I want to talk about voting today. There’s a good chance you already voted. (Especially since I put the YouTube video up more than a week ago and am late putting it up here!)
Many people consider voting to be very private. We decide how we want to vote, no one else needs to know how we voted. And no one tells me how to vote. We may discuss our vote with friends or family, but it is my vote. Family, friends, even God, can’t tell me how to vote. Okay, that takes it too far. You know that.
But I say that to make a point. Voting isn’t just “our” decision. We are Christians. God calls us to follow Him. You have been baptized. The Holy Spirit lives in you to guide you. In all your life, whether you are at home, watching TV, or playing around, or on the computer or your phone, or working, or doing volunteer work, or at church, etc., God should be guiding you. He saved you. Everything you do, you follow Him.
That is also true for voting. God guides you when you vote. What does that look like? What is important to God is also important to you. You pay attention to what God says is important, and you value the same things.
It doesn’t matter what politicians tell you. It doesn’t matter how people tell you to vote. It doesn’t matter how friends and family tell me to vote. We learn from them what is important to them and we learn about issues, but we don’t let them tell us what should be important to us. We learn from God what is important to Him, and that will guide how we vote.
Compare political issues with what God says. Some issues are pretty easy. For example, think about what politicians say about family issues. Some politicians say marriage is for anyone. A man and woman, or man and man, woman and woman, whatever, is fine. Other politicians say marriage should only be one man and one woman. What does God say? He says marriage is one man and one woman. So we want to vote for politicans who agree with that.
Another issue is that some people say anyone who wants to have sex can do so. Doesn’t matter who. Other politicians want to encourage sex for married couples. Maybe they can’t make laws about that, but they can encourage people to behave in a way that is God-pleasing. We will want to vote for those people.
Some people think it is a good idea for the government to raise your children. The government should be in charge of raising them and teaching them. Do you think the government will teach your children to trust in God, to love and follow Jesus? No, the government will certainly not do that. God made parents to love and raise and teach their children. We want to elect leaders who will encourage and support that. We want parents to be able to raise their children to trust in God. The government will not do that.
Another easy example: God cherishes life. God made life, from infants to the elderly. God makes babies in the womb. He is against abortion. So we will vote for people who protect life, who work to end abortion. The same thing at the end of life. Some people think when a person gets older, their life isn’t worth much anymore, so we can go ahead and end their life. Or if a person is very sick or has disabilities, that person’s life isn’t worth living, so it’s better to end their life. But God creates life, so we defend life. We will vote for people who support and defend life.
All people’s lives are precious to God, no matter they are white, Hispanic, Black, Asian, men, women, etc. God loves and values them all. We don’t want leaders who say some are more important than others.
God made men and women. He made men to be men and women to be women. God doesn’t want a man to think he can change to become a woman, or a woman to change to become a man. Some politicians want to say people can choose their gender. Other politicians agree with God and say He made you a man or a woman, you don’t change from one to the other.
Learn about the issues. Find out what politicians support; if they follow God’s ways or go against God’s ways. Then you will know how to vote.
The Bible is also very clear that leaders should not play favorites. We don’t want leaders who will prefer some people over other people.
Finally, we also vote according to good character. Will a leader have good character? Is he honest, not deceptive, and doesn’t make up stories? Is he or she a hard worker? Does he or she respect people and create unity, or create division? Those are important character issues.
There are probably other things we could talk about with voting, but those are some of the more important issues. When you vote, look for people who will lead in a way pleasing to God. We don’t vote selfishly. We don’t look for people who will do what we want. Look for people who will do what God wants.
When the vote is all done, pray for your leaders, all of them, from the president and congress down to your local leaders.
