The Election
Election time is here, and the candidates are vying for your vote. On television, radio, and social media, some are spending millions of dollars trying to get the most important thing, your vote. Simply put, each candidate wants you to choose them.
Over the years, it has been said and adopted that there are two things you should never talk about or discuss in public: Religion and politics. If you have been at any social gathering and the subjects of either of the two taboo issues arise, DUCK! There could be trouble.
I recently attended a retirement, 70th birthday, and paid off my mortgage celebration. I did not know anyone there except the person we were celebrating. So, after dinner was served, everyone sat in the backyard in a large circle. Several different conversations were going on, however, none related to the others. I was involved in a fascinating conversation with two gentlemen who worked many jobs in different countries all over the world.
Next, a young lady sat down next to me. I would have guessed that the young lady was in her late 20s to early 30s. From the moment she sat down, by her demeanor, she seemed like she was eager to make a comment. As the several discussions around the circle continued, the young lady finally butted in, “Excuse me! I just have to ask. So what does everyone think about (A certain candidate)?”
All of the conversations in the backyard abruptly stopped. Her question seemed to suddenly take all of the air out the circle. That was strange because we were outside. No one said a word. We just looked at one another. Finally, an elderly woman who was seated almost directly across from the young lady shouted out, “I like (A certain candidate). The young lady shouted back with enthusiasm, “That’s what I’m talking about!”
At that moment, I realized that the question the young lady asked wasn’t for everyone, it was directed towards me. Now the younger me would have jumped with both feet into the conversation without hesitation. However, the older me, listened to my inner voice telling me the six words that any Star Wars fan would appreciate.
“IT’s A TRAP! IT’s A TRAP!”
If you don’t know what I’m referring to, don’t worry about it. You will get it next Time.
As the two women talked across the circle about the attributes of the candidate, everyone else had yet to utter a single word. I think everyone was waiting for me to speak, so they could know how I felt about the candidate. So, to ease the tension in the circle, I finally decided to speak. I turned to one of the two gentlemen who was sitting to my left, and said, “You said that if I were to travel out of the country, you would recommend Germany, huh?”
With that, the young lady that was sitting next to me abruptly stood up, crossed the circle, and sat down next to the lady sitting across from her. Can someone say, “Winning?” The young lady lit a fuse on a powerful explosive, but instead of causing a volatile situation, it was a dud.
I agree that religion and politics are extremely volatile subjects. For this reason, I choose to discuss both subjects in this article. I rarely publicly say who I’m voting for, and I never tell others who they should vote for. However, today, I think it’s important for me to share who I have chosen, and who I think you should choose as well. But first, let’s discuss the issues.
The Issues
When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice but when the wicked bear rule, the people mourn. Proverbs 29: 2 (NKJ).
It is important to have good leaders. When leaders are righteous and they seek wisdom from the Lord, they put themselves and the people they lead, in a position to be blessed. Over the past several years, righteous leadership has been greatly lacking. Instead of standing for God, these leaders have been standing for themselves and their friends, not for the people. Leaders set the tone for the people they lead. If the leadership is bad, the people usually suffer.
Bad leadership is not only at the very top, but it also applies to all government officials who are in control. This includes judges. Judges are supposed to be impartial and rule according to the law. They are not to show favoritism to only those they like or agree with. We need judges that will be fair and balanced. God views the position of a judge very seriously. Judges can affect a person’s livelihood, freedom, or life itself. We must view the judge’s position as just as important as God sees it.
Another major issue in this election process is the murder of innocent life. According to the Bible, humans are made in the image and after the likeness of God. It doesn’t matter what stage of development they are. As humans, we set the process in motion, and GOD handles the rest. GOD is the one who gives life.
In Genesis 25, the twins Esau and Jacob struggled in Rebecca’s womb. The Lord said that there were two nations in her womb. John the Baptist leaped in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary, (The mother of Jesus), greeted her. John leaped because he was reacting to Jesus who was in Mary’s womb. We need to look at things the way God looks at them. Not the way the world sees them. We need to protect innocent life from the womb to right before the tomb.
An additional major issue in this election is lawlessness. From stealing, to murder, and to terrorizing communities, criminals in certain areas have taken over. There are street gangs drug dealing, shooting, and causing havoc around neighborhoods. Young thugs roam the streets stealing from the elderly and the vulnerable. There was a time when even the criminals had boundaries. Some have even broken into church buildings.
Lawlessness doesn’t just apply to hardened criminals; it seems that many people disregard laws these days. Some even ignore common traffic laws. It’s not uncommon for me to witness someone running a red light. I’m not talking about when it’s an amber light that turns red, and the car goes through the light. I’ve experienced cars driving straight through the red light, without even slowing down. As a society, we must not tolerate this.
The Choice
It’s evident that society’s moral compass has decayed. So now that brings us back to the start of this article, the election. The election can also be called the choice. I think now is a good time for me to tell you who I am choosing to turn this disorder around. The candidate that I chose to turn this country around is none other than….
Jesus!
Yes, Jesus. When he was on earth he changed the world. Jesus was full of wisdom, he was a great communicator, he had power from on high, and he also laid down his life for the entire world because of love. Jesus is the perfect example of a great leader.
That’s unless you want to choose a different option. As I said earlier, there are only two choices: There’s Jesus or Satan. It’s time for you to choose. I believe Jesus is the best choice for you. You won’t regret it. Some of you will say, “Yes, I know Jesus will come back someday, to rule the world, but what about now?”
Well, before Jesus left the earth, he commanded his disciples and followers to use the name of Jesus and be filled with the Holy Spirit. He said that when the Holy Spirit came, believers would be filled with power from heaven. The Bible says that we are the body of Christ.
The scripture also says that when Jesus went to heaven, he sat down on the right hand of God expecting his enemies to be made his footstool. We are the body of Christ, and we have authority in the name of Jesus. We are filled with the Holy Spirit, and we are commanded by Jesus to do his works and even greater works than he did. Therefore, the state of the world is in our hands. Many times, we look up to the sky and ask God to do something, but God is looking at us to do it.
I’ll leave you with this. When the children of Israel were at the Red Sea being chased by the Egyptian army, Moses cried out to GOD, but GOD said,
“Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.” Exodus 14:15-16 (NKJV).
GOD told Moses to part the sea. Moses did, and the people crossed the sea on dry ground. It’s now time for the body of Christ, (Jesus’s representatives), to stretch forth our hands and do the work of Jesus. However, first, you must choose Jesus as your candidate this election day!
Selah! (Think about it.)
JB Andrews