An electrician friend of mine worked on union construction sites for over twenty years. The constant standing on concrete floors and climbing ladders took its physical toll on his body, especially his back. The back pain forced him to take pain pills so he could work each day. Over-the-counter drugs, such as ibuprofen, no longer deadened his pain, but instead, only Vicodin or other powerful prescription pain relievers helped him.
One Sunday morning, he attended church with his family. The worship singing lasted longer than usual and since he did not take Vicodin on weekends, hoping to protect his stomach and liver from side affects, his back began acting up. The pain became so excruciating that he sat down on his chair.
A person in the row behind him tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to look at a lady whom he had never met before.
“Jesus bore your sins on the cross. Can’t you at least honor Him by standing up a few minutes during worship service?” she said, glaring into his eyes.
He nodded his head and stood back up.
Why did my friend stand up?
The lady’s condemnation shamed him into doing it. He knew Romans 8:1 and believed the words to be true, but he could not overcome the power of the lady’s condemnation at that precise moment.
Let’s multiply this one uncomfortable situation by a thousand times. Then add in all of the words spoken by almost every Evangelical preacher, schoolteacher, historian, government leader, news media expert, military member, patriot, and all of our relatives about the importance of Christians participating in politics.
Now, how willing are we to swim upstream against all of these people’s political beliefs and traditions? Admittedly, it would be tough for us to do.
But let’s be honest, what we have been doing for the last forty years has not worked. So, are we going to continue walking down the same road with the same results? Or are we willing to change?
If we do change, will the people tapping on our shoulders still shame us?
(Continued in Part 8…if you are interested, the full series, which was written in 2014, may be seen here.)
Larry Who 
I am trying to avoid telling people I am not voting! :). God bless you!
Larry,
Just so you know… I don’t vote. I don’t condemn others for voting, but I don’t, and that is a matter of Christian perspective. If I had lived on the Plains of Shinar, would I be expected to vote for Nimrod? Or against him? What’s the difference really?
The only difference I can see is to get out of the tower. That Tower of Babel is a prototype for every world empire from Egypt, through Babylon, down to The American Empire (or maybe we should call it the Global Financial Empire of the Modern West to be more accurate). And of course, the New Testament has a lot to say about Babylon – as Revelation shows (a covert reference to Rome). And the merchants will mourn the great whore! And John the seer tells the Christians to Pull Out of that Whore – in a graphically sexual sense!
If Jesus was on the ballot, that would be a temptation. But he is not. And anyway, you don’t vote for kings- Kingdom is not a democracy!
I hope to live my life (with my mouth writing checks hopefully my faith will cash (or better yet, Jesus’s faith will cash) in a way that says Jesus is Lord! and I am his disciple.
Just my two bits…
These are trying times! We don’t even have a decent choice to choose from. But neither did those subjects of Rome. And Jesus is Lord today while the Roman empire is gone! How’s that for a divine intervention??? And today people name their sons Paul, Peter, John and so forth, and name their dogs Nero and Caesar!
Keep up the good work.
Thanx for posting…
X
Revelation 18:4.
Sorry, I meant to site the text. I let it slip…
X
Debbie,
Most of my family and friends know I don’t vote. So no secret here. God bless you.
Agent X,
Well put. I enjoy your insights and agree with you about the Babylonian system, which is the world system. God bless you.