A not-so-political guide to the November election

This election season is turning out to be a doozy, isn't it? I make it a habit to not write or post about politics in a way that is confrontational or leaning towards the endorsement of a particular candidate, and this will be no different. Most people that I know and speak with are frustrated, and with good reason. Not once in my 46 years here on earth have I seen such an electorate so divided yet also so hesitant to cast a vote.

Many of my pastor buddies have turned to social media to express their views and distribute their advice and wisdom to those who would receive it. Honestly, I have more often been disappointed by what I have read than encouraged. It's very apparent that my evangelical friends are taking stances against both presidential candidates, and in doing so they are inviting some pretty ridiculous feedback from their parishioners who feel the need to comment while offering no real direction for them to take. When that happens, things just get down right silly.

A common belief that I see being proposed is that voting for a third-party candidate essentially means casting a vote against a better qualified candidate that actually has a chance to win. While I cannot debate the truth or error in this statement, I do want to point out how one person commented on that belief: "Just because you refuse to eat at McDonald's doesn't mean that Burger King gets your money." Clever, huh? The problem with this analogy is that there are hundreds of fast-food options out there, not just two or three. I may choose to eat at home, but someone is going to get my money, whether it is a grocery store or some other establishment. Besides, who we elect for President of the United States (POTUS) carries a lot more weight than where I choose to eat a greasy burger.

So where do I stand? Who will I vote for? I'm not going to tell you. But I do want to spend the rest of this post pointing you down a path that I hope that you will take however you choose to cast your ballot in November. Regardless of who is the next President of the United States there will be certain areas in your life that will always be true and cannot be taken away.

• If you are concerned about your rights to free speech being taken away, then you can still respect the rights of others in your life to speak freely, even if they disagree with you. 
• If you are worried that the POTUS will disregard even more the life of the unborn, that doesn't stop you from continuing to be an advocate for those who have no voice, does it?
• Think that the next POTUS will take away your guns and your right to protect yourself? Even if that does happen, that alone shouldn't keep you from loving your neighbor and looking out for each other.
• Concerned that the new POTUS will shut all the borders, prohibit immigration, and racism will now officially be institutional and rampant? Pretty sure the court systems won't allow that, but even if they did, isn't it on YOU how you view and treat your fellow man? Will YOU still choose to respect all people regardless of color, gender, and orientation in spite of what laws could possibly be passed?
• Can't believe that someone so immoral could actually hold the highest office in the land? This is nothing new. Don't look to the POTUS as your moral compass or to be a role model for your children. That is your job.

Long story short - the world is not going to end after Tuesday November 8, 2016, no matter who wins this election. Yes, things will change in America but they always do. New policies will be implemented and new policies will get shot down. Some of the changes that will take place in this country will delight some while at the same time infuriate others. That's just how it is.

I want what's best for America and so do you. For me, that means more Jesus, but we all know that on this next ballot the only names that appear will be those of mere mortals like you and me. That being the case, if you are a follower of Jesus then live like one. The government cannot pass legislation that can keep you from loving people, caring for the needy, honoring others, respecting peoples' rights, or standing up for what is just. Go out and vote and then do what you know that you must do to point others in the direction of our great God and His salvation which is only found in Jesus.  

Ain't that a shame? No, it really isn't.

Political correctness. Just uttering those words can elicit a visceral response in so many people. Depending on what your personal worldview is will determine how you define that term. Basically, if what you say, do, or believe does not line up with "the other side's" point of view, then you are politically incorrect. By that definition, we are all guilty.

Before you read any further, I need to let you know something: This is NOT a post about political correctness, politics, or anything that has happened in the news recently. I try really hard to limit my commentaries on those things because social media is a powder keg for so many issues. Plus, whenever you or I put our thoughts out there, there really are no buffers of protection or explanation to truly make it worthwhile. But this IS a post about people, people like you and me and how we've been made to believe that what we have either done in our past or the things we are currently involved in today are worthy of shame and self-hate.

