July 4, 2017

“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 I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” II Chronicles 7:14

You may have wondered recently, “How did things get so bad so quickly in America?”

You may be afraid to ask, “Will they ever get better?”

The answer to the first question may hold the key to the second.

While, in fact, our culture has been declining steadily for decades here’s one more question that could answer the first two, “Did things get so bad because sinners were behaving like sinners or did they get so bad because Christians weren’t behaving like Christ?”

If you read what Solomon has to say in the verse above and it will give you a hint. Several hints, in fact! Let’s see:

1) “if my people….

2) “...who are called by my name…”

3) “…will humble themselves…”

4) “…and pray…”

5) “…and seek my face…”

6) “…and turn from their wicked ways…”

Would sinners be referred to as “my people”?

Are sinners called by His name?

Who would most need to humble themselves?

Who is most likely to be commanded to pray?

Would sinners be seeking God’s face?

Is it becoming clearer?

Things got worse because God’s people weren’t what they were called to be. He promises they will get better when His people get better.

He’s ready!

When will you be ready?

July 3, 2017

"Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to its people." Proverbs 14:34

There is no doubt that our Founders recognized the importance of the Christian faith in the formation of this new Republic. It is also clear they embraced that faith and recommended to all.

Those who say otherwise are simply uninformed or deliberately unwilling to admit it. Consider these several quotes chosen from an impressively large collection of Quotes of the Founding Fathers.

“I rejoice that the religion of Jesus prevails in your parts; I can tell you the same agreeable news from this quarter. Yesterday I returned from Piscataway in East Jersey, where was held a Baptist annual meeting (I think the largest I ever saw) but much more remarkable still for the Divine influences which God was pleased to grant. Fifteen were baptized; a number during the three days professed to experience a change of heart. Christians were remarkably quickened; multitudes appeared.”   James Manning - MEMBER OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS; PRESIDENT OF BROWN UNIVERSITY

“[Governments] could not give the rights essential to happiness… We claim them from a higher source: from the King of kings, and Lord of all the earth.”- John Dickinson - SIGNER OF THE CONSTITUTION; GOVERNOR OF PENNSYLVANIA; GOVERNOR OF DELAWARE; GENERAL IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

“I have sometimes thought there could not be a stronger testimony in favor of religion or against temporal enjoyments, even the most rational and manly, than for men who occupy the most honorable and gainful departments and [who] are rising in reputation and wealth, publicly to declare their unsatisfactoriness by becoming fervent advocates in the cause of Christ; and I wish you may give in your evidence in this way.” - James Madison -  SIGNER OF THE CONSTITUTION; AUTHOR OF THE FEDERALIST PAPERS; FRAMER OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS; SECRETARY OF STATE; FOURTH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED

“Our citizens should early understand that the genuine source of correct republican principles is the Bible, particularly the New Testament, or the Christian religion.” -  Noah Webster -  REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIER; JUDGE; LEGISLATOR; EDUCATOR; “SCHOOLMASTER TO AMERICA”

“The Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children under a free government ought to be instructed. No truth is more evident than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.” -  Noah Webster - REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIER; JUDGE; LEGISLATOR; EDUCATOR; “SCHOOLMASTER TO AMERICA

“The doctrines of Jesus are simple, and tend all to the happiness of man.” – Thomas Jefferson

“As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and His religion as He left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see.” – Benjamin Franklin

I find it an incredible blessing that we had such wise and godly men involved in the establishment of our great nations!

GOD BLESSED AMERICA!

GOD PLEASE CONTINUE TO BLESS AMERICA!

July 2, 2017

"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." Philippians 3:20-21

The concept of dual nationality means that a person is a citizen of two countries at the same time. Each country has its own citizenship laws based on its own policy. Persons can have dual nationality by automatic operation of different laws rather than by choice. For example, a child born in a foreign country to U. S. citizen parents may be both a U. S. citizen and a citizen of the country of birth.

A U.S. citizen may acquire foreign citizenship by marriage, or a person naturalized as a U.S. citizen may not lose the citizenship of the country of birth.U.S. law does not mention dual nationality or require a person to choose one citizenship or another. Also, a person who is automatically granted another citizenship does not risk losing U.S. citizenship.

"But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him." Philippians 3:20-21

Ironically, our citizenship in Heaven was made possible by One Who, as a citizen of that world, came to take up citizenship in this world to die for our sins.

This Citizen Who made our citizenship possible, came from a righteous place and was born in a righteous way to qualify Him to become a sacrifice for our sins. But between His righteous birth and His sacrificial death was a lifetime of righteous living. He was righteous when He left Heaven, He was righteous when He arrived in the manger in Bethlehem, and He was still righteous as He was being nailed to the cross. But, He became unrighteous as He took our transgressions upon Himself on that cross. Because of His righteous obedience to the will of His Father in making righteousness available to you and me, He regained His righteousness!

