Sunday, July 4: America, Bless God!

While most Christians seem to focus on the New Testament, I love reading the Old Testament, particularly for the history, the poetry and the prophecy. When I went to Israel in 2006, it opened my eyes to the Biblical places. Though Israel has certainly changed drastically in 2,000 years, I can understand the distances between cities, the topography and the people much better than I did before. It breaks my heart when I read about the Jews, God’s chosen people, and their circuitous relationship with the Lord. When He selected them as His people, the apple of His eye, the Jews followed and loved Him. Then they fell into idolatry, far away from God and His ways. He punished them, and the Jews came crawling back, asking for His forgiveness. Of course, He forgave them. He always does! They would walk in His ways again, and then another generation would fall into idolatry. After centuries of this behavior, they rejected Jesus as Messiah. At that time He cast them to the four corners of the world. According to the Bible, He is not finished with them yet, as the fullness of the Gentiles will occur before the time of the Jews begins anew.


Many Christians cannot understand why the Jews don’t see Jesus as their Messiah, but Jesus explained that to us all in Luke 19:41-43 when He said that their eyes have been blinded. That will change. Sadly, many Christians see the Jews as completely different from them. Yet those Old Testament stories aren’t for our entertainment, but our admonition, as we struggle in exactly the same ways:


Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
1 Corinthians 10:1-11


What does this have to do with the United States? Turn on your television, surf the internet, go to a movie, go shopping at the mall or take a stroll on the beach! Everywhere that we look is sexual immorality, in addition to all forms of idolatry. What is idolatry?

Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
 Colossians 3:5


Money has become the god of the United States, though this nation was founded because people wanted to worship the One and Only God freely. The authors of the Constitution were believers, who wrote the principles of Christianity into that document. Just like the Jews, though, our country has been going in the wrong direction. Prayer was banned from public schools in 1962, and along with it, Bible reading. Now, we argue about removing the 10 Commandments from our courts and eliminating “in God we trust” from our money. Atheism and agnosticism are growing, and more importantly, Christianity is being watered down. Pastors are preaching without even using the Bible, as they do not want to offend those attending! Is there any question why the United States is declining in world power? What can we do?


If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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.
2 Chronicles 7:14


Interestingly, the verse above does not tell us that the unbelievers need to turn to the Lord. In Nineveh, when Jonah warned the people of God’s impending judgment, the unbelievers all turned to Him. Yet before God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, the Lord promised Abraham that He would spare the city if there were even 10 righteous men in the cities. God desires for us to lead the way through our prayer and our humbleness! You might not like our president or his policies, but do you pray for him? Do you pray for his salvation? Can you imagine how this nation would change if our president accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior? It would be a miracle, but God performed that same miracle in my life and in most of yours, too! There are so many Christians walking with one foot in the world and one with the Lord. That’s not really a walk, but a hop! A pogo stick is not going to get you to heaven! Seek the Lord, diligently, and He will hear you!


I am so tired of hearing the phrase, “God Bless America!” God has blessed America for so many years. Isn’t it time for us to cry out together, “America Bless God!”


Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
 Ephesians 5:1