Author: John Page 132 of 166

Exodus 18:21 “Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens”

Moses had been overwhelmed by his leadership role and his father-in-law gave him a stern lecture.  Without proper delegation, Jethro warned Moses that “Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.” (Exodus 18:18)  In Jethro’s detailed advice to overcome this problem, the Word of God provides us the best possible checklist to use in selecting our leaders.

Moses was given four characteristics of leadership.  In his case, these characteristics were to apply to those he would select as his subordinate leaders.  Yet, these four characteristics are equally appropriate to our selection of leaders today.

Moses was to select those who were able, godly, honest, and selfless.  So should we.

Next week as we select our rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, we should carefully consider the four characteristics from Jethro’s advice.  More than those who embrace what we consider the proper policies or politics, we need rulers who follow God’s checklist for leadership.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WILL VOTE FOR LEADERS WHO ARE ABLE, GODLY, HONEST, AND SELFLESS.  God’s checklist for leadership has been available for thousands of years.  Let us not deviate from it.

II Samuel 23:3 “The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.”

John Jay wrote:  “Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest, of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”

But wait!  Doesn’t calling us a Christian nation and encouraging us to elect Christian leaders violate the mystical Constitutional ‘separation of church and state’?

This Founding Father didn’t seem to think so.  This co-author of the Federalist Papers, a series of eighty-five articles written to persuade the citizenry to ratify the proposed Constitution of the United States, didn’t seem to think so.  This Secretary of Foreign Affairs under the Articles of Confederation didn’t seem to think so.  This unanimously confirmed American judge, who was the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, didn’t seem to think so.  If anyone should be an authority on such things, it is John Jay, and he spoke along these lines with no hesitation.

It is our duty to select leaders who are just.  It is our privilege to select leaders who are Christians.  It is in our interest to select leaders who fear the Lord.  PLEASE PRAY AND VOTE FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERS WHO WILL RULE IN THE FEAR OF THE LORD.  Doing so doesn’t violate the Constitution.  Not doing so violates the Word of God.

Proverbs 14:34 “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”

The chaplain of the United States Senate in the 1940s, Peter Marshall, prayed the following:

“May we begin to see that all true Americanism begins in being Christian; that it can have no other foundation, as it has no other roots.  To Thy glory was this Republic established.  For the advancement of the Christian faith did the Founding Fathers give their life’s heritage, passed down to us.”

This nation needs the exaltation brought about by righteousness.  It needs to shed the reproach brought about by sin.  It needs Christians to rise to our true citizenship responsibility to promote the one and prevent the other.

The Founding Fathers passed down a great task to Christians.  This land was established to the glory of God.  It was founded, rooted and grounded on Christ, and demands that believers are to be faithful Christians if we are to be fit citizens.  This doesn’t diminish the role of others in our society, but reminds us that when this nation falters it is because we have neither been good Christians nor good American citizens.  In many ways, the two are inseparable.

PLEASE PRAY THAT CHRISTIANS RISE TO THE RESPONSIBILITY OF TRUE CITIZENSHIP.  We must do so not just during election season, but always.  We must do so to maintain true Americanism in our land.

Daniel 4:32 “And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.”

Whatever earthly thing is the object of our trust, it pales in comparison to God’s trustworthiness.  Nebuchadnezzar learned the hard way that his trust should have been in the Lord all along.  It is said that the best lessons are learned through experience, though we should all prefer that these hard lessons be learned through someone else’s experience and not our own.  May we thus learn from the experience of the powerful Nebuchadnezzar.

“The most High ruleth in the kingdom of men.”  In spite of our current national proclivity towards self-sufficiency, this self-sufficiency is misplaced.  It certainly was for the King of Babylon, who learned the hard way that the Lord can give rule to “whomsoever He will.”  There are only two options in leadership as in life, trusting in God or becoming wholly subservient to the things you trusted in previously.

As we elect our leaders, we must recognize that their misplaced trust has a substantial impact on us as well.  As they follow the source of their trust, the nation follows along.  That source of trust can either bring us closer to the Lord or closer to dwelling with the beasts of the field.  The preferred option is obvious, but not always starkly considered in the context of our political choices.  It should be.

PLEASE VOTE AND PRAY AS IF THE DIRECTION OF OUR LAND HANGS IN THE BALANCE.  It does!

Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”

Peter Marshall, chaplain of the United States Senate during the 1940s, prayed the following:

“Bless this land that we love so much, our Father, and help her to deposit her trust, not in armies and navies, in wealth and material resources, or in achievements of the human mind, but in that righteousness which alone exalteth any nation, and by which alone peace can finally come to us.  This we ask in that name that is above every name, Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.  Amen.”

No matter the strength of a military, the size of an economy, the scale of an educational system, or the persuasiveness of a diplomatic corps, a nation cannot be great unless trust is placed in the One to whom all human constructs are subservient.  A deposit of trust in the Lord is the only wise investment.  Our trust in the Lord is the only way that our nation can be exalted once again.

At all times, we should pray for our leaders to recognize that they must place their trust in the Lord above all else.  During this election season, we must vote for leaders who already do.  PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN LEADERS WOULD DEPOSIT THEIR TRUST IN GOD ALONE.  Without such a deposit, our investments will always underperform.

EXTRA THOUGHT:  This past Saturday I celebrated ten years of salvation.  Praise God!  The following is the link to an article I wrote five years ago outlining my testimony:  http://www.bimi.org/newsletterGi/gi209.php