There was once a group of people that were led by a loving, just ruler.  He had their best interests at heart and He provided for them in all ways.  Materially, physically and spiritually.  He was stern at times but always quick to dispense mercy and grace. 

But the people were not happy.  Their ruler was not like the rulers that surrounded them in other kingdoms.  Their ruler was never seen and chose to give out His instruction through other men and sometimes directly to individuals.  And His main goal for His people was to spread the knowledge of who He was, all of His love, mercy, grace, provision and instruction, to all people. 

This ruler was the perfect ruler but He was not good enough.  The people He tried to lead wanted something else.  They wanted a king that was a man from among themselves.  This ruler, who by now you know was God, warned them that it would not work out the way they wanted.  But He gave them what they wanted.  He gave them Saul.

From that very first earthly king, things never went the way they should have.  There were a couple of good kings to the Israelites, but none of them ever came close to keeping them in proper relationship with God.   

This post is my response to the questions I put forth on Tuesday.  And for all who responded I seriously thank you and value your input.  I am not being pretentious in saying what I am about to say.  These are new thoughts for me, after spending lots of time in prayer over these issues of voting and the choices laid out before us. 

We are ambassadors of our own King if we have chosen to be a part of the Kingdom of God.  We are supposed to serve Him and His Kingdom.  But instead we seem to think it is the Government of the United States job to uphold our ways and laws.  We seem to think that it is actually the reverse of the way it is.  That this country and its rulers are the ambassadors.  Jesus told us that we are of another Kingdom.  And He told us, while we are here to give to this kingdom what belongs to it but to give to our Kingdom what belongs to Him. 

As Shelly said, even the rulers we think are the right ones turn out to be something other than what we perceived. 

We happen to be in a country where we have been given the “right” to vote.  This “right” has been given by the Constitution, not God.  There is simply no justification that I can find for anyone saying that we are obliged to vote.  God allows it but would not require it. 

And this is the most important part of this post.  If we are going to exercise our “right” to vote, then we better vote for that person that lines up mostly with the heart of God.  If we do not, then we will be held accountable for that vote. 

But as for the question I proposed, I do not believe a person of another faith, even if that person might not make it to eternity with us, cannot have a heart closer to God than someone who declares themselves Christian.  And surely they might be better able to run this country.  

And if you haven’t seen what I am implying yet, I am not sure we should even be concerned with voting.  And know that I expect to get some flak from this.

We have a King.  And instead of listening to Him and doing as He says we waste, yes waste, our time in all the intricacies of the political process. 

Just answer this.  Have you spent as much time talking about Jesus as you have talking about McCain or Obama?  Have you spent as much time reading the bible as you have reading the reports on either of the candidates?  Have you spent as much time seeking Truth as you have the latest sound bite or lie about any politician?

When God calls someone to do something, He knows they can get it done.  Not necessarily that they will.  There is no way in the corrupt system we have now in the US of A, that a politician can be Holy and be an effective leader of this nation at the same time.    Therefore I do not believe God is trying to put any of them in the position.  And He really does not have to. 

God anointed Saul as king.  He anointed David as king.  Then He anointed Jesus as King.  We do not need another. 

I wish these facts were not so.  I wish we could vote the right candidate in and all of the terrible things going on in this nation, which grieve and anger our Lord, would be made right.  But even more, I wish that we would try to start doing what He wants us to do.  Then we could change this nation.  It is never going to be up to the elected officials to bring about the Godly change we need.  It is going to be up to us. 

2Ch 7:14  if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

The people of God must do these things.  Not the House, or the Senate, or the Judiciary, or the President, but only the people of God.  We want to blame everybody but ourselves.  And like when God called all the people to clean themselves up and come up the mountain to meet Him, we want someone, maybe another Moses, to do it for us. 

God help us and have mercy on those we have failed to reach.

I love you all so very much

Tags: Believe, Bible, Eternity, God, Government, Grace, King, Kingdom, Knowledge, Love, Mercy, Perfect, Prayer, Value, Vote, Work

Joh 11:35  Jesus wept.

These are two words that have had a tremendous impact on me.  For the Son of God himself, to weep over something, over anything, has provided me with a lot of direction in my quest to know who He is.  To weep implies concern.  It implies compassion.  It implies true love. 

I never used to cry.  I just didn’t care enough about anyone else.  But I find myself tearing up now over some of the most unusual things.  Even though I am sometimes embarrassed and even wish this part of my growing compassion and love didn’t have to be, I am still thankful for this growth.  The ability to care for someone other than yourself hurts though.  If you don’t ever find yourself hurting for another, including even strangers, you might not be where Jesus wants you to be. 

I have been trying to figure out what exactly made Jesus weep at this point in the narrative for a while now.  I am pretty sure He weeps over quite a few of the things we do or fail to do.  But what happened in this story about Lazarus that had such an impact on Him that the Holy Spirit impressed it upon John to write this down in his gospel.

To find out why Jesus wept at this time we must look at the whole story behind it.  It started in John 11:1 when we find out that Lazarus is ill and Martha and Mary send for Jesus.  When He finds out He immediately lets everyone know that this illness will not lead to death but is to glorify God and Himself.  He waits a couple of days and then sets out to where His friends live.  The disciples are concerned and He lets them know that Lazarus has died so now it is time to go.  Why now?

Joh 11:14-15 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

Note the words that Jesus spoke.  Especially note the part that says, for your sake…so that you may believe.  They start out and the disciples still don’t get it, stating they might as well go and die also. 

Martha meets them and says she knows thing could have been different if Jesus had been there.  He tells her that Lazarus will rise (Joh 11:23) and she says she knows this.  He would rise in the resurrection.  Jesus lets her know that He is the resurrection and the life (Joh 11:25-26) and asks her, “Do you believe this?”

Martha says she does and goes and gets Mary.  When Mary comes to Jesus with others He sees that they are all weeping and then she tells Him basically the same thing that Martha had.  Then look at the next verse.

Joh 11:33  When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.

He was greatly troubled and then he asked about the tomb and that is when He wept.  Some who saw Him thought that He must have greatly loved Lazarus and some basically thought that He should have been there to save His friend.  Then we come to the real reason Jesus wept in the following verse.

Joh 11:40  Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

Jesus had began by telling the disciples that this was all for Gods glory.  Did they believe and rejoice?  Then He told Martha that her brother would be resurrected.  Did she run and proclaim the good news to her sister and the others?  Then when Mary and the others came, still weeping, He realized the truth of the whole matter.  They did not believe. 

They thought they knew Him.  They thought their confession of Him was complete.  They thought they believed Him.  But their hearts said otherwise.  He wept because even after all that He had shown them, they still did not believe and receive Him for who He was. 

Another time, in Luke 19:41, He wept over Jerusalem.  Again He was weeping because of their unbelief.  The very people He had come to save did not believe Him and receive Him.

In the state of unbelief, we all make Jesus weep.  He does not just weep when the lost reject Him.  Jesus weeps when we do not accept what He says.  When we do not understand that His way is the only way.  When we do not believe He will do as He said He would do. 

If we could come to a place where we truly believe, radically believe, everything He has said, we might just start something real.  Something that would have eternity changing impact. 

No matter what, the fact that He did and probably does, weep for us all, should tell us that He truly does love us.

Jesus wept.  Do you care?  Do you believe? 

Love you all 

Tags: Belief, Believe, Compassion, Eternity, Grief, Heaven, Jesus Christ, Love, Trust, Unbelief