A devotional thought presented originally to Swift Current Men’s Prayer Breakfast, Thursday 23 April 2015 and on 16 October 2015 to the Riverside Cafe in Regent Park, Toronto.
Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Monday is election day. Vote and vote well. Vote for the person who reflects a love for God and a love for your neighbour in this election. You know what though...
The more elections I live through, the more I realise that the world really is crying out for a saviour. The USA every 4 years parades out at least one possible new messiah. Look at how people spoke about JFK or Obama BEFORE he was elected. He was going to be their saviour.
The more elections I live through, the more I realise that the world really is crying out for a saviour. The USA every 4 years parades out at least one possible new messiah. Look at how people spoke about JFK or Obama BEFORE he was elected. He was going to be their saviour.
For
all its strengths, this is one of the main downfalls of western democracies.
Every election people are mistakenly looking to parties, politicians,
ideologies, platitudes, and other such nonsense to solve our problems - as if
that is from where our salvation comes.
You
know what? Whoever wins an election is not going to disband the military (Is
2:4, Mi 4:3) or end poverty (Mt 26:11, Mk 14:7). Services will not improve so
much that the blind will see and the lame will walk (Mt 15:31, Lk 7:22). A new
government is not going to solve all of our problems. Not one of our leaders
can walk on water and not one of them has been raised from the dead.
There
is one who has done all that and he lived 2000 years ago. This leader did all
these things and more. He even preached good news to the poor, meant it, they
believed him and then, like all great leaders, he died. Jesus died but it
didn’t end there and this is important. He, unlike any other person who has
ever lived, was not defeated by death. He won. This is the most important part
of the Christian faith: Paul says that it is because of the good news (gospel)
that Christ died for our sins, was buried and raised from the dead that we can be
saved. It was in this that He won the eternal election.
Being
born and raised on the west coast, I can remember watching election returns on
election night and it was always exciting but I can never remember a time when
the election wasn't over before the polls closed on the Island. The Prime
Minister’s party had always already won before we even finished voting. He had
already defeated his foe. This is the same with Christ. Even though we each
have until the last poll closes (until we breathe our last breath) to cast our
vote, Christ has already won the election. The only question we have is whether
we want to join Him in His victory party or not. The election results were
counted on the cross and announced at the empty tomb. Christ has won the
victory.
Christ
has already been resurrected and he is coming back to celebrate his victory.
When the eternal polls close we will be resurrected too; we will all be raised
and at that point some of us will be raised to eternal salvation and some of us
– those who reject the opportunity – will be outside where there is weeping and
gnashing of teeth (cf. Mt 8:12, 22:13). But it is our choice. The victory has
already been won. We have already been invited to the victory party.
Our
question for today; how will you respond to that invitation?
[1] Based on the article by Captain Michael Ramsay, Vote for Jesus:
a look at 1 Corinthians 15:1-34. JOURNAL OF AGGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY 57
(Oct-Nov 2008) On-line: http://www.armybarmy.com/JAC/article9-57.html
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