|
THE ROOT CAUSE There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) Walden (1854)
I know some were thinking like I was...how are you going to rid evil from our land, George, when you can’t even rid it from your own household?
Fact is, evil has been in the world, day in-day out, 24/7, for roughly the last 6000 years (I’m a Creationist not an Evolutionist), and no one is getting rid of Satan except the Son of Man Himself upon His return. Oh, we’ve been doing a lousy job of placing band-aids on our problems, but we refuse to get at the root cause and accept the cure.
And what is the root cause of the problems our country is facing? Simple one word answer...sin.
How can we rid our country of the sin we have brought upon us by our wayward deeds? The Lord Himself tells us in 2 Chronicles 7:14, when He says... If my people, which are called out by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Stats...we’re the number one importer of drugs. We’re the number one exporter of pornography. We’re the number one country in abortions...
We’re also the number one country in the world, by far, in charity and giving and prayer.
How can we possibly go from one extreme to another in this schizophrenic tug of war? Why do we, as a nation, pray when we’re faced with unrelenting, in your face, devastation, yet look the other way to the silent evil around us (that have made us the number one country in stats)?
No one person, no matter the position or power they have, can rid the evil from any land on the face of this earth. That’s an impossible fantasy (and you know how I hate to have to use that word, but I’m a realistic dreamer).
As a whole, as a nation, can pray and seek God’s face. With the drugs and pornography and abortions, and all the other crap this land has an affection for, we can say, "Enough is enough!"
I’m not saying we have to be milk and cookies squeaky clean. No one can be that. I can’t even be that, and if anyone says they can, I know there’s something they’re hiding.
But we can look at ourselves in the mirror and judge accordingly. What would the outcome be? If I were God, I’d send me to Hell for eternity. That’s just an honest assessment of myself. I make no judgment of anyone else.
And that’s why I LOVE this time of year. I love not just the season, but the Reason for it. I love not the commercialism of the season, but the Spirituality of the entire whole. I love the fact that I see more people as a nation wanting to seek God’s face, and reflect upon Him; His birth, death and rebirth...so, why can’t we have that feeling all year ‘round?
We can and we should. And, as to what’s been happening these last few months we need to get back and acknowledge the basic truths...that God the Father loved us enough to send God the Son to die and shed His blood for us, so that we may be able to fellowship with Them in eternal Paradise. That’s good news and that’s exciting, and that’s why I love this time of year, even though I’m well aware of the fact that Jesus was not born on December 25th in the year zero AD.
Because of Jesus we have a choice as to where we wish to spend eternity. Because of Jesus, our calendar was changed. There are more hymns written about Jesus than anyone else. You either love Him or hate Him, but one thing’s for sure, no one who hears of Him and His story (history) ever forgets Him. Jesus is the only figure throughout history that this country, the united States; one nation under God, celebrates both His birth, death and rebirth.
I gear up for this end of year joy in August. That’s when I bring out Handel’s Messiah and the rest of the Christmas carols, fill the CD machine and play them all day. I sing along where only my dog has to suffer through the ordeal. I reflect upon the words. I pray for others that come into my mind at that particular time I may not know why. I rejoice at being alive and in good health, and smile at the thought of one day returning Home.
Do we really want to get back to our Christian roots of what our forefathers dreamed and dared to give us 225 years ago...of really, truly being one nation under God? Than we must stop hacking at the branches and put the ax to the main root that has been choking the life out of our liberty. We must stand up and be accounted before God and man.
Impossible you say? Let you in on a secret...want to know the most powerful Christians in the world? Children. Seniors. The handicap. The bed ridden. The poor. The destitute. The invalids. Why are they so powerful? Because they have more time to be prayer Warriors than the rest of us in the trenches. They have nothing to lose and all to gain. If I were reining havoc on this country in doing abortions or dealing in drugs or pornography, I wouldn’t want some bed ridden Senior or child praying against me by asking God to change my soul. You can do something. You can be of service. Just ask.
Parting thought...a favorite decoration when trimming the tree is the candy cane. We’ve all grown up with them. I sometimes reflect upon the story of the candy maker who wanted to be of service to his Lord, but what could he, a lowly confectionary do? He prayed about this and then a thought came...he would create a sweet that would symbolize the true meaning of Christmas.
He began making his concoction using two colors, red and white. These would symbolize the purity of Christ (white) and the shedding of His blood at Calvary (red). For a proper shape, he rolled and formed the substance into a Shepard’s staff. As the sweet treat hardened, the candy maker noticed it was also the letter "J" when turned upside down. The hard candy represented the Rock of all Ages while the "J" was the reason he was created...not to be a lowly candymaker as he once thought, but to be a shining glory in the service of his Lord, Christ Jesus!
Are you ready to be of service? He’s waiting for your help.
Until next month... Kevin |
Several months ago,
George W was in my back yard preaching about the beauty of Sequoia
National Park. And just a few short weeks ago, our 43rd
President was informing the American people that he was on a
mission to, "rid evil from our land." The public liked the sound
of that.