As we move forward from this election, it can be easy to be lead astray and to let your emotions be riled up. Whether you are happy or frustrated by the election results, it should not matter. Our goal here on earth is to walk out our lives the best we can and follow the teachings and commandments set forth by God. Who is in charge at the White House should not change how you will live your life.
Fear: Don’t Give in to it
There are many on in our society who are spreading doom and gloom. They are saying the President-elect is going to change the face of the nation—a nationwide lock-down, mandatory vaccinations, changing the electoral college, etc., etc. This same fear happens every time anyone runs for office.
When President Trump was elected, we had people say he was going to give this nation over to big business. He was going to kick seniors out into the streets and take away their Medicare and social security. Did any of that happen. The answer is no.
When President Obama was elected, people were concerned he was going to take away tax breaks for personal retirement funds (i.e., make Roth IRAs taxable) and begin raiding personal retirement funds. We were told ObamaCare was going to be the end of our healthcare system. DId any of this happen? The answer is no.
Our government is extremely complex. For one person to change the entire landscape of our nation in four or eight years is not likely. You would need to have full control over the House, Senate and Supreme Court. But then, you also have the States’ sovereignty. Never forget federal government is limited. There are boundaries which the federal government cannot overstep.
Fear is the means by which the media and many companies profit. The more they scare you, the more likely you will stay home, order items online, watch television, etc. If you do not give in to fear and continue living your life as set out by the Bible, your emotions will not be affected by the fear mongers.
There is nothing more you can do
It is easy to be wrapped up in the emotions of the election and the results, but there is nothing more any of us can do. Everything is now in the hands of our elected officials and the court system. We can be worried or be stressed, but our emotions will not change the outcome of anything. The only thing we can do is continue living our lives, focusing on how to best serve our Creator.
If we wish things to be different, there are Congressional elections again in two years. In four years, we again have the right to vote for the President. Aside from the upcoming elections, our duty for this last election is over. It is time to move on and let the courts and the elected officials handed the rest.
Minor inconveniences
If things do change under this administration, and I guarantee things will change for better or for worse as they have with every person who has been elected to the office of the President, remember if you are not happy about them, in the scope of everything they are minor inconveniences. If the tax law changes requiring you to pay more taxes, will that make you lose your house and live on the streets begging for food? No. Will it leave you with less money to spend on luxuries such as going out to eat, going on vacation or buying a new car? Maybe.
We live in a very privileged society. We have free education available to everyone, high standards of living and luxuries which can only be dreamed of by the rest of the world.
In South Africa, the country is on the verge of bankruptcy. The government is out of control. Leaders are hungry for power and corruption. They are raiding the personal retirement funds of their citizens. The people cannot protest. Any objection to the government’s actions could mean you are arrested or more likely, executed. Crime is through the roof.
The images we see of certain cities such as Portland and NYC where crime is on the rise and it seems as though violence, vandalism and anarchy reign supreme, these extremes are only in certain sections of certain cities in a few states inside a massive nation. Now imagine the entire nation was like Portland where cars and buildings were burning, people were being shot and there was no law enforcement. People stole from individuals and robbed businesses. This is what the country of South Africa is like. There are no safe places. Everywhere it is a war zone. There is no peace. There is no police. There is no justice. It is every man for himself, but you cannot fight back or you will be arrested or killed by the government. These are real threats to their lives. These are real inconveniences. It is not about what car we can buy or which house should we live in. It is about where can I seek shelter and not be robbed, beaten or shot. Where can I find food? There is a constant threat to your life; there is a constant fight to stay alive.
The two extremes and flourishing under them both
We have many examples in the Bible of people living under oppressive regimes. Some of the governments had very lax laws and loose living. Some had very strict laws. Despite the circumstances, God’s people are able to flourish under them both.
Noah: Extreme liberal anything goes.
During Noah’s time, people had completely gone away from God. Shortly after God created Adam and Eve, men began profaning the name of the LORD. (Note what is translated as “to call upon the name of the LORD” is in Hebrew, “To call in a profane way (i.e., to make common) the name of the LORD.”)
25Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the LORD. (Genesis 4:25-26)
The people started making God’s name common; they stopped reverencing Him as holy. They were living life any way they wanted, ignoring the commands they had from God.
5Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. (Genesis 6:5-8)
Noah was surrounded by pure wickedness, but he remained true to God. Noah is the first person to find grace in the sight of the LORD. Noah is rewarded for his faithfulness by being commanded to build an ark. Noah’s righteousness saves not only himself, but seven other members of his family.
Noah had about as much free choice as anyone could imagine. He probably was ridiculed for not partaking in the wickedness around him. It was probably extremely hard to remain faithful to God when sin was all around him.
Many people believe if they have freedom and an abundance of it, it would be very easy to live a life of following God. As we can see from Noah’s life, when there are few if any rules governing a society, anarchy and wickedness reign. When sin surrounds you everywhere you go, it can almost be too much of a temptation to give in and sin. It is much harder to live a life of righteousness when sin abounds than to live a life of righteousness when oppressed.
Daniel: Extreme lock-downs and cruel government
In the story of Daniel, we have almost the exact opposite societal situation from that of Noah. The Babylonian and Persian governments were extremely brutal. They had strict laws which could not be changed once declared. The king had absolute power. The people were powerless to rise up and protest.
When Daniel is taken to Babylon, he and his friends are supposed to eat food and drink which has been sacrificed to idols. They do not want to defile themselves. Daniel is bold. He asks for special accommodation. Amazingly, God grants Daniel compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials.
8But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. 9Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials, 10and the commander of the officials said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the youths who are your own age? Then you would make me forfeit my head to the king.” 11But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12“Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13“Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.”
14So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days. 15At the end of ten days their appearance seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food. 16So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept giving them vegetables. (Daniel 1:8-16)
Daniel is bold. Daniel decides it is better to suffer consequences for following God than to submit to the king’s orders. God blesses Daniel and his friends for their faithfulness.
Daniel and his friends continue submitting to the oppressive government; however, when man’s law conflicts with God’s commands, Daniel and his friends risk death to follow God. And God delivers them from death. Examples include Daniel’s friends not being burned in the fiery furnace when they are commanded to bow down to a golden idol (Daniel chapter 3), and Daniel not being eaten by the lions when a decree is made to not pray to anyone but the king (Daniel chapter 6).
Worshiping God wherever you are
There was a Jewish man who was captured by the Russians and sent to Russian prison camps. Most people died in these camps. This man was sent from camp to camp. Each camp was progressively more and more brutal.
Finally, he was given his death sentence: he was sent to the northern regions of Siberia near the North Pole. The bright sun on the ice caused many people to go blind. The extreme isolation from the rest of the world caused many of the people to go mad. No one survived this place of extreme conditions. After serving 22 years in the various Russian camps, this Jewish man was set free.
The man flew to NYC to live with family and friends. When the man exited the car, he was singing a Jewish song as if he had just returned from a service at the synagogue. His family and friends were shocked. They asked the man, “Who can you be singing after spending 22 years in Russian prison camps!?” The man replied, “Well, nothing changed when I was in prison. In the morning, I said morning prayers. In the afternoon I said afternoon prayers. At night I said the shema. Just because my location was different did not mean I stopped worshiping God.”
Conclusion
This is what we must take away from everything. If policies change, if we become richer or poorer, if we must move to make ends meet, if we must change our daily lives in accordance with government policies, we can do all these things while still worshiping God.
The government does not affect our relationship with the Creator. The government does not affect our walk with the Creator.
We have the choice to keep on living for God or keep on living for ourselves. It is easy to live for God when our wallets are fat, our freedoms are vast, and peace and prosperity surround is. It is much more difficult to keep following our Maker when we are faced with uncertainty.
Many people want the Messiah to return tomorrow, but they forget the chaos which must first take place—wars, earthquakes, famines, etc. We want the utopian society without the suffering.
May continue to seek righteousness and only righteousness in the days, weeks and months to come.
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