Today is the official beginning of the election season with the Iowa caucus. Over the next few months every state will have either a primary or caucus. A few states will have both a primary and a closed caucus.

The election this year will most likely determine the future of this country. The next president will appoint 2-3 Supreme Court Justices and tip the balance of the court one way or the other. The next Congress will consider whether it will continue down the road of profligate spending or return to a foundation of fiscal sanity. Politicians at both the federal level and the state level will consider legislation that will either restrict abortion or allow it to continue and provide taxpayer funding. Much is at stake in this election.

As Christians we need to consider what part we will play in this election. We have a civic responsibility because we are both citizens of heaven and citizens of earth. Good citizenship involves being registered to vote and the going out and voting intelligently in each election.

Jesus says that believers are the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). We have a stewardship responsibility when it comes to using our gifts, talents, and opportunities. Jesus also described the importance of this stewardship in His parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). He was critical of the one servant who buried his talent (Matthew 25:26). We as voters should not “bury our talent” but use the opportunity God has given us to vote responsibly.

On my radio program, I have talked about the statistics from the 2012 presidential election. First, there were 13 million born again Christians who were not registered to vote. Second, there were an additional 26 million who were registered to vote who did not vote. Over the next few months I encourage you to make sure that people in your sphere of influence are registered to vote and then educate them about the issues and the candidates. This is no time to sit on the sidelines.