Nice work - if you can get it!

In the Broadway Musical show Crazy for You, is a number by George and Ira Gershwin entitled "Nice work if you can get it: and you can get it - if you try."  It came to mind as I read the news that former U.K. Prime Minster Gordon Brown had made his first speech in the House of Commons since his Labour Party lost the last General Election.  Indeed, he would appear to have seldom, if ever, set foot in the Chamber during the intervening months preferring, instead, to concentrate on writing a book about the financial crisis which, in the eyes of many, was largely of his personal making.  During those months he was, of course, drawing the full salary of a back-bench M.P. - £65,738 (before expenses!) - but, apparently, not representing the very people who, for reasons that I am unable to fathom, re-elected him as their Member of the U.K. Parliament!  It would seem that Mr Brown is still somewhat lacking in integrity, and has not yet found his famous "moral compass"!

I cannot help but wonder how many 'ordinary' employees, on any level of salary, would be able to retain their employment if they took as much time off to attend to a personal project!  Surely it is time for politicians to be required to be 'on duty' for a minimum number of hours each week - or lose a percentage of their salary for time taken off!  Of course, the problem is that the only people who are in a position to make any changes to the working conditions, and salaries, of politicians are - politicians.  As the last couple of years have shown, too many were (are??) more interested in feathering their own comfortable nests, and in toeing the party line,  than in finding out the views of the people who elected them, and representing those same people in the various debates and votes.  As the saying goes - "Turkeys don't vote for Christmas (or Thanksgiving, if you are reading this on the other side of 'the pond'!)."

Of course, the Body of Christ has much for which to answer in this situation!  For too many years, the majority of those who call themselves 'Christian' (a much devalued term, in our modern western society!) either ignored the political realm entirely - in spite of the fact that they were/are effected by it on a daily basis; or did no more than recite a written prayer for the Queen and her ministers of government!

I don't honestly know if I coined the phrase myself, or if I heard it from another, but I suspect that it is true to say that we get the government for which we failed to pray!  However, the promises of Almighty God stand above all of the fickleness, the self-centredness, and the spin doctoring of even politicians; and He has said "... if my people who are called by my Name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (II Chron 7:14; RSV - my emphasis).

As Scotland is already anticipating elections to both the Scottish Parliament and local Councils, in May of next year, may it be that those who are called by the name of the King of kings will take seriously the call to pray - that God might yet raise up an army of committed men and women who will serve Him, by their service of their constituents; and seek His wisdom in every decision that they make.