Most Americans have recited those words at least several thousand times throughout their life. However, our nation acts much more as if the government calls the shots than as if they were listening for guidance and direction. These thoughts were brought on by the timing of the primaries for the Governor's race and reading the next chapter "Feet of Trees" in Searching for God knows What by Donald Miller. He talks about his path of rejecting the god he created in his mind and then finding the true and living God, the Bible describes. Miller speaks of televangelists and politicians that use god to support their ideas and purposes. Remember passages where Zacharias was "gripped with fear" when seeing the angel, an angel, not even God, just a heavenly host terrified him. Others when an angel encountered Joseph in a dream and said "Do not fear", it seems fear is just a given when confronted with God and his heavenly hosts. America does not fear the Lord. Instead, we have become too comfortable with the forgiving God, and we've forgotten that his forgiveness came at a huge cost; His only son's life. We take God too lightly and mold him to our likeness instead of the opposite. As we listen to politicians let us remember to not make them our god. Yes let us pray for our leaders, but not pray to them. When your favorite politician speaks about God, use scrutiny and wisdom and ask "is this how God describes his ways and plans?" This is what I know for sure about God's priorities:
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22: 36-40
I don't know about you, but I could easily spend my life working on those two!
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