Thirsty (Part I)

God designed the world including our bodies as illustrations of spiritual realities. One of those illustrations is our need for water. It is estimated that an average person cannot survive without water for more than 3 days. In our modern world, this is not a big deal to us because we have ease of access to water at anytime and anywhere. However, when we consider the ancient times and their challenge of attaining water, we find a different story.

In Biblical times, there was no plumbing, running water, faucets, showers, etc. No one sold bottled water. Most people used wells to get their water unless they were close to some body of water. Additionally, it would have been cumbersome to carry water back to the house since the primary mode of transportation would have been walking for most people,  All these factors amount to the fact, that water was not as easily available back then.

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When we look at the Bible in light of the scarcity and lack of accessibility of water, the scriptures about thirst take on a different level of significance. Thirst was an urgent need with the great possibility of not being readily available. That tells us that people had to be intentional about getting the water they needed on daily basis. If they were going a long distance, they had to plan their route to ensure access to water in hot and dry lands. Do we think about our spiritual lives with this sense of urgency and intentionality? 

Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:13-14

Jesus spoke to the woman at the well about her spiritual thirst. She was there every day drawing water from the well. Jesus gave her a clear picture of her physical need which was parallel to her spiritual need. She had tried to fill that need with various men in her life. Jesus was pointing out that those needs can drive us to the wrong wells on daily basis and quench our thirst only temporarily.

We all have physical and emotional needs, but food, relationships, or money cannot fully satisfy our aching hearts for love, understanding, and significance. Everywhere we turn, the natural wells eventually run dry and leave us feeling disappointed and dissatisfied. 

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional. 

Our Responsibility as Godly Voters (V)

As Godly voters, we should examine candidates’ position on public debt and their plan of action to tackle this huge problem. This is an important Biblical and practical issue. A governmental leader should be conservative in spending and aggressive in paying off the public debt. Just as parents are called to leave an inheritance for their children, we should hand over the wealth of our country as an inheritance to the next generation rather than burying them under our massive debt.

For the Lord your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you. Deuteronomy 15:6

Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender. Proverbs 22:7 (TLB)

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God told the Israelites that a sign of blessing was that they were going to be in a position to lend money but not borrow from other nations. Just as the above scriptures state, when a nation borrows it takes on the position of servitude and slavery to another nation. This is a dangerous position to be in. We owe money to nations who are not our friends nor our allies. Our governmental leaders need to be unyielding about reducing the public debt and not presume on a rosy future. Additionally, there are scriptures that tell us that it is wickedness not to pay off our debt (See Psalm 37:21).

Years ago when I taught Civics, under the categories of government spending, it showed that about 25% of the government income was spent on public debt and its interest. The current data, no longer addresses paying off the debt anymore; it only states that the government pays about 6% interest on public debt every year. In my opinion, our governmental leaders are trying to minimize the significance of the problem, and they have given up paying down the debt. They are just trying to keep their head above the ocean of debt!

When it comes to spending, Democrats and Republicans have been spending our money. They just choose to spend them in different areas. As Godly voters, we need to look for candidates who are not promising the world to people, but they are promising that they will leave this country in a better shape fiscally than they found it.

Every year the government has a deficit. That means they spend more than they bring in. If the government has not shown that they can live within their means, should we trust them with higher taxation and more borrowing powers? Let’s continue to pray for wisdom for our leaders as well as American people. We cannot afford to get derailed from important Biblical issues and jeopardize the future of our nation.

Our Responsibility as Godly Voters (IV)

As Godly voters we need to look for candidates whose stance on issues are in agreement with the Bible. Otherwise the solutions they come up with will not be good solutions addressing the root problems. In the last devotional, I shared about the problem of poverty, which impacts the children for the most part. Today, I would like to address one of the causes of poverty. 

Divorce a cause of poverty

Single family homes have a greater likelihood to live in poverty. According to povertyusa.org, 31% of single family homes with no husbands live in poverty. 50% of families become single family homes due to divorce.  While some divorces are justified, we cannot excuse 50% divorce rate that has impacted half of our families.

