I Voted!!!

Yes, it’s true. Today is Election Day in the United States. For a great many people, that means that we follow our civic duty and elect the officials that will run many offices in our country for the next few years. Does that mean we make the right choices? Not always! Unfortunately, many of us will cast our votes according to the party we believe in rather than any real logical reason. We will not take any time whatsoever to consider the issues. Our decisions or often made rashly, and with abandon. For Christians; this is a dire mistake. We have to give every decision great thought. We have to go to the polls with care and careful consideration. In fact; it is commanded of us, to not act out in anger, or in rash judgement.

What should that look like?

Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33,

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”

So, the first thing we have to do when making decisions of any kind is to seek the kingdom of God. That means we pray! We have to pray first. Then we have to pray some more.

“Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request…”

-Ephesians 6:18

We have a duty to call the right people into office. As Americans, we have the unique opportunity to without fear of retribution. As Christians, we have to be sure of our choice.

So, how do we know who to choose?

We turn to scripture. We must always turn to scripture. But how can 2,000 year old scripture help us to elect the right people in 2020? By trusting in the Word of God, we can find the answers actually come from Midianite shepherd. Moses’ father-in-law Jethro gives us (as he gave Moses) an outline of what to look for in the elected officials.

“But you should select from all the people able men, God-fearing, trustworthy, and hating bribes. Place them over the people as commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.”

-Exodus 18:21

Jethro was telling Moses to find certain people to lead the tribes of Israel. He said that they should;

First;

They have to be able. That means that they should have both the time to lead, and the ability to lead. For me, this means that they should not be weak. It takes someone with a strong mind, and a fierce presence to lead. They have to be able to separate themselves from the dredges of day to day life. They cannot be preoccupied with work or home troubles that would cause them to not perform their duties.

Second;

They have to be God-fearing. This means they must have a respect for the LORD. There is no room for someone who believes they are above all others. By selecting a God-fearing person, we insure that person will hold themselves accountable to a higher order. They will believe that they answer to God for their actions. This also means that they will most likely be a prayerful person.

Third;

They must be trustworthy. How could we even consider electing someone with questionable motives? But, we do. It seems that we always find something about the candidates that should sit wrong with us. We should be able to trust those that in office to act in our best interest. In America, we take our freedoms very serious, and as such, we should consider it important whenever any elected official makes even the most idle threat toward those freedoms. Especially our first freedom of religion. Regardless of their lifestyle, do they act in a trustworthy manner? That should be a question at the forefront of our decision.

Finally;

They should hate bribes. If they can be bought, they can be used. We should elect only those who are not willing to be compromised by money to turn against their country. Even if that person seems like a lunatic, we have to consider whether or not they have accepted money for special interests. Some people believe that lobbying from businesses for campaign funds is acceptable. It is not! It is a subtle form of bribery, and it forces the candidate to owe favors to those companies. We should seek out people that do not accept lobbyists donations.

We also see that Jethro was not just talking about the selections at large. That is to say that he was not focused on the federal government alone. He instructed Moses to do this for every group of people, from commanding thousands all the way down to commanding tens. He wanted Moses to setup levels of government. Our government is setup in this same manner. Today we see mayoral elections, judicial elections, Senate and House, as well as Presidential candidates. Jethro says to use the same measure for all positions;

1. Able

2. God-fearing

3. Trustworthy

4. and Hating bribes.

This is not an easy task. That is why it important for us to take it seriously. We should not be idle in our decision. We should not let our political beliefs be separate from our religious beliefs. Even if we do not like the candidates, we have to consider the issues and where they stand on those issues. We have to look carefully at whether they are able to perform the job. They have to fear God. They must be trustworthy. We have to know where they are getting their funds from. We have to make a choice that align with the will of God.

So we go to the polls and choose. We have to take care to choose the candidate that best fits the list that God has given us. It seems that no person may fit every aspect, so we look for the one that fits it the most. We hold these decisions in our hands. So, first, we pray.

We have to pray!

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”

-Matthew 6:33

I implore everyone to consider this list. Have you cast your vote in accordance with the will of God, or was it the will of yourself? If the former; then pray that God’s will be done. If the latter; pray for forgiveness and ask that God use your choice for His will. If you haven’t cast your vote yet; pray first.

I voted today;

but I prayed first.

I continue to pray that each of you will do the same.

God bless and good night,

Bro James Pardee.