Nations

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THE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY

(Proverbs 22:6) Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

I was a child in the 1950’s.  Even though my family did not consistently attend church, I was well aware of the Ten commandments and Christian morality.  I was disciplined when I did wrong, so there was a clear understanding of what was acceptable behavior. All the people around me were aware of what was right behavior. Since then, our society has greatly diminished moral training and discipline. What do we have in place of these things?

My answer to this question is the government.  It seems to be the goal of the liberal agenda to replace God’s laws with the government’s confusing definition of morality.  Right and wrong placed in the hands of sinful man spells disaster and opens an opportunity for Satan to carry out his evil plans to kill, steal and destroy.  The lines of right behavior have already been greatly blurred.  We have created an environment of confusion for our younger generations, and the daily news is full of the results of this confusion.  The government is supposed to support correct behavior not define it.

This world belongs to God, and he is the ultimate authority.  He has defined for us the right way to conduct ourselves.  We cannot replace God and expect a good outcome.  God alone is righteous, and he alone has the ability and the right to define our morality.

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THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD

(Ephesians 2:19-22) Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.  In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.  And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

I was reading this verse last week during our worldwide prayer for the church.  I was intrigued by the idea that all the true Christians across the entire earth are built into a living temple, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the chief cornerstone.  Construction of this temple began on the day of Pentecost.  Since then, each new brother or sister who enters the kingdom of God is filled with the Holy Spirit, and they become a part of this temple.

Imagine the earth with a worldwide temple full of prayers and worship rising toward heaven.  What an awesome image, with every born-again Christian across the whole earth having a part in the prayers and worship being sent to our Father in heaven. 

In this fallen world, we know that the enemy must be working to interfere with this glorious work of the temple of Christ.  I believe his main weapon is to keep Christians at odds with each other.  I’m not referring to those who suffer under false doctrines, the enemy has no problem with them; but to those of us who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we are to love all people. We are to love and be in unity with those who are of the family of God.

We are of the same building, and we are filled with the power of Jesus to love and bear witness of his love to the world. Yet, if we are at odds with each other, the walls begin to crumble, and our power is hindered.  In Psalm 133:1 David reminds us, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”

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GOD CAN USE ALL THINGS FOR HIS PURPOSES

(Genesis 45:4&5) Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.”  When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!  And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”

At our Bible study we are coming to the end of our study in the book of Genesis.  Today we were in chapter 45 where Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. His brothers sold him into slavery when he was seventeen years old.  After 13 years as an Egyptian slave, he rose to become the most powerful man in all of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.  During a famine, his brothers traveled to Egypt to buy food for their families.  When they arrived, They did not recognize their brother Joseph, he looked like an Egyptian and used an interpreter to speak to them.  On their second trip, he finally revealed himself to them in a very emotional interchange. 

Genesis is full of great stories that reveal the character of our God, and how he is continually involved in his creation.  Here in the story of Joseph, we see that the tragedy of brothers selling one of their own into slavery is used by God to bring about the saving not only Joseph’s family but all of Egypt and the regions surrounding Egypt. 

When Joseph’s brothers were still afraid that he was going to take revenge on them, Joesph stated clearly, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.  So then, don’t be afraid.  I will provide for you and your children.”  And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them (Genesis 50:20&21).

Through it all Joseph learned to forgive his brothers, his brothers learned humility and repentance, and God moved Abraham’s children into Egypt where they spent four hundred and thirty years before God returned them to the promised land.  As the Israelites went about their daily lives, God used their choices to continue his plan for his chosen people.   As we go about our daily lives, God is still incorporating our choices in his plan for creation.  We are part of the continuing story.

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GOD’S CHOICE – GOD’S PLAN

(Genesis 12:1-3) The Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on the earth will be blessed through you.”

(Romans 8:28) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Abraham was called by God to father a people who would carry the truth about our creator God to all his created ones.  He and his descendants were blessed to be a blessing to all people.  Why was Abraham chosen? God is sovereign, and he has the right to choose whomever he decides.

There have also been many thousands of other chosen people who have walked the earth, and many of us are currently walking.  Like Abraham, we have been chosen by God to continue the work of his kingdom.  Each has a specific purpose assigned by God.  For those of us who love him, we have been called by God; and we are workers with a purpose in his kingdom.  What is our purpose?  God directs us throughout our lives to fulfill his purpose in us.  We simply walk day by day, in faith, trusting him to lead us – just as Abraham did.

Who then is not chosen?  The answer is – those who turn their backs to God and go their own way.  To be chosen, all they have to do is turn toward God and seek him. 

    God is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek him.  (Hebrews 11:6) And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 

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PRAYER FOR THE NATION

This prayer, attributed to Paul Harvey and Billy Graham, was first penned by Bob Russell in 1995.  It has been modified somewhat over the years, but its message exposes the dialogue of the day and highlights how far we have gone astray.

“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says ‘Woe to those who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We confess that.

We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it Pluralism.

We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism.

