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“New President. Same King. Same Christianity.”
Categories: In the News, Midweek FR articles
On Monday, our country witnessed the peaceful transfer of power from one commander in chief to another. Was that transfer of power awkward? Yes, at times. If you watched the inauguration, then you surely felt that. But we can live with awkwardness when we have the gift of peace, and Monday’s ceremony was peaceful—a fact for which we ought to be grateful to God.
Our new presiding citizen spoke openly about some of the large-scale challenges that this country faces and about his intentions to change the prevailing direction set by some past administrations’ ideologies. Most presidents make similar statements in their inaugural addresses, and almost all of them deliver on some of their ambitions while failing to deliver on others. They each want to see an America that fits their understanding of what is best and right in this world, and so, with the considerable power which we the people have granted them, they set about making that happen.
To some people, these transfers of power and ideological shifts feel like they rock the very foundations of reality. Some people believe that the success or failure of everything rides on decisions made in the world’s highest offices. But Christians aren’t thrown off balance by these things. We serve the one who truly holds THE highest office, who sits on the throne above all thrones. And he is unchanging. He is immutable. He is all-powerful. And he is perfect.
And along with that, Jesus taught us that it’s not the world’s most powerful people who shape and re-shape the foundations of the world. He said that the people who do that sort of thing are poor in spirit. They mourn. They are meek. They hunger and thirst for righteousness. They are merciful. They are peacemakers at home and in their communities. And they are almost always persecuted for their efforts. Those people are the salt of the earth and the light of the world—the real agents of righteous transformation (cf. Mt. 5:1-16).
So whether you are more inclined to be excited or disheartened by Monday’s change in the presidency, I hope that you find a peace that passes understanding in the ongoing knowledge of who truly rules in the kingdoms of men (cf. Dn. 4:17, 25, 32). And I hope we can all grasp the truth that when the Holy Spirit is at work in us, we have more power to change the world than anyone who holds a high political office. Because we have, on our side, the divine power to destroy strongholds and arguments and lofty opinions until every thought is taken captive to obey Christ (2 Cr. 10:3-5).
- Dan Lankford, minister
