Category: Inspiration

America First? Or GOD First?

There’s a lot of talk these days about hiring politicians who put America First. Depending on how they mean this, I’m all for it, but I also wonder… shouldn’t we really be putting GOD first? Hear me out.

Time and time again, I’ve advocated turning to God Almighty as a nation. My premise is our nation was founded by God Himself, blessed by God Himself and has risen to be the greatest nation this world has ever seen because God Almighty Himself has graciously allowed it. Why? Because for the first time in the history of the word, a nation has emerged on the basis if being ruled by its very citizens, one that sensibility guarantees each citizen equal rights under the law as the foundation of our being. We are NOT ruled by a monarch or an emperor. We are NOT ruled by a dictator. Nor are we subject to some communist scheme or ruled by a mob (i.e. a democracy). We are a Constitutional Republic, a shining light to other nations. Our nation was conceived by Christian men who risked everything to give birth to it. Now, as we decline in power, both economically and politically, as we are increasingly engulfed in corruption, we are faced with continuing on this path of assured self-annihilation, or repenting and turning back to God – asking Him to restore our nation to former glory.

I suspect my voice has fallen onto the ears of three distinct groups.

First, my brethren in Christ, most of whom look upon my words in puzzlement. Don’t they already pray to God? Daily? Repent? Of what? Surely we are seeking God already.

Second are those who already “have their religion”. Some of these claim Christ. Others worship other gods.

The third and final group scoff at the very idea. God who? They ask. Aren’t we in the modern world? You mean to say you still believe in those old fables? Well, yes, I do.

Hopefully there is yet another group – those of you who are not satisfied with the so-called “answers” above. Somewhere, maybe deep down, you know something isn’t right. Something is missing. I’m sure most of you identify with one of the above groups in some way but it’s not sitting well with you. It is you to whom I am reaching out. Hang in there. Maybe things will soon start to make sense… finally.

For starters, I’m sure you’ve come across the phrase “For God and country”. I can’t tell you where or when I heard it first. Even here something seems to be missing. In my mind this should include the word “family”. So I did some searching and what do you know?

It seems this phrase “God, family, and country” is attributed to Thomas Aquinas. He was a Roman Catholic priest and philosopher. As such he is also attributed “sainthood” but not being Catholic, I’ll circumvent that label. Still, many of his writings are remembered and studied today. Among them is the idea that the three pillars of traditional Western society are “God, family, and country”.

While I have yet to see where anyone else has said this, maybe it is just too obvious, but the order of this phrase is exactly correct. God first, family second, and country last but certainly not least. Thomas Aquinas is also known for defining many principles of “natural law”. I contend here and now, that God, family, and country are not only pillars of our civilization but also the principles on which our natural, God-given laws must stand on.

Thus God should and must come first. Why? Mostly because without God, we have nothing. Okay, let’s back up. What do we have WITH God?

For the moment set aside the concept of “sin”. For those who do not believe in God, the concept of sin is abstract at best. Rather, let us consider something all humans have sought since our beginning – life after death. For those of you who believe there is no such thing, well there you have it. Once you’ve used up whatever time you have, you’ll end up with nothing. Unless you’re wrong, but let’s not go there. I’m perfectly happy to let it go at that. You die and then… nothing. Isn’t that bad enough? Seriously, without God this is the best you can hope for.

Now WITH God in the picture, we have… eternal life. By my calculations, eternity is going to last a long, long time. Even better, in God’s world, eternity is also going to be a big upgrade to what we have now. What about the other side of that coin? You know, that eternal damnation bit with the fire and brimstone and all that? Well… what about it? I’ve heard stories. I’ve read scripture. Yes, I do believe some will end up there. Who and how, I’m not all that clear on. My own feeling, and it’s just that, a feeling, is only the very worst of the worst will end up there. (No, I don’t know about you mother-in-law.) I’m pretty sure all those devil spirits stand a good chance of job security, unpleasant as that may be. Forgiveness aside, there are a few humans I might not feel all that bad about if they ended up there. Even then, I’m not feeling very gleeful at the thought. I suspect a third option is possible. That option is simply death. Lights out forever. How about we revisit that eternal life thing?

