USA (MNN) — The U.S. presidential election will be decided tomorrow, though it may take days to count the votes.
This season has been especially hostile, driven largely by wildly varying opinions of incumbent President Donald Trump. Hateful and unkind speech, driven by fear, have become commonplace in many political discussions.
Ron Hutchcraft of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries says Christians can’t blend into this culture of strife and division. “We do that and, I hate to say it, we’re going to give folks another reason to not choose Jesus. In Philippians 3, we have a good reminder that we have dual citizenship. Now, my passport tells me I’m an American citizen. My Bible says our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await the Savior from there.”
Early Christians viewed themselves as living in a colony under local stewards. They awaited the day when Jesus, their true Emperor, would return and reign with them forever. Today, Christians live in the same situation, though believers in the U.S. and other democracies can help pick our stewards.
Ambassadors
Read a blog post written by Ron Hutchcraft about the election here. (Photo courtesy of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries on Facebook)
We are Christ’s ambassadors, says Hutchcraft, and everything we say to people in person or on the internet paints a positive or a negative picture of Jesus.
So how do we represent our King? Hutchcraft says, “Jesus said they will know you are Christians by your love. And when we talk about love, it means His kind of love. He loved us while we were yet sinners. We were on the enemy side at that point. This is a love that is offered to people unconditionally, that is uncondemning.”
After the election, Hutchcraft says we need to pray for those in power. “In God’s throne room, there are no political parties, no political labels. Whether I vote for someone or not, I must pray for them.”
Respect for others
After the election is over, some people will be elated or relieved. Others will be disappointed, or even afraid. Christians need to treat others with respect, understanding, and gentleness.
In the same way, some Christians will rejoice at the election outcome, others will be dismayed. But all need to keep focused on Jesus, the true King.
Jesus is coming soon, and He will reign over all things forever. Hutchcraft says, “I asked God just to give me eternity eyes, to be able to see the events of today and tomorrow against the backdrop of eternity.”
Header photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash
