How's your traction?

For the Bible-believing Christian, Tuesday's election brought a splash of sobriety to life in these United States. Some troubling issues (two of which I highlighted in yesterday's post):

** America is turning from God's design for marriage.
** We seem to be ho-hum about drug use.
** It appears we desire a socialist model (I deserve some of yours) as opposed to a capitalistic model (keep your mitts off mine; I'll share if you are truly in need and then whole-heartedly).
** National defense has taken a back seat to an international group hug.
** The above applies to all nations but Israel, who we have hung out to dry.
** Expect to see any restrictions to abortion loosed.
** The flavor of the Supreme Court will certainly see a change.

That's the tip of the iceberg. Each of these leads to other issues that exposes a trend in our country that moves us away from conventional morality (i.e. biblical morality*) toward a "whatever, dude!" morality. To me, this is a heartbreaking thing to see. There are two absolutely wrong attitudes to take in the wake of this election.

First, we must avoid a Kumbayah mentality. I caught some posts about how now is the time to come together as a nation. That sounds very nice, but might I ask around what? A gaping moral divide exists in our country that cannot simply be skipped across. This is not to say that I should hate those opposed to God and biblical values. By no means! Nor should I build a Christian monastery and head for the hills. We are to be salt and light in a fallen world, and the United States 2012 surely falls into that category. But being salt and light means holding God's truths high. Those will bring conviction to some and hatred from many others. As we uphold the truth, part of that is the truth of the gospel, that while man stands in stark and abject rebellion before a holy and righteous God, that same God has provided the means of man's redemption, the completed work of God the Son, Jesus Christ.

Second, and my entire reason for this post we must not despair. Certain verses rang in my ears all day yesterday.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Paul gave this challenge, these commands, to the church in the town of Thessalonica, a high-octane, low-morality port city in Greece, a major cross-roads for the Roman empire. This was a church in the midst of tough persecution, but dwell upon what he told them:

REJOICE ALWAYS

"But...but...but..." Sorry, that won't fly. Why can I rejoice? God remains sovereign over all his creation. God's plan cannot be thwarted by man or 60 million men. Tuesday's election did not startle him. All things will work together for good for those who love God and are the called according to his purpose. Christ will come again, one day. God will set all things aright, one day. He loves me.

How do I know all these things? The Bible tells me so, and I believe it. I believe him for the Bible is God's word to us, to me. Saint, this is where the rubber meets the road. Will I trust him? Do I believe him? Satan has tried from the Garden of Eden to undermine what God has said. "Did God actually say..." He's working overtime in our day and age to portray God's word as irrelevant and outdated or unknowable and subject to diverse interpretations. Really, God's word reads pretty plainly in most parts. This one's hard to get around. Rejoice always!

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

Another one that doesn't require a Rosetta Stone to figure out. Commune always with your God. As with abiding with your wife you should communicate with her always. Sometimes you just abide together in silence in a room but you are comforted by her presence. Sometimes it's just a text to tell her you love her or need her to pick something up for you. Other times, you date her with purpose or take a long walk with her to talk and to hear her voice. It should be no different with God.

My prayer from before the election has not changed. While I think a different vote would have stemmed the demise of our nation, a president will not change our heading. If we as a people reject God, will he not give us our desire? That terrifies me. As such, my prayer unceasing has been that God would bring a heart of repentance upon our nation that we might then turn to him and be healed. There is much to pray about and for regarding our country, so pray without ceasing.

GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES

Yeah, that means Tuesday's election, too. Saint, can you grieve and give thanks that Barack Obama was elected? I've already provided a number of reasons to grieve, but give thanks?! Yes, indeed. Give thanks. "Why??" I hear you screaming. Because God will do amazing things through this election that we do not yet see.

If you knew right now that the dismantling and disintegration of the United States of America would mean that millions would come face to face with their sin and turn to salvation in Jesus Christ, would this not be better than dying with a fat wallet and an eternity in hell facing you on the other side? America has been a phenomenal political experiment proving that a nation founded upon God's principles can thrive and flourish, but if the people have come to the point of rejecting God, can we expect any less than that they will reject his principles, too? So while I do not know what God will do through Election 2012, I will thank him for it and trust him for what he will do through it.

So, sibling, are our wheels steady on the road? Do we really believe what God has said in his word? If so and especially in light of the past few days, we must rejoice, pray, and ooze thanksgiving. These are, after all, the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

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* John MacArthur gave two outstanding messages on the demise of biblical morality in our political process. You can find them here and here. From the link, you can read, listen to, or download the sermons in their entirety.

