ELECTION DAY
Tuesday – November 8, 2016
Today is Election Day in the United States of America. Today we the people will not only select the next President of the United States but many Senators will be elected, the House of Representatives will be elected, a myriad of State and local offices will be filled, and many Judges across the land will be elected. Perhaps of equal importance is the nomination by the President and the confirmation by the Senate of the next Supreme Court Justice. The seat on the court which was vacated by the death of Antonia Scalia does not have to be filled and the Senate is under no obligation to fill the seat within a certain timeframe. Secretary Clinton will appoint a liberal judge who believes that the Constitution is a living document 
in the sense that it must change with changing times and attitudes of the people. Can you imagine that line of thought concerning the Bible? Under this circumstance it would be best to leave the seat empty. A President Trump has given a list of constitutional originalists from which he will choose to nominate and place before the Senate for their consideration. Many have been horrified, even angered, by this election, wondering how we got two such flawed candidates for President, and shortly we will know which one is being sworn in on January 20, 2017. All we need do is find the nearest mirror and glance around the Church this Sunday, for the Church (NOT GOD) is responsible for the people in office.
Now back to our text in Ephesians.
Ephesians 2:8-10 (KJV)
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
We have been discussing verse ten in the above-mentioned text and that God had our work all cut out for us from the foundation or the world. Not only was our work established but the means to accomplish that work was and is provided. Yesterday I had published the Bible text of Isaiah sixty-one for our meditation and I will pick up with that today. At the end I will make comments (tomorrow) but it is vital that we all understand this is a crucial responsibility of each believer in the body of Christ.
Isaiah 61:1-11 (KJV)
1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
7 For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.
8 For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.
10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
The carrying out of these responsibilities are dependent upon our obedience before God. Having a favorable government in place is desirable but remember the thing that brings a favorable government into office is a people who are favorable to the Christian faith. Wickedness elects wickedness and righteousness elects righteousness. When there is wickedness in the society at large and in the Church the governments will be very corrupt and wicked. Let us again review the words of President Garfield.
President James A. Garfield
When giving his centennial address to Congress in 1876, President James Garfield issued the following warning: “Now, more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature…If the next centennial does not find us a great nation…it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces.”
Repentance followed by obedience is the answer for America.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
