"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth...And God said 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness'....So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him."
Genesis 1:1,26,27
When man was first created we were made " in the image of God" this means that mankind was given the same moral and natural likeness that God had. For example, a sense of justice, a need to love and be loved, a kind and gentle demeanor and so on.
When man sinned and a divide was driven between us and God, we lost our moral likeness and became sinful, but we did not lose our natural likeness to God.
This left us with a sinful nature and the framework, so to speak, of our Christlikeness.
Part of God's design for us was to give us emotions, intellect, and a will. These are the things that drive us, and, if used in the right way, can lead us straight to the Lord. But all of these things were meant to be lead by someone. And when we don't seek God's face, we are lead by other things. Especially if we have not accepted Christ.
All of these things are relevant for those who have accepted Christ as well, but when a person accepts Christ, new desires and emotions are also awakened. Things that have always been inside us but can never be recognized without Christ living in us. Such as a desire to know and love God, and for Him to know and love us.
In order to do this, we must seek Him. We must go to Him and grow close to God. Just like if you have a new friend that you want to get to know better, what do you do? Spend time with them, talk to them.
A desire for Christ may start with just an inkling of a feeling, it may come as soon as you receive Christ or years later. But the only way to help it grow so that you desire Christ over sin's temptations and over everyone and everything else around you, is to spend time seeking God. We can't talk to Him face to face no, but that's exactly why He gave us His word. Which is essential when it comes to living a life for Christ.
So, I challenge you, if you are a new Christian just learning all these things or if you already know all of this and just need a reminder, to seek God. Talk to Him, share your heart with Him, ask for direction, use His word to help guide you, and then watch as He works in your life. And as you do these things, God will build your desire for Him and His word.
"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
~ New Colossus By Emma Lazarus
From the very beginning of our great nation we have been a people who live by a certain morale. Which is evident in the words written by our founding fathers.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
But in our day and time we tend to take these truths for granted now more than ever. When the Declaration of Independence states "...endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights..." it means just that. Endowed. The opportunity that we have been given to live in a free nation should not be taken lightly and should not be taken for granted.
Their is absolutely nothing that makes us any better than someone who lives in Asia, Africa, Russia or any other place. There is nothing we did to earn the right to be an American. It was an opportunity given by God. One that shouldn't be wasted.
If we are here either because we have been born here or because we have come to be here by some other means, it's for a reason.
But because so many of us have no idea what it's like to live anywhere other than a free nation, we don't understand the privilege we have.
In a world ruled by various dictatorships and corrupt leaders America in it's earliest form was, for so many, a place of refuge.
I have been a big fan of world history nearly all my life, and although I am no scholar I must say that from what I've learned, America's past sufferings are nothing compared to what other countries have faced. Because we've never had to deal with the effects of an oppressive ruler. Sure we've had bad ones but only because we've put them in that position, and even most of our bad ones were not that bad.
If you can imagine living in a world where you were constantly afraid for your life, or where because of the system of citizenship, you were poor and looked down upon by society with no hope of ever moving from that position or living in poverty and sickness and knowing that your children would have the same fate. These are some of the things that troubled people for centuries, that is until they heard of a place where you could live a life where you had a chance at life. Yes there would be difficulties along the way, but your reward was security, liberty and freedom.
For the mother with children who's greatest wish was to give them a life filled with happiness instead of sorrow, for the young man hoping to establish his future family in a place where their lives wouldn't be threatened on a daily basis, or for early Puritans wanting freedom to worship God in their own way. America has promised hope and a future for these and so many more.
And as Americans we should be proud that we live in the nation that provides hope and restoration for so many. We should be good stewards of our rights and we should seek to have hearts of gratefulness.
May we take a lesson from our ancestors, many of whom voyaged here with no promise of a better life, only the hope that this new, free nation they kept hearing about would give them the refuge and liberty they so desperately longed for. May we learn that we are a privileged few. That we should not boast about our rights as Americans to others, but lovingly extend our hand to anyone who would like to take part in this better life of ours. And, most importantly, may we learn to thank God for the privilege and ask Him to teach us how to use this opportunity of living in a nation and time such as this to show the love of Christ to the world.
Here are a few videos which are probably a bit of a different tune then what you just read, but relevant none the less. I know that Glenn Beck is a controversial figure and I think it's important to note that he is a Mormon, not a Christian. But, I believe that before judging a person by the group he or she claims to be a part of, you should first learn who they are as a person, sometimes "name tags " can be deceiving. Through Glenn Beck and my Father I have learned much about America, and I hope you will as well. I know they're long videos, but you will probably laugh and cry. And in the end it will have been worth it. So, enjoy. c :
( If you would like to watch the last two parts of this speech, you can find them on YouTube. )
