John Wesley on October 6, 1774 said, 'I met those of our society who had votes in the ensuing election, and advised them:'
1. To vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy
2. To speak no evil of the person they voted against, and
3. To take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side.
Sound wisdom for sure.
#1 reminds us that in part we are to vote for the good of the whole nation, not simply for my own personal and private good. And we vote by our best judgment on the candidates.
#2 reminds us that using our best judgment we want to not be judgmental toward any candidate. Media and social media are presently filled with plenty of evil being spoken about each and every candidate. We must refrain from such talk both verbal and online.
#3 reminds us that we must also not be judgmental toward one another. Vote your conscience and love your neighbor. It was not long ago that a person's vote was a private matter. You entered the voting booth and voted in secrecy. Today you wear your political leanings on your sleeve, plant them in your yard, stick them on your bumper, post them on your news feed, etc.
Let us be very wary in the days ahead that we not become so involved in winning an election that we lose our witness and the opportunity to love our neighbor as ourselves. Vote as you judge best and love others with your best.
Jesus is enthroned in heaven today and will undoubtedly remain so on Nov. 4th
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