You know what I'm talking about. Think back to a mistake that you've made in the past or to some bad decisions that continue to haunt your memory. When those events define who we are today, then we find ourselves living in a bubble of shame and self-hate, convinced that we are not worthy to move on with our lives because, well, we don't deserve to. 

If you are a follower of Jesus, then I think you're tracking with me by now. If you aren't, I still think this will make sense to you. You see, the battle against sin is real and serves as a constant reminder of our fallen nature. When Jesus came and bled and died, He did so to forgive us of our sins and to redeem us for God. That's great news! If you have placed your faith in Jesus then you are forgiven and free - free from guilt and shame from your past sins and mistakes. 

But for most of us, the reality of this good news is not enough to move us beyond the incredible essence of God's grace. We still feel guilty for our past sins and, to make matters worse, we still struggle with many of those sins today. Just because we have received forgiveness in Christ doesn't mean that the temptation to sin magically goes away. In fact, I believe that it actually gets magnified because we now know the devastating effects that sin has on our lives and our relationship with God.

So we hide, lie, embellish, and exaggerate about our sins. We don't want others to know that we are struggling because, well, we are followers of Jesus and we aren't supposed to do those things, right? Yet we DO still struggle with sins, those areas that we know are wrong and offensive not just to God but to the relationships we hold most dear here on earth. Sin always hurts - whether it is ourselves or the others around us. 

Because (most) Christians hold to a level of absolute truth, when others act in ways that we know run contrary to God's truth, it is so easy for us to point the finger of guilt at them and wag it in their faces. In doing so, many hope to bolster their grasp on truth and decency while clinging to a personal track record that they hope will prove them "safe." And for fellow believers who stumble and fall? Well, this is where the shame comes in. Instead of seeking forgiveness and accountability, it becomes far easier to beat themselves up over their sin to the point of doubting not only their salvation but also their ability to even receive God's love and forgiveness.

The apostle Paul was familiar with this struggle all too well. Romans chapter 7 is devoted to the struggle that he still waged against sin that continuted to plague his life. "For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate...For in my inner self I joyfully agree with God's law. But I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body." (Romans 7:15, 22-23) Translation: I know what's right but I struggle sometimes to do it and I hate it when that happens in my life.

Look, none of us want to be seen as failures, especially in our relationship with God. And when we do stumble and fall, it's so easy to beat ourselves up and create our own self-depreciating shaming culture. Do you know what that accomplishes? Nothing! I've never seen anyone grow in their relationship with God as a result of constantly beating themselves up over their past mistakes. 

What is the solution? Fight! Shame is not one of the weapons in God's arsenal. But grace is, and He has lavished His grace on us through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:7-8). This means that God's grace - His unconditional love and forgiveness - is greater than all of our sin. Yes, sin is real and it's ugly, but if you know Jesus as Lord and Savior then you also must understand that your forgiveness is complete. 

What about the constant struggle against sin? Again, fight! There is no magic pill to swallow that will make sin somehow less appealing when you become a Christian. In fact, because you now will be more aware of what sin is, it's draw may be even more appealing. So fight it! You have the ability to fight sin because the Holy Spirit, who lives within you, has given you that power. Paul also wrote in Philippians 3:12-14 that we are to press on in our effort to live lives pleasing to God. 

I talk to people all the time who are devastated over the sins in their lives. Some live in daily anguish and retreat to their own little prisons of self-punishment. Sadly, many Christians feed this notion into their heads, making them believe that they indeed need to punish themselves because of their failures. But last I checked, that punishment was already served. When Jesus hung on the cross, He died for sins once for all. It is finished. And no amount of shame or self-hate or punishment is going to add one measure to the forgiveness you have already received. So believe in your forgiveness and God's amazing grace and accept it, and then fight with all you've got against the sin that continues to pull you away from God. 

