The difference between an election and a coronation

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.

Is Satan better at lying than Christians are at speaking God’s truth?

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[et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]Have you noticed that the truth gets lost in our political debates?  

Those arguments can quickly become about the rights people have versus what is right. Sadly, a lot of people under the age of forty have grown up hearing more political dialogue than biblical truth. 

Christians can learn a lot from the rhetoric of the abortion debate, LGBTQ issues, and the gender debates. Currently, Satan seems to be better at lying than Christians are at speaking the truth. 

Many Christians grew quiet when the children they loved started having sex with their dates. 

Many Christians stayed quiet when the children they loved lived as married before they were married. 

Many churches rightly made room for sinners but quietly accepted their sins in the process. 

Many Christians redefined holy as “pious” instead of being “born again” or “Spirit-filled.” 

Many Christians were compassionate toward the life of the mom but quiet about the life of her baby. 

Many Christians are filled with anger at people’s sins rather than feeling compassionate grief for what is driving their sins. 

Biblical correctness requires caring about God’s truth more than opinions or feelings 

Let’s think about it. 

The issue of abortion

A man can be charged with murder for killing an unborn child in a car accident. A woman, however, has the right to take the life of her unborn child at any time if her state makes abortion legal. 

Where is the “gender neutrality” in that fact? If gender is neutral, then will the man soon be allowed to determine his child’s right to life too?  

Biblical truth is easily seen in the baby’s beating heart on the sonogram screen. It is a baby. It isn’t right to take the life of anyone just because you want to. I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to carry a child to term who was created through violence. At the same time, I have known wonderful, happy children who were allowed to live and lead a rich life, even though they were created by violence.  

Think about it. 

The biblical truth is that this fallen world has a lot of “tribulation” and always will. Our troubles don’t change God’s truth. We don’t get a pass because something is painful. A baby is a baby, whether or not it is wanted. Abortion shouldn’t be anyone’s right because it isn’t right.  

The issue of gender

I honestly don’t understand why this is an issue. A person is born as a man or a woman. It is a rare medical emergency if the doctor can’t hold the newborn and instantly know the baby’s gender.  

Biblically, it is fine if a person doesn’t want to marry. It is just fine if a person enjoys the companionship of someone of the same sex. What isn’t fine is the idea that if you love someone or just enjoy their company, you should include lust or sex in the relationship. At what point did our culture begin to believe that love, fondness, or personal enjoyment make a sexual sin acceptable? 

Scripture does not permit sex with anyone who is of the same sex, or with anyone of the opposite sex, before being biblically joined in marriage. I’ve watched God’s truth on this subject become silent, even disdained, in my lifetime. God’s truth hasn’t changed, but the opinions, teaching, and preaching of God’s children have changed dramatically.  

Think about it. 

What would our culture look like if people accepted the biblical message about the sexual relationship? Could our schools be stronger? Could our hospitals provide better care? Could crime rates dwindle? Could we be a better, happier world if children were raised with biblical values and character instead of simply given life and the permission to live it any way they choose?  

Morality will not be inspired by political legislation. It is a matter of sanctification. People need the Lord and they deserve to know his truth. 

The issue of personal freedom

Personal freedom was at the heart of most of the controversy in the New Testament. Our struggles today are the same struggles the early church endured. How free are we in Christ? 

Most of the Hebrew people were appalled at the freedoms the Gentiles enjoyed. Some of the early Hebrew Christians began testing the waters of forgiveness. The New Covenant taught that, no matter what they did, a Christian had eternal life promised to them. 

So, did it really matter if they wanted to sin just a bit?  

Personal freedom was Paul’s daily debate in the first century. Paul clarified Christian freedom saying, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). 

Our current debates about personal freedoms don’t represent a new problem as much as they reveal the truth about sin. The first-century issues still remain in the church today. How did the early church work to get past their issues and thrive? 

They had Paul and the other apostles who preached the gospel truth. The leaders preached the need for repentance from sin, not just acceptance of sinners. God wants all people to understand how to be made right with him rather than feel right about their sins. A person’s personal freedom was not given a higher priority than their holiness. 

Think about it: If Paul struggled in the first century with personal freedoms, shouldn’t we expect to struggle with the same issues in the twenty-first century? Shouldn’t we also trust that if the early church could thrive amid all their sins, the church today can do the same? 

Paul’s teaching remains truth today. 

Paul wrote, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). 

The truth: God is faithful

It is never our right to do wrong. 

And, let’s face it, God would say the same thing to us that he said to the prophet Hosea: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (Hosea 4:6).  

It is our children who suffer when we don’t speak God’s truth. Some of our children in church today don’t hear God’s word taught, and others might believe God’s truth doesn’t apply to their generation. But the truth matters for everyone, and it will matter eternally.  

Has Satan been better at lying to our kids than we have been about teaching them the truth?  

The answers are in our statistics and discussed as political rhetoric in our news. God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. If we reject God’s truth, he will reject our ministries. Our kids and grandkids will be “forgotten by God on that day” if we don’t teach them the truth. 

Take a minute and see the faces that have come to your mind as you read. Picture them at the gate of heaven as they hear Jesus say, “I never knew you.” Christians will find it difficult to stay silent if they understand and believe that what Hosea wrote is God’s eternal and unchanging biblical truth.  

