…Land that I Love…?

By: American Decency Staff

 

Patriotism!  For most—particularly younger folks—it’s become an antiquated and dusty word, one that’s become distasteful as its meaning has morphed. The same could be said for the word “Christian.” Both need a fresh breath of renewal. Neither have the meaning today that is so vital for our nation and our people. Not coincidentally, they are closely related and should we hope for their revival, we must recognize what they meant originally and be willing to live out their original definitions in our present lives. We must go back, retake the truth, and live out that truth today, regardless of what has happened in the mid-time.

Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines “patriot” (noun) as “A person who loves his country, and zealously supports and defends it and its interests.” It gives the adjective definition as “Patriotic; devoted to the welfare of one's country.”

If this is truly the definition of “patriot,” to believe the Word of God is to believe that true patriots are Christians. To “be devoted to one’s country”, to bring upon it the blessing of God, then one must individually live by the principles, statutes, and judgments of God. We, as patriots, strive to live holy lives because we believe:

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.” (Psalm 33:12-22) 

God lifts nations up and brings them down. He has a divine purpose and a divine timeline. Still to this day, blessing follows obedience and judgment follows disobedience. Also, those who bless Israel, He will bless; and those who curse Israel shall be cursed.

From the discovery of this land by Christopher Columbus (Christ-bearer), to the Pilgrim’s puritan desire to worship God, to our first president—George Washington—this land and nation has been blessed and set aside for God’s use to His glory. Let’s look briefly at “our founding”:

“Not many people are aware of Christopher Columbus’ deep faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Furthermore, very few people realize that it was this faith which was the impetus that initiated his whole voyage.” (Catherine Millard, The Rewriting of America’s History) His great desire was to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to people of other lands.

Why had the Pilgrims come here? Listen to the first part of the Mayflower Compact:

“In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten…having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith…a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do, by these presents, solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation, and furtherance of the ends aforesaid…”

George Washington, esteemed General of the colonies and first President of the United States of America, was no stranger to prayer and would call his men and his nation to days of fasting, humiliation, and prayer. He was a true patriot by any real definition of the word. Read his words, with eye fastened upon what it means to be a patriot:

In his Inaugural Address, April 30, 1789, he stated, “The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.” 

“Religion and morality are the essential pillars of civil society.”

“To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.”

In 1840, a pastor by the name of M.I. Motte preached a message by the title “The Christian Patriot.” In this sermon, he puts forth that the best duty one can perform for one’s country is to be a true Christian, living in holiness to the precepts of God. Read a portion of his call to patriotic duty:

And how can we make a Christian nation? To become so, must be an individual, not a collective act. Legislation cannot do it, if legislation would. …The simple and sole process is for each person privately to resolve, for his single part…to build up the national temple to the Lord. Public opinion is the life-breath of our own government, and therefore to Christianize that, we have but to Christianize ourselves…

…If a majority of the citizens were sincere followers of Jesus Christ, is it not evident, the councils of this nation would be wiser and mightier, its progress more glorious, its dominion even more potent than any the world has ever seen? The day when it shall be resolved, that the same evangelical principles shall govern states that govern churches and gospel professors in their private relations, would be the true jubilee of freedom…

Should we hope for a revival of these auspicious words—“Patriot” and “Christian”—then we must once again recognize the clarion call to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Christ. For the good of our nation and the good of our soul, let us walk in faithful obedience to the call of holy living.

Let us look at our own lives and measure our patriotism by our faithfulness to Jesus. Recognize that “national vice is national suicide” and our personal vices are, in reality, putting a noose around our national neck or laying a knife to our collective throats. 

If America is truly the “land that I love;” if we would have God shed His grace on her, then we must become humbled, repenting of our singularly wicked ways. Do I love America enough to do this? That’s a question each of us must ask ourselves. Asking from the Christian’s standpoint, we can only go to the question Jesus asked, “What will it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?”

What would this renewed patriotism look like on November 8^th, when we enter the voting booth? Again I take you to Rev. Motte’s sermon, The Christian Patriot:

Choose it, resolve it, O my brethren, as the first of civil duties. Whatever your party predilections, sacrifice them all for the party of righteous men. Support no administration, and oppose none, but on the ground of moral principle. Go with them as far as Jesus Christ would go, and no further. Read the constitution by the light of the Gospel. The Savior be your paramount leader.

Keep in mind that things aren’t always as they seem. Listen to General Robert E. Lee writing to General Beauregard on October 3, 1865. “True patriotism sometimes requires of men to act exactly contrary, at one period, to that which it does at another, and the motive which impels them the desire to do right is precisely the same.”

---

To support our efforts please click here or mail your gift to American Decency Association (ADA), PO Box 202, Fremont, MI 49412. 

 

American Decency Association is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

---