As much as I wish it weren't true, America is traveling down a dangerous road.
We, as a nation, have turned away from the values upon which our Republic was founded. We have turned away from everything that made us strong in favor of "political correctness" that silences the truth to keep from hurting anyone's feelings.
We fight for the so-called rights of animals, fight to save every obscure butterfly or frog or bird, yet say that it's okay for a woman to snuff out the life growing in her womb to make things more convenient.
We fight over who hates who more, over who is the most oppressed and the most oppressive, over who is the most mistreated and who is the most cruel.
We cry about being offended, claiming to need a safe space where nobody will hurt our feelings. We give out trophies for participation, trying to ensure that no one is seen as better than anyone else, and then wonder why no one tries to better themselves.
We've accepted lies in place of the truth, and we wonder why everything is falling apart.
We've turned our backs on God, and wonder why we've lost His blessing and protection.
As Christians--people who claim to follow Christ--we are just as guilty as everyone else.
It was Martin Luther King, Jr., who said, "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people."
Too many of us are standing by and silently watching as our country falls apart, as our friends and neighbors fall off the deep end because they aren't being shown the truth.
We do it out of fear. It seems like every time someone stands up for what is right, someone shoots them down with accusations. They are called bigots and pointed out as being angry, hateful people who just want to judge everybody else. We are told that people don't follow God because of us. Like Ghandi is quoted as having said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
The thing is, being despised and hated by the world is not being unlike Christ. Jesus Himself said, "If you find that the world despises you, remember that before it despised you, it first despised Me. If you were a product of the world order, then it would love you. But you are not a product of the world because I have taken you out of it, and it despises you for that very reason." (John 15:18-19)
So stand up. When the world hates you for it, know that you're in good company. I hate to say it, but I'm afraid things are going to get a whole lot worse. We've been protected--coddled, even--in the United States. We haven't faced the persecution of our brothers and sisters who are tortured, imprisoned, and even killed for their faith in Christ. We haven't had to make the choice between our families and our faith. But we might be faced with those decisions sooner than we think.
Take a stand, despite what it might mean and despite what will be said by the people around you. "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the LORD, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." (Nehemiah 4:14b)
We, as a nation, have turned away from the values upon which our Republic was founded. We have turned away from everything that made us strong in favor of "political correctness" that silences the truth to keep from hurting anyone's feelings.
We fight for the so-called rights of animals, fight to save every obscure butterfly or frog or bird, yet say that it's okay for a woman to snuff out the life growing in her womb to make things more convenient.
We fight over who hates who more, over who is the most oppressed and the most oppressive, over who is the most mistreated and who is the most cruel.
We cry about being offended, claiming to need a safe space where nobody will hurt our feelings. We give out trophies for participation, trying to ensure that no one is seen as better than anyone else, and then wonder why no one tries to better themselves.
We've accepted lies in place of the truth, and we wonder why everything is falling apart.
We've turned our backs on God, and wonder why we've lost His blessing and protection.
As Christians--people who claim to follow Christ--we are just as guilty as everyone else.
It was Martin Luther King, Jr., who said, "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people."Too many of us are standing by and silently watching as our country falls apart, as our friends and neighbors fall off the deep end because they aren't being shown the truth.
We do it out of fear. It seems like every time someone stands up for what is right, someone shoots them down with accusations. They are called bigots and pointed out as being angry, hateful people who just want to judge everybody else. We are told that people don't follow God because of us. Like Ghandi is quoted as having said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
The thing is, being despised and hated by the world is not being unlike Christ. Jesus Himself said, "If you find that the world despises you, remember that before it despised you, it first despised Me. If you were a product of the world order, then it would love you. But you are not a product of the world because I have taken you out of it, and it despises you for that very reason." (John 15:18-19)
So stand up. When the world hates you for it, know that you're in good company. I hate to say it, but I'm afraid things are going to get a whole lot worse. We've been protected--coddled, even--in the United States. We haven't faced the persecution of our brothers and sisters who are tortured, imprisoned, and even killed for their faith in Christ. We haven't had to make the choice between our families and our faith. But we might be faced with those decisions sooner than we think.
Take a stand, despite what it might mean and despite what will be said by the people around you. "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the LORD, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." (Nehemiah 4:14b)
Comments
Post a Comment
Thoughts? I would love to hear them!
~Mandy