Beruna

One of the surprise delights of parenthood has been the movies. I have seen every Pixar movie in the theaters (and many times more on DVD). But I didn't have to wait until the line was empty, race to the counter and whisper through the glass, "Two for Monsters, Inc." I didn't have to wait until the hallway was empty to duck into the theater. With kids in tow, you get to see some great flicks without the skulking!

Another delight has been reading. When I was a child, I never read The Chronicles of Narnia. None of them. Nope, not even my English teacher, Iola Kludt (scout's honor), made us read them. Since I've been married, I've read them through at least four times. All of them. One time it was just me and my bride...shhhh.

I have the pleasure of embarking on read number five. My daughters, six and four, have come to love the Peavensie children and we are only on book two, Prince Caspian (btw, you must read them in the order Lewis wrote them and NOT in the Narnian chronological order which is how some nitwit decided they must now be published. It makes a mess of things. Trust me).

One more aside: Dad, if you've never read TCoN to your kids, go buy the set and get at it. And you must create different voices. Your kids won't know you had it in you. Maybe they will.

Anyway, near the end of Prince Caspian, after Miraz is defeated, Aslan goes on a romp with Susan and Lucy and with Bacchus, Silenus and all their party in tow. And yes, it was a party. As they go from town to town, starting near the Fords of Beruna, Aslan begins sticking his nose in places. The majority of folks scream and flee in terror most having never seen a lion and if they had, not one of His stature. A few folks understand who He is, they know that He is the One they have waited for their entire lives. The relief, joy, peace, and release they exhibit as they fall in with the celebrants stirred my heart in glee and in grief.

The allegorical message bounced plain from the page. Christ came that we might have joy and have it to the full (John 16:17-20). The folks who followed the Lion knew the fullness of joy. Those who fled the Lion, smelled the stench of death and oozed hatred (2 Corinthians 2:15-16, John 15:18-25).

I would love to live in a world of Bacchus and Silenus and Aslan and revelry. But our world is under the spell of the usurper Miraz. He sets himself up to be king; he is no king. The world has forgotten the blessings wrought upon it when they followed the Lion. Today, the trees no longer dance. The animals no longer speak. They have forgotten how and have become wild. One day the Lion will return and all will be set to right. Then, oh, the party!

Here is why I write. When I first began posting, it stemmed from discussions with men in my church on Wednesday nights. Not having enough time to discuss all the issues of the day from a biblical perspective, I began to highlight what was going on in science, politics, entertainment, etc. that exposed the deception of Miraz (Satan) and to exhibit in all of these that God's word proved true, excellent, and wonderful

Perhaps in so doing, I have not focused enough on the joy and delight found in knowing Christ as King for it is incomparable. At the same time, it would seem wholly inappropriate to fiddle a tune while my country and friends went up in flames about me. Balance and perspective are desperately needed. My Netflix queue bears that out much better than the sum of my posts.

I look forward to seeing you at "Up" in a few months. Until then, my girls and I will be at sea in the pages of "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader."
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(Add-on: Thanks to all who have hung with me through this the 400th post. You deserve a medal! Thanks for your encouragement and your scrutiny)

Candy for the eye and soul

Some spiffy stuff I stumbled across in the web's countryside. I stepped in some stuff, too, but I'll post that gnarliness tomorrow.

• Inauguration panorama. Some enterprising editor jammed together a mess of photos to come up with this shot. It's interactive, too. You can scroll around and up and down. It might take a few seconds to download based upon your stuff.


• Inauguration celestial. I understand that might be the opinion of the liberal America but that's not what I mean. Here's a phenomenal shot of the inauguration from space! Breathtaking. You can see the crowds of people as the huddled near the ten jumbo-tron TV's Notice how the people arc away from the screen. This, too, is an interactive site.

A couple writer's on the web have such quality stuff that I savor their pen's products like I do oatmeal scotchies from the hand of my bride. Andree Seu, a regular columnist for World Magazine, who also does a daily ditty at World on the Web, is one of those authors. I offer two of her recent pieces for your enjoyment (they're short).

• Oaths. President Obama took one yesterday. If you carry a ring on your left hand, you took one, too. If you've served in the military you took one. Here's a rich ponderance on the solemnity of an oath.


• Birds. Okay, it's not really about birds but about the sovereignty of God in our lives. But birds come into play (here). I thought of this rumination by Jesus, too.

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Matthew 10:29-31