With a national election coming up next week, it's hard to get into a discussion that doesn't result in a heated argument over the candidates, what they've said, done and promise to do if elected. Paul urged Titus to remind the people that we as God's people are under the authority of government and are expected to always go about doing good.

But it's hard, isn't it? We hear opposing ideas and plans and then select the one person we think is the one God wants in office. Then we walk into a voting booth to pull a lever by that man's name as our choice to lead our nation for four years. Afterwards, we trust the mechanics of machines to properly poll the votes of people across the country and give us accurate accounting of the process.

Christians account for only a minority of the votes taken in America. The rest comes from people who could care less what God thinks. And then there is voter fraud that's so prevalent in some areas of the country, the number of registered voters in a county is greater than the census population.

It's hard to believe God is in a process where so much evil prevails, but Paul makes no distinction between godly and ungodly leaders in his words to Titus. Regardless of how he is elected, whoever prevails may not be God's man but he is God-ordained. It's good timing that our Read the Bible Through program landed on this chapter of Scripture today. Scripture is clear about our responsibility as Christians.

Most Christians want to know who God prefers in office, but it's hard when we don't know those who hold office or run for office except for what we see plastered all over the evening news. Even then, we get a twist from the ones airing the broadcast. Everything we see has been edited for broadcast in order to influence the audience. It's almost funny how even the local newspaper shows a better side-by-side photo of "their" candidate than the one they don't want to see elected. It seems that if truth somehow sneaks by the camouflage of questionable broadcasting, it's either because it was undeniable, unavoidable or just plain missed.

So, how does a person wanting to cast his or her vote know the right way? It's actually simpler than it sounds. Just vote for the one other than the one the "wrong" guys endorse. For instance: if the enemies of the United States could vote, who's line would they be in to cast their vote? You can be sure, ninety-nine percent of journalists would be in line behind them and the abortionists, gay-rights people right behind them. How can someone be pleasing to God when they appease these kind of people?

If you're an American with the right to vote, do so! But if you want to please God, determine to do the right thing: submit to the authority of the one who wins as God-ordained regardless of how he gets elected.

1 Developed from Read the Bible Thru ( Jr. 51:54-52:34 Ti. 3:1-15 Ps. 100:1-5 Pr. 26:18-19 )
2. Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society

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