"Inspired" Voting

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. Isaiah 9:6

I wonder what Jesus’ "political" platform would be? How would Jesus campaign? Would He be a Republican or a Democrat, or would He stay Independent? Maybe He would start His own “Inspired” party!

As we consider which candidate we will cast our ballot for next Tuesday, we listen to their words, we watch their actions, and we examine their pasts. Jesus’ words were always clear,

“I have come to proclaim good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoners, give light to those who are in darkness, to set the oppressed free, and to proclaim God’s favor upon His children." (Luke 4:18-19)

"Those who follow me must deny their own desires and take up their cross” (Mark 8:34)

“If you want to follow me you must sell your possessions and give to the poor” (Matthew 19:21)

“Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, remember the forgotten and take care of the stranger, visit the prisoners” (See Matthew 25: 34-46)

His actions were always consistent with His words, and His past record was eternally evident! Jesus’ “platform” is still the foundation of His Kingdom come. As His followers, as members of His Party, we are responsible for its continuation. As we consider our vote for next Tuesday, let’s consider the Kingdom agenda and vote accordingly.

Hope-filled Voting

Election day is a week away. Polls, pundits, and predictions abound everywhere. Who do we vote for? Who can we trust? We listen to the speeches, the promises, the “politicking,” and wonder. As I talk to friends, relatives, even strangers in line behind me in the check out lane, it strikes me that who we favor has much to do with what we fear. 

• We fear enemy attack and favor strong military candidates.
  
• We fear economy plunge and favor strong economic package candidates.
  
• We fear women and favor men.
  
• We fear men and favor a woman.
  
• And on and on and on…

But where is our hope? God tells us in Isaiah 49:23 that “those who hope in me will not be disappointed.” David, the great King of Israel wrote, 

The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

ONLY God can be our true Protector and Provider. As we consider casting our vote next Tuesday, let’s NOT be driven by fear, but by hope and prayer, and vote for the candidate whom we believe best represents God's purposes for our time.

Conscientious Voting

The Bible tells us that all mankind have been given the ability to discern right from wrong -- a conscience [See Romans 2:15]. Yet, it seems that our culture, and perhaps the basic nature of man, is to pursue not that inner voice of conscientiousness, but those things that suit our own sense of "mine." We want "our" way, "our" things, "our" rights... often at the expense of the "general good." Scripture is filled with references of what happens to a society where everyone defines their own "right and wrong." [i.e. Judges 17:6, Jeremiah 11:8; 44:15-16] Eventually there is no moral standard, no commitment to the welfare and care of others, and the foundation of their society decays and crumbles. Ecclesiastics 11:9 reminds us that there will be an accounting for each one's actions and choices. 

Zechariah 7:9-10 tells us, This is what the Lord of Heaven desires; "Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other." 

And the apostle Paul instructs us to not just consider our own interests but to remember to consider the welfare of others (Philippians 2:4).

We have a precious privilege and responsibility as Americans. We can be heard. We can make a difference. Our voice is important. We have the ability to shape the context of our culture. Before we consider what laws and lawmakers we will choose on November 4, lets spend a few moments consider the Will and Purposes of The Law-Giver. Before we cast our vote this year, lets make an effort as followers of Christ, to prayerfully consider if our vote is reflecting the One we serve.

Compassionate Voting

Henri Nouwen wrote:

The Church often wounds us deeply. People with religious authority often wound us by their words, attitudes, and demands. Precisely because our religion brings us in touch with the questions of life and death, our religious sensibilities can get hurt most easily. Ministers and priests seldom fully realize how a critical remark, a gesture of rejection, or an act of impatience can be remembered for life by those to whom it is directed.



There is such an enormous hunger for meaning in life, for comfort and consolation, for forgiveness and reconciliation, for restoration and healing, that anyone who has any authority in the Church should constantly be reminded that the best word to characterize religious authority is compassion. Let's keep looking at Jesus whose authority was expressed in compassion.


As we prepare for the coming election, let us remember that as beloved children of God, we need to strive to walk (and vote) in love; and to not allow any bitterness, divisiveness, or evil intentions to creep into our hearts, our minds, our words, and our actions. [See Ephesians 5:1ff]. We have the opportunity to stand for our beliefs, to influence the direction of our country, and to impact future generations by our choices. But as we do so, let's also remember that we are called to reflect and represent the love of God; and even as we make our stand, we do so in love, gentleness, and always with a heart of reconciliation -- bringing peace to our neighbors by showing and offering them the Peace of God with us... Immanuel.

Faith and Politics

Below is a recent article by Jim Wallis (author of God's Politics). Food for thought as we head into this very important election. 

Why Faith at the Conventions Matters (by Jim Wallis)

I am now in Denver for the Democratic National Convention, and I will be in the Twin Cities next week for the Republican National Convention. I am speaking at both about the moral issues the faith community believes are important -- among them poverty, the environment and climate change, a consistent ethic of life, strong families, pandemic diseases, human trafficking, war, and peace. The Democrats are, for the first time, having "faith forums" to discuss those issues, and I will be moderating two of those forums -- one on the meaning of "the common good," a central religious concept. There will also be issues forums at the Republican Convention on the connections between faith and politics, which I am looking forward to participating in next week. At both conventions, the media is showing great interest in the connection between religion and the election, and that's the other reason I will be at both places.

The proper relationship between faith and politics is a critical issue. In recent decades, religion has often been used, and even abused, by politics and politicians. There is now a legitimate backlash to the exploitation and "politicizing" of religion among many in the churches -- especially a new generation. But the backlash could also lead to a new form of the old private piety or a new communal piety -- that the only important relationship is the one between "me and God" or in the churches' "service" to their own communities (an improvement over mere personal piety, but far short of the biblical call to justice).

Politics is important. Wilberforce could not have ended the slave trade in England without politics. And it would not have been enough for Christians to just not have slaves. Martin Luther King could not have achieved the victories of civil rights without politics. It would not have been enough for the churches to just disavow segregation. (In fact, as King reminded us, the most segregated hour in America was and still is 11 a.m. on Sunday mornings). Gandhi could not have freed India from colonialism, nor could Nelson Mandela have ended apartheid in South Africa without politics. Politics is supposed to be about the common good, about the moral values we want to guide our civic life, even though the practice of politics often makes many people cynical.

But politics is broken in America, as I have often said. And it will take social movements, with clear spiritual values, to change politics in America. That is what genuine revivals have always done -- changed hearts and changed society. And that is still my best hope.

There are many people of faith here at this convention in Denver, as there will also be in the Twin Cities. The important thing for us as people of faith at both conventions is to make sure that our "politics" are more "prophetic" than "partisan." As I have continually repeated, God is not a Republican or a Democrat, and people of faith belong in no party's political pocket. The danger at both conventions is that religion will be exploited -- again -- this time by both sides. So I will be reporting to you on how that goes, whether the people of faith who are here are able to offer that prophetic role that faithfulness requires, that would hold politics accountable to real moral values, and would offer the best hope of social change. Stay tuned.

The Genesis Directive: Be Fruitful (Part 2)

The Apostle Paul tells us that in order to produce the Spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and  self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) we must continually and consistently  "walk in the Spirit."

What does it mean to "walk in the Spirit"? Basically it means to choose who or what motivates and activates our emotions, thoughts, and actions. It means to begin to be conscious of how we are choosing to live each moment, and what (or who) is determining those choices. Our lives are not lived in random motion – we are constantly listening to our internal “director” or “direction finder.” Like the new “never lost” GPS systems in cars; that voice that directs you to “turn right in 2.3 miles” or informs you that “I’m recalculating your route. Make a legal u-turn as soon as possible” when you’ve made a wrong turn.

We too have “internal direction guides.” The scriptures call them the flesh, the enemy, and the Holy Spirit. The desires of the flesh distract us from producing the good fruit by causing us to focus only on our own wants and appetites. We become self-centered and produce shriveled fruit that leaves us hungry and empty. The deceptions of the enemy betrays our fruitfulness and poisons and perverts the fruit of our lives, resulting in hollow, sour, and often harmful produce. Only the Spirit of God leads us into true fruitfulness -- fruit that satisfies our souls and blesses others.  To walk in the Spirit means to choose to listen to and then follow THAT voice which is based in God's Word and Will.

How do we know which voice we are listening to? By paying attention! By taking a few moments at the end of each day to review the choices we have made during the day, we will begin to discover the patterns that provoke our feelings and actions. Who do we tend to listen to when we are tired, stressed, or lonely? What initiates our words when we are feeling insecure or unsure? What motivates us when we are sure, confident, and able? Who is in control when we are angry, upset, or frustrated? And how did those choices makes us feel at the end of the day? ? Learning our patterns enables us to become more aware in the moment of the voice we are listening to and the direction we are following.

Paul told the Galatians that we can generate the works of the flesh (sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness…) or the fruit of the Spirit. God’s first blessing was not to “work and multiply” but to “be fruitful and multiply.” Let's begin to pay closer attention to our own GPS system -- God's Productive Spirit!

The Genesis Directive: Be Fruitful

God's first blessing for man and womankind is the directive of fruitfulness. It was the first blessing He gave to Adam and Eve, and after the flood, the first blessing to Noah and his family (See Genesis 1:28-29 and 9:2). 

"Be fruitful and multiply."

What does it mean for us today to be fruitful and to multiply? Is it merely about reproducing or can we discern a deeper blessing from these words? The New Testament tells us that the fruit God desires from our lives is the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23.) But the production of this fruit cannot be done on our own --fruit does not spontaneously produce itself. The Apostle Paul tells us that this fruit must first be planted by and in the Spirit of God, and then we must be determined to walk in that Spirit.

What kind of fruit are we producing in our lives? Are we feeding, tending, and growing the fruit of God's Spirit? The scriptures tell us that the directive to be fruitful is God's blessing to His children. Our lives and the lives of those around us are blessed and changed by this kind of fruitfulness. How might the world look different to the next generation if THIS fruit became our primary crop?