Our nation's legacy

"But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2, 5-6, 9-10 NKJV)

   These words, written by the Apostle Paul to the church at Thessolonica almost 2000 year ago, are as valid today as they were then. We live in a country that many would call a "Christian" nation but it certainly is not that today. Yes, we still have a majority of people who would classify themselves as Christians but they really do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and if they attended a church when they were young they have not darkened the door of a house of worship for many years or maybe once or twice a year. They do not take the teachings of Jesus seriously, nor do they believe that the Bible is the Word of God. For those of us who do take being a disciple of Jesus seriously we are not providing the type of witness to the rest of the nation and world of what it really means to be a follower of Christ.
   What are the consequences of this falling away from God and the laws He has laid down in His word that are all written down for our benefit? It means that we as nation can expect to be judged just as God has judged other nations in the past to include His very own people in Israel and Judah. We have been a blessed country for the first 200 years but I must say that in my short lifetime we have witnessed a steady decline in what has been called the "Judeo-Christian" beliefs. We have the destruction of the family and desecration of marriage. We have murdered the unborn and made divorce the rule rather than the exception. We have politicians and businessmen and women who don't think twice about lying or breaking the law to make more money or achieve more power.
    What can God do about such a nation that has the nerve to say it is "Christian" and do the things that it does in contradiction to His Word, the Bible.  Several years ago a young man who had grown up in the jungles of Venezuela worshiping demons and living in a primitive  stone age society, where it was alright to kill others and steel their women, and do whatever evil things their shamans (witch doctors) told them to do, was converted to Christianity and a few years later he was able to travel to the US with Mark Richie who had written the book ,Spirit of the Rain Forest: A Yanomami Shaman's Story .
    The young man had been given the name of Bautista (Baptist) after his conversion and he had a translator helping him as Mr. Richie took him to various universities in the US. "On one of these tours during a question and answer session someone asked Bautista a question. 'You keep talking about your people needing change. Just what kind of change do your people need?' Bautista answered: 'First of all, I want to make it very clear that any change apart from the gospel of Jesus Christ  will not help my people.' One of the professors stood up.  'I know you have been brainwashed by your friend there,' she said, pointing toward Gary (Dawson), 'because I have a good life, and I have not had to convert to Christianity to get it. My parents immigrated over here to get away from the fighting in Lebanon when I was just a little girl. I am at peace, yet I have not had to change my religion or culture to have that peace.'
    Bautista was silent a moment, then spoke. 'While out in the jungle, if I notice a storm approaching I grab my machete and begin to build a lean-to shelter. Working quickly, I cut the poles and palm leaves I need.  I then run and pull some vines to tie the whole thing together. I build my shelter and get under it before it starts raining. Now, if you come running up right before the storm breaks and I let you come in, you are dry because you are under my shelter. I submit to you that is what you have done here. My friend told me how this country was founded by people coming across the great water because they wanted to serve God. They built this country great by having the shelter of God's Word over them. You can live a life of peace here because you are under the shelter that they built. You have done nothing to deserve this life, but you are enjoying the benefits of their labor. Now my people on the other hand, have no shelter. So that is why I say the first and only change that will  really help my people is to have this shelter that is Jesus. We have no other hope.'
   Slowly the professor sat down. Bautista looked around bewildered at the standing ovation he received from the student body." (Growing Up Yanomamo by Michael Dawson pp. 312-313)
     God has indeed been gracious to this nation. We need to acknowledge Him and give him the praise and honor He deserves and realize that it is the responsibility of the Christians of this nation to turn to Him and seek His forgiveness for the the ways we have abandoned Him in this current generation. We have taken the Bible out of our classrooms where it was for the first 180 years of our existence. We need to stop the violence of abortion which has already snuffed out millions of lives that were created in the image of God. We need to turn back to our churches and reach out to those who don't know the Savior, Jesus Christ.
   How about you? Do you know the Savior who is called Jesus Christ? You can if you take the time to search for Him in His Word, the Bible. Start with the book of John and then keep on reading. Learn for yourself who it is who created the world and created you in His image. If you are already a born again believer, are you living for Him? Are you seeking His truth in the Bible daily and are you connected to a Bible-Beliving Church where you can serve Him in your community and around the world. If you are not, start today.

Pray

1. Lord help me to be a more faithful reader of Your Word and to spent time with you in prayer and meditation on Your Word, the Bible every day.
2. Lord, forgive me of my sins today. (name them specifically) Help me to keep my thoughts and actions pure today. Help me to be obedient to your commandments and teachings even when they don't always make sense to me.
3. Lord, forgive us as a nation for our manifold sins. Help us to elect godly men and women for our positions of government and let us return to being a nation that cherishes your Word and stands for the truth and justice in this country You have blessed so bountifully.
   

Prayer for our nation

 "Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people." Proverbs 14:34


    As we approach our nations birthday, or at least the day we have designated as our birthday, July 4th, 1776, the day the Declaration of Independence was signed, I am inclined to think that perhaps we are in bigger danger than we have been in the history of our republic. Yes, I am aware of the fact that there were many dark days during the Revolutionary War when it looked like the young republic would not survive its difficult birth. There were more dark days durning he War between the States as the country was torn asunder and brother fought against brother and hundreds of thousands died and many  times more were wounded. And of course there were the dark days of World War II when Germany had taken most of Europe and was driving toward Moscow while the Japanese flag was flying in the Philippines, Korea, and over most of Southwest Asia, and much of China.
     These were tough and trying times for sure, but one thing was different during those days. The majority of this country believed in God and many thousands were in prayer for our leaders and our military as they fought and died around the globe.  Today that is not the case. Today we do not look to God to save us from our  problems. We look to politicians, to the government, to our own ability, and to many other false gods that we have set up for ourselves.
    The prophet Daniel lived in a country that had been destroyed by Babylon because Judah had been guilty of these same kinds of sins. As a captive in Babylon, he knew what to do.  He knew who to pray to. He has set an awesome example for us in chapter 9 of the book by his name. Let us look at a few verses:
     "Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the LORD my God , and made confession, and said 'O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments.'" (Daniel 9:3-5, NKJV)

