Does America Need God?

In a word, yes.

Despite all the talk of how America was not intended to be a Christian nation, and how the Founding Fathers were not Christian, all one has to do is read the founding documents of our great country to see that those men understood just how much we need God. Read the Declaration of Independence. If not God, then who is referred to as Nature's God, the Creator, Supreme Judge of the world, and Divine Providence in that incredible document?

They called upon God as the authority which entitled them (and us) to a separate and equal station and endowed upon us certain unalienable rights. They appealed to Him for the rectitude (morality) of their intentions, and relied upon His protection for their endeavor.

Did they think they needed God? It sure sounds like it to me.

That was then . . . do we need God today?

 Here's what John Adams, our second president and one of the authors of our Constitution, said on the matter: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." 

One of the guys who wrote the law of the land said it would only work for a moral and religious people. That is a statement for all ages. He who wrote the rules, and I would argue understood more than anyone today the intention behind those rules, definitively stated that America would always need God.

Why?

Because America is founded on the principles of liberty and freedom. An immoral people cannot function under such principles. Without morality, without that inner compass guiding the vast majority of the people, freedom fails. An immoral people operating under the principles of liberty will result in anarchy. Every man for himself.


Where does morality come from? Adams declared, as did many other of the Founding Fathers and  great people throughout our nation's history, that morality comes from belief in and obedience to God. If not from God, then from where does morality come?

For America to function as America, the Land of the Free, morality must reign over our thoughts and actions. If not, then rules must be put in place to maintain order. The less morality, the more rules are needed until such a point that when morality ceases to exist every aspect of our lives must be guided by distinct rules. It is then that freedom and liberty die.

America needs God.

Not only because He sustains all things. Not only because He is the Supreme Ruler of all. America needs God because without Him, we cannot be who we are. If we do not answer, as a people, to God, then we must, as a necessity, be ruled by government in all that we do. If that day comes, we will no longer be the United States of America of the Declaration of Independence. We will no longer be the United States of America of our grandfathers. We will no longer be America.

We need God to be who we are. The Founding Fathers knew that, and tried desperately to convey that to future generations--to us. The only question is, will we heed their warning?

 

What If We Prayed As Much As We Play?

I like to have fun.

To me, having fun means doing something. I'm an active person, and most of my recreations involve getting out and moving. I like soccer and softball, cycling and camping, hunting and fishing, among other things. They all require work and effort, and I love it. When I'm doing one of these things, I'm all-in.

Each of these take a considerable amount of precious time, as well. I play soccer pretty regularly twice a week for 2-3 hours. Softball in the summer takes as least one evening. Hunting and fishing are at least half-day affairs. A bike ride for me is at least an hour and a half, camping a full weekend.

Most of these activities are done with at least part of my family, so I could say I do them to spend time with those I love, and that's part of the reason. The main reason for these activities, though, is because I enjoy them. I like to have fun.

The thing is . . .

I'm supposed to be a grown up. That doesn't mean I can't have fun anymore, but it does mean I have to have priorities in life. Not only am I supposed to be grown up, I'm a Christian. That means my priority should be God.

How do we know what our priorities are? It's not that hard. Where do you spend your time, your money, and your attention? Those are your priorities. Stop and think about that. Where do your resources go? Those are your priorities.

So I have a question.

What if spent as much time praying as we do other things?

How much closer would we be to God? A lot, I should think. Praying is about communicating and communing with God. Those people I am closest to are the ones I spend the most time with. I make them a priority, and sacrifice other things in my life to spend time with them.

What if we cut out some of our play time--whether it be sports, television, games or whatever--and spent that time with God? Do you think, perhaps, our priorities would change? I do. I most certainly do.

I know from experience that where I spend my time is where my mind is. When I work extra hours, I think about work more. When I play an extra game of whatever, I spend more time thinking about that game. When I spend more time with God, more of my thoughts are about Him.

It's common sense, really.

