Quote from Forum Archives on November 7, 2022, 3:02 pm

"Standing Together, Shoulder To Shoulder, As We Fight the Good Fight of Faith"

SHOULDER TO SHOULDER is a weekly letter of encouragement Bob has written since 1997, covering many topics selected to
motivate people to be strong students of the Word and courageous witnesses of Jesus Christ.  It is a personal letter of
encouragement to you, written solely to help "lift up hands that hang down".

    "The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything." -- Albert Einstein

    “There is a common, worldly kind of Christianity in this day, which many have, and think they have -- a cheap Christianity which offends nobody,
and requires no sacrifice, which costs nothing, -- and is worth nothing.” – J. C. Ryle

Shoulder To Shoulder #1314 -- 10-24-22

Title:  "Ancient Paths -- The Pathway of Integrity and Moral Behavior C -- Elections (part 22)

My Dear Friend and Fellow Kingdom Seeker:

Greetings today from a very comfortable and sunny Yuma, AZ.  We are now in the season of the year that brings tens of thousands of visitors from "the north country" to much more pleasant temperatures for the next four or five months.  Rarely will we go higher than daytime 80's or lower than nighttime 50's.  It makes for a difficult time envisioning snow, but you surely won't have to cut wood for the fireplace!

More of our Chapel families have arrived, and we are less than two weeks away from our first service.  We also know of at least three new families who will be attending, but we still don't know if we'll be back up to speed to where we were before COVID hit.  More than once we've said that pastoring a non-denominational seasonal chapel is like trying to herd cats.  You never know how many cats will be there, how long they'll stay, or which direction they'll head when they leave.  But it's an amazing and wonderful ministry.  We wouldn't tre it for anything.

In the meantime, Jo Ann and I are trying to catch up on a few things that will likely go unattended once chapel service begins.  Doctors' appoints still take up a fair amount of time, now that we're back in town where we can see our primary care doctors.  But, I still have an MRI scheduled for my neck Thursday, dental repair next week, and then come my two cataract surgeries in November and also a follow-up exam with the cardiologist to see if the slight leak in an aortic valve has worsened or stayed the same.

Having said all that, I'm really super excited about getting back into the harness and start preaching November 6th.  We needed the five week break, but are anxious to minister God's Word to Chapel de Oro people for the sixth year.

Today's letter is the 22nd in my series on "Seeking The Ancient Paths" and the third one on "Seeking The Pathway of Integrity and Moral Behavior".  The likeness between the United States and the Children of Israel leaving the wilderness is striking.  We are less than two weeks away from voting in our midterm elections.  There has never been more at stake in modern American history, in my opinion.  Because we have either failed to post or failed to listen to watchmen on the wall, we are dangerously close to being overcome by a political and moral ideology that history has proven destroys nations.

In today's letter, I want to point you to an account from the Old Testament that our founding fathers went to as a model for our current form of government that is in grave danger of being dismantled.  The dismantling has been happening over the past 70 years or more, but if this election goes poorly for Constitution lovers, we will be only one more election cycle away from the probable end of our nation as we know it was intended by our founders to be.

So, that's what I want to consider, right after you take a look at . . .

QUOTES FOR THE WEEK:

>  “ ‘Tis substantially true, that virtue and morality is a necessary spring of popular government …” -- George Washington (farewell address)

>  "Is not your fear of God your confidence, And the integrity of your ways your hope?" -- Eliphaz (Job 4:6)

>  "Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever." -- Thomas Jefferson

>  "The only reason integrity should be a burden to you is if you enjoy being dishonest." -- Sam Storms

>  "[God] stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity," -- Solomon (Prov 2:7)

>  "Character is the essence of who you are in your heart; integrity is the expression of who you are before others." -- T. Allen Robburts

>  “By integrity I mean not only justice as to matters of meum et tuum [mine and thine]; but veracity, fidelity to promises; and a strict coincidence between thoughts, words and actions.” -- Benjamin Rush  (Letters of Benjamin Rush, L. H. Butterfield, editor, Princeton University Press, 1951)

>  "He who walks in integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will be found out." -- Solomon (Prov 10:9)