   He continues: "'O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day--to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries where You have scattered them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You. O Lord, to us belongs shame of face to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him."' (vs. 7-9)

   Later on Daniel pens these words; "'O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem,  Your Holy mountain; because our sins, and for the iniquity of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord's sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate."' (vs. 16-17)

    And finally, these words: "'O Lord hear! O Lord forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name."' (vs. 19)

   What an awesome prayer! You will probably want to read the whole chapter because it is all good and demonstrates the agony and sincerity of this magnificent man of God who knew how to pray and has provided this example for us to pray for our nation in like manner. The final words of verse 19 also point to a very key fact in all this. Even though we are not the chosen nation of Israel, we are His chosen sons and daughters if we are born again believers! We are His people and are called by His name! Let us pray like Daniel for our nation, for our churches, for our government, for our people, that He will forgive and He will heal our land.


Pray:

1. Thanking God for His manifold blessings in our lives and in the life or our nation.
2. Pray for our leaders in government, business, educational institutions, and churches.
3. Repent of your sins personally and cry out for forgiveness of our corporate sins as a church and as a nation.

The fruit of obedience

    "And Jesus came and spoke to them saying , 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen" (Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV)

     Have you ever felt like you are a failure for God? You have tried to do the things He has commanded you to do but they just didn't work our the way you thought they would? Are you discouraged, or are you resting on the fact that you are not in charge, God is? He is the One who knows what He is doing even though it doesn't make sense to you. '"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.'"(Isaiah 55:8-9, NKJV)
        In 1921 a missionary couple, David and Svea Flood from Sweden, went to Africa to what was then known as the Belgian Congo. There they teamed up with another couple, the Eriksons, and went to a small  village in the interior of the country. At the village of N'dolera they were met by the chief who would not let them enter the village in fear that they would anger the local gods. So they set up in a small mud hut a half mile outside the village and the chief allowed them to have contact with only one little boy who would sell them chickens and eggs twice a week. Sevea decided that if the young boy was the only person she could talk to, she would lead him to Jesus and, after a time, she did!
  A few months later, the Eriksons became discouraged with the constant bouts with malaria and the lack of contact with the people and they left. Sevea became pregnant and delivered a baby girl they named Aina. Sevea was so weak from her bouts with malaria that she died shortly after giving birth. David was devastated. He went back to the mission station, gave his new baby daughter to the Eriksons and went back to Sweden, a broken and disillusioned  man who then turned his back on God. Within 8 months the Eriksons also died of Malaria and the girl was turned over to American missionaries who renamed her Aggie and when she was 3 years old they returned to the United States.
     Her new parents then decided to stay in the U.S., entered pastoral ministry, and Aggie grew up in South Dakota. She grew up and attended a Bible college in Minnesota and then married a Dewey Hurst who also became a minister. The Hursts enjoyed a fruitful ministry and raised a daughter and son of their own and eventually settled in Seattle, Washington, where Dewey was president of a Christian college. One day a Swedish religious magazine appeared in Aggie's mailbox and in it was an article on Sevea Flood and a picture of a white cross with her name on it in Africa. Angie could not read Swedish so she went to the college to get someone to translate it. The story was about a missionary couple who had gone to a small village in Africa in 1921, how they had had a baby girl, and that the mother had died. Then the father had returned to Sweden, and that the little boy that Sevea had led to Christ, when he grew up, persuaded the chief to let him build a school. There he had lead all his students to a saving knowledge of Christ,  then the parents to Christ, and the chief also! Now there were 600 belivers in that village, all from the sacrifice of David and Sevea Flood!
   Several years later the Hursts were allowed to go to London to attend an Evangelism conference. One of the speakers was the Superintendent of the national church in Zaire, (formerly the Belgian Congo) and he said he represented 110,000 believers in his country. Angie went to him after he had spoken and asked him if he had ever heard of David and Sveah Flood. He replied that he had, "It was Svea Flood that led me Christ. I was the boy that brought food to your parents before you were born. In fact, to this day, your mother's grave and her memory are honored by all of us.You must come to Africa and see, because your mother is the most famous person in our history" (Fresh Power by Jim Cymbala, pp.115-120)
   This amazing story is one of many examples of our God working through situations that look like total failure but, in fact, are all orchestrated by our Lord to accomplish His purposes. What David  Flood saw as failure was, in actuality, a wonderful victory for that young boy and 600 people in that isolated village!
    How do I take this story and apply it to my life? What has God called you to do? Has he called you to walk across the street and minister to your neighbor? To work with the homeless downtown? To visit the sick and the shut-ins from your church? To go overseas for a short term or long term? Why not seek His guidance right now? Why not be obedient to that one thing He told you to do a long time ago but you have not gotten around to it yet. He know best. He knows why He created you in His image. It is to worship Him and reflect His glory in everything you do and to be obedient in the big and the little things He has shown you. He may not have called you to the jungles of Africa, but He has called you to be light and salt to where you are right now.

Let us pray.

1. Lord help me this day to spent time with You in prayer and in the reading of Your Scripture.
2. Help me to see, through Your Word, what a loving and faithful God you are.
3. Help me to be obedient to what Your Son has commanded me to do with this short time You have given me on this planet.