Living in the Spirit
October 16, 2018
Scripture Reading: Job 38:1-7, (34-41)
‘Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
so that a flood of waters may cover you?
Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go
and say to you, “Here we are”?
Who has put wisdom in the inward parts,
or given understanding to the mind?
Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?
Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
when the dust runs into a mass
and the clods cling together?
‘Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
when they crouch in their dens,
or lie in wait in their covert?
Who provides for the raven its prey,
when its young ones cry to God,
and wander about for lack of food? –Job 38:34-41
One of the candidates for a statewide office in my state is running on a platform of transparency in government, pledging to post all of the financial records of the state online for everyone to see. Having worked for one of the largest most complex agencies in the state for many years, when I first heard that I thought, he has no idea what that would be like. Millions of bits of information that would take pages of accompanying information to even begin to understand. While I do believe in transparency in government, I do not believe this would be a way to attain it. Most people get glassy-eyed just trying to read the pages of legalese attached to a new electronic device or app.
Government works most transparently when it has so much true integrity it can be trusted. The quote from Job above describes exactly such a reality between God and humans. God who is uniquely and completely in relationship with all God’s creation assures Job that God relates to him with true integrity and can be trusted. God sets the example for each of us and all of us together to respond to God with our intentional and continuous drive toward true integrity with God. God’s desire is for us to strive each day for true integrity with God and with all God’s creation.
We certainly should consider the measure of measure their integrity and trustfulness of the candidate for whom we vote, but that requires us to make sure we measure up to God’s desire for us to be trustworthy, responsible people.
Prayer: Lord, forgive me when I allow lust for power or greed interfere with my values and my integrity. Amen.