Is It Up To Him?
This fall, either McCain or Obama will be the next President of the United States.
I have heard people say, if you had a chance to talk to one of the candidates, what would you ask? Almost every time people respond, their question has something to do with asking, “what are you going to do”. About the economy, about the war, about immigration. It’s always, “what are you going to do”.
But, is that the right question? Is it up to the President to change our country, or is it up to us?
Have we given to much power and weight to the office of President?
Good call and yes, we need to look in the mirror for change first. People have dire misunderstandings of our executive branch.
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For sure it is up to us. Too many of us complain when something happens that we don’t agree with, then we disengage.
At the same time it is the President’s job to encourage, stimulate, and lead everything to want to be involved.
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I’m not a great fan of politicians at the best of times ( and this sure ain’t them!)
But there is not a lot of point electing a leader if he ain’t gonna LEAD – Yes??
It is therefore a fair q to ask… Just what ARE you gonna do IF you get to ‘lead’ us?? (or you to be more precise since neither of them are going to be MY leader)
Maybe if more people asked those q’s AND HELD THEM TO ACCOUNT FOR THERE ANSWERS… This world may have a better chance??
or failing that demand a system of government closer to TRUE Democracy where we ALL get a say in the running of the country and not just those with tens of millions of dollars are listened to.
<B
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Lincoln used the phrase “…government of the people, by the people, for the people…” in the Gettysburg Address. The Declaration of Independence says “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”. I think we have “consented” a little too much.
Being a strict constitutionalist, I also feel compelled to point out the duties of the president in Section 1 of Article II in the U.S. Constitution. I don’t see anything in there about lowering gas prices, providing free health care, or pretty much any of the other tasks we seem to assign to the Office. Somewhere along the way, we abdicated our personal responsibility and rights to the “government”, forgetting somehow that the “government” is “us” rather than “them”.
It’s far too easy to ask the future President what he plans to do. It’s much harder to follow the admonition of John F. Kennedy. “Ask not what your country can do for you…”. And in the same inaugural address, this immortal statement:
“In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than in mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course.”
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It is up to this country.. .
That is why we can not be pragmatic with our choice and just choose what is best for this country. A friend of mine Brian explains it better than I do. http://philter48.wordpress.com/2008/06/03/should-we-embrace-pragmatic-thinking/
As followers of Christ we have to make a choice with God’s kingdom in mind also. We can not make the choice based on choosing the lesser of two evils. Ether way as followers of Christ we would be choosing evil, and that is something we can not do.
So yes it is up to us to affect change, no single man can do it as President. However we have to do it with God’s will in mind.
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Good question. One I wish more people would ponder.
Election time is nothing more than an overhyped circus. If we take a second to think about it, there’s no way that one elected man can make many of the changes that they all promise.
It takes an elected president plus an elected cooperative congress to make things work.
Billy, it is a good question to ask ourselves.
Tyler, I agree. I’m just wondering if they are leading somewhere we don’t need to go?
Love, like I just mentioned to Tyler, I am not sure their agendas are often aligned with the will of the people. In fact, I think we could both agree that, more often than not, they are not aligned. So, yes, we need leadership, but into what? that’s what scares me.
Kent, well said. It seems at times that governments goals are not to uphold the constitution, but more often their goals deal with how to stretch or distort it.
Carl, I’ll head over and read his post.
Russ, agreed. It is interesting that there is so much division between the branches. Seems to me to be very telling to that fact that people are not on the same page…defend the constitution…but are more immersed in agenda.
This is why I can’t get all worked up over presidential elections anymore. It is true that the president can help set the tone for the nation, as evidenced by the differences between Kennedy, Nixon, Carter and Reagan. But they can’t really do everything they promise nor can they take all the credit for success or blame for failure. Remarks like “McCain will take us into more war” or “Obama will bankrupt the economy” or “Bush is in the pocket of the oil companies” are absurd and don’t really take into consideration how our government works. Even all the diatribe over judicial nominations is misplaced. How many times anyone heard of a President placing a judge on the bench without a fight? Not often. How many times have those judges actually opposed the White House? Plenty.
He(or she) are presidents, not kings. Too many Oliver Stone movies.
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Christian I can’t agree with you more.
I think at the heart of a lot of this is the laziness of our country to not do what we know is right. Politics aside, we are not managing this country.
mmm… good thoughts. PLUS the expectation that whatever they say they “will do” is what will happen is a little naive. things don’t work like that.
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Thought-provoking question, Brent. Good to see you digging in. I have a counter question: What is our true purpose? Is it the behest of God for our time and energy to be dedicated toward changing anything but our own hearts?
Fade to Black’s last blog post…Whether
Liza! It’s awesome to have you by.
Interesting thought. I don’t think it is His command for us to change others, but I don’t think He commands us to change ourselves either. His true command is to love Him and love others. How we are changed is up to Him and His Spirit working within us.
Now, if we are loving Him and loving others, things will change, we will be changed, people will be changed and nations will most definitely change.
I think we probably have a similar understanding… perhaps a different application.
“Command” is your word. I wasn’t saying command anything… this is not a law deal – b/c he imprints in our mind/writes on our hearts. No, my only inference is that we have partnership with God to change. It is an active choice we make.
We must be pliable, surrendered, right? Our job: trust, obedience, confess sin, be faithful, be transformed, renew your mind, wield the sword of the Spirit, take thoughts captive, pull down strongholds, show mercy/kind-heartedness/compassion/forgiveness (yes; on ourselves), believe/receive/act in faith; receive/administer grace, cast cares on Him. We are transformed… grow in grace… not just b/c God “imposes” His will on us, but because we yield to it – we participate in the process He makes available to those under the blood of Jesus Christ. Ergo: we “change ourselves” (so to speak), within the power of His love.
That’s what I meant to convey in my previous brief comment. (Communication is a fragile thing, eh?)
Fade to Black’s last blog post…Whether
I agree we are in the same place with the thought here. You used the word Behest which means command, so I took it that way.
I love what you’ve said here and I really like this,
We are most definitely (as we are willing/surrendered) on a journey and in a process of change. I’ve been more sensitive to what “I” think I can do in the process, cause I realize without Him, I am nothing and can do nothing. I watch people “find life/change” through organizations and disciplines and I have to ask myself what is the difference between what they do and what I do. I always come back to the fact that I am under a complete and total grace filled relationship and have done nothing to deserve it. But, I most definitely need to receive it. So, I choose, as you have, to enjoy this journey and to keep moving.
I just pray, for me, that He changes me quickly, cause there is still a whole bunch of “me” that I don’t like.
Here, here!
It is a journey, isn’t it Brent? And, absolutely: He is in charge and we are arrested by His grace. Good point about my word usage. I meant it more as in “behest-lite” – directive, bidding, than “you’d better do this!”
And bro, you ain’t the only one that has need of change b/c of unfavorable human traits that are hangin’ on! Yet… HE LOVES US in the midst of our (uhhh) crap… . Were it not that we are unregenerated, we’d have no need for a redeemer.
Heart squeeze, friend.
Fade to Black’s last blog post…Whether
Right back at ya!
So, I find myself using the phrase “holy crap” a bunch. Some people don’t like it and rightly so. But, your statement here could work towards my use of it. I am Holy in Him and I am in the midst of crap. Makes sense right
Sorry, D…if your listening in