Lessons from Sadie (#2): Don’t Envy the Wicked

^NIV  Proverbs 24:1 Do not envy the wicked, do not desire their company;

Sadie and I were almost home this morning from a pleasant, two mile walk in the fields east of our house.  As we got ready to cross the one big road along our path, we saw two small dogs walking along the road.  Sadie desperately wanted to go and play with them.  She was pulling hard on the leash.  She was panting and almost whimpering. She wanted to be free like they were.  If we had been in the middle of the fields, I might have allowed it, but where we were it would have been very dangerous.

Without thinking, I said out loud, “Sadie, you probably think their life is better than yours, but it’s not.” (Do you ever talk to your dog as if it can understand?).

Immediately the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and showed me that I was often tempted to act, feel, and think like Sadie.

Sometimes we see people who in terms of worldly wealth, financial security, comfort, and luxuries are a lot better off than we are.  We feel tempted to be envious and covet.  We feel the pull to want to enjoy a type of “worldly freedom to play” that others have.

But Sadie’s life really is very good.  She has a family who loves her.  She is well fed and we never let her go hungry.  We take her for walks, let her run off the leash when it’s safe, and play with her.  And we protect her from dangers that she can’t understand.  If Sadie knew what the lives of those “free to run anywhere” dogs were really like, she would never want to trade places.

Joy and Sadie

Of course, the analogy is not perfect.  It’s true that even in this life, the peace, joy, comfort, and meaning we gain by taking up our cross and following Christ far outweighs the deceptive pleasures the world offers.  Yet, the main reason we should not want to trade places with the worldly is not what’s going on now, but what will happen in the future.

I would like to close with an ancient and powerful poem which addresses this same topic with great clarity:

^NIV  Psalm 73:1 A psalm of Asaph. Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.

 ² But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.

 ³ For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

 ⁴ They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.

 ⁵ They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills.

 ⁶ Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.

 ⁷ From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits.

 ⁸ They scoff, and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression.

 ⁹ Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.

 ¹⁰ Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance.

 ¹¹ They say, "How would God know? Does the Most High know anything?"

 ¹² This is what the wicked are like-- always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.

 ¹³ Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence.

 ¹⁴ All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments.

 ¹⁵ If I had spoken out like that, I would have betrayed your children.

 ¹⁶ When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply

 ¹⁷ till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.

 ¹⁸ Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.

 ¹⁹ How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!

 ²⁰ They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.

 ²¹ When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,

 ²² I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.

 ²³ Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.

 ²⁴ You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.

 ²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

 ²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

 ²⁷ Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

 ²⁸ But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others . . .

Why I Plan to Vote for Marco Rubio

Why am I Even Writing about This?

My main goal for this blog is to encourage, strengthen, and equip fellow believers to serve and follow and shine for Jesus in the midst of this dark and dangerous world we temporarily live in.  This was also a major goal for Paul in the epistles he wrote (Ephesians 3:16, 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).  Paul mostly focused on the most important thing: faith in Christ and living out that faith.  But Paul also wrote about “secondary issues” like how to handle disagreements over whether or not to eat meat sacrificed to idols (1 Corinthians 8:4).  While these issues are not as important as believing that Jesus is Savior and Lord, they are still important.  One reason Paul wrote about them is that his fellow believers were thinking a lot about these issues and these issues did have a practical impact on their lives and on the Lord’s work.  For similar reasons, I feel led to write about this election.

Of course, the analogy with Paul’s epistles breaks down if pressed too far, since Paul was inspired in such a way that he wrote infallible Scripture.  My blog is very fallible.  So, praying for God’s help, I will write and share whatever insights I can.

Democrats Not an Option

Because the Democratic Party has consistently and strongly, almost unanimously, promoted and celebrated immoral acts such as killing unborn babies and homosexual marriage, voting for a Democrat is not an option for me.

Down to Three

There appear to be only three Republican candidates who have a realistic possibility of winning the Republican nomination:  Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Donald Trump.

