Hey friends of Thoughts from a Crosseyed Jesus Freak. I haven’t posted a lot of thoughts on here recently, but I have a few that have built up to the place that I need to share them. So, hopefully that means I’ll be sharing here more regularly, at least for the time being. That being said, let’s jump in.
Our country is divided right now. There is a presidential election taking place in just a few days, it’s being touted as “the most important election in our history”. But is it really? Honestly, if you look back at past elections, many of them were called the most important election ever. It seems that each and every time an election cycle comes around, people freak out and claim that there is more at stake today than ever before.
The problem is that many I’m hearing from, and seeing completely freak out over the election, are fellow Christ followers. Before I go any further, I want to make something clear. I absolutely believe that we should all vote. It is one of the rights that this nation was founded on, and we should all exercise that right whenever we have the opportunity. The other thing I want to stress is I will never tell you WHO you need to vote for. I have my firmly held beliefs, but I don’t feel it is my place to TELL you who or how to vote. What I will say is if you are a Christ follower, then you need to prayerfully consider each and every vote you cast. Pray. Weigh the options. Vote with a clear conscience. And then trust God!
Now back to the issues I am seeing. We’ve basically got a two-party political system, and you have both parties trying to claim that they are in the right. And you’ve got Christ followers on both sides saying that you can’t be a Christ follower and vote the other party. Here’s the thing though. Neither party perfectly encapsulates what we should be as Christ followers. That’s because they are of human origin and will not perfectly fit what should be in the Kingdom of God. There are platforms, policies, and personalities on both sides of the aisle that are very much unlike Christ.
A friend, mentor, and fellow minister, Mike Edmisten, wrote this recently.
“Conservatives struggle with the social demands of Jesus. Liberals struggle with the ethical demands of Jesus. Christians accept the demands of Jesus and struggle with human political philosophies.”
twitter.com/mikeedmisten
I think that encapsulates what we all should feel as Christ followers. Christ first, human politics a far second. And because of that, we have to remember that no matter who wins this election, God is still King.
If Biden wins, God is still in control. If Trump wins, God’s got this. God is sovereign, and His will will ultimately play out, no matter who is the President of the United States. Neither Joe Biden or Donald Trump are America’s last hope. No human being is our last hope or salvation. That title belongs to Jesus Christ, and Christ alone. He is our hope. He is our salvation. And only trust and living for Him gives any of us any chance in this messed up world.
I get it. If your chosen political candidate loses, it might feel like things will get bad. And they might. But GOD’S GOT THIS! He’s in control. He is going to put in place who He wants as President. It may not be what we want or think should happen. But God’s agenda will be done despite how we might mess it up. I say it again. TRUST GOD!
I saw this sermon video four years ago, in the lead up to the Trump/Hillary election. And while there are some dated references to that election, the jest of the sermon fits today very well. It was preached at Ozark Christian College’s chapel service about the sovereignty of God. And I want you to take the time to watch this. Really pay attention to what this man says. Because, again, no matter who is President, God is on the THRONE! Pray, research, vote, by all means. But in the end, trust God. Take some time to watch this sermon.
Thoughts from a Crosseyed Jesus Freak 