THE HE MAN WOMAN HATER’S CLUB

This was the club started by the well known boys of the classic children’s TV series called Little Rascals.  Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat and the rest established this club.

If you liked girls you were postively excluded from the club.  If you did not like girls, then you were absolutely included.  It was an exclusive inclusion for this boys club.

Just like the Little Rascals, there are many things out there that are exclusive to the wrong qualifications, and completely inclusive to those with the proper standing.

In John 14 Jesus made a positively exclusive – inclusive statement.  As He claimed the title of “Way, Truth and Life,” He finished the statement with this observation:  “No one comes to the Father except through me.”  In other words, Jesus said that people who come through Him are absolutely included in a relationship with the Father.  All those who do not God through Christ are absolutely excluded.

This is an absolute statement of inclusion and exclusion that Jesus makes.  It is an absolute exlusion in that NO ONE who does not trust Christ will go to heaven.  It is an absolute inclusion in that EVERYONE who trusts Christ will spend eternity with the Father.  It is an ALL or NOTHING reality. 

As you speak to others about Christ, make no mistake about it, there is no middle ground.  Christ Himself is exclusively inclusive.

Recently I came across a wonderful article examining just how much the new Emergent Church is really like the Ancient Church.  If you are not familiar with the term “emergent church” then know it is a new spin on old liberalism where the centrality of proclaiming the Scriptures tends to be marginalized…among other things.  Or, as one Bible author put it, “Emergent church is old liberalism with cool hair and clothes.”

The emergent church often claims that it is getting back to the worship of the ancient church.  My answer is “Really…?”  The following article from Shepherd’s Fellowship is reproduced in its entirety.  Take a look at it and see just how much the emergent church is like the ancient church…

One Wednesday morning, a couple of weeks ago, I arrived at the office early in the morning and began my studies.  After an hour or so, my back felt a little stiff, so I stood up to stretch.  As I did, a pain shot through my lower, right back that took me to my knees.  In fact, it was so painful it almost took my breath away.  I alternated studying and laying on the ground for a while as my back continued to hurt.

I had a raquetball game planned for around lunch, and I thought that exercise might loosen those aching back muscles.  Yes…I know…I know, how dumb is that.  Needless to say, I ended up in a fetal position on the raquetball court with my partner helping me up.  Elissa came to that location and took me straight to the doctor.  I ended up on my back for two days with severe back pain.

Interestingly enough, I’ve never really had back problems before.  Wonder why it would begin to bother me now?  Surely it couldn’t be that I am just a whisker away from one of those birthdays that begins with “4″ ends in “0″…could it…? Maybe…maybe not.

If I had any doubt about the birthday question, it was probably answered yesterday.  Elissa and I had a nice Labor Day lunch out together.  As we left the restaurant, I decided to put a quarter in the gum machine (normally my five year old lets me know that the future of her life depends on whether or now she gets gum from those machines…) and get 72 pieces of that little square gum (maybe not quite that many, but it takes almost that much to even get a good wad of gum in your mouth).  You know…the kind of gum that dentists recommend (…NOT!!).  Normally, that kind of gum crunches when you first chew it.  Gum really ought never crunch.

As I chewed it a few minutes, I realized that something was not right.  As I investigated, I realized that a tooth on my top right gum had cracked off.  A significant portion of my tooth was now in my gum (…TMI..??).  As I write this article, I am waiting on a call from my dentist for an emergency appointment.

How has all of this happened to me.  I am living life, minding my own business…and…BAM!!…I start having these issues that some would suggest relate to the aging process.  That reminds me of Genesis 2:17 as God tells Adam, “but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” 

God was laying down the principle of obedience to Adam.  The problem with this tree was not that its expiration date had passed, but that God had simply said NOT to eat of it.  Later, in Genesis 3:6, we read “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.  She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” 

One reads this passage and says, wait…these two did not immediately die as God had said.  And, while humans did not immediately did, the reality is that man and woman began the process of dying as sin entered the world.  Sin has caused separation from God, brokenness of relationships, and damage of humanity.  In addition, sin has caused mankind to experience the deterioration of these physical bodies.  That’s right.  In the perfect garden, human bodies were bullet proof and unbreakable.  Sin was the one element that would plunge us into destruction…spiritually and physically. 

