Living in a Make-Believe World
The cheers of the packed stadium echoed in his ears as he watched the ball sail over the centerfield wall and into the upper deck. The thrill of rounding third base and seeing his teammates lined up to give him high fives as he crossed home plate was absolutely incredible. As the television cameras focused on him, the sports reporters asked how it felt to hit the winning home run with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the last inning of the seventh game of the World Series. Then grinning from ear to ear and with a plastic bat and ball in hand, my little boy said, “Daddy, will you play ball with me?”
Are you living in a make believe world? Are you praying you will get a hit, but just stand at the plate and never move the bat from your shoulder? Is your life characterized by too much dream and not enough swing? Are you more talk than walk? Ouch!
I know at times we may feel uncomfortable considering this, but responsible living demands that we examine our lives in the light of the Word of God to see if we are on track with His will or if we need to make a course correction. Prayer, faith, trust, and love are all concepts that demand action.
It is meaningless to pray that God would save the lost, but never share the gospel message with others.
It is vain to pray for a great harvest, but never plant any seed.
It is hypocritical to pray for revival, but be unwilling to repent of our own sin.
It is ridiculous to pray that we will pass the test, but never study or prepare for it.
It is foolish to pray for spiritual knowledge and wisdom, but then neglect to study the Bible and apply its principles.
It is hollow to say we are concerned about the morally downward spiral of our country but to remain silent when we have the opportunity to speak up for righteousness.
It is irresponsible to pray for our elected officials, but not be involved in their selection by voting.
There are many professing Christians in the United States who appear to be living in a make-believe world. They seem to be disconnected from reality. They tend to think that believers should pray for our leaders, but should not participate in the electoral process. Even though they may have good intentions, these friends need to recognize that God has placed them in a nation that was founded on biblical principles and that it is the distinct responsibility of the citizens to elect representatives who will follow those biblical principles. We are not living in the Roman empire of the first century.
Whoever is elected president will likely have the opportunity to nominate between one to four justices of the U.S. Supreme Court. The senators the voters elect will have the responsibility to either confirm those nominees or reject them. Your vote can make a lot of difference in the near future. According to researcher George Barna, 39 million professing Christians did not vote in the last presidential election. He also indicated that godly leaders would govern our nation if only 10% more Christians voted. Actions have consequences and inactions have consequences.
Do your research and then vote for the candidates who will best represent your biblical worldview. Christians cannot afford to sit out this election. Don’t be one of those who lives in a make believe world. Step back into reality. See you at the polls!