Holding Fast to the Truth

Jesus prayed in John 17 that we would walk in the truth:
15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

I think of the question that Jesus asked Pilate, "what is truth?"   And, I think that is a good question to ask those in authority today.   When leaders attempt to lead or governors attempt to govern without a firm foundation in God's Word, they will often miss the mark.  If you deny that the Bible is a source for morality and wisdom in leadership, then decisions will be made that counter the principles of God's Word.  That's why we need to pray for our leaders, and why we need to be speaking truth, consistent with the Scriptures, into the culture.

3rd John paints a picture of how truth should permeate and prevail over our lives.
2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.
3 It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth.  
4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.


It was debate night in America, round 2 last night, and the analogies abound describing the event as a "fight" - and, yes, there was passion, plenty of information, some of it can be called into question, and punches and counterpunches.   There were even a few moments where the candidates got just a bit too close to each other on the stage.   Bottom line:  CNN polling showing a 46-39% advantage to Obama, a Luntz focus group showing that Romney persuaded some independent voters, pundits all over the map on who won.   Even conservatives like Krauthammer and Will declared Obama the winner.

But, in my opinion to use another sports analogy, it appears that Romney may have held serve, doing just enough perhaps to win a point or two, but Obama did enough to maintain the status quo in the electorate.   Obama was much more animated last night than the Denver debacle, but I'm not seeing the word, "comeback" in the coverage.  Perhaps that's because Romney was effective at tying the President to his record.   They have a differing view and style of governing - and if you listen closely, you will hear the broad differences.

Listen closely - that's a mark of an informed voter, and especially of an informed Christian.   The Wall Street Journal has a feature called the "Vote Compass", which asks you 30 questions about policy and then will identify you at some point on the political spectrum.    And, I think it's helpful to identify your position and philosophy on various issues - your personal belief system. 

You know, so many issues do have a moral component.   And, if our personal morality is governed by the Bible, then we can view these issues accurately from a Christian worldview perspective - not judging candidates by what we think independently of the Bible's direction, but evaluating them by what the Word of God has to say.   And, that's important - we should know what we believe, why we believe it, based on the Scriptures, and be equipped to share our personal beliefs - based on God's absolute truth.   That includes our views on how to be saved, for sure, but also on applying His truth to a variety of areas of life.

So, allow the Bible to define your personal beliefs and actions.   Be a prayerful voter.   Make sure you're registered to vote on November 6th - the deadline in Alabama is next Friday, the 26th.   And, show up - be there - and invite others.   Millions of evangelical Christians stayed home in 2008.   Don't let that happen this year.