Nation founded on correct principles

It saddens my heart and hurts my spirit whenever I hear God’s word minimized, demeaned, ridiculed or profaned.

The Bible is God’s blueprint for mankind. It is the instructor’s manual.

A life and a country based on biblical principles enjoy God’s blessings.

Jeremiah 36 tells how the Lord had given his words to Jeremiah, the prophet, which were written on a scroll.

Jehudi read it to King Jehoiakim. The king was in his winter apartment and a fire was burning in the firepot in front of him. “Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king cut them off with a knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire” (Jeremiah 36:23 NIV). As a result of this heinous act, God said, “He will have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be thrown out and exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night. I will punish him and his children and his attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah ever disaster I pronounced against them, because they have not listened” (Jeremiah 36:30-32 NIV).

Only three people in this story from Jeremiah objected to this terrible act of burning the scroll. How could they be so complacent, especially after all of the miraculous deeds the Lord had brought them through? Can you imagine how it grieved God? Yet people still turned to their own ways.

What about today? This country was instituted on biblical principles yet it seems every part of our Christian heritage is being taken from us. I become weary of the word “tolerance,” especially when other so-called religions in our country have more freedoms than we do.

I find it hypocritical to ban prayer because of church and state, only to grasp prayer and cling to it in a national tragedy. No one seems to mind prayer in a public place whenever there is a severe crisis. The 10 Commandments have been removed from schools and courthouses. Is there a fear that someone might read them and find out “Thou shall not kill?

There is a new gold coin out now that has “In God We Trust” all right, but it is printed around the edges and mighty hard to see.

If someone tries to give me change with that I’ll say, “Excuse me. I don’t want this coin. Give me something where I can see “In God We Trust.”

I am sorely grieved when I think about our soldiers in some foreign land putting his or her life on the line for someone who is apathetic about patriotism and “Old Glory.”

Wouldn’t it be great if a country would read and obey Proverbs 14:34? “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (KJV)

I love this country. I am proud to be an American. I want to pass on to my children and grandchildren a country that people respect, love and honor, a country that realizes righteousness paves the way to real freedom.

God’s word is our lifeline on this earth. “Keep these thoughts ever in mind; let them penetrate deep within your heart, for they will mean real life for you, and radiant health” (Proverbs 4:21-22 TLB).

Our founding fathers knew how to start a nation, one with a foundation on godly principles.