So, as my tooth broke and my back ached, the thought entered my mind, “Sin is still destroying lives as it has my physical body.”  And…thank God I will receive a resurrected body one day.  Yet, there are so many around me who are devastated physically and spiritually. Am I as concerned about their spiritual condition as I am my physical? 

Too often our prayer lists are more concerned with the hospital roll than a roll of unredeemed people in need of a Savior.  By God’s grace, I pray that we would be reminded — as our teeth break and our backs ache — that physical ailments are only a small reminder that men and women desperately need a Savior.

Last night at church I locked our keys in the car.  I thought I’d given them to Elissa, but they slid down onto the seat and were locked in.  After Bible study, we proceeded out to the car to attempt to break in (which we did very effectively). 

As we reached the slim, metal bar down into the window area to try to pull the door handle, my partner in crime (whose shall remain nameless, but whose initials are Mike Winfree) asked this question, “Is this door handle open at the bottom, or is it solid?”  If it was open, then it would be easy to slip a loop around it and pull it in order to open the door and unlock the latch.  As I pondered on that question, I realized that I had no idea whether or not the door handle was open or closed at the bottom. 

Just about everyday of my life I get in and out of those car doors.  I pull those door handles probably 100 times a week.  And, yet, I could not remember exactly how the handle was shaped.  Go figure…?  Something like a door handle is so familiar, and yet there was this element of it I could not identify.

Has that ever happened to you?  You are very familiar with something, and yet you cannot answer a simple question about it.  You are so familiar with a room that you cannot even remember the picture that hangs over near the corner.  You are so familiar with the road home that you never noticed a beautiful group of flowers that grow by right beside it. 

Not only did that familiarity gap happen to me last night with my car, it also happened to me yesterday with God’s Word.  I am teaching through a series called “Wise Guys:  The Power of Proverbs.”  In that series, we covered a major section of Proverbs 1 last night.  And…lo and behold, as I studied that passage, it stood out to me that the plan of salvation is right there in Proverbs 1:20-33.  Yes…that’s right…the Romans Road ain’t the only road in God’s Word to lead someone to Christ.

You see, Proverbs 1:20-33 is all about the call of the lady named wisdom.  And, it seems, that the only way to wisdom is in a relationship with God (Proverbs 1:7).  In addition, repeatedly in Proverbs wisdom is referred to in ways that are synonymous with Jesus Christ (see Proverbs 8:22-31 for starters).  With all this in mind, it is not a long stretch at all to say that knowing Christ is gaining the access to know wisdom.  And, knowing wisdom means that I have come to know Christ.

That brings me to my point:  IF YOU WANT, YOU CAN TAKE PROVERBS 1:20-33 AND LEAD SOMEONE TO CHRIST JUST AS EASILY AS WITH THE ROMANS ROAD).  Let me explain.

Proverbs 1:7:  Knowing Christ is where knowing wisdom really begins.  Without knowing Christ, you cannot know    God.  Without knowing God, you cannot know true, divine wisdom.

Proverbs 1:20-21:  God makes wisdom accessible and available to all who would listen. 

Proverbs 1:22:  Ignoring divine wisdom is ignoring God.  People ignore God because they think they are in a better position without Him.  They think they have more delight in their condition without God.

Proverbs 1:23-27:  Refusing to turn to God is refusing His wisdom.  Refusing His wisdom means that one day your condition will be made known and you will realize the foolishness of ignoring God’s wisdom.

Proverbs 1:28-32:  There will be a day, if you refuse to turn to Christ, that you will have no more opportunity.  In that day it will be too late.

Proverbs 1:33:  If you will turn to Christ – and wisdom – today, you can be assured of eternal security with Him.

BIG RED.

I found out recently that BIG RED is the affectionate name my local automotive repair shop owner has for my truck.  I drive a 1995 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with a 350 engine (no I’m not on Al Gore’s mailing list for friends of the environment) and a 5 speed transmission.  It is an extended cab, so there is a small seat in the back.  That truck is 14 years old.  The odometer says 169,000 miles, but I’m not buying it.  It is probably more like 200,000 miles.

In the last couple of years I have put a new engine, new air conditioning, new clutch, new power steering pump, three serpentine belts, new ignition switch, and new exhaust pipe brackets just to name a few.  One might say that is is a testimony to the greatness of the repair people that the truck is still running well.  Or…if you are a Chevrolet guy, then maybe it is a testimony to the manufacturer that I am still driving that truck.  Either way, it is probably not as much a testimony to BIG RED as it is the people who have a hand in keeping BIG RED running.

