As I drove home from work on “Super Tuesday” (March 1st), I saw something really encouraging. The local library on Frankford Road near Preston Highlands had a line of people coming out the front door, down the sidewalk, and almost into the road. There were people parking across the street and running through busy traffic to get over to the library. There was a line of cars trying to get into the parking lot of the library. It was a scene you typically do not see at a local library – especially since reading books is a lost discipline in our society!

What I saw was encouraging because it reminded me how many people still make the effort to get out and vote on Election Day. People stood in lines all over Texas (and ten other states) on that day in order to vote in the Presidential Primary Election. I hope that you made the effort to vote on “Super Tuesday” (or earlier), and if you did not, let me encourage you to make sure you are registered to vote so that you can be ready to vote in the general election in November. If you are not sure if you are registered, or if you are not registered, go to www.teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov to check on your status.

Voting is a Sacred Duty
Before I go any further, let me assure you that this article is not about a particular candidate or even a particular political issue. The intent of this article is simple: to encourage you to vote. Voting is a sacred duty for every individual, but especially for Christians because our faith provides two of the bedrock principles upon which any democracy is built.

The Bible teaches that every person is made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27). Christians therefore believe that all people are created equal and should have an equal say in their government. This biblical principle influenced the way the Founding Fathers of the United States crafted the Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” they said in the second sentence of the Declaration, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” This political idea was revolutionary because it stood in direct contrast to the assumptions of many European nations at that time, who held the view that only a special group of people known as “royalty” had the right to rule over ordinary people. The Founders of the U.S., however, said that, because everyone is created equal by God, everyone has the right to be a part of the “ruling party,” or government. Our democracy – our right to be part of the political process through voting, is based on the biblical principle of all people being made in the image of God.

As your pastor, one of my responsibilities is to apply the teachings of Scripture to our everyday lives. Here are my two biblical reasons

Voting is a privilege and a responsibility given to us from God

It remains to be seen who the nominees for our next President will be, but the process leading up to their nomination is exciting because it reminds us that we actually have a say in who the leaders of our country will be.