April 16, 2024
According to the Scriptures, God has given mankind the stewardship responsibility of ruling over all His creation. In Genesis 1:25, God says that mankind is to “rule over all the earth” (NASB). Therefore, being a steward over what God has put us in charge of is every person’s responsibility to some extent or another.
In Romans 13:4, we are told that those who serve in government are to do so as “a minister of God to you for good” (NASB). This means that God, not man, is the author of government. God is the one who gave us government.
There are three primary institutions that God has given mankind to rule over His creation are: the home, the church, and the government. When these institutions function according to God’s Word, they bring about rejoicing, rather than mourning. Proverbs 29:2 says, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn” (KJV).
In the United States, our Constitution’s first three words are, “We the people.” This means – for all practical purposes – citizens are the government! Our nation gets its consent to govern from the governed.
Therefore, the first responsibility of a person living in a republic is to participate. Whereas, the only responsibility in a monarch is to obey! And nothing more characterizes our responsibility to participate than voting for our elected officials.
But, guess what? We can’t vote if we are not registered to vote! This is why it is important that each citizen 18 years old and over must be registered to vote.
This year, Georgians have until October 5 to register to vote in the November 3 General Election. It is a very simple process that can be done in a matter of minutes. Simply have your driver’s license ready and go to the Georgia Secretary of State’s website.
Check out the video below from Georgia Baptist Executive Director W. Thomas Hammond Jr., and see how you and your church can be educated on the simple process. Please share this video with your friends and share it in your church services between now at October 5!
With all of us participating and voting our biblical values, we can have a positive influence on our nation and future generations! Let’s pray more about how God would have us become more intentional about our stewardship related to government. Also, don’t forget to be prayerful about this year’s election and who you should be voting for.
For more information about these and other important subjects related to government and public policy, please check out www.gabaptist.org/publicaffairs.
