|
"But let justice run down like water,
And righteousness like a mighty stream."
(Amos 5:24)
Many groups fighting hard against racism and other societal ills and evils are doing so with no reference to Jesus Christ or the power which He alone has to save lives. It is like a house with no electricity or a generator with no gas. It is powerless to bring about lasting change. I saw this firsthand a couple of years ago when I attended a race relations and reconciliation seminar in Austin. There was much good and helpful information shared, but there was no mention of Christ or the biblical principles upon which our nation was founded. Such programs are destined to failure because they do not deal with the basic, fundamental facts of God's love, man's wicked heart, the only provision for redemption (Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection), and how we must repent and believe in Him to be saved--in other words, the Gospel. The Gospel is greater than racism, but you must acknowledge and believe it for it to change you.
Our nation's morality is crumbling before us, and without that moral backbone, the great experiment called America will fail. Alexis de Tocqueville was a French sociologist who spent nine months studying American culture in 1831. He was deeply impressed with our nation, especially the role of the church in our land, but he did question the irony of a "free land" that still had slaves (see source). De Tocqueville once said, "America is great because she is good, and if she ever ceases to be good, she will no longer be great." I agree, and the source of our goodness is the blessings of God. We can turn back to Him to make us righteous and prosper, or we can continue to turn away from Him to our shame and eventual destruction.
Like many of you, I have listened and learned much over the last few weeks. Actually, I have been learning more and more about racial reconciliation over the last several years. I so deeply want unity and peace between all people; that is my heart, and surely that is the heart of the Gospel. Paul wrote in Galatians 3:26-28: "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
I have much to learn and do not pretend to be an expert on racism or racial reconciliation, but this much I do know: there is power in the blood of Jesus! He can cleanse any heart and bring unity to those who oppose each other. But the Gospel is of no power to those who do not hear and receive it. After they hear it, they have to believe Christ's claims and obey His commands. Once someone has a relationship with Jesus and applies His teachings to daily life, then the lives of that person, his or her family, and the people of his or her community will change. May this begin happening all across America, right now! Bring revival, oh Lord, I pray!
Check out tomorrow's devotion as I introduce to you a prince of a man that you have probably never heard of but can teach us all so very much. His name is Deacon Freddie Maxwell. Freddie is an African American man who loves Jesus and worked for the Austin Police Department for almost 30 years. He has such a powerful perspective which I look forward to sharing with you tomorrow.
|
|