We have endorsed perversion and called it alternative lifestyle.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.

We have abused power and called it politics.

We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.

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A DEPRAVED MIND

In my concern for our country, I would like to spark some Biblical insight about what is happening to America.  Last week I shared that countries will be judged for their wickedness.  Today I’d like to give some thoughts on what is wrong with our thinking.  Have you noticed that our leaders seem especially irrational in their thinking?

In Romans chapter one the Apostle Paul explains how rejecting God affected our thinking.  Romans 1:21, For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

If you think there isn’t a God, you fit in well with the liberal thinking of our times.  However, America was founded with the idea that there is a God who is identified in the Bible.  There is certainly still enough evidence to this conjecture to be convincing.  No doubt there are many who would like to destroy this evidence, but let’s get back to our investigation of the problem with our thinking.

Romans 1:28-30, Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.  They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.  They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.  They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents.

In God we find the source of wisdom.  We think we’re intelligent, but without God we falter in our use of knowledge.  Sin gets in the way of our ability to think rationally.  We need God!  He is our only hope!  Unless we repent and turn to God, we are doomed to continue in our futility and irrational sin driven thinking.

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THE NATIONS WILL BE JUDGED

Is anyone concerned?  Is anyone fearful?  I’ve been reading in the Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.  They speak of Israel’s sin against God, and the pending doom that awaited them.  Jeremiah 9:3 states,

“They make ready their tongue like a bow, to shoot lies; it is not by truth that they triumph in the land.  They go from one sin to another; they do not acknowledge me,” declares the Lord.

We are not Israel, but we are a blessed nation.  Did the blessings come from our own hand, or did they come from God?  Can we escape the doom of Israel as we continue to reject God? Are we exempt?  Though it reads on our coins “In God we trust”, we as a nation do not.  We have gone our own way, and we refuse to acknowledge God.  When Israel strayed and turned its back on God, the surrounding nations, the descendants of Ishmael, harassed them.  I find it most interesting that the eyes of Ishmael’s descendants are now turned to the U.S.  We have now become the great evil.  Ishmael is against us.  Is it by accident that this has happened?

If indeed God does not exist, as many now declare, then we have nothing to worry about.  I believe God does exist, and he created us. We as a people belong to him.  I also believe that God has the right to and will judge nations.  Individuals are judged after death, but nations are judged here and now.  If this is true, the people of the U.S. should be concerned; we should be fearful.  I close with this warning from Hebrews 10:30-31,

For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”  It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

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BEING A GOOD CITIZEN

(Romans 13:1-7 MSG) Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it is God’s order. So live responsively as a citizen. If you’re irresponsible to the state, then you’re irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible. Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you’re trying to get by with something. Decent citizens should have nothing to fear.

The Apostle Paul’s admonition to the first century Roman citizens has stirred many debates among Christians. We Americans have a sense of being autonomous, but the government is always intruding. Protesting is allowed, but only if it’s peaceful. Currently the Government is interfering in our lives, and we don’t like it.

Governments are established for the protection and prosperity of its citizens. During our covid 19 crisis, some say the government is not doing enough, while others say it is doing too much. We all have our opinions. The question is, “Is the government doing its job?” Considering that the government is run by humans I’d answer, “They’re trying.”

As a Christian I ask myself, “In my frustrations, am I considering others, or am I just focused on me?

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NOT MY WILL BUT YOUR WILL

Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

There are two wills at work here in creation, God’s will and man’s will.  God’s will is that there would be harmony in his creation, that we would love one another.  Man’s will has brought about what we experience daily.  We are subject to man’s will because God gave us free will.  We each one get to choose.  The ultimate goal is that we would, of our own free will, choose God’s will. 

In Matthew 23:37 Jesus says, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” 

I am in tears as I hear the heart of God in these words.  How much the words, “but you were not willing,” sting my heart.

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THE GREATEST FORCE

Love is the greatest force in the universe.  The Bible tells us that God, the creator, is love (1 John 4:16).   The world and all that is in it was created in love.  It was love demonstrated by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross that brought us salvation.  The redemption of mankind was accomplished by His great act of love.  In love then there is sacrifice.  As Jesus exhibited, love requires the laying down of personal wants and desires for others, or maybe just redirecting our personal wants and desires to others.  Jesus told us in Matthew 22:37-39, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

We obviously have the right to use love, and we are commanded to use it.  First we are to love our God, and second to love our neighbor.  Our neighbor being anyone we encounter.

We have access to the greatest power in the universe!  How amazing is that?  Why aren’t we using this great power?  Oh, it requires sacrificing our own wants and desires.  Bingo!  The whole world could be changed by this great force that we have access to, but it requires sacrifice.

Taking a broader look, I find that there is little use of this greatest force in our world.   I’m not seeing a wide use of love.  Knowing that God is love, we can say there’s a lot of ungodliness being exhibited.  For those who like to blame this on God, perhaps a look in the mirror might clear their perspective.  I’m looking in the mirror, and I find much room for improvement.