For the record, I am a Christian. What I mean by that is that I have recognized that I am a sinner. I believe that because of my sin, I deserve to die and go to a place called hell. I also believe that God sent his Son to die on the cross and pay the penalty for my sin (death) and take my place so that I could have eternal life with Him in heaven. I have placed my faith in the completed work of Jesus Christ who died on the cross and rose again. I am trusting Jesus as my Savior. According to the Bible, I have the promise of eternal life. I am a Christian.
I am grateful to live in the United States of America. I love America. I believe that America has experienced tremendous blessing from God. There are many individuals in America's history that are worthy of recognition and praise for their faithfulness to and trust in the God of the Bible. I am thankful that much of America's foundation was based upon Bible principles. I am thankful for those who have gone out from America to share the gospel with those in other lands who did not have it.
I recognize the need to stand up for truth. Historically, American culture has held up with reverence those who proclaimed truth. I wish that were still true today. I am not offended by those who seek to attribute godly motives to American leaders of previous generations. I would like to think that there were better days than today, that there was a time when the godly served as a restraint to evil in the world around them. I would love to think that America in some way was a restraining force to evil in the world. Patriotic holidays have the tendency to bring back nostalgia for the good old days. I would have loved to attend a camp meeting of days gone by where the preaching was hot and the singing lifted the tents. I have dreamed about what it would have been like to live during one of the Great Awakenings. There have been times that America turned to God. America has known revival. America has been Christian.
America has changed. It is not that we now find ourselves with government leaders who are secular. America has always had secular leaders. This is not the first time that America has changed. America changes with each new generation. We are the product of what we have taught as a nation. We now teach a tolerance for evil. That has not always been true in America. In days gone by, most unbelievers were still shy to identify with what society viewed as being immoral. There are not many things left that society believes to be immoral. Today, America is not culturally Christian. I think our President is correct in saying that. What a shame! Our courts and our laws reflect who we have become. They have not made us who we are.
For the record, there is no other place I would rather live in this entire world than the United States of America. There is a place that I will live someday that is better. That place is heaven. America is a great land, but she is not the next best thing to heaven. No place is a next best thing to heaven. We cannot compare the glories of heaven in the presence of God Himself, where there is no evil, to even the best of circumstances in this life. Maybe, we can identify with the words of the song, "This world is not my home …"
I pray for America. It may be selfish, but I want to experience God's blessing in America. When I read the Bible, I do wonder at times how God can bless America. We know that we are not the nation of Israel, but some people like to compare us to God's chosen people. In days gone by, when they sinned, GOD JUDGED. When His people turned to Him, then He healed their land. America is going in the wrong direction. If she does not turn towards God, she will face the same sure judgment of every other godless people. – Don't let those words shock you. The God of all the earth will always do right.
The solution for America is not new laws, new judges, or new political leaders. The solution for America is found in the heart of her people. If they will turn to God, He will bless. I dream of a Christian America. I don't dream of it being Christian by coercion or decree. God is still in the saving business, but He has chosen to use Christians to tell of Christ. What are we doing to tell the world, to tell America about Christ? We are already in danger of becoming the land that needs foreigners to come to our shores and tell us of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You say that could never happen. –It happened to England. –It happened to Scotland. It is never a bad thing for people to come and share the truth. It is just sad that others would feel the need when we used to be the people that told others. Let's do our part.
