Living With Purpose
Is our country, the United States of America, still worth trying to save? Despite all the mistrust, godlessness, disrespect of individual liberties, and total disregard for authority during these days, I believe that our country is worth trying to save. It is not only worth saving, but the Christian, as citizen, has the duty to strive to improve our country, uplift it, and promote truth. Why would one give time and effort in leading others to the truth? First, because God, in His grace for all, has allowed us to bear many fruits and blessings which we owe to Him. Our advances in scientific and medical research, for instance, the developments in education and in techniques of the arts, higher standards of living for humanity, improved sanitation and public health—these, and many others, are some of the gracious gifts of God. Even though humanity does not use these gifts to glorify the God who gave them, and in fact, often uses them against God, they still exist. God in His ever-loving and patient ways grants us the ability to discover the earth’s riches and to enjoy them.
Sometimes I wonder how He could love us so much when we disregard so easily His profound blessings? God has given us gifts as tokens of His mercy and long-suffering favor. He finds us, His Crowned master piece, not willing enough, generally, to acknowledge Him in our hearts, nor thank Him like we should for His blessings on our labors. Through these gifts of God, His mercy still calls to this generation, “I (God) only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness. Why should you die (spiritually)?” (Ezekiel 33:11).
Our blessings provided by God’s grace make our country worth saving. The fact simply remains that our civilization carries within itself the seeds of its own eventual destruction and decay. Having turned from God, we are all enjoying His favors, but without acknowledging them.
We live in a “cut-flower civilization”, having denied the only living God; having cut ourselves off from the Root of Life. We take prayer out of schools and wonder where the chaos and lack of discipline and respect for authority comes from. We have become like a cut-flower that blossoms for a while in beauty, but soon dies because it has been separated from the source of life. Increasingly, as we ignore or reject God, our civilization will show the effects of spiritual death and depravity in all areas of life. The fruits of science, for example, will destroy the true spirit of humanity, rather than uplift and better us spiritually. We must give allegiance to the Higher Power in times of discovery. We mustn’t let the benefits of extended educational pursuits be regarded as priority over Christian thought. If we do, humanity will be led by the world, further and further into a spiritual wilderness of darkness, instead of turning others toward our heavenly Father’s Divine light.
Greatest of all the favors we enjoy in our country, is the gift of freedom. Whether people acknowledge it or not, freedom as a gift was itself the product of Christian thought. It developed, as a seed, out of the religious culture of an earlier age; the Great Awakenings. The earlier religious culture has been wiped away. But some scattered seed has grown and blossoms in the fields where it is still sown and cultivated. Be mindful, in the nominally Christian cultures of today, a person is free to do what they believe is right before God and before their peers, within the bounds of justice and order. We have personal freedoms, political freedom, and religious freedom. This freedom should be extended to all citizens regardless of race or creed. We should never allow the human spirit to be fettered in chains.
Freedom is a special gift for our country; we have God to thank. But unless we, as a people, return gratitude to God and thank Him for the gifts He has given us, the day will sadly come, and it may be soon, when the cup of our iniquity will be full, when judgement will fall upon us as it has also fallen upon other countries and nations that once were strong and glorious.
Pray that the people and our nation will humble themselves before Him, and renew themselves, so that our country, in His eyes may be worth saving for many years to come.
• This bi-weekly column is written by Matthew Dobson. He’s a health educator for the State of Florida, U.S. Army Reserve Chaplain, and the Pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in the New York Community. His “Living With Purpose” Book series can be found and purchased on www. Amazon.com. You can contact him by email: rmdobson@liberty.edu.
