This blog came to me as I was lying in bed on Sunday evening. Having prayed and preparing for a good nights sleep these thoughts began to come. I thought about all that is happening in the world and in our nation today. It is certainly an unsettling time and there seems so little we can do. I think it was right there that this started to develop in my mind.
To start with, we are the only true place in the world where freedom is available to its citizens, at least for now. This includes and most importantly provides for freedom of and for religion.
The first amendment of the Constitution in the Bill of Rights states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
We receive the right to worship who and what we desire. We have the right to say what we desire and that allows anyone to say anything regardless of the stupidity or error of the statement. We have the right for the press to report and then people to peaceably assemble. We have the right to let our elected representatives know how we feel and what we expect them to do.
For this and other reasons, people have always wanted to come here and most, over the years, have done it the right way. Legal immigration following the laws of the land. Over the years that process has always been circumvented by people. Always has and probably always will. Yet that is not the point because the point is that we have reached a place where depending on who you read or listen to there are as many as 20 million illegal immigrants who have entered in the past 3-1/2 years. Most certainly there are good people but even if they are there are law breakers and by the law have no right to be here. This is where we have gone off course. The tide has become a tsunami which is going to as we are seeing now do great destruction in our nation. It is not that people aren’t welcome to come but it must be in an orderly and legal manner.
We are $35 trillion dollars in debt and the interest alone is more than the budget for our national defense. Our elected officials have spent what we don’t have and done so simply by printing more money. It has caused an inflation that is affecting every household. In many battle ground states, I heard last night people are spending over $12,000.00 more a year for essentials than they were in 2021 per household.
The FBI has revised this past week their statistics and crime is up by some 37% nationwide. Crime has seen the consequences of elections in the manner in which criminals are handled and often released. Crimes are not being prosecuted. Theft even to the point where theft thresholds are such that it incentivizes criminals to commit crime and not deter them. In cities all over the country people are living in fear of their life. We have the laws to prosecute crime and it is not being done. Prosecutors are determining what to and what not to prosecute. That is not their role. Their role is to bring the criminal to justice and then the legal system through the court acts accordingly.
Yes, there are other topics I could broach but I am certain you have a handle on what I am concerned about as a citizen and as a Christian. I have noted before that there is no way to separate the two in life for me. Now if you are reading this and are not a Christian then you have a latitude in which you operate in your thinking and decision making. It is truly different than mine. That is your right and your privilege. You do not recognize or worship God however you are here because He made them man and woman in the Garden of Eden.
Listen, I hear you when you say Elbert I don’t believe that and I believe you when you say it. You may never understand it this side of death but you will on the other side. Remember when I told you recently that there are people who don’t want the facts because they have already made up their mind. If that is you please know I understand. I hate that you are in that place but I do understand. Because you are probably a very good person. You help people, you give generously, you are kind to others and the list goes on but (btw everything in front of but doesn’t count) Scripture tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9 reading from the Amplified Bible-
8 For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God;
9 not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].
You are trying to lead a good and moral life, but unfortunately you are relying on your self and what you think to be enough to take care of your eternity. Paul made it very clear and the Amplified version adds the important emphasis that helps to understand a real truth. Your motives and intentions may all be well served. There is an old adage that says the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Although the origin may well go back to Cistercian abbot Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153) that ‘hell is full of good intentions and wishes’. The thought is true and deserves to be noted.
Your intentions may be admirable but they are only paving the path to your eventual entrance into hell. Now I would be remiss if I didn’t jump in right here and say to you “STOP, read the next part of this blog, PLEASE.
Jesus Himself said-
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” John3:16-21 NKJV
All you need to do is exactly what Scripture says in Romans 10:9-13 as written by the Apostle Paul-
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
My hope and prayer is that if you need to do this that you will do it today. Remember what you just read …“whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
In God’s Grace,
Elbert Nasworthy
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