You Are America

Happy Independence Day America

“Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people” – Proverbs 14:34

In the 18^th century leaders in the American Colonies stood up and decided to make a change in the world.  They chose to stand up and fight for what they believed in.  They stood upon the principles of Freedom, Equality, Peace and Liberty.  Their desire for independence led them to stand and fight against the heavy hand of the Great Britain.  They fought in order to relieve themselves from the burdens of taxation without representation, and against the tyranny of oppression that was placed upon their livelihood in this new land.  They fought for sovereignty and the freedom to pursue life and prosperity without the governing oversight of the British forces.  From 1775 through 1781, the colonial militia fought for their beliefs and their cause.  Many died in the defense of their principles, but after 6 years of battling the British army they were able to defeat them once and for all, upon the surrender of General Cornwallis in Yorktown, Virginia. 

Our ancestors chose to stand for their freedoms, and fight against the corruptness of the oppressive government reign at that time.  They made the decision that their freedom was worth the potential loss, and they gave everything they had to achieve that goal.  Here we are 238 years later.  Are we made of the same character, backbone, courage and passion to stand for our liberty, our freedom and our equality?  In America today we are governed by a Congress, Legislative Branch and Judicial Branch that is as corrupt and controlling as that which our ancestors chose to break from. 

Where is the morality, the equality, the peace that we came together and fought for.  This country is divided into 2 factions, and it is destroying itself from within.  The problems we face are difficult and not for the weak of heart, but it would appear that many are apathetic and could care less.  The majority of the 330 million people in this great country has little concern for the decisions made in Washington.  This isn’t new by the way, and is not reflective of the current administration.  This problem has been developing as long as I have walked this earth, but seems to becoming progressively worse in the last 10 years.  Our lives have become overwhelming busy, therefore causing us to limit our desire or ability to focus on the real issues.  As we strive for our own gain, we have chosen to care less for the whole.  We have become greedy, entitled and rich with blame for others.

What built this country was a strong backbone and desire to make life better for the masses.  What we are left with is a society of individuals focused on themselves and an attitude of entitlement that our lives should be easy.  I stand today to say we are wrong.  This life should not be easy, that was never a promise.  It is hard, but worth every fight.  You have the freedom to achieve great things in your life.  You are free to pray, to the God of your choice, or not to pray.  You are free to speak your opinion and to express your beliefs without condemnation.  You are free to pursue your dreams and visions without the persecution of others.  You are free to equality with every other man or woman by your side.  Not in a financial sense but in the state of freedom that is given to all.  You see, along with these freedoms given to you, is the reciprocal freedom that every other person is entitled to.  You may not agree with their opinions, actions and choices; but they are entitled to them none the less.  

Our forefather’s fought for independence so you and I could pursue that which makes us happy within the guidelines and laws of the new land.  We have abused this right to it’s fullest extent and modified those laws to accommodate the agendas of the few.  We have chosen to create a power hungry governing body that is driven by money, position and authority, rather than by serving their constituents.  Many of our elected officials are attempting to lead with righteousness and integrity.  Many are able to take their eyes off of their own gain and push for the gain of the whole.  To these I say, Thank You, stay strong and press on.  Unfortunately, there are more that are not living righteously and ethically, for the benefit of the masses, but rather for the benefit of themselves and those who have empowered them.  They aren’t the ones to blame though, we are.  Our electoral process has put them into the positions they have.  Because we are living in an apathetic America, we are carelessly voting people into positions of authority, without any idea of who they really are or what they stand for.  It’s the responsibility of every American to educate themselves on the strengths, values, character and ability of the candidates that put their name on a ballet. 

So America, where are you?  What are you going to do to put this country back on track?  Are you satisfied setting on the sidelines and doing nothing, or is there an ounce of courage inside of you that you are willing to put forth to do something about it?  Are you comfortable being apathetic and hoping that someone else will step up?  What if no-one does?  Where will this great 238 year old country be in  5 years or 10 years?  Is your freedom worth fighting for?  Then do something.  Use the courage you are given from your Creator to stand up for righteousness and stand up.  Use the tools around you: Facebook, Twitter, texting, blogging and other means to voice your opinion.  You are a member of this society, take a position with a voice and tell those in Washington what you really think.  You are America, start acting like it.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2014
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No Whining, Just Winning

Read It, Learn It, Live It, Share It

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people." – Proverbs 14:34

  Living in righteousness requires that one fully embrace and understand the meaning of the word.  Most people will immediately discount the word righteousness, because it brings with it an expectation of perfection and living a Christ-like life.  Certainly, we agree that righteousness (the act of being righteous) implies that one is living within societies accepted standards of morality, values and justice.  But who defines those things?  Is there a single standard for being righteous or living morally?

  The essence of righteous living draws one to conclude that a person is living upright and within the boundaries set by men and by God.  For the root of righteous stems from the old English term right wise, meaning a person that was wise and correct in their actions.  In the reference of scripture the term has Hebrew roots in the word “tsedaq”, which means accurate, fair, justice, rightly or Holy. 

  Can a nation live righteously?  Can you?

  We often times step away from that which seems daunting and unachievable and throw up our hands in defeat.  What use is it, I am only one person, how can I change the nation?  It’s this attitude of poor me and helplessness that continues to be the demise of our society in general.  When those who stand for righteousness stop caring, the enemy has won.  You and I may not single handedly teach people across the nation about turning from their sinfulness and toward righteousness, but we can teach those around us.  Those in our family, our friends our sphere of influence are within our reach.  It becomes a choice as to whether or not you are willing to stand up for it or not. 

  The word righteous appears in the Bible nearly 500 times because we are called to live in this manner.  Christ lived upon this earth as an example of a righteous life.  Can you become righteous as Christ is righteous, hardly.  You were born into sin, by the very nature of the blood that runs through your veins.  On the other hand, He was born of the Holy Spirit, through the virgin Mary without the sin of mankind.  He was perfectly righteous from the moment of His first breath and through His last upon the cross.  We have faith in His righteousness as our salvation, for God demands perfection and righteousness for eternity with Him.  Without Christ as the sacrifice for our sinful nature, there is no way to achieve righteousness on our own.  You might be able to be righteous for 4 or 5 minutes at a time now and then, but your very sinful nature will once again get in the way.

  Despite your attempts at living righteous, you will find it unachievable.  Bring the Holy Spirit into the equation, and all of a sudden your righteousness meter goes up dramatically.  Follow the Holy Spirit’s lead in your life and influence those around through His direction and one by one, many by many we can make an impact in the righteousness of this nation.  Nothing is beyond the capacity or capability of our Father in Heaven.  He is above all things and when we choose to trust and follow Him, we can do amazing things with the little bit of skill and talent He has given us.  Start with your household and then work your way out from there.  Start living with righteousness in your own life through the strength and power of the Holy Spirit, then let that expand to those around you.  You’ll be surprised how much influence you really have.

             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com
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