Don’t Waste Your Vote

Some practical steps to take before you vote on May 10:

Depend on God and pray for wisdom. Remember that you will not vote for whoever you like but for whoever you think will honor God by their leadership and will work hard for the good of the people. God promises wisdom to those who ask for him (Jas. 1:5-6). Let the Holy Spirit guide you. This is not just a secular matter, this is truly a spiritual issue. Don’t vote until you have prayed hard about it.

Dig as hard as you can to know the candidates. Don’t just look at their ads. Most of them may be misleading. Look at their profiles. Read newspapers. Watch debates and presidential forums. Watch GMA’s Kandidato (available online at http://www.gmanews.tv). It will take some time but necessary. For this week, choose to watch less TV or less Facebook and spend those time to know the candidates. Your choice on May 10 must be an informed choice, not a leap in the dark. We must do away with our bahala na (come what may) attitude.

Discuss with others. We may get wisdom from others when we discuss. Take time to gather in small groups with your friends and ask them whom they will vote for and why. Listen to their reasons. Don’t be arrogant. Do it with gentleness and humility. You can talk about it in your family during meal times. Respect each others’ opinion. Have an open mind.

Decide before May 10 and not on May 10. Chances are, if you will decide only on May 10, your decision will just be a haphazard decision. Don’t just try to complete your ballot. Go to the polling stations with your choices ready. Make a list.

Your vote is not insignificant. Your single vote has an important place in a sea of millions of votes on that day. A single pebble dropped into the still waters can make a ripple. Think of your vote as not just a seed that you can just throw away. That seed when planted can become a huge forest. Your vote is a “forest in a seed.” Let God use that seed to build a forest of his kingdom here in the Philippines. I hope and pray that your votes will not be wasted on that day. And that after voting you will be able to say, “Christ is the Lord of my votes.” Don’t waste your vote, brothers and sisters.

Read or listen to the whole sermon here.