I was in Florida recently when the opportunity arose to see Donald Trump. I tried to go to the airport but couldn't get in. The roads were jammed. Fox News reported hundreds of people attended. I think the crowd was bigger, maybe 10,000, similar to earlier in Ocala. Fox must have been thinking of Hillary's crowds.
What does God think of elections or national leaders? Dutch Sheets shared that God spoke to him saying, "I am government!" That means God wants leaders who represent his purpose for the earth. God isn't a distant deity, nor a cosmic Santa Claus, nor a dysfunctional father. He has promised his Son planet Earth and all of its realms.
Some Christians think we should keep politics and religion apart. They think it's beneath us or illegal to mix faith with politics. That idea is wrong and doesn't make sense. That forfeits our stewardship as Americans. It turns the reins of government over to people with no faith, no knowledge of the Bible, with no Judeo-Christian values, who can't appreciate the Church or Israel. It gives them power to choose our children's future. I think that's absurd! As believers, we need to be bolder about our biblical beliefs.
We can't be disenfranchised because we vote our values. Our founders quoted freely from the Bible. Their ideas for America used divine principles. They flew the flag with "Appeal to Heaven." They referred to "Nature's God." They honored the Lord, believed the Bible, and prayed in Jesus' name.
I believe in Jehovah, the God of Israel disclosed in the Bible, who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is in favor of good government for us. He is a God of justice. He wants us to have peace in our streets and be able to raise our children in secure families that can prosper through ownership.
How does that happen? With good leaders and good laws. God offers the people righteous leaders to choose. God wants the righteous to rule so our nation can be blessed. So, the big question is, "Who is righteous?"
Evangelicals' view of politics is distorted. Lenses are colored by the media's liberal slant, skewed by anti-God owners and reporters, or bent by the church's religious views, tainted by centuries of sectarian mindsets, man-made traditions, spiritual idealism, or political and financial naiveté.
Christian voters in America who are now deciding who to vote for (or whether to bother voting) need to know this: God is NOT religious.
God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours. He approaches things from His eternal perspective. About governments, God is not moralistic or absolutist. He stewards His people and the Earth if we cooperate and listen to His voice. Otherwise, we receive the inevitable consequences of our unbelief and of our societal rebellion.
Is God a Republican? No! But He's not a Democrat either. He is the Lord of Glory! We measure up to His standard; He doesn't measure down to ours.
Jesus said, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees" and Herod's leaven, too. What does this mean? I wondered about it for years, but now I know. Avoid religious and political strife! Modern churches are filled with Pharisees who look at people's sins and discount them. Political parties are filled with Herods who do anything to hold on to power.
Next week I'll show how this leaven works and how it has inflamed Americans in this election.
-- Ron Wood is a writer and minister. Contact him at [email protected] or visit www.touchedbygrace.org. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 10/26/2016