King Saul by all measurements was a terrible leader. During his 40 year reign, Israel’s economy practically collapsed. The taxation kept people in debt and enslaved to their creditors. They spent more time in war than ever before in their history. Saul led the nation to civil war and to outright war with the Philistines – AT THE SAME TIME.

He was petty and shallow.
He was a hothead and a liar.
He did everything out of selfish gain.
He wouldn’t listen to wise counsel.
He was a terrible king.

What was the real tragedy? He wasn’t even the worst leader there ever was. Israel has been under the reign of a Who’s Who list of terrible leaders: King Nebuchadnezzar, Hezekiah, Ahab, Rehoboam, Cyrus and Artaxerxes. And don’t even get me started on the Roman rulers.

Where am I going with this?

History repeats itself.

So does God.

History is full of petty, shallow, hotheaded, lying, selfish leaders who make life miserable for the people they are “leading.” And if you look closely, God is still at work. He may have to work on, in spite of, through, around, with, or against them. But He’s working.

God turned the arrogance of the Pharaoh against himself to destroy his own army. God used Artaxerxes (with a little help from Esther) to avoid the genocide of the Hebrew people. King Cyrus paved the way to restore a fallen Jerusalem. Caesar Augustus put the world in motion to get Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem.

God has used unfit, unsavory leaders for His purposes throughout history. That’s the lesson here. It’s important to not get confused on the issue. I’m sure God would prefer godly, holy, mature, Kingdom-focused leaders, but He’s not limited if they aren’t around.

I’m not happy about where we are as a nation. We are in a delicate place financially, socially, and morally. And it doesn’t appear that any of the candidates placed before us have the maturity or insight to deal with those issues. One has had the opportunity for years and has failed miserably. The other is reckless and reactionary.

So yes, it’s beyond disturbing to see these two candidates throw careless word after careless word toward each other: how they each fail to demonstrate the basic ability to be civil to someone who is different than they are. It’s criminal: the lack of integrity and the continued display of immaturity and selfishness.

But I’m not going to give in to fear and panic. Mostly because I have dual citizenship.

I am a part of another Kingdom, a bigger Kingdom. That Kingdom is larger than just my color, my socio-economic status, my language, and my geography. It is a redemptive Kingdom where the King is righteous and holy. Always. He can be quiet. He keeps to His own schedule. But there are no integrity or maturity issues with Him.

While my confidence with mankind may be at an all-time low, my confidence with Christ is at an all-time high.

Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming election, God will work through, with, around, and/or in spite of the new leaders. It’s what He has done from the beginning. The real question is, “Will you be working with Him?” Or will you be so consumed and distracted by your earthly citizenship that your heavenly citizenship becomes worthless?

If the church faces more persecution, more attacks…
If it becomes more difficult to be the church in America over this next chapter…
If our leaders make life more difficult for us rather than easier…

We are still going to feed hungry kids in Topeka. We are still going to engage families with the story of Jesus through sports. We are still going to walk into trash dump communities with the Gospel, as well as food and education. We are still going to build bridges with international college students who may have never heard the Gospel before. We are still going to try to equip parents to be godly parents and kids to be godly kids. We are still going to speak truthfully about Jesus and His plan to restore and redeem ALL people, regardless of race, culture, or social position.

Those works will have a larger impact. Those works will be transformative in me, as well as to those who benefit from them. Those works will be Kingdom works that I know will never be in vain.

Utilize the greatest honor and responsibility you have as a citizen in both worlds. Vote AND Serve.

It’s possible to light the candles on a birthday cake with a flame-thrower!

Just know that there is going to be one heck of a mess to clean up afterwards.

After the most contentious presidential election in history, where both candidates used little restraint in talking to and about each other, the damage that has been done is extensive. Both candidates walked across America with flame-throwers and grenades. They insulted, demeaned, and belittled each other, as well as those who would support them.

They both had “scorched earth” policies during their campaign. Did either one of them ever stop to count the cost?

I had two phone calls on Wednesday that couldn’t have been more opposite than the other.

Phone call 1: “God really showed up during the election, didn’t He? Got these godless, atheistic leaders out of office. Trump is going to get rid of abortion and make national security a priority again. It’s a new day for America.”

Phone call 2: “I’m scared to let my kids go to school, because they aren’t white. I’ve got people that I’m working with that are fearful for their life because of Trump. How could America elect a man so full of hate?”

There is good news. God’s equipped the Church to deal with scorched earth. In fact, this weekend as we finish up our series on David, we will study a man who is the model of how we should now live.

His name was Nathan. He lived in a similar circumstance. He’s got a lot to teach us about walking through tough times.

It was Nathan’s life that I used as a model to answer both of these phone calls.

See ya Sunday.