With Election Day fast approaching, seven reminders:

1. Vote according to your conscience (Joshua 24:15). About a third of us will vote for one presidential candidate; about a third will vote for the other candidate; and about a third of us won’t vote at all. I encourage everyone to participate in elections at all levels of government: federal, state, and local.

2. Be informed (Luke 1:3). Learn about candidates and issues. Don’t rely on MSNBC or Seth Myers for information about Republicans. Don’t rely on FOX or Rush Limbaugh for information about Democrats. Watch the debates. Use balanced resources. Discuss topics and candidates with people who hold a different perspective.

3. Be respectful of the candidates (Romans 13:7). Resist casual or derogatory names for candidates. Use formal titles: “Mr. Trump” or “the President;” “Mr. Biden” or “the Former Vice-President;” “Speaker Pelosi,” “Senator McConnell,” and “Governor Inslee.”

4. Be respectful of other opinions (Romans 14:13). I am voting for certain candidates and causes based on my convictions and priorities. Others are voting for other candidates and causes based on their convictions and priorities. That’s okay. That’s how this whole democracy thing works. This does not make us enemies. This does not make one of us somehow “un-American” or “un-Christian.”

5. Keep perspective (Isaiah 40:8). Every four years we are told that the world will come to an end if the other candidate wins the election. And four years later the world is still spinning. We will figure things out as a nation. Or we won’t. Kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall.

6. Keep the faith (Psalm 20:7). Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20), and Jesus is Lord. As Christians, we do not put our hope in presidents, politics, or any other earthly powers. Out of love for our neighbor, we contribute to the good of society and participate in our political process. But it is idolatrous when we identify God with a political party. It is folly to put our trust in the powers and principalities of this world. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Psalm 20:7).

7. Be an example (Philippians 1:27). “Whatever happens,” Paul says, “conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Amen.

--Pastor Doug