>  "We must be the same person in private and in public. Only the Christian worldview gives us the basis for this kind of integrity." -- Chuck Colson

>  "Lo, God will not reject a man of integrity, Nor will He support the evildoers." -- Bildad (Job 8:20)

>  “To secure integrity, there must be a lofty sense of duty and a deep responsibility to future times as well as to God.” -- Joseph Story (Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States, Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1891)

>  "The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them." -- Solomon ( Prov 11:3)

>  "Few things are more infectious than a godly lifestyle. The people you rub shoulders with everyday need that kind of challenge. Not prudish. Not preachy. Just cracker jack clean living. Just honest to goodness, bone - deep, non-hypocritical integrity." -- Chuck Swindoll

>  "The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity.  Without it, no success is possible, no matter whether it's on a section gang, on a football field, in the army, or in an office." -- President Dwight Eisenhower

>  "They hate him who reproves in the gate, And they abhor him who speaks with integrity." -- Amos (Amos 5:10)

THE FALLACY OF DISHONESTY:

You may wonder about the right antonyms for morality or integrity.  You probably have your choices; I certainly have mine.  Morality's antonym is easy to spot -- immorality.  Or, you could use other words such as evil, wickedness, perversion, . . . It depends on your precise definition of "morality".

Integrity, however, seems to have a greater number of antonyms.  For me, one of the most significant words is "dishonesty".  Just as honor, trustworthiness, truthfulness, and other words seem to describe the character quality we sum up as integrity, I'm prone to think that the word dishonesty perhaps best reveals the absence of integrity in one's character.  A person can be dishonest by stealing, telling a lie, breaking a law, compromising a secret, or breaking a promise.  But, for every expression of dishonesty in those ways, there are probably a thousand examples that are expressed in words.  We certainly have seen that for at least the past twenty years in the world of politics.

Some have said that the absence of integrity is actually best manifested in that world of politics.  More lies are told, more claims are made, more arrogance is displayed, and more promises are broken in the world of politics than just about any other occupation -- at least so it seems.  So far, I've never met a liar who was known for integrity; nor have I found a naysayer, thief, or deceiver to be known for his or her integrity.

This is an essential that you and I must maintain as paramount as we vote on November 8th.  Somehow we must rise above party preference, popularity, promises, -- and yes, even policy -- when we cast our ballots.  We have no flawless incumbent, nor do we have a sinless contender.  Our choices are certainly not perfect ones.  We will never have in our lifetimes a single candidate who is "squeaky clean" pure and perfect.  It would be nice if we could, but, as they say, "It ain't a-gonna happen!"

So, what must we look for as the person who will get our votes?  It seems to me that the one common denominator that should be at the very heart of our voting is moral integrity.  If a person is a candidate with integrity, then the probability that we can trust him or her to represent us righteously is exceptionally high.

You might think that, as a Christian, I would say that person should be a believer -- a follower of Christ.  Personally, I don't hold that as a standard or qualification for my vote.  The reason is simple -- I know too many Christians who are immoral and dishonest and have terrible reputations.  On the other hand, I know many unbelievers who are far more honest and morally upright that many believers.  Moral integrity is a human characteristic that reflects his view of his personal conduct and reputation before others.  That is an issue for all people, not just believers.

So, for me, I plan to vote as much as possible on the persons whose reputations and track records most closely adhere to the standard of moral integrity, and do my best to not be forced to vote for someone who is deceptive, has proven to be a liar, or is dishonest.  You and I know, of course, that moral integrity is a "values" issue that is rooted in one's spiritual values.

Marshall Hemberger, an op-ed writer for a local Midwest newspaper, wrote a piece in 2019 that I really hesitate to use, simply because of the circumstances under which he wrote it -- a conclusion and judgment of character with which I totally disagree.  However, his comments in generalized form contain some important insights worth remembering, so I have decided to quote him.  He wrote, . . .

    "All things being equal, liars and cheats have the advantage in society.  People who are willing to act dishonorably can, and often do, gain the upper hand on others, most often in financial terms although it works the same in personal relationships as well. A liar can make up stories about people they want to undermine, while an honest person is forced by conscience to hew to the facts. A dishonest person can make promises in business that he or she has no intention of keeping, to the obvious disadvantage of anyone who falls victim. An honest person can’t do that.

