As I was sharing yesterday, there is much for which we can be thankful as believers in Christ. God loves us, He sent His Son to save us, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, and we are empowered to live the life He intends. We have incredible wisdom that is given to us, and we have been called by God to serve Him wholeheartedly. And, we have victory over sin through Jesus. Psalm 118 (ESV) declares:
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord's doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
We can celebrate what God has done in so many ways.
We have just completed a time of historical celebration that I believe can and should be very valuable for Christians who have been placed here in this country in order to share the light of Christ. But there are many Americans who don’t recognize what has just happened.
The Hill reported just before the Fourth of July:
A nation-wide poll conducted by the libertarian think tank Cato Institute found that only 53 percent of respondents could correctly identify the adoption of the Declaration of Independence as the historical event marked by July 4.
Forty-six percent of Americans surveyed said they did not know what the day commemorated, including 61 percent of Gen Z respondents.
You’ve probably heard the old saying that those who don’t remember the past are doomed to repeat it. While it is true Jesus has set us free from past pain and sinful behavior, there are elements of our past that God will use to teach us in the present and the future. Past mistakes or failures can provide a foundation for future triumphs in the Lord. So, a working knowledge of history can be extremely beneficial as we apply solutions for the challenges we face individually and collectively.
Back to the survey. The Hill relates: “While a majority of respondents in the Cato survey, 86 percent, expressed their gratitude to be Americans, 60 percent said they believe the country has moved away from its founding principles.”
I think that when you see some of the cultural trends, including our fascination with godless socialism that is taking root, we are certainly in danger of rejecting the founding principles, which are consistent with a Biblical worldview. As the article noted, in that Cato survey, over half of Americans said that the U.S. “could cease to be a free nation in the next 50 years.” It reminds me of Benjamin Franklin approval of the new United States being a “republic…” “if you can keep it.”
What can the body of Christ contribute to preserving American ideals? Quite a bit, really. Of course, we can pray for our leaders, according to 1st Timothy chapter 2. We can also make sure we are engaged in the process of selecting our leaders, and vote for candidates who best exemplify our deeply-held Christian principles. In much of the Faith Radio broadcast area in Alabama, voters will be going to the polls on August 11 for primary elections to select candidates for the November 3 general election in selected Congressional districts. Make sure those dates are on your calendar!
In addition to prayer and civic engagement, we should be in a constant state of reliance on the Holy Spirit to communicate truth to others, with the most significant truth being that Jesus came to bring salvation to those who do not know Him. We speak so often about issues that the Scriptures speaks to - if a person does not know the Lord, we cannot expect him or her to think from a Biblical worldview. But, through changed hearts, we can see the glory of the Lord expressed throughout our culture.