The United States and Virtue

Here are the thoughts shared with us by some of our founding fathers. Just a little something to ponder about liberty and our country's future.

"Human rights can only be assured among a virtuous people. The general government . .  can never be in danger of degenerating into a monarchy, an oligarchy, an aristocracy, or any despotic or oppresive form so long as there is any virtue in the body of the people."
George Washington

"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."
Benjamin Franklin

"Laws without morals are in vain."
Benjamin Franklin (Motto of the University of Pennsylvania)

"It is in the manners and spirit of a people which preserve a republic in vigour. . . . degeneracy in these is a canker which soon eats into the heart of its laws and constitution."
Thomas Jefferson

"When virtue is banished, ambition invades the minds of those who are disposed to receive it, and avarice possesses the whole community."
Montesquieu (written by Thomas Jefferson in his Common Place Book).

"To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea."
James Madison

". . . Virtue, morality, and religion. This is the armor, my friend, and this alone that renders us invincible. These are the tactics we should study. If we lose these, we are conquered, fallen indeed . . . so long as our manners and principles remain sound, there is no danger."
Patrick Henry

"Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, is incompatible with freedom. No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue; and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles."
Patrick Henry

"The only foundation of a free Constitution, is pure Virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our People, in a great Measure, than they have it now. They may change their Rulers, and the forms of Government, but they will not obtain a lasting Liberty.
John Adams

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our constitution as a whale goes through a net."
John Adams

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
John Adams

"Liberty can no more exist without virtue and independence than the body can live and move without a soul."
John Adams

"Public virtue cannot exist in a nation without private, and public virtue is the only foundation of republics."
John Adams

"[I]t is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue."
John Adams

God help us all,

 

Kathi Linz

The End of the World

In the last five months, the world has NOT ended three times.

Jesus did not come back on the Feast of Trumpets last September.  The Mayans hadn't actually predicted the collapse of civilization. And 2012 Asteroid DA-14 did not cause an extinction level event.

I found myself watching each approaching time and holding my breath in a way, wondering how it would play out.  I was pretty sure we were wrong about the Mayan calendar for a very Biblical reason. But I wasn't sure about the other two events.

Jesus said, "...The son of man will come at an hour you do not expect him." Luke 12:40

I wasn't wrong to be looking for Him to come back.  The beginning of that verse says, "You also must be ready..."  I was ready.  I was eager.

But, looking back, I managed to tie myself up in knots thinking about what I still needed to do before the end.  I made myself anxious for nothing. I admit that I'm an expert at doing that. It causes me grief - and all for nothing.

Jesus says we won't be especially aware of the time when He will come. I ought to make that part of my daily understanding and do whatever I know or believe I should do for those around me and to spread God's glory. Then I won't have to wonder if I've done what I was supposed to do when He does show up.

God bless us all,

Kathi Linz

Judgment of Abandonment

I recently ran across a teaching about Romans 1.  On a quick reading of the passage, one would think that God punishes homosexuality or a society that condones homosexuality.  But look again. That isn't the thing that brings about judgment.

¹⁸ The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.  Rom 1:18-20  NIV

God's wrath is incited when people ignore Him as being the Creator.  At that point, God turns them over to their own desires - none of which are righteous. 

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.  Romans 1: 21-25 NIV


God "gave them over".  He left them alone to fall into the ditches they themselves have dug.  God abandons the nation that abandons Him.

Ladies and gentlemen, haven't we arrived at this point?  Do you see the judgment of God in the leadership of our country?  In our slavery to debt?

Our founders set up a nation under God with freedoms built in for a people who were dedicated to faith  - or at least morality.  We used to know right from wrong.  We sent out missionaries as a national passion. 

Then evolution crept in and undermined our thinking about God.  It was swiftly followed by secular humanism.  Humanism was not properly declared to be a religion by the Supreme Court, but at least one justice added it into his notes in this case:

"In the 1961 case of Torcaso v. Watkins, Justice Hugo Black wrote in a footnote that:

Among religions in this country which do not teach what would generally be considered a belief in the existence of God is Buddhism, Taoism, Ethical Culture, Secular Humanism, and others.

As a footnote, this statement qualifies as an obiter dictum — this means that it is simply a personal observation of the judge and hence is only incidental to reaching the opinion. It has no real weight when it comes to legal precedent and cannot be properly considered the "decision" of the court. "
http://atheism.about.com/od/churchstatemyths/a/SecularHumanismReligion.htm

The more our country figures out ways to eject God from our society, the more we as a nation will come under judgment.  If falling prey to our own sinful natures (children having children, children killing children, "bread and circuses" mentality, etc.) doesn't make us draw back to God, then the judgments to come will be worse.

It's worth thinking about.

Kathi Linz

King Herod and the Wise Men

Matthew chapter 2 tells us about the star that led to wise men to Jesus and about King Herod's reaction to the news.

Consider this:
1. The star had to have been a divine message.
2. The wise men asked for the newborn KING.
3. Herod asked for information about the MESSIAH.

Taking those three points together, Herod knew about the Messiah - that He would be sent from God.

Now Herod was no stranger to "messiahs" in general.  There were a couple of them in his own lifetime, messiahs who were trying to rebel against the Romans.  Take the words of Gamaliel during the trial of the apostles immediately after Jesus rose into heaven.

Acts 5:35-39 (ESV) And [Gamaliel] said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!”

According to Gamaliel, Herod was dealing with a 'messiah' at the exact time that the wise men showed up asking about another one.  Maybe Herod was simply fed up with all of the local heroic types and he just wanted to nip this one in the bud.  But no other claimant had been heralded by a celestial sign and seekers from far countries. 

