In light of what I believe is the illusion of impact through political involvement, here are some lessons I learned from the politics of power that sidetracked my generation, the Jesus Movement Christians of the 60s:
Nothing But Corn!
In a scene from one of my favorite movies, Secondhand Lions, two eccentric old men are hoeing in their garden when their great nephew notices that all the plants look the same. When Uncle Hub takes a closer look, he discovers that the smooth-talking salesman had sold them a bunch of pretty packets promising a wide variety of beautiful vegetables. But they all contained corn, “nothing but corn!”
It doesn’t matter what pictures are on the outside of the packet, my friend. It’s the seeds inside that count! Paul says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7).
It’s time for us to look up from the garden we’ve been sweating over for thirty years. The image on the front of the seed-packets we sowed titled, “Political Power” pictured neighborhoods of righteous families living securely in a nation dedicated to godly values. But what have we reaped? We’re reaping the same old corn of unrighteousness—neighborhoods full of hopeless families disintegrating from the pressures of life apart from God. Nothing but corn.
It’s time for us to blow the dust off that old packet titled “Spiritual Power” we laid on the shelf too many years ago. The image on the front is simple—God hanging on a cross. But the seeds inside—the gospel of Christ and the Word of God—will never fail to “establish your hearts in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints” (1 Thess. 3:13).
If this is the first time you’ve looked up from your misplaced loyalties and hopes, this is the perfect time to turn your heart back to the Lord Jesus:
Father, my only desire is to see Your will done “on earth as it is in heaven.” But I have to confess that this good desire has become a bad obsession. I still want to be a voice for righteousness in this land. But what I want more is to be a force for eternal good in this world. Please make me a part of this world’s only true hope—a revival of hearts touched by the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.
If you’ve just prayed for revival, then you’re asking God for the only real solution to this world’s problems. But you’ll need to watch for one of the most alluring lies Satan whispers into the ears of those longing for revival—bigger is better. That’s where this blog will turn next.
What a beautiful post. Simple and well-said. Thank you again for sharing your perspective.
thanks, Denise