The Continuous Awakening That Must Sustain the Statesman

The Continuous Awakening That Must Sustain the Statesman

Regardless of the specific role we are called upon to play in our nations, whether in Government, Religious Institution or Family, we are called upon to be a manifestation of our Creator – our Heavenly Father. His intent is to live through us as His instruments to bring His goals to our societies.

When God created man, His declaration was:

Let us make man in Our image (Genesis 1:26).

As God continued, He said:

“They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female (Genesis 1:26-27).

Clearly, His intent was that we would be a reflection of Himself in every action and every decision. This is confirmed as God is speaking through King David to describe God’s intended behavior for the administrator of the nation after decades of his own seeking to be God’s instrument in his nation:

The one who rules the people with justice, who rules in the fear of God (2 Samuel 23:3).

Thoughtful reflection leads us to recognize that we need character values that are consistent with our Creator’s intent. As human beings, we recognize that we are easily distracted from our commitment to those values. It seems that whenever we focus our eyes on the practical problems before us, we tend to take our eyes off our Creator and rely on our own human wisdom. As such, we must continually re-focus on those values. The values necessary in our lives are the character qualities that result from the infusion of God’s Holy Spirit into our lives. In order for this to happen, our hearts must continually be returning to God. King David expressed both the need:

God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You. I thirst for You; my body faints for You in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water (Psalm 63:1).

and the solution:

They are filled from the abundance of Your house; You let them drink from Your refreshing stream, for with You is life’s fountain. In Your light we will see light (Psalms 36:8).

Our Creator, in His wisdom has created us with an empty spot within that needs to be filled precisely by Him. Blaise Pascal described it this way:

There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each person which can only be satisfied by God the Creator made known by Jesus Christ.

If that vacuum is not filled by Him, we will each live dry, empty lives. Jesus said:

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10).

It is necessary for us to drink from His refreshing stream and to do so continually. This is the essence of what it means to be revived:

The instruction of the LORD is perfect, renewing one’s life. (Psalm 19:7)

Those who trust in the LORD will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).

He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths for His name’s sake (Psalm 23:3).

God’s solution for our need is expressed:

Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God (Colossians 3:2-3).

We must be extremely careful not to take our Lord’s patience with our humanity for granted. Paul describes this danger when he says:

Demas has deserted me, because he loved this present world, and has gone to Thessalonica (2 Timothy 4:10).

This servant of God to whom Paul refers, after risking his life in His Father’s service, apparently allowed himself to take a small step of disobedience that led to a wasted life.
Let us do every moment as our loving Father implores us:

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you (James 4:8).

Let us do this so that we may also say:

It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20).

Let us do this so faithfully that when people look at our lives, they will conclude that we have been created in God’s image and that we reflect His character in everything we do. Let us live in such a way as to see our Creator’s character and purpose filled through us.