Congratulations to Obama

America has a new President. He's not the one I voted for. But my impression of him as a person has been favorable (outside of his policies). He ran a terrific campaign. Made no big mistakes. He did some smart things- like participate in the Rick Warren led Values Forum. He had lots of favorable tailwinds that helped him soundly beat John McCain.

He might go down in history as one of the most popular US Presidents. He inherits the economy when stock valuations and expectations are depressed. If things get better, Obama will likely get the credit just as Reagan did when he inherited a mess in 1980.

I am always of the opinion that politicians have the ability to really screw things up and Mr. Market will do what Mr. Market will do- making some Presidents look like they are economic geniuses and others look like they have no clue. This is what it is. But hopefully, Barack will not meddle too much and let the economy prosper on its own by allowing freedom and opportunity to rule.

Aside from all that, I will be supporting and praying for Obama regularly now that he is the Commander in Chief. I hope that conservatives are not as angry and bitter towards Barack as liberals have been towards Bush. I think Barack's presidency is a great opportunity for evangelical Christians to show that they live out what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches this in regards to supporting and praying for our President.

Romans 13:1-2, "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment."

1. We must learn to submit to authority with a humble attitude.

We will all submit to the only One who offers true hope and change- Christ. We will submit to Him either to our pleasure and ultimate good. Or we will submit to Him unwillingly when all truth is fully revealed to our destruction. Submission to authority and to each other is one of the crucial aspects of living a biblically consistent life.

2. All leaders are established by God.

God has a plan that He is unfolding. We can be assured that nothing happens in this world outside of His control. The Bible teaches us to rest in God's plan and to be active in aligning ourselves with His purposes.

3. Do all things without complaining.

Complaining is mostly worthless. Complaining without good ideas of how to improve things for the better is worthless. Philippians 2:14 teaches, "Do all things without grumbling or complaining." I would encourage all Christians to resist the temptation to be a divisive voice regarding this election.

There are certainly things worth fighting for like the undeniable fact that life begins at conception. But minds are not ever changed by bitter diatribes. Minds are changed and persuaded when the truth is presented firmly and gently with compassion and understanding.

Pray for Barack. Pray for his stewardship of this nation. Pray that his heart is transformed by Christ- who he claims to know. Pray that this nation has a renewal or introduction to the ways of Christ. Christ is our only hope of salvation and glory- Colossians 1:27.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Biblical warnings against hoarding

That was fast. Two months ago most financial assets were worth 25%- 40% more than they are today. October was on pace to be the worst month in stock market history before it rallied over 10% the final week.

Greed has left the building. Fear is ruling the day. It is important in uncertain economic times to be tethered to the truths that are eternal. If you were following biblical principles in regard to finances, you are doing okay.

You would have heeded biblical warnings against presuming on tomorrow. A biblically based lifestyle includes the areas that I outlined in my prior blog entry.

Now that fear and pessimism are taking control of people's minds and hearts, it should be noted that the Bible has plenty to say about hoarding as well.

One verse that I stumbled across recently is Isaiah 23:17-18, "At the end of seventy years, the Lord will visit Tyre, and she will return to her wages and will prostitute herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth. Her merchandise and her wages will be holy to the Lord. It will not be stored or hoarded, but her merchandise will supply abundant food and fine clothing for those who dwell before the Lord."

These verses can be interpreted in a lot of different ways. I see them as a clear warning that wealth that is hoarded is not honored by the Lord. The consistent message of Scripture is that capital is to be re-circulated, invested and employed for good.

We see evidence of that in Luke 12:16-21. Jesus tells the story of a man who hoards resources and calls the man a fool. In times like these, we must be constantly reminded of what our purpose is. We are created for a Person- Christ. We are created for a place- Heaven. Our task on earth is to do the maximum amount of good to the maximum amount of people as Jonathan Edwards often said. We must point people to this Person and Place.

We must walk the balance between pessimism and optimism. We should live like pessimists- frugal, moderate towards our own needs. But give and invest like optimists- not being afraid to give and invest at times when people need it most.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge