The Affairs of Man

Greetings,

Today I want to share with you some of my thoughts and feelings about our country. I usually refrain from mixing politics, policies, or government with this blog but I feel like I need to say something. This blog is not meant to be a platform for one candidate or the other or one political party or another. This blog is about opinion...my opinion! That means that my opinion is not always going to match with your opinion. That is why they are called opinions. People disagree, it's ok. As much as I believe my opinions to be correct so should you. If you don't think that your opinion is true then you should change it. I have said all that to say this...I have an opinion about our country and I am going to share it with you today.

I worry about our country. I worry about it because I am a firm believer that God pays attention to the affairs of man. Let me say that again, God pays attention to the affairs of man. People's belief of what or who God is usually falls into three categories: (1) Grandpa God- This God is the grandpa of his creation. He took his time creating the world and now he has slipped into a comfy rocking chair on the porch of heaven and watches what happens to his creation. He doesn't mettle into its affairs, he doesn't try and fix problems, he just sits there watching and worrying. (2) Dictator God- This God refuses to let his creation ruin his creation. He sits upon his mighty throne refusing his creation any choice or free thought. His creation is too valuable to leave it up to mere mortals. (3) Parent God- This God parents his children. He protects them, loves them, and lets them make their own mistakes. He intervenes when necessary but always gives his children the opportunity to achieve and fail on their own.

I am a "Parent God" person. I believe that God has given us free will so that we have the opportunity to decide what is right and what is wrong. He watches us closely to see if His creation is drawing closer to Him. However, He is also a God who punishes His children when they need it. What good parent wouldn't? Yes, I believe that God is the best parent there is and that His parenting decisions are always right. That brings me to my next opinion and the reason for this blog.

I believe that God is watching our country and I believe that He is saddened by what He sees. I am not going to debate the details in this writing but I would be happy to do it any other time because I believe what I am saying. Our country is close to being disciplined by God. As I said before I believe that God pays attention to the affairs of man. I believe that He watches his creation and disciplines those who turn away from Him. I believe that our country, as a whole, is turning away from their creator. I am not talking about any one individual. To do so I would have to put myself on the top of the list. I am referring to the direction our country has taken.

Whether you believe that our country was founded on Godly principles or not we have called ourselves to be "one nation under God". At some point in time our country decided that which God already knew...we are God's creation! We were created by Him, called into a covenantal relationship with Him, and given the desire to be called back to Him. This country, all countries, finds themselves under the Lordship of Christ. Whether that country decides to obey that Lordship is something entirely different.

I watch the news each day. I read the newspaper each day. I am the weird guy that you find turning the channels so I can get to C-Span as quick as possible. In my ministry I see the effects of abuse and poverty. In short, I look at our country and I can't find God. That doesn't mean that God isn't represented in our nation, He is. What I mean is that the choices that are being made by our country, the course we have decided to follow the manner in which we have decided to present ourselves to each other and to the world has reached a critical mass. We have traded the sovereignty of God for ungodly practices and have called it acceptance and tolerance. We have turned our backs on the very things that God calls a nation to be and do and we call it progress and open-mindedness. We have taken the love of God and returned it void of what true love means. We hate and kill, abandon and abort, and lust for power and for each other. We have replaced the Almighty God with the almighty dollar and a day is coming when we will answer for the choices we have made.

Scripture tells us in 2 Chronicles 7:14 "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 will forgive their sin and heal their land." God wants us to turn back to Him. He gives us the very scripture to do so. Many people would say that those are words for Israel in Old Testament times. I believe those people are wrong. Scripture is given for all people at all times. That which was written in Old Testament times speaks to us with the same clarity today.

There has been a battle raging in the courts for years regarding the removal of the words "one nation under God". Many believe that, since government is not allowed to intervene in the beliefs and faiths of its people that those words should be taken out of our pledge of allegiance. I totally agree! I don't think that government should be allowed to interfere in my religion but that is not why I think those words should removed. I think they should be removed because we don't mean those words anymore. Our country is not one nation under God. Our nation has propped itself up and claimed that we are God!

CAUTION: HERE IS WHERE I GET TO MY PULPIT!

Brothers and sisters, if I have learned anything on my journey home it is this; we must find our way back to God! To do anything different is to be in direct disobedience to the Word He gave to us. I do not like what we have become! Yet, hope remains! We need to be a nation that gets down on its knees and prays for forgiveness. I am not that person who says that we need to return to the day before microwaves and cell phones, computers or electricity. I like those things and they are not what is causing our country to turn its back on God. We have turned our back on God and we made the choice to do it. Let's put the blame where the blame exists. We chose the world over God, we chose to worship other things besides Him, we made the mess and the mess can be cleaned up. However, the one who holds all the cleaning supplies sits on the throne of grace. "One nation under God", we use to mean it and we can again!

Blessings,

Derek