|
|
The Key to a Blessed Nation
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.”
Psalm 33:11–14
Speaking at a prayer breakfast in Dallas, Texas, in August of 1984, President Ronald Reagan said, “Those who created our country—the Founding Fathers and Mothers—understood that there is a divine order that transcends the human order. They saw the state, in fact, as a form of moral order and felt that the bedrock of moral order is religion. A state is nothing more than a reflection of its citizens; the more decent the citizens, the more decent the state. Without God, there is no virtue, because there’s no prompting of the conscience. Without God, there is a coarsening of the society. And without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”
As our nation moves further and further away from God, there is a temptation to despair. But in reality most of history has featured Christians living in hostile environments, both from government and from their surrounding culture. We are blessed in America with freedom of religion, but that is not a guarantee or a promise. And that freedom is under threat today as never before. The cure for America’s ills is not primarily found in electing different politicians, but in a change of heart in the people. That change can only come about through the transforming power of new life from salvation in Christ. What America needs most is not new leaders or laws, but a revival.
Psalm 33:11–14
Speaking at a prayer breakfast in Dallas, Texas, in August of 1984, President Ronald Reagan said, “Those who created our country—the Founding Fathers and Mothers—understood that there is a divine order that transcends the human order. They saw the state, in fact, as a form of moral order and felt that the bedrock of moral order is religion. A state is nothing more than a reflection of its citizens; the more decent the citizens, the more decent the state. Without God, there is no virtue, because there’s no prompting of the conscience. Without God, there is a coarsening of the society. And without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”
As our nation moves further and further away from God, there is a temptation to despair. But in reality most of history has featured Christians living in hostile environments, both from government and from their surrounding culture. We are blessed in America with freedom of religion, but that is not a guarantee or a promise. And that freedom is under threat today as never before. The cure for America’s ills is not primarily found in electing different politicians, but in a change of heart in the people. That change can only come about through the transforming power of new life from salvation in Christ. What America needs most is not new leaders or laws, but a revival.
Today’s Growth Principle:
The best thing a believer can do for his country is to be a faithful servant of Jesus Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment