In Remembrance and Readiness

I've been thinking lately about what has made America strong.

There are plenty of answers people could give. Our military. Our economy. Our form of government. The freedoms we have enjoyed. Those things matter.

But I believe something much more basic has played an important role in the strength of this country: families, churches, and ordinary people trying to live according to Christian values.

For generations, many Americans were taught that your word mattered. You worked hard. You provided for your family. You helped your neighbor. You gave to people in need. You understood that freedom came with responsibility.

We certainly haven't lived those values perfectly. Our country has never been perfect. But I believe those values mattered.

KEEP OIL IN YOUR LAMP

As I've been thinking about this, I keep coming back to Matthew 25 and the three stories Jesus tells there.

First, there were the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom. Five were prepared and had oil for their lamps. Five were not.

As I wrote recently, I believe there is something here about staying close to the Holy Spirit. We can become so busy with everything happening around us that we neglect what is happening inside of us.

I don't want to do that. I want to keep oil in my lamp.

BE FAITHFUL WITH WHAT GOD GIVES YOU

Then Jesus tells the story of the talents. A master entrusted his servants with different amounts before leaving on a journey. Two of them put what they had been given to work. One buried his.

That story has always spoken to me because I believe in work.

I've worked most of my life. I've built things, repaired things, run businesses, employed people, provided for my family, and tried to use the abilities God gave me.

I believe there is dignity in that. There is nothing wrong with producing something, succeeding, or taking what God has put into your hands and making something more from it.

The question is what we do with the increase.

REMEMBER THE LEAST OF THESE

That brings me to the third story.

Jesus talks about people who were hungry, thirsty, sick, strangers, or in prison. Then He says:

“Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”

That changes the way I think about what God has given me. The purpose of working and building cannot simply be to accumulate more for myself.

God has blessed me so that I can bless others.

When I put these three stories together, I see something I believe our country desperately needs again: people who are spiritually alive, people who aren't afraid of hard work, and people who are generous with what God has given them.

WHERE DOES CHANGE BEGIN?

Those things begin long before we get to Washington.

They begin in our own hearts. They begin around the dinner table. They begin when parents teach their children to work, tell the truth, keep their word, care for others, and understand that what they have ultimately comes from God.

They begin in churches that aren't afraid to teach the whole counsel of Scripture.

I love America, and I pray for this country. I pray that God would restore what has been lost.

But I also know that government cannot create revival. Politicians cannot change the human heart.

Only God can do that.

Our responsibility is to be faithful where He has placed us.

REMEMBER ME

And there is one more thing I don't want us to forget.

The night before Jesus gave His life, He took bread, broke it, and told His disciples:

“Do this in remembrance of Me.”

I think those words are especially important right now.

Remember Me.

In a world filled with political arguments, cultural battles, fear, anger, and endless opinions, Jesus brings us back to Himself.

Remember Me.

Remember My body. Remember My blood. Remember what I did for you.

Communion should never become simply another religious routine. It brings us back to the foundation of everything we believe:

Jesus Christ.

A PRAYER FOR AMERICA

If there is going to be real change in our families, our churches, our communities, or our country, I believe it has to begin there.

Not with a political party or a government program. Not with another argument.

With Jesus.

So I want to keep oil in my lamp. I want to faithfully use what God has placed in my hands. I want to remain generous toward those who need help. And above everything else, I want to remember Jesus.

Then I can pray for America from the right place. Not out of fear or anger, but out of faith in the God who is still able to change hearts, restore families, awaken His Church, and show mercy to a nation.

God bless you.

And may God, in His mercy, bless America again.