Voting Responsibly

Dear Beloved in Jesus,

The Advent season begins on Sunday, November 24 with the Hanging of the Greens service and will conclude with the celebration of Christmas. This season reminds us of Jesus and places Him front and center as the reason for this season of joy and excitement among believers. Advent and Christmas are all about Jesus, but the world’s focus on self and pleasure would push Him out of the spotlight. As we celebrate this coming Advent season let us focus on Jesus and exalt Him in our lives, in our families, in the church.

November is traditionally a month of gratitude as families join together to celebrate Thanksgiving [Psalm 136:26].  But Thanksgiving has morphed into something which is far removed from a day to give thanks for the blessings of Almighty Yahweh. This year, more than ever before, I am afraid that this time to reflect on our blessings and give thanks will be overshadowed by politics. Political news has become a never ending topic and has become nothing more than name calling and mud slinging  We are entering a time when voting is over party affiliation and personalities. It has turned our elections into ‘us and them’ as we have become so divided [Matthew 12:25]. Every election is important and every elected position is important from the president on down to local school boards.

Christians should be aware and informed about the great issues which face our nation. With all the social media, AI, and fake journalism it is hard to really know where candidates’ stand on these issues. It is hard for Christians to know where to take a stand in our political quagmire.

Early voting begins in North Carolina on Thursday, October 17, and election day set for Tuesday, November 5, so let me share with you a few points which we as believers must consider in our selections.

1] How do we know who is true and deserves our vote? Since God sets up governments and rulers we must diligently seek Him that His will be done [Daniel 2:21].

2] If we know and understand the Lord [Jeremiah 9:24], then we know what the right thing to do in each of the issues which face our nation [Proverbs 3:5-6]. We must choose what is right according to Yahweh and not choose according to our feelings, our thoughts and our will [Joshua 24:15].

3] We need to look at a candidate’s track record, their faithfulness to the Constitution and our nation [1 Corinthians 4:2]. We rest securely in Jesus because of His continued faithfulness to each believer. We can only rest securely as a nation when we choose leaders who are faithful to do what is right [1 Timothy 2:1-2].

We cannot allow politics to divide the Body of Christ. So let us pray, seek the Lord, and vote responsibly for that which is right.

For Jesus’ Kingdom,

Brother Hugh Folds

Romans 14:17