So how would our lives change if we spent more time in prayer? For starters, I think we'd be a lot less selfish. When you are more focused on God, you are less focused on yourself. We'd be more in tune to not only what God wants, but what other people need. Why? Because knowing God is knowing that what He wants is for us to love Him, and to love other people. The more time you spend with God, the more you will love those around you--including those you find hard to love.

In many ways, we are what we do. If we spend time with God, we are God-followers. If we neglect time with God and invest ourselves elsewhere, then we are followers of whatever has our attention at the time. The Bible says, Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21). And I'm here to tell you, one of my greatest treasures is my time.

What if we prayed as much as we play? We'd be a different people.

Look around the world today. Do you think that would be a bad thing?

Who Makes The Calls In Your Life?

There are a lot of sports going on right now.

Football. Baseball. Soccer. Volleyball. Cross Country. The ParaOlympics in Rio. That's just naming a few. While some sports are similar, others are quite different. What they all have in common is some kind of officiating. Someone is overseeing the competition to ensure the rules are followed, and enforce penalties if they are not.

In many sports, the officials work as a team. Some have officials off the field, or even off-site, to watch video replays of questionable situations. It's interesting to watch when the officials get together to discuss a particular event. You know they don't agree all the time, and can imagine the conversations. "I saw number 4 do this."  "No, it was 14." "No, he didn't do anything. I had the right angle to see." 

Eventually, they come to a consensus, or the head official makes the call. Do they always get it right? I'll let the real sport's fans make that call. I do believe, in the vast majority of cases, they do the best they can to be fair and right. They watch the game and call 'em as they see 'em.

We have people watching us, too.

Like it or not, we're being watched more than we might realize. Police officers patrol the roads to make sure we follows traffic laws. TSA officials enforce rules at the airport. The IRS scrutinizes our tax returns. Our bosses watch what we do at work. Teachers check our work at school. The list goes on and on. Without rules, and people to enforce them, we'd have anarchy, and despite the misguided beliefs of a few "wingers" on the right and left, anarchy is bad.

There are still other people watching us, those being in a less official capacity. The gossip who keeps track of everything in the community. The critic who wants nothing more than to see someone step out of line. The nit-picker. The self-appointed social media monitor. The holier-than-thou. The know it all. That list goes on and on as well.

Everything we do, from what we wear to what we eat, what time we get up and go to bed, where we go and who we're with, is scrutinized and judged. Someone decides, based on what they see and what they believe, if we're right, or we're wrong. They also call 'em as they see 'em.  But are they right?

Be careful who makes the calls in your life.

When it comes to those in official capacities, we are instructed by the Bible to respect and submit to their authority (Romans 13). There are exceptions, such as when their demands contradict God's, but otherwise we are to honor and respect them for the position God has placed them in.

When it comes to those others, though, those in self-appointed roles of "observe and protect," we must be careful. Some truly have our best interests in mind, others simply do not. Either way, they're not the ones to whom we should defer for decisions on how we live. For that matter, neither is any government or system. Ultimately, the one who makes the calls in our life should be God.

God is the final, and only true judge. He is the one, and the only one, who clearly and completely sees all. Through His word, His teachings, and His speaking to us in various ways, He tells us what we are to do, and not to do. It is to His "officiating" that we should, and one day will, ultimately defer. God has the final say. He is the head official.

The next time you're not sure about a call, whether you've done something or should do something according to what is right and wrong, ask God. He doesn't need instant replay. He doesn't require an official review. He won't confer with anyone else to get their opinion. He knows, without question. After all, He's the one who made the rules in the first place.

Who better to decide if you stepped out of bounds, or made it in the end zone?

What Really Matters

Sometimes to see what really matters, you have to get on your knees.

From there, everything looks different. The world seems farther away, and somehow smaller, or at least less important. Our own pride and ambitions don't seem to mean as much when we're not running around pursuing them.

In the quiet solitude of prayer, you hear what was before blocked out by the clamor and chaos. You understand puzzles before unsolvable. What was unseen becomes visible.