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Well, that doesn’t look all that hard now does it? We can obtain eternal life through Jesus Christ. The fact is, it is not hard at all. It was never meant to be. So what’s the catch?

Matthew 19:23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

Is that the catch? Whew! I’m not “rich” so I’m good right? In the passage above, wrath wasn’t the real issue. Jesus was talking to a young man who happened to be wealthy. Jesus told him to sell all he had and to follow him. The statement above falls into the “figure of speech” category. You see, that whole “eye of the needle” stuff was really a thing in those days. In some walled cities, in order for a camel to enter, they had to take off everything it was carrying as the entrance was too small for a loaded camel to get through. Whether this was by design or not, well that’s another topic. The idea here is, like that camel, you gotta lose your baggage before you can get in.

You can look at this a lot of ways but, today, I think it’s safe to say, you’ll need to give up that “well there’s many paths to God” thinking if you want eternal life via Jesus Christ. Last I heard, he wasn’t accepting coupons from other stores. Now if you’re thinking, “fine, I’ll just find a back door somewhere”, um, Houston, we’ve got a problem. Now I haven’t studied those “other paths”. I hopped on the Jesus track after I realized atheism was a dead end – literally. That said, I’m pretty sure they all pretty much think they are the only way to eternity. So, I ask you, how can they all be “right”? I guarantee you not one of them will tell you to accept Jesus as Lord. If they did, they’d have to also tell you:

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Um, yeah, there is that. Of course, you can always say Jesus was the liar, but if that is true than who is saying that and how do you know you can trust them? The thing is, I’m not seeing anyone stepping up to fill the gap if Jesus is tossed out. Nobody, nothing, even comes close. Islam? Funny thing about them, they acknowledge Jesus as a prophet and then deny him as well as his words. I have a hard time seeing how anyone can have it both ways. Can you see the problem here? I see the same issues popping up no matter where else you turn.

Now for the good news – God made it easy for us.

2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

God only gave Adam ONE commandment – do NOT eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. That was it. Eve was to follow this too but only ADAM was specifically told “NO”. So the serpent, the devil, went to work on Eve who then convinced Adam it was okay to do the ONE thing God said NOT to do. The point here is, God also makes it easy for us to accept Jesus Christ as Lord. Why? Mostly because we’ve got a lot more to deal with than Adam had back then and unless He makes it easy, we’re going to mess it up. So he made it simple.

Really, that’s the whole starter pack. Sure there’s more, a lot more, but this is the ticket you need to get your slice of eternal life. Is there more to it than this? What do you mean by “it”? If by “it” you mean being set as far as eternal life is concerned, I’d say “yep, that’s it”. Now if you are wondering if you need to do more, well… the short answer is yes, but don’t worry, God has got your back. Let me elaborate just a bit.

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Whoa! What? Yeah. Let that sink in. God, the CREATOR of the Universe chose YOU before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blame before Him in love. Sink your teeth into that and chew on it again. Remember, God is BIG. He can create, He knows what’s going to happen down to every single detail, and He’s, well, God, so He can do what He wants… and HE CHOSE YOU. I can’t speak for anyone else but the thought still gives me chills. Trust me on this, there are lots of times I wonder why the Creator of the Universe would even want me, but He did and He does.

Romans 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

Now consider the next verse in Ephesians:

Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will

This verse does require a bit of work to “get it” due to some common misconceptions and a rather inaccurate rendering.

First, let’s tackle the word “predestinated”. Without getting into a study of the Greek, according the Vine’s New Testament Dictionary, the word can be understood as “foreordained” or “predetermined”. In other words, while some might say everyone’s life is “set in stone”, so to speak, and thus our choices are already made for us, the very wording of this is contradictory. How can we have a “choice” if our actions are predetermined? Do keep in mind one of God’s principles is our own free will. Revisiting the Garden of Eden, Adam did not HAVE to listen to Eve and eat that fruit, but God knew ahead of time he would. If he’d refused, mankind would have taken another path and, chances are, you or I would never have been born.

