Maybe it’s my age, or perhaps the sensation that
time passes so quickly, and the older we get the faster it seems to fly by. It
seems to me that I wrote on this subject just last week. Has it been four years
since we elected (or re-elected) our President? Has it actually been that long?
Last week we officially entered into the season of political ads, presidential
and vice-presidential debates, and volatile discussions at the local coffee
shop, peppered no doubt by the distortions of the media so as to present their
favorite candidate as far superior to the one who might have won the other
party’s nomination. My dad has pointed out that the goals of a politician are
two-fold: (1) Get elected, and (2) get re-elected. Everything else is
subservient to these two self-imposed goals. I must confess that this year’s
primary races for both parties has been unique (if I can use such a mild term).
Some of you might find yourselves thinking with me, “Here we go again!” Having
almost completed the three score and ten years referred to by Moses (Psalms
90:10), I have come to appreciate even more the sentiments of that great
prophet as he stretches the 70 years to a full eight decades and concludes,
“Yet is their pride but labor and sorrow; For it is soon gone, and we fly
away.” I have lived through the Presidency of Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy,
Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush (George H.W.), Clinton, Bush (George
W), and Obama, though I scarce remember the policies, practices, or popularity
of the first two. Good Presidents have come and gone, and bad Presidents have
been endured by the people who anxiously look forward to that time when their
voice can be heard in the voting booth once again. I have had the privilege of
voting in every Presidential election since Lyndon Johnson. If my calculations
are correct, I have, in my fifty some years as a part of the electorate of this
country, been exposed to more than 4,000 political ads over the years, and
pulled the lever to cast my vote, some twelve times. So, I feel
that what I am about to say is at least worthy of some
consideration by those of us who will be voting in this year’s upcoming
election as we select yet another man (or woman, as the case may be) to serve
in the capacity of President of these United States. May I suggest that
you take into consideration the following thoughts as you walk into that booth
and cast your vote for who will fill the most important office in our troubled
world. We have only three months in which to educate ourselves as to the
character of the person and what we can expect if he/she is elected to the
office.
First, the Christian takes into that voting booth
something that others simply do not possess: the principles of truth and
righteousness set forth in the Bible. The Psalmist said that the word of
God is his “light” and “lamp” (Psa. 119:105). When the child of God steps
into that voting booth, he uses that light to roll back the curtain that might
otherwise hide the truth about the candidate’s policies and promises that are so
often overlooked on the campaign trail. Every promise that each candidate
made, every policy to which he holds, is to be measured in the light of God’s
word; not the emotions of the heart.
Second, when the child of God enters that booth he
takes with him the realization that he will answer to God as to the choice he
makes. Since the time we were small children we have been reminded again and
again that every single American plays a vital role in governmental affairs.
This is a government of the people. Hence, every American has an influence on
who sits behind that desk in the Oval Office. Since our vote plays a part in
who fills the office of President, then it behooves us to vote with the
realization that God is watching over our shoulder when we pull that lever or
punch that card. Were Christ to stand beside you as you cast your vote this
coming November, how would YOU vote? If we are instrumental in putting an
ungodly man and/or woman into office, then we will answer to God for the part
we played in the process.
Third, each party and candidate should be measured
in the light of what God’s word teaches. For a moment, let us simply ignore
party names. Instead let us simply call them party “a” and party “b.” It is an
undeniable truth supported by public proclamation, and party dogma, that one of
these parties supports homosexuality as a way of life, abortion on demand, and
has supported such liberal and immoral organizations as the ACLU, Planned
Parenthood, and the National Gay and Lesbian organization. The other party
opposes abortion (at least for now), believes in the Biblical design for the
home and the sanctity of marriage, and seeks to maintain the moral and
ethical values of the founders of this country. When you step into that
booth, the child of God will not in any way, form or fashion, pull that lever
in favor of a candidate or party that opposes all that is holy and godly.
Finally, it is becoming increasingly evident that
we may very well have to choose between the lesser of two evils, so far as the
Presidential candidate is concerned. Personally speaking, I cannot recall an
election season in which both candidates from the two leading parties have such
a negative favorable rating among the electorate. The latest statistic I
read indicates that almost 70% of the American voters do not like either
candidate, and, if given a viable choice, would break with the two party system
and elect an independent.
The late Clarence Darrow once said, “When I was a
boy I was told that anybody could become President; I’m beginning to believe
it.” If the unholy and ungodly element in our society manages to take control
of the major branches of our government, then the words of Clarence Darrow take
on a whole new meaning. As you consider the “pool” of Presidential
possibilities, keep these thoughts in mind. Keep in mind that this year’s
election is a crucial point in our history as a nation. Please, don’t
approach this year’s election with the ho-hum attitude of, “Here we go again.”
~~~~~~
On the lighter side: “I hear you made a
million dollars in oil in Texas,” said one man to another. Replied the second,
“Well, that report is substantially correct, except it wasn’t in Texas, it was
Oklahoma; and its wasn’t in oil, it was gas; and it wasn’t me, it was my
brother-in-law; and it wasn’t a million, it was a hundred thousand; and he
didn’t make it, he lost it.” While we might chuckle at the above story, it well
illustrates the uncontrollable nature of gossip. Once a story has been
launched, like a ship without a rudder upon the merciless sea, it is tossed to
and fro by the wild imaginations of men who would twist, change, or outright
lie about what they have heard. Common sense tells us to be careful in
communication. Facts are often ignored by those who would seek to impress
others with either good news, or bad. We are admonished by God’s word to
“lie not one to another,” and to always let our speech be seasoned with salt.
Gossip is unhealthy communication. Before passing along any information
let us ask, (1) Is it true? (2) Is it beneficial to my hearer? and (3) Is it
really all that important that I tell this to others? And keep in mind
that our Lord told us, “Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete it
shall be measured unto you; and more shall be given unto you” (Mark 4:24).
by
Tom Wacaster