A change in perspective changes everything.

To see clearly, you have to close your eyes.

Not necessarily literally, although that does help me. Figuratively, though, we must close our eyes to the world if we want to truly see. We must block out the distractions and focus on what remains. It is only then that we can perceive, that we can winnow the wheat from the chaff.

With eyes closed to that which pulls us away, we are drawn to what is important. No longer distracted by fleeting shadows of concern, desire, pride, and the myriad other diversions, our eyes are really opened.

Now we can see.

The needs of the people around us appear. The fullness of our own forgiveness, and the need to forgive, becomes apparent. The importance of faith, family and friends comes to the forefront. We can cherish the gift of life, the prospect of life ever-lasting, and the fleeting time we have in between.

From our lowly position, the cross is formidable, but not forbidding. A fortress, not a prison. Our Father, never seen but rather felt and heard, intimately close. We can sense His presence, His care, His love. Perhaps even His discipline, His rebuke, His guidance. But always in love.

Now we see. As clearly as we can, we see priority and a path to follow. From here the narrow gate stands out, away from the crowds. By lowering ourselves, we have risen above the noise, the clutter, the obfuscating illusions of the world.

What really matters?

Get on your knees, close your eyes, and find out for yourself. You might be surprised by what you see.

There Is Hope

We're surrounded by stories of gloom and despair.

From the political arena to the courts (is there a difference anymore?), from our schools to our churches, from where we live to where we work. Stories of our faith and our beliefs being trampled, scorned, ridiculed, silenced and even outlawed.

In sports arenas around the country athlete performers are grabbing the cameras and the headlines by disrespecting our national anthem. Yes, they have that right, but that doesn't make it right. The enemy has already stolen the Pledge of Allegiance. Who wants to wager "In God We Trust" isn't next?

They've taken prayer and the Pledge from our schools, the Ten Commandments from courts, God out of marriage, and truth out of just about everything. We're losing, folks. Or so it seems.

I'd like to say it's all an illusion.

I'd like to say we're really winning, but I can't. I know we--meaning Christians--win in the end. Or rather, God wins and we Christians will be on His side. But on a more personal level for me, for my country, I'm not so sure.

There's something we have to keep in mind, something very, very important. We, the United States of America, are not God's chosen nation. There is no promise from Him to keep us or sustain us. There's no promise of our eradication, no curse of our existence, either. In fact, in case you missed it, there's no mention of us at all. No promise of a protected remnant, no future glorious revolution. Only silence.

That's humbling, and perhaps that's the point.

All things considered, it looks pretty bleak.

We are climbing deeper and deeper into a moral morass, or even moral anarchy. Our debt is uncontrollable, unsustainable. Our greed is insatiable, our pride unbelievable. Where once we seemed unstoppable, we now appear improbable. We once were feared, but now are mocked.

If any of this sounds familiar, you must know your history, or perhaps your Bible. For tales of the rise and fall of past powers found in both sound eerily similar to our own. 

It is frightening, to say the least. 

In all of this, though, there is hope.

Our ultimate hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have placed your trust in Him, then you have nothing to fear in how this all shakes out. We have eternal glory to look forward to, and as Paul said, our current struggles are not worth considering in light of our future glory.

There are also glimmers of hope in this world. The story of our country has gone from raging river to meandering stream, but all is not lost. Not yet. Even in the darkness, there are glimmers of hope.

High school football players laying orange roses at the feet of a cheerleader battling cancer. School districts standing up to asinine orders from on high. Politicians standing firmly against the rising tide of impertinent arrogance. Families praying together. Husbands honoring their oaths. Mothers loving their children. Men and women giving their lives for the sake of another, for the sake of their country.

In the darkness, there is light. We are called to be carriers of that light. Not to hide the truth within us, but to stand courageous and firm atop the hilltops and shine brilliantly for all to see. To not remove ourselves from the world, but to be salt within it. To never give up, but rather fight, to our very last breath if needed, for what is right.

