A Christian Patriot?

When the flag passes by in at our hometown parade on the 4^th,  I’ll stand and salute! I’ll feel stirring of pride as old soldiers pass by. I love my country, the freedoms, the opportunities, the security that is found here.  I love her enough to weep for her sins, to pray for her leaders, to have a broken heart for what is happening to her.  

My patriotism does not blind me to some terrible wrongs of our past including the policies of extermination that nearly destroyed the Native American population, the horrific practice of slavery and racism, and wars waged only to protect power, privilege, and economic advantage. I pray God’s forgiveness for those injustices and for ways to heal the wounds they caused.

Nor does my acknowledging of sins blind me to the blessings I enjoy in this great republic, the oldest and longest surviving democracy in history.  One of the things I truly love about my country is that I can raise my voice in dissent and that I can enlist others to vote with me for change.

Some of my brothers and sisters in the Church seem to think that God Himself is a citizen of the United States. He is not. Jesus is the Savior of the world; not just the West or the U.S of A. That is one reason that our local church is very cautious about weaving “God and Country” into our worship. We fly the flag in our worship space, along with about 2 dozen flags of other nations, hopefully a not so subtle reminder that the God we worship is not just our God, nor does He favor us above any other nation.

I can hear the groans and cries of some who are reading.  “But, Jerry, we are a ‘Christian’ nation.” That is a phrase that needs to be explored more deeply.  If by it, you mean that the United States was originally settled by people who were almost all Christian by culture, that they drew inspiration for the way they organized the country’s laws from the Scripture, I believe you are right. If you mean that Christianity should enjoy a favored status in this secular nation, you are mistaken.

When we try to weave government policies and church creeds together in law, we tread a dangerous path where the power of the law can be used to compel those beliefs that ought to be matters of individual conviction and faith.  It is not at all easy to find the right place to draw the line that separates the power of the state from our convictions. Christians and those without any religious conviction are universally in agreement that murder is a moral evil and thus feel no reservation about letting our government both forbid the practice and punish murderers.  I believe that science reveals the unbroken thread of life from the moment of conception, thus I believe that aborting an unborn child is tantamount to murder. Others do not share that understanding. What is the proper role of the law in such matters?  The United States continues to debate this, as we should, albeit sadly, too often without civility or thoughtfulness.

Can you see the problems inherent with Church/State entanglement?
Would you like the government to be empowered to compel you to worship God in a certain way as it did in England 5 centuries ago?

Would you want the national government to be collecting taxes for the support of a state church in the way that is done in some European countries yet today? 

I must add this. Even as we celebrate our nation and pray for her, we must not confuse the United States with ancient Israel. When we indiscriminately take Old Testament blessings about Israel and make them Americans, we fail to understand that the ancient nation was a theocracy, a people with a common faith in the LORD God.  God ultimately is the authority from which all human government legitimacy flows.  No matter the nation, no matter the religion of the majority, the people prosper when reverence for One greater goes deep;  when integrity, self-lessness, humility, and respect for human dignity are the basic principles that shape national policies. 

Oh, America, I love you, and I pray for you.

In this I am on solid ground as a Christian.  The word from the Word today says "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:1-4, NIV)

As we celebrate America's birthday,  let’s pray for those who hold public office- be it the mayor of our town or the President! We pray for the Spirit to make them wise and just, that they would govern without partiality or self-interest. Let’s commit to good citizenship, for the sake of Christ! When we ‘render to Caesar the things that are his and to God the things that belong to Him’ we honor our Lord.

Happy Independence Day!

My sincere prayer today is:

God bless America that she would use her might for the right, to truly create liberty and justice for ALL!

True Confidence, not merely bravado

 

One of these days, before I depart this world, I would like to try sky-diving. I’m fairly certain that when I stand in the open door of the airplane my legs will be trembling, my heart pounding. It does defy good sense to jump into thin air, with life depending on a nylon parachute. But, I’d like to do it. I would never attempt it on my own! The only way is to be strapped to an experienced person who will guide me through the terror of the moment.

When we listen to the voice of the Lord, He often calls us to do things that push us beyond our comfort zone. Joshua, the man who was Moses’ assistant, found himself in charge of Israel after the leader’s death. In the first chapter of the book bearing his name, in the opening 9 verses the Lord says the same thing three times. “Be strong and courageous!”  In spite of all his years of experience and his faith, the new challenge must have been terrifying to him. So, God says, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9, NIV)

How does the Lord encourage him for the new task?

He does not say, “Everything’s going to be easy.”  Conquering Canaan would not be a simple thing to do. 

Nor does He say, “My people are suddenly going to become compliant and easy to lead.” They were not and never would be! 

He said, “I will be with you!”

Disciple, the Lord is with us! "The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Psalm 118:6, NIV)  “God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6, NLT)

Accept that declaration by faith. Whether or not you sense Him, regardless of your emotions that may be churning, take His promise at face value and tell yourself – “God is here now!”

