America Bless God
Most of us are coming out of a food coma now that Thanksgiving is over. I know at least I am. Some of us had a huge Thanksgiving feast, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, the whole menu. Some of us with multiple stops and family on different schedules (fortunately or unfortunately depending on your waist size) have to endure two such meals. I am one such fortunate soul as my toes are gradually disappearing again. For those of you who haven’t experienced Andrea’s prime rib (a turkey alternative) you won’t find any better anywhere.
This is the second event now behind us and fading. The election was the other big hurdle that weighed heavy for some for quite a while as we discussed on a couple of occasions. It seems God heard the prayers of the faithful and we were spared the complete removal of His Hand (only He knows why) and we’ve been given some time (Ps. 37:28, Ecc. 8:6, Jer. 10:24). But we really need to reflect and think, time for what? Think on this as this is where I want us to go.
As we just read the history and legacy of Thanksgiving, we can see how much has been watered down and filtered out since its inception. Right on the heels of Thanksgiving is “Black Friday.” Really? They’re shoving Christmas junk on the shelves once the Halloween costumes are gone. Not surprising as it is Satan’s tactics to compromise anything remotely connected with honoring God (1 John 4:1, Isa. 5:20). Like so many things in society, any mention of God is now taboo. We saw how the original festival was called Thanksgiving and Praise. It was designed to be a focus on honoring God and His grace and mercy for blessings bestowed upon us as a nation. If we take a step back and take a quick look, in our short history as a nation, we went from wilderness to the number one industrial nation on the planet in 200 years. Why? Like it or not, we were founded on Judeo-Christian principles. We honored God.
For the most part we were a civilized society. A lighthouse for the rest of the world.
Throughout our nation’s capital you can find countless monuments inscribed with scripture. The walls of the Supreme Court have the 10 Commandments written upon them. I know, I’ve seen them. The very room where our current president made the speech that said we are no longer a Christian nation, he stood in front of a fireplace with a prayer etched in marble written by John Adams. I know, I saw that too. The very lay out of the historical area of Washington, D.C. is in the shape of a cross. From the Capital Building to the Washington Monument, to the Lincoln Memorial is the vertical; and the cross bar is the White House to the Jefferson Memorial. Most of our colleges and universities were founded as seminaries to teach missionaries the Word of God. Harvard and Yale just to name a couple were founded primarily as seminary schools for teaching biblical courses for missionaries. My how they have changed. Even the lyrics to our songs of heritage are much more than patriot tunes with more than one verse. They were a tribute to our Creator for the blessings bestowed upon us as a nation. Just look them up on line and read them. So much of our heritage has been discarded and swept under the rug. No longer taught in our schools for the sake of diversity. Dismissed by an apathetic citizenry blinded by theocracy and content with complacency? Not really, just undermined by a clever enemy (Rev. 12:9).
We’ve all heard the song “God Bless America”. Most popularly sung by Kate Smith and her tremendous voice that can be heard from space. The way she belts it out can bring a crowd to its feet. It used to be a favorite of the Philadelphia Flyers years ago, when they won several Stanley Cup Championships. We’ve all seen numerous bumper stickers and other items with “God Bless America” plastered all over the place. Looking back at all the blessings of the past 240 years, why should God bless America? Have we really earned His continued mercies and blessings?
We profane His Commandments (Ezra 9:10, Neh. 1:7, Matt. 5:19), forget His Sabbaths (Ezek. 20:16, 22:26), counterfeit His Holy Days (Ex. 31:15, Col. 2:16), and changed the Gospel message to the “sinner’s prayer and go to heaven” (Jer. 14:14, Matt. 24:24, 2 Peter 2:1) just to name a few. We have re-written His Word with every revision to fit our current state of depravity regardless of consequence (Rev. 22:18). We have developed a cut and paste society of Christianity using scripture not wholly in context to fit the bill of goods the doctrine the “church” is trying to sell. You would think that after 2000 years of church growth (if they were really on track) they’d be routine on miracles on a daily basis and most disease and famine would be under semi control by now. Evidently something isn’t on track.
Now that I’ve vented a bit, we’ve been spared as a nation. Again. Maybe it’s time for America to bless God. If the election had gone the other way, which it still can (but doubtful) I fully believe as a Constitutional Republic we would be finished. However, I think ours is a call much higher than politics or government. This is a time for testing, especially for God’s chosen. No doubt your faith has been under fire this past year but if you’re sitting here, you haven’t failed (Phil. 1:6). There is no more time to play church (Rev. 3:16). If you want to do that, do yourself a favor and go to a Sunday church and don’t risk a roll of the dice on the Second Resurrection (Rev. 2:11, 21:8). The first harvest is serious business and this borrowed time is for the church. Time to tighten some nuts and bolts (1Peter 4:17). The church is need of an overhaul first. Trust me, I’m in line for the tune up as well (1 Tim. 1:12-17). How this will transpire will be a Divine revelation but some seed planting will be involved and this may be the beginning of the opportunity. We cannot play Johnny Appleseed unless we are equipped (2 Sam.15:15, 1Chron. 12:24).
It is time for God’s true church to stand (preferably kneel) in unison as one body (1 Cor. 1:10-13). Cast aside divisions, doctrines and man-made traditions and get back to the Word of God. Obey His Commandments (Prov. 3:1, John 14:15), remember His Sabbaths (Ex. 312:13, Lev. 19:3), remember His Holy Days (Lev. 23:36), and remember the true Gospel (Matt. 4:23, 9:35, 11:5, Mark 1:14, 4:26, Luke 4:18). If we do these things we will begin to bless God in a way that He deserves. No matter how much we give God, we can never come close to scratching the surface of what He has done for us—much less what He wants to do for us. But we must do our part and that is to be obedient to the His Word (Ex. 24:7). We have been given “borrowed time” and a tremendous opportunity to bless God. Please join with me in making the commitment to doing our very best. Amen.
God Bless America-lyrics
1. While the storm clouds gather far across the sea, let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free. Let us all be grateful for a land so fair, as we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.
God Bless America, land that I love. Stand beside her and guide her Through the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans white with foam. God Bless America, my home sweet home. God Bless America, my home sweet home.
RL-11/26/16