I going to take a little different approach but one that is integral to who I am and what I believe.  There is so much confusion, chaos, bitterness, and vitriol in America, and the world today is disturbing and destructive.  It is not relegated to one ethnicity or one political ideology.  It is even present in some of Christendom and that is doubly disturbing.

Our Founding Fathers presented the Declaration of Independence as an appeal to the British Crown to reconcile their differences while stating the foundational beliefs of the colonist.  Let me cite the second paragraph in part as my catalyst to unpackage what I desire and believe needs to be said.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

There is much in that but the central part of their message not only to the British Crown, and the other colonist but to those of us centuries away was powerful.  It speaks of self-evident truths that cannot be overlooked nor diminished in value.  Their first declaration was to recognize that all people are created by God and therefore have equal standing with God.  All are not equal in talent or ability.  All are not equal in their determination to excel, but all are equal in that they are creations of the Almighty and none are more important or lesser important than the others.  It seems that this is missed in today’s world where we place value on ethnicity, status, ability, looks, and many other things.  We fail to see every human being as important to and created by God.  No matter their ideology or faith.

The second was that each of those created beings has been and is endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights.  Rights that can only come from the Creator of all things.  Rights that no one, no government, no church, and no earthly potentate has the right to infringe.  They are unalienable which means they are not to be separated, given away, or taken away, they are inalienable.  They are undeniable and uninfringeable but in today’s world, many within the whole of society and government believe those rights are not permanent and uninfringeable.  That opens the door to some terrible consequences and conditions.

Among those unalienable rights was the Right to Life and all that life entails.  Not just to breathe but to live the life that God opens to us.  It is to live with the freedom to pursue that life without fear of an overreaching government or group impeding that progress and pursuit.  Among those unalienable rights listed were Liberty and all that it includes.  It is more than being without chains it is to be free, free to speak, free to believe, free to think, free to worship, and free to be who God has made us to be.  If we are mandated with what we can think, speak, or believe we do not have Liberty.  Then the right to pursue Happiness.  It includes a state of well-being and contentment that can reach the level of Joy.  Joy is not contingent upon externals but is a result of the heart’s condition.  Happiness is contingent upon externals and if we are restricted from our right to Life and Liberty, Happiness is virtually impossible in the natural. 

There is a condition in today’s world that is worsening and being justified based on bias, political, religious, social, and in almost every aspect of human existence.  That condition is addressed by the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3.  In the first nine verses of that chapter, Paul called our attention to the attitude and actions of people in the Last Days.

In the Tree of Life Version, it says, “…in the last days hard times will come.”  Hard times?  Haven’t there been hard times for centuries if not millenniums?  Of course, there have been, but this word in Greek is chalepos which stems from the root chasma which means to gape or yawn.  It is a chasm or vacancy.  That is interesting, a chasm or vacancy in what?  In moral standards and recognition of the very thing, the Founders included in the Declaration of Independence, the unalienable rights, and the recognition of God as Creator.

Then the apostle Paul delves into a detailed list of characteristics that will be more pronounced than any generation.  There will be the deification of the self, the level of covetousness will reach a zenith, and the love for and drive to have wealth will be the driving factor.  It will be a time when people feel entitled to what someone else has and covetousness will blind people as to what is right, moral, and logical. 

Can we not conclude that in today’s society we are hearing incredible boasts out of pride and many in today’s society and politics have no fear of blaspheming God?  We began in the 1960s opening the door to destruction and the return of the diabolical forces of darkness.  We began taking steps to exorcise God from the public square and on the heels of that first action we saw the sexual revolution and as time progressed more and more rulings to banish God from all things government and public. 

The result of that could only be the rise of the powers of darkness.  As the moral fabric of our society crumbled the rise of an amoral and immoral push would replace it.  It is a principle that is seen in physics and life that if you empty an object of one thing it becomes filled with another.  If you empty a room of light, you fill it with darkness.  If you empty a glass of water, you fill it with air.  The converse is also true.  Therefore, when we banished God from the public square, we opened the door for the workers of darkness to fill those voids and chasms. 

John the Baptist said, “He must increase but I must decrease.”  The more I empty myself of hate the more room there is for love.  The more I empty myself of prejudice the more I can accept others for who they are.  The more I fill my heart with God the less room there is for evil.  Yes, I believe that the greatest need in America and the world today is Love.  That love can only come from a relationship with Jesus Christ. 

I hear those on all sides of the political and other hurl their hatred toward those in disagreement with them and justify it by calling the other side evil.  There is never a justification for the hate of other humans.  We may detest what they do but the person is a creation of God and one for whom Jesus died on the Cross.  I have found that it is impossible for me to hate the person I genuinely pray for.  I may not want to be in their company because of their language, attitude, or philosophy, but I will still love and pray for them.  God turned me around and if He can turn my life around, He can turn anyone around.

Just going to church and voting against things that are anathema to reason and moral sanity does not justify hating those who disagree.  We have plunged so deeply into the abyss of hatred and the attempted justification we are a divided nation and the end of that will be destruction. 

We cannot fix what is wrong in government or society through legislation or the efforts of a political party. We must, somehow and someway address the human heart.  In 2 Chronicles 7:14, we have the prescription for curing our national, personal, and societal ills.  It reads, “when My people, over whom My Name is called, humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  I am committed to doing that and I ask all who believe in God to join me.  We can see a change in America and the world.

God bless you and God bless America!