The State of the Union

 
¹¹ Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues
God will speak to this people,
¹² to whom he said,
“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;
and, “This is the place of repose”—
but they would not listen.
¹³ So then, the word of the LORD to them will become:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
they will be i njured and snared and captured. (Isaiah 28)

     Whether or not America is a Christian Nation has been an ongoing argument. Christianity was founded upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The good news of the gospel is that believers in Jesus Christ are completely forgiven, totally accepted, and unconditionally loved by God.  It also means that they are not under LAW but operate on a higher plain called Grace. In other words to be a Christian Nation would mean we as a Nation operate and live in the Grace of God.  I would have to say, therefore, that we are not a Christian Nation. The idea that we are a Christian Nation may stem from the idea that many of our founding fathers were Christian men, or it may have its roots that many of its laws were based on the "10 Commandments."  But still, this does not qualify us to be a Christian Nation.  A Christian is one who was born into this world spiritually dead, but was made spiritually alive in Jesus Christ.  A Christian is one whose Spirit is joined to Jesus Christ's Spirit in an inseparable matter. And, if the same Spirit that rasied Jesus Christ from the dead is alive in us, we operate and live by the Grace of God.  The Grace of God is God's power working in us to love others, serve others and worship God in our own hearts.  The Grace of God allows us to rest from the burden of a tedious, stressful lifestyle based on laws and rules.  It causes us to look outside of ourselves realizing we have this tremendous capacity to use whatever gift God has given us to love other people.  It also enables us to be content with whatever we have materially--it recognizes GOD, not government as its source and provider of everything good. It seeks to give and not take.  Isaiah tells us what happens when a Nation forsakes God's offer of Grace and looks to the arm of the flesh to provide and produce:
 ¹³ So then, the word of the LORD to them will become:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
they will be i njured and snared and captured.

     All I see in Washington is a bunch of men and women waking up every morning thinking, "I am supposed to make rules; let's make some rules today. I exist to make laws, let's write some bills today."   We are snared in their game; we are captured and have bought into the lie that government has the answers. We have ceased to operate by the Grace of God where we realize our potential in Christ to contribute and have become a nation of rule upon rule, law upon law, putting up with it in order to get stuff,  and it has infected every area of our lives.  We are in big trouble America. The only answer is for each individual to receive Jesus Christ and all of the power and potential He offers us as individuals. And I don't mean that you need to start going to Church becasue many churches are operating under law and not under grace and they are in the same mess.  Just you and God--"all who call on the Name of the Lord will be saved."