Now about that word “adoption”. Ask any adopted child, the very term can be somewhat painful. Going back to the Greek, the word used here would have been better rendered “sonship”. We are children of God via birth.

1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Jesus first alluded to this when he spoke with Nicodemus in John 3. He was speaking of the “new birth” that did not become available until after he died and God raised him from the dead at Pentecost. From that day on, when we confess Jesus as Lord and believe God raised him from the dead, God creates that “incorruptible seed” in us, that earnest (token) of what we be blessed with when Christ returns.

1 Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

And here we are right back to eternal life. Putting it all together, God, our Heavenly Father, in His foreknowledge, chose you to be holy and without blame before Him in love before the foundation of the world. He brought you here, today. Whether you accept these words or not, if you are His, He will continue to show you the truth until you are ready to accept Him as God Almighty and His only begotten son, Jesus, the Messiah (or Christ) as Lord and Savior. This is your ticket to ride.

As for my siblings in Christ who may still be wondering what you are doing here… it’s going to take all of us, both new and old, to reclaim our nation. We all need to turn to God and put God first in our lives. Certainly we were born into the greatest nation this world has every seen. We’ve been blessed beyond what anyone could expect. Many of my brothers and sisters in Christ seek God daily. What more can we do?

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

I’ve no doubt you have faith. Of course you believe that He IS, how could you not. But are you on board with the latter part of this verse? Do you believe He is a rewarder of them who diligently seek Him? Let me put it another way…

Do you really believe God can and will restore this nation just because we ask Him to? I’m not so sure who believes this. My own wife is often skeptical. Even I doubt if it will happen, but I don’t doubt God. Rather I wonder if we have not lost faith in God to deliver us. What faith?

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

But there is more to it than just asking…

James 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

This last election cycle has demonstrated this principle perfectly. The polls, if anyone can believe them, strongly indicated a “Red Wave”, even a “Red Tsunami”. What we saw was a red ripple. What happened? We voted, didn’t we? Yes. We voted. By one account Republican’s outvoted Democrats by over 3 million citizens nationwide and still many key races were lost. Why? Two reasons.

First, I am completely and thoroughly convinced, the Democrats cheated. Whether you agree with this assessment or not (I’ll not belabor it), in any honest contest, any and all discrepancies would be completely examined and questionable tallies removed. It’s been pointed out multiple times since the 2020 election that if the Democrats were so confident that vote was honest, they would insist on audits to vindicate themselves. That never happened. Instead they fought tooth and nail at every level to obfuscate any questionable results. However this is entirely secondary.

Even worse is the realization that these elections were even close. Far too many citizens proudly vote for godless ideals – abortion on demand, racist policies, pro-criminal behavior, and so forth. Much of what the globalists desire is pure evil. Those voting for evil either embrace the evil or they are blinded. The very idea that more people could possibly vote for evil over Godly principles sickens me. These same citizens have effectively rejected God Himself. Even with this great shroud of darkness looming over our nation, there is a ray of light.

Remember Ephesians 1:4-5? How many of those voting for evil are lost souls? How many has God foreordained them to be His children? I do not know, but I am convinced there are more than a few. The even better news is WE need to reach them. All we need do is reach out. It is God’s place to call His children to Him. He will not let a single one fall into the devil’s hands – at least not for eternity.

I see the potential for a great revival in this land. God is not finished with this nation. This can happen whether or not God chooses to deliver it, however restoration will not happen if we continue to turn our backs to Him. In light of this, the only commitment that makes sense is to put God first in our lives. With this strategy, we cannot lose. What can you do?

Seek out God in your private life. Pray. Read scripture daily. Join or start a bible study. Seek out others to worship with. Turn away from sinful things. Speak the truth.

