Politicians gone bad...

Question: Do we have a right to expect our elected public leaders to be morally upright?

Answer: YES!

If there was ever any doubt as to the wide reaching influence that a bad acting politician in high places could have on our culture, especially among the youth, it should have been dispelled during the Clinton scandals. I am not blaming our society’s moral decay entirely on the Clintons – just acknowledging their generous contribution.

Isn’t it hypocritical to point the finger at these guys? Aren’t we all sinners?

As a Calvinist, I believe that we humans are born with a proclivity to embrace wickedness unless we receive grace from God to refuse it.

No believer lives a perfect life. We all sin daily in thought, word and deed and must continually seek forgiveness and work on improving our calling in Christ. Most unbelievers are not totally degenerate. They are usually able to do at least some things that are seemingly in accord with God’s law. They may marry and love their respective spouses and their children. They may be honest in their business practices. They may have good work ethics and generous spirits. These are examples of common grace extending to all in the society, restraining evil, while special grace is extended to believers who embrace Christ as Lord and Savior. The Bible reminds us that “The rain falls on the just and on the unjust.”

Bad societal influences are everywhere, in the media and in our neighborhoods and schools. Sports heroes, Hollywood personalities and movies, give the impression that bad behavior is cool and some wear their jail and failed rehab experiences as a badge of honor. We need to find ways to combat all these bad influences, otherwise we end up being complicit in sustaining them.

What is particularly alarming about elected “politicians gone bad” is that they have high visibility in insuring the general welfare of everyone in their jurisdiction. It is not just that they set a bad example. They have power over their constituents and can directly do them great harm.

Yesterday, there was news of a governor involved in a nasty sex scandal. The news kept reporting that he was about to resign [as he should, but I wonder if he will]. The more that comes out about this man the worse it gets. It is not just another sex scandal. There are stories and allegations of fraud and extortion of all sorts. This man was elected as one who would be a “shining knight” of morality. Now we know that people lived in fear of him destroying their businesses and personal lives.

There may be confusion in some quarters as to just what we mean by “morally upright.” Some think that, “morally upright” means, “sexually uptight.” It means nothing of the sort. “Morally upright,” in the best sense means keeping the law of God which is summarized in the Ten Commandments. No one can do this perfectly. We must demand that our leaders have a good character: that they are trustworthy, honest, and respectful of others. They should have a sense of justice and an understanding of the foundations of our government and how it ought to work. They should never use their power to extort, intimidate or harm the people they are sworn to protect.

When politicians break faith, what should happen?

The politician who commits crimes while in office should resign immediately, and then he should be prosecuted. If this does not happen it sends a message that committing crimes is not a bad thing and may undermine the sense of security felt by the people in his jurisdiction. How can they be sure that they will not be the next victims? If this guy doesn’t hurt them then it may be the next guy who holds this office that will. It also may encourage other elected officials who are tempted by bad behavior to forge ahead. After all, they will probably get away with it as well.

We must all look at the character of those who run for public office as well as their abilities. It is vital that we uphold elected officials in prayer. God has given us a rich, powerful and beautiful country. What God gives, He can also take away. We may well be attacked by an external enemy again, but the threat of internal combustion is just as great.

Trusting God - A learning process

What does it mean to TRUST GOD?

Trusting God is a basic element that must be present in order to be a believer. We trust God for our salvation. As we grow in faith so does our trust in God grow. We see God at work in our lives. We see God keeping His promises to us. We are enabled to trust more and more as we remember His past faithfulness to us.

It seems though that there are always areas or situations when we fail to trust. This seems to be true even for the most mature believers. I am reminded of the woman who said to Jesus, “ Lord, I believe. Help thou my unbelief.” We could as easily say, “ Lord, I trust you. Help me to trust you fully.”

Learning to believe - to trust our Savior in everything is a life long process.

Each of us has particular vulnerable areas that seem to unsettle us. A person might, for example, trust God to provide for financial needs, but be blown away by the prospect of having to travel alone across the country. Or it could be the other way round. OR it could be [and probably is] something totally different that troubles you.

Have you ever said to God, “Lord, I want this and I am trusting that you are going to give it to me. I would be devastated if you didn’t give it to me. I don’t think I could let you be my God if you didn’t give it. Yes, I would have to fire you, Lord. I don’t want to do that, but there it is.” My guess is that you probably never said anything as audacious as that, but has it ever been an intimation of your attitude? Have you ever said, “ Lord, I can’t go on if you don’t heal my child?” or “Lord, I can’t face the world if I lose my job?”or “ Now Lord, let me just tell You what I want you to do, or “Lord, how can I believe that you love me if you don’t ________[ fill in the blank].

