I got a text this morning that said, "We're doomed." And if you're a hard core Republican, maybe you feel that. Perhaps as well, the election is a wakeup call concerning where your loyalties lie. Maybe you need a readjustment about which kingdom you invest in.

When random people would show up and ask to follow Jesus, he would ask questions that would reveal where their loyalties lay.

He uses things like elections to do the same thing today. They show us what causes our spirits to rise and fall, what gives us hope.

Democrats who stayed up too late partying may want to do a gut check. Jesus tells us that we're citizens of another kingdom. This was as confusing to his disciples as it is to those of us who voted yesterday. Jesus wasn't about to overthrow the Roman government, and in 2012, he's still nonpartisan.

It's a fool's errand to look for hope from an inherently flawed political system. Better politicians, even those who vote for more efficient or fairer policies, will never give us the hope our souls yearn for.

Because I studied economics, and because I care about efficiency, I'm tempted to think otherwise. I can begin to invest emotional energy in things that won't last, things that require political power to accomplish.

Jesus has in mind a different economy. His enemies asked him an economic question. "Is it right to pay taxes to Cesar?" And of course his answer left his questioners scratching their heads.

The currency of his kingdom is relationship, not economic or political power. Prioritize that and you'll stop looking to elections and candidates for the hope that they can't give you.

Jesus turned away those would-be followers whose loyalties were divided. Where are your loyalties?