Your place in history in not by accident. God placed you in this century and this country in order for you to be an ambassador for Him in such a time as this. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). This world certainly is not our home if we are children of God, but He has placed us here to spread the Gospel and be salt and light to a dying world. We have a spiritual mandate to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19) and to “be witnesses for Jesus (sic) in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
This going out and spreading the Gospel begins in your home, where you live out your love for the Lord and His Word before your family. You allow the Word to inform your worldview and the daily decisions you make. You let is sculpt your mind, transforming it and renewing it, so that your daily life reflects the mind of Christ. You live your life as an example to your neighbors, loving them as yourself and sharing the Good News with them. You “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
There is however another very important place where we as believers must let the Light of the world influence our decisions and that is at the ballot box. We have been blessed to live in a nation where our laws were forged on the Truth of God’s Word. The grand idea “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” is based partly on Genesis 1:26-28, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness… So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them…” We, as image bearers, must reflect the standards of God in all areas of life, including our politics.
We have the example of Esther who became part of the political process of the very corrupt Persian Empire. The lives of her kinsmen, the Jews living in exile in the Persian kingdom, were under a death sentence. Esther’s uncle spoke into the fear that she justifiably experienced and said, “…or if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). Esther had a choice to make, remain silent and remain alive, or be used by God to influence the king. She chose to fast and pray and then act.
We too must be engaged like Esther. The election cycle can be exhausting, but take heart, it takes a temporary hiatus after Election Day. However, fighting the good fight cannot end just because one has cast his or her ballot, as we must be in daily prayer for our nation and our neighbors. The battle begins on our knees, but please make voting a priority. We must emulate Esther’s example by praying prior to casting our ballots and running the issues through the filter of the Bible. If we as Christians don’t stand up for righteousness, our nation will crumble.
“I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers – and it was not there . . . in her fertile fields and boundless forests and it was not there . . . in her rich mines and her vast world commerce – and it was not there . . . in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution – and it was not there.
Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.” ― Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
So how then should we vote? How do we wade through the deceit and legalese of the initiatives? How do we know which candidate will line up with Biblical principles? How do we line up our choices with our Biblical standard?
Noah Webster stated, “The moral principles and precepts contained in Scripture ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. All the miseries and evils which men suffer from, vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.”
Practice your God-given mandate and pray for your nation and her leaders. Be diligent and research who and what to vote for. You can find some excellent resources at Salt and Light Ministries.
Voter Guides
Voting
Voter Registration Verification
Polling Place & Sample Ballot Lookup
The Constitution of the United States of America
National Archives (Illustrative)
Speak Out