God is good. That is what scripture teaches. He is good, no matter what the circumstances. He is using those very circumstances, which may seem quite harsh or disagreeable to us to bring about good. That is where our trust in Him is put to the test. As believers we know that God has the ability to do whatever he chooses to do. He is all-powerful. Sometimes it is hard for us to believe that God is good and he is working out His good will through all the circumstances of life. We can not in our minds reconcile that a good God, who loves us so much that he died on the cross to give us eternal life would also be willing to let us suffer whatever slings and arrows and disappointments we are currently enduring. Yes, we pray for what we think would be good. We pray for our desires, but in the end, we must pray, “Thy will be done.” Thy will be done, because we trust that God is good and whatever happens will be ultimately good even if it is contrary to our deepest, most heartfelt desires.

As we face our present trouble, what ever it is, we must keep in mind that God is working out plans He made before the foundations of the world were laid. How does that give us any help or comfort?

When my precious cousin, Annabelle passed away a few years ago, I felt along with many others that her passing was particularly hard to bear. My mother had gone to her glory only 18 months before after a long illness. In the final month when she was bedridden, it was Annabelle who volunteered to help with her care. She was not able to follow through with that offer, because she was diagnosed with cancer. It was only about a year before her diagnosis that Annabelle experienced a spiritual renewal. Although her life was cut short, she made a tremendous spiritual impact on those around her and many were brought to Christ. Why didn’t the Lord heal her and let her go on doing His work?

That was my question as I drove home from church one Lord’s Day. I was remembering the good times my mother and I had had with her when they were both well. Annabelle was an artist. One day, when my mother and I were visiting she showed us a painting she had started. It was a painting of a lovely Parisian garden that she had visited on trips to France. It was not finished. I wonder if she was able to finish it? That memory got me to thinking.

I have often heard the metaphor: Life is like a painting. Each brush stroke is a tiny part of that life and when all the brush strokes are made the painting is complete.

The only problem with that metaphor is that it did not seem to fit. Something had gone terribly wrong with the painting. I rewrote [in my head] the story of the artist painting the picture so that it would express my feelings at the time.

Once upon a time a landlord rented a studio to an artist. The artist set up his easel and went to work each morning while the light was right, but he always stopped working at precisely the same time each afternoon. The landlord was fascinated by the artist’s work and enjoyed stopping by just after the artist left to view the progress for the day. After a few days it became apparent that the artist was painting a garden. It was going to be a magnificent painting. Such care to detail! As the days went by the landlord was more and more impressed by the beautiful green garden and could not help wondering, was it a real place - or did it exist only in the mind of the artist? Would the artist sell him the painting? Could he afford the price?

Looking at the garden gave the landlord such a feeling of peace and joy that he would be willing to give nearly anything to be able to continue looking at it.

The painting was nearly finished. Then one terrible day the landlord stopped by the studio expecting to see an exquisite finished masterpiece. What he saw was a ruined mess. The artist had obviously and deliberately taken his brush in hand and swiped a garish red in the middle of the canvas! He had vandalized his own creation! He had in those few strokes destroyed utterly the peace and joy that were the heart and soul of that once magnificent painting!

The landlord left the studio and did not return.

The artist continued to paint and his work brought him fame and fortune.

One day a package arrived for the landlord from the artist with a note. “I thought you would like to have this,” it said. “It is the first painting I did in your studio.

Opening the package the landlord was stunned to see a painting of his own precious daughter! He held the painting for a long time taking in the likeness of his child in all the radiant beauty and charm of her youth! “It is my daughter!" he said. “My own daughter!” So overwhelmed was he at receiving this wonderful treasure that it was not until much later that he noticed that the background of the picture was the peaceful green garden he had once thought ruined, but never did he remember the garish red brush strokes that now formed the lips of his lovely child.

Trust God! He is good... and He knows what He is doing!

What about Obama>

The following is a response to a request for my comments on an article about Barrack Obama.

First of all, let’s pose the question: Would a Muslim in the White house be a bad thing, and if so, how bad would it be, and why would it be bad?

To some extent the answer to this will be subjective or construed as such and that is unavoidable, but allowable. This is still a country where we are allowed to have opinions.

