Do not trust in these deceptive words, "This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD."

For if you truly amend your ways and deeds, if you truly execute justice with one another, if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your harm, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.

Jeremiah 7:4-7, ESV

 

This is the United States of America, the United States of America, the United States of America...

 

Sadly, this is about all that's left for those who fancy themselves as modern day patriots. But it is not enough! Furthermore, it has very little to do with patriotism.

 

In the days of Jeremiah, the people had forgotten what the temple of the LORD stood for. It was their place of worship. It was their testimony to the fact that they served the LORD God. It was their place of daily sacrifice, a symbol of their devotion to the LORD. Indeed, it housed the ark of the covenant in a designated area that God defined as the "most holy place". In short, it was a place that literally had a portion of the glorious presence of God. But Israel had become complacent. They believed that they were special for the simple fact that they were they! They thought the temple was a sign of their greatness, rather than a sign of the greatness of the One true God. In order to cling to their self-delusion, they proudly stated that they had the temple of the LORD, and thought that if they repeated it enough, that they really were the people of God.

 

And all the time that they were proclaiming their greatness, they became worthless, for they ceased doing the things that great people who are unashamed servants of God do. So, they started oppressing those who were weaker, they indulged in the sexual and spiritual immoralities that were a hallmark of idol worship, and they even got to the point that they killed their unwanted children and fancied their blood-thirsty practice as a noble thing. And as they continued to drift further and further away from God, they continued to consider themselves the people of God. After all, didn't they have the magnificent temple of the LORD in their presence?

 

Do you remember that when God had enough of this wicked, self=delusional people, that He had the enemies of Israel wipe out their holy city and raze their temple of the LORD to the ground?

 

Fast-forward a few thousand years to the United States of America. At its founding, her people acknowledged the Lord - the same Lord Who was the God of Israel and the Creator of everything we see. At its founding, America was a shining example of a noble people who were made noble by their pursuit of the Lord and His ways. It's true that there was a tiny minority of people who did not place God ahead of America, but they were so small in number as to be rendered inconsequential, despite the claims to the contrary by some of our leading intellectual midgets that have infested our college campuses and many of our churches in modern times.

 

All one has to do to convince themselves of the founder's devotion to God is to read what they were saying. It's not just the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution that make mention of their belief that God was the Supreme Master. This belief is woven in the fabric of our new nation, as is evidenced from their words in everything ranging from their private writings to their public speeches. Just go back and review Washington's Farewell Address. It reads more like a sermon from a powerful preacher, than it does the words of a mere politician. And for good reason, for Washington loathed the idea of partisan politics, and had multiple warnings as to its divisive nature.

 

The hallmark of the early American patriots was a near-unanimous devotion to God. The people of America firmly believed that they could not exist without a reliance upon their Maker and, only after first leaning upon God and seeking His counsel, a reliance on themselves. They believed that the sojourner, the widow and the orphan needed to be taken care of, but never by taxing the people. They believed in an individual responsibility to take care of the weak and the oppressed because they believed that this was God's "Natural Law" for them to do so. They believed that the nation should prefer Christians for her leaders and were unapologetic in their writings to promote this belief.

 

The idea that America would devolve to such a state in which people would be more concerned about an invented right to kill their own babies and people's right to define themselves by what they did in their bedrooms would have been appalling to them, because they knew that it would be appalling to God.

 

Now, back to the original question: "Is America worth being a patriot for?" The answer is... it depends! If you are talking about a people who define themselves as Republicans or Democrats, before they define themselves as Americans, then I would have to say it is not a nation worthy of our being patriots for. If you are talking about a people who define themselves as Americans before they do as Christians, then I would say it is no longer a nation worthy of our patriotism. And, if you are talking about a people who proudly state that they are "One nation under God, one nation under God, one nation under God", but who then go and do all of the things that God condemned Israel for, then I would have to say it is not a nation worthy of such devotion.

