I thought in today's post I would try to provide you some insights into how you should vote in the upcoming election. I realize there is a presidential election that will determine the future of our country for the next 4 years and possibly the next 8. However the decisions made next Tuesday will probably impact our country much longer than the service of our president. There are also elections for representatives and senators and any number of local and state level positions as well.
I will not pretend to know every candidate or even every issue and I definitely will not tell you for whom you should vote. However, I do want to provide you some guidelines that I think will serve you well in the upcoming election. In the gospel of Mark we are told an interesting event in the life of Jesus. From this story I think we can gain some important insights that will help us make a well informed decision.
Mark 12:13 states, "Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words." I think it is pretty instructive how Jesus was able to unite polar opposites. They may not have united for the right reasons, but at least he got them to agree to something. But that is not what I want to talk about. Look at what the rest of the passage states: "they came to him and said 'teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth."
It is from this verse that we gain some practical guidelines that will help us when we vote. First we are to be people of integrity. The dictionary describes integrity as adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty." Jesus had it and even his opponents recognized this truth. So when you go to vote make sure that you are a person of integrity.
The second truth is that you should not be swayed by men or by the party they represent. You should not care if a person is a republican or a democrat. In the words of Martin Luther King, "you should not judge a man by the color of his skin, but by the character of his heart." People will disappoint you and frustrate you, but you are to maintain a clear conscience and not allow public opinion or even political affliations to determine your vote.
The third truth really sums it up and places your vote squarely upon you as the voter. You are to vote the way of God in accordance with the truth. In other words you are not voting for a republican or a democrat, but you are voting for God. Yes you read that right! Your vote belongs to God. You are not reponsible for the actions of the candidates, but you are responsible for your actions. As you go to the polls you are to be sure that the values you promote are the values that come from God. Jesus always taught the truth of God and he lived according to those same values. We are to do no less than the same. Jesus did not back down when people challenged him as they do here in this Mark passage, but he stayed true to the truth.
How did the story turn out? They tried to nail Jesus on the tax issue when they said "Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn't we?" Jesus ultimately told them "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." God owns your vote, so you are to vote for Him. I know it goes against what society says and believes, but then we don't belong to them, we belong to Christ. We were bought with a price therefore we are to honor him with our lives and that includes making sure that we vote how he would have us vote.
So there you have it. My two cents on this election cycle. I know that no matter what happens, God is still King and He still sits on His throne. What I find amazing is that He still wants to work through flawed individuals like you and me. So don't blame God if the election does not turn out to your liking. We are responsible for our vote and my vote is for God.
Who are you voting for this presidential election? As for me and my house we will vote for God and with God everytime. Now go get out the vote!
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