Get out and vote!November elections are only one month away. Have you made your choice on who to vote for? This decision can be very difficult at times because with all of the media coverage it is hard to know who to believe. Every candidate makes promises that you know they will never be able to keep because of the political system they become a part of. What is a good Christian citizen supposed to do?First, listen to God as he speaks to you through the Holy Scriptures. Choosing the right leader has always been difficult for people, but not for God. In 1 Samuel 16 God sent Samuel to anoint a new king for the nation of Israel. God had said that he would come from one of Jesse’s sons. The eldest son was tall, strong and handsome, a perfect candidate in the eyes of Samuel. God said in verse 7: "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." Well, you might say that works for God because he can read a person’s heart but I can’t. Well, the Scriptures say that you can. Jesus said in Luke 6:44ff; "Each tree is recognized by its own fruit … The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart." Look at what the candidate has done in the past and expect the same in the future because Jesus also said in Luke 6 that "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit."Secondly, that means you and I have to try and judge these candidates according to the information that is available to us. Some Christians don’t like the idea of judging others because they believe it sets us up as God. Scripture warns us to "watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." In Acts 17:11, "The Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."This is the answer to our questions, we examine everything said by candidates to what the Scriptures say. Yes, Scriptures do address every issue that we face in our society or culture of today. We just need to boil them down to the simple truth of God’s words. We live in a world designed by God and still governed by God. His plan for his creation has not changed and will never change. The Bible is his revelation on how creation is to function. As God’s people it is our purpose to implement his plan in our daily activities. We live in obedience and faithfulness to his word and we elect leaders that will do the same. This is not a conflict with our nation’s constitution nor a problem with separation of church and state. This is simply the act of Christians living out their personal Christian faith in the normal functions of their vocations. Finally, we must all remember to vote in our nation’s election process because this is our Christian duty. Again, Scripture clearly tells us to participate in all the responsibilities of citizenship in our nation as well as God’s kingdom. To neglect any of these responsibilities is a sin against the fourth commandment. We are blessed by God every day. May we proudly and boldly proclaim Him as our God and as the only true saving God in all the world. Vote for those candidates who are not ashamed of the Gospel and all that it stands for locally and nationally. Get out and vote!By Rev. Gary KlattSt. John Lutheran ChurchNovember elections are only one month away. Have you made your choice on who to vote for? This decision can be very difficult at times because with all of the media coverage it is hard to know who to believe. Every candidate makes promises that you know they will never be able to keep because of the political system they become a part of. What is a good Christian citizen supposed to do?First, listen to God as he speaks to you through the Holy Scriptures. Choosing the right leader has always been difficult for people, but not for God. In 1 Samuel 16 God sent Samuel to anoint a new king for the nation of Israel. God had said that he would come from one of Jesse’s sons. The eldest son was tall, strong and handsome, a perfect candidate in the eyes of Samuel. God said in verse 7: "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." Well, you might say that works for God because he can read a person’s heart but I can’t. Well, the Scriptures say that you can. Jesus said in Luke 6:44ff; "Each tree is recognized by its own fruit … The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart." Look at what the candidate has done in the past and expect the same in the future because Jesus also said in Luke 6 that "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit."Secondly, that means you and I have to try and judge these candidates according to the information that is available to us. Some Christians don’t like the idea of judging others because they believe it sets us up as God. Scripture warns us to "watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." In Acts 17:11, "The Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."This is the answer to our questions, we examine everything said by candidates to what the Scriptures say. Yes, Scriptures do address every issue that we face in our society or culture of today. We just need to boil them down to the simple truth of God’s words. We live in a world designed by God and still governed by God. His plan for his creation has not changed and will never change. The Bible is his revelation on how creation is to function. As God’s people it is our purpose to implement his plan in our daily activities. We live in obedience and faithfulness to his word and we elect leaders that will do the same. This is not a conflict with our nation’s constitution nor a problem with separation of church and state. This is simply the act of Christians living out their personal Christian faith in the normal functions of their vocations. Finally, we must all remember to vote in our nation’s election process because this is our Christian duty. Again, Scripture clearly tells us to participate in all the responsibilities of citizenship in our nation as well as God’s kingdom. To neglect any of these responsibilities is a sin against the fourth commandment. We are blessed by God every day. May we proudly and boldly proclaim Him as our God and as the only true saving God in all the world. Vote for those candidates who are not ashamed of the Gospel and all that it stands for locally and nationally.