Christ and His Kingdom, Not Politics, Should Be the Central Fixture of Our Focus - Blog - Eternal Perspective Ministries

This election year, many of us are already finding the political commentary and news exhausting. Never have God’s people needed the reminder more that the key to influence and change in this world is not, and never has been, politics. It is faithfulness to Jesus.

Of course, we should look over the candidates carefully and prayerfully consider the issues and where they stand, and what kind of character they demonstrate. While we’re voting for a president, not a pastor, there should still be matters of there integrity and worldview we carefully evaluate.

Still, we dare not set our hopes on the Republican or Democratic parties or candidates, or Independents, but upon the only One who can save us—our true Cosmic President, our true Chief Justice, and our true Lawmaker: “For Yahweh is our judge, Yahweh is our lawgiver, Yahweh is our king; He will save us” (Isaiah 33:22, LSB).

Ultimately our hope should be in Him, this Sovereign over the nations: “O Yahweh, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations?” (2 Chronicles 20:6, LSB).

Andrew T. Walker wrote an editorial for World News Group titled “Man’s Chief End Is Not Political Obsession.” Here’s an excerpt from it:

Though we cannot stop the media from doing what it will do, it’s our choice whether to make politics the central fixture of our focus.

I’m not saying to give up on politics. Heaven forbid, in fact. I’m saying to approach politics with proper perspective and cool-headedness. In other words, to paraphrase a quote from theologian Oliver O’Donovan, Christians might be at their political best when talking about politics least. That may have a tinge of irony to it, but O’Donovan’s point is that the pronouncement of Jesus’ kingship should produce an anti-fragility and anti-frenetic spirit in how Christians conceive of worldly authority. If Jesus truly is King (and we most certainly believe He is), earthly politics is at best secondary to our lives in this age. What should be more important is your family, your local church, and your relationships.

What an impoverished worldview it must be to let politics—and Donald Trump or Joe Biden—reorder the hierarchy of loves that we are to spend our lives cultivating.

So, why, then, am I devoting a column to the subject of evangelicals and politics? Am I a hypocrite for penning such a column? Evangelical Christians need to be able to conduct their affairs as evangelical Christians without letting the external commentary swallow up the good work that is happening in evangelical churches or the political circus from distracting us from what makes us evangelicals: a fervent belief in the good news of Jesus Christ and His life-transforming power.

Read the rest here.

This year, we can choose where to fix our eyes. Instead of locking them on the short-term things we can see, we are called to turn our gaze, by faith, to what is eternal. Here are some verses to meditate on, about fixing our gaze on God and His kingdom:

“Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest” (Hebrews 3:1, NIV).

“We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

“Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always” (Psalm 105:4).

“My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, LORD, I will seek” (Psalm 27:8).

“I lift my eyes to you, O God, enthroned in heaven” (Psalm 123:1).

“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from Yahweh, Who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2, LSB).

“But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge” (Psalm 141:8).

“My eyes are continually toward Yahweh, For He will bring my feet out of the net” (Psalm 25:15).

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2, NIV).

“I have set Yahweh continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8).

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28).