How long has America bragged that she was the Greatest Nation on Earth? Being a Texan by birth, I have been indoctrinated to believe that WE are the result of God’s grace (“American by birth – Texan by the Grace of God”). What has happened in this generation? We have seen our reputation plummet to mockery and ridicule. Other nations scorn our power. Our enemies no longer fear our retribution. Why have we lost our mojo?
2 Chronicles 7:11-22
2 Chronicles 7:11-22
After Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple and the royal palace, and accomplished all his plans for the Lord’s temple and his royal palace, the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him: “I have answered your prayer and chosen this place to be my temple where sacrifices are to be made. When I close up the sky so that it doesn’t rain, or command locusts to devour the land’s vegetation, or send a plague among my people, if my people, who belong to me, humble themselves, pray, seek to please me, and repudiate their sinful practices, then I will respond from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. Now I will be attentive and responsive to the prayers offered in this place. Now I have chosen and consecrated this temple by making it my permanent home; I will be constantly present there. You must serve me as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations. Then I will establish your dynasty, just as I promised your father David, ‘You will not fail to have a successor ruling over Israel.
“But if you people ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep, and decide to serve and worship other gods, then I will remove you from my land I have given you, I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence, and I will make you an object of mockery and ridicule among all the nations. As for this temple, which was once majestic, everyone who passes by it will be shocked and say, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?’ Others will then answer, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors, who led them out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served. That is why he brought all this disaster down on them.’”
Read the above passage, again and take note to the warnings in the 2nd paragraph. Although the Lord was talking to the House of Israel, we can deduce that since Our God is an Unchanging Sovereign, and that the same principles apply to all His servants and those that lay claim to His Word. Verse 14 (in bold) has been quoted by religious people for decades to shine the path for reconciliation, but I think that the rest of the story should be acknowledged as well. Before we can “turn from our wicked ways “, we must recognize which ways are wicked.
We must stop pointing the finger at others (government leaders, civil “servants”, and even our neighbors, and take the responsibility on ourselves to change from our wicked ways. In Matthew 7: 1 – 12, Jesus says: “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive. Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who ask receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. I there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gift to those who ask him! In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you for this fulfill the law and the prophets.
If everyone does the above, then we would not have to worry about that the neighbor is doing or not doing. We would be so busy doing what God wants US to do that we would not have the time to judge anyone else. The return road to a Great America begins with YOU (and me). Remember that I am writing this to myself, first and then to share with whomever wished to lend their time and intelligence to be blessed and hopefully a little smarter. In ANY of my posts, should you find or have any corrections, I am open to hear them as well and if I am convinced, will offer the correction right here.
I want to thank all 6 of my “regular readers” and all of those who occassionally visit. You have encouraged me with your mere interest. I wish more people would “tune in” but maybe God knows I would “get the big head”, although I pray that others may benefit from my journal and discoveries in my journey to seek God’s will.
So, until the next time …
May God Bless You and Yours
Gene
No comments:
Post a Comment