I've never been public about who or what I voted for. I usually went by the philosophy, "vote for the lesser of two evils". Honestly, I'll tell you now, that I voted for "W" twice. Gladly the first time. The second time, I didn't make the final decision until I was filling in the ballot. I don't remember anything in particular about his stance on the issues. However, now I recall that in the debates vs. Gore, Bush swore never to contribute to nation-building and/or policing the world.
Why share my political fervor now? I'll try to tell you briefly . . .
Ordinarily, I wouldn't care about presidential candidates, especially now. I am more confident than ever that Jesus is the rightful King of the Universe, not just the U.S.A., God bless it. So I don't believe that our wonderful empire/country will write history even though I've heard our President and his cabinet make that claim. I believe that ultimately Jesus will come back and all the world powers will be like flies on manure. The poor will be lifted up. The innocent. The peacemakers. The meek. The persecuted. The taxpayers. The tax collectors. The prostitutes. The drug addicts. Everyone who was in real trouble and ran to the candidate who truly meant his promises . . . will be saved. That's what I believe. So, I don't expect much out of even our nation/empire.
But, Ron Paul has brought something to my attention. We have a law to rule our land, not a ruleR. Our nation's forefathers knew that no one has perfect knowledge so, "Let's design a government that let's people live according to their conscience. The government should protect their liberty instead of telling them what to believe, be afraid of, and what to pay for." This desire for the rule of law until Jesus returns makes a lot of sense to me. 1 Timothy 2:2, "Pray for these [rulers] so that we can have a quiet and peaceful life always lived in a godly and reverent way." Ron Paul seems to value this prayer much more than other candidates some of whom exploit the Christian faith for their own popularity.
Ron Paul believes and applies something Jesus said: "When you pray, don't be like hypocrites [two-faced people]. They like to stand in synagogues and on street corners to pray so that everyone can see them. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward. When you pray, go to your room and close the door. Pray privately to your Father who is with you. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you." Ron Paul lives his faith instead of wearing it on his sleeve or exploiting it for votes and popularity.
Mark 6:14-29. John got beheaded for speaking truth to power. Jesus respected John. He spoke the truth about Herod publicly. Ron Paul, too, speaks truth to power. I recall the many times he has challenged the federal reserve bank. He says, "When you print money to cover government spending, it causes the devaluation of the American dollar, inflation. How do you justify essentially stealing from the American people? The constitution does not permit this activity!"
Ephesians 6:10f. " . . . This is not a wrestling match against a human opponent. We are wrestling with rulers, authorities, the powers who govern this world of darkness, and spiritual forces that control evil in the heavenly world . . ." I believe that many of the powers of our dark world reside in the U.S. government. Don't get me wrong, I love this country! But it's just another kingdom of this world and it's wrong, too!
I'm suddenly politically excited because Ron Paul isn't using Jesus to get votes, but he leads in the way of Jesus. I'm public about my vote and support this time because it is an opportunity to speak truth to power, like John the Baptist. It's a time to challenge the status quo and recognize the weakness rather than the glory of our nation. It's a chance to reason together because Ron Paul's ideas are intellectual and inspiring. He's running for an office that he believes should be very, very small. Perhaps he knows what I know, that only Jesus rightfully sits in Office. We'll see Him ruling with justice when he returns. He will vindicate all those put down and oppressed by the powers of this dark world. Until then, I hope I have the courage to speak truth to power like Ron Paul in the tradition of John the Baptist and Jesus, the eternal King.
17 January 2008
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