There comes a time in life when love is so strong, concern is so great, the need is so deep, that subtlety and refinement must be suspended so that the truths of life may be dealt with in a somewhat blunt, in your face manner. Today is such a day. I pray sincerely that other ministers of the Gospel will have the same love, care and compassion to tell people the truth and avoid the suspicion of protecting their incomes at the expense of God's truth.
"I CHARGE thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; REPROVE, REBUKE, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, ha ling itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Timothy 4:1-4
If we fail to receive the truth then all we ever really have is a LIE, and no truth is ever of a lie. No matter what we think or fee, any truth weakened by a lie is a falsehood. Today is a day in which God's ministers, whether in the pulpit or in other areas of leadership, need to successfully and finally get the message of truth through, whatever the cost or price. It is, without doubt, that our nation is in a very deep spiritual, educational, moral, and economical decline, as was ancient Israel in the time of Jeremiah the prophet. His ministry and mission was to point out the seriousness of the situation they were in.
"Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord: and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger forever. Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: An I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which hall feed you with knowledge and understanding." Jeremiah 3:12-15
Yes, as a nation we have faced similar adverse problems in our past by God's wondrous grace and divine providence many of God's people have received tremendous victories for themselves and others. What is so disheartening today to this minister of the Gospel is not that sin, failure and adversity are undefeatable foes, but rather that our present generation refuses to look inward and therefore can not correct their sins and failures.
Jeremiah is called the weeping prophet because his patriotic love for his people and nation often broke his heart and troubled his soul with such grief that he would proclaim his sorrow with tears: "Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, y liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city." Lamantations 2:11
Hear, then, and see the goodness and mercy of your God, for it was the Lord's choice to send to the nation of Israel the man that loved them enough to proclaim the truth necessary to heal the trouble of their land.
Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee. But thous shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth no the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth." Jeremiah 7:27-28
It seems today that we are in a constant state of denial when it comes to understanding certain fundamental truths of life. I will give you, the reader, a few examples of those truths that many wish to deny or avoid....
Education and student scores are in serious decline and it is not from a lack of money. The truth of our educational decline can be traced directly to the family and its moral declination. Before children can learn, they must receive the discipline needed to receive instruction. Undisciplined and ill-mannered children are not efficient at receiving instruction.
Honesty requires that we admit our failure in the preparation of our children for school, and our lack of support to those institutions that we have established to help us educate our children. It is easier to blame the institutions than admit personal failure, even if it means costly tax increases.
"Wisdom restate in the heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools is made known. RIGHTEOUSNESS EXALTETH A NATION: BUT SIN IS A REPROACH TO ANY PEOPLE." Proverbs 14:33-34 In very plain English, the problem with America is not the Democrats, it is not the Republicans, it is not the System, it is YOU The People, it is WE The People.
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." Matthew 7:15-19
Again, in simple terms that are easily understood, we have the system of government we deserve, the leaders we deserve, and the political parties and candidates we deserve because they come forth from us, the people. Every tree brings forth its fruit according to its inner corruptness or wholeness.
How many times have we declared our favorite team to be #1 at the onset of a game, only to have that team suffer a humiliating defeat, sometimes at the hands of a team that it should have easily beat. The fact is that teams and fans lose their dream of becoming champions from the rejection of this simple Bible truth... " Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honor is humility." Proverbs 18:12
To put it simply, you never talk the talk until you first walk the walk. Teams that are two and zero have no business talking or bragging until they are twelve and zero. "And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off." 1Kings 20:11
Now, lets face the truth like men, or as they say in football: "In Your Face Baby!" The national debt in America and all our social ills such as crime, corruption, divorce, abortion, homosexuality, declining grades and so-forth are the responsibility and fault of individual people.
The key words of truth are individual Moral Responsibility. It is just everyday people, like YOU, for example, that must change the destiny of our nation by refusing to worship the Unholy Trinity of Me, Myself, and I at the Ungodly Alter of Self Love, Self Worship, and Self Praise.
