a twitter account; I want to quote the wise and just statements he is making regarding  the upcoming elections.  I am confident my next few posts will include some of them and what God is saying to me through them. 

   Kingdom voting is the “perspective of God’s activity in society and government.   It is the opportunity and responsibility of committed christians to partner with God by expanding his role in society through civil government.”  

   While Pastor Evans calls himself a “kingdom independent”  and repeatedly proclaims that he will NOT endorse a certain party or candidate,  I nodded approvingly at many of his comments. Confident that he and I share the same loyalties to the conservative party. Until we didn’t. Pastor Evans achieved his goal of making me think about ALL candidates. He spoke of “alignment”  with scripture in both person and policy.  He admonished christians to vote for “maintaining a safe, a just, a righteous, compassionately responsive environment for freedom  to flourish.” I was convicted to truly pray God’s will, not what I think or want to be God’s will.     

   Christians CANNOT rely on media ads and news reports to determine what candidates stand for.  Our airwaves are ripe with half truths and downright lies.   We must go to direct quotes from candidates and take them in entirety not out of context.  It will require time and effort on the part of the voter who truly wants to Kingdom vote.  We will need a tool to help us discriminate and discern truth.  We need a tool to analyze policies.  Fortunately we have one!  It’s called the Bible,  the Holy Scriptures.   2Timothy 3:16 (CEV) says “Everything in the Scriptures is God’s Word.  All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live." And VOTE.

Thinkin’  ‘bout this led to this.     

Pastor Evans and I both know neither candidate is perfectly "aligned " with scripture. Check out his instruction in his sermon videos. Stay tuned for my thoughts on that subject!

Jesus blood can make the vilest sinner clean

   I heard Marilyn Meburg speak at a Women of Faith conference years ago on the subject of "Mostly I don't want to"      I feel that way a lot these days. I DID NOT want to hear what God said to me during an online service Sunday morning.  I DO NOT want to write this post.  I DO NOT want this blog to be a stumbling block or bone of contention.   I do want to be obedient.  I was compelled to write this, so much so,  I typed it Sunday mid-morning.  I never write on Sunday ( a post for another day).   

   So the sermon was from Luke 15,  lost sheep,  lost coin and prodigal son.  Anyone who knows me knows my heart for the prodigal.  My writing group knows I have a manuscript in my head for parents of prodigals.  There's a thick file of resources, journaling and notes about prodigals.  I settled into the online service  with my notebook to add some "research".    My friend and technology savior during my years at MPS spoke from my homechurch online. He told a story from his childhood about a metal detector and digging through dirt for the treasure. He noted that too many times we look at the dirt of a person's life and fail to see the value of that person.

I know well the value of the list of prodigals on my prayer wall. No one has to explain the value of a lost child.  I have cried with mothers whose hearts are broken over their children’s choices.  Some of you have cried with me.  I know the value of those kids.  Admittedly I find it hard to find value in some of our political leaders.     

I did not want to think immediately of Kamala Harris. Her words and actions leave a lot of dirt clinging to her life. In this political climate, most of the attention focused on her reveals a lot of dirt. So when I thought of her "value", I was quick to relegate it to less than zero. My comments about her, (true or not) are very unkind. I have bought in to the media posts and reports from ‘christians’  about her.  I have compared her to some very unsavory characters.  Her beliefs terrify me.

   My heart asked me what might happen if I began to pray for Kamala’s lost soul rather than her defeat.  I didn’t want to answer but I knew the answer.  I also knew I didn’t have that in me,  it would have to come from the Lord.  But,  I would submit to His will in this.  

   We, the people of God,  are fervently praying for our country and the upcoming election.  Most of us,  (me included)  are praying for a certain person and party to “win”.  Certainly our future as a country depends a great deal on the outcome. Defeating whoever, is not God’s priority.    God asked  me today,  and I’m asking you,  to center your prayers this week on those FROM BOTH PARTIES who do not know Jesus.  Those who are lost and bound for Hell.  For the next few days,  let’s pray for the salvation of Kamala Harris and those whom God puts on our hearts. In the chaos and confusion and fear,  let’s get this right.  Jesus came to “seek and save the lost”.  Let’s partner with Him in that mission.  

Think about that.