Jesus and Paul and the other Christians in New Testament times did not have the freedom to vote for their own rulers. They lived under an emperor who usually ruled with tyrannical power. Whatever the emperor decreed, that was the way of life for Christians in the first century. In fact, it was the way of life for Christians for about 1,600 years. Throughout Europe, Christians had to live under the rule of monarchs who may or may not have been benevolent.

But God be praised that our founding fathers had the wisdom to establish a representative democracy! We have the gift of voting for our own leaders, from the local mayor and board of aldermen to the president of the United States. We can even run for office if we choose, without being limited by our race, gender, religion, etc. It is the political leaders who make the rules that affect our daily lives. They can make more rules, thereby impeding our freedoms or less rules, giving us more freedom. They can impose more taxes, thereby shrinking our disposable income or they can increase taxes. But the leaders who make these decisions are our choices! That is a great gift – the gift of voting.

We can vote for four different types of individuals: One who has policies we agree with but is morally objectionable; one who has policies we agree with and is not morally objectionable (obviously our preference!); one who does not have policies we agree with and is morally objectionable; one who has policies we do not agree with but is not morally objectionable.

In Michigan, there are at least seven individuals eligible for our vote for president. Don’t cast your vote in ignorance. Look up their information and consider who would be most likely to lead the nation in a God-approved way. And keep this verse in mind: “Loyalty and truth preserve the [president], And he upholds his throne by righteousness” (Proverbs 20:28). As an apple does not fall far from the tree, so a president’s policies will reflect his (her) moral character.

Today, exercise your blessing and vote.

–Paul Holland