But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” — Matthew 12:25

Joe Biden has won. Donald Trump has lost. There were only two possible outcomes of this “election” and this is the one which has played out. What do I think? I am not greatly concerned about it and it will not cause me to lose any sleep or give in to the fear which so many have already succumbed to. Neither will it cause me to go out and riot in the streets.

Some will be exhilarated by the news. They will rejoice that their dreams have come true. They will celebrate the “fact” that lying, cheating, and stealing will produce the results they hope for. They will anticipate that “glorious day” when Utopia comes to Earth and they will be disappointed when they receive an “F” on their report card–at some undefined point in the future.

Some will be devastated by the news. They will express sorrow that their dreams have not manifested. They will rue the “fact” that Donald Trump has not proven to be the savior they desired and that he was not able to produce the world they thought was possible. As the societal situation deteriorates, they will continually say, “If you had only listened to me.”

A pox on both their houses. Nothing would be different if the results were switched.

Salvation does not come from a forced conformity to the prevailing attitude. It does not come from a societal pressure to be like everyone else. It does not come from a statist attitude that we are free to do as we are told, but only as we are told. It does not come from the idea that we must be made to be good. In this belief, Democrats, socialists, and progressives are all wrong.

Neither does salvation come in the form of a man who embodies the belief that we can simply shape society to our liking by writing our Code of Conduct down on a scrap of parchment. It does not come from the belief that returning to the Constitution of the United States is going to correct all the wrongs in society. Heck, we never abandoned the Constitution. It has been with us…forever. In this, Republicans, conservatives, and (some) morally upright people are all wrong.

Politics. Everything I have written above is politics, except the first paragraph. What is politics? It is the art and practice of getting what you want at the expense of everyone else. This is as simple an explanation as I can come up with and it has been proven to be true, over and over, throughout history.

“Why should today be different?” –Tevye, from Fiddler on the Roof.

[Editor’s Note: I saw Fiddler on the Roof live in Jacksonville, FL, on Topol’s farewell tour, the last year he would ever perform this play. He was showing his age. It was one of the highlights of my life. I will never forget it. Fiddler on the Roof is, in my opinion, the supreme show. If I wake up in the middle of the night and cannot go back to sleep, I pop it onto the big screen and watch it–until I fall asleep, which may take a few minutes, only to wake up three hours later to turn it off. My wife hates it, but she tolerates it. God bless her.]

Reality is that man individually cannot save himself. Reality is that man cannot save himself collectively either. Individually or collectively, we cannot save ourselves and so we resort to politics, which is based on force. You will be saved, doggone it, even if you do not want to be. Politics is a desire to save mankind from himself (personally benefiting from the process) and, practiced as such, is doomed to failure. The sooner we learn that the better off we will be. Politics is not going to save us because politics does not and cannot change human nature. It can only exacerbate the negative aspects of it.

Reality is that we must reach outside of ourselves to find the answers to the problems which plague us. Man, as a species, is flawed and imperfect, therefore, Man as a species, cannot rely on Man to solve our problems. We can only find the answers when we search from a higher knowledge and understanding. This, inevitably, means coming to grips with the idea that we are not self-sufficient in ourselves. We cannot solve our own problems. We need help–badly, big time! This is the hardest thing we will ever encounter.

“Help? I need help? I cannot do this on my own? WTF?”

Well, yes, we do because the world which we have devised and created is coming apart at the seams.

There is only one response to this. We have been wrong. We need to change. We, meaning I. I have been wrong. I need to change. I am responsible for the shape and condition of my world. I, not you. Let me repeat that because it may not have sunk in the first time–I, not you.

Looking in the mirror at my own face and considering my own spiritual condition is not easy, but it is necessary. Nothing in my life will change until I change. I cannot change unless I am willing to give up control of my life, admit that I cannot handle it by myself, and ask for help–from the One Who can give me what I need to make those changes. This is reality, spiritual reality, and it will manifest itself first in my own life personally. From there, it will spread to my world and begin to influence the worlds of those who are in contact with me.

Jesus also used this illustration: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.” — Matthew 13:33

What is the solution to our problems in today’s society? Easy answer: Elect the right President. Pass the right laws. Enact the right policies. Enforce the right behavior. Hard answer: I am. You are. We are.

Playing politics and putting our faith in the System will not carry the day. Putting our faith in Jesus the Christ and relying on His Spirit to regenerate ourselves will. This is the only solution.

“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ, MY righteousness.” (emphasis added)

Politics will get us nothing but trouble. It is time to abandon ‘The Faith’ in favor of the only One Who promises and delivers.