Caught Up In The Race

"Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men."
Titus 3:1-2

It has been some time since I have written in this "Daily Devotional," so I thought it was about time to write again. God has been showing me some things that I think are worth sharing, especially during these troubled times. I have had the privilege to be in a Bible study with some guys that I admire and respect greatly, when it comes to their Bible teaching, and the Lord has used them to speak to me, through His Word.

Paul is writing here to Titus, a young pastor as was Timothy, and is the focus of this personal letter which bears his name. Here, Paul is telling Titus to remind the people to whom he is the pastor, of several things. The first thing we are to be reminded of is to be subject to rulers and authorities. These are not spiritual rulers and authorities Paul is talking about, but rather the rulers and the authorities that are over us civilly, the government which is over us. We have a duty as Christians, to be the best citizens of the land. Next, Paul reminds us that we are to obey, and to be ready for every good work. This means that we are to obey the laws of the land, and if there is opportunity to serve, we should be ready to do that.

The next phrase, however, is the focus of my writing today. We as believers in Jesus Christ, are to speak evil of no one. Period. It doesn't say, "speak evil of no one unless they line up with your political party affiliation." No. It says simply, "speak evil of no one." This really convicted me when I read it again, and surprised me that I missed it the first twenty times I had read it. It does not matter where you line up in this political race for the president. We are to speak evil of no one, even if the rest of the world is telling lies and spreading falsehoods about your favorite candidate. It is so easy for us to get caught up in the rhetoric and react to the dialogue and the news stories and the media bias. But again, we are to speak evil of no one. I was tempted to even this morning, when I turned on my computer to find a news story that was reporting on "Joe the Plumber" referred to in the last debate between presidential candidates. I thought to myself, "good grief, you people have waaaaaaaaaaaay too much time on your hands." But the Lord caught me, and reminded me that as a Christian, a believer in Jesus Christ, I am to speak evil of no one, so after my thinking that some news reporters are overpaid, I let it go, because if I began to dwell on it, I again would find myself caught up in the race.

So beloved, remember that when Jesus walked this earth, He wasn't worried about who was Caesar of the Roman Empire. He was concerned about ministering to people. And that is what I believe He wants for you and me. Should I do my duty as a citizen of this country and go vote? You bet I should! But I am not going to be as concerned for who wins and get all caught up in it, like I could, because of two things: 1. God is in control of everything, and this is His timetable He is working out, and 2. The more important thing is ministering to my neighbor who might not have a clue about what is going on these days. We are living in perilous times, Paul says, times that are spiraling down into the abyss and there is no way out. We ARE living in the last days. Jesus is coming very soon, and we need to be witnessing and ministering to our neighbor, to make sure they know it, instead of being caught up in the race to the White House. Shalom.

Rod Ewing is the Pastor of Calvary Chapel Ocala.