Who Shall Serve?

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave... (Matt 20:25-27)

We are preparing to elect the next president of the United States. As Christians, what kind of president do we want?

I watched part of the Republican Presidential Debate last night. Only part because I slept through most of it. Not because it was boring, I was tired. There are many good candidates; lots of good ideas and dreams; but, there are some pretty bad ideas, as well. History should remind us that some of those promises will not be fulfilled. They can promise all they want; but, we have a checks and balance system in our government. Just because someone who is running for president promises you something doesn't mean that it's going to happen. We need to ask ourselves, given that we have three branches to our government, not to mention a binding constitution, how realistic these promises really are. Which candidate can actually work with others best for the good of all people?

To tell you the truth, the egos of some of the Republican as well as the Democrat candidates put me off. Do we really want a narcissist as our next president? There has been at least one really good candidate who has stayed in the top of the polls; always near center stage during the debates. But, I don't hear much about him. He seems to get asked less questions during the debates and he gets a whole lot less press coverage. His name is not even usually mentioned as a front-runner by the press. The candidates in front of him and even behind him are mentioned quite often. I cannot help but wonder: what is up with that? I'm thinking it may be because he appears too gentle. He is not a bully. He actually appears, do I dare say it, "humble."

Humility in the Kingdom of God is a virtue. Narcissism is not. Pushing people around is not. Slander is not. Lying is not. Minimizing the harm done to others is not. Idolatry is not. I personally pray that God would call a humble man to this position. One who will serve, not according to his personal ambitions; but, for the sake of the country; even of the world. None are perfect. No one is. But, there are a few candidates who might fit this bill better than others. May God reveal the true natures and ideologies of all of these men and women so that voters might discern for the good of all people.

God's Peace - Pr. J