There’s an old Taco Bueno at Bell Street and I-40 here in Amarillo, just a couple of miles from my house. And it’s got death written all over it. The paint is peeling and the window blinds don’t work. They don’t replace the light bulbs on the inside or the outside. I’ve been there twice when they’ve told me they’ve run out of taco meat. There’s never anybody in the drive thru. When we eat inside, there’s usually only one other person or couple in there eating with us.
There used to be three Taco Buenos in Amarillo, but now there’s only one. With the Fuzzy’s Taco and now the third Rosa’s location and the unexplainable local obsession with Taco Villa, this last remaining Taco Bueno is in trouble. The first one closed about five years ago, the second one about two years ago, and this last one closest to my house just feels doomed. It’s right on the interstate, it’s in the busy southwest part of town, and it’s got a big parking lot. But it just feels like it’s not going to make it.
I wouldn’t invest anything in this Taco Bueno. I pull in from time to time to grab a couple of beef Muchacos on the way to a meeting. It’s a nice place to stop on the way home when we don’t feel like cooking. But I wouldn’t put any of my money or energy into that place looking for some kind of long term return. It’s not going to last. It’s dying. It’s a bad investment.
I’ve seen strip malls that have death written all over them. One nail salon, one computer repair store, and a dozen empty windows and store fronts. Weeds in the alley, broken glass on the sidewalk, one car in the parking lot. Would you invest in that strip mall? No. It’s not going to last. It’s dying. It’s a bad investment.
Why are you investing so much in the upcoming presidential election? Why are you expending so much of your energy into it? Why does it seem your very identity is wrapped up in who wins and who loses? Why are you pouring your money into it? Why are you giving so much of yourself to this campaign season and election? Your thoughts, your emotions, your feelings, your very heart and soul — why are you investing so much of yourself into the government of this country and the people who run it?
It’s not going to last. It’s dying. It’s a bad investment.
Politicians are not going to save this country. Policies and laws, platforms and promises are not going to change this world. Political power and parties and polls are not going to change a thing. This country and this world will not be won by votes or armies, by policies or partisanship, by sound strategies or brutal violence. Our Lord Jesus, our risen and coming King, is the only One who will save anything. He alone can change the world.
His politics are love and humility. His policies are service and sacrifice. His way is about mercy and grace and forgiveness and peace.
Christ Jesus is right now today overtaking and overthrowing all the world’s governments, including that of the United States. His reign will ultimately prevail. His rule will eventually win the day. All the governments of this world, including that of the United States, are not going to last. They’re dying. It’s a bad investment.
Why not invest your money and your time and energy into the politics of our King, which are completely opposite of and opposed to the politics of this world? Instead of wrapping your identity in the cloak of a donkey or an elephant, instead of hanging your hopes on a party or a politician, why not give yourself wholly to our Lord and his policies of love and peace? It’s the difference between a bad investment and a good investment.
Peace,
Allan
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