With all the political ads running on TV and radio, and all the signs and billboards, one can hardly miss that election season is upon us once again here in the USA. Election day is set for Tuesday, November 6th, 2018 and I hope you already are planning to get involved by casting your vote. The Bible has plenty to say about government; for example, Exodus 18:21 gives us a leadership model: “But select from all the people some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes. Appoint them as leaders over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten.” Likewise, Deuteronomy 1:13 says, “Choose some well-respected men from each tribe who are known for their wisdom and understanding, and I will appoint them as your leaders.”
Examples of government are woven throughout the Bible, sometimes good, sometimes maybe not so good, but the government is put in place by God to bring order to society. In Romans 13:1,4 & 6 we read: “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God….The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong….Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do.”
In the USA, we are very fortunate in that we are allowed the privilege of voting and, therefore, we can influence the direction of our government. This is a great right and should never be taken lightly, especially for the Christian as we are Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). So we should cast our votes to reflect God’s values so we influence the process with the truth of God. Indeed, for the Christian, it is not just a right, but a responsibility!
But how do we know what the candidates stand for? Often, the TV ads tell us more about how the candidates feel about their opponent than where they stand on the actual issues. Despite their claims, we find that all too often the ads we hear and see are full of error, half-truths, and misleading rhetoric. It can be hard to discern which candidates most align with the values we know to reflect the truth found in God’s Word, so how do we decide? Fortunately, there are many resources available to us. I will list a few really good ones here, but there are likely others available in your state:
iVoter Guide – this resources allows you to input your zip code and find responses from the candidates on actual issues of importance. And remember that a candidate’s failure to respond to questions on a specific issue is a response in itself!
Family Research Council – this resource will help you understand important issues of our time and the platforms of the major political parties. It will also help you find where to vote in your area and can even help you to register in some areas.
Christian Voter Guide – offers many resources for researching issues, voting locations, voter guides, etc.
You can also easily research the candidates by typing their name in your favorite search engine to find their campaign websites. So do your research, become an informed citizen, and get out and vote on November 6th, 2018. You can make a difference and your vote does count!
May you be blessed.
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