On this last, I am not advocating for anyone to quote biblical passages to individuals or groups as a means of “speaking the truth”. A quiet word injected in a conversation may be enough. If you commit yourself to listening to God, He will show you. He will direct your path.

Psalms 27:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

God will lead you to those who need to hear.

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

So many of us, Christians included, look for a Donald Trump or a Ron DeSantis to save our nation. They cannot. Surely God can put such men in place to do His work but our nation needs more. It is bigger than one governorship, or a single presidency. It is greater than Congress. Our nation is one comprised of self-governing citizens, a Constitutional Republic. If we are a nation under God then we will once again be that shining beacon to the world. By putting God first in our lives, we will ensure America is first among all other nations.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Do you believe?

CAN We Win on November 8th?

Most of us are anticipating the “Big Game” on Tuesday. It’s the Nationalists vs the Globalists in a heated contest. From the looks of things, the Nationalists are coming on strong. Many are predicting a blowout. Others warn it’s not a done deal. The Globalists are known to play dirty and there is every reason to believe they will pull out every sneaky play in their book. One thing we all can agree on – this one will be a nail biter.

Yawn. That’s right. Wake me when it’s over. Don’t get the wrong idea. I do believe this coming election may well be very crucial to the future of our nation. No matter which way it goes it will be decisive. Or will it? Let’s consider.

Suppose the worst happens, as far as us “Nationalists” are concerned. The blue team snatches a victory by keeping a majority in both houses. Even if all they do is keep on doing what they are doing now, we are in for one hell of a tempest. Our current path leads nowhere but down. Worse, the burgeoning diesel crisis could soon plummet our nation into depression territory. I’m not talking about running out of diesel. I am assured we are still producing it but we will see shortages. And since our nation literally runs on diesel fuel – from trains to trucks to tractors to heavy equipment and more – no aspect of our nation’s economy will be unaffected. And that is just one issue.

Even more dire is the fact that the globalists will seize upon a win, declaring it a mandate to double down. It won’t matter if they cheated to gain the advantage. They will not let go of it come hell or high water. And double down is just what they will do. Hunting down political adversaries, shutting down all semblance of free speech, even demanding more violence against dissenters will all be on the table. If the globalists win, we who oppose them will be in a fight for our very lives.

But what if we win? That’s a good thing… right? It depends. Really. One factor we need to consider is how big the win is. At this point I’m seeing a lot of speculation about impeachments. Every time I point out that unless there are enough potential votes in the Senate to convict, any impeachment efforts are a foolish waste of time. And the democrats are not likely to vote for a conviction even if the evidence is overwhelming. Here in Virginia, our two Senators, Warner and Kaine are solid blue. I cannot see Kaine voting against his party under any normal circumstances. Warner might possibly jump ship IF he was convinced it was the only way to salvage his political career. Such would be the case for any democrat Senators and none of them will even be up for election for another two years. That’s a lot of time to forget.

Besides that, gaining a “super majority” in the Senate is more pipe dream than possibility. I don’t see it happening. So what we’d be left with is a majority in both houses and there is no guarantee of this either but let’s dream a bit. Again, with a majority in the House, the republicans could impeach anyone within their constitutional reach, but, again, there’s no teeth to this act and I cannot see Joe Biden stepping down for that. I can see him pardoning anyone who happens to be impeached. Along with that, I’ll stand by my prediction that Joe will not last much past the two-year mark of his first term. How the handlers plan on dealing with Harris is beyond me. If I were in their position, I’d replace her first and then dump Bobo, but I digress.

What, exactly can an opposition majority do with a globalist president in the Oval Office? One thing they are not likely to do is override any vetoes. So anything they pass will have to be negotiated. And they can hold up funding so as to make life miserable for the leftist cause. The danger here is the left will be screaming bloody murder all the while. They know from experience, what they scream is far less crucial to their cause than how loudly and how often they scream it. Even defeated, they do not give up and they do not give up. My point is, what the nationalists can do is limited at this point, especially when the globalists control the administration. But it gets worse.

