After two years of campaigning and millions of dollars being spent, the United States of America has elected a new President, Barack Obama. The Senator from Illinois will move into the White House as many new members of Congress move to Washington, D.C. Certainly, they will all have difficult work ahead when they take office in January. Many Americans are anxious about the economy, the conflicts overseas, and the security of our nation. Our nation is looking to our newly elected leaders for direction. As Christians, we are called to have a special attitude toward our government and how it deals with world events.

In writing to his young apprentice, Paul instructed Timothy to do his part as it related to the government of his day:
“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior” (1 Timothy 2:1-3)
Christians are to make requests, prayers, and intercession for their government leaders, those who are in authority. This essentially covers every type of prayer. However, Paul goes a step further in saying that we should thank God for the men and women who have, in the case of the US, been elected to positions of power.

The way in which many Christians pray about government is somewhat peculiar in light of this passage. We go before the throne of heaven asking that God “lead our country to elect leaders who follow Him” and “help those leaders return America to the God-fearing nation it once was.” The Old Testament provides ample proof that God rules in the affairs of men and punishes nations that wonder away from Him. Thomas Jefferson even “trembled” for his country when he “reflected that God is just and that His justice cannot sleep forever.” Perhaps, our genuine but fervent desire to see America return to its Judeo-Christian roots causes us to misunderstand the roles that governments and Christians should play in making that change possible.

If we follow Paul’s instructions the end result should be “that we may live quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” We sometimes forget that “the authorities that exist have been established by God” (Romans 13:1). Each and every one of us should first thank God for our new leaders and also ask that He help them to make decisions, not based upon our own political philosophies, but based upon what will allow us as His children to live our lives quietly in His service. The answer to America’s, indeed the world’s, problems is not a Republican or a Democrat in the White House (depending on your party affiliation). The answer is Jesus Christ. The risen Savior of the world is the only One who can bring change that we can believe in. But to bring that change, He relies upon us to be His ambassadors. Instead of putting country first, we should put His cause first, reviving our nation in our neighborhoods and not necessarily in Washington. The government’s job is to give us safety and tranquility. Our job is to change the world. Government leaders come and go. As they do, God remains on His throne and therefore we always have reason to be optimistic and thankful regardless of who our leaders are and whether they be good or bad.

Fall has officially begun and transformation can be seen all around. Temperatures have cooled off nicely, giving us many pleasant afternoons with the promise of more to come. Airstream trailers have brought to town fiddlers from across several states indicating that the first major celebration of the season is about to take place. Within weeks the leaves will be changing colors, giving the Tennessee Valley an orange, red, and brown tint. Most importantly, however, snare drums can be heard in towns across the state meaning that it is once again time for what is in my opinion one of the south’s finest traditions: high school and college football.
I never cease to be amazed by the college football pundits who decide (whether it be on TV or in their polls) who the national champions will be even before the first play has been run. They base these predictions on last year’s results along with recruiting stats and somehow manage to rank teams even before seeing them on the field. We have already seen this year, as we usually do, how wrong pre-season polls can be. Number 1 USC recently fell to unranked Oregon State proving that no matter the expectations, anything can happen. Being expected to win and winning are two different things.
But before we write expectations off altogether we need to realize that they can decide the outcome of a game if the teams competing allow them to do so. Here, the University of Southern California provides a perfect example. They expected to win against Oregon State University. These expectations were based on the very realistic and logical assumptions that they had better players, a better coaching staff, and a better team dynamic. Perhaps someone should have explained this logic to the Oregon State players and coaches because they obviously did not assume that they were marching toward an unavoidable and humiliating defeat on national television. To the contrary, they expected to have a chance to win. So, when the whistle blew and the first kick sailed into the air, one team started playing to win and the other believed they already had.
There are two types of expectations: those other people have of you and those you have of yourself. The first category does not matter too much, but the second will determine what course your life eventually takes. As the USC-Oregon State game proves, people usually meet whatever expectations they set for themselves, whether those expectations are good or bad. If we set the bar high and always try to jump higher, we will be able to shake things up in the world around us. However, if we lower the bar and assume that we’ve already accomplished great things, we will fall short of our full potential.
In the church at Ephesus, members set the bar low for the young evangelist Timothy. They believed he was too young and therefore could not do much. But Paul tells him to have a higher standard for himself, saying, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” In essence, Paul is telling Timothy to prove them wrong, to set an example which nobody could question. As Alex and Brett Harris point out in their book Do Hard Things, setting this kind of example is not easy. Their book challenges teenagers to do just as the title suggests and step out for God even when it hurts.
American society typically does not appreciate the potential that lies within the souls of so many young people. Because society expects less of teenagers, teenagers begin expecting less of themselves. The challenge is simple: expect more, do more. Do not let others set the bar lower for you. Instead, do the hard things necessary to raise the bar to the level God would have you attain.