Are you thankful to be a citizen of the great USA?

As you celebrate your freedom as an American over this long Fourth of July week-end, will you also celebrate your citizenship in Heaven?

July 1, 2017

“We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”  Psalm 33:20-22

For the Founding Fathers, the doctrine of the providence of God was inextricably linked to the idea that Jesus Christ was the Creator who decrees law and sustains life. It was these men who pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, having acknowledged their “firm reliance on divine Providence.” It was these men who repeatedly passed laws calling for days of national thanksgiving, humiliation, and prayer in response to the work of providence which they specifically defined in their official acts in terms of Jesus Christ and the moving of the Holy Spirit. It was these men who officially recognized the Trinitarian view of providence when they signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783 on behalf of the United States, “In the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity, It having pleased the divine Providence...”

George Washington describes his capture of Boston, 1776:

"Upon their discovery of the works next morning, great preparations were made for attacking them; but not being ready before afternoon, and the weather getting very tempestuous, much blood was saved, and a very important blow, to one side or the other, was prevented. That this most remarkable interposition of Providence is for some a wise purpose, I have not a doubt."

In his original draft of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson had written:

"And for the support of this declaration, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

But Congress amended it to read:

"And for the support of this declaration, [with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence,] we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."  (And they did!)  

The Israelites left Egypt and wandered in the desert in their quest for the Promised Land motivated by their hope and desire to establish a nation blessed of God where they could live in peace and prosperity. Their only hope was in their God and in His divine providence.

Likewise, our Founders were constantly cognizant of God's providence and divine intervention on behalf of the colonists against overwhelming odds in their fight for independence. They trusted in:

God Our Foundation - “We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield…..”

A nation built on the Word of God, by the will of God, for the worship of God and the work of His Kingdom is built on a firm foundation!

God Our Father – “In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name……”

The providence of God is based upon His role as a Father of His people. If we as human fathers are committed to provide for and protect our families, how much more would our Heavenly Father care for us?

God Our Future – “May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”

Just as God, our Father has provided and protected and blessed us in days gone by there is every reason to trust that He will continue to do so in the coming days if we choose to obey Him and serve Him as we have in the past.

We see that over 241 years ago when the Founders where fighting for their freedom while framing the documents that would shape the new nation, their hopes were pinned fully upon God's power and His providence.

If our great nation is to survive another 241 years, or even 41 years, our hope must be upon our Heavenly Father!

Security From The Inside Out

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance. From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth— he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine”.  Psalm 33:12-19

Where should we look for national security in a post-911 world of terrorists who are developing nuclear weapons? Ours is a world governed by the aggressive use of force, is it realistic to think that trusting God can keep us safe?

Think about the Exodus! Think about the Red Sea! Think about Jericho! Think David and Goliath! Think Gideon and the Midianites. But more recently, consider this:

Numerous miracles were reported during the famous 1967 war. One such story involved a Catholic journalist who was reporting on the front lines during the war. Ernie Miller had personally met this man in Baton Rouge, LA. The journalist was reporting from the Sinai Desert during the 1967 war. The battle had become very intense and there were numerous casualties. At one point an Israeli soldier was rushed into the medical tent, where the journalist was wiring front line information.

The journalist observed that the soldier was severely wounded. In fact he had been shot in the intestinal area, and his intestines were hanging from his body. He knew it was only a matter of time until the man would die. Yet, the man, who was fully conscience, began praying and saying the various names of God in the Hebrew language. As he prayed he began to talk about God’s ability to heal him and to defeat the enemy armies. To the journalist amazement, the man suddenly screamed, and jumped up from the cot. His intestines were back inside his body and the entire area was healed! The man was jumping and screaming, and ran out of the tent praising God.

The journalist told Ernie, “I am a Catholic and I am suppose to believe in miracles but had never seen one. That day, I saw one with my own eyes that was a true miracle!”

This amazing story clearly demonstrates that the “Battle belongs to the Lord!”

Maybe it is just me but it seems the best way to anticipate what we can trust God for in the future is to see what He has done for His people in the past. Since He never changes and is the same "yesterday, today and tomorrow" it seems like making Him the foundation of our national security makes sense! God did a good job of protecting His nation, Israel when they trusted Him. But Israel maintained an army, too.

The big point here is that security comes from the inside out. Like everything else in our world, it is fundamentally a spiritual issue. God may preserve your life or He may choose not to. Christians die in war as pagans do. But we know He always preserves the soul who has trusted Christ for salvation. Have you received His salvation from your sins and entered into an eternal relationship with God? If you have you can live in this assurance:

"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”     Psalm 91

June 29, 2017

"For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice;"  Psalms 33:1

Even a cursory reading of the Founding Fathers reveals a strong desire by them to establish a nation where righteousness could flourish protected by justice. These two concepts are really inseperable and they derive from the essential character of God. In fact, the root word for righteousness and justice occurs 510 times in the Word of God and 102 times it is translated "justice" while 394 times it is rendered "righteousness".