What’s worse? Winning will most likely give us a false sense of security. We’ll breathe a collective sigh of relief – hopefully it will be about the only “collective” thing we do – and go back to our day jobs. Meanwhile, the political machines keep rolling. Unless we keep applying pressure, supporting those who support our republic and shining the light on the globalists and their agenda, we will soon end up right back between a rock and a hard place. In short, we can expect little reward for our win and lots of trouble.

The Bigger Issue

As a nation we have a far bigger issue facing us. I’ve pointed this out before and I’ll keep on doing it until I crash into some brick wall. The problem is, somewhere in the neighborhood of half our nation buys into the globalist garbage enough to put them in power. This is not a “political” difference. It is not some intellectual contest. It runs much deeper than that. It goes to the core of our nation. It is spiritual in nature. The globalists’ “god” is government. Their god is a false god and they worship it in earnest. I’ve pointed this out before – their ultimate goal is complete and total rule over every aspect of every individual’s life. And they’ve conned nearly half of our citizens into believing in their utopia.

The only way to reclaim our nation is to reclaim our stature as sons of the God and Father of our Lord Christ Jesus. We need to turn back to God and ask Him for His help. We must stand strong on those principles we’ve been taught since our youth. We need to turn away from ungodly things and set our affections on things above.

Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Do you turn to God daily? How many times? The apostle Paul encouraged us to pray without ceasing. Does your life reflect your commitment to Christ? Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying we all need to start living like monks. Speaking for myself, I see a whole lot of room for improvement in my own life. That said, I do endeavor to make those improvements on a daily basis. I’ve also gone down paths where I’ve spent days, weeks, and months pursuing things that would never bring me closer to God. Not all pursuits necessarily need to be “sinful” to draw us away from our relationship with God. I’ve even seen “church projects” that have lead honorable men away from a godly life. Often it is not the path itself but the perspective of the individual traveling it.

No matter what party ends up with a majority in either house, we can win or lose by the actions we take as citizens and believers. If we gain ground, great – lets make sure those we elect into offices are held accountable and that we diligently work towards bringing God back into our lives and our nation. If we lose ground we need to do much the same but it will be harder as the globalists will do all they can to eradicate anyone or anything in their way. They cannot defeat God but knowing this will not deter them.

Piercing the Darkness

Before I begin, “Piercing the Darkness” is also the title of a Christian novel by Frank Peretti. It is an excellent read that, along with his previous novel, “This Present Darkness” is written from a spiritual as well as a human perspective. Other than the title, today’s post has little in common with Mr. Peretti’s work other than being written from a Christian perspective.

Today’s topic might be summed up with yet another story, a riddle actually, whose author is unknown to me. While the basic premise is similar, I rather strayed somewhat. You be the judge.

It seems there was a man on his deathbed who had accumulated a great deal of wealth. He had been an honest and honorable man throughout his life. Now he was faced not only with his own passing, but the task of choosing a successor from among his three grown children. While he felt they were all worthy in their own way, he didn’t want to play favorites, nor did he wish to induce jealousy among them. After praying about it, he decided gave them a riddle to solve. The child with the best solution would inherit the bulk of his estate and assume leadership of his companies. He called them to his bedside, and handed each an envelope.

“Each envelope contains a $100 dollar bill. I want each of you to take that money and use part or all of it to fill my room. I will evaluate your solution based on two criteria. First, whatever you use to fill the room should represent how you will run my companies. Second, you will need to account for what you spent and what, if anything, is left over. The child who provides the best solution will take my place in my companies and inherit the bulk of my estate.”

His eldest child returned first. With a flair, he handed his father the $100 bill. He opened the door and motioned for someone to come in. One after another, people entered with flowers. The parade stopped when no more flowers could be brought in.

“As you can see, Father, I didn’t spend a penny!”

“So where did all of these flowers come from?”

