Alexander the Great lived
about 350 years before the birth of Christ.
After the murder of his father, he became the ruler of Macedonia. He immediately executed the man believed to
be his father’s murderer and most of his other political enemies. He then subjugated Macedonia’s other
neighboring Greek states.
Persia was the most
powerful empire in the world at that time.
Alexander conquered Persia, and then advanced his growing empire along
the Mediterranean coast, eventually conquering Egypt. Finally, he marched all the way to India,
subduing all who were in his path.
Alexander died when he was
33 years old, however, his short lifetime was a demonstration of the difference
leadership can make. He took the small
Greek kingdom of Macedonia, and he made it into a great empire, which spawned four
smaller empires after his death. He established the Hellenistic culture as the
dominant culture of the Western world.
He founded cities and colonies, redefined military strategy and tactics,
and made Greek the common language used for communication between people groups.
Abraham Lincoln was a
self-educated country lawyer. He was
able, however, to articulate to the people the goal of preserving the Union,
when the Confederate states seceded. Although
he was criticized on all sides, and faced tremendous military difficulties, he persevered,
and he led the Union to an eventual victory.
More than any other person, his leadership preserved the United States
of America.
When defeat seemed
imminent during the darkest days of World War II, Sir Winston Churchill held
on. We still look back to his speeches when
we need inspiration. He was able to
enlist the aid of the United States before we entered the war, in spite of the
isolationist opposition in the U.S. Congress.
He welded the resolve of the British people together to continue to
fight on though things seemed hopeless.
His courage and leadership ultimately resulted in victory.
On 5 November 2024, the
American people will choose who will be our President for the next four
years. It seems that the circumstances
we find ourselves in require that we elect a leader who can “rise to the
occasion.” Yesterday, President Biden
withdrew his bid to be the candidate of the Democratic Party. It is difficult to see in any of his
potential replacements a person who will be able to meet the challenges that
face us.
Donald Trump and his running
mate, J. D. Vance, offer the prospect of strong leadership, and their proposals
to solve the nation’s woes seem more likely to succeed than the socialist pipe
dreams offered by the Democrats. Deep in
our hearts, however, we distrust the wisdom of a cult of personality. Nobody has all the answers, even if they
think they do. A “strong man on
horseback” in power lends itself to the abuse of power. We have seen the damage
to the country that the abuse of power by a political elite can cause, during President Biden’s
administration.
Fellow citizens, please
get out and vote in November. When you
do, remember that no President of the United States can create permanent change
on their own. Their executive orders are
temporary, and they evaporate when the President leaves office … unless they
have a like-minded Congress to codify their policies into law. Remember also that it is incumbent upon us to
vote for the national interest rather than just our own self-interest. America is in serious trouble at home and
abroad. Please vote for freedom rather
than for government handouts.
Please pray for the United States of America.
