5 Reminders For This Election

Here we go! Election season is in full swing. The conventions are coming. A lot of us are in mourning. Let me give you some brief reminders that may help us all get through the months ahead.•  Things have been worse. How would you have liked to live under Diocletian and know that being a Christian you’ll soon lose your job and possibly your life? Or maybe it would have been better in medieval Europe, where entire villages were drowned because they practiced baptism the way we do at The Bridge. Even in American history, things have been much worse. While we have had some great presidents with strong character and honorable lives, we’ve had some really raunchy ones too, guys who were antithetical to everything Christian.•  Things will be worse. This is not The Great Tribulation that Jesus spoke of. That day is yet to come. And those who are around then will be looking at these days as the good old days!•  God works in difficult times. The Old Testament was compiled during the Babylonian Captivity, and translated into Greek in the aftermath of the Alexandrian conquest. Jesus came as a Jew at a time when Israel was under heavy subjugation of Rome. During the 2nd-3rd century persecutions, Christianity spread like wildfire. A massive spiritual revival took place in America on the heels of the Civil War. The worst of times often turn out to be the best of times.•  There’s a big life outside of politics. You wouldn’t know it if you read or watch the news––it’s all the journalists can talk about. But there’s a lot more going on. Unplug for a bit, turn off cable news, and invest yourself in your wife and kids, your job, your church and ministry. Maybe use your political frustration to take a break and find out how blessed you really are. And along these lines I have learned that it is possible to thrive even during the worst of times. Focus on what God wants you to do right now and let him take care of the beef between Democrats and Republicans.•  Jesus first in everything, even political discourse. Don’t let your strong opinions turn you into a weak Christian. Honor God and love people, just like Jesus taught us, in every conversation, even the ones on FaceBook! Love your political enemies. If you handle yourself with humility and decency, you might discover that the other side has some reasonable points, and you might even discover that you're off with your thinking in some areas. You may learn something! But more important than that, if you keep Jesus at the center of every conversation, the most heated debates could turn hearts toward the only one who has the solution. Because our real need is reconciliation with God that only Jesus provides.