GOVERNANCE IS A MESSY BUSINESS, BUT OUR RESPONSIBILITY

When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass sprout from the earth (II Samuel 23:3-4).

These verses in the King James Version were some of the lyrics to the song by Randal Thompson called, "The Last Words of David," a song which the select Northwest Iowa Chorus, of which I was a member, sang in concert more than forty years ago.  It was that song that led me to select the above text in the Revised Standard Version as the basis for my comments.

The election is finally here.  I would like to say that the campaigning will finally be over, but these days campaigning goes on for the full term.  Is there a perfect candidate?  No, but I do believe some are better that others.  In any case, when it comes to voting for a candidate, one votes for the lesser of two evils.  As James 2:10 reminds us, For whoever keeps the whole law, but has failed in one point has become guilty of all of it.  All of us are guilty.  The lesser of two evils is still evil, but providing the best governance possible for American citizens is the responsibility that God has placed on the shoulders of every voting-age citizen.

Romans 13:1 tells us, Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.  In the case of the United States of America, the governing authority instituted by God is the Constitution.  The Constitution expects the participation of the citizens of the USA in its governance.  God has not directly placed Obama in the presidency of the United States, it was people, acting as citizens under the constitution, that placed him there.  The character of the president is a reflection of the character of the citizens of the United States.  God has His finger in the authorship and the adoption of the U.S. Constitution.*  Our selection of the officials of governance are a reflection of our national character.

Actually, it is difficult for a citizen not to participate in government.  Some may say, "Don't blame me. I didn't vote."  However, the apathetic non vote is a vote for the most incompetent candidate, enabling him/her to gain office and bring hardship to the nation.  Not voting can also be an act of passive aggression, but it is pretty hard to quantify what the passivity means so little value can be drawn from it.  If one wants to have a voice, voting, and persuading as many others as possible to vote in the same way, is one of the ways to make it heard.

In America, God expects you to vote.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

*The Constitution reflects the Christian values of its authors, the vast majority of them being Christian.  Thus, the Constitution rules in the fear of God and is the rule of law.  Those government officials who shred the Constitution, who make unConstitutional law, are not legitimate officials, they have violated their oath to protect and defend the Constitution.  It is our duty as American citizens to use every legal means to remove them from office.