More Important Than Most of What You Will Do
in The Days Before the Election!
If you claim the name of Jesus Christ and consider Him your Lord and Savior, your Master and your King, or even if you are just a U.S. citizen with common sense and respect for our nation’s heritage and the Christian faith of many of your neighbors, I pray you are informed on the upcoming election and ready to vote (use the IFI Voting Resources page).
Know what will be on your ballot, or request a sample ballot. Do not be apathetic—even if your fellow church member or Christian friend or pastor is. Stay informed as to what is at stake. Challenge fellow Christians and American citizens, and do not buy into the poisonous idea that both sides are equally evil. Don’t refuse to engage in robust disagreement, so that your neighbor will better understand the truth concerning politics. This is good and is in fact commended to us in God’s Word (Proverbs 18:17).
Consider the claims being made by politicians and realize this: staying informed politically is far more important for your personal well-being, your family’s well-being, your neighbor’s well-being, your nation’s well-being, and the well-being of your witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. It is more important than many of the things that preoccupy you. In fact, keeping up with your favorite sports, watching your latest show, going to your favorite concert, planning your next trip, or being in-the-know of celebrity relationships are not nearly as important as staying informed politically and acting accordingly.
Further, these other things that you and I likely engage in to distract us are subtly, yet proactively, steering us away from reality—as we are fed sinful, flesh-appealing half-truths by godless people through emotional manipulation. None of us is beyond being manipulated (Jeremiah 17:9; Proverbs 13:20; Ecclesiastes 9:3; Romans 1:21), and most of us think we are above it. We are not.
If you are in Christ, you should never detach yourself from reality and the culture in which we live. Tragically, it seems many professing evangelical Christians are quite content to ignore the political realm and their participation in it by voting for no one this election cycle. No doubt many non-Christian American friends are tempted to sit this election cycle out, as well.
Obviously if you are reading this and reject Jesus Christ, my greatest desire—and the greatest desire of every true Christian—is for you to turn to Christ and trust in Him alone—He alone is the only Savior, and He alone offers the only lasting hope for all sinners, including you, who will one day stand before Him (John 3:36; John 5:24; John 14:6; Romans 3:23-26; Romans 8:1). You will live forever. And Jesus Christ is the only difference. He is the Lord, and without Christ you will never be at peace with God (Eph. 2:14-15).
If you belong to and have trusted in Jesus Christ, He is your master and Lord, and you are called to be a disciple and to make disciples of King Jesus. You are called light and salt (Matthew 5:13-16) and your good deeds to some extent will be and ought to be evident before all men (albeit never in a boastful or prideful way).
As a Christian you are called to make the most of every opportunity in the present evil age (Ephesians 5:16-17). One wonders how it is possible to make the most of every opportunity and faithfully love one’s neighbor as oneself, all the while living detached from the reality of the constitutional republic you live in.
By not participating (morally, culturally, legislatively, socially, politically, historically, etc.) in what is happening in the nation where you live, you are showing that you don’t care about the laws that are passed by those who will be elected to office with or without you. Understanding policy positions of those in governance or running for office matters. Tremendously.
A desire for fellow citizens to be informed and care about what is at stake in this election (and every election) matters.
Voting matters. Civil magistrates in governance matter.