"This reality would be devastating for human society if it weren’t for the fact that for thousands of years our civilization built strong disincentives against dishonesty.  For centuries, cultures across the world and of every religion, have placed a powerful premium on honor and integrity. To be discovered as dishonorable, whether as a liar, a con, or a philanderer, was to bring shame to yourself, your family, and even your clan. It was that sense of shame that kept our culture intact by substantially raising the risks associated with dishonorable actions."

Things changed, it seems, with the advent of the industrial revolution into American culture.  Along with enormous inventions, developments, and progress in industry, we were also inoculated with greed, avarice, and unbridled ambition, driven to a large extent by the dollar.  With the revolution migrating out of Europe also came the seed of socialism that soon saturated our educational system.  Once our educational system was corrupted, then all who came through it was exposed to its destructive inevitabilities.

In a letter to John Adams in 1811, Benjamin Rush described his understanding of integrity, writing, . . .

“By integrity I mean not only justice as to matters of meum et tuum [mine and thine]; but veracity, fidelity to promises; and a strict coincidence between thoughts, words and actions.”

COMMON KNOWLEDGE -- REJECTED FACT:

In the October 8th, 2022 Yakima Herald-Tribune, Betty Van Ryder, author of American Historical Documents, stated in a letter to the editor, "Our founding fathers knew freedom hinged on integrity.  When the founding fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation as the basis of how the United States would be run, they assumed that men of integrity would be in charge."

I would venture to say that from the writing of those documents up to and including the younger years of my generation, almost everyone assumed the same thing.  Anyone with an ounce of sense knows that integrity (called virtue most often the writings by our founding fathers) is an absolute essential ingredient for a just, honorable, and prosperous society.

Long before America was the remotest of thoughts in any other person that God in history, He spelled out the benefits of morality and integrity to the ancient king, Solomon.

The LORD said to h[Solomon], "I have heard your prayer and your supplication, which you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built by putting My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.

"As for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, 'You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'

"But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight. So Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

"And this house will become a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by will be astonished and hiss and say, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?'   And they will say, 'Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them, therefore the LORD has brought all this adversity on them.'" -- I Kings 9:3-9

This passage of scripture is not only a historical narrative, but it is also an explained principle -- morality and integrity brings blessing, respect, and prosperity to any person, people, or nation who will practice them.  This was not the last time Israel would be found guilty of such things.  Every time they forsook God, they went after other gods, and the end result was severe adversity.  Abandoning the "ancient paths" about which I've been writing for more than five months always has adverse consequences.

The same thing is happening to us as well, 3000 years after Jeremiah penned God's warnings.

COULD THIS BE YOUR CRITERIA?

There is something about one's character -- it isn't restricted by time, distance, education, or race.  It is a matter of the human heart.  So, as followers of Christ, are we no less responsible to lives our lives with integrity?  Should it not be a dominant feature of our own lives, but also one which we look for and hope to find in our elected officials?  Is it unreasonable or unrealistic for us to expect the highest and best from those who represent us?

Of course we are responsible to live with integrity!  Of course it should be evident in our elected officials?  Of course it is entirely reasonable for us to expect the same in those for whom we vote.  And, that ideal is no nearly so far out of our reach as we might think.  We can actually begin implanting it back into our politics in less than two weeks.  It will take time, of course -- but if we don't start, it will never happen.

We have listened to the lies of the enemy -- the same one who said, "you shall not surely die" to Adam and Eve says to us, "you should not expect integrity from those for whom you vote!"  He lied to them, -- he lies to us.

As I've repeatedly said, there is no candidate that is perfect -- either in party or in policy.  But we certainly should look for the most trustworthy and respected candidate of the two.  I'm reminded of what Robert Jeffers, pastor of First Baptist Church, Dallas, TX, said when someone asked him how in the world he could possibly vote for Donald Trump in 2016.  He simply said, "I didn't vote for Donald Trump to be my pope; I voted for him to be my president."