 

However, if you are asking if the principles that this nation was founded on are worthy of our being patriots for, if you are asking if the Constitution is worthy of our patriotism, and, especially if you are asking if a nation that is truly one nation under God is worthy of our devotion, then the answer would be a firm and unapologetic "Yes!"

 

The question is, "Which America do we really have today?" Maybe a better question is, "Which America do we want?" The answer is important, because a people who turn their back on God, regardless of the fact that they may have once had "the temple of the LORD" or even "One nation under God" cannot stand... nor is it worth defending in the first place! But a nation that truly is a people who are willing to recommit themselves, first to God, and secondly to a constitution that was specifically designed for such a nation of righteous people, that is a nation worthy of our devotion. I think it is more than time for us to decide which nation we want to have. Then we can decide if America is worth being a patriot for.

And at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and your body are consumed, and you say, "How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. I am on the brink of utter ruin..."

Proverbs 5:11-14, ESV

 

Have you ever felt this way? Perhaps you are not at the end of your life, but you are at the end of your rope. Maybe you have gotten into something you shouldn't have. Maybe your health is shot from poor decisions. Maybe it's financial ruin you are facing or maybe you have even found yourself in prison for past mistakes. Whatever the specifics of your individual situation, the root of the problem is often the same: You hated discipline and now you are paying the penalty!

 

Let me be quick to say that not all of the bad situations we find ourselves in life are as a result of some fault of our own. There are plenty of times when we suffer simply because of a bad break that was beyond our control - this article is not about such circumstances at all. The article today is about those times that we find ourselves in dire straits solely because of a lack of discipline on our part, the part of others, or a combination of the two. It's like the passage we read above about a man who is on the brink of utter ruin because he has chosen to enter into sin. 

 

Let me also clarify one additional point: Sometimes our bad situations are not because of some specific sin but are a result of a lack of discipline in some area that is not necessarily wicked in and of itself.  Our budgets get out of hand, our bodies get out of shape, our relationships fall apart - all can be true without our being involved in some sort of "high-handed" sin. But these things still have something in common: They often are a direct result of a lack of discipline!

 

The internet is full of such examples. We see someone who is bemoaning the fact that they can no longer afford the high cost of food, but when they show their "proof" by revealing their shopping cart, it is often filled with high-dollar snack foods, alcohol, tobacco products, and high-cost, name brand foods. When we suggest to them that they could cut back on such items and start loading their menus with beans and rice, they often become deeply offended! They will be quick to tell you they don't work like slaves in order to eat like slaves, but the fact remains: They hate the discipline that those who are more willing to face reality possess, and as a result, they are in over their heads.

 

It's the same with purchases of new cars and big houses. Again, we all understand that prices have gotten out of hand for even the most prudent of budgeters, but we are focusing now on those who have got in over their heads because they lacked the discipline to tell themselves no when it came to their "dream" cars and "forever" homes. 

 

And then there are those of us who have a hard time pushing our way from the dinner table and going out for a healthy walk or taking part in some other form of needed exercise. Add that to the poor habits of drinking to excess or smoking, and you can see why people are so unhealthy. This is not just "bad luck", it is a hatred of discipline. And whether it be in the area of money or health, or in those areas of sinful activity, the result is always the same: At the end of our lives when our flesh and bodies are consumed and we say, "How I hated discipline" it will be too late... the damage has been done!

 

Perhaps the saddest thing for those who find themselves in that situation, will be the realization that they could have done something about it if they had only lived more intentionally!

 

So much of the trouble we find ourselves in is simply the result of a lack of thought. It felt good to do something, so we did it! We didn't care what others thought, nor did we have a particularly impressive amount of thought put into these activities on our part. We just "had another beer" or "ate another twinkie" or "put another thing on the card" or went a little "too far" with that cute guy or girl. In each case, we were heedless of the damage that these things would do to our bodies, our budgets and our souls, for the simple fact that we simply didn't think about tomorrow because we were living for today.

 

In short, we hated discipline... so we killed it! 

