The difference between an election and a coronation
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As politics heat up let’s work hard to keep our perspective. I heard a song that did that for me.
It’s good to be reminded, in the midst of all the rhetoric, that we are considering a president, not a king. Jesus spent a lot of time at the beginning of his ministry reminding those he taught to seek the “Kingdom of God.”
We can’t be right with God unless we make him our King. Equally, we can’t be right with God if we seat anyone else on the throne of our lives.
Here in America, we pledge allegiance to a flag but we, as Christians, need to be careful to reserve our highest honors for our King of kings.
An election to count on.
It isn’t difficult to discern political speech from truth these days. There isn’t a lot of decent character in politics these days, or in politicians. As I said in last week’s blog post, every candidate we vote for is imperfect just like us.
Our news will be full of election rhetoric for the next few months, but there is another election to consider as well. The apostle Paul began his letter to Titus by saying, “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began” (Titus 1:1–2).
Who are God’s “elect”? According to Colossians 3:12, the elect are God’s “chosen ones” who are “holy and dearly loved.”
We are going to elect a new president who will govern the country for a few years. The sovereign God, the King of kings, elected each Christian to become his child and live as someone who is holy and dearly loved. Shouldn’t that knowledge overwhelm us with reverent awe? That should be the perspective that carries us through this political season.
We will vote in an election. The day we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we attended the coronation of our King – now our Father in heaven.
The royal family
The countries who coronate kings on earth have problems just like the countries who elect their leaders, or whose leaders are forced upon them. Leaders on earth will always be men and women born with strengths and weaknesses.
The most famous royal family on earth has had their strengths and weaknesses displayed on the front pages of papers and magazines. It’s not easy to wear a crown in this world. The crowns in the world are temporary and heavy to carry.
The crown in heaven is not a burden, it is a reward. One day we will stand before our heavenly Father and his Son and lay that crown at his feet. Every jewel we earn on earth just makes our crown a more valuable gift for our King.
Jesus taught us to pray, saying to God, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). In other words, we are to acknowledge God as our King by obeying him as our Father now, just as he will be our King and Father in heaven.
Do you see yourself as a member of God’s royal family? If you are a Christian, you have been promised that crown.
A song by CeCe Winans
I will keep this blog post short because I want to give you a chance to worship at a coronation.
I rarely hear a song by CeCe Winans that doesn’t give me goosebumps, literally! I love her voice, her music, her witness, and the way she uses her gifts to honor her King. She has a new song that is high on the list of popular Christian music. Take a few minutes at the close of this blog post to listen.
The song is titled “That’s My King.” I hope you will listen, worship, and remember that as a Christian the King is also your heavenly Father.
Our spiritual perspective: We will vote in earthly elections, but each day we can attend a coronation for our King.
Extra Credit:
As a bonus: I want to give you one more song from CeCe Winans. When I hear this song playing, I almost always stop whatever I am doing to experience it. The song is titled “Goodness of God.” Smiles and goosebumps ahead…I promise! Enjoy.
