Friday, June 29, 2012

Obamacare, the Supreme Court and Where our Hope Lies

It has been interesting to me to listen to the response from so many people about the Supreme Court's ruling on Obama Care.  Chief Justice John Roberts cast the deciding vote to rule that the Health Care Law was constitutional.  In his majority opinion, he made his ruling by arguing against what the administration said.  The administration argued their case under the commerce clause repeatedly saying that the individual mandate was not a tax.  Chief Justice Roberts rewrote the law saying it was a tax and therefore under the jurisdiction of congress.  Although she sided with the majority, Justice Ginsburg wrote a dissenting argument saying that the mandate was not a tax but fell under the commerce clause.


You may be able to tell by how I wrote the first paragraph, what I think of the decision.  I believe this is another decision that takes our nation away from the founders intent.  But that is not the point of this article.  What I want to write about is the response of so many people.  I have heard people say they are depressed, giving up, despondent and giving into despair.  As a Christian, that is not the way I look at this decision or any political decision or election.

When I vote, I vote my conscience which I hope is guided by my Christian convictions.  However, when the election is over, or when any law is passed, or when any decision is made, I do not give into despair.  I do not despair, because my hope is not in the political process but in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Some people say well why do you get involved? why do you vote and care about such things?   Well I vote and am involved in the political process because I am commanded to render unto Caesar, the things that our Caesars.  I recognize the government is an authority established by God and I am to respect that authority.  Since I live in a nation that allows me to have influence through my vote, I gladly am involved.

Yes, I want the candidates that I vote for to win, I want laws passed that are consistent with the purpose of this nation and I want judges to rule on the constitutionality of our laws.  However, when this does not happen, I will never give up hope, because my hope is ultimately not in the United States of America but in the Lord Jesus Christ.  If my candidate never wins an election, if our nation continues to drift from its founding principles, if judges continue to be activists rather than interpret the constitution, I will not despair.  I have hope, His name is Jesus.

In the last 2000 years many nations have risen and fallen.  With them the hopes and dreams of many have fallen.  But Jesus has stood the test of time.  Everyone who has put their hope in Him, have never been disappointed.  They may have been discouraged at times, but ultimately their hope has been secure.  Do you have that hope?  Think about it.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Waiting

Most of us do not like to wait.  We live in an age where most everything is instant.  No more waiting on meals, we can pop it in the microwave or pop down to a fast food restaurant.  Most of us grow very impatient when we have to wait.  We don't like it, we want it now.

However, in many ways, the whole of the Christian life is about waiting.  We are waiting for Jesus to come again in all his fullness.  Yet, it is funny that most of us unless we are suffering really don't mind the wait.  We have so much in this world to entertain us that we do not grow impatient for the second coming of Christ.

As a church, we often wait between moves of the Holy Spirit.  Most churches do not live in a perpetual state of revival.  And so we wait for the next move of God within our church.  So what do we do while we wait.

In Acts 1, Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until the promised Holy Spirit would come.  And so the disciples waited.  As you read the text you will see that waiting is not a time of inaction.  The Disciples did five things while they waited.  They built their fellowship for all gathered together in one accord.  This was important, for the disciples had to learn to trust one another again.  They had abandoned the Lord, they doubted, even Peter denied Christ.  I am sure some wondered, would it happen again.  They had to learn to love and trust one another again.  They gathered together in prayer.  Jesus had given them a commission to take the gospel to the world.  That task was more than their own strength to accomplish.  They prayed for the power of the Holy Spirit to come.  They were obedient to what Jesus told them to do, to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit come.  It would be easy to get ahead of the game and go out and witness to the risen Christ, but they needed power so they needed to wait.  They studied Scripture.  Peter stood up and proclaimed what the Old Testament said in order to give them direction for what to do.  Finally, they prepared for the future as they replaced Judas so they could have their 12.

When we are in times of waiting, we should do the same things.  We need to build our fellowship, pray, be obedient, study scripture and prepare for what God would have us to do.  Think about it.