Have we lost our dignity?

Last week, just a couple days after the presidential election results, there was a news feed about two bald eagles in Orlando that were trapped in a street gutter.  Bald eagles, the national bird of America, trapped in a street gutter?  Later it was determined it was their fighting that landed them in the sewer.  Bald eagles are symbolic of freedom and majesty.  They are apex predators that soar miles in the sky and now two of them are stuck in a street gutter in Florida all the while protesters march on the streets in almost every major city denouncing the election results.  It looks to me like God is sending us a message.  In the midst of an avalanche of immorality and godlessness hurling American culture down a mountain to its destruction, it becomes strikingly apparent American politics leads the charge.  America has fallen, no longer soaring high near the sun, we've become trapped in the gutter and filth of an anti-God, anti-Christ, post-Christian secular society--this is not just a picture of American politics, it is a judgment on all of us.

The 2016 presidential race exposed not only the speed at which America is falling, but it also revealed the utter failure of the church to be any significant barrier.  One reason for the church's failure is it's own weakened state. How can it be salt, model unity and love when it is itself infested with sin and tumors of division?

One sad example of this is how Christians acted towards other Christians who voted or supported the other candidate.  Facebook was ripe with the judgments, finger pointing, moral outrage, and calling into question the salvation of an individual simply due to their political affiliation.

Then there were the one's who unabashedly condemned the other candidate to the point of questioning their humanity, calling them everything short of evil incarnate. Since when do we ever have the right to speak evil and judgment over anyone, regardless of their guilt or our conviction of truth?  Even if we perceive them to be an enemy we are to pray for them (Matt 5:44).  Michael, the archangel, did not even openly rebuke Satan but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" (Jude 9)  I fear this election cycle pulled a lot of flesh out of many a Christian.

The same one's rebuking Clinton are the same one's who railed against President Obama for eight years.  Everyone even remotely close to them knew exactly where they stood because they openly and defiantly and publicly let everyone know of their moral outrage over the latest Obamanation.  They resisted and defied him at every turn, with pride and righteous indignation, perceiving to be God's instrument of truth to the rest of the lost and blind.  Yet, those same one's now insist and call forth prayer and support for their candidate.  In the eight years previous their calls for prayer fell silent, but now, their president-elect, (he's not even president yet) gets more prayer support than they gave to President Obama eight years in office.

We are urged by the Apostle Paul to pray for and give thanksgiving for our president in 1 Timothy 2:1,2
"First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,  2  for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity."

We are to pray for our president regardless if we voted for him or her or not.  We are to be thankful for those in authority over us, regardless if we agree or approve of them.  There are many examples where God raised up, allowed, placed, evil rulers to exercise His judgment.  Matter of fact, it seems that was His go-to plan more often than not.  Just consider the likes of Pharaoh of Egypt or King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon or King Darius of Persia.

When we decide to pray for and offer thanksgiving for those in authority over us it leads to "a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity."  Many a believer's dignity went out the door for violating this command of Paul.  If we spend more of our energy, thoughts and Facebook posts on prayers and thinking of ways to be thankful then it will be amazing how much godly influence and positive change we can have on all who are in authority, including the President of the United States, and not lose our dignity in the process.