| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “The end of anxiety and despair” Our Bible verse for today: “First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Be calm; cast your vote; honor God” Tuesday is election day in the USA and so it’s time once again for every citizen of this great nation to exercise their right to vote. We’re blessed to live in the greatest nation in the world, with the best and most successful form of democracy. We need to keep our democracy strong and vital by utilizing our vote to elect good leaders. Christians should be the best citizens in whatever land they live in. That’s especially true in this nation, which was founded on Biblical principles and which has relied on the Judeo-Christian ethic as the principle which undergirds and guides our civic life. With such a heritage, how could Christians excuse themselves from exercising their right to vote? We live in a time when there’s a lot of angst and despair with respect to the direction in which our country is going. As a result, there’s also a lot of anger, bitterness, and conflict – even coming from Christians. But I don’t believe such attitudes and expressions are helpful, nor do they benefit the cause of Christ in this land over the long-term. Angry political rhetoric and bitter combativeness won’t convince anyone to place their faith in Jesus. I love the tone Paul sets for us in 1 Timothy 2:1-4. It speaks of calm, level-headed Christians who pray, intercede, and give thanks, even for pagan kings and authority figures who are unbelievers. Paul links those attitudes and that approach with the understanding that God wants everyone to come to faith in Christ and to come to the knowledge of the truth of God. There isn’t even a hint of anxiety or despair in that passage. Just a clear focus on the cause of Christ, and a determination to be a good citizen of that land we live in. We’ll think more about this tomorrow, which is officially election day. In the meantime, for today, as our nation prepares to receive the results of another hotly contested election season, I encourage all of us, the followers of Jesus Christ, to be calm voices of reason in the midst of all the anger, bitterness, and even hysteria. Do your part. Be a good citizen and vote. But also, be sure to honor God by the way you interact with your fellow citizens who see things differently than you do. God bless, Pastor Jim |
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