Christian Votes

I have been pondering the atmosphere among Christians over this election. Every believer I know has said they have prayed and sought God for who to cast their vote toward. This is very good. I am only slightly confused by the fact that we, as a body, are not all voting for the same things.

Why would God lead some to vote for (or against) one candidate and others to vote for (or against) the other? In my thinking, it seemed that my sisters and brothers in Christ were either not hearing from God, or that He was doing a mysterious mix-up letting us all know that we are not in charge. This intrigued me and so I asked God to enlighten me.

God's response to my inquiry was not a new one to me. He simply said He was more concerned with His relationship with His followers. Do we trust Him? Will we obey even if it seems so wrong? So, it seems to me that if we really are seeking God, trusting Him, and wanting to obey whatever He says, it is possible for it to be very different for each of us.

I believe God is getting His church ready for the days ahead when we must trust and obey without question. He knows our individual hearts. He knows how to test our commitment to follow Him, not our own understanding of Him. If we truly desire to trust in the Lord with all our hearts, lean not on our own understanding, acknowledge Him in all we do and let Him direct our paths, then we may mysteriously be called to do something we consider as going against our beliefs. (see Proverbs 3:5) Our faith must grow stronger. Our faith must stand on the solid rock, the one who created the earth and all that is in it.

The church has shown the world some ungodly things this election season as we accused and belittled our brothers and sisters for acting differently than what we think they should. God is more concerned about our relationship with Him and believing Him over all the voices in the world. It is up to us as individuals to check ourselves. We must sort out our own choices over our obedience to God. It is not for me to tell others what God has said to them.


Sovereign God, You are King over all. It is to You I submit. I trust You because You love perfectly. You keep all of your promises.I agree that it would be very difficult for me to vote for someone I believe is so far from You, but like Abraham who was called to sacrifice Issac, I want to obey in faith. I choose to believe that You will raise up the person we need at this time. I go to the polls today submitting my will to You. Help my faith to grow strong. Help me to be a light that shines for You and You alone. Help us all as Your church to bring love to the world. Let the world know we are Christians by our love! Amen

Eyes Wide Open

Blessings rain on us every day.

Today we had rain at our house. Yes, the wet kind, but also the blessing kind! It seems there is no end to the beauty, grace, surprise goodness, and joy that enter my world over and over. Each God-kissed drop of blessing is meant to be received with thanks.

I kiss God with my thanksgiving prayers and I remember the blessings of today and yesterday. Remembering blessings in gratefulness gives life to the trust seeds that I need to get me through the difficult days.

It is so easy for trust to grow like a garden and then slowly fade in the heat of the day. And so, my eyes and ears must be open wide to see and hear the blessings from above.

I need to trust.

I need to watch and listen for blessings.

I need to be filled with gratitude for them all.

Trustworthy, Faithful God, You are worthy of my praise and thanksgiving! You are good and shower me with blessings every day! I am blind and deaf to You unless You heal me and reveal Yourself to me! Thank You for the revealing of Yourself through Your Word and Your Holy Spirit in others. I want more of Your blessing kisses. I promise to learn to send gratitude kisses back!

Proverbs 22

Proverbs 22:9 "Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor."

I grew up in a family of seven children. Dad worked hard in the steel mill, and he provided for us although we were not wealthy. There were times, however, that the mill would go on strike and we were barely scraping by. It never stopped my Mom and Dad from inviting a surprise guest to join us for meals. I am not proud of the fact that silently I hoped the guests would decline the invitation so we could have our share. I was angry when they accepted.

My selfishness centered in my myopic vision. I saw the less than abundant table for so many of us, and saw not enough for me. I was not concerned for my brothers and sisters, though I should have been. I was totally selfish and felt horrible that I was so.

It took many years for me to get my vision corrected. It happened slowly over time. I began to be thankful for what I did have instead of seeing how little I had. Thanksgiving was my corrective lens that gave me a clearer picture of my blessings. I received blessings so that I could bless others! Sharing is a greater blessing besides!

I can be honest in saying that I still sometimes hold back out of selfish fear that I won't have what I need, or is it want? I have learned that I am changing and my failures can be forgiven. I only need to keep my thanksgiving lenses on everyday and all day to make a difference in my blessings.

Father, You are generous and giving even when it hurts. You are wise to command that we give. My life has not always seen or followed Your wisdom. Forgive me! Thank You for blessing me with the tools to learn this lesson. Thank You for teaching me to give thanks for the big and small, for the easy and for the very difficult things that come into my life. It is thanksgiving to You that helps me trust You. Keep working on my heart, o Lord. Remind me to be thankful especially when I don't feel grateful.

On the Brink

Picture this: You are standing on the edge of a cliff. The drop is far below your next step. You look out at the beautiful sky and the amazing landscape. You stand there quite still in apprehension of the possibility of falling over the edge. In fact you know that there is no going backwards. You can only step out and fly or fall. You are not in control, but you believe that the faith you carry with you will get you through.

I feel that way today. Today demands a step of faith. In truth every day demands it! I know that I cannot control the direction of my next step. I can only hold fast to my lifeline, my parachute, my kite, whatever God has prepared for my next journey. He is faithful. I can trust Him.

If my step begins a fall into a trial, I am sure My God is with me all the way and He will pull the rip cord at the right time for a safe landing. If my step is a leap of faith that finds wings to carry me upwards and on to an amazing journey, My God will be the "wind beneath my wings!" My part? "Trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not unto my own understanding. In all my ways acknowledge Him and He will direct my paths!" (Prov. 3:5-6)

There is amazing joy and a sense of being loved deeply when I rely on Him and His faithfulness. Today as I stand on the brink of something new, I can praise Him before my first step is made!

O, God of power and might! You are Faithful and true. You are just and righteous! You are the God in whom I trust! As I stand on the brink of my step of faith for today, I am apprehensive, not fearing that You will fail me, but that I might stand too long, or might falter in believing in Your goodness. Thank You for whispering encouragement, and declaring Your ever lasting love for me. Your word is my strength and shield. You are with me and I thank You for Your nearness. Lead me to You and Your heart! I love You, Lord!

Faithfulness

We must be faithful in our belief, while God is faithful in being believable!

There are times when our faith is tested. It is in those times that we must remain faithful to what we believe about God. For myself, I believe God is with me always. He is always Good and loving. His way is always right. I believe that I will someday see the blessing that comes from faithfully following Jesus even when I face trials and suffering.

God is believable! My faith remains in Him.

Faithful God, I trust in You alone! The world and all it contains will never be what I need but You are! I am determined to persevere and be faithful to the end because of who You are!

The Big O

My memory verse right now is John 14:21. "Anyone who has my commands and obeys them loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by My Father and I, too, will love him and show Myself to him." Did you catch the Big O word?

Obedience! This word conjures up images of disobedience or times when we have messed up, needed discipline, or were punished for a wrongdoing. Seldom do we look at obedience head on. Though we experience feelings of satisfaction, peace and joy when we obey, we will quickly forget and fall back into our selfish mindset that leads away from obedience.

Back to the verse. God says that if I obey Him it shows my love for Him. The Big O is my love given back to God.

Loving God, You loved me first, even before I ever thought of loving You. You are so Good and loving that to obey You shows my trust and complete surrender to You. That is Your picture of love. It is not hearts and flowers and love songs. It is the Big O. I confess that I struggle to obey sometimes. My love is not perfect, I fall short of loving You as You deserve. I do thank You, Lord, for loving me through my failures. Thank You for revealing Yourself to me so that I may want to obey.