Yesterday, as he world looked on, the citizens of our nation determined our future by casting their vote for the person who will lead us for the next four years. Cindy and I were proud to cast our votes for a candidate who believes in personal responsibility, individual achievement, and smaller government.Â
As the polls closed and the results started to come in, it appeared as though this would be a tight race. I was in my office, buried in paperwork and last minute details before we hit the road today, as Cindy texted me the victories and loses. It became clear in the early evening that Barak Obama would take the electoral college vote – truly a historic moment as an African-American was chosen to be the 44th President of these United States.Â
I finally shut everything down in my office to spend those last couple of hours with Cindy as we watched the Western states close their polls and tally their votes. John McCain gave his concession speech in Arizona, congratulating Obama on his win and encouraging Americans everywhere to stand behind his leadership:Â
I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited. Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that.Â
Together, Cindy and I watched Barak Obama deliver his victory speech to thousands of people in Grant Park in Chicago. It was an historic moment in so many ways. Over the next few months, the greatest task in a democracy will unfold – the passing of leadership from one individual to another, from one political party to another – as the world watches on. Even greater will be the difficult times ahead as our nation struggles with an economy heading deeply into a recession and a political party now in control that would like to raise taxes and increase spending by more than a trillion dollars. Hang on – there might be a bumpy road ahead for all of us!Â
As Christians, we believe that there is an Ultimate Authority in the rule of law. According to the book of Romans, chapter 13, we are given some fairly simple instructions:Â
Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it’s God’s order. So live responsibly as a citizen. If you’re irresponsible to the state, then you’re irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible. Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you’re trying to get by with something. Decent citizens should have nothing to fear. Do you want to be on good terms with the government? Be a responsible citizen and you’ll get on just fine, the government working to your advantage. But if you’re breaking the rules right and left, watch out. God also has an interest in keeping order, and he uses them to do it. That’s why you must live responsibly – not just to avoid punishment but because it’s the right way to live.