I can understand that about any candidate for public office.  But, if we are to be that salt and light that our Redeemer commanded us to be, we have to engage in the process -- and when it comes to politics, that includes the imperative to vote for the one that most closely aligns with our political and social convictions rather than on the basis of popularity or party.

Thomas Jefferson is not one our founders we consider to be "the most religious" of them all.  Many believe he was not a believer at all, and some will insist that he did not believe in a personal knowable God, but only a vague and abstract one Who, at best, remained aloof and disinterested in what He had created.  Many insist Jefferson was merely a Deist.  And yet, he said, . . .

"Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever."

Jefferson wrote a letter to Jacob Englebrecht in 1824, and even quoted Psalm 15 to him.  Why would he choose a Psalm in the first place, and why would he select Psalm 15?  Clearly Jefferson was well versed in the Bible.

In response to Englebrecht's letter, Jefferson personally penned the following note:

"Sir                      Monticello Feb. 25. 24
"The kindness of the motive which led to the request of your letter of the 14th inst. and which would give some value to an article from me, renders compliance a duty of gratitude. knowing nothing more moral, more sublime more worthy of your preservation than David’s description of the good man, in his 15th psalm, . . . "

Here's what Psalm 15 says, using the NASB translation:

+  "O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?  He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart.  He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; he swears to his own hurt and does not change; he does not put out his money at interest, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.  He who does these things will never be shaken." -- Psalm 15:1-5

Jefferson actually quoted it in a poetic form that had been written by Nahum Tate and Nicholas Brady, their only truly famous work, New Version of the Psalms of David (1696), containing all 150 Psalms.  Their version of Psalm 34, "Through all the changing scenes of life", is still sung in many churches today.  They also wrote metrical versions of the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles' Creed.  For most of us, Tate is probably the best known, because he wrote the song, "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night".

Here is their version of Psalm 15:

    Lord, who’s the happy man that may To thy blest courts repair,
Not, stranger-like, to visit them, But to inhabit there?

’Tis he, whose every thought and deed by rules of virtue moves;
Whose generous tongue disdains to speak the thing his heart disproves.

Who never did a slander forge his neighbor’s fame to wound;
Nor hearken to a false report by malice whispered round.

Who vice, in all it’s pomp and power, can treat with just neglect;
And piety, tho’ cloathed in rags, religiously respect.

Who to his plighted vows and trust has ever firmly stood;
And tho’ he promise to his loss, he makes his promise good.

Whose soul in usury disdains his treasure to employ;
Whom no rewards can ever bribe The guiltless to destroy.

The man who by this steady course Has happiness ensured,
When earth’s foundation shakes, shall stand by providence secured.

Accept this as a testimony of my respect for your request, an acknolegement of a due sense of the favor of your opinion, and an assurance of my good will and best wishes.

Th: Jefferson

CHOOSING THE RIGHT REPRESENTATIVES:

Most people do not realize how much of our form of government and our U.S. Constitution came from our founders' knowledge of the Bible.  Things like having three branches of government, the separation of powers, elections, multi-level judiciary, multi-level governing entities, and more were established as a result of seeing the examples in scripture.

Even the idea of a representative form of government instead of a populace form is found in scripture.  If you still believe that our nation is a democracy, you need to go back and study the definition of democracy.  Some of our news personalities need to do the same, because a democracy means that "the majority rules".  We are not ruled by "the majority" we are ruled by laws enacted and enforced by our chosen representatives.  We are a democratic constitutional republic, not a democracy.  This means that the majority of the engaged populace select representatives from their respective areas who then represent them and create laws by which we will be governed.  Therefore, we have a sobering duty to choose our representatives wisely.

I mentioned Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, in a recent letter.  Moses was, probably in ignorance, replicating in the wilderness the form of government he had experienced all his life in Egypt -- a king in charge of everything and who saw himself as the representative and embodiment of the gods.  It was wearing him out, and he apparently had come to a breaking point when Jethro gave him an alternative -- choose wise people to help judge and govern the people.  This "aha!" moment is described in Exodus 18.

When Moses was nearing the end of his leadership with the Children of Israel, he rehearsed the nearly forty years they had spent together.  The history is recorded in the first chapter of Deuteronomy.  It was both a profitable and painful history lesson because in some cases they were blessed because of obedience, and in other cases they were punished by disobedience -- much like our country.