 

And because of this lack of foresight, we found ourselves in some situation or another that we hated even more than the discipline we were once so quick to despise. But what can we do? Is it too late for us? The answer to the latter question is that it is never too late to turn back to God. But don't fool yourself - it is going to be hard! Getting back in shape is always harder than getting out of shape. Regaining financial control is always more difficult than it was when you were out of control. And coming back to God (or coming to Him for the first time) has always required more effort than serving the devil ever will. Maybe the reason for that is most people who serve Satan don't believe that they are, but don't fool yourselves in this. In this life we will serve one or the other. Since our eternity hangs in the balance, it behooves us to start being intentional in this choice. 

 

I am now entering into the final phase of my lifespan. I see a lot of the people that I grew up with whose bodies, finances, and souls are battered beyond anything they would have recognized when they were younger. Some, unfortunately, are already dead because of their poor decisions. I do not see myself as superior to any of these, for I once took part in many of their bad decisions and, for a season, I too suffered the consequences. But, by the grace of God and the help of many precious people, I was able to get ahold of myself. It was not easy, nor was it by result of some sort of magical formula.

 

I simply stopped hating discipline, and I began to live a life of purpose. When I started being intentional with my decisions my life got way better than anything I deserved, and yours can too. If you find yourself at a crossroads in life, realizing that you are in significant trouble because you have made significantly bad decisions, then understand you are not alone. Most people hate discipline and as a result have suffered greatly for having done so. The good news is that you can change starting right at this very moment. 

 

It will require that you face your problems honestly. It will likely require repentance, for much of our undisciplined activities are nothing short of sin. It will take a humble return to God, and a pleading with Him for His direction (which you can find in the Bible) and a pleading for His help (which you can receive through prayer). These types of things do require discipline. And discipline, I believe you will discover, always requires intention.

 

Do you think it is time for you to begin to live an intentional life? Then, start today! You may still have to live with many of the physical consequences for your past undisciplined life, but you will have the prospect of an eternity with God and Christ to look forward to.

So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Matthew 6:31-34, NIV (1978)

 

Say not, "Why were the former days better than these?" for it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

Ecclesiastes 7:10, ESV

 

I think one of the most difficult things that people can learn to do is to live in the present. Life can be very challenging, so it is very tempting for us to look at the past thinking that things were so much simpler then. Furthermore, it can be difficult to not be thinking about tomorrow and wonder how we are going to manage. We've all heard those trite sayings like, "Yesterday is gone, and tomorrow never comes" but they really don't help much when it comes to the realities of life. The fact is that the past greatly influences who and what we are today, and the future has to be given some consideration if for no other reason than our bills are coming due tomorrow.

 

So, what is the secret? Why, when we live during the most advanced era of history, do we have so much anxiety? And why do we not seem to have the happiness that we were so confident we would have when we were younger?

 

I believe the answer to those questions is that we have forgotten what it was like to live in the present.

 

Now my grandchildren have no such problems. Give them an ice cream, and they are wildly content. They are not thinking of how yesterday's flavor was so much better, nor are they worried about how they might not have any ice cream at all tomorrow. Give them ice cream today, and they will be happy, happy, happy!

 

And it doesn't have to be something as wonderful as dessert either. The other day they spied an insect that looked just like a leaf. They looked at it with marvel and then squealed with delight when it flew over to a flower and blended into its new surroundings. They looked for it in wonder and were seemingly beside themselves with joy when they found it hidden amongst the leaves. Then they switched their attention to picking some grapes from a vine their great-grand parents had planted years before they were born, and they were filled with delight once again.

 

Have you ever noticed that little kids don't have too much trouble being happy? Have you ever wondered why? I believe it's because they live in the moment!  

 

Now, you might be quick to say that it's easy for them, to live in the present, because they don't have any "baggage" from past mistakes weighing them down, and they certainly don't have anxiety for the future because someone else is paying their bills. And of course, this is true enough, for children don't have much of a past to regret, and they don't have the responsibilities that we adults have concerning the future. But they also have one thing that many adults lack, and that is the ability to trust. 

