Inside Out Living

This morning I was reading Proverbs 28 and I was struck with the number of verses that had a reference to a national leader or ruler. I could help but think of the recent inauguration of President Barak Obama. Now I know that it may sound presumptuous for me to offer the president advice, but the advice is not really mine, it is God's. There are six proverbial truths in this chapter (probably more but six I will mention) that would help any leader succeed and be a blessing to those he leaders.

1) Avoid Immorality (28:2a) - Many presidents (and other leaders for that matter) who have gone before Obama could tell him the headaches of getting involved in immorality. Loss of respect and loss of effectiveness to influence other leaders come with this problem as well.

2) Exercise wisdom (28:2b) - I know this one really goes without saying anything except duh! But how many times have we seen foolish decisions from leaders because they are trying to appease someone else instead of focusing on the right thing to do.

3) Pursue godliness (28:12) - I don't know if Barack Obama is a Christian (one who has placed faith in Jesus for salvation). Whatever label he uses to identify himself with does not dictate the spiritual reality. Only God knows the heart of a man. However to pursue godliness from this point forward will drastically change his life for the better (as it would any individual).

4) Practice fairness & justice (28:15, 28a) - Yes this is something that God cares about, especially from leaders of nations. It is something that everyone should care about too. Remember God's love extends to everyone so we should care about what happens to everyone.

5) Honor other people (28:16a) - Whether you like them or not, you need to honor and give credit to other people whenever they deserve it. Show appreciation and gratitude of those you are leading. There is nothing more disheartening to have a leader that doesn't recognize your hard work and effective results.

6) Maintain integrity (28:16b) - This is different from the first point. It may be the most difficult item on this list as a politician and leader. That is not to excuse it away or minimize its importance. A high level of integrity is intregal to a leaders ability to lead and influence other people. Just as the mayor of Portland, OR.

My seven year old son is beginning to understand the larger world around him. The other night he asked if God was the president of the World? This was a very curious question and not one that was easily explained to someone with a second grade education.

He knows and firmly believes that God is in charge of the world and created everything we see. Every time he prays he thanks God for the whole world and for anything else that comes to mind. He has been learning in school about the inauguration of President Obama and about the role of the President of the United States. So to him it makes perfect sense that God would be President of the world because he knows that the highest position in our country is president. However as I tried to explain to him God is far greater than merely the president of the world. First I told him that God was more like a king than a president because nobody had to vote for Him for Him to be in charge. I think he understood, but for my son as for many Americans it is difficult to undertand what it is like to live under a king. However even that description of God falls short because kings can come and go and can be desposed of their power.

I got to thinking about this conversation when I read Proverbs 21:1 this morning. "The king's heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he turns it wherever he pleases." (NLT) This proverbial truth helps us to keep in perspective that God is the one who is in sovereign control of the world regardless of who the leaders of the various nations are. This is not a debatable issue and whether you agree with it or not, it is still true.

This truth isn't always easy to work out in to the practicality of every day life because some national leaders are corrupt and oppress their people taking advantage of their power for their own personal gain. I think what will help us to reconcile that reality with the greater reality of God's sovereignty is to keep in mind that neither God's sovereignty nor his exhaustive foreknowledge of man's actions ever negate the responsibility of humans as free agents. So while God can and does direct the course of human events, He will always do this in accordance to the free decisions of humans.

This is why today is no different for me than last Thursday when Bush was still President. I struggle with understanding why so many of my fellow evangelicals get bent out of shape that we have a democratic president now. I think they lost sight of the fact that God is still the one in control regardless of who we vote in and acknowledge as our nation's leader.

Just some of my thoughts on the reaction to Obama's Inauguration. Love to hear your comments.

Christianity Today just posted a transcript of Rick Warren's invocation from today's inaugural address. You can read the transcript here .

For those of you who didn't watch the inauguration this morning it was a truly great prayer. One of sincerity and truth. I loved how Pastor Rick weaved in his personal testimony at the end. Not that he needed to add more about how Jesus changed his life, but the fact that he mentioned that Jesus changed his life and prayed in the name of Jesus means all the world to me.

We are in the middle of a presidential political campaign year, and I don’t know about you, but I have become a bit of a political cynic. Every candidate promises to have the solutions to all the problems we face, but once their term is up, the problems remain. I am so thankful that God’s power is not a political power. God was not elected to His position and His power is not subject to anyone else.

As you read the closing chapter of Job today, you noticed that God chose to bless Job. God did not have to defend that decision to anyone. He didn’t have to get the approval of the House or the Senate. God’s promises are not like those of a politician. Because of God’s power, we know that every last one of his promises will come true. Do you trust in God’s promises? What about God’s power? Do you believe that God has the power to accomplish whatever he desires? We must first believe in the power of God before we can trust in His promises; otherwise God is nothing more than a politician.