Almost everyone agrees that the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election is one of the most important, if not the most important elections in the nations history.
People are somewhat divided however as to what issue is the most pressing or important issue of the day. The economy...abortion...same sex marriage...religious liberty...education...and the list goes on and on.
People are disagreeing right, left, and center about what is the most pressing and important issue of the day, and many feel, that there is more than one pressing issue, and that we shouldn't focus on just one issue alone, and throw the rest under the proverbial bus.
My question is, have we been so focused on the "issue of the day", that we Christians have taken our focus off of God?
Many of us have gotten so caught up in politics that we have allowed our faith to take a back seat to the elections. For instnce, I shared the news from Fox News on Saturday, that Iranian pastor, Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who was origianlly sentenced to death for his Christian faith, was released after 3 years in an Iranian prison. A reason for great joy among Christians around the world. Yet that news seems not to have been noticed until today.
Apparently, the ending of the Democratic Convention was still too fresh in people's minds for them to take any notice of anything not related to politics. While there should have been, and still should be great rejoicing over Nadarkhani's release, there was instead an almost deafening silence.
Therefore, I have decided that on my blogs there will be no mentions of either candidate except in ways that relate to religious liberty, abortion, or same sex marriage.
Why? Because I don't want to be a party to focusing our attention on the world when we should focus our attention on God, and as Catholic, those are the faith issues I will be sharing as regards the elections. If we would all take the time to focus our attention on God, ask for His help, His belssings, and His Grace, then through Him the rest would take care of itself.
Below are some scripture passages for you to consider:
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you: my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, do I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled: nor let it be afraid.
John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you shall have distress. But have confidence. I have overcome the world.
Romans 12: 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be reformed in the newness of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and the acceptable and the perfect will of God.
1 Corinthians 1: 20 - 21 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For, seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world, by wisdom, knew not God, it pleased God, by the foolishness of our preaching, to save them that believe.
1 Corinthians 3: 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written: I will catch the wise in their own craftiness.
James 1: 27 Religion clean and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their tribulation and to keep one’s self unspotted from this world.
2 Peter 2: 20 For if, flying from the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they be again entangled in them and overcome: their latter state is become unto them worse than the former.
1 John 2: 15 - 17 Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world. If any man love the world, the charity of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world is the concupiscence of the flesh and the concupiscence of the eyes and the pride of life, which is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passeth away and the concupiscence thereof: but he that doth the will of God abideth for ever.
1 John 4: 1 - 6 Dearly beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits if they be of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. By this is the spirit of God known. Every spirit which confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that dissolveth Jesus is not of God. And this is Antichrist, of whom you have heard that he cometh: and he is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome him. Because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore of the world they speak: and the world heareth them. We are of God. He that knoweth God heareth us. He that is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