They came looking for a king, but Herod knew enough to ask where the Messiah would be born.  Herod didn't ask the news reporters and spies with which he had certainly surrounded himself.  He asked the scholars of Scripture.  Herod understood that this particular Messiah was the real thing.

And his first plan was to kill Him!

If Herod understood enough about the Scriptures to know about the true Messiah, I wonder if he understood the mission of Jesus.  Maybe not.  It seems like most of those well-versed in God's Word missed Jesus' first coming.  They too were looking for a King.

It's a wonderful thing that God knows how to protect His own and that His plans cannot be thwarted.  Otherwise, Jesus would not have seen His third birthday, and we would all be destined for hell. 

God bless us all.

Happy New Year.

Kathi Linz

In This World You Shall Have...

I find the "have it, grab it" Christians to be somewhat off kilter.  Everytime Jesus says that we will have anything we ask for, it is in connection with our work to expand His kingdom.  Nothing in the Book says that we can have anything that will spoil our need for God or our relationship to Him.

Abraham, David, and Solomon had much.  Altho the first two stumbled, they remained faithful.  Solomon had so much that he became depressed – see Ecclesiastes.  Solomon’s many foreign wives turned him away from God.  In the end, did he still believe in the true God?

Jesus said in this world we would have tribulation (John 16:33).  Jesus asked us to forsake the world for Him and Hebrews 12:1 advises us to lay aside everything that hinders us.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says we should not lay up treasures for ourselves on earth, but to forward them to our eternal heavenly dwelling. 

He promised to be with us.  He promised us eternal life with Him.  He promised that, as we abide in Him and work to bear fruit, that we would have everything we needed to accomplish that goal.  He did not offer us Mercedes and large mansions on earth.

Please bear in mind the story of the rich man and Lazarus.  On earth Lazarus had nothing and ended up in heaven. The rich man, whose name we do not know, ended up in hell.  In another parable of the rich man and his barns, Jesus says the rich man came to nothing and all he had went to someone else.

Outside of parables, there was a rich man who asked Jesus how he could be saved.  Jesus said “Your riches are weighing you down.  Give it all away and follow me.” The man walked away sad, because he treasure his "stuff".

How many lottery winners commit suicide?  Money doesn’t fill our inner need.  “The love of money…”, that often misquoted line actually points to the division between having much safely and having much to one's own detriment.  Do you have your stuff or does it have you?

Proverbs 30:8 has an excellent summation:
O God, I beg two favors from you;
    let me have them before I die.
⁸ First, help me never to tell a lie.
    Second, give me neither poverty nor riches!
    Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.
⁹ For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?”
    And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name. (NIV)

Having more than we need may be a trick of the devil to ensnare us and weigh us down.

In every worldly thing, guard your heart.  If you can do that, God will know how much He can trust you with.

God bless us all.

Kathi

Christmas Angels

This morning, our church's children performed their Christmas play.  I think I've seen this one before, but one word especially caught my ear - millions.

Here's the account of the angels visiting the shepherds from Luke:

⁸ And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

⁹ And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

¹⁰ And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

¹² And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

What is your image of the angels who appeared to say, "Glory to God..."?  Twenty or so?  I think that's about what I had in mind.  I think it may have come from the painting I used to see in various Bible story books.  There are exactly five angels in this picture.

But the Bible says that there was a multitude of angels.  How many in a multitude? 

If I had been any angel in God's presence and Jesus came down from heaven to live in a human body, I would want to be part of the wonder of the moment.  If I were the proud Parent of a new baby Boy, an earth-changing baby Boy, I would use every means at my disposal to make the announcement. 

What if every angel in heaven were present to announce God's Christmas gift to the world? 

And if I were one of the shepherds, that would indeed terrify me.

Just something to think about.

God be with us all, especially as we remember His best gift to us.

Kathi Linz

The Order of Melchizedek

Melchizedek has always made me wonder.  How can someone have no mother and no father and yet still be human?  Here are some of the things I learned.

"Having no mother and no father" may have meant that the man was old to the point where no one knew his heritage.  Jewish tradition suggests that Melchizedek may have been Noah's son Shem.  Shem lived for a long time after the Flood, long enough for Abraham to have arrived in Canaan according to the timeline offered in Genesis.

Melchizedek was his title, not his name.  The title means "King of Righteousness". He is called "a priest of the Most High God".  His name is never mentioned.

Jesus is named a priest after the order of Melchizedek.  According to the Tabernacle/Temple priesthood, any priest had to be from the Levite tribe of the family of Aaron.  Jesus didn't belong to Aaron's family.  He came from the tribe of Judah.  He would have to be a different type of priest.  Melchizedek is the only other  type of priest approved in Scripture.

At the core of what I heard last week is the story about Jesus' baptism.

When an old high priest was about to die, he would name his oldest son to be the next high priest.  This son had to be at least 30 years old.  The son would bathe in the mikvah and dress in the priestly robes.  His head would be anointed with sacred oil.  He would go to his father's bedside (or wherever the ailing old man was) and his father would say, "This is my son.  I am pleased with him."  Then he would go out and fulfill his duties.

When Jesus went to the Jordan River to be baptized, He did not do it because He needed His sins to be washed away.  He had no sin. 

Let's compare Jesus' baptism with the account of preparing a new high priest.  When Jesus was 30 years old, He went into the water like the priest going to the mikvah.  When He came out of the water, the Holy Spirit came down on Him like the anointing oil.  Jesus received the Spirit to empower Him for the ministry He was about to begin.  And the Father's voice came from heaven saying, "This is My Son.  I am pleased with Him."

Jesus came up out of the river with God's stamp of approval on His ministry - a priest after the order of Melchizedek, King of Righteousness.  (Gen. 14, Ps. 110:4, Hebrews 5:8-10)

May God bless us all.

Kathi