The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
On God and Government Captain John Kirschman of the Salvation Army With the upcoming election on Monday, I thought I'd discuss a little biblical insight into government. In this day and age when many speak of the separation of church and state we find in 1 Timothy 2:1-4 that although the state may not be all that interested in God, He most certainly has His attention on them. We find in Timothy these words, "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayer, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings, and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." If God desires for us to pray for our leaders then he is most obviously interested in what's going on. We are encouraged here to pray for peace in our land and at the same time give thanks for our leaders. We should certainly be thankful to live in a country like Canada with all its rights and freedoms. It is our Christian duty to pray that these things constantly will remain. Even our national anthem reflects this desire in the words, "God keep our land glorious and free." Trust me, this is truly His desire for our country. We are also admonished in this passage to pray that godliness and holiness may prevail in our land. There are some key issues in this election where this element can certainly be compromised. It is not the church's place or right to tell you how to cast your vote. We should encourage you to look at the different parties, their platforms and their particular stands on the issues and then decide who has these elements closest to the vest. God wants us to acknowledge truth. Jesus said, "Your word is truth." (John 17:17) We need to look at the issues, weigh the candidates against the word of God and then cast a vote for truth and righteousness. The right thing is always the best for all concerned. After all the Bible also states, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people." (Prov. 14:34) On Monday let's exalt our nation.6/25/2004