“From our warehouse of course! I remembered one of our companies distributes flowers wholesale. As you can see, I intend to run our companies by bringing wonderful color and cheer everywhere.”

“Hmmm, you say you didn’t spend a penny?” his father said, “Who paid for the flowers and the labor to bring them here.”

“I… I guess the company did.” His eldest looked at his shoes. “I didn’t think of that. I spent thousands to save $100, didn’t I?”

His father just nodded. “Please remove these flowers.”

“As long as they are here, how about I donate them to the hospital auxiliary to distribute to other patients and staff? At least then I can write the expense off.”

“That should work.”

The flowers were just cleared out when the man’s second child entered. She had a box under one arm and was pulling a tank with the other hand. She opened the box and began filling balloons with helium.

She explained as she filled balloons. “I used most of the money on the balloons and the helium, Dad. Each balloon has a positive message and that’s how I’ll run the companies – by being positive and resourceful.”

Before long the room was nearly filled with balloons and the box was empty.

Her father nodded. “Well, you filled the room all right, but I can’t see anything anymore. Can I ask you one thing?”

“Of course.”

“Now what?”

His daughter’s face fell. “I don’t know. I suppose I need to get these balloons out of here. I’ll take them down to the children’s wing. I’m sure they’ll love them.”

“Good idea.”

The balloons were gone. In came the youngest child.

She smiled shyly at her father before pulling his beside table to the center of the room. She set a candle on the table. She lit the candle and flipped the switch by the door. Light filled the room.

“Daddy, I’m sorry I don’t have any money left. I bought the candle and the candlestick at a thrift shop for one dollar. But while I was looking for it, I noticed a young woman with two children looking at clothes. One of them kept crying saying she was hungry. The younger child had her eyes on a yellow dress. It was worn but in decent condition. I saw the tears in her mother’s eyes as she told her child it was very pretty be she needed clothes for school more. The girl nodded, her lips quivered, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the dress.”

“I couldn’t help myself. I stepped over and told the little girl I too thought the dress was beautiful. I said I know a little girl just like her who would love it but her parents couldn’t afford it. Would she mind if I bought it for her. Her eyes widened and she broke into big smile. She said yes, she just know that poor little girl would just love it.”

I took the dress and found the candle. At the counter, the cashier gave me a funny look when I broke the $100 bill to pay for the candle and then used my credit card to pay for the dress and then asked for separate bags. The little girl cried with delight when she realized I was giving her the dress. I gave the change along with all the cash I had to the woman. I handed her my card and told her if she was looking for work to call me. I’d find something for her. I hope that was all right.”

Her father held out his arms. “Honey, the light from that candle filled the room better than anything but the light in you will light up the world.”

* * *

This was not what I had in mind when I set out to recount the story. I can only give credit to God for this as it brought tears to my own eyes as I wrote it. While I have to admit, I generally like my own prose, I can’t remember ever getting emotional about it.

Not long ago, I heard a preacher say love is not about how you feel, it is about what you do. The young daughter in the story above demonstrated exactly that. Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment.

Matthew 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Love God. Love your neighbor. Those two commandments supersede all the rest, but how do we love God and love our neighbors? How will others see our light?

We are told not to put our light under a bushel but on a candlestick as did the young lady above.

Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

It is often said people judge us Christians by what they see rather then what we say. They look at the example we set. They observe how we act and how we react.

Look around you. Our nation is overshadowed by a great cloud of darkness. God is denied, defamed and disregarded everywhere. Christians are targeted and, yes, even thrown in prisons for standing for what we believe to be right. Others are fired from their jobs for their beliefs or for simply praying to God. This darkness is encompassing us. It is suffocating our nation, but it has a weakness. That weakness is light.

Light will pierce darkness every time. Light dispels darkness.

Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

Our nation can once again shine as a beacon, a light unto the world. That light needs to shine from us because we are the children of light. This is the light that will pierce the darkness. Return unto God. Let your light shine.