Here and there, stories are emerging of brave soldiers of the faith doing just that. As did Paul. As did Peter. As did James, and John, and Stephen, and Jesus Christ Himself. Many would say they all lost. Many would say they failed. I would say they stayed the course. I would say they were victorious.

I would say, yes, America, there is hope.

A Call To Arms

It's time to stand.

We are under attack. Our values, our beliefs, our way of life. What is at stake is our freedom and our right to exist. Our enemy seeks to destroy us, and not only us but our future, by capturing the hearts, minds, and souls of our children.

It's time to stand.

We can no longer sit on the sideline, or kneel in the trenches, hoping the enemy will pass us by. Hiding is a hopeless option. Silence and inaction will ensure our defeat. We only have one option.

Stand.

As we are told to do.

Many places in the Bible we are told to stand for what we believe, for what God has told us is right and good. Stand firm. Be courageous. Fight the good fight. Battle. Strive. Persevere.

Ephesians 6:10-18 speaks of preparing for battle. We are to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Paul then defines for us the various elements of the full armor of God. Why? So that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 

The day of evil is here. It has come.

It's time to put on your armor.

What is the armor of God? It is the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

That is our battle gear. It's time to get dressed. It's time to prepare for war. It's time to stand.

I don't have to tell you what we are standing against. Every day we face assaults, full-on frontal attacks. We are besieged with lies, attacked with hatred, bombarded by evil. Immorality floods our streets, our homes, our schools, our televisions, our internet. Deceit lurks in the shadows, sniping at our front lines. The infantry of hatred surrounds us.

The battle is here.

We have received the call to arms.

The alarm has been sounded. We cannot ignore it. It is our duty, our responsibility, our promise and our pledge to respond. It is our honor to defend the name of Christ, our privilege to fight for His cause. It is our day to stand. To fight. To defend. To overcome.

This is our time.

How will we respond? 

When We Are Alone, That Is Who We Are

I am what you don't see.

Our church is preparing to go through James MacDonald's study, Authentic. Watching the first lesson in preparation to teach, what jumped out at me was this thought: We are who we are when no one can see us.

Think about that.

I can pretend to be a lot of things when people are around. I can fake being happy when I'm not. I can be friendly towards people I'd rather not be around. I can clean up my act when I know someone is watching, but that isn't who I am. That's an act.

Who I am is who I am when you aren't there.

The real me comes out when we're alone.

Let's just cut to the chase here. I (or you) might go to church every Sunday, but what about the rest of the week. When the "church" isn't around, are you spending any time with God? Is the only exposure to God's Word you get come on Sunday morning? Do you pray in any way other than to bow your head and think of something else when the pastor prays?

When you're alone, are you a follower of Christ? Are you a Christian?

Other than Sunday, do you know where your Bible is? Is it where you left it last Sunday afternoon? Does the same mouth that sings in praise to God on Sunday ever mention Him on Monday, Tuesday . . . Saturday, other than in vain? Alone at your desk, paying bills and balancing your accounts, is God even a thought?  Sunday morning you might shake the hand of a stranger (or at least you should); what about Monday?

When you say you will pray for someone, do you? After raising your hand and singing, "I surrender all," or "I will trust in you," do you? After you leave the church, and no one's around, who are you?

Your mind, your eyes, your body--where do they go? What do they do?

What do you think about, what do you look at, what do you do when no one is around? When you strip off the mask, the costume, the cosmetics of who you want people to think you are, what is left? When you're not trying to pretend to be who you think you should, who are you really?

The private I is the real me. If I dwell on immoral thoughts, I am immoral. If my eyes feast on carnal images, I am carnal. If I do unholy things with my body, I am unholy. If I don't act like a Christian, I'm probably not. I'd dare not do these in public, but when no one's watching? That's when I will be who I am. If I am Christlike, my private life will reflect Christ. If I am not, it won't.

It is the unseen, private life I live that is the life I desire, and the definition of who I am.

And God knows.

