Vote the Bible

Bill Hybels once said, or maybe it was Rick Warren or Dr. Dobson, or Chuck Swindoll or someone else with a higher pay-grade than mine. I don’t recall who said it but that doesn’t matter. I just remember someone telling me recently that they heard a preacher say, “Just vote the Bible.” I wish I could remember who said it so I could give credit where credit is due but suffice it to say that it is not original to me. Truth-be known it isn’t even original to the guy that the other guy heard say it. It really is original to God. Ecclesiastes 1 says that there is nothing new under the sun.
God gives lots of direction on what to look for in leaders in His Word. In Genesis 1:26 He makes man in His own image so we should look for a leader who projects the image of God. Proverbs 29:18 says we need people with vision or we will perish; but not just any ‘ol vision; God’s vision. At their core our leaders need to be people who carry the image of God and share God’s vision for His people. Exodus through Deuteronomy has lots to say about what to look for in leaders as God was organizing Israel into a nation during this time; a nation of tribes, elders, judges, and Moses mentoring Joshua to take over as the national leader. The Old Testament if full of the ups and downs of leaders, the mistakes they made, the victories they won, and how choosing on superficial things such as appearance, speech, status, etc. is dangerous. Basically the OT says of choosing leaders: if someone honestly seeks God’s guidance on who to choose for a leader, He will reveal His intentions. Jesus taught that a leader is to first be a servant. No one is born into leadership. They must first be a servant if they are to become a leader and even once a leader they are still to be servants because leaders are there to serve those they lead not make those they lead serve them; that is dictatorship not leadership. 1 Timothy 3 lists the moral qualifications of a spiritual leader. Remember that all leadership and authority is established by God so every leader is a spiritual leader, the only question is, “Which spirit is the leader following and leading us to follow?” Good or bad, every leader is a spiritual leader.
So for this election, don’t worry; “Just vote the Bible.” Some would say that moral issues are really non-issues and that the real issues are the economy, war, healthcare, etc. I say why can’t moral issues be the issue to me? I have the right to vote based on any issue I want and if the morality of a candidate is an issue to me then it is an issue! I’m tired of the “intellectuals” of the world telling us Christians that we are ignorant and our issues don’t matter then turning around and complaining about the ethical and moral failures of our leaders! Maybe if they would stop telling Christians to shut-up and if they would start voting on morality and ethics with us then the moral crisis in our country’s leadership would go away! Moral issues matter to me! 2 Chronicles 7:14 says that if we would just humble ourselves, admit we don’t know-it-all, seek Him again, and give up our immorality then He will heal our nation. It doesn’t take a long look at America’s morality to see that we need some healing. As for the “issues” I am not worried about them because according to Luke 12:22-34 they are the non-issues. Those things are not truly in the hands of the candidates, they are in the hands of God. God provides food, shelter, clothing, and health/life. What else do we really need to survive? How much of our “needs” are really luxuries that we have grown dependent upon?
Because I have faith in God I can be at peace about this election and simply vote the Bible. If you want to vote the Bible then maybe this should serve as a challenge to you to study it and see for yourself what God has to say. Don’t assume you already know it or take your pastor’s word for it, see it yourself. I am not endorsing one candidate or party over another here; I am simply endorsing God’s Word and discovering whether or not a candidate truly carries His Word. God’s endorsement is the only endorsement that really matters. Simply vote God’s Word and all else will fall into place regardless of who gets elected. And it could be God’s plan to allow leaders in that will usher in the beginning of the end. If that is the case then it must be God’s plan; so what do His believers have to fear or worry about?
Talk to me david.pastorrock1@gmail.com