If we desire to reduce poverty in our nation, we should look at a large number of divorces happening in our society. The government regulates various areas of society such as prescription drugs, communications, commerce, pollution, etc. but when it comes to marriage we allow society to do as they wish regardless of its consequence to the children! If we believe that children are our future, then we should do what we can to support strong marriages. The church and the government should look for ways to assist those who are seeking help for their marriage. The government has waiting periods to purchase guns.  Maybe we should have waiting period for those who want to marry! If we desire to address the root issues of poverty, we need to help people develop stability in their marriages and families.

Unfortunately, marriage has become a political issue in our society because people think they can have an opinion about its definition. We need leaders who understand and believe the true idea of marriage and are not willing to cave in to the pressure of public opinion.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Genesis 2:24

“For the Lord God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one’s garment with violence,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously.” Malachi 2:16

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God defined marriage as one man and one woman. He also declared that He hated divorce. It is only the recent  “enlightened” leaders  who are trying to appease the masses with their newly found definition of marriage. Some of our talented lawmakers coined the term “no fault divorce” to excuse a failure of our society to look deeper within to our true sinful condition.  

We have reduced marriage to a feeling of love between two people who just want to be together. If a solid long lasting marriage could be achieved that simply, we would not have over 50% divorce rate in our nation. That should make any intelligent observer question the validity of the argument.

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

Our Responsibility as Godly Voters (Part III)

As a Godly voter, we can evaluate the candidates’ stance on certain issues and determine if it lines up with the Bible. 

Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:8-9

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The above scriptures are instructions from King Lemuel’s mother to her son.  She tells him that a king or a president has the responsibility and the privilege to be a spokesperson for those who don’t have a voice and no one cares about their well being. A king or a president is also to stand as the protector for people who are in danger. In addition, leaders should bring attention to the cause of the poor and the needy. 

From above scripture, we can glean  a few principles for our modern day leaders:

Protection of Life

The protection of human life in its every form is of critical importance for every healthy society. If we don’t value life in an unborn or an elderly, it will lessen the value of other types of individuals such as the retarded, the disabled, and the wounded war veterans. We need the protection of law for every stage of life regardless of age, race, ability, or productivity.

Plead the cause of Poor

For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. Matthew 26:11

Jesus told His disciples that the poor will always be with them. That tells me that while poverty is not a good thing, but because of sin in the world, it will always be around. We cannot eradicate poverty. Man-made programs that try to make things equal among all is not the solution to poverty. Many scriptures referencing the poor calls the individuals and society to do something but not necessarily the government. It wasn’t the government who made the Christians in the book of Acts to sell their possessions to help the poor. It came from their internal transformed lives in Christ rather than external coercion by government.

As God’s people, we should find ways to help the poor in our community instead of looking to government to provide all the answers to this issue. Additionally, not all poverty is equal. This issue is a complex matter with many causes. If we desire to address poverty effectively, we need to dig deeper. Many times, the largest victims of poverty are children because they don’t have any choice in the matter.

I will address one of the causes of poverty, which has become a political stance in the next devotional.

Our Responsibility as Godly Voters (Part II)

This is a continuation on the subject of our role as Godly voters when we don’t see candidates who seek God.

Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 1 Peter 2:13-14

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A governmental leader should clearly see the difference between “good” and “evil” and stand for what is true and just. We need individuals who are independent enough not to be pressured to take a politically correct stance. If citizens do right, they should be left alone, but if they do wrong, there should be no excuse for bad behavior regardless of faith, race, gender, position, or socioeconomic status.

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 2Corinthians 2:14

Internationally, our governmental leaders have similar responsibility when it comes to knowing good and evil. Our leaders should have no confusion about distinguishing our allies versus our enemies. The Bible is clear about not being equally yoked with unbelievers. In governmental context, we should not have close ties with those nations who don’t believe in our ideals of life and liberty. Those type of nations will not have America’s best interest at heart and certainly would not want to see us successful in achieving our ideals.

Moreover, as a beacon of hope around the world, how can America support nations who suppress their citizens or utilize their wealth to feed their system of oligarchy!? Our leaders should support and encourage those nations who value human dignity and choice, and promote similar values as our free democratic nation.

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional as we look at political issues from a Biblical worldview.

Our Responsibility as Godly Voters (part I)

One of my readers and friends made the following comment about my last devotional:

“If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask …. I want a leader that seeks God, not sure there’s any among the candidates in the running.”