In his oration to Israel, Moses made a point of reminding Israel how God had directed through Jethro the form of governing they were to implement -- choosing qualified men to guide and lead them in a multi-level structure.  It was a representative form of governing that released Moses to focus only on certain limited areas, whereas it was also a limited form where each level and each part of governing was restricted to certain issues and areas.  In that sense it was also a jurisdictional approach to governing where each area had authority limited to a particular jurisdiction.

Space won't let me quote the entire passage, so I urge you to go back on your own and study all of Deuteronomy one.  In it you will find God's instruction, the model to emulate, the failure to follow it, and the painful consequences of refusing to follow it.  For now, let me post these few verses where Moses is speaking to Israel.  He said, . . .

"I spoke to you at that time, saying, 'I am not able to bear the burden of you alone.  The LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are this day like the stars of heaven in number.  May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand-fold more than you are and bless you, just as He has promised you!

" 'How can I alone bear the load and burden of you and your strife?  Choose wise and discerning and experienced men from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.'

"You answered me and said, 'The thing which you have said to do is good.'   So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men [that you chose], and appointed them heads over you, leaders of thousands and of hundreds, of fifties and of tens, and officers for your tribes.

"Then I charged your judges at that time, saying, 'Hear the cases between your fellow countrymen, and judge righteously between a man and his fellow countryman, or the alien who is with him.  You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God's. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.'

"I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do." -- Deut 1:9-18

Let me focus briefly on six or seven key words in Moses' speech, because they clearly relate to our upcoming elections.  Each word is significant and is relevant to not only November 8th, but alarmingly to the long-range future of our nation.  Here are the literal definitions and applications of what God instructed Moses to say to the people.

1.  "Officers" (1:15): -- (Heb - shôṭêr) = an official superintendent or magistrate: - officer, overseer, ruler -- a scribe, writer [of documents].  This was a person who provided written leadership and counsel to those whom he represented before Moses.  The primitive root word alludes to a "scribe" or writer of decisions (or legislations) that had been agreed upon among peers.  It is to "put on paper" or "document" that which was decided by the representatives of the twelve tribes.  I found that to be extremely interesting.  So, clearly these "officers" were "representatives" in that they represented the people under them before their superiors and ultimately to Moses, but also represented those governing entities of which they were a part to the people.

2.  "Heads: -- (Heb - rô'sh) = to shake, rank excellence, judge, rule, lead.  In the setting of this text, the word refers to appointed leaders who deliberate and judge [according to the will of others].  It describes one in a leadership position, having received that position and rank by the will of others, and responsible to deliberate in their behalf.  The word doesn't just mean "the top dog" or "boss", but it means a "top dog" who understands his role of deliberation, decision making, and leading those he represents.

3.  "Appoint/appointed" (1:13,15): -- (Heb - nâthan) = to have been bestowed upon, assigned, ascribed, dedicated, entrusted to.  These were men who had been especially selected because of certain qualifications that made them fit for and set aside for a specific function.  They did not volunteer; they were selected, thus it was not a sought out position, but they were sought out men for a specific predetermined purpose, position, and function.

4.  "Wise" (1:13): -- (Heb -- châkâm) = cunning, skillful, intelligent, artful, expert, shrewd.  These were to be men who had proven themselves to be "a cut above" the average man in terms of knowledge and how to apply it.  They not only knew "what", but they also knew "why" and "how".  Their knowledge was expressed and applied with wisdom.  It wasn't just information; it was insight.

5.  "Discerning" (1:13): -- (Heb -- bı̂yn) = understanding, deliberative, investigative, prudent, well informed, eloquent, unusually perceptive, [mentally superior].  They were also to be men who knew how to "discern the times" (as with the sons of Issachar in I Chron 7:22 -- ". . . men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do.")  It's the same word.

6.  "Experienced" (1:13): -- (Heb -- yâda‛) = well-traveled and consistently diligent in the ability to observe, assess, discern, know, understand, comprehend, grasp, prognosticate, anticipate [the facts, circumstances, conditions, and outcome].  These were men who were not only smart and knowledgeable, but experienced in knowing what to do with what they knew.  They not only understood the facts, but they also understood the circumstances and the probable outcome of the facts if or when acted upon.

