Tag Archives: governments

Now What? November 9, 2020

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

I’m preparing this podcast on election day. By the time you hear it, I hope we have elected our officials for the coming terms. I don’t want this to drag out forever, as some elections have in the past. Many decry our electoral college system, but I’d like to share why that system is so crucial to our “United” States. The last census, remember that was ten years ago, showed that 50 percent of the population resided in only 146 of more than 3,000 counties in our country, 3141 to be exact. That means less than 5% of the counties hold more than half the population.

Why is that important to elections and the electoral college? Consider the outcry we get when we talk about the power of the small percentage of billionaires and multimillionaires. We scream that everyone should have a voice. We want equality and justice. If that’s the case, shouldn’t those other 3,000 counties, the other half of the population, not concentrated in those 146 counties also have a voice? 

Fifteen of our states do not have a single county among those 146. Should they not be included in the election of our highest leader? Our founding fathers were pretty smart people giving one electoral vote for each senator and representative from each state when choosing the president in a representative election. The states with a higher population get more votes since they have more representatives, but every state gets at least three votes. West Virginia and North Dakota and Wyoming aren’t left out of the decision just because they have smaller populations than California, Florida, and Texas.

The magnificence of our Constitution is really pretty incredible. It’s a shame more people don’t take the time to read it, study it, understand the beauty of its language and fairness to all people within the country. Is it perfect? No. But we need to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. There is a reason we have millions trying to escape to our country, not from it. It’s not just our capitalism that allows you to earn a decent living; it’s the freedoms we embrace through our Constitution.

Most, not all, of our founding fathers were deeply religious people. Yes, some were deist, some were even atheist, but most were Christian with deep roots in their faith. And they wanted the government to stay out of their religious practice. They would not separate their religious practice from their operation of government, as we see in their prayers, letters, speeches, books, and biographies. But because of the kings’ suppression of religious freedom in Europe, they made sure the government stayed out of the church. That is what separation of church and state is about, not the other way around.

It was Eisenhower who included “under God” in our pledge of allegiance. “In God We Trust” became the nation’s official motto in July 1956, replacing “e Pluribus Unum.” So what happened? In the 1960s, we allowed ourselves to get turned upside down. We let satan’s minions convince us that church and state separation meant church could no longer be a part of politics. Politics and our political system has declined ever since. When you take God out of the state, the state destroys itself. Listen to Joshua’s warning to the people of Israel as he stepped away from leadership.

14 “Now then,” Joshua continued, “honor the Lord and serve him sincerely and faithfully. Get rid of the gods which your ancestors used to worship in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve only the Lord. 15 If you are not willing to serve him, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors worshiped in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living. As for my family and me, we will serve the Lord.”

16 The people replied, “We would never leave the Lord to serve other gods! 17 The Lord our God brought our fathers and us out of slavery in Egypt, and we saw the miracles that he performed. He kept us safe wherever we went among all the nations through which we passed. 18 As we advanced into this land, the Lord drove out all the Amorites who lived here. So we also will serve the Lord; he is our God.” (Joshua 24:GNT) 

    What happened? They didn’t get rid of their idols. Within a generation, they forgot God, who led them out of Egypt through the wilderness and defeated their enemies. They ignored Moses and Joshua and the commands God had given them. The book of Joshua ends with the horrifying words that echo what goes on in too many streets in cities in this country and around the world today – “everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” It’s called anarchy. We saw it in Portland and Seattle and Chicago and too many other places over the last several months leading up to the election that, as I mentioned, takes place as I prepare this podcast.

What are we to do? As Christians, we wholly support the person who will sit in the Oval Office until and after January 20th, whoever that might be. Paul tells us, and Jesus tells us people are allowed into places of authority to keep order. I would refer you to Romans 13:

Everyone must obey state authorities, because no authority exists without God’s permission, and the existing authorities have been put there by God. 2 Whoever opposes the existing authority opposes what God has ordered; and anyone who does so will bring judgment on himself. 3 For rulers are not to be feared by those who do good, but by those who do evil. Would you like to be unafraid of those in authority? Then do what is good, and they will praise you, 4 because they are God’s servants working for your own good. But if you do evil, then be afraid of them, because their power to punish is real. They are God’s servants and carry out God’s punishment on those who do evil. 5 For this reason you must obey the authorities—not just because of God’s punishment, but also as a matter of conscience. (Romans 13:1-5 GNT)

Paul could not put it more plainly. Whoever sits in office deserves our support. Whether you like the person or not, God allowed him to sit in the seat to provide order and justice to the nation. We, as Christians, do good. Period. We encourage others to do the same. We pray for those in authority. We encourage those in authority to do good. We help the helpless, voice our opinions, but do so in orderly and right ways, not that would cause chaos and disorder. Jesus did not riot. Paul did not riot. The Jews that opposed him did, but neither of them did. They preached the truth.

Whatever the outcome of the election, it is time to act as Christians, pray for our current and next leaders. Do whatever we can to stop the chaos plaguing our country and show both sides there is a better way. King Jesus can solve our problems if we let him. It’s not called distribution of wealth; it’s called helping the poor. That comes from a generous heart, not from a government tax or community fund. It’s time Christians begin to act like Christ and show the world there is a better way – the way of love. Show the world King Jesus is still and always will be in charge.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible-based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day. 

Scriptures marked GNT are taken from the Good News Translation®: Scriptures taken from the Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) Copyright © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.

Changes requires breaking bonds of familiarity, October 15, 2018

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Change requires breaking the bonds of familiarity. We often fail to change because we become familiar with our present state and that familiarity holds us in bondage.