This comment was in relation to the topic of “Qualities of a Godly Governmental leader”. I agree that it is a difficult election year, but we still have to sift through all the noise to come up with the best person for this important position.

When we can’t find a candidate who seeks God, there are a couple of things we can do. First and foremost, we should go to the Bible to remind ourselves about the Biblical role of civil government in people’s lives and our responsibility towards government.

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,  for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 1Timothy 2:1-3

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The scripture tells us to pray for those who are in authority and intercede on their behalf. This includes those we like, disagree with, or downright oppose. In recent years, it seems like Christians have joined one of two camps. The members of “involved camp”  are very informed about politics, which sometimes can lead them to become political, rude, and disrespectful. The members of  “uninvolved camp” desire to completely be oblivious and stay away from participating in their role as concerned voter. They believe since Jesus is the answer to everything, no need to stress or strive over politics. Regardless of the camp we are in, the Bible exhorts us to pray for our governmental leaders. 

According to the above scripture, the purpose of government is to allow peace (Shalom) to be present in order for people to feel safe and lead a quiet life. It is important for governmental leaders to understand their role as individuals who maintain peace and protection for all citizens and especially for those who are trying to live a Godly and reverent life.

Over the years, the government has taken on many roles and has tried to be the savior/answer to every ill in society. As a believer, we should be clear about the role of government, so we can eliminate non-essentials and focus on issues that the government should participate in. This can help clarify the best candidate for the position.

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional. 

Qualities of a Governmental Leader (Part III)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

One of the most important qualities of a leader is to fear the Lord. Good leaders know where their authority comes from, and they are not deceived about who is really in control. They realize that if it wasn’t for God, they would not even be in that position, so they care very much about what the Lord says in governmental matters.

Sadly, in this day and age, we are more impressed with leaders’ level of education or popularity rather than their level of wisdom. Candidates spend years getting prestigious education and raise millions of dollars funding their campaign, but they would not necessarily bow their knee, pray, and seek the Lord on matters of great importance.

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What if when a president or a presidential candidate gets asked a tough question, he/she responds by stating, ”This is a complicated matter. I need to ask the Lord and seek His wisdom on this issue.” This kind of statement would not be appealing to the masses, and neither would it make the candidate look strong and decisive.

We live in a pluralistic society where we don’t want to offend people with our beliefs. We don’t mind offending God who has given us this great nation and has abundantly blessed us with vast resources, but in the name of political correctness, we fear offending the voters.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5

The above scripture tells us that wisdom is available to those who ask. As a matter of fact, there is no reproach in asking, rather God is willing to give it generously to those who ask. The goal is not to create a theocracy but to include God in matters of great importance, and invite Him to direct and guide this amazing nation through uncharted territories. This nation will be successful when we return to the Lord and put Him at the center of our attention.  Governmental leaders should not fear the reproach of man but ask God for wisdom. 

Do our leaders recognize the hand of the Lord who allows them to get to their prestigious and powerful positions? Do they have the courage to acknowledge Him before people and show their faith as a lifestyle rather than a ceremonial event? 

Let’s pray for Godly leadership for our nation, and let’s pray for ourselves that we would evaluate leadership not based on our culture or worldview but God’s view of leadership.

 

 

Good Friday

I am going to pause from the topic of “Qualities of a Godly Governmental Leader ” to focus on this important day.

Today is a significant day in history; it marks the day that evil and good came to a head on crash! This is the day that all powers of hell broke loose, and the darkness took over the land. God removed His hand of grace and allowed sin to be seen for what it really is. Every form of decency and justice disappeared, and false accusation and betrayal became the prominent players in this cosmic conflict!

When Jesus and his disciples stepped into this Friday centuries ago, Good Friday was anything but good! Fear, trepidation, confusion, pain, rejection, distrust, denial, and betrayal all came together to create a very dark day. The Son of God took on the sin of humanity and exposed the depth of sin that lays doormat in each of us waiting for an opportune time.

And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15

Jesus prays in the garden Matthew 26:39-40
Jesus prays in the garden Matthew 26:39-40

This is the day that God reached into the depth of hell to take back the keys to the Kingdom of God, which the devil stole in the Garden of Eden. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus made the decision that He was willing to go to the cross in order to crush the devil once and for all, but before he could do that, he had to be willing to be crushed by the weight and the agony of sin.

