Scripture: Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me…”
Thought for the Day: Recently a group of Christians wrote the following in regard to politics in the United States, and though I don’t usually venture down that road in my devotionals, I appreciated the reminder it provides.
Imperfect elections and flawed candidates often make for complicated and difficult choices for Christians…A significant mistake in American politics is the media’s continued identification of “evangelical” with mostly white, politically conservative, older men. We are not those evangelicals. The media’s narrow labels of our community perpetuate stereotypes, ignore our diversity, and fail to accurately represent views expressed by the full body of evangelical Christians.
We are Americans of African and European descent, Latino/a, Asian American, and Native American. We are women and men, as well as younger and older evangelical Christians. We come from a wide range of denominations, churches, and political orientations.
We believe in the unity of the body of Christ, but we acknowledge the diverse nature of a community whose faith is biblical and evangelical. And we are growing. Given the rich diversity within our unity, we call upon the political world to hear all our voices, and for the media to acknowledge that the evangelical community is quite diverse.
As evangelical Christians, we believe our hope and allegiance rests in the person of Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, and Lord of our lives. That is why no politician, party, movement, or nation can ever command our ultimate loyalty. As citizens both of the Kingdom of God and this world, we vote with humility, knowing that our favored candidates always fall short of biblical values. We recognize that despite our unity in Christ, we will inevitably disagree about which political stances come closest to the heart of God for our nation.
We believe that the centrality of Christ, the importance of both conversion and discipleship, the authority of the Scriptures, and the “good news” of the gospel, especially for the poor and vulnerable, should prevail over ideological politics…
Those are some pretty profound and challenging words. And for as Christians, we should acknowledge how easily we can lose sight of our faith in the world. Not that it is easy, but as the above statement reminds us: we vote with humility, knowing that our favored candidate always falls short of biblical values…just like we all do.
Prayer: Lord and Giver of Life, I desire to follow in your ways, yet the desire and doing come together less frequently than I’d like to admit. Help me; encourage me; pour your loving spirit into me. This is my request, O Lord and Giver of Life. Amen.
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