| “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.” |
| —Proverbs 14:34 |
As we celebrate the anniversary of the birth of our great nation, I feel a nearly overwhelming sense of shame at what our once amazing nation has become over the course of my lifetime.
Yes, we remain the greatest nation on earth and there is no other country where I would prefer to live. But, we have more and more lost our way. Even people who call themselves Christians have largely become so enamored of the culture that they have abandoned their heretofore deeply held sense of right and wrong.
I will soon celebrate my 75th birthday. As I look back over the years of my life, I am appalled at the downward spiral our nation has taken. Today, we are more divided than at any other time in my life.
Not only do we have deep philosophical differences with regard to how the government should rule our nation, the political climate has become horribly rancorous on both sides of the political spectrum. At every turn, the government intrudes more and more into our lives. It takes away our freedoms and makes us victims of foolish and soul-weakening policies.
In the name of helping the less fortunate, we have created an underclass that has little motivation to rise above their dependence on the government for help. Instead of giving those in need a hand up, we are miring them under the weight of government handouts that leave them with utterly no incentive to strive for a better life.
Gross sin abounds in our nation to such an extent that is almost unimaginable. The unwed birth rate has become astronomical. Sexual deviation has been declared normative. Mental illness of a wide variety of presentations has become celebrated as normal. Not only do people cheat and lie with regularity, the government itself has become the biggest cheater and liar of all.
God has been kicked out of the public square. Our nation that was founded on Judeo-Christian values has tried to re-write history to cover its departure from the very principles on which it was founded. King Solomon could have been writing about the United States of America when he penned these words found in Proverbs 14:34:
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.
In the midst of our wretched condition, I still retain the hope that God will withhold His judgment yet a little longer and send a great revival to our land. I pray each day for His mercy on America.
But, we who belong to Christ need to examine our own hearts and repent at the same time that we pray for God’s mercy for our nation. Where we have turned from righteousness in our own lives, we need to return to God. We need to ask God to fill our hearts and minds with His love.
We must love God with all four human modalities: heart, soul, mind, and strength—emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and physical. We must love our neighbors with same intensity of love with which we love ourselves.
If we allow the righteousness of Christ to fill our beings, perhaps then we will once again become salt and light in this deeply troubled nation. At least that's my prayer on this day of the anniversary of our nation’s birth. Will you join me in this prayer?
Based on a blog originally posted on Monday, July 4, 2016