It isn't all apples and oranges after all

In the beginning of time, there was a garden (Genesis 3). In this garden lived a man and a woman, Adam and Eve, both of whom had been designated by God to tend the garden and all that was in it. All the fruits of their labor - which was really not labor at all - were to be enjoyed. All except for the fruit of one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The moment that they should choose to eat of it was the moment they would begin to die.

Life was utopia for Adam and Eve. They dwelt with God and enjoyed the bounty of His generosity. They were as free as two humans could be. There were no needs that they could possible have that God would fail to meet. They were naked but unashamed, for they were free of the stigma of being exposed. Their relationship with God was perfect and pure for nothing existed that had tarnished it. Yet.

One day, as Eve was tending the garden on her own, the enemy came to her clothed as a serpent. "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?'" and for the first time in history the seeds of doubt were sown into the human mind.

Eve knew God's command - Do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil - but the temptation that lay before her was great. The enemy did not appeal to her physical hunger, for she had more than enough food. Nor did he entice her with the best tasting of all fruits - everything in the garden would have pleased the palate. Instead, the enemy sought to hook Eve with the idea that eating the fruit would make her an equal with God, which proved to be a temptation too much for her to resist.

The rest of the story has a tragic ending. Eve did eat of the fruit and Adam followed right behind her. Sure, their eyes were opened, but not in the way in they anticipated. Instead, for the first time they realized guilt and shame, all because they willfully chose to betray God. At this moment in time, sin was born and death came to town.

When studying the story of Adam and Eve and their subsequent fall, many will say that it was pride or greed that led them to embrace sin that day. But more than that, the real enemy that squared off against Adam and Eve that day - and the primary enemy that we face every day - is the sin of idolatry.

You see, Eve and then Adam chose to push God off of the throne of their lives and chose to worship their own selfish desires instead.

That's what idolatry is. It's forcing God off of His throne in your heart and replacing Him with whatever else you foolishly believe will provide stability, joy, or purpose to your life. All sin is the sin of idolatry, for when we sin we are essentially looking at God and telling Him to step aside so that we can worship the desires of our own flesh.

Every single day, you and I are faced with the same challenge that began in that garden so long ago: Who or what will remain on the throne of our lives? When we seek after anything or anyone other than God, then we have abdicated His throne in favor of a false idol. Look, we may never say the words "God is not enough," but when we put some worthless idol in His place, that's exactly what we are telling Him.

The enemy will whisper in your ear, but he is incapable of making decision for you. May we all be satisfied with our limitations and relish in the fact that our God fills in all the gaps that we may have in our lives so that nothing we could choose could ever overtake what He gives.

Sometimes staying in the boat requires more faith

If you've only listened to Christian radio for 15 minutes in your entire life, you have undoubtedly heard the song by Casting Crowns entitle The voice of Truth:

 Oh what I would do to have the kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in, onto the crashing waves.

It is one of an encyclopedic number of songs that laud the faith that it must have taken for Peter to step out of the boat and walk on water toward Jesus when a storm was raging all around him. Sure, when he took his eyes off of Jesus, Peter began to sink but it was Jesus who gripped him by the hand and allowed him to stand in the midst of the storm. (Matthew 14:22-33)

Not only is this story recounted in music but I've also heard it preach countless times in sermons. If we could just have enough faith to get out of the boat and trust Jesus, our faith would be stronger and our lives would be richer.

So what about the other 11 guys that stayed in the boat? Were they just a bunch of weak dudes who could not trust Jesus enough? These guys really don't get a bad rap - they don't get much further treatment at all in Matthew's account. But in defense of them, I want to make a bold statement:

The 11 guys who stayed in the boat actually demonstrated more faith than Peter.