 

When we are young, we trust in our parents - and for good reason! If you have good parents when you are a child, you just take it for granted that they will take care of your needs. And you don't even have to think about it too deeply, because they have always done so despite the fact that you have likely been oblivious to that fact. As we grow older, however, the reality of life comes into our focus, and along with that reality comes an understanding of our own ever-growing responsibilities. The odd thing is that the older we got in our parent's home, the more we couldn't wait to be old enough to take on these responsibilities ourselves.

 

Do you remember what it was like to "dream" about the future? We couldn't wait to get our own car, our own house, and our own lives! But along with these dreams came the bills to pay for them, as well as the jobs to earn the money to make those payments. As the responsibilities grew, it was often tempting to look back on our lives with a type of wistfulness for the days when someone else was taking care of us. Knowing that that wasn't likely to happen, we began to worry about what the future would bring. Would we ever get married and be happy? Would we have children and be happy? Would we be able to keep our health and our youthful appearance and be happy? Would we make enough money to pay our bills and be happy?

 

As we grow older, it is very natural to associate getting the things we want in the future with today's happiness, and we fail to enjoy today! We look at those things that once made us so happy as childish now, and we might even shake our heads in derision of such an immature state of living, but we would be foolish to do that. You see, the child's ability to live in the moment is a critical factor to their happiness and contentment. Have you ever noticed how completely focused upon the moment they are in when doing something as simple as coloring a picture or riding a bike? Their focus is squarely on the task at hand, and the thought of yesterday and tomorrow have little place in their world today. It is that ability to throw yourself into the present that keeps our minds off of the things in the future and past.

 

By doing so - by learning to live in the present - we can begin once again to enjoy the life that we so desire. And this enjoyment is not an escape from reality, either. We can enjoy things today without being blind to our responsibilities. We know that we have things that we must do and bills that we must pay in the future, but this should not keep us from living in the present, today! 

 

Perhaps a practical illustration will help us to see this point. When my wife and I were about thirty, we had two kids, a house, two cars, and a mountain of debt. I was self-employed as a real estate appraiser, and the real estate market hit a slump. We had a car payment, a mortgage, a second mortgage, and credit card bills. I had even borrowed money from my parents. Not only did the future look bleak, but we were suffering from some bad financial decisions we had made in the past. Our house was up for sale, but again we were seemingly crippled at every turn from the real estate slowdown. 

 

We were, to say the least, somewhat at our wit's end.

 

That's when I did what I should have been doing all along: I began to pray. It's not that we hadn't been praying all along. We prayed for more work, for more money, for more time. It seems that I had praying for everything but the one thing I should have been praying for all along - God's will to be done! So, I began praying that if God wanted us to keep the job we had, that I would be willing to do the work needed to help get us out of the hole we found ourselves in. But (and this was the key) if it was not God's will that we continue on that same career path, that we would have the wisdom to see that. Whatever He wanted was going to be what I wanted in the future, if He would just give us the wisdom we needed to see what that was.

 

In short, I began for the first time in a long time to place my trust in Him.

 

And. I was not let down. Jesus' instruction to seek first the kingdom of God turned out not to be just good religious advice, but outstanding practical advice for daily living. Things turned around very quickly after that, for I was no longer trusting in my own ability to handle any crisis that came up. And while I certainly do not want to imply that I had somehow "mastered" the art of trusting God, it was that initial step forward to begin trusting Him that made all the difference. It was that difference, I believe, that helped me to learn how better to live in the present, and, therefore, how to enjoy life once again.

 

If you have not been enjoying life today because you have been weighed down from past mistakes and anxious for what the future might hold, then welcome to the club - it's a big one! However, if you would like to do something to change all this, may I recommend that you begin living in the present instead of in the past or the future? You can start by taking the perfect advice that Jesus gave some 2,000 years ago. It will require a level of trust that you might not have been willing to place in God in the past. But, if we can all simply learn to trust in God and seek His kingdom first, we are guaranteed to have less anxiety in the future. Maybe then we can learn to fully savor the joys of living in the present! 