Recently, I was thinking about how much like BIG RED I am.  It does not take long for me to begin to realize all the shortcomings I have.  I do not always have the best foresight.  I do not always have the greatest sensitivity for my wife.  I do not always have the best insight into the nitty gritty details of an operation.  Too often I forget things that I should remember.  Too many times I do not see typos or flaws that I should notice in my work.  The list could go on, and on, and on, and on…but I think I’d rather stop. 

Here’s the point.  In spite of these shortcomings that rival BIG RED’s, God actually calls me and uses me as a husband, father, and undershepherd of the church for which He died.  CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?  Yeah…don’t tell my church members how many shortcomings I have.  They would probably be alarmed when they realize that, at times, their pastor seems to have more flaws than he does strengths. 

Yet, the fact that God is using me as His undershepherd over his church is not a testimony to me or anyone else.  It is a testimony to HIS greatness.  The more I am confronted with my weakness, the more I fall on my knees and praise God Almighty for His greatness.  The more I see my flaws, then the more I see God’s power.  The more I see my shortcomings, then the more I see God’s infinite wisdom.

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit — the Godhead Trinity — is at work on, in, and through me.  God spoke to Paul and said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”(2Cor. 12:9a)  In turn, Paul responded, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2Cor. 12:9b)

Paul was actually responding to his shortcomings by seeing God’s greatness more.  My shortcomings scream of God’s mercy.  My shortcomings scream of God’s power.  My flaws testify to the very greatness of God.  Just as BIG RED is a rolling advertisement for the automotive repair shop, my life is an advertisement for A VERY GREAT GOD!

Here’s my question:  Every human being has flaws, but have you allowed Christ to take over your life and use your flawed life for His glory?  There is no shortage of human imperfections…including yours.  However, have you given your flawed, imperfect, fallen short life to Christ Jesus where his sacrificial death for you offers you a way to one day experience a glorified and perfect body?

You see, the greatness of my life is directly proportionate to the greatness of God.  Without His greatness I have none.  Without His goodness I have none.  And…without His strength, I am just another incredibly weak and flawed human.  Have you allowed your flawed life to become a testimony to Christ?

“Mary, Mary quite contrary

“How does your garden grow?

“With silver bells, and cockle shells

“And pretty maids all in a row.”

This ancient nursery rhyme is disputed as to its origins.  Many believe it is a question asked of Queen Mary I of Scotland.  This, according to some, is a nursery rhyme regarding how Mary would help her kingdom to grow in the midst of her often married, childless and dysfunctional reign.

But, what if the rhyme were changed to be questions asked of the church?  What if it were to say…

“Christian, Christian quite converted

“How does the Garden of Christ grow…?”

I know, it may sound a little strange.  But, in 1Corinthians Paul refers to the church as God’s field or garden.  How does the church really grow and flourish?  How does any local church – or the church universal – grow to God’s glory?    How does its growth take place? 

Consider this quote from the great Charles Spurgeon:

“…let me beg you to remember that Jesus Christ is still alive.  Simple as that truth is, you need to be reminded of it.  We very often estimate the power of the church by looking to her ministers, her ordinances, and her members.  However, the power of the church does not lie there; it lies in the Holy Spirit and in an ever living Savior.  Jesus Christ died, that is true, but He lives again, and we may come to Him today just as that anxious father did in the days when our Lord was on earth.  It is said that miracles have ceased.  Natural miracles may have, but spiritual miracles have not.  We do not have the power to work either kind.  Christ has the power to work any kind of miracle, and His is still willing and able to work spiritual miracles in the midst of His church.   I delight to think of my Lord as a living Christ with whom I can speak and discuss every situation that occurs in my ministry, a living Helper to whom I may bring every difficulty that occurs in my own soul and in the souls of others.  Do not think that He is dead and buried!  Do not seek Him among the dead!  Jesus lives and is as able to deal with these cases of distress and sorrow as when He was here below.”

So then…the question:  Christian,Christian how does your church grow?

The answer:  I have no power to make it grow, but the living, resurrected Jesus Christ can – and will - do it through His people.  If we want a church to grow, it will happen by the living power of Christ!

