Page 15 - 2015 On The Path

El Dorado NEWS-TIMES – Sunday, October 25, 2015 – 15
Time for America to bless God
By Rev. Don Travis Special to the News-Times
We are blessed to live in America, a country in which we can do so many things that are not allowed in many others. We have freedom of speech. We can say what we think, when we want to
say it, where we want tosayitandhowwe want to say it. We have the right to voice our opinions, thoughts, desires and prayers without fear of retalia-
Travis tion. We have freedom of religion. In fact, we
even have freedom from religion.
We can worship God in any place and in any way that we want and have no fear of repression. In some parts of the world, even mentioning the name of God can get you thrown in prison or even worse, executed. These are inalienable rights. But we must never forgetthatwiththoserights,freedoms
and blessings comes responsibilities. We are a country that has been bless- ed by God, but scripture tells us that for God’s blessing to flow we must fol- low the precepts of God. In fact, God has blessed us richly. It’s time we bless- ed God. When we turn our backs on God, He will remove those blessings. For a nation to receiver God’s blessing
it must heed God’s warning.
When Joe Wright was asked to open
the new session of the Kansas Senate several years ago, everyone was expect- ing the usual politically correct gener- alities. But what they heard instead was a prayer delivered with grace, yet full of truth. A portion of his prayer included,
“Heavenly Father we ask your for- giveness. We know your Word says, ‘Woe on those who call evil good,’ but that’s exactly what we have done and we confess that:We have ridiculed
the absolute truth of your Word and called it pluralism. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it self-expres- sionism. We have abused power and called it political savvy. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefa- thers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, O God, know our hearts today, cleanse us from every sin and set us free in the name of your Son, the Living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.”
What was the response of the legisla- tors? Some of them walked out and ex- pressed their outrage. Very little repen- tance was the forthcoming from the lawmakers. Amos 5:10 tells us, “You hate the one who reproves in court and despisehimwhotellsthetruth.”
When our sin is exposed, we do not repent: we glory in it. We put it on Jer- ry Springer and other talk shows and in our movies and in our songs and we laugh when we see it. May we repent and have revival before it is too late.
Alexis de Tocqueville said, “Liberty cannot be established without mo- rality, nor morality without faith.”
Many people week and bemoan their sins and the consequences of their rebellious actions, but they do not come to Jesus Christ for forgive- ness. They come to Him for deliver- ance, however, and when they are de- livered they quickly go back to their sins. 2 Peter 2:22 states, “Of them the proverbs are true: ‘A dog returns to its vomit,’ and ‘A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”
The Old Testament reveals that Israel was in a vicious cycle. The
What will America’s future be? ... It will be made in the houses of cities and communities, by each one of us. It will happen when we say, ‘As for me and my
people that would honor God who would then bless them. Taking it for granted, they would begin to ignore God who would then remove His blessing causing calamity to come upon the land. They would cry out to Him and blessing would again be found. Over and over this cycle re- peated. Could this happen to Amer- ica? I fear that one day God is going to say, “That’s enough! I can’t take
it anymore.” God’s wrath has been seen before and can be seen again.
What will America’s future be? It will be what we make it. It won’t be made in the White House or the State House. It will be made in the houses of cities and communities, by each one of us. It will happen when we say, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Rev. Don Travis is pastor of Lawson Baptist Church.
house, we will serve the Lord.’
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