We are currently at war with Islamic Terrorists. Not all Muslims are terrorists, but why would a Muslim want to be President of the USA? Could a Muslim in power be construed as a victory by the terrorists? Could a Muslim in power do damage to this country? Would a Muslim have sympathies that would prevent him from acting wholly in the interest of American citizens? These questions need to be answered before one raises the more personal questions abut Obama. Muslims do believe that you cannot forsake Islam. Those who defect are marked for death by more radical elements. There have been several Muslims on Glen Beck who have testified to this in their personal lives.Would Muslims put more pressure on Obama than on a non Muslim? If you think that a Muslim in the White House would or could pose difficulties, then it is time to look at Obama and what he believes or says he believes.

No one seems to know much about Obama personally. I first saw him give a speech at a Democratic convention and thought he was very charismatic and would likely have a long career in politics. Many commentators expressed similar thoughts.

He has talked a little about his background. His father was Muslim, but left the family when Obama was very young. He attended a Muslim school for a while and then a Catholic school. His mother believes in every religion which indicates that she was not a Christian [Christians believe that there is only one way to salvation and that is through Jesus Christ.] Obama claims to be a Christian. Claiming to be something and actually being it are not necessarily compatible. I, for instance, could claim to be 5 foot 10 inches and weigh 105 pounds, but that does not mean that I fit that picture. Some people think they are Christians because they live in America or because they have gone through all the motions of the Christian life. We can’t always know for sure whether a person in the church is saved and we have to be careful about judging in those cases. However, the book of James makes a great point. What people believe is borne out by what they do. The fruit on a tree is the best indicator of what sort of tree it is. It is important because we are cautioned by scripture to be wise and observant so that we are not easily deceived and led astray..

There are some things that ought to concern us about Obama. He gives credit for his conversion to Christianity to his minister. His minister has appeared on various talking head type shows and to me he seemed more interested in politics [very Marxist] rather than the proclamation of the Gospel. He also struck me as being radically racist. There have been many reports that he gave an award to Louis Farrakhan. These things make me wonder what sort of Christianity Obama has embraced.

The most troubling thing about Obama is that he is being hailed as a Messiah. People have been on TV claiming that he is their savior. A prominent actress said that she would do anything Obama asked of her. “I would pick up paper cups to make his way clear.” People faint when he speaks. How long will it be before he performs a miracle? [I actually heard someone ask that today.] What should a Christian do presented with such adoration?

“Messiah,” and “Savior,” are precious names to a believer. When the Apostle Paul was in such a situation he was quick to deny that he was a god. Obama, on the other hand, seems to be basking in the glory. That should be a big red flag to believers.

Obama has a wonderful way with words. His favorite words are “change,” and “hope.” He never really defines what he means by those words. He cleverly leaves it up to the individual to fill in the void. I keep wondering what he will change and what he hopes for. We are still a free people. Will he change that? I suppose he hopes he will win the election. He says he will bring the troops home. I guess what you believe about the threat of Islamic terror will come into play here. I am sure Jeff would have plenty to say on this one.

I have noticed that he is very skillful at working the crowd into a frenzy. He delays coming out until the crowd screams for him. He has the little political chant phrases down pat. “Yes, we can,” makes me smile. That one is right out of the Bob the Builder cartoon.

I have not attempted to answer the questions. I will leave that to you. I think there is still so little that we know about this man and the little that we do know just raises more red flags.

Introduction

I have been a Christian for a long, long time. I made a profession of faith when I was about 12 years old. I am now in my early 60s and retired. For many years I taught in Christian schools. Women usually say that they identify themselves by their relationships. “I’m Fred’s wife,” or “ I’m Lori’s mom.” I did not marry and have no children, so for much of my adult life I identified myself as being a teacher. When I left the classroom I had a bit of an identity crisis. If I am not a teacher, who am I? The answer, of course, is that I am a Christian. First and foremost I am a child of God. That had always been true from the beginning when I embraced Christ as my Lord and Savior. Leaving the teaching profession was good for me, though I have to admit that it was also hard to leave something that I truly loved. I realize that I still work for the Lord. Circumstances may vary, but the work of advancing the Kingdom of God does not change. Out of the classroom, I have continued to teach in other ways. I have done tutoring and led Bible Studies and tried to be a helpful friend to anyone who will let me. I have developed a better prayer life and am more aware than ever of the Lord’s presence and of His claim on every aspect of my life. God has been very good to me.