 

Perhaps that's why today is called "the present". It truly is a gift from God! All we have to do is unwrap that gift and begin to enjoy the life He has called us to live. 

Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sewing, shall doubtlessly come back rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.  Psalms 126:5-6, NKJV

And let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9, ESV

 

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. Old Gospel hymn

 

Have you ever had a close friend or family member who left the Lord? Maybe they had never followed the Lord in the first place. Either way, you were vitally concerned for their soul, often to the point of shedding tears. 

 

This is the way we should feel, I believe, if we truly understand what it means to be lost. I don't suppose there are many disappointments in life greater than the realization that someone you love, very much, is in danger of being separated from God for all eternity. This is especially hard when it is your son or daughter who has drifted away. That same sweet, innocent baby that you held in your arms, the one you would have done anything to make sure that they were safe, decides when they are grown that serving the Lord just isn't for them.

 

At the outset I should clearly state that the final judgement is not up to us, I am not for a moment suggesting that we have a right to violate Christ's instruction on this subject. The command, "Judge not that ye be not judged" is still as true today as the day it was given. However, we can see when people appear to be walking outside of God's way, and we can therefore see if someone appears to be in danger. If we could not see such a circumstance, how could we ever help anyone?

 

There is a wide array of emotions when a child leaves the path. There is anger, for you know that they were raised better than to be so selfish that they would turn their back on God. There is great sorrow, because you know what that rejection will lead to in the end. There is a sense of worry and sometimes even panic at the prospect of their leading a life that is outside of God's instruction, for such a life of disobedience always has significant consequences. Always, there is a sense of failure, thinking that there is something you missed that if you had only caught it before it was too late you could have avoided the seemingly endless nightmare you are now living through. And, of course, there are the grandchildren. What will their prospects for ever becoming faithful be, when they are being raised by those who have rejected God's way?

 

If you find yourself in such a situation, understand that you are not alone. The passage we read in the 126th Psalm was about just such a situation. Furthermore, these were God's chosen people who had gone so far astray that they ended up in captivity in a faraway land. God, too, experienced all of these emotions that we do when our children go astray and even more, for only He understands the true scope of that disobedience. But He also knows something that we do not: He knows that those with a good heart will return to Him given the right set of circumstances. 

 

That is why He says that those who sow in tears will someday reap in joy. That is why He encourages us to never give up, for if we do not grow weary, we will indeed reap that harvest we desire someday. And that harvest does not consist of something as inconsequential as fruit or grain; indeed, that harvest consists of the souls of those we love. This potential harvest is made up of our sons and daughters, our mothers and fathers, our sisters and brothers, and our closest friends. There will be times of despair when we see that they are not responding quickly enough, but don't give up! It is very true that some will never repent, that some will continue to lead a life of stiff-necked disobedience before their Lord and Creator. Sadly, there will even be some who die in that state, without God and without hope. But...

 

there will be some who come back! There will be some whose hearts are tender enough to feel a genuine remorse and who will come back to God. These are the one the Psalmist was inspired to write about when he revealed that those who sow in tears will reap in joy. It's true that just as not every stalk of wheat will produce grain, that not every soul who hears the Good News will respond, but many will. It was Jesus Himself who reminded us that those who are faithful will indeed produce a harvest - some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and some a hundredfold. Our part is not to decide who will respond to the Gospel's call. Our duty is simply to sow the seed. Sometimes it will be to dear friends and family who have once followed the truth but who have departed for a season. Sometimes it will be a sowing of the Word to those who have never really had a chance to hear the Good News before. Whatever the case, some will respond, and it will change their lives!

 

And, someday, God Himself will bring in those sheaves! Then we will understand what it means to sow in tears, but to reap in joy!

 

If you have a loved one who has left the path (or, perhaps, who has never been on that path of righteousness in the first place) don't give up. The stakes are too great for us to become derelict in our duties just because someone we love has. It is at times like these that we are most needed. It will not be fun, and our sowing of the seed will often not be appreciated... but sow we must! Even if that sowing is done in tears, for someday we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up!