To Vote or Not to Vote…

(Hint: Your vote is a seed)

 Mark 4:26-28 (AMPC)

²⁶ And He said, The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed upon the ground,
²⁷ And then continues sleeping and rising night and day while the seed sprouts and grows and increases – he knows not how.  The earth produces [acting] by itself – grows and ^[a]increase- first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

 According to Jesus, the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4) is Ground Zero for understanding how the Kingdom of God works. While the focus of the Parable of the Sower is faith, Jesus adds in Mark 4:13 that if this parable is not understood, it will be difficult to understand the other parables that tell us about how God’s Kingdom operates. Genesis 8:22 begins the revelation of the importance of seed by saying, “While the earth remains…seedtime and harvest…shall not cease”.  Everything begins with a seed and the purpose of the seed is to bring forth a harvest. The importance of voting can be seen when viewed in this light.

We are blessed to live in a country where we have the right and the responsibility to vote for our governing officials.  When we exercise that right/responsibility we are “planting a seed” that will bring a harvest for the future direction of our country. Our country is going to move ahead in one direction or another.  Our responsibility is to sow a seed that will allow our country to move in a Godly direction.

What if we feel that there is are no candidates who reflect our views?  Is that a justification for not voting? Absolutely not!  To not vote is akin to a farmer having a bag of seed and leaving it on the shelf rather than putting it in the ground.  Not only will there be no harvest of the desired seed, but the ground will be over-taken with weeds.

What should guide our decision when voting, especially when the candidates representing the parties seem not to be worthy of our vote?  We need to look beyond the candidates to see what their parties represent.  While God is not a card-carrying member of any party, the party platform (a listing of what the party believes in) either supports the Word of God or it doesn’t.  It is always important to look beyond the personalities of the candidates (good or bad) and see the principles their party supports. 

Start with the most important issues – those issues that God has addressed in His Word. They ultimately will define our nation for good or bad.  For instance, go to the Word and find out what It says about the sanctity of life.  Find out how God’s Word defines marriage.  Likewise, find out what the Word says about supporting the nation of Israel.   Finally, what does the Word say about the role of civil government in the lives of its citizens?  Once you know those things, go to the party platform of each party and see which ones line up with the Word of God.

Someone supposedly asked Abraham Lincoln if he thought God was on his side during the Civil War.  He responded, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” Our responsibility as believers is to stay on God’s side as we cast our vote.  Notice the Message version (below) tells us that the farmer who sowed his seed had “no idea” how the seed brought forth a harvest.  It says the “earth does it all without his help”.  Likewise, all God requires of us is to sow the seed for our nation’s future; He will take it from there and produce the harvest we desire!  

 Mark 4:26-29 (MSG)
^26-29 Then Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a man who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows—he has no idea how it happens. The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—harvest time!

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