Political Frenzy in Perspective

We live in a day of raging political partisanship and hysteria.  The art of patiently listening to people who don’t share our political leanings, and the act of suspending judgment and refusing to throw out the baby with the bath water when those from “across the aisle” talk, have nearly vanished from public discourse.  Figures on the left and the right blurt out bold claims to spotlight their own virtues and their adversary’s wretchedness.

That’s the world we live in, like it or not.  So what are we to do?  By “we,” I mean followers of Jesus—we who pledge allegiance to his lordship and seek the advance of his gospel to the ends of the earth; and I mean we the people of Goshen Baptist Church.  What to do?  Start by remembering who Jesus is!  James 2:1, he’s the “Lord of glory”; Revelation 19:16, he’s “King of kings and Lord of lords.”  So first things first:  our calling is to trust, obey, and honor Jesus, the One who saved us and loves us and shepherds us even in the darkest valleys, and who reigns as our Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

Since that’s our calling, what a shame it would be to let our time and energy and adrenalin get sucked into political squabbling and games­manship!  How careless it would be to let our emotions be side-swiped by rash, reckless declarations from the right or the left.  We’d be losing track of who we are, and of Whom we follow!

And what’s more, eternity is on the line for people in this life.  If you think about it, when Christians allow politics to take center stage in their hearts, it’s like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic:  it’s sad, and foolish.  And it amounts to a failure of love.  How well do we love neighbors who are invited by God to receive his saving grace and be rescued from the just, eternal punishment for their sins when we live for the news cycle and ignore the glory of Christ?

The truth is, presidents come and go, political parties rise and fall, nations veer this way and that, and hot-button issues that consume us today are eclipsed by new crises tomorrow.  In the grand scheme of things, these things are all so very small.  But Jesus Christ is eternally holy and good and grand:  To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever (1 Timothy 1:17).