One nation under God? no. 1

Righteousness [moral and spiritual integrity and virtuous character] exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people.

Proverbs 14: 34 AMP

Embrace the Within.

One nation under God? That is what the currency says. That is what the Magic Prayer says. BUT an examination of this nation shows something vastly different than what the fiat or standing pledgers recite. This nation is far from being Christian and you need not get into Torah to find how far this nation has gone astray.

We can start with the simple instructions of Christ to love God and your neighbor and find us extremely lacking. You do not need to believe me or the media to get this impression of this nation. You can simply live your life and find many examples of things that are not a service to God or neighbor. Yet this nation still purports to follow the will of God.

One nation under God? A nation that excels at caging and murder its own citizens and the citizens of other countries claims to be a nation under God. A nation building walls, calling names, hating neighbors, and dividing people rather than fostering love and teaching compassion is a nation under God. It’s beyond farcical. It’s a nation satirizing itself. It’s a nation hypocritical unto itself. And where does the blame fall?

I cannot blame the sinner. That is the nature of sin. I can only place blame with myself and my example. And that is where I must do the work. I must be a better example, a better model, a better beacon to Christ’s love. I cannot control what anyone else does. I cannot control this nation, this community, this neighborhood, or even my family. I get to make those choices for myself alone and live the best example possible. How much better can I live the message? How much better can I make those words, “One nation under God”, ring true in my own life?

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoGodsNoMasters #MyBodyMyChoice #MakeYourselfGreatAgain #EmbracetheWithin

The Rational Rabbit Hole no. 9

Show us Your lovingkindness, O Lord,

And grant us Your salvation.

I will hear [with expectant hope] what God the Lord will say,

For He will speak peace to His people, to His [a]godly ones—

But let them not turn again to folly.

Surely His salvation is near to those who [reverently] fear Him [and obey Him with submissive wonder],

That glory [the manifest presence of God] may dwell in our land.

Steadfast love and truth and faithfulness meet together;

Righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Truth springs from the earth,

And righteousness looks down from heaven.

Indeed, the Lord will give what is good,

And our land will yield its produce.

Righteousness will go before Him

And will make His footsteps into a way [in which to walk].

Psalm 85: 7-13 AMP

Embrace the Within.

Loving something is learning about that one thing. If I love something, I study all about that thing until I exhaust myself in learning about it. I find videos, books, listen to podcasts, talk to others interested in that thing, connect my thoughts and knowledge with theirs, and find a deeper understanding of that thing as I go through life. I don’t just look at that information once and then figure I have it understood. Likewise with the people I love. I spend a lot of time with the people I love. I try to understand them. I use my knowledge of them and myself to help enrich those relationships. I don’t just meet them once and that is enough.

I think a lot of our love for God is cursory. It’s a nice thing to say we have when it’s convenient. It’s nice to be a Christian at church or on religious holidays or when a government decision goes the way of Law. It’s easy to pull out our Jesus hat and our scripture pad and post a little verse that shows we have a cursory knowledge of The Bible BUT it doesn’t show anything about loving God. Because if we loved God, we’d be spending a lot more time learning, studying, listening, reading, and talking about God. God wouldn’t be a t-shirt or hat that we could change into. God wouldn’t be a fashion that gets worn on Sunday. God wouldn’t be something that we hide until it is convenient for us. Love is all about being so interested, so enamored, so preoccupied with that one thing that folks recognize that you are in love.

Many of us remember when we fell in love and how our friends noticed immediately that we were in love. Has anyone noticed that you are in love with God recently? Has anyone mentioned that they notice your interest in God? Has anyone been concerned about your interest in being like Christ? If they haven’t, then maybe it is time to see if that love is still burning? Maybe it’s time to fall back in love with God all the time?

Bless your body, mind, and spirit. Have the day you want. I hope you find whatever you’re looking for.

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoGodsNoMasters #MyBodyMyChoice #MakeYourselfGreatAgain #EmbracetheWithin