As Mike and I were going to bed last night, some verses from I Peter kept running thru my mind:
Submit yourself for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men; whether to the King, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone; Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
I Peter 2:13-17
Mike and I talked about the fact that we must first submit to God's will (meaning that since God has commanded us not to murder, we will not support abortions even though Obama wants to legalize even partial birth abortions), but God has also called us to be in submission to those that he has placed in authority over us. This means that we will pay Obama's "stupid" tax. It also means that we will be praying for God to use this election for his glory. I think Caleb hit the nail on the head in his post today:
"The next four years will be a battle to keep our founding father's core beliefs in tact. The next four years will hurt, but there is a sunrise on the horizon. For every Jimmy Carter, there is a Ronald Reagan. Tonight the pendulum has swung to its left most extent. I optimistically look forward to its equally dramatic swing back."
So keep on prayin'. Pray that God will use Obama in ways we never expected (for good). Pray that Christians will realize the importance of fighting for the values this country was founded on. Pray that our country will be strengthened over the next four years.
Remember -
If you suffer for doing good (protecting innocent lives, defending marriage, etc) and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
...When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
I Peter 2:20b-21, 23
Know that God will take care of us. Also remember that this life is barely the table of contents in light of eternity! One day soon this won't even matter. Focus on what will last eternally.
11 comments:
Well said as well... I agree that Caleb did a wonderful job too- I actualy copied what he wrote and emailed it to a few people :)
Thanks for this post...well said...I pray that Christians will put biblical principles above others when they vote...I know one issue shouldn't make your decision...BUT I believe that biblical issues should...I pray that Christians will learn what scripture says and live by it...thanks for speaking out...
Last time I checked abortions were still legal, at least in most states. But I guess it is better to make them illegal, that way the woman can risk her life as well as the unborn child.
Nice comparison to Jimmy Carter. I know he had difficulties in his presidency, but what a role model he still is today. I only hope my children can look at Obama and see what a role model he is. I am not saying McCain hasn't done great things -- but GWB is not someone I could call a role model.
I also would hope after 232 years, that our founding fathers would agree that since all men are created equal, it is about time a non-white european gets elected.
Give the poor man a chance, no matter which candidate won, they were both going to inherit a country with big problems and it is not like we live in a dictatorship and Obama is going to go passing all of these laws himself on Jan. 20th.
And lastly, unless you are super wealthy...you won't have to pay any "stupid" tax.
Thank you for the inspirational message. I needed that.
What a great reminder of how to move on from here as Christians. Thank you for your post. Darron and I enjoyed reading it last night and felt encouraged from it. And Caleb...wow! That was awesome. Well put. And thanks for commenting back to anonymous....if I said what they did I would want to be anonymous too!
Anonymous - Thank you for taking the time to comment on my blog! I would like to respond to some of the things that you said (sorry it's taken me so long to do so...something about 2 little boys, work, and housework...this is the first chance I've had to sit down and think in silence!).
I don't know if we know each other, but I'm in my late 20's. I belong to the generation that doesn't know color, so my objection to Obama has NOTHING to do with the color of his skin. To me there is no race except for the human race! I support someone politically because of their political views/positions and not because of where they came from or what they look like. It's my hope that EVERYONE votes this way!
As for partial-birth abortions, please read the following report which shows that it is never necessary to perform a partial birth abortion:
"At a July 24 briefing on Capitol Hill, PHACT member Dr. Curtis Cook, an ob/gyn perinatologist with the West Michigan Perinatal and Genetic Diagnostic Center, said that partial-birth abortion:
is never necessary to preserve the life or the fertility of the mother, and may in fact threaten her health or well-being or future fertility. In my practice, I see these rare, unusual cases that come to most generalists' offices once in a lifetime-- they all come into our office. We see these every day....The presence of fetal disabilities or fetal anomalies are not a reason to have a termination of pregnancy to preserve the life of the mother-- they do not threaten the life of the mother in any way....[and] where these rare instances do occur, they do not require the death of the baby or the fetus prior to the completion of the delivery."
I think Caleb sufficently responded to you about Obama and taxes.
As for GWB. I think he does have qualities that make him a role model. I'll choose just one. Did you know that he has daily Bible studies with his staff? I'm guilty many days of being "too busy" to have my quiet time with God yet the President of the US is able to carve time into every day to spend time with our Creator?! Wow! That's definitely something that I'd like to emulate!
Well said Staci. The sky is not falling as some people would like to think it is. The Son is still standing next to the Father on the throne. We have to trust God in at all times because ultimately he knew this day was coming for us as Americans. In some ways, it is bitter sweet. How amazing to have an African American President after decades of hatred towards that group of people. However, a lot of the issues and policies he stands for are not Biblically based. Please understand, God is not republican, nor is he democrat as I have had many people try to tell me he is over the last few days. Pray for Barack and pray for our country! God is in control! He will get the glory!
Mark Jackson
That was very well said Staci -- you do not know me, I found your blog through others and have followed it for a long time. I think you have a great writing style and seem like a very interesting person. I obviously don't know you but it seems obvious you are not a racist -- that comment was made towards the quote you had and not you.
I am sorry -- I let myself post before thinking it through and I should not have posted and just kept it to myself (why post mean things when it does no good for anyone). Although we would no doubt not totally agree IRL -- from reading your blog, you seem like a very good woman and live the best life possible.
I also have to agree with the comment about the taxes and unfortunately I don't think either candidate would have a choice not to let Bush's cuts run out when we are in debt to China over the little stimulus credit we received this year. If McCain could have kept the cut's and Obama doesn't and still be able to reduce or slow the debt, then that is a shame.
Again -- I apologize for posting the comment -- eventhough it is no excuse, my emotions got the better of me.
(I don't have a blog, google or url, that is why I didn't bother posting my name since you don't know me.) --Pam
I liked your post and your brother's post! I am in agreement with both of you. I continue to pray for our country. As I have heard Sean Hannity say numerous times, I hope that I am wrong about Obama for the sake of my children and grandchildren. I actually take comfort in knowing that no president is able to fulfill all of the promises promised in order to get him elected. I join you and your brother in praying for our country and praying that it is a country I can teach my children to be proud of.
Pam - I'm so glad that you posted! I love knowing who my followers are. Be sure and keep posting comments. Now that I know you're reading...I wanna hear from ya!
Thank you for sharing this refreshing perspective.
Allison (Blackburn) Goforth - ACU
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