Those Deviled Eggs

I once came across some interesting facts regarding the Easter egg.  It seems that the tradition of exchanging eggs came from other early cultures.  Many early civilizations, including the Egyptians, Romans, Chinese and Persians had rituals involving eggs. 

            When the gospel expanded throughout the world, the Church used these opportunities to convert not only people, but their way of thinking also.  The church took the practices of their everyday culture and transformed them into symbols of their new-found faith in Christ.  The egg became the natural symbol of the new birth that comes through the resurrection of Christ.

            Many legends developed throughout the centuries that tied eggs directly to the story of Christ’s resurrection.   One story says that Simon of Cyrene was an egg merchant and upon returning from the crucifixion, he discovered that all his hens’ eggs had turned a rainbow of colors.  While this is a far from fact, it is a fun legend to tell.

Another tradition says that one of the apostles was telling a woman about the resurrection.  Not believing him, she looked down at her apron which was filled with eggs, and said, “If these eggs turn red, I will believe.”  They immediately turned blood red.  Legend has it that this final story began the Christian practice of coloring eggs (particularly red) at Easter.   

So what does this mean?  Should we color and exchange eggs at Easter?  What do the Scriptures say about Easter eggs?  Quite frankly, the Bible says nothing at all about Easter eggs, but it does speak to matters of idolatry, paganism, and false worship.  It seems that some, because the coloring of eggs was a practice used in pagan cultures in the past, believe that egg dying and egg hiding is wrong to do now.

            So, that is the question.  Does a dyed and hidden Easter egg represent idolatry because pagans did it long ago?  In the New Testament the Corinthian church was having trouble with what to do about the meat that had been sacrificed to idols.  The pagan temples, after sacrificing animals, would turn around and sell the leftover meat in the marketplace.  It was good meat (remember, they did not have the local grocery meat department), but some Christians felt it had been defiled because of the pagan worship.  Should they eat it or not? 

            In 1Corinthians 8:4 the Apostle Paul says, “…we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.”  His point was that, while the meat had been sacrificed to idols, the idols were really nothing – and certainly they were not true gods.  In fact, there is only ONE GOD.  His conclusion is found in 1Corinthians 8:8.  He says, “…food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.”  His point was that some ridiculous observance to some false god did not make the meat – which had been created by God – violated or bad.

            Certainly, clear immoral acts such as adultery, sexual immorality, lewdness, foul language, and dishonesty are sin.  But dying and hunting Easter eggs in the context of family, friends, and fellowship is not sin.  If one is dying and hunting eggs with the express purpose of pagan worship, IT IS CERTAINLY WRONG!  However, if one is simply celebrating the resurrection of Christ and the Easter season with God centered and family centered celebrations that happen to involved eggs – to God be the glory!   Or…as the Greeks say – “Christos Anesti!”     “Christ is Risen!”

The difference between a preacher and a prostitute is simply in the way they dress…right?  No…?

Well…the difference between a preacher and prostitute is their friends…right?  Sure…!  Their friends have to be the main difference!  But…you say NO…that’s not the difference. 

OK…OK…!  Let me try one more time.

The difference between a preacher and a prostitute is the side of town they live on.  After all, the preacher is a distinguished member of the community.  He lives on the “good” side of town where respectable people live.  The prostitute, on the other hand, lives on the “wrong” side of town.  So…surely geographical location MUST be the difference between a preacher and a prostitute.  But…the answer is still a resounding NO!!

What is the difference?  Let me explain with a story.

Imagine a young girl entering the drug culture in highschool.  She is incredibly gifted, creative, and personable.  At one point, after she graduates high school, she is offered a job in her industry to travel — as a single young woman — all over the country as a representative.  At that point, she is fairly deep into dependency on heroine and can not maintain the discipline to travel on a schedule that way.

She attempts, for years, to get cleaned up.  She suddenly leaves her hometown, because of an arrest warrant out on her.   It is all about the substance at that point, and she will do most ANYTHING to get the money to buy the drugs.  There are times where she may even prostitute herself to get money for the drugs.

Years later the warrant is dropped, but the damage has been done in her hometown.  She can never return there.

Some years later she is married, and it seems, getting her life straight.  But, it is just a façade. 

She has several precious children and, all the while, she continues battling a heroine addiction.  It s an unstoppable demon to her.

