Election Week - Did you vote?

This week is an exciting week if you are an American. It’s election week, the time we get to decide who will represent us in our state and national government. I really like the early voting option because I was able to vote over a week ago and don’t have to worry about crowds or the weather affecting me. I hope that we all can appreciate the privilege we have to vote because so many great men and women gave their lives to preserve that right for us as citizens of this great country.

The sad truth is that many citizens take this privilege for granted. I’m often amazed at the percentage of those able to vote who actually take the time to exercise their right. I was listening to the radio this morning and heard it projected that about 37% of eligible voters will actually vote. And most of the excuses offered for not voting are embarrassing: things like, “It won’t make a difference”, “I forgot”, or “I just didn’t feel like doing it.” And we wonder why our country has become so lackadaisical. The church is entering a time when we can no longer sit back and just accept whatever happens. We are being attacked, and the attacks are not going to stop. When churches are being subpoenaed to turn over the transcripts of sermons preached to see if they are preaching a message of hate it is scary. This is only the beginning unless we start voting in men and women who hold to the values that are important to us. One thing that I promise is that I will never compromise the truth of the Bible because an elected official tells me that I’m required to!

So that brings me to the important issue of where I’m going with this blog. I am a Christian, born again, saved, on-my-way-to-heaven follower of Jesus Christ. I’ve been bought with the price of Jesus giving his very life for mine. This act of forgiveness is not just for me but for every person who has ever been born, yet how many people never respond to that free gift? How many people don’t even know about that free gift because no one has ever shared it with them? Just as I, as an American, feel a right to cast a vote to determine the future of our country, I need to understand that as a Christian I need to make a choice on sharing what God has brought into my life.

I think we need to be diligent about protecting our country, but I feel we need to be even more diligent about sharing about our eternal destination. So many have been deceived and just don’t pay attention, and we need to change that perspective. Every day we come across people who have not heard the gospel message or have not really had someone ask them the important questions about their future. Let’s be the church that is not afraid to ask the questions that really matter: “Have you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins?” “Do you believe in heaven and if so how do you get there?” “Will you come visit my church this week?” There are so many directions we can go with this eternity-changing subject.