Committed Christians do not cast their ballots based on manifestos, political rhetoric and baseless false promises by political parties.
We vote because God has called us to participate in making sure that God’s people live according to the will of God.
When we vote we demonstrate our understanding of the words of Jesus Christ when he taught us the Lord’s prayer, “may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10).
This part of the prayer allows us to offer ourselves as doers of God’s will, asking God to guide, lead and give us the means to accomplish God’s will and purpose.
When we vote as Christians, we wholeheartedly express our complete obedience to God’s will and purpose.
If voting is about the purpose of God, it is then given that we cannot vote for those who don’t want to strengthen their relationship with God.
Leaders who want to be voted in by Christians must demonstrate their willingness to serve God by occupying the leadership positions.
If being in the leadership and government offices is about serving God’s people to the satisfaction of God, we can never talk about corruption and selfish enrichment.
Voting is part of our civic responsibility as Christians, because we have understood the meaning of the question put to Jesus Christ; “and who is my neighbour?”
Not participating in the voting process is a demonstration of a lack of love and is often easy to justify, even though it is never right.
Our neighbour is anyone in need and that means a neighbour cannot be a wealthy person living next door to you.
Your neighbour is someone who finds him/herself in abject poverty, someone who is unemployed, someone who is homeless, landless, someone who cannot access education, someone who believes voting you into power will be helping you to improve his/her living conditions.
Those who are canvassing for our votes must stop asking us questions about our needs, because they should know them by now.
They have been asking us about our needs for the past 30 years and we are tired of false, empty promises.
Godly votes are able to influence those in power to govern fearing God and respecting the people of God.
The Bible tells us about the freedom we have obtained in Christ.
The freedom we claim to enjoy in SA is through the pain, suffering and tears of many Christians believing we will vote guided by Christian principles.
We can no longer trust politicians that they can bring about meaningful change on their own.
The freedom we must vote for is Christ-led freedom. We must vote to have a say in the way we govern in this country.
We can no longer outsource our freedom to those who shout political rhetoric loudest.
Freedom leaders are those who stand up and are the voice of the voiceless and downtrodden.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).
We must stand up against those who would enslave us with evil rules, pathetic methods and oppressive constitutions.
Voting is a civic responsibility given to us by God to create a conducive political environment where stewardship is exercised to reflect the will of God.
All of us are given the responsibility to elect leaders to lead and govern us and the process of electing those whom God has called to lead cannot be done outside the existence of God.
The process of electing authentic leaders must be approached with God-given wisdom and discernment.
Basic guiding principles in electing authentic leaders are based on the following:
- Leaders who care for the poor with an open mind to empower them to transform their lives for the better; not those who see them as objects to be exploited for their own selfish enrichment;
- Leaders who spend sleepless nights fighting for justice and harmony; and
- Leaders who work hard for peace and stability in their communities.
We must vote for those who understand the wise words of our Lord Jesus Christ, where he says, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34).
Jesus used the image of carrying a cross to illustrate the ultimate submission required of those who want to lead God’s people.
We hear Jesus talking about the heroic effort needed to lead people of God moment by moment.
We must recognise that our vote is a stewardship responsibility given to us by God and it cannot be outsourced to corrupt and self-enriching politicians.
Authentic leaders must be those from the communities elected by the people and not by fellow politicians.
Bishop Dr William Leleki, chair of the SA Council of Churches, Nelson Mandela Bay
