The Hope of America

Everyone I’ve talked to seems to agrees that America is in deep trouble—yet, there is little agreement on a solution. The liberal left and the main-stream media seem to think that the Obama administration is the solution. But already their "boat of hope" is so riddled with holes that even to the most casual observer, America will continue to sink into desperate straits. On the other hand, the political right and the conservative news media that speak for it feel that if they could just get back to the "good ol’ days" of conservatism, that all of our problems would be over.

THEY ARE BOTH WRONG!!!

Think about it. The mess we find ourselves in began in earnest during the Johnson administration and has continued to grow exponentially under both Democrat and Republican administrations until it now threatens to engulf America—and not just America, but the whole world! There are two basic schools of thought as to how we got into this mess and both see a conspiracy at its root. One contends that greed has consumed our leaders to the point that they are recklessly plundering our economy without any thought of the consequences, each trying to outdo the other in their amassing of ill-gotten gains. The other school of thought is that some "powers that be" are trying to tear down every thing that has made us a great society (the last things being our finances and our unity) so that they can come in and pick up the pieces! (Those who ascribe to this second school of thought feel that the liberal left and its adoring mainstream media have been playing into the hands of these shadowy "powers that be.") Granted, both schools of thought do show that people have been observing and thinking; but could it be that they have not looked deep enough into the billowing clouds of smoke and stench?

Those of us who can remember the 60’s can remember how we watched uneasily as Hollywood began eroding the pillars of our culture.

They began by promoting the idea of "free sex" and attacking our traditional concept of "family" that went all the way back to the beginning of our "One nation under God." (A wise person/nation would ask "how free" considering the massive $$$ amount that pays for the birth, care, and maintenance of unwed mothers and their babies.) Using the powerful medium of motion pictures, they assaulted the minds of our youth by presenting sex as a plaything and women as toys to be used and then cast aside. Hollywood’s presentation of sex without responsibility, their demeaning of women, and their attack on the sacred institution of motherhood has continued for more than half of a century and the results have been devastating. Without godly women as the heart and stability of the family, the family unit has fallen apart and the consequences to our nation have been devastating!

The consequences were first seen in the dockets of divorce courts. Oh, the natural tendency of men and women to want to marry has always been strong, but Hollywood’s free-thinking, immoral approach to the union of man and woman has had its effect and more and more families have broken apart—leaving children without a stable home life. But the erosion on the family didn’t stop here! The effect on future generations is now history. Observing the failure of so many marriages, young men and women began living together without marriage—bringing children into the world without an established home or a bona fide name.

The next institution in our society to feel the influence of Hollywood’s attack on the family has been the Educational System, and what a blow it has been! At first, schools had to deal with only a few children raised in these unstable conditions; but now teachers find themselves with classrooms reflecting the prevalent lifestyle of Hollywood—often resulting in more time given to discipline than teaching.

Sadly, Hollywood’s/medias' blight didn’t stop with our families and our educational systems; but the children raised under this influence grew up to be adults that became lawyers, politicians, members of our news media, etc. Today, our society is saturated with men and women who see nothing at all wrong with Hollywood’s twisted take on things; and indeed, they are proud to help promote it!!!

But enough about our nation’s "problems"—the symptoms of our sick society. These are easy to see—like a cancerous bump on the end of a nose. However, to get to the heart of the matter, we need to look closer to find the real cause!

What I’m about to say will ring true to everyone whose conscience has not been seared, for the Bible says that God has given to "every man" a measure of faith. (Think about it! If the only way we can please God is by faith, then it is only fair that He give faith to every man; and God is not just fair, but He is perfect in grace and mercy—wanting that none should perish, but that all should come to a saving knowledge of the death, burial, and resurrection of His Only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!) Nevertheless, for this inherent "faith" to do us any good, it must be exercised; and to be exercised, one must first hear of the love of God that led Him to send His Only Begotten Son to die for our sin. This is the job (the commission) of everyone who has accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior; but for too long now, for the most part, the only thing that the world has heard about Jesus has come from those who have set themselves up to speak for the church, from those who have an agenda other than the salvation of souls and who speak of Him only as He fits into their denominational dogma or their personal goals!!!

Church, if the world is in spiritual darkness, it is because you and I have withheld the Light! Think about it. The world needs us to fulfill the great commission—for only you and I can fulfill it! Oh, we’ve bought into all kinds of excuses not to obey our Lord and share the Good News with those around us. That’s something for the preachers to do. I don’t know how to witness. I’d be too embarrassed to tell others. I don’t know enough Bible… The list goes on and on; but the truth is, fulfilling the Great Commission is as easy as loving Jesus and loving your neighbor as yourself. And remember, we’re not in this alone. Jesus is with us! If we obey the Scriptures and let the Holy Spirit lead us in our prayers, He will lay people on our heart. Also, we should remember that the Lord does not expect us to "preach" or to be a nuisance to others. If we learn to be led of the Spirit, He will teach us what to say and when to say it. Just consider what would happen if every born-again believer where to be used of the Lord to bring just one soul into the Kingdom, what a difference it would make! Church, one of the greatest gifts God gives His Church is to let us share in the salvation of a soul. All of heaven rejoices when a soul is saved, and how great is our joy when we have a part in that salvation! Let’s not let that joy be taken from us by the powers of darkness. Jesus said that we are the light of the world; and we know we are letting our light shine when those around us can see Jesus--the HOPE OF THE WORLD.

Remember, darkness cannot prevail where there is Light!

Maranatha,

Don

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