Joshua had experience with faith. For more than 40 years he had walked with God, loved His will, and pursued His ways. If we hope to live confidently in times of crisis, we need to live intimately with God now.  Trying to find sustaining faith when a hurricane blows through our life is nearly impossible if we have not built a relationship with God prior.  There are those who live carelessly, without any real ongoing desire for God’s Presence, who come running to church, crying, asking “Where is God?” when they run into a life-shattering situation. Desperately they seek a place of comfort. My heart breaks when I see their frantic reach for the peace that they know exists but that seems beyond their grasp.

So we need to steadily walk, keeping step with the Spirit, loving the Lord whole-heartedly today – so that when we are called to some hard task or when we find ourselves in the middle of the storm, we can go through it with assurance.

Here’s the word from the Word. “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (John 14:15-17, NIV) “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:25-27, NIV)

Confident – not in our intelligence, our strength, because of our resources – but because we walk hand in hand with our Abba, we can change the world. Ready? Ours is true confidence, not mere bravado. Let’s do it.

__________

No Longer Slaves

(Zach Williams sings this amazing song in Harding Prison and it brings me to tears!)

You unravel me with a melody

You surround me with a song

Of deliverance from my enemies

Till all my fears are gone

I’m no longer a slave to fear

I am a child of God

I'm no longer a slave to fear

I am a child of God

From my mother's womb

You have chosen me

Love has called my name

I've been born again into Your family

Your blood flows through my veins

You split the sea so I could walk right through it

My fears were drowned in perfect love

You rescued me so I could stand and sing

I am a child of God

Brian Johnson | Joel Case | Jonathan David Helser

© 2014 Bethel Music Publishing

CCLI License # 810055

Fatness

One of America’s biggest health challenges today is obesity. We have so much food and apparently so little understanding of our physical frame that many of us are eating ourselves to death. Our blessings of plenty have become a curse. There is a parable in that for our spiritual health. I am not, by any stretch of imagination, a health-food fanatic, but I choose not to eat very much ‘junk’ food. Oh yes, I love snacks that are salty and rich in fats! Knowing that weakness, I just don’t keep them in the house. Sugary beverages are not on the menu either.  Drinking a glass full of 250 empty calories just doesn’t appeal to me.

I’ll leave nutritional advice to those who know the subject better than I do.  But, here is something I do know well. Even more important than what you put into your stomach is the ‘soul food’ that feeds your mind and heart!  How do you nourish your spirit?

Moses, at the end of his life, called the leaders of the people of Lord together and recited a long ‘song’ to them. (see Deuteronomy 32) He pointed out the ways that God had cared for them, describing their wonderful place in His love. Then, with the wisdom of the Spirit, he warned them of the perils that would come with the blessings of being a settled people in the Promised Land. "God made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag, with curds and milk from herd and flock and with fattened lambs and goats, with choice rams of Bashan and the finest kernels of wheat. You drank the foaming blood of the grape. Jeshurun (a name for Israel, the people of God) grew fat and kicked; filled with food, he became heavy and sleek. He abandoned the God who made him and rejected the Rock his Savior."  (Deuteronomy 32:13-15, NIV)

When we take in the Word, understanding Who God is, aligning our lives to His will, we are blessed. The favor of the Lord is a great gift and leads us to a place of prosperity and contentment. Where we find ourselves contented, we risk neglect of the soul, and our blessings allow us to forget the very God Who provides them. We may become “Jeshurun;”  a fat, forgetful Christian. Worship will hold little attraction for us. Prayer can turn into an empty form if we allow our hearts to cool towards Him.  Sated by Pleasure, we can lose our desire for the Bread of Heaven. To ‘busy’ to serve, we will content ourselves to pay others while we remain on the sidelines.

What’s the answer?  Is it to live in perpetual misery? Must we live on the edge of desperation to remain faithful to God?  Not at all! 

When God blesses, the right response is to receive those gifts with gratitude, to remember how we came to the place of His favor so that we will continue to walk with Him, love Him, and to share the grace we’ve found with others.  The disciplines of the Spirit – worship, meditation, community, service, humility, generosity, fasting from time to time – will keep us from the falling in love with our Self, from slipping into the deadliness of spiritual obesity.

Has your life in the Spirit led you to a place of blessings? Wisely accept the wisdom that warns of becoming fat and forgetful, but do not fear.  Instead, with gratefulness that recognizes the source of those blessings, give yourself generously to God’s work.  You will then experience a life that is both rich and God-aware! 

Here’s a word from the Word. "God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it, He throws caution to the winds, giving to the needy in reckless abandon. His right-living, right-giving ways never run out, never wear out. This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God. " (2 Corinthians 9:8-11, The Message)

_______

Break Thou The Bread Of Life

(An a cappella version invites us to prayer)

Break Thou the bread of life

Dear Lord to me

As Thou didst break the loaves

Beside the sea

Within the sacred page

I seek Thee Lord

My Spirit pants for Thee

O living Word

Bless Thou the truth

Dear Lord to me to me

As Thou didst bless

The bread by Galilee

Then shall all bondage cease

All fetters fall

And I shall find my peace

My all in all

Thou art the bread of life

O Lord to me

Thy holy Word the truth

that saveth me

Give me to eat and

live with Thee above

Teach me to love Thy truth

for Thou art love

Mary Artemisia Lathbury

Public Domain