The End of America as We Know It?

Obama's presidency is not the end of America as we know it.
In four years two other candidates will run for president just like all the other elections.
Sure, we'll see changes; perhaps even drastic changes. But Obama can only do so much; he can't take from us Jesus Christ.
Side note: Obama is not against religious liberty. If you're believing that, then you should probably do some re-evaluating.
But even if he was, would there be reason to fear? I suppose by the world's standards there would be; but we Christians do no live by the world's standards, do we?
We are citizens of another kingdom; followers of a different leader.
This government is not our hope. Romney was not America's hope. And America is not the world's hope.
Christ is the one and only hope for all of humanity, and he isn't bound to a president.
Don't spend your time fretting and complaining. Your God is bigger than Obama!
Don't spend your time predicting the doom of America. You have no idea what God can accomplish!
Don't spend your time ranting and raving. Would Christ?
Would Christ fear, complain, rant and rave about who is president?
What would he do?
What did he do?
His work was in the transforming of the world from the inside out, not from the outside in.
The world tries to change things from the outside in. Romney would have tried to, and Obama is going to try to. But that's not the way Christ does things.
He is in the business of transforming people with his powerful love.
Instead of fearing and weeping about who is president, you should, as Ghandi said, be the change you want to see in this world!
Instead of jumping to extremes like "I'm moving to Australia," go out and make a difference with the love of Christ!
Instead of complaining, pray for Obama. Don't pray in anger. Don't pray selfishly. But pray that he would see God and that God would become an influence in his decision-making. Is it not possible?!
Pray that God will invade the White House, and that all those who would listen to him will, and will be empowered to make a difference, not for the Republican party, but for God's will.
Pray for this country. Pray that God will make you a tool for the beautiful transformation he desires in America.
Pray for your attitude toward the president and toward the country. Pray that you will be the salt of the earth, the light of the world; that you would not lose your flavor nor hide your light under a basket, but that you would enrich the world and give light to all who see you; that by witnessing your good works they would glorify the Father in Heaven.
Pray that you would be a glimpse of Christ to all who see you. Pray that God would transform you into the kind of American that he wants you to be.
And TRUST GOD.
If everything the extreme conservatives are saying is true, would that mean that God is no longer sovereign?
Can God not take care of you?
I'm almost glad that Obama was re-elected. This will give Christians another chance to fully trust God and focus more on him than on the government.

Remember in these days to trust God, be the salt and light of the world, be like Christ, be transformed, and pray for Obama and for the country.

God Bless.

Scripture passages for reflection:

"Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save"- Ps. 146:3

"Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him." - II Timothy 2:3-4

"our citizenship is in heaven" - Philippians 3:20

 "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world." - John 18:36

"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities . . . Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. . . . clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." - Romans 13:1, 7-8, 14

"Abide in me . . . If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love . . . This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you." - John 15:4, 10, 12

Socialism and the Kingdom of God

Luke 3:11: "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same."

Acts 4:32-35: "All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need."

Acts 2:44-45: "All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need."

“The practice of landowners selling their property and giving the proceeds over to the apostles for redistribution embodies a sociology of divine grace.” - Anthony B. Robinson and Robert W. Wall(1)

What is described in these Bible passages is socialism. The difference between this socialism and the socialism we know of today is that this is voluntary socialism, whereas the socialism we think of is government-mandated. It should also be said that "Acts is not offering a proposal for political policy but a picture of a community and a congregation's life together."(2)
That being said, the central idea remains: all the people living in a certain place give their money to the leaders and the leaders redistribute it—or, “spread the wealth around”—so that there are “no needy persons among them.”

The idea of socialism is infuriating to so many people today. This can be seen by the fact that republicans use the term socialist as an insult to Obama.
The objection is somewhat like, “I made my money. Why should anyone else have my money but me?”
Robinson and Wall have observed that "most of us in twenty-first-century North America not only participate in a capitalist economy but have even internalized capitalism in our hearts and souls."(3)

This reminds me of the parable of the workers in the vineyard, in which a landowner hired men early in the morning, and then again at the third, sixth, ninth, and eleventh hours. At the end of the day, he paid them all a denarius (Matt. 20:1-16).
And this is what the Kingdom of Heaven is like (v.1).

These two cases are similar. Except instead of handing money to the apostles, the workers are handing their work to the landowner and their work is given the same treatment as the work of the others. But these amount to basically the same concept. After all, we have to earn our money.

In the Kingdom of Heaven, not only will the first be last and the last be first (Matt. 20:16), but the poor will be rich and the rich will be humbled. God’s grace will be upon us all (Acts 4:24) and will make us all equal, and there will not be a needy person among us (v.25).

Socialism: the model of the Kingdom of Heaven ;-)

Notes:
(1) Anthony B. Robinson and Robert W. Wall, Called to be Church: The Book of Acts for a New Day (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2006), 74.
(2) Ibid., 83.
(3) Ibid.