2 Chronicles 19
4 Jehoshaphat..appointed judges in the land..He told them, "Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for man but for the LORD, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. 7 Now let the fear of the LORD be upon you..In Jerusalem also, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the
Levites, priests and heads of Israelite families to administer the law of the LORD and to settle disputes..He gave them these orders: "You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the LORD. 10
In every case that comes before you from your fellow countrymen who live in the cities—whether bloodshed or other concerns of the law, commands, decrees or ordinances—you are to warn them not to sin against the LORD; otherwise his wrath will come on you and your brothers. Do this, and you will not sin...Act with courage, and may the LORD be with those who do well."Our country is waiting. Waiting for change. For better, or for worse. Change that was promised, but somewhat vague. Change that is, at present, a secret. We cannot know how our money is being used to help our economy, and ooh, how scary the state of our economy truly is right now. Change that may be coming in the form of
incrimentalism.
Have you heard the Christian song that warns of a "Slow Fade?" It tells Christians that the nature of evil is to woo
slowly.
What changes are we expecting? One is the redistribution of
earnings.
Could spreading the wealth "slowly fade" into socialism, communism and/or a dictatorship? Yes. Historically, it has. Socialism cannot exist without an all-powerful government, and that cannot be without communism. Not saying I think it's going to happen, but we should not fall asleep.
The United States of America has held tightly to it's enviable qualities--qualities like capitalism, freedom, and democracy until now. Now we're loosing our grip because we want change. Change in the form of relinquishing our right to bear arms, you know, "the
midwest states are clinging to their religion and their guns?"
Our Constitution was written out of the law that God put in the hearts of man, out of the law that is the Bible itself. We have the right to bear arms so that we, the people, are able to resist government if government becomes corrupt and oppressive. In Mexico, guns are illegal. However, law enforcement walk the streets with guns. Because criminals have them. Take away our right to bear arms, and we are defenseless. Not saying I think that's going to happen, but we should pay attention. We want change. Change in the form of 10-12-year-old girls receiving abortions without their parents' knowledge.
What is the true purpose of government?
1) The purpose of government is to protect life. No more. We have no regard for the family or for the lives of the unborn. In this brand new season, abortions are to continue being performed at as late as 9 mos. gestation.
2) The purpose of government is to protect liberty. And lastly,
3) The purpose of government is to protect property.
The purpose of government is
not to dispense charity. Taking care of each other should be our Christian
responsibility.
Welfare should not be given indiscriminately but with discernment. The Bible says that he who
will not work, neither let him eat, and that he who will not provide for his family is worse than an infidel. We should give out of love, mercy and our ability. Taxation robs us of the opportunity to give as is fitting.
Another piece is
health care for all. I've known, personally, individuals who sought elective surgeries knowing in advance that they would tell bill collectors to write it off. They knew that they could eventually dodge paying their medical bills while their car notes and rent would not be so easily forgiven. Then, they went out and bought designer purses. I had kidney surgery and wondered why my bills were so high. In Houston, it is not uncommon to wait all night long for your child to see an ER doctor. Too many are taking advantage of the system already, and
health care for all means it's less
accessible for all. Free treatment should be for children and for those adults truly without means.
Our president refuses to call himself a Christian because he does not want to align himself with any identity. He is reluctant to demonstrate patriotism. He does stand for something though. Change.
If pastors had had the courage to speak out, more frightened Christians might have known what to do and how to process this "change." But that's okay. God is in His throne, and we're still here so we can start to speak up.
But, some Christians believe we are to keep our Christian values separate from our politics. That's not scriptural, but that's what we'll have if that's what we want. We'll undo the Constitution and we'll leave a disaster for our children and children's children to try to ameliorate. Politics, democracy, as we know it, is in our hands because Christian men put man's law up against God's law and fought for that access. Our future might not afford us the opportunity to vote Christian, so perhaps we're just practicing now.
Some Christians believe that we are to refrain from political discourse as it causes divisiveness among Christians. Political discourse should not cause divisiveness if we are all on our knees and reading the same Bible.
Some Christians believe that since Jesus was not a Republican or Democrat, we should not examine the values belonging to our two primary parties, but should just be what we are, Christians. That's half-way correct, half-way a cop-out. It's not about Republican vs. Democrat. But, it is about good vs. evil.
Some Christians want only to think of the Precious Moments-type God, the God of Love. God is also a God of just wrath. He destroyed cities that pushed Him out and traded His law for their own. Bad things happen when good people do nothing. Silence, an idle mind, thoughts unexamined, and passivity invite evil, which is, at this time, the more ambitious force. Christians, history repeats itself. I read an interesting message this morning:
Roughly every 200 years, mankind goes
1. From bondage to spiritual
faith;
2. From spiritual faith to great
courage;
3. From courage to
liberty;
4. From liberty to
abundance;
5. From abundance to
complacency;
6. From complacency to
apathy;
7. From apathy to
dependence;
8. From dependence back into
bondage'
Christians, Let's look back a couple centuries ago. Our pioneer forefathers were not silent. They spoke out. They secured our freedom. They made this country what it still is, barely. Where are we now? Where are we headed? Are real dangers inherent in the changes that are coming? With our
finances crumbling underfoot, are we going to just roll with it and see what happens? Are we not going to try to help ourselves? Are we really giving up? Why are we silent?
