Righteousness – It Strengthens A Nation

I do not think it a stretch to say our nation has become overall weaker than it once was. Whether it be economically, militarily, morally, or socially, the United States of America is not as strong as it used to be. How has this happen? Without a doubt the last three or so years under the Obama Administration has done much to weaken our nation. But that is the symptom, not the sickness. Electing and appointing unrighteous men and women to serve in the halls of government will always end up with a most destructive and despotic leader/ruler. But the issue is even deeper than that.

Our pulpits have been too silent for too long. Pulpits long ago stopped preaching against sin and a reliance of King Jesus and have preached a prosperity gospel that displays the Savior as some motivational coach to live your best life now. WE the People long ago, as a society, left the path of righteousness for a way of individualism, paved with self-esteem and lined with the poison of political correctness. King Solomon reminds us:

    “The way of the Lord is strength for the upright, but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.” (Proverbs 10:29)

“…destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.” Sounds like sin will earn us nothing but trouble…

    “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

We think we can earn salvation through our works but all we earn is death. Our righteousness is imputed to us by believing in the sacrificial work of the Lord Jesus Christ. No other way will get us into heaven and no other way will the Lord’s kingdom and will as it is in heaven come to earth. It is through following our Lord’s example and His will for our lives that our nation was and can be strengthened. I am not saying we are not still strong; we have much strength left. But like a body that is neglected, our nation can only stand so long before she collapses. But if we will turn our eyes back to Jesus, He will strengthen us again. Why? Because one day He will rule forever over all the earth and heavens.

    “In that day the Lord of hosts will be for a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of His people, for a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.” (Isaiah 28:5-6)

I must confess that I am the first person to rely on my own strength rather than go to the Lord. I was telling my Sunday School class that I automatically go to Google for answers before it ever enters my mind to go to the Bible. It’s time to clear out that stinking thinking. Now I’m not denouncing or swearing off using Google or any search engine ever again, but I am reminding myself and intend to refer first to the resource written by God Himself:

    “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

We must as the body of Christ become more involved in our civic duties and in politics. So many pastors bemoan politics as evil, but politics is no more evil than your television set is. Politics is the mechanism we use to govern ourselves; it is a tool and it is how that tool is used that makes it evil. But if we are to become involved, we must rely on God’s Word and not man’s wisdom to show the way because if we do not then we only confuse those watching us.

What do I mean by this? I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been asked by nonbelievers about how the church compromises on Biblical principles (my term, not theirs) and that if Christians are willing to roll over on what they believe, on their core values, then why should others follow? Good question! I don’t have an answer. However, I can tell you why it happens, or better yet let’s turn again to what I’ve shared with you before from Charles Finney:

    “Brethren, our preaching will bear its legitimate fruits. If immorality prevails in the land, the fault is ours in a great degree. If there is a decay of conscience, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the public press lacks moral discrimination, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the church is degenerate and worldly, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the world loses its interest in religion, the pulpit is responsible for it. If Satan rules in our halls of legislation, the pulpit is responsible for it. If our politics become so corrupt that the very foundations of our government are ready to fall away, the pulpit is responsible for it. Let us not ignore this fact, my dear brethren; but let us lay it to heart, and be thoroughly awake to our responsibility in respect to the morals of this nation.”

I praise God for the godly men in the pulpits across America, godly men such as my pastor Dr. Dennis Brunet, my daughter and son-in-law’s pastor Dr. Steven Rummage, the pastor of First Baptist Panama City Dr. Collins, and dozens others. But I can only list dozens; no doubt there may be hundreds, even thousands. But we are a nation of over 300 million people and there are roughly 300,000 churches across America. That is one-tenth of one percent. And instead of new churches opening their doors, too many are being foreclosed upon and boarded up.

I am not trying to bring gloom and doom. Our future can be very bright if God’s people will rise up. The question we have to ask ourselves is, “Am I truly sacrificing and serving, as an act of worship, for my local church?” Do I tithe as the Bible commands? Do I work in a ministry(ies) in my church? Am I a church consumer or am a sacred servant to the Body of Christ?

We must pray for one another. We must pray for righteousness in each of our lives. We must encourage one another to not grow weary in doing good. May we all make the Apostle Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian Church our prayer for the American Church:

    “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:14-19)

Beloved, we can trust God to spark a holy revival into our hearts that will strengthen us individually, our churches corporately, impact our communities, and rescue our country. Only God can strengthen us. And when He does, He will sustain us.

More on that tomorrow…

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

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    Copyright © 2012 David Jeffers

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