Election 2012: What Do God's People Do?

I have been without my laptop since election night or I would have posted sooner. However, it is probably a good thing because I have had time to reflect on what happened and organize my thoughts. I was terribly sad that Mitt Romney didn't win. I really believed he could pull it off but at about 11:15 that night when the race was called I couldn't believe it. I kept thinking they would back up and say no it's too close. The next day I was off work and listened to the pundits and "experts" discussing how it happened. There is much wailing and nashing of teeth in the Republican Party about what they should do now. But I would pose a different question: what do God's people do now?

I know this may come as strange question but I am a Christian and so I wonder what does God expect of us. So many "experts" claim that the Republican Party should forget about those pesky "social issues" and stop taking such a hard line on immigration. So we now live in a society where expecting people not to be here illegally is a hard line, cherishing human life and supporting the long held belief of traditional marriage is extreme. I read a article entitled "Welcome to Liberal America" on the buzzfeed website. It basically said this is what America is becoming and we must accept it. Well, I don't know about anyone else but I am not going to accept it. We not only have an economic decline and decline in our standing in the world but a moral decline in this country that has been happening steadily for years. I am a Christian and I believe in the inerrant truth of God's word. God deals in moral absolutes and we have become a society deals in moral relativism. Nothing speaks to me stronger on this as to what God says than Romans 12:2

"Be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the entire renewal of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve God's will...his good, pleasing and perfect will."

I don't see any gray area here, folks. We reject the world and what it says is right. The renewal of our mind comes from knowing God and knowing God starts by knowing His Word. We don't get to cherry pick and conveniently ignore what scripture makes us uncomfortable and doesn't fit into our view. We conform to His will not the other way around. I know it's not always easy but this scripture tells us there should be no daylight between our mind and God's. Society doesn't matter, He does, when it comes to right and wrong. The word abortion may not be in the Bible but God is the Creator of all life so how could He condone the taking of a life? Take a look at Leviticus chapters 18 and 20 if you want to know what God says about same sex relationships. Now, I submit to you as Christians, in disagreeing with His Word, we are basically telling him we know better and we put what society says above what He says.

So where does that leave us? It leaves us at a turning point and I put to you this: It's time for the church to be the church. When churches stop worrying about this program or that program or how many bodies are in the pews and start getting down to the nitty gritty of what God says, you will see a revival like you have never seen. In our study on revival in Sunday School we have been talking about 2 Chronicles 7:14

"If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, turn from their wicked ways and seek my face, I will hear from Heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land."

It starts with us.

Why I Heart Paul Ryan

Mitt Romney finally did it. He finally made me smile. In fact he made me giggle like a school girl.  He was never my first choice or even second or third.  But in his choice of Paul Ryan as VP he has finally made a bold move that could turn his campaign around. Ryan, a seven term congressman from Janesville, WI. and chairman of the House Budget Committee, combines intellect with passion.  Ryan has real "street cred" when it comes to economics and how to navigate through the mess we find ourselves in with nearly sixteen trillion in debt and over a one trillion dollar budget deficit.  He has real ideas for reforming medicare and social security. They may not be easy to swallow but we are past the point of tepid ideas and compromise. Hard choices have to be made, some short term and some long term, to save our country from becoming Greece. The old way of doing things and hands off my medicare are gone. We got in this mess because no one was minding the store and no one had the political will to stop it. I believe that Ryan does and will be brutally honest about what is happening. There are fewer workers for every retiree, people are living longer and Medicare is going broke.  I work in the health insurance field and fewer and fewer doctors are wanting to take Medicare and Medicaid because payment is so low. Something has to be done to keep these programs solvent. But that may mean restructuring them for younger Americans. If we don't by the time I retire in about thirty years there won't be anything for my generation or those after me like my cousins' children and my stepfather's grandchildren. Not only that but they will be saddled with paying off this debt long after I'm gone. I want better for them. I want better for myself. America was built on individual freedom and ingenuity, not on handouts and an overreaching federal government. Romney and Ryan understand that.

The Paul Factor

I think we have to be honest about this year's election.  Ron Paul really cannot be ignored.  His ideas on Foreign Policy are far from the mainstream or Republican or conservative thought. The idea that it's no big deal for Iran to have a nuclear bomb is not merely kooky but dangerous. Isolationism does not work for the United States and most fair minded conservatives understand that. But make no mistake, Paul has a following, and it's one of the most loyal and passionate followings of any candidate out there.  While most people are trying to decide between Gingrich and Romney which one is the most tolerable, Paul supporters waiver not.  His challenging the status quo appeals especially to young people who are tired of the same old political games in Washington. His ideas on the Federal Reserve and The Constitution appeal to many as well but his Foreign Policy stand between him and the ultimate prize this November.

As I said above, he cannot be ignored.  His monetary policies have influenced the discussion on debt, deficit and how the federal government should work. This is what, in large part, this election is about.  In the last three years our national debt has exploded to fifteen trillion and Obama just asked for another debt limit increase.  The Senate defeated the measure and to be sure we will hear myriad "the sky is falling" arguments. There are those who say deficits and debt don't matter but we are handing future generations crippling debt and taxes will be raised to pay it off with the "everyone needs to pay their fair share" argument and that it's necessary.  Why is it necessary for us to pay for the irresponsibility of the federal government?  The Founding Fathers never intended for an entitlement society for they were able to see what would happen.  Something has to change or the United States will continue to diminish in it's standing around the world.  We cannot continue to project ourselves as a Superpower if we are crushed by out of control debt. People like Ron Paul may not agree about being a Superpower but they get the danger of reckless spending and some of the other candidates would do well to pay even more attention.