Walking Worthy, even in Voting

As I celebrated Reformation Day with some fellow church family members, I began thinking as we spoke about a myriad of Reformers. We talked about their boldness in proclaiming the gospel, and I felt too timid. We spoke of the volume of Scripture they had memorized, and I felt inadequate. We spoke about the sacrifices they made to better our lives, and I felt blessed.

The more I considered these great men of the Reformation, the more I began to think about the conversation I had recently with a fellow Christian. She felt that you should look to Christ for an example and looking anywhere else was problematic. Coming out of the Reformation, where worshiping others was somewhat normal, I see the point.

By the same token, extrapolating from that situation that judging someone else is stepping out of bounds and indicates that you are being haughty or self-righteous is just not correct. I seem to hear a similar sentiment often these days. And while I wholeheartedly agree that we should always be looking to point others to Christ, I disagree with the point that we should point people away from us.

The apostle Paul says that we should do the things we see him doing. We should live our lives in such a way where we feel comfortable telling people that they need to emulate us. Doubtlessly we will make mistakes and we must be aware of our own depravity, but living a life that mirrors what God wants should be the major part of our reputation. And we shouldn't be ashamed to have people watching us.

It is a balancing act, to be sure. It reminds me of something else we need to balance—political elections. We need to be concerned with elections. In four days there are a series of elections, which I think are very important. And if you want to know how you should vote, I’ll be happy to tell you. Voting is a privilege not to be taken for granted. Those of us who reap the benefits of living in a republic should play a part in upholding said republic. Voting is part of our stewardship to use all the resources we have been given in ways that honor God; to waste a vote is to squander a gift over which we should be stewards.

On the other hand, to think that we are in control of the world, merely because we vote is a mistake. As Joe pointed out earlier this week, we have a way of turning things into gods. When we think we are in control, we tend to put faith in our ability. Maybe we can convince enough people to vote the correct way, so that we may experience better life. While noble, the reality is that we are failing (whether we "win" or "lose") because we are putting our trust in our own strength.

Finding that proper balance can be exceedingly difficult. Fortunately, I know that I can trust in God. I know that He is working to change me so that my actions and my voting mirror Him. Most of all, that I recognize that He is in control, no matter how messed up I feel things are, is important. Perhaps one day we can, as Joseph did, say that the things which were meant for our destruction were ultimately used for God's benefit.