BBD 11.01.10 Civic Responsibility (New)

#1 · November 1, 2010, 5:17 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on November 1, 2010, 5:17 pm
Posted by: edwrather <edwrather@...>

Visit the Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net
www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries.
Celebrating 11 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more
than 11,000 subscribers across the world.

Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998 and is
made up of more than 300 prayer warriors. Send prayer requests and receive
prayer requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

If you love to send and receive inspirational emails the Burning Bush
Inspirational Group is for you. To join send an email to
bbinspire-join@welovegod.org

You can now leave comments/feedback about the devotionals at
www.theburningbush.net.

The Burning Bush Devotional
Welcome to the 2557 new subscribers since January 1, 2010!!
There were 1367 new subscribers during 2009!!

11.01.10

Civic Responsibility

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked
man rules, the people groan. - Proverbs 29:2.

In Brazil, a former manager of a McDonald's franchise has sued McDonald's.
The court did not reveal the identity of the 32-year-old man. The former
manager is suing because he gained 65 pounds during his employment. He
claims it is because the franchise offers free food to employees, and he
felt compelled to sample the food to maintain quality. The former manager is
seeking $17,500 in compensation for damages.

There are some things that we are responsible for, and we should take
responsibility for them. If we choose to overeat, and to eat foods high in
fat content, we ought to be prepared to accept the consequences of those
choices.

If we live in a country where we have the freedom to vote for our leaders,
it is a civic responsibility to do so. The result of the failure to exercise
our freedom, and civic responsibility by voting, may be our having to endure
bad leadership.

In the United States, we are having an election on Tuesday and it will
determine the course of the country for at least the next two years. We have
the freedom to vote, and we have little to fear by going to the polls, and
voting. In some places, as in Iraq, voting in the past has meant that you
must risk your life. Not so, in the United States. Why then is voter turn
out so low? According to the Federal Election Commission, turnout for the
2008 election was only 56.8%.

There are a wide variety of reasons given for a lack of voter participation.
The number one reason appears to be cluelessness, or a failure understand
the need to participate in the process. Another reason given is the failure
to register to vote. It does take some effort to register, and it does take
some effort to actually vote. So, the underlying reason for this reason for
not voting is laziness. Others avoid registering to vote so that they will
not have to participate in other civic responsibilities; such as, jury duty.
Then there is the feeling that many express, that their vote will not make
any difference. So, why make the effort, when it is thought that it will not
matter any way?

Why is it that we pay our bills, make a living, obey the laws, pay our taxes
and all those other things that we are expected to do? It is called being
responsible. It is expected as responsible human beings that we do those
things. Voting ought to be on that list of things we do in order to fulfill
our responsibilities as well. Not only should we vote to fulfill our civic
responsibility, but we should vote to fulfill our moral responsibility. If
there were only two people voting in an election; and you failed to vote
resulting in a terrible leader being elected, it is obvious that would be a
moral failure to fulfill your responsibility. Even though there are millions
of people voting, just because there are more people making the decision,
that does not lessen your responsibility before God.

Tomorrow is an important day in the United States. If we want to have
righteous leaders who will make decisions that will be pleasing to God, it
is critical that we vote. I hope that you will not only vote, but also that
you will search your heart as to how God would want you to vote, prior to
marking your ballot.

Copyright © 2010. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush website has
been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the
Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed Wrather began writing devotionals
in the early 1990s. The distribution of these first devotionals was
primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison facilities
throughout the United States and Canada.

Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer
Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there and they will be
forwarded to the Burning Bush Prayer Group (Of course, I am always in need
of prayer - please pray for me.).

If you are not my friend on facebook or myspace you can be, just add me. The
devotionals are posted in my blogs on those two social networks and you can
leave comments, feedback about them there. There are other social networks
designed just for Christians, however, this is an outreach project to reach
those who may not know the Lord or may have wandered away. You can help me
reach out to them.

For information about how to hear my testimony in your church visit this
link: www.theburningbush.net/pages.asp?pageid=22160

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

Two videos of my sermons are posted on GodTube (now Tangle) at:
connect.tangle.com/Wrather

You can listen to services at my son, Clark Wrather's church (First Baptist
Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma) live on Sunday mornings at 10:55am CST
www.kkbifm.com/

There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here
is the URL: www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You can unsubscribe to the pure text version of the devotional by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the

Posted by: edwrather <edwrather@...>

Visit the Burning Bush websites:

http://www.theburningbush.net
http://www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries.
Celebrating 11 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more
than 11,000 subscribers across the world.

Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998 and is
made up of more than 300 prayer warriors. Send prayer requests and receive
prayer requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

If you love to send and receive inspirational emails the Burning Bush
Inspirational Group is for you. To join send an email to
bbinspire-join@welovegod.org

You can now leave comments/feedback about the devotionals at
http://www.theburningbush.net.

The Burning Bush Devotional
Welcome to the 2557 new subscribers since January 1, 2010!!
There were 1367 new subscribers during 2009!!

11.01.10

Civic Responsibility

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked
man rules, the people groan. - Proverbs 29:2.

In Brazil, a former manager of a McDonald's franchise has sued McDonald's.
The court did not reveal the identity of the 32-year-old man. The former
manager is suing because he gained 65 pounds during his employment. He
claims it is because the franchise offers free food to employees, and he
felt compelled to sample the food to maintain quality. The former manager is
seeking $17,500 in compensation for damages.

There are some things that we are responsible for, and we should take
responsibility for them. If we choose to overeat, and to eat foods high in
fat content, we ought to be prepared to accept the consequences of those
choices.

If we live in a country where we have the freedom to vote for our leaders,
it is a civic responsibility to do so. The result of the failure to exercise
our freedom, and civic responsibility by voting, may be our having to endure
bad leadership.

In the United States, we are having an election on Tuesday and it will
determine the course of the country for at least the next two years. We have
the freedom to vote, and we have little to fear by going to the polls, and
voting. In some places, as in Iraq, voting in the past has meant that you
must risk your life. Not so, in the United States. Why then is voter turn
out so low? According to the Federal Election Commission, turnout for the
2008 election was only 56.8%.

There are a wide variety of reasons given for a lack of voter participation.
The number one reason appears to be cluelessness, or a failure understand
the need to participate in the process. Another reason given is the failure
to register to vote. It does take some effort to register, and it does take
some effort to actually vote. So, the underlying reason for this reason for
not voting is laziness. Others avoid registering to vote so that they will
not have to participate in other civic responsibilities; such as, jury duty.
Then there is the feeling that many express, that their vote will not make
any difference. So, why make the effort, when it is thought that it will not
matter any way?

Why is it that we pay our bills, make a living, obey the laws, pay our taxes
and all those other things that we are expected to do? It is called being
responsible. It is expected as responsible human beings that we do those
things. Voting ought to be on that list of things we do in order to fulfill
our responsibilities as well. Not only should we vote to fulfill our civic
responsibility, but we should vote to fulfill our moral responsibility. If
there were only two people voting in an election; and you failed to vote
resulting in a terrible leader being elected, it is obvious that would be a
moral failure to fulfill your responsibility. Even though there are millions
of people voting, just because there are more people making the decision,
that does not lessen your responsibility before God.

Tomorrow is an important day in the United States. If we want to have
righteous leaders who will make decisions that will be pleasing to God, it
is critical that we vote. I hope that you will not only vote, but also that
you will search your heart as to how God would want you to vote, prior to
marking your ballot.

Copyright © 2010. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush website has
been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the
Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed Wrather began writing devotionals
in the early 1990s. The distribution of these first devotionals was
primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison facilities
throughout the United States and Canada.

Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer
Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there and they will be
forwarded to the Burning Bush Prayer Group (Of course, I am always in need
of prayer - please pray for me.).

If you are not my friend on facebook or myspace you can be, just add me. The
devotionals are posted in my blogs on those two social networks and you can
leave comments, feedback about them there. There are other social networks
designed just for Christians, however, this is an outreach project to reach
those who may not know the Lord or may have wandered away. You can help me
reach out to them.

For information about how to hear my testimony in your church visit this
link: http://www.theburningbush.net/pages.asp?pageid=22160

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

Two videos of my sermons are posted on GodTube (now Tangle) at:
connect.tangle.com/Wrather

You can listen to services at my son, Clark Wrather's church (First Baptist
Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma) live on Sunday mornings at 10:55am CST
http://www.kkbifm.com/

There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here
is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You can unsubscribe to the pure text version of the devotional by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the