I said last week that this was the last of our exhortations on civic affairs, at least for a while, but I was off by one week. There is one other set of comments that needs to be made.
First, it would be wrong of us to let this election pass by without giving thanks to God publicly. Those in our community who had specialized in harassing our ministries received a significant set-back, for which we thank God.
The second is to commend you as a congregation for your strong presence in this last election. It was extremely gratifying to see your involvement. When Nancy and I went to the polls, I was astonished at how many of our friends we saw there—quite unlike previous elections. That sort of thing makes a difference.
Third, all the exhortations about service and sacrifice were not window-dressing. It is important for us to be willing to give ourselves away, and as this new situation creates opportunities to do so, let us do so gladly.
Fourth, don’t gloat—be glad. Gladness is not gloating, and vice versa. Scripture tells us that when God intervenes on our behalf, and our adversary is struggling, a good way to get God to stay His hand is for us to starting gloating. Relief and thanks to God are most fitting. Neener-neener is never fitting.
And last, as Shasta discovered in The Horse and His Boy, when you do something right, your usual reward is to be given another task, one probably more difficult. I say this because there is another election just two days from now—a public school levy election. As before, we are not telling you how to vote, just that you have this opportunity before you, and this opportunity, like all of them, brings responsibility with it.