America, Who are you?

I should say, America who were you? Let's ask the founding fathers:

Alexander Hamilton (First United States Secretary of the Treasury and led calls for the Constitutional Convention)
"I have a tender reliance on the mercy of the Almighty, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am a sinner. I look to Him for mercy; pray for me."

John Adams (Second President of the United States, Sponsor of the American Revolution, United States Representative for negotiating the peace treaty with Great Britain)
"The Christian religion is, above all the religions that ever prevailed or existed in the ancient or modern times, the religion of wisdom, virture, equity, and humanity."
"The ten commandments and the sermon on the mount contain my religion."

Thomas Jefferson (Third President of the United States and Primary author of the Declaration of Independence)
"I am a real Christian...a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus. Had (they) been preached always as pure as they came from his lips, the whole civilized world would now have been Christians. I have little doubt that the whole country will soon be rallied to the unity of our Creator, and I hope, to the pure doctrines of Jesus also."

The Mayflower Compact (November 11, 1620) Drafted by the pilgrims landing in America crossing the Atlantic on the Mayflower. They state their reason for risking their life to colonize in this new world.
"In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread (revered and feared) sovereign Lord King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the faith, etc., having undertaken, for the glory of God, and the advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do......."

What happened?

Have we drifted so far?

The haunting words of New York representative Peter Sylvester and Connecticut representative Benjamin Huntington show us our error. Here are their comments on the wording of the first amendment from the Constitutional Convention.
Peter "It might be thought to have a tendency to abolish religion altogether."
Benjamin "The words might be taken in such a latitude to be extremely hurtful to the cause of religion...the amendment (should) be made in such a way as to secure the rights of religion, but not to patronize those who profess no religion at all."

Let us not forget who we were. Our founding fathers fought and died for this country they loved. This was their chance to be unhindered from Great Britain and boldly explore Christianity without all the chains imposed by the Roman Catholic Church of England. They imprinted Christianity all over the money, the buildings, and they put it in school. At the core of America, was God Bless America, was God Shed His Grace on Thee, was One Country Under God Indivisible with Liberty and Justice for All, was In God We Trust.........

The founders intent was not to pull Christianity out of government. They did not want them separate. It is obvious by the actions they themselves took. If you look at what they said, they knew the strength of the country rested upon the individual to have Christian virtues. They believed in small government. Small government because the people were taught morality. They believed in the individual. They believed in him to work hard, honestly, and to be loving of his neighbor.

They believed in God and the Ten Commandments. They believed in a morality that is outside of human creation and governs our behavior. The whole reason we have laws was that they believed there was a fixed standard to go off of.

Have we gotten so lazy? Have we forgotten who we are? Are we all just entertaining ourselves and don't care what happens here anymore? Does anyone wonder why politics is all messed up and no one cares? Does anyone wonder why?

We have forgotten God. We are removing Him from His throne in our country by outlawing school sanctioned prayer, outlawing Bible reading in schools, and by outlawing the display of the ten commandments in schools. The list goes on and on.

Is there any wonder the overall character of kids is so messed up? We are in the dark of our true heritage here. The schools never taught me about the true nature of the Godly men that founded this nation.

Is there any wonder kids idolize drug dealers, pimps, and sports athletes? We haven't been taught who the true heroes and role models were and are today. We haven't been told the truth.

These men risked their lives. They stood up for truth, justice and the American way. They liberated a people with God on it's side. All for the glory of the one true God who sits enthroned in heaven. Where are the men like that anymore? All we get are men telling people whatever they want to hear, rather than standing upon truth.

America was supposed to be a Christian nation. As it was from the beginning.

The popular ideas to fix our problems all seem to involve rolling out communist ideas and expecting big government to fix our problems. The only problem is, God is the only one who can fix us.

God awaken the people of this country to our true identity. Revive us oh Lord.

Remember John Adams,
"The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it connected in one dissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity."

Remember Daniel Webster,
"If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity."

Rejoice! Didn't you hear me, I said Rejoice!!

Philippians 4:4-6
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I love that. Rejoice. I said Rejoice! With an ! point behind it! That pretty much means, be happy sucka. God is awesome and if you have been redeemed and are experiencing true life....There is no greater reason to have joy.

Some friends and I were having a discussion over dinner about it being ok to be happy and to express joy in Christ AND at church. All too often I wonder if young people get the wrong idea about being a Christian. Sometimes it may appear that being a Christian is all serious and somber all the time. It should not be "all the time." Because salvation is a happy thing and should bring you true joy in higher forms than a drug or crude joke can bring you.

My wrongs are wiped away. Love has entered my life. True love, the kind that is unconditional. A relentless love that persists no matter how far I have strayed or how lost I have been. Through all my failures and shortcomings, I am still loved. This can bring nothing but deep joy that would make you want to stand up and rejoice. Maybe even throw your fist in the air and pump it a few times!