Good Friday is only good because of the fruit it produced in the form of Jesus’ resurrection and redemption of humanity. There is no Easter without a dark Friday. It is only in retrospect that we call that first Friday, “good”. It is also in retrospect that we can look back at our lives and call something that was painful, hurtful, and unjust as good. We call it good because God’s mighty hand delivered us and brought us to a new place in our relationship to Him. He chose to love us, freed us from the bondage of sin, and brought us to a safe refuge in Him. 

Let’s celebrate this day with complete appreciation for Jesus’ love and sacrifice for us, and let us be encouraged that God always has the last say in His children’s lives. When we surrender ourselves to Him, He can bring about something powerful out of a painful season of our lives! Amen!

Photo attribution:

http://lavistachurchofchrist.org/Pictures/Standard%20Bible%20Story%20Readers,%20Book%20Six/target49.html

Qualities of a Governmental Leader (Part II)

But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; Exodus 18:21-22a

The above scripture highlights several characteristics that are important in Godly governmental leaders.

  • Capable: Leaders should have the ability/experience to do the job. They are not just spiritual people but are skilled as well. As believers, we should look for excellence in our leaders as it comes to their capability. We should also train up our children to be skilled in their work as Joseph and Daniel were in the Kings’ courts. Are we looking for leaders who are capable to take on the big responsibility of running our great nation?

  • Trustworthy:  Unfortunately, this is not an important criteria for leadership nowadays. However, as believers, we need to hold the plumb line and not ignore God’s standard. Leaders cannot have duplicity in their words and actions. They should be individuals who are trusted and respected by their spouse, their colleagues, and the public at large. Leaders should not have shady dealings or associations that could cast a shadow of doubt on their integrity.

    Unfortunately, in the political climate of our times, there is much mudslinging going on between presidential candidates. Then people feel the need to take a side with one of the candidates and attack the opposing one. As believers, we should not tolerate or excuse anyone’s shady dealings. That’s a character issue. Getting into the position should be secondary to the candidates’ moral integrity and character. 

  • Hate Dishonest gain: Another important character trait is that Godly leaders hate dishonest gain. If someone hates something, they will stay as far away from it as possible. They will not get close to the edge of a boundary to get tempted. They don’t partake in questionable activities that makes people wonder how they gained their wealth.

Our democratic type of system keep us immune from corrupt and autocratic leaders. However, our costly presidential campaigns, open the door to special interest groups to pour large sums of money in the political engine. Some of those donors are doing it in the hopes of legislations that will benefit their agendas. We need individuals in the legislative and executive branch who are willing to care about the will of God first and the will of the American people second.

I will share about one of the most important qualities of a Godly governmental leader in the next devotional. 

Qualities of a Governmental Leader (Part I)

I teach American Government to Seniors in high school, and we have many conversations about current presidential candidates, party debates, and the ongoing primaries happening right now. This week, I decided to slow down and help students examine what God says about character qualities of a governmental leader. The Bible has quite a few scriptures about leadership. 

Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth. Numbers 12:3

In his early years, Moses was an impatient and rough person, which led him to killing an Egyptian to defend an Israelite, but the Bible calls Moses the most humble man on the earth! God picked Moses and processed him for years before he was ready for the great responsibility of leading Israel out of bondage. Moses was eighty years old when he began his leadership role. Do we really think someone in his thirties or forties is processed enough to be ready for the huge task of presidency!?

The context of the above scripture was about Moses’ family criticizing him for marrying an Ethiopian woman. Moses did not defend himself but God did. God chose to defend Moses by rebuking his family for speaking negatively about this man. 

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                                                                                                 picture from thestoryofliberty.net

God is looking for humble leaders to take charge over a nation. A humble person doesn’t get offended easily and neither does he/she rush into judgment by attacking others. Moses patiently and humbly led the grumbling Israelites for forty years in the desert. However, the one time he disobeyed the Lord by hitting the rock rather than speaking to the rock, he was chastised by God for not representing Him properly before the people. Moses lost the chance to take the people to the Promised Land.

I wonder if our governmental leaders ask the question, “Is God pleased with how I represent Him before the people?” Could it be that our leaders have not had much success because their overall objective has been to represent their political party rather than the Lord?