In order to show you why this is so, let's walk through the story together (Matthew 14:22-33). As our story begins, we see that Jesus sends His disciples ahead in the boat while He stays behind to send the crowds that He has just been teaching home. After some time in prayer, Jesus decides to go catch up with the guys by walking on the water. Sounds crazy to you and me but not for Jesus. At the same time, they were fighting a pretty big storm and the boat was being battered by the waves. Suddenly, they see someone walking on the water and they all freak out. I probably would too. They cry out in fear, "It's a ghost!" and I can imagine them trying their hardest to steer the boat in the other direction. 

What happens next is that Jesus steps in. He responds to their fearful cries with, "Have courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Jesus immediately identifies Himself to His disciples in the midst of the storm. You can relate to that, right? Right in the middle of all of the chaos that is your life, God reminds you that He is there and that you don't have to be afraid. This is really where the story should end but it's actually where Peter decides to veer a little off course.

You see, Peter's response wasn't, "Whew! I'm glad it was you, Jesus. You had me scared half to death!" Instead, here is what Peter said: "Lord, if it's You, command me to come to You on the water." In other words, Peter shouted back to Jesus the equivalent of "Prove it!"  What happens next is the substance for all of the songs that we sing and sermons that are written. Jesus invites Peter to walk on the water toward Him, which he does until he becomes scared again and begins to sink, only to have Jesus reach out to him to save him from drowning.

Do you see what has gone on thus far? We have Peter doubting Jesus not once but twice. Not only did he ask Jesus to prove that it was him but then he took his eyes off of Him while on the water and almost went under. 

And do you know where the other guys were? They were still in the boat. And they were there not because of a lack of faith but rather because of an abundance of it. They took Jesus at His word when He told them that is was Him and not a ghost. These 11 did not ask Jesus to prove anything. They took Him at His word.

Jesus' next words to Peter firm up this perspective. "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" Jesus says these words not to all 12 disciples but to Peter alone. That's because Peter was the one who demonstrated a lack of faith for not trusting to begin with.

Granted, Peter did show courage by walking on the water and trusting that He could just because Jesus had invited him to do so. That makes for better songs than singing about 11 guys just sitting in a boat. And I'm sure that some of the other 11 would have loved to have been able to do that as well. But what kept them in the boat was the same thing that took Peter lacked and cause him to step of out of the boat and almost under water: Faith. 

Kudos to Peter for walking on water. In that we have an amazing example of how God reaches down to rescue us in the midst of our mess. But mad props to the other 11 disciples for not having to test the waters to begin with because they took Jesus as His word. Sometimes it takes more faith to stay in the boat and trust that God has got you secure in the midst of the storm.

Taking food from the hungry

Not long ago I shared a conversation with a young man in high school who had lots of questions about God and faith. I mean some really, really good questions. He wanted to believe - he knew that there was more "out there" - but he wasn't buying into the picture that had been painted for him over the years. The whole "Everyone I know who claims to be a Christian is such a hypocrite" was in full display, and I was certainly sympathetic to his story. It's one we hear all too often and it makes it much more challenging to point others to the beauty and truth of Christ when all of His self-professed followers are acting like a bunch of boneheads.

But what struck me the most in our conversation - what left me scratching my head - was the treatment this young man said that he received whenever he expressed his doubts from other Christians that he was close to. They got angry with him. They became hostile towards him because he didn't believe like they did and it drove him father away.

I believe I'm gonna need a little bit of help understanding this approach to evangelism.

I've got a little bit of a confession to make. There were several years early in my ministry, years where I spent a lot of time in seminary classes having animated discussions with my classmates about all sorts of theological issues, that pointed me in a rather negative direction. I could call these my "zealous years" but perhaps they were more like my "arrogant years". I thought that I had figured it out all. In fact, I was convinced that I was right. About everything. As a result, my tolerance level for those who didn't believe or practice their faith in the same way that I did plummeted to dangerously low levels. The results of this were predictable: I became someone who was angry and hostile to others who did not follow Jesus.

