The Citizen Statesman

by Susan Snelling

Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote… that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country. Samuel Adams

The time has come that Christians must vote for honest men and take consistent ground in politics or the Lord will curse them. . . . Christians have been exceedingly guilty in this matter. But the time has come when they must act differently. . . .Christians seem to act as if they thought God did not see what they do in politics. But I tell you He does see it – and He will bless or curse this nation according to the course the Christians take in politics. Charles Finney

Abraham Lincoln said, “We the People are the rightful masters of both Congress and the Courts–not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.” Protecting the Constitution involves removing from office those who pervert it. Freedom requires vigilance and a tireless effort to protect the Constitution.  Often, it can be exhausting. Thomas Paine said, “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”

It can be tiring, keeping on top of Congress and the President and the justices and the state and local government, to make sure they are not abusing the Constitution in any way, but that is what a patriot citizen does. It is a citizen’s duty to protect America from those who sit in positions of leadership in the government. As Thomas Paine also said, “It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government.” We can do this by voting rightly.

It is also a duty to promote virtue since this republican government is only for virtuous people. The citizen looks for a good moral character in those they would elect to office. Men and women who lack wisdom and virtue should not be promoted or considered for public office. The standard for leaders is set in the Bible. “Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.” Exodus 18:21

Samuel Adams wrote, “He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of this country who tries most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man….The sum of all is, if we would most truly enjoy this gift of Heaven, let us become a virtuous people.” Only moral people make good citizens and are capable of electing good people to office. Patrick Henry said, “Bad men cannot make good citizens. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience are incompatible with freedom.” But what happens when bad people get elected to office? Citizen patriots do their job. They save the country.

Samuel Adams tells us, “If ever time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin.” A citizen patriot defends America, promotes its virtue, and protects the country from the government. Suppose we fail in our duty as citizens to stand by America, promote its virtue, protect the country from the government, elect moral people to office and remove those who pervert the Constitution. In that case, we are not by the Founders’ standards, patriots. We must not neglect our duty.

Noah Webster understood this when he wrote, “… if the citizens neglect their Duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the Laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizen will be violated or disregarded.”

What can the citizen do but vote for trustworthy people, those of good morals, who love America, revere the Constitution, and who fear God. It is a matter of America’s survival as a land of liberty. Noah Webster also wrote, “When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on  your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers just men who will rule in the fear of God. The preservation of a republican government depends on the faithful discharge of this duty.”

My friends, by faithfully discharging this sacred duty, we become The Citizen Statesman.

You Are Responsible

by RIch Farm

We electors have an important constitutional power placed in our hands; we have a check upon two branches of the legislature . . . the power I mean of electing at stated periods [each] branch. . . . It becomes necessary to every [citizen] then, to be in some degree a statesman, and to examine and judge for himself of the tendency of political principles and measures. Let us examine, then, with a sober, a manly . . . and a Christian spirit; let us neglect all party [loyalty] and advert to facts; let us believe no man to be infallible or impeccable in government any more than in religion; take no man’s word against evidence, nor implicitly adopt the sentiments of others who may be deceived themselves, or may be interested in deceiving us. ~ John Adams

Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; ~ 2 Cor 4:6-7

Responsibility.  This is a heavy word.  Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines it as the state of being accountable or answerable, as for a trust, an office, or for a debt.  We have a major event in less than eight days, our mid-term election.  A lot has gone on for the last two years, and if you have been paying attention, motives of our career government leaders have been exposed.  If we look back at history, it was never meant for our politicians to get rich off of a life time of service as some ruler over the people.  It was seen as a duty and responsibility of those called to serve the people for a season, then others were meant to take their place.  It is a politician’s responsibility to do what is right for the people not take advantage of them.  They have to give an account for their actions.  The question is how do you make someone accountable to the people if the said leaders think they are elected to rule them rather than serve them?

We’ve spent some time of the last two years discussing courage, and fighting for what is right.  We’ve discussed what our responsibility is to be salt and light to this world.  We are meant to be a conduit for God’s very presence to shine through us to a lost and dying world.  There are so many directions we can go in regards to responsibility, like the agenda within the education systems to set up professors and leaders on pedestals as the “experts” in anything and the rest as peasants who should just follow their lead.  How these so-called experts have dumbed down the past few generations, by establishing a system that tells us what to think instead of how to think.  This same system has taken us away from our roots of a God-fearing nation to a godless one.

So again, as believers it is our responsibility to steward what has been given to us.  Let’s start with what has been given to us by God, His Word.  He has deposited in us the seed of salvation and has called us to be a light.  There is an expectation and a demand on us by our Creator to be a reflection of His goodness in this earth.  This means we stand for truth and justice and righteousness and don’t back down.  Just like the servants given the talents to steward, we too have been given something much more valuable to steward, and our master will one day demand an account of us for what we have been given.  How will you respond?

Second, we have been given this great nation.  A nation that our founders believe was given by our Creator to be a city on a hill, a bright light in this dark world.  Not only was this great nation given to us by God, but it was paid for in the blood of those who were before us.  Many men and women have given their lives from the inception of this nation until now for the very liberties and freedoms we all seem to so flippantly live in.  So going back to the definition of responsibility we have to answer for this debt.  We are indebted to the generations before us to continue to preserve the freedoms they so selflessly gave their lives for.  I think the problem today is we are so focused on self that we think not of what it cost, and sure don’t think of what it will cost if we fail to ensure that this republic stays strong and free.

When we go to the voting booth in a little over a week, may we remember those who shed their blood to give us this right and responsibility and may we not take that lightly.  May we also remember that we are not just going in hopes to change our immediate but that we go knowing we are entrusted to preserve the very fabric of this nation for the coming generations to ensure they will have a land of freedom still and the ability to continue to carry this torch for generations to come.  We must vote our conscience, for what is true and right.  We need to vote to preserve liberty and freedom. We must vote because it is our duty and responsibility.