7.  "Judges/judge" (1:16): -- (Heb -- shâphaṭ) -- To assess, determine, adjudicate, pronounce sentence, contend, execute judgment, hand down decisions, vindicate, [by extension to govern].  These were men who, because of their unique insights and skills and their discernment over what is right (and not just convenient) were chosen to, as representatives of the people (their clan, tribe, etc. -- "constituents"), pass judgment and enact decisions for the good of and in behalf of the people.

Now, if you continue into verse 17 and following, you will find distinct instruction as to how these leaders, rulers, and representatives were to conduct themselves "without partiality" and fairly to and for the people they represented.  They were to treat everyone the same with no "two sets of laws", whether rich or poor, smart or ignorant, royalty or commoner, and to do it fearlessly without succumbing to threats or intimidation from others.  Take time to read the rest of the chapter.

So, the welfare of the people as a whole was vested in a very special group of people selected by their peers to be their representatives in all social well-being and legal matters.  If help was needed, they would bring the matter to the "supreme judge", Moses, the "SCOTUS" of the Children of Israel.

The rest of the chapter is a review of how the Children of Israel refused to go into the land God had promised, and instead failed to live by the paradigm God had given to Moses through Jethro.  The end result was -- an a word, -- "Catastrophic!"  For forty years they griped and complained, disobeyed and rebelled -- until finally, God let the hammer fall.  During those remaining years (roughly 38), every single man in Israel died before he entered the land -- except for Caleb and Joshua who, ". . . followed the LORD fully." (Deut 1:36).  Even Moses didn't get to enter the land.

You see, God had ordained a proven form of governing for His people -- a representative form of government made up of wise, honorable, moral, honest, representatives known for their morality and integrity.  They, by their lives and conduct, had earned the right to be chosen by the people to represent them in deliberation and deliberately.

Now, THIS was the model our founding fathers chose to become the democratic republic ruled by the law of the land, and not by the whims, popularity, wealth, or fickleness of the "majority".  Don't EVER let anyone tell you we are a "democracy".  We are a Republic -- a representative government made up of local, regional, or national representatives selected by each respective "majority" of constituents, and governed by laws that have their roots firmly planted (for the most part) in the principles of Judeo-Christian thought.

So, if we follow this amazing paradigm of government that God gave Moses, how in heaven's name can we choose people to represent us simply because they are of a certain class, a particular political party, or of a certain economic, religious, or racial background!!!!

We can -- and we MUST -- do better than that . . . . especially if we aspire to survive and thrive again.

FINALLY:

My friend, would you be willing to put these qualities -- morality and integrity -- at the very top of your criteria for voting for the candidates you have available this November 8th? -- and then consider their track record, their promises, -- and maybe their party affiliation last of all?  Do you see how fundamentally essential they are to good government???  Dare you choose anyone less -- especially in the condition we are in as a nation just now?

Imagine what could happen that would change the trajectory of our country if we put character above everything else.  Who is the most honest?  Who is the most trustworthy?  Who truly means what he says?  Who is most likely to keep promises?  Who will treat everyone the most fairly?  Who is the most genuine?  Who seems to have the best grasp of the condition of our nation today?  Who is the most likely to help us return to our basic traditional values?  Who is the most committed to our Constitution as it was written?  Who is the most committed to the rule of law as spelled out in our Constitution and laws?

These are all questions you should consider when you cast your vote -- because this vote is probably the most critical mid-term elections in the history of our country.  Our future depends on the outcome of the election and the sovereignty of God.

In His Bond, By His Grace, and for His Kingdom,

Bob Tolliver -- Romans 1:11

"Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness,
    examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." -- Dr. Luke (Acts 17:11)

"A fire kept burning on the hearthstone of my heart, and I took up the burden of the day with fresh courage and hope." -- Charles F. McKoy

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Copyright October, 2022

"If Jesus had preached the same message that many ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified." -- Leonard Ravenhill

"The time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep,  the Church will have clowns entertaining the goats." -- Charles H. Spurgeon

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