Priorities and Stewardship
The priorities we give ourselves to now are already having an impact upon our future. I have heard regrets expressed like, “If only we would have saved ‘X’ amount of money each month instead of buying that timeshare, we would have enough for this major home repair we have had to borrow money for.” “If we would have spent more time with our son while he was growing up, maybe he wouldn’t have ended up in so much trouble.” Each of us can picture those scenarios in our minds and just what they might entail and the “if” in each example rings significantly. Stewardship of our person and of the present and future events of our lives, community and nation will not only have a resulting impact upon us but also upon many others, including family. A great deal of confusing events are going on in our nation presently and they are impacting our lives and loudly screaming for our attention and energy and finance. And yet… stewardship matters.
A King has stewards so He will have someone to act through for the needs of those in His domain and the advancement of that domain (Lk.12:42-48). The King’s stewards consider present actions for future benefit of the King and His Kingdom as well as the efficient present function of that Kingdom. 1Pe.1:13, TPT — “So then, prepare your hearts and minds for action! Stay alert and fix your hope firmly on the marvelous grace that is coming to you. For when Jesus Christ is unveiled, a greater measure of grace will be released to you.” Lk.12:35-36, TPT — “Be prepared for action at a moment’s notice. 36 Be like the servants who anticipate their master’s return from a wedding celebration. They are ready to unlock and open the door for him at a moment’s notice.”
Voting is a privilege of citizenship and a basic act of Christian stewardship. You make the choice: do you want America or non-America? After November 3, 2020 it will be one or the other.
TO VOTE OR NOT TO VOTE
by Jim Hodges
According to some recent research by George Barna, fewer evangelicals will vote in this presidential election than in 2012. Many citizens, including Christians, are disgruntled with the two candidates seeking the highest office in the land. Christians especially feel let down since there were several candidates running this election cycle who shared their values (for example: Huckabee, Walker, Carson, Cruz, Fiorina). The projection is many Christians will sit this one out and stay home on November 8.
With respect to those who claim that voting this time would be a violation of their conscience, I offer a perspective for their consideration. First of all, in most elections, our choice is to select the “lesser of two evils.” There are no perfect candidates. It seems there are few if any candidates in both political parties who put America first and their careers second.
Let me share a scenario which may help us in deciding to vote or not. If you could remove the two candidates who are seeking the presidency and not replace them with any new candidates, you would then have only thing to vote for, i.e., the platform of both the Republicans and the Democrats. Which one would you prefer? To me, the answer is clear! If you do not want to vote for the person, vote the platform.
If you have not read it yet, I strongly recommend going to www.dutchsheets.org and reading his article, “What Should Christians Consider When Deciding Whom To Vote For?”
In Philippians 3:20, the apostle writes: “For our citizenship is in heaven… .” Paul was a citizen of heaven and a citizen of Rome. Both gave him rights and responsibilities. Our citizenship in heaven in no way dismisses us from our responsibilities as citizens of our beloved nation. The word, citizenship, can be translated as “commonwealth” or “colony.” The root word in the original language is polis. The full word is polituma. The rudimentary application of this verse is: Heaven has policies and earth’s policies should align with them! Followers of Christ are called to “colonize” the earth with the policies of the Kingdom of God.
Advancing together,
Jim Hodges, Founder and President
Federation of Ministers and Churches International
www.fmci.org
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