Week Forty-Five, 2018
THE ELECTION
By John Grant
If anyone wants to be a leader in the church, they want to do a good work for God and people. A leader must be free from blame. He must be faithful to his wife. In anything he does, he must not go too far. He must control himself. He must be worthy of respect. He must welcome people into his home. He must be able to teach. He must not get drunk. He must not push people around. He must be gentle. He must not be a person who likes to argue. He must not love money. He must manage his own family well. He must make sure that his children obey him. And he must do this in a way that gains him respect. 1 Timothy 3: 1-4
The mid-term elections are hours away. The outcome will determine who will be our leaders. It will determine which party will lead the Congress, select governors and state legislators, who will govern our schools and a host of other issues. It is a very important day in our country even though this Scripture applies to church leadership.
Sadly, less than half of those eligible are not registered to vote and of those who are, maybe half will take the time to vote. Sadly, the statistics are about the same for evangelical and other Christians as they are for the rest of the country.
How will people decide for whom they should vote… snappy TV ads, robo calls, clever direct mail pieces, party affiliation. Sadly those should be considered, but who we vote for should be determined by character, integrity, ability to govern, and experience.
Paul laid out the qualifications in writing to Timothy. He talked about faithfulness, self-control, worthy of respect, sobriety, humility, gentleness, not lovers of money and able to manage family. Too bad more Christians don’t use those criteria as they decide how to vote.
Paul lifts up character as opposed to those who seek office for power, possession and personal gain. When choosing, we should look deep to see if candidates private and family life are parallel. If someone cannot control themselves in private, then they probably won’t in public either.
Character cannot be separated from the person. To be of good character means that one’s habits, actions, and emotional responses all are united and directed toward the moral and the good. In this, public actions cannot be separated from private actions. Both sets of actions affect one’s character.
Christians have a God given privilege and responsibility to vote. Remember to go to the poles, study the candidates before you vote, pray before you vote and ask God to give you insight as you exercise the honor of being a voter in a free country.
Above all, remember that this election is not about the elephant or the donkey…. It is about the lamb.
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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
Power:
February 10, 2013, a fire broke out in an engine room of the Carnival cruise ship Triumph and knocked out the ship’s power. The more than 4,200 passengers and crew were left in limbo, drifting in Gulf of Mexico currents. No power meant it was impossible to flush the toilets, keep cool under the blazing tropical sun, or preserve and cook all the perishable food on board.
Passengers reported long lines for food, shortages of fresh water, illnesses, and widespread boredom. Many passengers slept in hallways or outside to escape the odors and heat below decks. The ship finally ported safely in Mobile, Alabama, four agonizing days later.
The awful ordeal of the Triumph is a riveting reminder of what can happen when anything or anyone is disconnected from its source of power. For those of us who are Christians, our power source is the Holy Spirit. You and I know there are millions who suffer darkness of spirit, who endure spiritual misery and pain, who have no hope and no relief. For them, the surge of power the Holy Spirit brings is instantly amazing. For others, it may feel like a more gradual process. But unless you embrace the power only the Holy Spirit can provide, you’ll be running on empty.
If you’ve tried to sustain these nine character traits consistently in your life, you know how difficult it is. Maybe you’ve decided it’s simply too difficult for you. You’re right! It’s not merely difficult to live the Christian life in your own power—it’s impossible. In the entire history of humanity, only one person has lived that kind of perfect life.
That person is Jesus Christ. But even He did not live that life by His own power. Though He was one with God in heaven, to be a complete and perfect human, He had to live His life the way humans were created to live. He had to lay aside the independent use of His divine attributes; submit Himself to God the Father; and allow the Father’s Spirit to live in Him, work through Him, and direct His life. As Jesus told His disciples, “The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works” (John 14: 10). “Jesus lived, thought, worked, taught, conquered sin and won victories for God in the power of that same Spirit whom we all may have.” The Spirit whom we all may have . . . if we accept Him. David Jeremiah
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QUOTES YOU CAN USE
Opportunities Always Come At a Price of Difficulty
I pray that God will greatly bless you with mercy, peace, and love. Jude 1:2
Fear leads to desperation. Max Lucado
Is your success sourced in the gifts God has given you? Or, is it from your own hands that you have accomplished things? Dwight Short
Don’t make life about stuff.
The average person will meet ten thousand people during their lifetime.
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Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com.
Your feedback is welcome. Address all items and comments to [email protected].
Thoughts on Life, ©2018, John Grant