Now, that is an important thing to do when we face a problem, go to the Lord for help. But, with more time, when the world is between acute crises, s Paul Harvey used to say, what should we be doing?
Absolute right and wrong have existed since the foundation
of the world. This world was made perfect, with no sin, disease, death
etc. Once sin came into the world, such kindness, compassion, respect, etc. was not universal - to say nothing of all the other sins that were occurring. So, God provided a way to cover that sin, with all the sacrifices
made up until Jesus being symbols of what Jesus Christ, God in flesh,
would do for us. This is why John the Baptist sees Jesus and instantly cries out, "Behold the Lamb
of God which take us away the sin of the world."(John 1:29)
We, as one human race, were meant to communicate and
fellowship in a caring way without any interference by outside
differences. What differences there were in personality were meant to be celebrated and not be hindrances to communication..More importantly , we were meant to be honest, kind, caring, respectful, and many
other things to everyone, regardless of who they were. We were not meant to be selfishly uplifting ourselves at the expense of others, or putting others down needlessly. Certainly, we were meant to tell the truth in love (like, "Honey, you're a great cook, but Brussels sprouts in ice cream just doesn't seem like it would taste good.) And, we were meant to be able to laugh at our own foibles. (Such as , you'll never believe what flavor ice cream I tried to make - it was so silly!")
Why we stopped honoring those time-honored truths is very complex. At times, we were too legalist, and rather than sorting out which rules were appropriate people decided they didn't want any rules. There was no desire for a relationship, it was all about rules, and where there is no relationship there is no feeling of wanting to follow those Godly values; it's not true love when you follow rules because you have to, there needs to be that want to do so. In fact, one way that change of heart upon repentance has been described is that one's "want to' changes, their desire for certain things changes.
Where do we fit in?
First, we shouldn't expect the world to act like the Bible says true followers of Christ should act. It used to more often, though even then there were of course exceptions. Crime occurred in the 1950s and 1960s, but not with the frequency of today, for instance. Now, however, it should be easier to tell the difference between followers of Christ and the world
Sadly, it isn't always.
So, the first step is to be in the world but not of it. Follow those Godly rules of honesty, decency, compassion, and so on, while building a relationship with Jesus Christ so He will help you to draw people to Him.
And, so when yo pray for this country, He will hear you, as He will be a faithful friend, but like a true friend, He will say in a loving way, "Hey, you know this situation, here's a better way to do it where you'll show a more Godly example." And, of course, we know that Jesus Christ set the ultimate example. He won't try to keep you from making Brussels sprout ice cream, of course; His leadership will be in the areas of decency, courtesy, etc.. This is not so he can stop our fun but so we can have even more fun, so He can help us to have that life more abundantly He promises in John 10:10. After all, He gives us things such as in Philippians 4:8 we can focus on that are wonderful and fulfilling becasue they are much deeper than the oftentimes shallow things of today that don't last.
When people see our relationship with Jesus and how abundant our lives are, they will want to follow. That means those who have trusted Christ as Saviour and see you taking the lead, it also means those who hve never trusted Christ as Saviour.
The Holy Spirit's part
God plays a part, too. The Holy Spirit lives in each person who has trusted Christ, but His job is also to work int he lives of the unsaved and woo them to Christ. Here is a great article on the Spirit's work there, but to sum it up, the Holy Spirit is not there to convict people of the need to behave morally, he is there to convict people of the fact they fall short of the glory of God and need the Saviour; they need Christ's righteousness imputed to themselves becasue they can't stand on their own.
But, notice that this still requires us to work at not being like the world. Becasue, if people don't see a difference in us, they may say, "Wait, where's the fruit of this salvation you speak of?"
God understands that we all struggle at times. But, that's why He calls the Spirit the Comforter, so He can guide us in a loving way to follow Him, as we are comforted that He is there with us. We are commanded to be filled with the Spirit in Ephesians 5:17; that means a continual filling, a total control by the Spirit. It's how we can more easily flee from temptation(James 4:7-8) and take that way of escape God promises when we face temptation.(1 Cor. 10:13)
Of course, one can try to explain that just because someone says they are Christian doesn't mean they are, and that one should look to God's Word, but understanding that would require a common sense that is lacking in many today. So, how do we get that common sense back to restore America?
Restoring common sense will require God healing our land
There is a delicate balance between legalism and liberalism. It could be argued that the body of Christ has rarely had the right balance throughout history. But, what can't be argued is that a society founded on moral principles such s decency, fairness, compassion, mercy, etc., held those standards because they believed them to be right - common sense, really. it wouldn't be unusual to hear a person say, 100 years ago, "Well of course we need to be honest and have self-co0ntrol and..."
Where our culture has gone, though, we need God to heal us. But, the good news is that He is a God of second chances. We may face some major battles, but He can do it.
He needs us to take the lead, though.
That means he needs you, as a prayer warrior, as a spiritual leader no matter what age, gender, etc., as discussing at takethespirituallead.blogspot.com.
To encourage such things without seeming too preachy may be difficult, but look at the impact social media has on culture. It has been a part of some major positive and negative things. If you just keep tweeting this post and urging others to read, though, jsut that will be a major step. In fact, this should be done to any post in this blog as we must urge people to come to know the Lord. Because, only then will we see a change.
We can certainly be inclusive within the rules - we are all one race, of the same blood, and we know that your young people need help. Not everyone had a stable, two-parent home but everyone has access to Jesus Christ to guide and direct them if they just call on Him. They can also go to sites like Jesus2020.com (en Espanol, jesucristo2020.com) and click to talk to someone about the Lord. Young people can get organized, women can get organized, to take a stand against the meanness and oppression of the streets even without men present. Because, if God be for us, who can be against us, as the Bible says.
Our inner cities but also our suburbs and everywhere else need revival. It starts with you. And, that starts with knowing the Lord. So, I ask, have you come to the place in your life where you know if you died today, you would go to Heaven? And, what are you basing that on?
Salvation is by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.(Eph.2:8-9) God doesn't want us to be able to boast we were somebody special to get there, just as here on earth He doesn't want people to be puffed up in their own pride. It is so simple, each of us is only a single, sincere prayer of repentance away from eternal life.
And, while it is not the words that save, but Jesus who saves when you put your trust in Him, something like this in your own words as a simple heart-mind decision is all it takes... "Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I believe you took the punishment for my sin when you died on the cross and then you rose from the dead, becasue I can't save myself by my own good works. But, Lord Jesus, I believe you did all that was needed to get me to heaven, because you are God in flesh. Lord Jesus, today I choose to call on you to save me, I call on you to please forgive me and invite you into my heart and life, to make me a new creature. I repent, I turn away from all my sin and I trust you to save me. And, I believe by my simple faith that you have saved me and come into my heart and made me new inside. In Jesus' name,A men."
It could be short than that - Admit, Believe Call/Choose is a common way I've heard, as is Confess, Believe, Accept.
What matters is that God wants to save His people . He wants to hear our prayers. he wants to protect the children but nobody is stepping out in faith and praying for Him to do so and doing what they can, such as by spreadign the word and by sharing the Gospel.
Won't you please join in the movement to declare this our Independence Day, to be free to return this country to common sense - not on our own strength but with God's Holy Spirit leading the way. And, of course, being those Christlike examples, following the whole counsel of God, so that the world can see a difference and see, "Wow, those Christians love each other with an unconditional love, they care about others, they're so full of the joy of their relationship with Jesus Christ and not hung up on the outward appearance They aren't overwhelmed by lusts. They're not vulgar and mean sounding. I want what they have."
Because, when it comes down to it, we're just beggars telling other beggars where to find bread.
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