Survivor: America

At least three different people have written about the passage of the Bible in which the people of Israel ask for a king, in referring to Obama's election. For those of you unfamiliar with the story, I will briefly summarize it for you. For a period of time, the Israelite people lived in the Promised Land without a head of state. God was their King, His Law was the law of the land, and any disputes were decided by Godly judges. But the Israelites rejected God Himself and His Way and asked for a human king that they could lift up in comparison to the other nations. God gave them what they asked for and warned them that they would lose many of the rights and freedoms He Himself had given them because of their choice. In this way, the descent of the Israelite nation into war, sorrow, and slavery began.

While we don't really know what an Obama presidency will mean for America, many of us suspect that, like the Israelites, Americans may have wished themselves into further loss of freedom. So on this day, I would like to offer hope to those of us who believe in a greater Good, an ultimate Truth, and a better Way.

First of all, let us remember that while Israel's first king became utterly corrupt and fell into murderous paranoia, God then gave Israel a kingly beacon of light in David. Israel's second king, the "man after God's own heart," set the standard for Holy Worship that inspires us even today with hope and a revelation of God's nature unrivalled in the rest of Scripture. It was through the line of the man David, and because of his kingship, that Jesus our Christ is also called our King. God predicted the Israelite kingship in Deuteronomy 17:14-20, and we can be confident that this particular human failing was part of His plan to usher in the salvation of humankind.

Let us remember, "God removes kings and establishes kings." (Daniel 2:21) "For there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." (Romans 13:1) So, we should not fear because this is God's will for this country at this time. But how can a man who seems to oppose God in so many ways be God's chosen man? After all, this verse seems to suggest that people the likes of Adolf Hitler were "established by God." To this, I reply that the light shines brightest in the darkest of nights. History proves that human nature is to turn away from God to follow the path that is "right" in our own eyes. We now have heroes of the faith because they confronted horrifying evil. If God had not allowed darkness to come, would we have seen them at all?

My brothers and sisters, it is our turn. Does anyone doubt that we have experienced dark days? If this election teaches us one thing only, let it be that America is in great need of the Light. Americans are crying out for a Savior, and many believe that they have elected one. But we cannot legislate Faith or Truth. The way to combat the welfare state is to prove that freedom is better. We cannot prove this by argument; if past evidence were enough, Socialist principles would have died before now. We must prove this by changing lives. We must preach, teach, and live freedom. That is, we must preach, teach, and live Christ.

Barack Obama, while campaigning, appealed to Jesus' admonition to take care of the "least" of men; those sick and in prison. Jesus was not speaking to governmental leaders, but to His disciples (Matthew 24:3-25:46). Even those furthest from God recognize the beauty of Jesus' words. But only His Disciples, those who love God and keep His Commands, can bring Truth into the most wretched of lives. Only the love of God can transform the individual lives of Americans from hopeless desperation and dependency to Glorious Freedom and Hope.

In Matthew 28:18, Jesus instructs His Disciples to "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” The word in Greek that is translated "make disciples of" literally means "to instruct" or "to disciple." Jesus, here, is telling His Disciples to go and teach other people. His Disciples? My brothers and sisters, that's you and me. Our time has come and is now. Let us be like the heroes of the past, who were not afraid to give their lives in the service of others. We may not be called to die for our faith, as our brothers and sisters do in other countries, but we are called to give our lives as a "living sacrifice." To this purpose, I commit my life to be a "living sacrifice" to my countrymen. And I ask you, my fellow Christians, to join me in service to Americans; that the heroes of tomorrow may look back upon us, giving glory and honor to God, while telling their children of our exploits. May God bless America!

A note to my fellow native Louisianians: Ladies and Gentlemen, we who have lived through the runoff between notorious crook Edwin Edwards and Klan Grand Wizard David Duke and who breathed a sigh of relief when we got the crook, ought to be able to handle a Chicago politician with questionable connections. Obama would fit right into New Orleans politics. In fact, anyone who has halfway studied Louisiana history ought to be able to list off quite a few names of questionable characters in recent history, not to mention 20th Century Louisiana history. All humor aside, we should not lose sleep over what we fear. The light of God cannot be extinguished. "That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it." (John 1:5 )

Amen and Amen