After two decades of this life, when it finally seems she is getting herself cleaned up, doctors find a terminal illness.  In six months she is dead.  People have spoken to her about Christ, salvation, and eternal life, yet no one really knows if she ever fully embraced it. 

The life of the young woman just described seems a million years and miles away from a preacher who preaches the Gospel, has a wife who loves him, children who are great, and a church full of people who love him.  Yet, in reality, the difference between the prostitute and the preacher is not what you may think.

In fact, the preacher and prostitute could even be related.  They could be blood relatives…brother and sister.  So, what is the difference?

Here is the difference.  One day, as a young boy, the future preacher’s friend invits him to a youth lock-in.  From that lock-in, the young boy (who will be the preacher) attends Sunday school.  In that class, he learns what it means to be born again and is embraced in a group where he fiddles around with the things of God through junior high and high school.  Later on, in that youth group there is a youth pastor who presses the boy about his salvation.  Finally, the boy is gloriously saved by God’s grace as a teenager. 

There it is.  There is the difference.  There is no difference between a preacher and a prostitute except for the Grace of God.

Here is the question:  What would have happened to the prostitute if, when she was 19, 20, or 21, in some apartments she was living in, some crazy lady started a Bible study where many older teens, college aged students, and young singles showed up?  What would have happened if she found her way into that Bible study with all her addictions and rough friends with piercings, tattoos, smelly odors, and crazy hairdos?  And, what if she found herself accepted and loved in that Bible study to the point where she was saved?  Could it have radically changed her life?  Would she have flourished in the industry that offered her that great job?  Would her precious children have avoided much pain?  Only God knows. 

But…I know this.  There is only one difference between a preacher and a prostitute.  THAT DIFFERENCE?  God’s Grace. 

Who knows how many families, children, marriages, businesses, communities, and lives are being saved because some off beat, tattooed, non-traditional young people come in to churches, Bible studies or Sunday schools.  In that context, they sense the love of God and come to Christ because of it. 

If you are reading this blog, I cannot begin to explain to you how badly I want to see God move in this area, this city, this county, and this region and see a work of His done.  I do not care what the people look like, smell like, talk like, dress like, or wear their hair like.  Once they get saved, and begin walking with God, we will have an opportunity to mentor and teach them about what it means to God — in life, business, and career — to have discretion and modesty in the way they look, dress, smell, etc.  But…right now…we need to reach them.  And…in many ways, we are saving our own lives because of it.  But, that’s not why we do it. 

We do it, because the only difference between a preacher and a prostitute, a Sunday school teacher and a thief, or a deacon and a hardened criminal is the grace of God. 

The difference between Judas and Peter was the grace of God. 

The difference between King Saul – who turned from God and killed himself — and Saul (who would become the Apostle Paul) is the magnificent, saving, redeeming grace of God.

The only difference between David — a man after God’s own heart — and Absolam — his wicked son who died an awful, violent death — is the far reaching grace of God.

With tears I think of the opportunity to reach precious young people — not with media, video games, Rave Parties, hip hop, or flash – but just with love, a meal, encouragement, and God’s Word taught by the power of His Holy Spirit. 

I write this with tears welling up thinking about the possibility of seeing some young people saved from the kind of life prostitutes, criminals, or business men with empty lives live.  Being there to be a part of a church and a local body that reaches the desperately lost is a privilege…not a pain.  It is an honor and not a nuisance. 

Because, you see, the ONLY difference between a preacher and a prostitute is the grace of God. 

I cannot possibly agree with the new president of the United States in the areas of marriage, abortion/life, socialistic federally controlled economy, and national security that pardons terrorists.  Though I cannot agree with him, can I pray for him?  The answer is yes…sort of.

I will continue to pray for him based on 1Timothy 2:1-7.  ”Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ^for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. ^ For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ^who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying— a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.”

 But, since this passage is about praying for our leaders in such a way that the Gospel is more freely spread, I will pray that President Obama will come to a true, saving faith in Jesus Christ.  I pray that this true, growing, saving faith would cause him to lead, make decisions, and direct our nation out of a heart to glorify God.  I’ll pray that the president’s life would be so radically changed by the Gospel that his priorities begin to be eternal rather than temporal. 

