SUMMARY:
I'm told this takes time. I am
willing to invest the time.
MY COMMENTS: I have
observed a lot of Presidents, and none of them were saints; nor should they
be. They are public officials, and not monks.
Likewise, I
understand the whole wisdom of God to be that we should not judge others, and
that we should be merciful. It says,
however, that we may also know a tree by the kind of fruit that it bears. Some people use that as an excuse for being
judgmental. I hope God will help me not
to do that. However, we need the best
possible people in public office, since their decisions and actions impact our
lives.
When I worked in state and local government, the
expectation was always that public servants were to avoid even the appearance
of wrongdoing. There have been times
when I would have been disciplined or fired if a character failure had happened
in my personal or professional life. Shouldn't
the President of the Unites States be held to the same standard that is
expected of midlevel local or state officials?
Some people
say that failures of character in the personal lives of public officials are
their own business, and that we should separate that from their performance in
office. Isn't it true that their
personal lives may, in some cases, have a bearing on their public lives? Certainly bad judgment in one area may indicate
a risk for bad judgment in the other. Even
if we focus only on the public life of public officials and candidates for
office, the faith of the people in their government ... and in the fundamental
fairness of governance ... may be undermined by the character failures of those
who hold, or aspire to hold, positions of authority.
I was
saved while watching a Billy Graham crusade on television, while I was still in
high school. I tried to "walk the
walk" in my own strength, and I failed.
I was a carnal Christian most of my life; double minded, with one foot
in the Kingdom and one foot in the world.
I tried to serve God off and on, but like Lot's wife, I looked back and
was not fit to serve God. Sooner or
later, I found myself back in sin. Then,
God allowed an accident to happen that showed me what Hell was like. He also let me experience what it was like to
be totally out of fellowship with Him, and to be unable to call on Him when I
was injured and in trouble. He broke me
to the point that I was finally willing to repent, and to take up my cross and
to follow Jesus. The Father was true to
His promise, and he kept me from being snatched out of Jesus' hand. Now, I am led and empowered by the Holy Spirit, and not my own will. I still sin, but not deliberately or willfully in a way that tramples in His grace, and I trust that He will hear me when I ask for forgiveness. I give
glory and honor, and praise to God for anything I may be or may become. So, I am the last person who ought to condemn
others for their shortcomings. I hope
that is not what I seem to be doing here.
We are
blessed to live in a republic where we the people can be involved in the
selection of our leaders. I served in
the U.S. Army to help keep us free; including the freedom to vote. When we vote we choose between candidates,
and we evaluate their relative suitability to serve. I disagree with almost everything Barack
Obama says, but he was correct when he
said that elections have consequences.
The
character of those we select has a bearing on how they perform in office. Richard Nixon won his second term by a
landslide. He did not need to condone a
burglary, and then try to cover it up to be elected.
Even after he was forced to resign, he told David Frost in an interview
that, "When the President does it, that means that it's not illegal."
(http://www.brainyquote.com) I was watching, and I heard him say it. He just never got it. I
remember the agony of the Watergate scandal, and the sense of relief when it
was over.
An
extramarital affair contributed to the events that led to Bill Clinton's
impeachment for lying under oath.
Cheating on your spouse and lying are character failures. The result was a deeply divided nation, and a
crisis of the highest level. Further, it
made Americans cynical about the political process, and more lax in their
expectations ... even of themselves. Character,
or the lack of it, does not regard to party lines. We have a responsibility to
the United States of America to try to select leaders that are worthy of her. I am not going to endorse a candidate for
President at this point. I am only
urging you to vote, and that you make good character one of your considerations
when you choose who to vote for.
If we
continue to follow the wrong people, and if we do and allow the wrong things,
God will withdraw His protection from our nation.
We will be at the mercy of our enemies, and we will be brought to our knees. It is already beginning to happen.
