12"I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And find out knowledge and discretion.13The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.14Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength.15By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice.16By me princes rule, and nobles, All the judges of the earth.17I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me.
We have the promise of Godly wisdom available to us - if we set our minds to seek out God's perspective for our lives, we can encounter a wealth of knowledge and understanding, that we can apply as we properly discern God's will in any situation. Not only can we acknowledge the availability of such wisdom, but as we seek the face of God through prayer and careful study of the Word of God, we can see the operation of it in our lives. We can know the will of God; we can operate in the wisdom of God - but it takes a commitment to seek it out.
In Romans 13, I believe we gain some insight into the proper, God-ordained role of government. Here are the first 4 verses of that chapter:
1Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.2Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.3For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.4For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
So, the basic premise here is that government is an instrument to reinforce good and punish evil. And, in verse 6, we are told that we play a part in supporting the civil authorities by paying taxes:6For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing.7Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
We've been given a great opportunity as Americans to play a part in the selection process of our governmental leaders - and tomorrow, you can participate: it's primary election day in Alabama, and polling places are open from 7am-7pm. And, there are plenty of slots to choose from: our state is selecting its statewide leaders, the entire House of Representatives in Washington is up for re-election, so is the entire Alabama Legislature. There are local races - from county sheriff to school board - that also attract attention.
So, with all these choices, how do we best reflect Christ and make our selection? Here are a few thoughts:The first thing we can do is choose to participate. The analysis of the national elections in 2008 and 2012 indicate that about 1-in-4 voters were evangelical. That's it. So, there is a decided lack of motivation for Christians to get involved in this important process. We have a great opportunity as citizens of this nation to exercise this responsibility.
Also, we can pray. The Bible teaches us about asking for and exercising Godly wisdom. The choice of elected officials is very important, and we need the leadership of the Holy Spirit in voting.
And, we can determine or develop a personal agenda to provide the template through which we evaluate candidates. We can establish what we would look for in a candidate and then select the man or woman in each race that best lines up with that set of standards. You probably won't find the perfect candidate in all instances, but find the one who best represents your values.
You can turn to the Scriptures for assistance in crafting this profile. Here are a few of the characteristics that would be important to me: one is that the candidate is pro-life, dedicated to the protection of human life, inside and outside of the womb. That is a bedrock principle, and perhaps is foundational to a candidate's agenda. In these days also, a commitment to the family is important, devoted to traditional marriage and developing policies that help and not hurt families - this is especially vital in the economic area. When families face financial challenges and are feeling the strain of excessive taxation, they need relief from those in office.
I do believe a Biblical approach to financial management is key. If a candidate has a commitment to resisting the enormous temptation to spend taxpayers' money and can offer financial solutions for financing the necessary work of government without a burden to families, that is an attractive quality.
And, I believe that we should look for candidates that demonstrate a respect for the practice of religious faith. I would hope that a candidate would have a relationship with Christ, but that may not always be the case. And, there are those who profess to be Christians, yet they make decisions that are not consistent with the Word of God. So, we look for those who are going to uphold our religious liberties and who have a track record of walking and voting in a manner that is consistent with our own deeply-held values.
We have to look at character as one of the criteria for candidates. In an age where relativism has taken hold of the political process, we must seek out candidates who are, as we might say, statesmen or stateswomen, who demonstrate a high level of character, who can earn our trust and confidence.
Those are just a few characteristics that are important to me. And, with so many different candidates on a ballot, it may be difficult to process the information on all of them. But, there are numerous tools available - a Google search on candidates can be helpful. And, if you really want to dig, you can go to the Federal Election Commission site or the Alabama Secretary of State website and actually see what financial entities are supporting the candidates in various races, especially the legislative ones. If a candidate is receiving money from entities that do not reflect your belief system, then it may be a cause for concern - there is enormous money involved in elections these days, and the organizations from which a candidate is receiving money may be an indicator of the type of voting record you may expect.
Proceed with prayer, be informed, and allow God to lead you as you enter the voting booth tomorrow.
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