Kings To The Brightness Of Your Rising

Isaiah 60: 3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

 In my time serving in the Navy and in the working world, I have had the privilege of working for people who were very good leaders. I have also had the opportunity to work for some who were poor leaders. In all cases, there have been opportunities to learn from the experiences both good and bad.

One of my least favorites times is approaching. The season of politics is rapidly advancing towards us. It is a time when ‘we the people’ are exposed to vile accusations, the most difficult of scandals, and the grit that is life of humans in this dark world. We are exposed to the imperfect lives of politicians. It seems as if those covering the elections have one goal in mind. The goal of tearing down anyone who seek to lead our country consumes them. But time and again people will stand up, take a shot at this honor, and endure the pain that goes with it.  We as the electorate have the opportunity to pass judgment on another human being. We will have to sift through all the information, positive and negative, about the candidates and render an opinion when we cast our vote.  But what of the candidates we vote for? I will attempt to share something without endorsing any candidate.

My purpose is to illuminate how believers have more to consider than non-believers. We need to be able to take a look at the moral underpinnings of all candidates. We need to have an assurance that the candidate we are voting to lead our country shares a belief system we find acceptable. This is not a matter of do we agree on the tax cut program of candidate “A” over candidate “B”. This is a matter of looking at what does the candidate really believe in. Where do you place faith in Jesus Christ in your selection criteria? Do you consider being a strong Christian as a deal breaker in giving a candidate a thumbs up or thumbs down? My point is that you need to take time, study the word, pray, meditate, and make the right choice according to what your prayers tell you. When we vote for a candidate on a single issue, we should not be surprised when we are disappointed at what happens with the other million issues encountered. Sometimes we seem to be confronted with the lesser of two evils in making a choice. The problem is that the result is still an evil. We should look for someone who is drawn, as we are, to the brightness of the rising of the Savior of the world. We should look for someone who is not out for their own glory, rather to glorify God. If we expect our nation to come to the light of Christ, we need to participate in that process by choosing those who will.  We have an opportunity to set an example for other nations to follow in coming to your light that is the light of Christ when we make the correct choice of who will lead us.

PRAYER: Father we thank You for Your Word. Our world is a dark place. We desperately seek a guiding light. Your Word stands out, just as a lamp brings light to the darkness. Your word gives our leaders a light to follow. Help us in choosing our leaders that they may follow Your will. We give You thanks in the name of Your Son, Jesus, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit are one God, now and forever. Amen