I have already written two blog posts on why I don’t support Donald Trump (here and here). I will add  one more reason here, with some supporting evidence.  Although Trump has a strong chance of winning the Republican nomination, I believe he is far less likely to defeat Clinton or Sanders in a general election.  Thus, the most likely outcome of Trump winning the Republication nomination would be four more years of a Democrat as President.  This would likely result in even more immoral decisions in the Supreme Court and a deeper darkness and more suffering across our land and even around the world.  Why do I believe Trump is unlikely to beat the Democrats?  Three reasons:

1.       The polls say so.  While anaverage of recent major polls predicts Rubio beating Clinton and tying Sanders in hypothetical matchups, the same polls predict both Clinton and Sanders being able to defeat Trump.  It’s early and polls are not perfect, but neither are they meaningless.

2.       According to Gallup, Trump has had the highest “unfavorable” rating among the American people of any candidate from either party since this started being measured in 1992.  I’m not surprised.  It’s not just liberals and moderates who don’t like him, many conservatives like myself view him very negatively.

3.       Most of the media has a liberal bias and would strongly prefer a Democrat to win.  This means they would love for the worst possible candidate to win the Republican nomination to give the Democrats a better chance.  That may explain why Trump’s sordid and ugly past is getting relatively little attention now.  But if Trump wins the Republican nomination, I predict a huge media emphasis on how bad Trump has been throughout his life, and they won’t have a hard time finding evidence.  For example, do you think the liberal press will ignore thefact that Trump appeared on the cover of Playboy and appears to still be proud of it? 

Donald Gives Thumbs Up to Himself on Playboy Magazine Cover

Between Rubio and Cruz

So, for me it’s between Rubio and Cruz.

I could enthusiastically support either of these candidates in the general election.  In fact, a problem we have right now is that they are both good candidates and are splitting the discerning Christian vote which is opposed to Trump.

I can understand and respect believers who prefer Cruz.  But for me, Rubio is the better choice. Here are three reasons why:

1.  The Immigration Issue

The immigration issue is complex because there are two broad legitimate and important sides to the issue.  One side is the justice and security side.  This side involves protecting our border and enforcing laws.  The other side is compassion for immigrants.  Of these two aspects, the one most clearly stressed by the Word of God is compassion:

Deuteronomy 10:19 So you must love the resident foreigner because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. (also see Exo 23:9; Lev 29:33; and Lev 25:35)

I feel that Rubio does a much better job than Cruz at expressing BOTH the justice/security side AND the compassion side of the immigration issue.  Cruz seems to focus on justice and security at the expense of compassion.

2.  The General Election

I believe that Rubio is more likely to win the general election than Cruz.  Even many of his fellow Republican Senators do not like Cruz, so I see him having a hard time winning over the general population.  If the reason his fellow Senators did not like him was limited to his strong stance on issues, that would be one thing.  But Cruz also seems to have a type of meanness which has been revealed in some of the dirty political maneuvers his campaign has used against fellow conservative Republicans.

3.  A Deeper, Humbler Faith

I admit this last point is more subjective, but to me it is important.  I do not doubt that both Cruz and Rubio are true Christians with a sincere faith.  Yet, when I hear Rubio speak, both now and before running for President, I sense a deeper, humbler type of faith.  And being humble is really important (1 Peter 5:5).

For Me, For Now, It’s Rubio

When all the factors are considered, at this point I am planning to vote for Marco Rubio in the NC Primary.

But, after Trump’s Big Win in Nevada is it Too Late?

No!  It’s not surprising that Trump’s biggest margin of victory came in a state infamous for sexual immorality and gambling.  And even there, only about 1.3% of the state’s 2.8 million people bothered to go and vote for him.

Last Word and Prayer

If all this political stuff is discouraging to you, try reading this.

May God guide each of us as we consider who to vote for.  And may He mercifully bless our nation with a better government than we deserve.

Hebrews 13:16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others . . .