Voting the Kingdom


In this election season it’s good for us to take a good hard look at what we believe is right and what we believe is wrong.  We may not be ready to vote unless we have clearly unconvered what we value ourselves.  For the Christian, we need to undertstand the difference between right and wrong from Jesus.  Jesus’ values need to replace the values that we have in our hearts.

Just what are the ethics of Jesus?  What values were close to his heart?  In order to know his heart we need to understand his ethics.  Here are three easy to remember rules and questions that we can use in order to carry out the values and ethics of Jesus.

Rule 1: Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, mind, and strength.
(Matt 22:37) Love is a commitment based on a covenant relationship.  It means that His desires are more important than yours.  It means giving Him your adoration, worship, and life.  The question to ask ourselves when making decisions is this: Will this honor God?

Rule 2: Love your neighbor as yourself.
(Matt 22:39) This is a central teaching of Jesus, isn’t it?  For those of you that have not grown up in the church, Jesus really expects us to love our neighbors as ourselves.  That means if your neighbor grieves, you grieve.  If your neighbor celebrates, you celebrate.  If your neighbor needs help, you help.  It’s tougher yet.  Jesus asks us to love our enemies and pray for those who wrongfully hate us, gossip about us, or hurt us. The question to ask ourselves when making decisions is this: What is the loving thing to do?

Rule 3: Do to others as you would have them do to you.
(Matt 7:12)  Maybe you had no idea that Jesus was the one that started this!  Perhaps this one has the most to do with politics.  Remember the definition for politics?  It’s  who get’s what when and how.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  When thinking of a policy that you are voting for this is in the mind of a Christian. The questions to ask ourselves when making decisions are these: How would I feel in their shoes?  What would Jesus have me to do?

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