Are we not supposed to have some of the smartest leaders in
the world? Are we not supposed to have
the example of government for other world nations to follow? What has happened?
No matter how bright of people you gather together, no
matter how perfected a system, no matter how carefully distributed the power,
we run into catastrophic shutdowns.
We could easily replace all the House, and the Senate, and
other powers and positions with brighter more fairly minded people, yet
eventually we would run into similar problems, or a whole set of new ones.
The limits of the great Pax Americana are rearing their ugly
head. And while it may be all too
obvious of a statement now, I feel it must be said that the Kingdom of God is
not the same as the authority of the United States.
The very best solution that our government could stumble
upon will ultimately fall short of God's Kingdom. This does not mean that government cannot be
good, but that it is hopelessly limited.
While it is perfectly reasonable to want your government to make civil,
thoughtful, and well-meaning policies and procedures, it is foolish to think
the government can and will provide for every need. Our government, nor any other, can provide sufficient
security, ample health, meaningful peace, lasting international relationships,
unity, honest justice, happiness, or purpose.
We can look at the world around us and see that it is not government
that provides these things. There are
people who have all these without a healthy government. That is because these things are not offered
by human rule, but by the Kingdom of God.
Christ Jesus is the creator of all things including thrones, and dominions,
and rulers and powers (Col. 1:16). It is
in him all things hold together (17) because it is in him alone that the
fullness of God was pleased to dwell (19).
Things do not hold together by any form of government except by the government
of Jesus Christ. That government is not
a democracy, a republic, a dictatorship, or oligarchy, but a monarchy; it is a kingdom,
the Kingdom of God. Things outside the
Kingdom will eventually fall apart because Christ holds all things
together. Leaders will stumble and fall because
Christ alone as all the fullness of God.
He created true power and authority, so any rule that excludes him
excludes true power and authority.
We should not be surprised that we are in the situation we
are in. We have a vast amount of people
who lead with their pride. True
leadership needs to lead with humility.
True leadership needs to seek not the kingdom of their own self-interest
but the Kingdom of God,. If leaders seek
first what is true, what is good, what is noble, and who is God, we become
closer to living in the Kingdom. And his
Kingdom looks much better than any other government that ever has and ever will
be fashioned.
