Decision Time

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people" (Proverbs 14:34).

Finally, it's Election Day here in America. When we pastored in New England our church was on a very busy US highway and was also used as a polling place. We had a large road sign with a changeable message at the entrance. On Election Day my dedicated secretary placed this message on both sides of the sign: "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people" (Proverbs 14:34). For many voters that was probably the extent of their exposure to Scripture!

Half a century ago Peter Marshall made the following cogent statement: "No nation has ever made any progress in a downward direction. No people ever became great by lowering their standards. No people ever became good by adopting a looser morality. It is not progress when the moral tone is lower than it was. It is not progress when purity is not as sweet. Whatever else it is, it is not progress!" 

My family, along with so many others, is praying with great fervency for our country at this time.

We have been disgraced as a nation. The disgrace of sin abounds yet so many are blind to it. As I prepared this message I considered my grandmother who died in the early seventies. As best as I can determine she is a strong link in my spiritual lineage. Could she even have imagined if we were able to foretell the spiritual apathy and moral decadence we are seeing today?

Righteousness fundamentally is attained when individuals, families and churches turn to Christ and live daily in submission to His will. This has an accumulative impact on our community, state and entire nation. Thus a nation's leadership reflects the righteousness or unrighteousness of the people.

The political leadership chosen today certainly will affect the fate of our nation, but we each individually have the decision regarding the fate of our soul. I urge you all to accept or reaffirm your personal decision to follow Christ today and experience God's great hope and peace as a citizen of heaven!

I emphasize again and again the most important decision that we all should make in this life; that we will love and serve Jesus this day and every day forever. As we make this most important decision we will be doing our part to make our country a righteous nation!

Be encouraged today,

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer (John Piper has written a prayer most pertinent for our election): Father in heaven, as we approach our national election, I pray that your people will vote, and that they will vote with a sense of thankfulness for a democratic system that at least partially holds in check the folly and evil in all our hearts so that power which corrupts so readily is not given to one group or person too easily. I pray that we would know and live the meaning of being in the world, but not of it, doing politics as though not doing them, being on the earth, yet having our lives hidden with Christ in God, rendering to Caesar the things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are God’s; that we would discern what truths and values should advance by being made law and which should advance only by the leavening of honest influence; that your people would see what love and justice and far-seeing wisdom demand in regard to the issues of education, business and industry, health care, marriage and family, abortion, welfare, energy, government and taxes, military, terrorism, international relations, and every challenge that we will face in the years to come; and above all, that we will treasure Jesus Christ, and tell everyone of his sovereignty and supremacy over all nations, and that long after America is a footnote to the future world, he will reign with his people from every tribe and tongue and nation. Keep us faithful to Christ’s all important Word, and may we turn to it every day for light in these dark times. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

This prayer is from  "A Prayer For The Election"