Have you ever said or acted in a way contrary to your stated convictions?
Have you ever, at any time in the past or maybe even in the present, behaved in a way that was or is contrary to godliness or living Christ-like?
Have you ever become caught up in a group conversation and spoke what you should not have?
Have you ever tried to cover-up your mistakes, sins, or crimes against God or man?
Welcome to the club! Get in line right behind me. Just save a place for the rest of the sinners like me including those running for President.
If you watch American political news, are around other people in the US for more than five minutes, or have any type of social media account, then you know how sinfully terrible (maybe that should read “terribly sinful”) the other party’s candidate is – even those candidates from the parties that the media seems to ignore. How could you vote for ____________?! Don’t you know what they have done?! Did you see the video?! Did you hear the recording?! How can you support someone like that?! NOTE: I am not proud of any of our nominees. I did not cast my vote for any of them. I am not even proud of the way the one I voted for in the primaries has handled himself since then.
Believe me when I say that the reason quality people do not run is that they are painfully aware of the skeletons in their closet that they want to keep there. If they do not have skeletons, well . . . never-mind, we all have skeletons. There was only one perfect individual and even He had people accuse Him of all sorts of criminal and nationally subversive activities. He was, after all, a leader of splinter cell group of 12 other tight nit followers and multitudes of others who hung on His every word. He was dangerous! Let Him live and He would have changed the world. (Oh, yeah, they put Him to death and He changed the world anyway.)
Back to you and me and our – ummmm – problem. “You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things.” (Rom 2:1 NLT). I am not perfect. I am a sinner with a past.
Do Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Gary Johnson, Jill Stein, and Darrell Castle have sinful behaviors in their past and present? YES! Am I highly disappointed and disillusioned by what they all have done or said? Definitely. Can these things be a hindrance to their performance as the President of the United States? Likely. Can we get a do-over on the nomination process? I wish! But who would we get? Whomever those nominees might be would probably be more of the same; they would be sinners with a past and a present.
What are we to do?
I will answer that indefinite question with a few answers because I am not sure what you are asking.
- What am I to do about my sin (what are you to do about your sin)? Find forgiveness at the cross and the shed blood of the Savior Jesus the Christ. He came into the world not to condemn, but to save. (John 3:17). Clothe yourself with Christ (Gal 3:26-27), give up the guilt, and let God’s Grace teach you how to live godly lives (Titus 2:11-14).
- What are we do to about the sins of our potential President? Lead them to forgiveness in Christ, if we have the opportunity. Pray that someone does. Pray for them to humble themselves before and submit themselves to God. (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
- What are we to do about our choice in the voting booth? Remember that our
government is not a one man or one woman show. We have three branches of government: 1. Executive (President), 2. Legislative (Congress), and 3. Judicial (Supreme Court) that work in a system of checks and balances with the goal of keeping our nation on track. Remember that they each answer to the true government – the people of this nation (Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed – Declaration of Independence). We must hold them accountable. - What are we to do about the juxtaposition we are in? We as a nation created the mess we are in over time. We will have to take time to correct what our apathy created. Before and on November 8, 2016 look deeper than the individual and look to the party platform (core beliefs) then vote the one that best aligns with your values. Look at the fact that the next President will appoint and the next legislators will approve at least one if not more Supreme Court Justices. Vote according to whom they will likely seat.
Personally speaking, I am ready for this election to be over and the dust settled. Then we can begin picking who will run in 2020. Maybe by then we can have a renewed and restored vision for our nation.
-Scott
Driving Thought 
I amazed at how so many can turn a blind eye to the behavior of one man who acts totally contrary to any moral principle, then fly the banner of Christ . The election has exposed a lot of Hypocrisy, and the Church, with likes of Huckabee et al. publicly supporting a man like we know they support-then having cast disapproval and heaped scorn on Gays, Abortion supporters, ect ect now finds it in their heart to cast a vote of support and approval for a man who gloats over sexual assault-of married women no less, and makes incestuous comments about his own daughter….An honest man truly looking to vote with conscience and support the man who has been least offensive to principles , morals and ethics has the option to write in. I have heard a plethora of excuses -many from supposed Christians for why they “must” vote for Trump. No one must vote for Trump, and its become manifestly obvious people are willing to put values second to politics. Ive heard every excuse for it . “the supreme court” “hes better than Hilary” on and on. First, hes not better than Hilary if you look at his history. Second, there is no guarantee AT ALL given his liberal history and lies, that he will place a Conservative Justice. People -Christians in particular- need to know the world is watching, and I have to tell you, thus far, it looks like a lot of Hypocrisy. The ease at which the forgiveness card is played for Trump -astounding. Others not so much. I hope that is not what is being suggested here. that cicrumstances make support of this kind of aborehent indecncy and corruption tolerable fro political expediency. Surely not. This article says it all : http://markallansmusings.blogspot.com/2016/10/defending-indecency-part-2.html
I have not and will not publically support any party or candidate. I want a do-over. I am not sure I can NOT vote, but I am not convinced I can vote for any of the four candidates or their party’s political platform if I like the candidate that will be on my state ballot (Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, and Green Party). A write-in is an option, but I am not sure whom to write-in.
I am prayerfully and carefully reading what I can from sources I think I can trust to make the best decision I can as an individual. That is all I am asking in this post. Look at the candidates, look at the supreme court, look at the party, and make the best choice you can based on the information you have. Even if you are not completely comfortable with everything about the party, candidate, etc.
And as far as forgiveness is concerned, I do not know if any (either) of them have made things right with God or with those they offended. For the two major party candidates it would do both of them good to step up to the maturity plate and take responsibility for their vulgarities, cover-ups, support of sin, and personal sins. I don’t think that is going to happen, but the one who does and seems sincere may become more likely to get my vote.