Greetings in the name of our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to all who may be reading my blog at this time! I pray you are experiencing the Lord’s favor in your life and becoming more like Him each and every day.

We have all, at one time or another, faced the problem of having to make a decision of some kind; which car, TV, shirt, shoes etc. should I buy. We’ve also had to make much more difficult decisions like which should I take that job, which house should I buy, should I marry them, what doctor should I see, what treatment must I choose or what church should I attend, just to name a few. With the small decisions like which shoes or shirt should we buy, we can make a decision without having too many repercussions to pay because of our choice, but when it comes to making decisions on the bigger things in life, it can be rather difficult and trying. At times, making those type of decisions has not always been such an easy thing for me to do.

In Acts 1:12-26 we read after Jesus had risen from His grave, He met with His disciples, then gloriously descended back to heaven to be with the Father. His disciples returned to Jerusalem just as Jesus commanded them to do and waited for the gift promised by the Father. While they waited for the gift from the Father, the issue of replacing Judas came up. It was Judas who had betrayed Jesus and after doing so went and hung himself. Peter stood up and said it was necessary for them to choose one man who was among them to replace Judas. The qualifications were that this man had to be one who had been with them the whole time Jesus went in and out among them and he also had to be a witness to Jesus’ resurrection. Obviously, this man had to also have very high integrity. We read where they, the disciples, proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas who was also known as Justus and Matthias. Because these were obviously two very good men who the disciples felt were worthy of the position of being a disciple, I can only assume the decision must have been very difficult.

I remember when back when I was in Junior High (No that wasn’t before there were cars)  I was talked into running for a school office by my close friends. A very dear and close friend of mine had also thrown his hat into the ring for the same position. When he found out that we would be running against each other, he actually said he would take his name out of the running because he would never want anything to come between our friendship. I assured my friend that he was more qualified for the job than me; I was only running because my friends had talked me into it. We both decided to run for the same position and when my friend won the election I was not in the least bit mad for he truly was the better choice. Wouldn’t it be nice if all our politicians felt that way!!!

In 5 short months our nation will be electing a man for the office of President of the United States. We will either elect the same man who is currently in office or we will elect a new man to take his place. This will all be decided by you and me, the voters, as we cast our votes. Back to our account in Acts 1, the disciples were facing a tough decision. Both men proposed were obviously Godly men who were well-respected, and either one could easily be seen fitting the position at hand. Neither of these men had any baggage in their life so the issue came down to; which one would they choose???

I love what we read in Acts 1:24-26 “Then they prayed, “Lord, You know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs. Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.” The disciples didn’t want to make the wrong choice, though both men were fit for the job, they wanted to know the heart of the Lord in this matter, so they prayed.

In 1 Samuel 16 we where the prophet Samuel was appointed by the Lord to go to the house of Jesse to choose one of his 7 sons to replace Saul as king. When Samuel saw Eliab, he thought surely the Lord’s anointed stood before him because of his height and appearance. Then we read in 1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

I believe we are facing the most important presidential elections we have ever faced as a nation and for Christians it must not come down to a particular political party, the economy, foreign affairs though all those points are important issues. The most important issue that lies before the church (you and me) today is, ‘Which man is it Lord that You have chosen to be President of our United States for such a time as this?’  

The choice of who it should be, my friend or me, to fill the position of the secretary/treasurer at Jim Bridger Junior High School back in 1962 may have seem important to us at that time but it pales in comparison to what we face as a nation today. The disciples asked the Lord to show them which men it was that He had chosen to take over this apostolic position. Would you please join me brothers and sisters and pray for the Lord’s wisdom as we cast our vote this November. Let’s ask the Lord to show us who it is that is His choice for this important position; for we want the Lord’s man in office, not what may look good to you or me.