What if Donald Trump is elected as the next President of the United States?
What if Hillary Clinton is elected as the next President of the United States?
On November 8th I will go to the polls and vote, just as I always have since I came of age. Then I will be glad it’s over, this messy brawl of an American family feud that puts me in mind of the Hatfields and the McCoys. It seems a lot is at stake this time around. And so many issues seem in question regardless of the winner.
We’ll all be glad it’s over right? Thank heaven our hope lies outside of an elected official. I’m ever thankful for the “Hope of Nations,” Christ Jesus.
God said of Him:
18“Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
21In his name the nations will put their hope.” Matthew 12:18-21
If there is something good that comes out of this election, I hope it is the separation of Christian values from the illusion of big money and power. Somehow these two ideals have become mixed in a political party to the point some people think they are inseparable. They are not.
You see, Jesus humbled Himself (Phil 2:6-8), he became less, not more. In His kingdom the first will be last (Mark 10:31), and the greatest will serve (Matthew 23:11). I’m attracted to the humility of Jesus and the way He reached out to people who were different from Him. Instead of alienating people, He brought them in. Instead of isolating Himself from the hurting and those if ill-repute, he hung out with them, and sought to bring them to the Father. Jesus was uncompromising in his commitment to the Scriptures, yet uncompromising in His love. Jesus always sought out relationships across the aisle, for He knew that an encounter with God would result in a changed life and a changed identity.
In his second point of the study Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby reminds us that “God pursues a continuing love relationship with (us) that is real and personal.” Much like Jesus pursued tax collectors and sinners, God pursues lairs and cheats, addicts, and abusers. Why? so that by His power they can change. He wants to make us new. He wants to give us hope. And HE keeps his campaign promises, 100%.
Relationships change us, and the closer we get, the greater the change. A relationship with God fills us, and it gives us purpose. A relationship with God makes us more others-centered, and takes our eyes off ourselves. That’s counter-culture.
What if my life looked a lot more like Jesus and a lot less like our political candidates? What if I become centered on God’s purpose and on His plan for all eternity? What if I join what He is doing in the world? What if I value what He values (humility, serving, and putting others first)? What if I believe I am who He says I am? What if I place my priority on knowing Him better? I would be filled with hope for the future. I would know hope because I would know the Hope of the Nations, Jesus Christ. He is the hope that makes me stand secure. He is the reason I know this election, while very important, will not change my ultimate future. He is the reason for my purpose, my values, and my choices in relationships. He is the hope for us all. What if we all come to fully realize this? What if…?