Citizens of where?

As the election looms large I have become very aware that I am surrounded by so many pragmatists that it makes my head spin (just a lot!). I have met so many 'Christians' who can't work out whether they are Christians first or Citizens of another place before this. They speak of an allegiance to God and His aims and yet what they really want is for their good before any 'greater' good.

I have been surrounded by Christians who work on the world's premise that the ends justify the means and for whom, those extra-Biblical words, "God helps those who help themselves," are grounds to leave those without still without, after all, what we want is a happy, secure and safe society!

The problem is that what we want is a happy, secure and safe 'us'and we will wrap this up in caring words and rational excuses pointing to the greater good and all the time defending means that fail to honour God. We need to be looking at responsibility and caring for the marginalised, educating those who are uneducated and providing a decent level of existence for those who are at the poorer end of our society.

As we come nearer to voting for a new government in the UK it is obvious that we are being wooed with promises of continued comfort and yet, unlike Egypt thanks to Joseph's interpretation of dreams, we have failed to store up enough for ourselves in readiness for the coming famine. We have feasted, yet again this week can see how those in the upper echelons of investment banking and the markets have learned nothing, and are now about to enter a period of famine. This is obvious and yet none of the politicians I have heard have voiced this reality, none have spoken of the massive cuts needed to change the situation whereby every four hundred pound of government spending requires one hundred pounds to be borrowed. We are living outside our means and the time is coming when the piper must be paid. Greece is bankrupt and is now has 'junk bond' status - which means today will be a sell, sell, sell, aaargh day, for the markets.

Why don't the politicians tell us the truth? Because none of us want to hear it!

Christians are called to stand up for the weak, the oppressed, the poor, the marginalised and yet I have heard a fair few utter thoughts and views and display attitudes that have nothing to do with humility, justice or mercy and even less with God's call to those who call themselves Christian.

Who you going to vote for with your life? Will you make a cross on a bit of paper and think that that's 'job done' or will you take up your own Cross and follow Him I wonder?

Time is short - a new government is coming soon

So is Jesus!