Wednesday; January 3

The other day I read a couple of phrases that got me to thinking. They weren’t anything new – nor, in and of themselves, are they radical. However, I believe that they have become phrases that may need some rethinking. The phrases that sparked my thinking were, “God Bless America” and “Make America Great Again”. Now, I want you to set aside your initial emotional knee-jerk reactions to what these phrases mean to you and hear me out. Honestly, not only is there not anything wrong with these concepts, when viewed with an open mind, they can encourage us to better lives. They are noble pursuits. However, what tends to get us in trouble is when we set these standards against the rest of the world. Are we hoping that God will bless us more than other people? Are we wanting to rebuild our nationalism at the expense of nations? It is admirable to be the best we can be, the challenge is not being so self-serving that we do it to the detriment of others.

When God sent His Son to the earth, He did so with the following message, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). God’s love isn’t nationalistic or partisan, it is available to everyone. Again, let’s do the best we can – and when we do that, we’ll experience the true blessings of the benevolent God of all mankind.

Think About It!

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