I could totally understand where this young man was coming from because I had been one of those people that he was describing. Sure, I wanted people to know Jesus and love and serve Him all of their days, but my version of Christianity became more important than the Jesus who saves. And I'm not proud of that period of my life. I was coming into contact with people who were hungry for truth and purpose, people who were desperate for Jesus, but I was taking their food away because they didn't see things the same way that I do.

This is a huge problem in the church today. Give it any name you want - traditionalism, church politics, denominationalism, whatever - many believers are convinced that their way is the right way and all others be damned. And when that line of thinking takes root, the results are predictable. While we say that our goal is to draw men and women to Christ, what we are really doing is repelling those same people because of our arrogance and obstinance.

There really aren't a whole lot of arguments left to sift through when we talk about how to "do church the right way." Most people gravitate toward a style or methodology that caters to their own desires, and that's not always a bad thing. But the key that is often missing is Jesus. Yes, Jesus. A reading of the New Testament reveals to us a Jesus who hung His hat on the same message over and over again: repentance, faith, and love. Wash, rinse, repeat. Methodology took a back seat. Every word, every action was driven by these principles. It wasn't about whether your way or my way was better. There was only one way, and that way was Jesus. The one way is still Jesus.

I am grateful to say that my conversation with this young man led to him being convinced that Jesus is worth it. It wasn't really anything I said or didn't say but rather a realization on his part that Jesus died for him and wants a real, life changing relationship with him that knows no boundary or end. He still had lots of questions after we talked and prayed together, but his journey of faith with Christ has begun. And there was no anger or malice involved. The young man was simply hungry and was waiting for someone - anyone - to show him where he could get a bite to eat without being angry with him for having an appetite.

Uphill trusting

When I was in grade school my parents bought me and my brothers some thick plastic skateboards that we all called "banana boards" because that's pretty much what they were shaped like. These boards were indestructible and me and my brothers would ride them down our inclined street over and over again. Sometimes we would stand while riding them but I would usually sit on mine like I was driving a fast car. The feeling of cruising to the bottom was exhilarating, even a bit scary. It was so easy to just pull of my feet and let gravity speed me down that hill.

Of course, once the ride was over I found that it was a bit of a drag having to walk all the way back up the hill to the starting point. While the ride itself was awesome, it didn't last very long. The walk back up the hill felt like an eternity. But I knew that if I wanted to enjoy another ride, I needed to put in the work to make it happen.

Sometimes life feels much more like work than anything else. And let's face it, money is always an issue. You work really hard for what often seems like just a short-term benefit. There is great excitement to get that paycheck, yet when it's gone a few days later because you've had bills to pay and groceries to buy and debts to settle, the thrill is pretty much over. 

What do we do when we face those lean times, when what's coming in just isn't enough to balance out what we know needs to go out? Perhaps you've already been through financial courses and have a budget to keep you on target, yet life inevitably decides to throw a wrench in your plans and you find yourself wondering how you will pay next month's mortgage or car payment or how you will feed and clothe the kids. How will you make it?

You've got options. You can worry and scheme and plan and fret or you can trust God. Sounds like an incredibly Sunday school-ish type of plan, doesn't it. Yet this is exactly the prescription for our financial worries that Jesus Himself has given to us:

"This is why I tell you: Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than clothing?... So don't worry, saying, "What will we eat?" or "What will we drink?" or "What will we wear?"... But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you." (Matthew 6:25, 31, 33)

Jesus tells us, "Don't worry!" Why? Because worry accomplishes absolutely nothing. Instead, seek God with all your heart. Trust Him first, not as a last resort. Yes, work hard and do your best, but come to the understanding that it's not all about you nor is it up to you. Your provision is God's deal and He's pretty stinkin' good at it.

It's so easy to forget this when we are coasting downhill and life is good and the bank account is healthy. Yet we know that life usually tilts in the direction of the uphill walk, the grind that can wear you out and draw you into despair. In the good times and the tough, God is your provider. He isn't hands on only when you need Him. He's all the time. So seek after God - first and in all things - because His promises are always true. "And all these things - your basic needs - will be provided for you."

