I've just been thinking about - - -
All of us have engaged in endorsement in one form or another. If we receive a check, usually we would be required to endorse it in order to receive a cash equivalent to the amount of the check. The same is true when we sign a credit sales purchase slip or a contract of some sort - our signature becomes our endorsement.
In the world of politics, candidates seem to desire endorsement from among their peers or party affiliates in order to have a better opportunity of receiving more votes than an opponent for a particular political office. If someone of note believed in a particular candidate, that endorsement would bolster a campaign, as well as the spirit of the one receiving it. It would behoove the one extending an endorsement to clearly discern what is involved in doing so. The character and integrity of the one being endorsed should be a major concern, as well as the reason for support and commitment to a candidate.
What is at risk is ones own integrity. One should always ask - Does the one seeking my endorsement live transparently and honestly? Associations and recommendations can and do matter. Currently, one candidate has a propensity to embellish events and experiences from the past even though there is documented evidence to the contrary. To casually suggest "I made a mistake" is incredulous if one has represented bullets were whizzing past my head and we had to run for shelter, etc. Anyone can remember if a gunshot was headed in his or her direction. It is unmistakable. To represent it as an unintended mistake requires a total suspension from reality and a ridiculous conclusion that one can forget being shot at in a war zone. The Author of a recent writing on Global Warming spoke of The Inconvenient Truth. It seems as though some politicians can no longer discern truth from error - and yet - they want to be the leader of this nation. The one seeking your vote would never declare, "Vote for me! I'm the best Liar running for office! You can believe that I and truth are total strangers to one another!" Such a proclamation would result in laughter and scorn and a loss of votes.
In John 8:44, Jesus makes this comment to those who were strangers to The Truth: "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." Regrettably, some running for political office today have succumbed to being numbered among those who represent the "father of lies" as they misrepresent their past and embellish what they promise for the future.
The politician is counting on the electorate to be gullible and naive. They want your Vote and will tell you what you want to hear so they can secure your Vote. Just as many of them are strangers to the truth, in like manner they will be strangers to you once they are elected. At the very least, we should be the champions for integrity. Anyone resorting to deceit, lies, or embellishment should be dismissed as a viable candidate by the Voter.
Ephesians 4:25 states: "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another." In the society and culture in which we live, this must be the minimum standard and requirement.
You think about that with me...
All of us have engaged in endorsement in one form or another. If we receive a check, usually we would be required to endorse it in order to receive a cash equivalent to the amount of the check. The same is true when we sign a credit sales purchase slip or a contract of some sort - our signature becomes our endorsement.
In the world of politics, candidates seem to desire endorsement from among their peers or party affiliates in order to have a better opportunity of receiving more votes than an opponent for a particular political office. If someone of note believed in a particular candidate, that endorsement would bolster a campaign, as well as the spirit of the one receiving it. It would behoove the one extending an endorsement to clearly discern what is involved in doing so. The character and integrity of the one being endorsed should be a major concern, as well as the reason for support and commitment to a candidate.
What is at risk is ones own integrity. One should always ask - Does the one seeking my endorsement live transparently and honestly? Associations and recommendations can and do matter. Currently, one candidate has a propensity to embellish events and experiences from the past even though there is documented evidence to the contrary. To casually suggest "I made a mistake" is incredulous if one has represented bullets were whizzing past my head and we had to run for shelter, etc. Anyone can remember if a gunshot was headed in his or her direction. It is unmistakable. To represent it as an unintended mistake requires a total suspension from reality and a ridiculous conclusion that one can forget being shot at in a war zone. The Author of a recent writing on Global Warming spoke of The Inconvenient Truth. It seems as though some politicians can no longer discern truth from error - and yet - they want to be the leader of this nation. The one seeking your vote would never declare, "Vote for me! I'm the best Liar running for office! You can believe that I and truth are total strangers to one another!" Such a proclamation would result in laughter and scorn and a loss of votes.
In John 8:44, Jesus makes this comment to those who were strangers to The Truth: "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." Regrettably, some running for political office today have succumbed to being numbered among those who represent the "father of lies" as they misrepresent their past and embellish what they promise for the future.
The politician is counting on the electorate to be gullible and naive. They want your Vote and will tell you what you want to hear so they can secure your Vote. Just as many of them are strangers to the truth, in like manner they will be strangers to you once they are elected. At the very least, we should be the champions for integrity. Anyone resorting to deceit, lies, or embellishment should be dismissed as a viable candidate by the Voter.
Ephesians 4:25 states: "Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another." In the society and culture in which we live, this must be the minimum standard and requirement.
You think about that with me...
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