Meanwhile, if he continues in the direction he has begun, I MUST pray that he fails in his efforts.  I MUST pray that he fails in efforts to make abortion on demand more available and reinforce the culture of death rather than life.  I MUST pray that he fails in his efforts to make America an increasingly socialist nation.  I MUST pray that he fails in his efforts to provide leadership in redefining marriage and the traditional family.  I MUST pray that he fails in his efforts to release known terrorists and embolden the enemies of the United States of America who radically serve a false god.

If he were to completely change in his efforts in such a way that he might be in line with Scripture, then I will pray for his success.  Otherwise, I MUST pray that he fails.  How can any person, whose life has been given to Christ, pray that a leader succeeds whose philosophies on so many social issues are at odds with truth?  God forbid we should sell out truth for political correctness! 

Can you envision John the Baptist praying for Herod to succeed in his immoral efforts? 

Can you envision Paul praying for Nero to succeed in propagating emperor worship?

Can you envision John the Revelator praying that the Caesar would succeed in stamping out Christianity?

I love my God and I love my country.  I desperately want the president to succeed in making this country what it was originally founded to be.  Yet, when his policies mean that life is devalued, marriage is redefined, and justice has no absolute rule of law…I MUST PRAY THAT HE FAILS!

Below is a tremendous word from one of my very best friends.  Lane Sanders, senior pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church in Jackson, Georgia, has captured a God-centered perspective of this election cycle.  He recently sent me this post in his blog that he calls FED (Faith-building Email Devotions).  By the way, after reading it, if you would like to be on his mailing list, in addition to A Word from Dr J, send him a note to lane@mbcjackson.org .

“Well, the events of the last several days have once again placed politics front and center. Have you turned in any direction and not been confronted with it? To be honest, politicians worry me. I heard about a surgeon, an engineer, and a politician who were debating over which of their professions was the oldest.

“’Eve was made from Adam’s rib,’” said the surgeon, “and that, of course, was a surgical procedure.”

“Yes,” countered the engineer, “but before that, order was created out of all chaos – and that most certainly was an engineering job.”

“Aha!” exclaimed the politician triumphantly. “And just who do you think created the chaos?”

That seems to ring true whenever the Legislature convenes. Like Kirk Kirkpatrick said, “Most problems don’t exist until a government agency is created to solve them.”

Nevertheless, yesterday’s inauguration was a festive celebration unrivaled in recent history. And for some reasons, rightly so. He is the first black man to lead the free world. Repeatedly, the refrain was heard from the African American community that they never expected such progress in such a short period of time. Not only that, but aside from his race, the inauguration of any President should be a sobering reminder of the blessings we enjoy as a free nation. No other nation in the history of the planet can make the claims that we Americans can. I realize that many of you who are reading this are disappointed at the choice of president, but remember that the beauty of it all is that we get to choose. Don’t forget that blessing from God.

The ceremony itself can be inspiring. The orderliness, the statesmanship, the grandeur, the history all pour forth at such an historic moment. The use of Abraham Lincoln’s Bible was especially noteworthy. To see two of the most powerful men in the world collaborating to pass the torch of leadership and the responsibility of a free society should demand our attention.

Think about this: We’ll do it all over again in at least 8 years, if not 4. And then 4 years after that, and 4 years after that, and so on and so on. The most powerful man on the planet can’t be the most powerful man on the planet for very long. Power is a revolving door.

Or is it? You see, there is One who has real power – real leadership – and there is no other inauguration in sight. His name is King Jesus. He’s been in power for quite a long time, and He’ll still be in power when the last President leaves office. Listen to the worship of King Jesus in Revelation 5:13: “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever” (italics mine). Did you catch that? He’ll never leave heaven’s oval office! He is “the Alpha and the Omega … who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). He is Forever King!

Now don’t get me wrong: He’s been voted out of office many times. The cry of the feast of the governor still echoes in the streets today: “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” He’s been voted out of the courthouses. He’s been voted out of government. He’s been voted out of schools. Honestly, He’s been voted out of many of our churches. In case you haven’t noticed, the real Jesus is not a popular fellow.

His response? “The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!’ He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them” (Psalm 2:2-4). All the voting on earth is a joke to Yahweh Sabaoth (Lord of Hosts – the real Commander-in-Chief). He will reign forever. In fact, the only reason President Obama is President Obama is because King Jesus allowed it to be so (John 19:11).

So if you ever get discouraged over your earthly rulers, remember there is a President of Presidents. His name is King Jesus. There will never be another.