Times are far from normal in America, so I am pre-empting my usual sales-related missive this week, because in 8 days our nation will participate in the most crucial presidential election in our history. I am not a political pundit but I am a Christian believer, and I get a lot of investing information and advice from Dan Celia, president and CEO of Financial Issues Stewardship Ministries Inc., and host of the nationally syndicated radio and TV program “Financial Issues,” heard daily on more than 600 stations. To learn more, visit www.financialissues.org.
This article is directed at Christians and focuses on their election responsibility, so if that offends you, you are excused…see you next week with some secular sales-related content. I feel this information is important enough for all of us to read and think about, so here is Dan’s piece, as it appeared on his website.
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As the election nears, Christians must exercise their responsibility and vote. With just a week to go before the presidential election, we Christians must search our hearts and think about the future of this country.
We have to pause and contemplate the future of America and what we are leaving to our children and grandchildren. Ultimately, that means we have to vote.
“And you will cry out in that day because your king whom you have chosen for yourselves and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”
Some believe that voting is a privilege or a moral right. Make no mistake about it: Voting should not be nonchalantly viewed as an optional exercise that you can waste if you like. Voting is an obligation and a responsibility — not a right. I would submit that it’s an obligation that must be exercised at all costs.
Asking for a King – In 1 Samuel 8, the people asked for a king to rule over them and protect them. Samuel made it very clear that this person would reap what he did not sow and take what was not his, and that the people would be his helpless servants. (It sounds a lot like the governing authorities we serve today — can you imagine if it were to get worse?)
Verse 18 of chapter 8 (in NJKV) says, “And you will cry out in that day because your king whom you have chosen for yourselves and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”
Proverbs 29:16 adds, “When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increases; but the righteous will see their fall.”
In other words, when sin is allowed to flourish and grow, we will experience the consequences and watch our own fall and destruction. We, of course, will see some immediate fallout, but the future suffering of our country — borne by our children and grandchildren — will rest squarely on our shoulders.
Biblical Obligations – As an economist, financial analyst, and entrepreneur for more than 35 years, and a biblically responsible investment advocate for more than 28 years, I suppose I should stick to the economy. But, as Christians, we must consider all of our biblical obligations.
Conservative evangelicals are the largest potential voting bloc in the country. If just three percent more of the 38 million conservative Christians of voting age who sat at home for the last election had voted — we would have a very different world today.
It is unimaginable to me how these 38 million people would sit on the sidelines, then whine and complain about the outcome of an election. And the same people then pray for a change when God has already put the power of change in the hands of His own people.
Instead, as they did in Samuel’s time, many believers demand that God give them a king. That may not be what we are asking God for directly, but this is exactly what we’re doing when we don’t exercise our obligation to vote. We should not simply choose to not exercise what some believe is a privilege. We must be instruments of God here on earth — and that calls for action.
America’s Moral Decline – We are not always the salt and light God called us to be. We haven’t always been willing to battle for the Lord. Church leaders and parachurch leaders have failed to teach and have failed to lead.
As a result, many Christians now rationalize that voting is contrary to scripture. They know that authority is ordained by God, yet somehow have reached the conclusion that God would ask His people to stay out of choosing that authority.
There is no logic to that viewpoint. We cannot continue to sit at home as we watch the country lose what little moral fiber it has left. We are in the battle for the souls of our children, grandchildren, and those who have yet come to the knowledge of the one true and living God.
Many years ago, including the 100 years after the Black Robe Regiment of the Revolutionary War, pastors influenced their communities. They preached on the events of that week, putting them into a biblical context and helping God’s people to understand their obligations.
The pews were filled with God’s people who heard God’s word preached with unwavering conviction. In general, pastors weren’t worried about what a small minority of their congregations thought. They were stewards of God’s word and men of conviction and principle. They influenced communities and spoke the truth, regardless of the discontent that might spark. As a result, God’s principles continued to permeate the pews and influence the community.
Opportunity Ahead – As God’s people, we have the same opportunity as our forefathers did, to fight for the right to be salt and light. We need to know and believe that when many are pulling on the same yoke, it is easy and will be of God.
Our obligation is a simple fight: to stand firmly on God’s word and the obligations we have. As we do this, we will take back America, the greatest country on earth. As we act, God’s grace will continue to shine on this land.
Spread the word to pastors and in the pews: VOTE.
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