Barak Obama today has been sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. The roles have changed, the media who spent the last eight years hating the presidency and looking for every excuse to slander President Bush, begins their love fest in earnest with President Obama.

What is a Christian to do? We are angry, we are frustrated and we are concerned. It has already begun, I’ve watched my friends get more and more engrossed in watching and criticizing everything Barak Obama does. Are we going to spew the same hatred, vileness and vitriol that was spewed at us? Are we to become like those who hated us? Is it time for our revenge, to get back at those who hate us?

Right now I am sure many Christians want to question God about what is going on. Why is this man president? Someone who seems to disagree with many of the things that God cares about. Why is this man so successful, why did this man win the election?

I imagine the answer that we might get is the same answer that Peter got, when he questioned Jesus about what is going to happen with the beloved disciple John.

“When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!””
(John 21:21-22 ESV)

So what about this man Barak Obama, if God wills him to be President, what are we suppose to do? We are to do what we always are suppose to do, and that is to follow Jesus.

We have a choice, we can either obsess over everything President Obama does, get angry, get frustrated and become fruitless. Or we can continue to do what God has commanded us to do.

The Jews were looking for a powerful political messiah, the same as people today. Jesus refused to involve himself in the politics of the day because his mission was much more important. The Jews wanted to be saved from the Romans. Jesus saved us from ourselves, our sins, death and the wrath of God.

From the little I know of the New testament, neither Jesus nor the other New Testament writers often criticized or disrespected the governments that were in place. I think the story i below helps us understand how His focus was never to save us from the government, but we are to respect it.

“Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.”
(Matthew 22:15-22 ESV)

In fact his respect for the government authority placed by God took Jesus right to the cross (John 18:33-36 ESV)

Okay so what do we do?

1. Decide that our focus is on the ONE TRUE MESSIAH, we follow Jesus Christ.
2. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.This is the great and first commandment.And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.””(Matthew 22:37-40 ESV)
3. Love your enemies and pray for them. We cannot become like many on the left became. (Matthew 5:43-44)
4. Remember that there is going to be people who hate us not only because we maybe conservative or republicans, but most of all because we are Christian (Mark 13:13 and John 15:18)
5. Remember we are being watched and the way we act reflects on Jesus Christ. See these posts: They Are Watching… and The Day After…
6. We realize that the field are white for harvest and we go out and make disciples (John 4:35 and Matt 28:19-20)
7. Barak Obama is “preaching” about unity, love, charity, and sacrifice as if they are new ideas. Take those openings and teach people about where those ideas came from, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We are exiles here in the United States of America, our ultimate authority is not the government of the United States. We don’t necessarily have to like our new president, but we have to remember it is our responsibility to do everything to honor and glorify God.

P.S. I definitely am not saying that we cannot question see this blog post by John Piper.