Think not for a moment that you're fooling God. You might fool me. You might fool your neighbors. You might fool your pastor, your elders, your fellow church-goers, but you'll not for a second fool the all-seeing, omniscient God Almighty. There's no hole deep enough, walls thick enough, mask effective enough to keep Him from knowing who you truly are.

He knows what you think, what you do, and why. Big Brother may or may not be watching you, but I guarantee God is. Think no one saw that Snapchat but your secret friend? Think again. Think deleting your browser history covers your tracks? Not hardly. Think God doesn't know, or care, what you do or don't do when you're all by your lonesome? Who do you think God is? Who do you think you are?

When we are alone, that is who we are.

Think about that.

Don't like what it tells you?

Then be someone else.

Today Is A Really Good Day (And So Was Yesterday)

I don't believe there is such a thing as a perfect day.

Not in this life. I've had good days, really, really good days. Days that I wished could go on forever. Days that I wanted to repeat, relive, revisit. Happy days, successful days, exciting days, lazy days--each good in their own way, but not a one of them perfect.

Why?

The simple "church" answer would be to say because sin exists in the world, and that would be correct. Until sin is abolished, we will not know perfection. But that's not what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about the other thing that gets in the way of perfection, that obstacle which seems to interfere with perfection at every opportunity.

Me.

Why me?

Why do I think I am the obstacle that interferes with perfection? Because we are talking about a subjective experience--my perception of a day as being perfect--and I struggle to know what perfection is. That's another way of saying I'm hard to please. I think we all are.

Let's take something simple, like the weather. What's a perfect weather day? Most people would say it starts with clear, blue skies. Maybe a few puffy white clouds. 80 degrees, a little breeze, low humidity. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Unless you are running, then it might be a little too warm, or if you are swimming, a little too cool.What's good weather to sit outside in the shade isn't so great when you get in your hot car.

What I'm trying to say is we all can find something to be a little less than perfectly satisfied. That perfect, 80 degree, sun-shine filled day is perfect, until we want something just a little different. The problem is, we are picky, finicky, fussy, and hard to please.

And that's just with the weather.

When it comes to what happens in our near-perfect day weather wise, our perfection meters bottom out fast. First, do any of you know any perfect people? Be honest. I'm not perfect. Are you?  So unless our day is going to be people-less, there's another shot below the waterline of our perfect day. Then we have to eat. When was your last, absolutely perfect meal? Three times in one day? A day when you never had a single ache or pain, not one stress or worry, not a single dissatisfying experience?

It's never happened for me. There are simply too many variables, too many things that can, in my eyes, go wrong. And remember, it's our perception of perfection we are talking about. In light of that, honestly admitting how finicky we truly are, I don't think a perfect day is possible. Not until we see heaven, or see Jesus return. Then we'll know--without a doubt--what perfection is. Until then, we're either going to be constantly disappointed, or we have to change our expectation.

So what about good?

I don't want to live a life of disappointment. If I expect my days to be perfect, that's exactly what's going to happen. From the time I wake up with a sore back to the time I have trouble falling asleep, a myriad of disappointments are going to assail me. If I expect perfection, I'm not going to get it.

So I don't. I don't expect perfection. Not to be misunderstood, I'm not saying I don't aim for perfection (2 Corinthians 13:11). I try to be perfect (and fail!). I don't expect you to be perfect. I don't expect the weather to be perfect. What I try to do is recognize what is good. When I do that, I realize I have a whole lot more good days than bad. In fact, even in my "bad days," there's usually more good than bad if I take the trouble to look for it.

I'm alive. I have Jesus as my Savior, and therefore I have eternal life. I have a wife and family, a comfortable home, more food than I could possibly eat. I live in a safe environment in a country with many freedoms.  God has provided me with much, much more than I deserve. That's pretty good, I'd say.

So I have to say, today is a really good day.

It's just starting. I don't know what will happen, or how it will end. Looking at the paragraph above, however, I have to say that today is a good day. And yesterday, though not perfect, was pretty good too.