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If My People
by Don Pedal Has God, indeed, raised His hand of protection on our great nation? Is our nation truly divided and dangerously headed for a fall? (Matt. 12:25) Have you ever read the daily newspaper or listened to the media and thought, "our society is changing so rapidly and before our very eyes". Every day seems to bring a new crisis. Our government seems in disarray as endless discussions end in disagreement, confusion and inertia. Universities produce graduates (future leaders) who believe there is no such thing as absolute truth. Whatever you want to believe is all right as long as you are tolerant. Churches preach tolerance to the point that almost anything is all right as long as we are "user friendly" and we can "bring them in". A court system confused as we permit doctors to kill unborn children up to the point of birth but convict a murderer for a double murder when he kills a woman who is pregnant. A legal system flooded with cases involving conflicting "rights" but never seems to consider individual responsibility. Signs of our moral and spiritual decay are everywhere. Again the question, "Has God lifted His protective hand on our nation?" Consider for a moment it might be true, and if so, what can we as believers do about it. Is it all a hopeless mess beyond our influence? One reaction is to ignore it all and get on with our lives. What about "them"? What are "they" going to do about it? We are "they". Is there another option? Does our source of truth, scripture, have anything to say about this? 2 Chron. 7:14 comes to mind. If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Note the beginning, "If my people, who are called by my name". He doesn't say, if sinners, or those people. He is speaking to us. Maybe there is something we can do after all. "Will humble themselves and pray and seek my face". Are we having a meaningful fellowship in our church or are we indifferent "pew warmers?" If we are "born again" believers then we know that the Holy Spirit has given us at least one gift and maybe more, to be used for His purposes and glory. Do we know what these gifts are, or prayed that the Holy Spirit will reveal them to us? Are we prepared to act upon and use them? What a glorious thing it is when the Body of Christ exercises God's power and gifts for the good of the church and others. Where is the leadership from our pulpits to address these vital issues? Except for a few courageous leaders we see only "business as usual". We fiddle as Rome burns or should I say our Christian culture and heritage burns. "My people" where are you! "And turn from their wicked ways". Christian polls show that the divorce rate is higher among those who call themselves Christians than in the secular culture around us. Abortions are readily available even to teenagers, without the knowledge and consent of their parents. Pornography fills the internet, sometimes luring our young people into meetings with predators. Guns are in our schools, sometimes resulting in shootings and violence. Where are the voices of Christian parents in all this? What happened to parental support and guidance in healthy family relationships in all this? Where and why are we failing as Christian husbands, wives, fathers and mothers? God is not calling them but us to turn from our wicked ways. Our materialistic, consumer driven society is softening us to compromise and in some ways embrace the worldly system around us. The Lord tells us that we cannot serve God and mammon at the same time. In other words we cannot serve God and this fleshly world system. We must make a choice. Our concern with the "good life" and our busyness leaves little time for God. Our days are filled with work and career and our nights with entertainment so we can rest for the next day's challenges. Our families suffer, sometimes, because our busy lives have no time even to be together for the evening meal. "Then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land". Our God is a gracious God but He will not be mocked, He will not be ignored and He will not be patient with us and our sins forever. Scripture is filled with examples of how He has dealt with these things in the past. Even God's chosen people, Israel, have felt the iron rod of His correction. We, as God's people, need to stand up and have our voices heard. We need to support our leaders who have the courage to speak out in truth and love. Every day seems to bring new challenges to our faith. It's interesting to note that when other faiths are challenged the streets fill with demonstrators, the courts are filled and politicians are there to take notice. Even simple things like cartoons bring demonstrations. Oh that we would have the same devotion and courage to speak out in defense of our God. Our Lord says that if we will testify of Him before the world, He will testify of us before the Father. If you are wondering why things don't seem to change and get better, remember 2Chron.7:14. Maybe it seems as if nobody cares anymore and we stand alone, but that is not true. God has true servants, in all walks of life, which diligently praise, serve and worship Him faithfully every day. May He grant that we are one of them? Do not discount the power of one faithful person willing to pray for his country. Our God is a God of reconciliation, willing and waiting to heal our land if we would only ask Him. As a senior citizen, I am dedicated to serving the Lord through sharing my experiences and insights with other believers. My primary focus is upon being an disciple of Jesus and, in being one, I can help others to find their spiritual way also. This article is original and not copywrited Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |