Skip to main content

Don't Judge Me for My Vote

    
Election seasons are always divisive for our country, but this election seems to be pitting Christians against Christians.  Should all Christians vote the same way?  Is there just one answer like on a college exam?  I am praying that all Christians will vote.  Is that a good prayer?  Should all Christians vote?  Are you sinning if you do not vote?  Are you sinning if you vote prochoice?  Are you sinning if you vote for someone who has moral failures?  Can you vote if you refuse to vote for someone who moral issues?
The place I go to find answers to these questions is the Scriptures.  Our election invites us to deeper spirituality.  We have to fight the natural urges to allow the media and heated discussions and accusations to disturb our souls.  The best way to have peace about voting is to pray through your vote and read God’s word for His personal answer.  That is where I go to make my decision. 
Here are some things I keep in mind about myself and others during the election.  God’s Word is clear about how I am to treat others and is strong to imply to me what my voting is all about from His perspective.
1.       My hope as a Christian is to pray for peace in my government so that I can live a quiet life serving God (1 Thessalonians 4:11).
2.       It is the duty of the church and Christians to care for the poor (Galatians 2:10).
3.       There is a healthy separation between our responsibility to the state and our responsibility to God (Matthew 22:21).
4.       Life is sacred and given by God (Deuteronomy 30:19).
5.       I am an alien here on earth; my true citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).
6.       I am not to judge another person for the way he or she decides to vote (Matthew 7:1).
7.       Whoever the leader of my country, it is my Christian duty to pray for that person (1 Timothy 1:1-2).
What scriptures have informed your vote?  Have you been careful not to allow your vote to be decided by your reactions to what you hear from media and read about candidates without the context of prayer and asking for peace in your soul?
Let me offer this opportunity to invite the Holy Spirit to touch your heart from this Psalm regarding voting.  Answer these questions: What did God say?  How will I obey?  Does this inform my vote this year?  I am praying for you as I pray for our country.
Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.  God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.  The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
 Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.29)
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”  The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah


Copyright © 2016.  Deborah R Newman  teatimeforyoursoul.com  All Rights Reserved.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Pilgrimage that Started with Tears

                Who would think I would shed tears deciding to set out on a wonderful journey that I have longed to take for many years?   Before I was ready to fully accept God’s invitation for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, I had to journey to a place of agreement between what my soul wanted and what the Lord wanted for me.   For years I have been declining opportunities to travel to Israel—not because I didn’t want to go but because I wanted to go with my husband by my side.   I know that God could have arranged that for me, but instead He asked me to accept that He wanted me to be willing to go and leave everything behind.   When I was asked to make a decision about going on a Pilgrimage to Jerusalem, God gave me this verse in answer to my prayer -- Debi, observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are cr...
2 comments
Read more

Holy Saturday

Nothing is written about the events of Holy Saturday except Luke 23:56, “they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.” These few words speak volumes about our life with Christ.   What was it like for these ladies to rest on the Sabbath?   They had watched carefully, they knew how quickly Jesus’ body was laid in the grave. The men had brought spices and linens, but they had little time to properly anoint this most precious of all bodies.   As the women watched carefully, they made mental note of the supplies that would be necessary to complete this sacred act of burial as it should be. They spent the last few hours before sunset to prepare the spices for this holy act of reverence. The Sabbath signaled the time for rest.   I’m sure they didn’t feel like resting, but by complying out of obedience they were probably served by its benefits.   Their minds racing from the horror they had just witnessed, at best they could allow their bodies to rest and ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Effects of the Holy Spirit

The Effects of the Holy Spirit               Can you imagine that the very Spirit of God is given to humans who believe in God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection?  Just thinking about the Holy Spirit makes me realize that I can do better.  I am not left to my own resources when it comes to praying, having faith, obeying God, doing what He asks me to do.                 No one understands the depth of sin’s effect on a soul better than God.  Every action He takes has been to reduce the effect of evil that was unleashed into our world when sin was merged into His perfect universe.  We never saw it coming. Even Adam and Eve did not see what hit them.  God has counteracted with the effect of faith after sin by enabling sinners to be affected by His ho...
Post a Comment
Read more