Worry sucks............the life out of you

Do you remember when you were a little kid, playing all day without a care in the world. At least that's how it seemed at the time, right? I can recall in the summers leaving my house in the morning with  my two brothers and playing in the neighborhood all day, only returning home when we heard my mom call us in for supper. I didn't have a care in the world. All of my food, medical care, clothing, and housing were provided for me and I never gave it a second thought. I was a kid with not a care or worry in the world.

Fast forward a few decades and that kid is but a distant memory. I'm now married with four children of my own, shouldering responsibilities that I never dreamed of having. Taxes, bills, medical costs, clothing, and don't even ask me how much we spend on groceries. All of these add up and at some point in life another more sinister concern likes to jump on top of the pile - worry. Simply put, worry sucks. It sucks the life right out of you.

There are all sorts of ways to describe what worry is, but a broad way to define it would be "an all-consuming disposition brought about by the panic of not having what you believe you truly need." Worry typically sprouts up unannounced like weeds in a garden and often hits with lightning-fast speed. Whether its presence is caused by financial concerns, job stress, health-related issues, or relational crises, worry is an equal opportunity parasite.

So how do we handle worry, especially when it's brought upon us by the most dire of circumstances? That all depends on who you listen to. Some will advise you to tackle your problem head on, taking the bull by the horns and punching worry right in the face. Others relate the presence of worry to trust issues, insisting that you give over your concerns to those who can help you through them. While there is some sound advice in both of these approaches, Jesus gives us specific words to live by in Matthew 5:25-34 when it comes to fighting battles with worry.

Jesus begins with a startlingly simple statement: Don't worry. That's easy for Him to say, right? After all, He is God. Yet Jesus is never one to leave us hanging. His rationale for urging us to divorce ourselves from worry is based upon obvious reasons that are all around us if we will take the time to see them. Birds are all over the place and they don't have the ability to make a living in order to put food on the table, yet God provides all of their needs in nature. Wildflowers in a field don't have the capacity to make their own clothes, but it turns out they don't need to do so - God clothes them in beautiful splendor.

So far, Jesus has pretty much covered the basics of food and clothing. Then He drops a bomb on us: "If God is so gracious and loving to provide the basic needs of even the smallest of His creation, don't you think He will take care of you? Why is your faith so small?"

Ouch.

Jesus associates worry with lack of faith, and when we find ourselves running on that treadmill of hopelessness then we are no different than those who have no faith in Jesus at all. Anyone can say "What will I eat and drink?" or "What will I wear?" Only those who trust in the Lord know where those answers come from.

It's not so much an issue of can God provide - most of us who know Him will readily agree that He can do all things. No, the point of contention for many of us is "WILL He provide?", and it is at this point when worry creeps in and begins to make its home in us.

Jesus then hammers His main idea home:

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. (Matthew 6:33)

Seek God first. Before you pick up the phone and call your friends to moan to them about how bad things are for you. Before you make a rash decision to run to the bank and sink yourself deeper in debt. Before you risk the health of your relationships by trying to take matters into your own hands. Before anything.

We seek God first not because we aren't capable of doing anything for ourselves but rather because we are so limited in what we can accomplish at all. God is limitless and is able to do all things. He is not subject to the curse of worry. We are. And do you notice what happens when we seek Him first in all things, trusting Him through the hard times all the way down to our basic necessities? He provides for us, all of our needs. Worry can't do that.

Jesus finishes His discourse with a brilliant word that serves to reinforce just why we can trust God today to provide for our needs:

Therefore don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34)

All worry can do is suck the joy out of your life. It is not productive, only destructive. When you find yourself in the midst of a worry pit step back for a moment, cry out to God, and give it Him. Trust Him with your needs. He is the only One who can give you complete joy and satisfaction in this world and beyond.