08/07/2016
"How Has America Reached This Point?"
As a child, I attended public school where I stood with my hand over my heart each morning and recited the pledge of allegiance. It was a solemn moment for me, because I was a proud American. Following this simple lesson in patriotism, we were always led in a morning prayer - a prayer that closed with the words, “In Jesus’ name, Amen.” Even before I accepted Christ as Lord and Savior of my life, I recognized that patriotism, morality, obedience to authorities, and Godliness went hand in hand.
Forty plus or minus years later, I am filled with grief and sorrow at the demise of our nation. Prayer has been removed from public schools, God is no longer mentioned as part of the pledge of allegiance, teachers and police officers are no longer figures of authority worthy of respect. Worse of all, patriotism and a unified sense of right and wrong has all but disappeared.
What happened? When did the world become so “tolerant” of discord and disunity? At what point did it become acceptable to destroy property and disobey the law simply because we are angry? When did it become common-practice to respond with violence because someone else was violent? How has America reached this point?
I was reading in the Bible recently and came across a possible answer. In the book of James I read: “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice” (James 3:16, NIV).
As it so often does, the Bible accurately described our national (and perhaps international) dilemma - we have become a national of disorder and virtually every evil practice imaginable. At the heart of the problem we find anger, bitterness, jealously, envy, murder, depression, and more. All of these are interrelated evils.
Discontent with our position and possessions often indicates a self-centered attitude which leads to intolerant, resentful, and even malicious feelings toward a real or imagined rival. America has not only reached this point, we have crossed far, far over the line. We covet the success of others, we ascribe to the personalities of amoral men and women, and we long for material possessions, good looks, or the position or power of others. Alas, in order to compensate for a frustration in not having what we want or having our way, we make unkind and destructive remarks and submerge ourselves in self-pity, anger, bitterness, and depression. Within the pages of the Bible, we find that Cain envied Abel because Abel’s offering was accepted by God while Cain’s was not. Cain became jealous, coveting what had been denied him (Genesis 4:3–8). The Scripture describes a situation where anger, bitterness, depression, and murder followed. Similarly, envy, jealousy, and selfish-ambition motivated Lucifer to rebel against God. The prophet Isaiah writes: “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. . . . I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13–14).
The apostle Paul gives the all-time antidote to the sins we face in America today. He wrote, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:12–13). I was recently very inspired in my own life by realizing that there was a time in the Apostle Paul’s life when he was also discontented with life - and he too had to “learn” to be content.
With all this in mind, what can like-minded people do to help solve the problems facing our nation today. There is no doubt as many suggestions as there are stars in the nighttime sky. In my humble opinion, the answer is two fold: look within, and read the Bible.
First, every man, woman, and child; every ordinary citizen and every leader in positions of authority, should look within by accepting that none of us are perfect. Recognizing this will help us break our vicious lines of thinking by focusing on the real causes for of our problems - SIN, rather than casting blame (or throwing stones and pulling triggers) on other people, circumstances, “bad luck,” a lack of acceptance, or failures to “get ahead.” Simple said, we should develop a mind-set that will enable us to face issues individually, in harmony with others, and with humility.
Second, I strongly believe that the Bible offers the solution to every problem faced by every man, woman, and child; every family, and at every level of government. Thus, we should all read the Word of God - the Bible. It has been said that it is the best selling yet most unread book in the world. But read it we must - and not only read it, but study it to dig out its truths for a nation that is collapsing under our own success and failure. Referring to the Bible, Dwight L. Moody is quoted as saying: “Either sin will keep you from this Book, or this Book will keep you from sin.”
Use the Bible to search for texts that speak to the problems we face, then praying over the answers we find; asking God to reinforce their truth. God’s Word brings conviction, but also relief, as we learn to obey it.
There is a principle in counseling known as “put off—put on.” Simply said, to solve the problems of life one must learn to “put off” thoughts and actions that result in difficulties, stress, and turmoil, and “put on” (or replace with) habits that will lead to different results. It is a simple yet profound summary of how to solve the problems our nation currently faces. The Apostle Paul spoke in similar terms when he encouraged the troubled city of Phillipi with these words:
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).
May you have a blessed day and a prosperous work week,
Charles J. Williams, Jr., Ed.D.
I am always glad to hear from readers, but I ask that comments be respectful in tone and family friendly. I am also delighted to receive invitation to fill-the-pulpit of or speak in churches that believe in the inerrancy of the Bible. Write me at [email protected] ⚓️