July 4th has long been a favorite holiday of mine. American flags ripple in the hot summer breeze. The smell of charcoal grills permeates virtually every neighborhood. Local townships invite their citizens to gather for illustrious (and sometimes not so illustrious) fireworks shows often timed perfectly to Lee Greenwood, Ray Charles, and marching bands of the various branches of our armed services. We salute our country and its founding by taking a day off from work and gathering with loved ones to enjoy the liberties which our forefathers declared to be ours in 1776. Fifty-six men risked their lives by signing their names to the document we now refer to as the Declaration of Independence. In doing so, they announced to a mostly unsympathetic world the principles which would guide this nation through its infancy and into adulthood. However many Americans, in the midst of their traditional celebrations, fail to fully appreciate what those principles are and how they relate to American citizens even in a time which is radically different from the one in which they were first expressed.

In The Second Treatise on Civil Government, John Locke proposes that in their natural state, all men are equal, none having the right to govern another. As evidence, he argues that Adam had no “natural right” to govern the world. Even if he had, we are all his descendants and therefore all have equal claim to inherit that right. Locke further explains this reasoning by invoking the name of God:
“The state of Nature has a law of Nature to govern it, which obliges everyone and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions; for men being all the workmanship of the one omnipotent and infinitely wise Maker; all the servants of one sovereign Master, sent into the world by His order and about His business; they are His property, whose workmanship they are made to last during His, not one another’s pleasure.”
John Locke claims that all men, having been created by God, are bound to serve him and not dominate each other.

Locke’s influence on Thomas Jefferson and the other designers of our republic is apparent in the first sentence of the Declaration of Independence which references the “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” as the justification for dissolving political ties with Great Britain. Examine the most widely memorized text of the Declaration in light of what Locke wrote:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
As followers of Jesus we must recognize that our American liberties originate from the same place as our Christian liberties: our divine Creator. It is God who gives us our rights, not the United States Government or any other man-made institution. Jefferson drove this point home in his Notes of the State of Virginia by asking, “Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God?” Far from being the Deist that many modern historians like to accuse him of being, Jefferson believed that God was alive, active, and ruling in the affairs of men. So much so, that he was afraid God would smite the United States for perpetuating slavery.

As the flags go up and the sparklers are lit, let us take a moment this Fourth of July to reflect not just upon our nation’s birthday but also upon the religious principles which, in the view of our founders, necessitated it.