"There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men." Proverbs 30:11-14
The largest part of our nation debt comes from entitlements, welfare, and pork barrel spending, all of which may have had good intensions in their inception. However, through time and abuse of the selfish, wicked and lazy they have become immoral, unrighteous, and destructive to our national interest. It appears today that special interest are for the purpose of satisfying the devouring appetite of far too many selfish, self-interested, immoral, and most defiantly lazy people. Far too great are the multitudes of people that have come to believe in their soul that the United Sates Government or some special interest, owes them a living, or a privilege, which it does not.
In a great nation, a brother truly in need should never have to plead in vain to generous hearts of his fellow men. "If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, and be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?" James 2:15-16
But if able bodied mean and women refuse to work, then in all truth, righteousness demands to let them go hungry. "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat." 2Thessalonians 3:10.
The United States Congress is in grid-lock today because one selfish, self centered group after another seeks only to secure special rights and privileges for its personal agenda with total disregard for the COMMON GOOD!
America's troubles lie in the heart and soul of her people. From the tree comes fourth either good fruit or corrupt fruit! Today the fruit is evermore becoming corrupted. Tomorrow will depend on what we do with the TRUTH TODAY!
...Once upon a time there was a Little Red Hen who scratched about and uncovered som grains of wheat. She called her barnyard neighbors and said, "If wee work together and plant this wheat, we will have some fine bread to eat. Who will help me plant the wheat?
"Not I," said the Cow. "Not I," said the Duck. "Not I" said the Goose.
" Then I will" said the Little Red Hen, and she did. After the wheat started growing, the ground turned dry, and there was no rain in sight. "Who will help me water the wheat?" said the Little Red Hen.
"Not I", said the Cow. "Not I" said the Duck. "If there were a God, like you say, He'd make it rain," said the pig. "Equal Rights" said the Goose.
The wheat grew tall and ripened into golden grain. "Who will help me reap the wheat?" asked the Little Red Hen.
"Not I", said the Cow. "I belong to the union," said the Duck. "Out of my classification, " said the Pig. "I'd lose my state and federal support money", said the Goose.
"Then I will", says the Little Red Hen, and she did. When it came time to grind the flour, "Not I," said the Cow. "I'd lose my unemployment compensation," said the Duck.
When it came time to bake the bread, "That's overtime for me," said the Cow." Im a dropout and never learned how," said the Duck. "I'd lose my welfare benefits," said the Pig. "If I'm the only one helping, that's discrimination," said the Goose.
"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. She baked five loaves of fine bread and held them up for her neighbors to see.
"I want some," said the Cow. It's not fair if you don't give me some," said the Duck. "Communal property," said the Pig. "You are violating my Civil Rights if you don't give me my share," said the Goose. "NO," said the Little Red Hen. "I can rest for a while and eat the five loaves myself."
"Excessive profits," cried the Cow. "Capitalist leech!" screeched the Duck. "You robbed the People." grunted the Pig. "Equal Rights!" screamed the Goose. And they hurriedly painted picket signs and marched around the Little Red Hen, singing "We Shall Overcome." And they did.
For when the Federal Farmer came to investigate the commotion, he said, "You must not be greedy, Little Red Hen. Look at the oppressed Cow. Look at the disadvantaged Duck. Look at the underprivileged Pig. Look at the less fortunate Goose. You are guilty of making second class citizens of them.
"But - but- I earned the bread," said the Little Red Hen. I worked for it and no one helped me."
"Exactly," The wise Federal Farmer said. "That's the great free enterprise system; Anybody can earn as much as she, he, or it wants. You should be happy to have this much freedom. In other barnyards you have to give all five loaves to the Federal Farmer. Here in our system, you give four loaves to your suffering neighbors."
And they lived happily (more or less) ever after, (at least for a little while) including the Little Red Hen, who smiled and smiled, and clucked, " I am privileged to live in this great barnyard. I am grateful to be free."
But all her friends often wondered why she never baked any more bread.
So here then, just a few thoughts from the Almighty on this hideous mess we all have gotten ourselves into through our own personal sins, that now are destroying our corporate health...
"Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? Did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with this? He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? saith the Lord? But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it." Jeremiah 22:15-17