This gives us an important insight into the principles upon which our nation was founded and how the Founders intended for it to be preserved. They understood that freedom is dependent upon justice and righteousness and they also knew that justice and righteousness are dependent on absolute truth.

Our Founding Fathers were versed in the Scriptures well enough to understand the fallen nature of man and were aware that human nature does not tend toward what is right or just or free. So they prayerfully gave much thought and discussion to how to protect the nation from the greedy self-destructive nature of men. The only way that was possible was to establish our system of justice on the absolute truth revealed in the Commandments and the teachings of Christ.

While not all of the Founders were devoted Christians as we evangelicals define discipleship, but they were pragmatic and they were sincere seekers of truth which led them to the conclusion that they must establish this new government on principles of righteousness and justice expressed in the God of the Bible, ""For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice;"

Any attempt to deny or pervert or revise this undeniable truth of our founding is in fact, a violation of this principle. Perhaps the biggest assault on justice is the perversion of justice is the politically correct notion of "fairness" or "social justice" as they refer to it. Social justice comes out of the mistaken belief that rights come from government and that government has a responsibility to make everything fair for everyone. The primary means of achieving social justice is redistributing wealth by taking it from those who have the most wealth and giving it to those who don't have much.

The Founding Fathers believed in that all men were created by God and were created equal therefore deserving equal opportunity and equal justice under the law. But having an equal opportunity is much different that trying to create equal outcomes. It is a misguided pipe dream that has been attempted in many nations throughout the 20th century and has never worked. What it creates is a lot of people who are equally poor and miserable.

Jesus never believed in fairness. He told a parable about the talents in which the three servants were each given different amounts of money to invest and the two who were the wisest ended up with more and the one who did not invest lost all he had.

But rather than rant against those who have set themselves up as enemies of our founding principles, I challenge you to live by them yourself. Guide your own decisions and conduct by these absolute truths expressed in God's Word. Treat others justly. If you want to turn our nation back to these timeless principles that foster true liberty, start with you! Movements consists of individuals committed to a cause. It will take more than just Superman being committed to "Truth, Justice and the American Way" it will also take you!

The Founding Fathers: A Strong Desire For Justice

"For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice;"  Psalms 33:1

Even a cursory reading of the Founding Fathers reveals a strong desire by them to establish a nation where righteousness could flourish protected by justice. These two concepts are really inseparable and they derive from the essential character of God. In fact, the root word for righteousness and justice occurs 510 times in the Word of God and 102 times it is translated "justice" while 394 times it is rendered "righteousness".

This gives us an important insight into the principles upon which our nation was founded and how the Founders intended for it to be preserved. They understood that freedom is dependent upon justice and righteousness and they also knew that justice and righteousness are dependent on absolute truth.

Our Founding Fathers were versed in the Scriptures well enough to understand the fallen nature of man and were aware that human nature does not tend toward what is right or just or free. So they prayerfully gave much thought and discussion to how to protect the nation from the greedy self-destructive nature of men. The only way that was possible was to establish our system of justice on the absolute truth revealed in the Commandments and the teachings of Christ.

While not all of the Founders were devoted Christians as we evangelicals define discipleship, but they were pragmatic and they were sincere seekers of truth which led them to the conclusion that they must establish this new government on principles of righteousness and justice expressed in the God of the Bible, ""For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice;"

Any attempt to deny or pervert or revise this undeniable truth of our founding is in fact, a violation of this principle. Perhaps the biggest assault on justice is the perversion of justice is the politically correct notion of "fairness" or "social justice" as they refer to it. Social justice comes out of the mistaken belief that rights come from government and that government has a responsibility to make everything fair for everyone. The primary means of achieving social justice is redistributing wealth by taking it from those who have the most wealth and giving it to those who don't have much.

The Founding Fathers believed in that all men were created by God and were created equal therefore deserving equal opportunity and equal justice under the law. But having an equal opportunity is much different that trying to create equal outcomes. It is a misguided pipe dream that has been attempted in many nations throughout the 20th century and has never worked. What it creates is a lot of people who are equally poor and miserable.

Jesus never believed in fairness. He told a parable about the talents in which the three servants were each given different amounts of money to invest and the two who were the wisest ended up with more and the one who did not invest lost all he had.

But rather than rant against those who have set themselves up as enemies of our founding principles, I challenge you to live by them yourself. Guide your own decisions and conduct by these absolute truths expressed in God's Word. Treat others justly. If you want to turn our nation back to these timeless principles that foster true liberty, start with you! Movements consists of individuals committed to a cause. It will take more than just Superman being committed to "Truth, Justice and the American Way" it will also take you!