Imagine a place where the sun always shines bright. There is no grass and about one tree per acre. Imagine a place where everything is covered in dust, thick blankets of dust, and the few trees which produce fruit are only able to produce food for a few people at a time. Those of you who have been out west would say this sounds like Arizona or Nevada. But unlike those southwestern states, the residents cannot afford insulated houses or air-conditioning. A middle class family may own one bicycle. An upper middle class family might have a dirt bike. And only the very rich can manage to operate an automobile made in the early 1990’s. Consequently, women walk one to two miles each day with five gallon buckets on their heads to bring home barely enough water to sustain their husband and children. The water is not filtered and, because of it was taken from a small stagnant pond, is likely filled with parasites. This describes the simple realities of life in northern Ghana.
As most of you know, I recently traveled to this desolate part of the world with two other people from the Central Church of Christ: Tommy Abernathy and Joan Watkins. As we were being driven to southern Ghana from a town in the north called Bolgatanga, I was listening to old southern gospel hymns on my ipod. Spending half of my youth at a small country church in Oakman, Alabama, I truly appreciate the words of these “classic” songs. Eventually, a song came on that caused me to pause and think about my surroundings. It was written in 1880 by a man named Josiah K. Alwood and was sung by Willie Nelson at Farm Aid in 1987. The Unclouded Day begins, “O they tell me of a home far beyond the skies, O they tell me of a home far away; O they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise, O they tell me of an unclouded day.” This song is a favorite of mine because they played it over the public address system in Bryant-Denny Stadium after 80,000 people and I sat through a thunderstorm awaiting kickoff of an Alabama-Arkansas game. That day, like many in Alabama, we were all hoping for the storm to go away, leaving us unharmed and allowing us to continue with the events planned for that day. In Ghana, however, storm clouds are a glorious sight. It means that life-giving rain is about to pour down from heaven and give sustenance to plants, animals, and people alike. Simply put, it means that life can go on for a little while longer.
I imagine it is uncommon to hear The Unclouded Day being sung in church buildings in northern Ghana. The meaning of the song does not hold up as it is carried over into that culture. I experienced other such differences between Ghanaians and Americans (believe me, they were many). However, one thing remained constant: Christians there love God and each other just like Christians here. The more I travel around the world the more amazed I become at the gospel’s ability to hold its meaning regardless of the culture, country, or continent. People in every corner of the globe respond the same way when they hear the Good News that Jesus Christ has died to save them from their sins. They let that thankfulness motivate them to live as they know they should and, like Paul, to “learn to be content” regardless of the circumstances in which they find themselves (Philippians 4:11). Let us work every day to be a little more like Christ. Let us learn from our brothers and sisters overseas and refuse to let minor differences cause us to overlook our major commonality. Let us remember that we are Christians and allow that fact to influence every aspect of our life.

A man was walking down the street one day and suddenly fell into a deep pit. The walls of this pit were so tall and slick that he was unable to climb to the top. He could however, see people passing by on the sidewalk above him. He called out to a priest saying, “Father, please help me. I have fallen into a pit.” The priest said, “Bless you my son. May God be with you,” and continued walking. The man then saw a city councilman and again called out, “Your honor, please help me. I have fallen into a pit.” The councilman looked down and responded, “My heavens. This is indeed a severe problem. I shall make a motion at the next council meeting to appoint a committee to assess your situation and make recommendations on how to proceed with your rescue.” The councilman then continued handing out campaign buttons. Finally, a friend of this man walked by. A third time he called out, “My friend, please help me. I have fallen into a pit.” Without hesitation his friend jumped down into the pit. The man criticized his friend’s action shouting, “You fool! Now you and I are both in this pit!” to which his friend replied, “Yes, but I have been down here before and I know the way out.”
Many people have a tendency to say what they know they should, but do only what they want. The priest and the councilman gave lip service to this man who was in trouble. They said things that sounded good, but they did not back up those words with tangible action. James asks the question, “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?” (James 2:15-16). This statement comes just after he essentially says that pure religion is to help those who cannot help themselves (James 1:27). James, here, is trying to get across the point that Christianity is just as much about doing as it is anything else. This brings us to the book of Galatians.
After explaining how we are to “walk by the Spirit”, Paul recommends that we “not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.” He continues “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness…bear one another’s burdens…for if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself…so then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 5:25-6:10). The point here is simple: help each other out, but in doing so do not think that you are better than everyone else.
God has given us as Christians the responsibility to serve the world, especially those people who belong to Him. We cannot serve with arrogance, thinking that we are superior. Remember that the friend was only able to save the man from the pit because he had once been trapped in the pit himself. It is only when we realize that everyone can contribute to God’s family and that everyone is just as important as we are that God can truly use us to bring glory to Him and save a lost world. Let us pray that God develops within each member of Central’s youth ministry the humble heart of a servant.

Will