
Many Christians face a personal dilemma as they prepare to vote for President. Some say we should vote for neither of the two major candidates, others say we should vote for a third party candidate which in reality nullifies our vote.
It's not my place, of course, to tell anyone how to vote, but I think the key to a good choice is doing your homework on the issues and asking God to help you make the right choice. If that means the better of two not so good choices, then choose accordingly.
Think about what the Word says to you about the various positions that the candidates take and make your own free will evaluation of which is closest to what the message of the Bible says. And keep in mind that all candidates are mere mortals, frail and sinful, but look for which takes the best position in relation to what you believe. Perhaps a look back at some key players in our early religious history might help each of us to get on the right track to what we should do.
Imagine if the Apostle Paul were with us on earth today and he was running for political office. With the sound bytes of today on the airwaves, imagine what would be said of Paul, a persecutor of the Jews in early days and one who dealt severely with his opponents. Oh, the ads that would be made and the fury of opposing special interests, unwilling to listen to the message that he sends from his heart would be ever present.
Or imagine if the candidate was King David, a man who committed adultery with the wife of his chief warrior who David sent off to a certain death in battle so that he, David, might have the poor soldier's wife as his own. David suffered for his sin; his son even tried to murder him. In the end, however, his legacy through Israel remained a building block.
And then there's the King of Persia, Cyrus, who was a fierce warrior who killed many and held thousands in slavery in his quest against Babylon. Yet, even though not a Jew, he was guided by God to release the Jews from slavery and he returned them to Israel, to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple.
It is truly amazing how each of these three men played a special role in God's plans for mankind on this earth despite their sinful nature. Paul, of course, literally saw the light on the road to Damascus and thereafter devoted himself to a life proclaiming Jesus as Lord and Savior. David, for his part, was the son of Jesse, the beginning of the earthly lineage leading to Jesus and we all know the story of how he vanquished the giant, Goliath, with a slingshot leading to victory for Israel. And finally, Cyrus the Persian, who had no personal reason to be especially kind to the captive Jews, did so much to keep their nationhood and heritage alive by his actions. And all three of these men were used by God for His earthly purpose, for God has a plan for everything, we just don't know exactly how that plan will play out.
Now as I mentioned earlier, I'm not writing this to garner support for any particular candidate for any office but, rather, to show that everything that happens on the earth serves the purposes of God. So have faith, my Christian brothers and sisters, and do your own due diligence in selecting those for whom you will vote. Part of the due diligence should be prayer, asking God to direct you to the best decision possible . But once you've reached that decision and cast your vote, relax and let God take care of the rest. We don't know when or through whom, but God's plan will follow on.
It is our job to let the Spirit guide each of us individually to the right answer, for it is our free will making good choices when we listen to God that will come up with the right answer. Keep faith in Him and believe in the power of Jesus in earthly life through the Holy Spirit and the answer will become clear. And even if the result is not what we know to be best because perhaps more people use their free will differently, for there are good and bad decisions made by individuals and even nations routinely. Remember, the ultimate victory never comes in this world. The ultimate victory comes when we enter the Kingdom of God for eternity based upon the good free will choice that we made for putting Him first in our life.
God bless you all and may God also bless the United States of America and keep her free under His protective armor.