Titus 3:1-6 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
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Today I woke up with a song in my heart, ‘How Great Though Art’. Why, you might ask? Because I took a stance in this great world we live in, I voted for Christ.
After a bitter year of campaigning, name-calling, dividedness, hate and ignorance; and that's just among Christians for starters, I decided to cast my vote and that was for Christ. I had told a friend recently that I don’t swim upstream with all the other fishes; I swim downstream to see what everyone is running from. It couldn’t have been truer than when it came time to vote.
If I hear one more time, “Get the Muslim out of the White House”, “My God is greater than his God”, “He’s going to abandon us like he did Benghazi”. I mean really? Has voting come down to this?
I was born and raised Catholic, but I am not a Catholic. Again, I chose Christ and became a Christian. I didn’t choose a Religion, I chose a FAITH, a faith that has taught me to love my neighbor, even if he is different from me. I can’t say the same for my fellow Christians this morning because instead of understanding what God has placed before us, they sit judging the colors of the rainbow.
I saw before me bickering and biting over money, race, religion. I never saw people actually wanting a leader, they wanted someone who could either give them more money, or put religion in the White House, get race out of there, and let us move on.
My faith also taught me something about sacrifice. I’ve always been one to sacrifice riches for humility. I always embraced the poor, wretched of society, without bragging rights. I do everything in humble adoration and repeat over and over again, How Great Thou Art!
I know our economy isn’t great, but with sacrifice comes the light you were searching for. I wonder, how many people are without jobs, and are ANGERED because they have to accept less money than they did in prior years? How many are NOT willing to make less, and sit at home complaining because all the jobs making good money are a thing of the past?
I remember my mother once telling me, “Well that kind of money isn’t going to put food on your plate, pay your rent, etc. etc.” But you know what? My faith taught me:
Matt. 6: 25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
And guess what? I have never gone hungry, never been without shelter, and never NOT had clothes on my back and shoes on my feet. No, I don’t wear the BEST shoes money can buy, I don’t have the fancy clothes to show everyone “Hey, look what I bought at Macy’s”. No, my clothes are oftentimes bought at the Goodwill, a place where I can get $70 dollar jeans for $8 bucks. My clothes are often from the WalMart $3 seasonal rack. Ashamed? No, humbled yes. I live for Christ and all that that entails.
Jesus was not rich with money. His ministry did not work on campaigning and tossing out money to people. He actually FED the poor and hungry, and his shoes never wore out, and he was well fed, without the riches money can buy. Jesus was NOT about monetary wealth. He was not about Religion. He was about faith and love! Spiritual wealth is worth more than you could EVER imagine. And yes, this day and age, we must ALL come to realize that, and quit judging! I didn't vote a 'white man' into office or a 'black man', I voted for JESUS!
So as I boldly went to the voting booth with every intention of voting, where it said OTHER, I cast my vote for Jesus CHRIST! Hate me, judge me, burn me at the stake, because as I die, my last words will be, “How Great Thou Art”!