It took over seventy years for the citizens of the former Soviet Union to overturn the tyrannical communist government and win their freedom. Why did it take so long? One reason was certainly fear. In the early years of the state, disagreement with Stalin and his hand-selected group of leaders meant death for the dissenter and his family. Consequently, few dared to revolt against the oppressive rule of their communist leaders.

What was supposed to be a utopia of standard living conditions for all citizens because every citizen worked their best for the good of everyone else in the state ended with the widening gap of the haves and have nots. Most of the country felt the abject poverty that results from the majority of the populace doing just enough to get by. Why work hard when all your labor profited someone else and your family still suffered?

Such is the result of communist and socialist rule because people are sinful and selfish. For the most part, we care about ourselves and our families. The world would be a pretty good place if we lived by the two commandments Jesus said encompassed the rest of God’s laws. What were they? “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Well…we prove everyday that we are not very good at the first with more than half our formerly “Christian” nation not claiming any adherence to any formal religion. And the news shows we certainly don’t love our neighbor when we see the mass shootings, violent crime, more interest in our cell phone than in looking someone in the eye to discover who they are, what they felel, and how we might help them.

We are extremely selfish. It’s what started the whole problem with our separation from God in the first place. Adam and Eve wanted to be as smart as their creator. They ate the fruit of the forbidden tree and knew the difference between good and evil. They understood disobedience. Was there something special about that fruit? I’m not sure that tree was much different than any of the other fruit trees in the garden. But it was forbidden. They were not to climb over the fence and eat its fruit.

Cows are not supposed to stick their heads through the fence to eat grass from the other side, but they do. Kids are not supposed to stick their hands in the forbidden cookie jar, but they do. Teenage boys are not supposed to peak at the smut magazines that used to be hidden from view on the top shelves of the racks, but they do. Toddlers are not supposed to take toys away from their playmates, but they do. Kids are not supposed to bully other kids at school that might be a little different from them, but they do.

Do you get the point? We are evil. We think evil thoughts. We do evil deeds. We act out. We don’t do what we are supposed to do. We do what we are not supposed to do. We are selfish and we get stuck in that mode because we are comfortable in that attitude. We know it is wrong, but we do it anyway because its our familiar way of life from birth. We are in bondage to self satisfaction.

So how do we get out of this rut? How do we break away from the familiar, even if it might be good, so that we can have an even better life? The Soviets struggled under their oppressive life for more than 70 years. The Israelites lived in exile for 70 years before they could return to their capital city of Jerusalem. We stick with old habits for decades knowing they are bad for us. We just don’t or can’t break away from the familiar.

It’s like a test sociologists did several years ago in which they placed a man dressed as if a homeless drunk midway between the street corner and the entrance to a facility focused on helping people with resume preparation, job hunting, skill enhancement, and so forth. Each day, they moved the man closer to the door of the building.

At first, the workers turned toward the man and noticed he was there, but most just walked by with saying or doing anything. No one asked if he needed help. A few put a few coins in his cap or cup, but that was about the extent of their aid. Remember these are people in the business of helping people! The interesting point of their experiment, though, is that as they moved the man closer to the entrance, they finally got to the point the employees had to step over the man to gain entrance. Still, however, no one in the building whose job centered on helping people just like this guy offered to lend a hand, take him into their offices, and give them exactly the help they gave their paying customers on a daily basis. They just let him obstruct their path without further notice.

That’s why companies spend money on consultants. It’s not that the staff isn’t smart enough to solve their own problems. It’s mainly because after a few months or years, we can’t see the problem anymore. We just step over the homeless guy in the doorway or around the gaping hole in the floor or ignore the broken shelf. We are so familiar with those things we just don’t see them anymore. The high priced consultant brings new eyes into the building and sees those things that you smack your forehead after the fact with a resounding, “Duh! Why didn’t I see that?”

We do. It’s just becomes so familiar we don’t think to change it because we’ve grown so accustomed to the circumstance or situation.

We can get that way in our homes, in our jobs, and in our spiritual lives. We can get familiar and complacent. We can forget when God allows us to come into his presence in prayer that we are conversing with the maker of the universe. We forget the awe he should inspire in us because we sometimes get a little too familiar. We forget the sacrifice he made so that we can speak with him. We forget he is will to forgive our sins and provide his awesome, overwhelming, stunning grace to us.

God does invite us to speak with him. Paul did tell us when we are his followers we become God’s children and coheirs this Jesus. We are adopted into his family when we repent and he forgives us our sins. But it is dangerous territory when we get so familiar with him that we begin to step over those far from him that he puts in our path to share his good news. We need to have his eyes as we travel through life. We need to open our ears to hear the cry of those around us. We need to be ready to not just give our testimony, but to be like Jesus. He always had time for the down and out, the hurting outcasts of society. He saw people as his Father saw them and ministered to them as his Father directed.

To be like Jesus, we must change. God will work on us every day to make us more like him… if we let him. And there it is. The big if. So the million dollar question for each of us today, “Will I let God into my heart, soul, mind, and strength as I love him with everything I am, so that he can work his plans for this world through me. Am I willing to let him change me and use me in any way he sees fit to further his kingdom in the place I stand right now?

That what he asks of us every moment of every day. If you ask him to let you be his instrument to reach others with his good news, it’s a pray he will always answer … sometimes in pretty amazing and unusual ways. Get ready for an exciting ride when you earnestly pray that prayer. How about it? Are you ready to get away from the routine and start a new adventure?

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.