Part Five of A Call to Christian Patriotism

One of my Democratic friends put up Cher's photo and quote on Facebook. I do not think this posting is helping her Democratic cause a bit. I wanted to comment: Oh my! You are not civil manner at all Cher.  Also, Cher, I do not capitalize HIM for anyone but my LORD. But I just copied the photo.

From Pinterest

Above is another ridiculous anti-Romney ad. Campaigning has gone to the dogs! Now the conservatives have some awful postings also. Here are two more I found on Pinterest from Polittake.org and Right Wing Art.

And maybe there is truth in the above tacky posting.

So we continued to see the campaigning put up these vitriolic uncivil ads and sentiments. Many times I have NOT wanted to be involved in politics at all, but this year the stakes are high and as a senior citizen, these ten posts are what I CAN do in 2012.

We are going through a study book in this series and continuing to reflect on Scripture. This week the first Scripture noted in Howard A. Eyrich’s A Call to Christian Patriotism is Deuteronomy 4:1-6, 10, 23, 24. Eyrich lists principles that meant that God would bless Israel. Principle five is that

Idolatry of any kind does not lead to freedom but bondage. . . . if we turn to “idolatry” in some “ism,’ rejecting what God has given to us, and trash these founding documents, we will find ourselves in a morass of confusion, heading for destruction (p. 62).

Eyrich reviews the purpose of the law in Scripture from Psalm 19, 119 and Galatians 3:24. The law restrains us from sin (Psalm 119:11). Eyrich makes this comparison:

We need Scriptures to guide us in faithful Christian living. We need the Constitution and Bill of Rights to guide us in being faithful Americans (p. 65).

Leaders need helpers as Eyrich illustrates with a discussion from Exodus 17 of Moses needing Aaron and Hur. Then he writes:

We need to pray for God’s providential intervention to bring to the presidency a statesman of moral character. We need to pray for men and women to arise in Congress who will be the Aaron and the Hur that are necessary to pass reconstructive legislation (p. 68).

Romans 13:1-6 calls us to a godly submission to government. Eyrich notes that one of our founding fathers of America, Ben Franklin, believed that God was necessary when our new country was being formed.

Ben Franklin is cited for saying that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probably that an empire can rise without his aid? (p. 71)

Eyrich's 25th of 52 sessions uses 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20 and 7:20
-24 which reads in part: Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. . . . Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. . . . You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called.

We need to be grateful for our country. In contrast to one of the Obama graphics above, Eyrich cites the famous words of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in his inaugural address:

Ask, not, what your country can do for you.

Ask what you can do for your country.

Picking up on this great quote Eyrich writes:

We should not ask, "What can God do for me?" He has already done all that we need. Rather, we should be asking, "What can I do for God to express my appreciation for his great work in my life?" The Christian Patriot best serves his country when he serves God by living a godly life in every arena of life, including the exercise of civic responsibilities to participate in self-governing (p. 74).

Here is a prayer from 93-year-old Billy Graham that was sent by a friend to my e-mail:  Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable... We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from sin and set us free. Amen!

With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we once again can be called "One nation under God!"

The Gospel Coalition has listed 40 Days with the Southern Baptists that you can participate in before the election. Let the 40 days begin.

To be continued October 1, LORD willing.