Hey everybody,
When I was a kid, I played many sports, and one of the things I was taught was the importance of good sportsmanship. I was taught that when you win a game, you don’t gloat or get in the faces of the ones that you defeated, and when you lose, you lose graciously. You don’t complain about the lousy call or get angry with those you lost to. In fact, we were taught that after the game, whether you won or lost, you would line up and shake hands with the other team and say, “Good game.”
The game mattered. How we played was important. However, how we conducted ourselves was more important than winning or losing. After all, it was just a game.
This week, our current election cycle wrapped up. Approximately 51% of our country feels triumphant, and 49% feels defeated and crushed. That’s the thing about elections in this world—there are winners and losers. But as I’ve been reminding you throughout this series, our reality is beyond this world. Regardless of who is sitting in the White House, we have a King who reigns and sits on the throne of heaven.
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation. Colossians 1:15
Our victory is in Jesus. He is the King. Politicians come and go. Political parties come and go. Nations rise and fall. But our King reigns over all.
Do you believe that?
If you do, let’s conduct ourselves as followers of this King whether we “won” or “lost” the election. Our politics are more than a game, of course. Policy comes on the backside of elections. But in light of eternity, what we are engaged in right now is more like a scrimmage than the championship game. In 500 years, no one will remember who won this election. It’s true. Ever heard of Millard Fillmore? He was president of the United States from 1850-1853 and was a member of the Whig party. I may have read his name at some point, but if you were to have asked me who he was, I would have said that I have no idea! And he was one of our nation’s presidents!
Does that give you some perspective? So now that the election is behind us, let’s commit ourselves to getting on with the business of the King. He has called us to make disciples of all nations. To live in such a way that people take notice of our King…not our politics. How do we do that? The follower of Jesus should be characterized by love, but it’s not gushy, squishy feelings; it’s way more difficult than that. The Apostle Paul said:
Do you display patience and kindness to those with whom you disagree?
Boastful, proud, and rude are the love languages of modern politics, but these should NOT be true of the followers of our King. Gloating and grumbling will not do much to endear people to Jesus.
Getting back, revenge, self-demanding irritability—these work in our nation’s politics but have no place in the Kingdom of God.
So…let’s get on with the business of the King. The game is important, but how we conduct ourselves is more important. Redirect your thoughts, your energies, and your resources to spreading the name and love of our Savior to a world that desperately needs Him. Remember, if you managed to get everyone to vote the way you voted, you might win an election. Still, no one’s eternity will be changed. So, let’s work for what really matters.
Invite someone to sit with you this Sunday as we continue our series, “Divided We Stand.” We will celebrate our victory in Jesus together!
Blessings,
Pastor Jamey