Today, (Jan. 6), the Electoral College should have submitted their presidential electoral count to Congress, and either Congress accepts the count or objects to it. Once the decision is made, confirmed, and announced, what are citizens of the United States supposed to do?
We should be obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ Who told us to obey those in authority over us. Jesus made that statement when the corrupt, brutal Roman Empire was ruling. How much more should we abide by His injunction regarding our own government?
C.S. Lewis (British author and lay theologian; 1898-1963) stated in his book, "The Magician's Nephew" (the sixth book in "The Chronicles of Narnia"): "What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are."
So, what are we hearing, and what kind of people are we? To make it individually applicable: what are you hearing, and what kind of person are you?
I'm involved in this too, so I'll speak for myself.
Proverbs 9:10 says, "Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" (NLT). Since the word fear means awe, reverence, and infers obedience, we can say the verse this way: Revering, loving, and obeying the Lord is the foundation upon which wisdom is built. That enables us to know God, which, in turn, gives us understanding for how to live.
What kind of people are we? We should be dedicated Christians. Where are we standing? We should be "standing" or "living" in the Word of God.
THEN as we watch the news and hear what's going on, we will be able to differentiate between the truth and the errors we hear. We'll be able to understand what is happening; but more importantly, we'll understand WHY it's happening.
I pray about voting. I know that makes several of my readers angry, but that's their problem – not mine. What I hear from people does not determine my actions. What I hear from God guides me. Related to voting, I pray, then I vote for those whom I think will help our country, state, and town. Whether those for whom I vote are elected or not, I've done my part, and my next move is, to the best of my ability, help people know and obey the Lord.
I know that others pray before they vote, but some of us substitute our feelings for the leading of the Holy Spirit. It's easy to do that, especially if we're passionate about our candidate.
But what did C. S. Lewis say? What I see and hear depends a great deal on where I am standing. It also depends on what sort of person I am.
I refuse to place myself in the hearing of those who continuously gripe and complain. Fussing, cussing, and venting anger and frustration won't help anyone. On the contrary, it is detrimental to everyone around, and it displays lack of maturity.
And I will not, under any circumstances, condone or encourage rioting, looting, stealing, hurting, or killing. That isn't civil disobedience or protesting. That is outright evil! Those people are cooperating with Lucifer, disobeying the law, and trying to destroy our nation.
Whether or not we like the laws, the United States of America is a nation of law. We should work within the law to change things – not become hateful, vindictive, and destructive. We should also be a nation submitted to God, but that's where the basic problem lies. As a nation, we stopped standing on the Word of God, and have been led astray by the word of man.
Since many of our leaders – local, state, and national – are not obeying the principles and guidelines in Scripture, our nation is suffering, and things will get worse if we continue on this trajectory. We should vote for those who honor the Lord, and who will pray before they try to guide others.
Where do we go from here? In this new year, let's renew our decision to honor the Lord and ask Him to guide us in our everyday decisions. Let's ask God to forgive us for our disobedience, negligence, and apathy, and help us to honor Him in everything we do.
Let's put our trust in the Lord. That's the only way we can have peace in the political and societal turbulence this next year.
-- S. Eugene Linzey is the author of 'Charter of the Christian Faith.' Send comments and questions to [email protected]. Visit his website at www.genelinzey.com. The opinions expressed are those of the author.