Is Satan better at lying than we are at speaking God’s truth?  

The early church fought their culture wars and won many people to faith in Christ. So can we. 

Remember that “he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Satan will continue to be successful at lying until we get better at sharing the truth. Let’s start by caring as much about speaking the truth as Satan cares about telling his lies.

Who will you speak with that needs to hear God’s truth today? Will you pray for the strength and wisdom to share that truth with God’s love?  

People need the Lord.

God’s people can help. [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column]
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Our citizenship is in heaven

NOTE: Our Advent devotional for 2020 is now available, and it was such a joy to write and compile Our Christmas Stories: 26 Reflections to Enrich Your Christmas Season

More than a few of you will find your stories in this book! 

And, while each story differs—some may even provide you with new Christmas traditions—they all ultimately celebrate the “good news of great joy” of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:10). Request your copy of Our Christmas Stories today!


The original title to this blog post was, “Our citizenship is in heaven, but not yet.” 

I wanted to encourage all my readers to use their right to choose, to do what is right and vote. But, I read Paul’s words, and theology got in the way of my title and my plan for this blog post. 

Paul wrote in the present tense, saying we are actually citizens of heaven right now. 

Theology often redirects my ideas in order to teach God’s. 

God’s people have always been called to be holy, to be set apart in this world. We should always feel like our values don’t line up with unbelievers. The only place we will fully belong is heaven. 

But, we are also citizens of this world. 

What are our choices until we get to heaven? 

The choice to be separate 

A lot of Christians choose to separate themselves completely from the culture. There are days when that seems like the best option to me too. 

I enjoyed visiting the Amish country a couple of years ago. The Amish people came to America to escape religious persecution and established themselves in Pennsylvania. They work hard to live “set apart” from the American culture. 

There seemed to be a peacefulness among the people I saw in the Amish communities. I have to admit that I envied their ability to avoid the rest of the culture. 

But, in the end, I thought, “If all of us lived as the Amish did, how many Americans would ever come to know Jesus?” The Amish aren’t known for their evangelism; they are known for their “separateness.” 

How should we reconcile the choice to be holy with our command to go and make disciples? 

The choice to vote 

I got sidetracked reading articles about Edmund Burke. He is the man who wrote, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” 

The politics of England during Burke’s day would make today’s politics seem tame. 

If you need to feel better about today’s evening news, just study some history! 

Our democracy was formed by people of opposing views. There was a lot of shouting, scheming, and angst in our country during its formative years. Edmund Burke was surrounded by the shouting, scheming, and angst of England during those same years. 

Our political freedom, our government, and our Constitution were born of that angst. 

Has the angst of today’s politics led you to consider “doing nothing” as a possible choice? 

We have the right to vote. 

Isn’t it right to vote? 

Don’t choose a person; choose a purpose

Jim and I love history and spend a lot of our vacations walking through museums, historical sites, and presidential libraries. There have been a lot of presidents of this country that I might not have voted for, but I see their strengths nonetheless. 

Thomas Jefferson was an amazing leader and a brilliant mind. He did a lot to create the government that has sustained the American culture until today. But, if Thomas Jefferson were running for president today, Christians would be shouting their fears about him and his beliefs. 

The vote for a president should not be about a personality. It should be about a purpose. I might not have voted for Thomas Jefferson. Our country would be very different if he had not been our leader. 

Our government is structured to allow for personalities but functions because of a plan and a purpose. There are two personalities competing for the role of president. But our vote isn’t about personality. It needs to be about the plans and the purpose. 

My confidence is in the wisdom of Solomon. He was the most successful king Israel ever had. But many of his choices led to a civil war that split the nation of Israel into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. King Solomon wrote: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand” (Proverbs 19:21). 

We don’t vote for a personality. We vote our values. 

What does God want for this culture? 

It will be accomplished by God’s grace and redemption, regardless of any one person. 

The purpose of the Lord will stand. 

We are citizens of heaven with a purpose for earth 

I want to close with Paul’s words, God’s word, to the early Christians living in the culture of Philippi and to every Christian in America. There was very little in that first-century culture that God would approve of. I feel much the same way about our culture today. 

“For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” —Philippians 3:18–21 

Christians should live with the hope of heaven and the purpose and plan of God for earth. 

We aren’t called to withdraw from others; we are called to evangelize our culture. 

Our citizenship is in heaven, but God has a purpose for us on earth. 

Do something: vote 

Vote for the person you believe advances God’s plan for our culture. 

Whomever you vote for will be imperfect. That has always been true. But never trust politicians to do the work of the church. Evangelism is our job, not theirs. 

We are citizens of heaven, but we have a job to do on earth. 

Maybe the reverse of Edmund Burke’s quote could be: “The one thing necessary for good to triumph over evil is for God’s people to do something.” 

We are citizens of heaven, called to serve God’s purpose on earth. 

Let’s all vote for that. 


P.S. Have you signed up for my bible study, Foundations of Faith, yet? It’s not too late, we just released lesson 7!

Visit https://www.janetdenisonbiblestudy.com/ to sign up for this study, if you’ve already signed up you can login and access the newest video too.