We The People... It Starts With Us!

This week we will celebrate the birthday of our nation. I must say I am proud to be an American. Though I see many things that I don’t like in our government and in the attitude of our nation, I still am happy to live in this land of the free.

Yet, as I preached Sunday, there definitely needs to be a change. I hate sin and the affects it is having on our daily lives. I too wish things would change. I strongly believe in voting and also voting my convictions and my doctrine. Yet, I see a spirit of hypocrisy that has gripped our day.

We want our government to change it spending habits yet we in the church never consider doing the same in our lives. We scream at the moral decay of Hollywood yet we continually buy their programing and act as if that’s just the way it is. I see a society, even in the church, that the soul reason we want change in our world is so we can have more and be more comfortable. We tend to bend toward an attitude that says, let’s all just get along and be happy. We would rather the economy change than the moral decay change. We stand and declare the sins of adultery, fornication and homosexuality and live as if we forgot that looking at immoral pictures and websites, laughing and enjoying crud and immoral stories and jokes and reading books with the same overtones are included the same scripture as sin. We scream about the underhandedness of government and corruptions and forget that lying includes our business and our personal lives every day and the contracts and deals we make and how we write our checks.

We also tend to forget that lying is listed as just a horrible sin as the moral issues we shout against. In reality we want the top to change but we spend little time changing us.

To borrow an example from another minister;

If we want a better nation then this nations needs to be made up of better states.

If we want a better state then this state needs to be made up of better counties.

If we want better counties then we need to have better cities in those counties.

If we want better cities we need better communities in those cities

If we want better communities we need better churches in those communities.

If we want better churches then we need better people in those churches.

What we see in our world today is an outgrowth of its people. It all starts with we the people.

It’s high time we stop hiding behind the excuses that this world is just going to get worse. Yes, I know Paul said that evil men and seducers will wax worse and worse, but we need to stop just reading a little sentence in the Bible and building a doctrine on it. We need to read all the context of this scripture in 2 Timothy 3.

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 2Timothy 3:10-15 KJV

One translation says, But you must continue in the things…

Yes, this world is in bad shape but it didn’t get that way from the top down.

It started that way with us. If you want your world to turn around you will have to live in it differently.

So what do we do? Where do we start? Can we make any difference?

The answer is yes, according to the Bible. One example of such a turnaround in a nation is found in the book of Daniel (Daniel chapter 9), the book of Nehemiah (Nehemiah chapter 1), and the book of Ezra (Ezra chapter 9). These three men fell on their face and repented for themselves, their families and the sins of their nations. These three prayers take place in the same generation. Daniel receives the promise that Israel will return to their home land so he repents for his nation. Nehemiah starts that journey by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, but before he begins he repents for his nation. Ezra goes to rebuild the temple and he too falls on his face and asks God to forgive them. Yes, it was an uphill battle but it was filled with miracles. Three men repent and lead in a right direction and change the course of a nation back to God Almighty.

So, can we make a difference? The answer is yes. With God all things are possible. Yet, we need to realize that change will not come from Washington DC. Change starts with us. If we want our world to change, we will have to live in it differently. Start by falling on your face before God and repenting for yourself, your family and your nation. Then with a repented heart get up and live out your life for the Almighty every day. If you will be true to Him you can expect the miracles. It all starts with You and I! We are the people…!