There Are Over 25,000 of Us. What If We Each Did One Thing?
Insights:
Do you think our nation has lost its moral compass? What does that word even mean when applied to the United States?
Recently, I was talking with a good friend about Abraham Lincoln. We had both read the book Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin, which looks at the leadership of Lincoln, both Roosevelts, and Lyndon Johnson.
One of the things that stood out about Lincoln was the fact that after he was elected president, he filled his cabinet with his “enemies” - people who had campaigned against him. Why? He wanted to listen to them and understand where they were coming from as he led the country. This nation was founded on Christian principles, which shaped the nation’s moral compass. Loving our neighbor and our enemies was just something that Lincoln did.
Today we seem very far from being considered a Christian nation. Are we better off now? I wonder what Lincoln would say if he could see our culture for a day or two. He certainly understood division. The Civil War split our country. There were many other problems that he had to deal with. Yet, Lincoln's goal was to unite instead of causing further division.
In the bigger picture, I wonder what God thinks about us today. I know that He is not surprised because He is all knowing. Is He sad? Is He angry? Does He regret saying that He would never flood the world again? With all the anger, hatred, division, and confusion, are we too far gone? I firmly believe that God can bring us back. The question is first do we want Him to, and second, will we trust that His plan is better than ours? I think our steps away from God were slow at first but the past few years it seems like we have been sprinting.
We each have a choice every day. Do we live so people can see Jesus in us or do we adopt the direction that culture is going? Think about this. What if every one of us reading this did one thing every day to show God’s love to those we encounter? What then if everyone we encounter liked what they saw in us and decided to join us? More than 25,000 people read this blog! It would take just five days for over 1,000,000 people to be affected. Will that happen? I do not know. But if God is on our side, why not give it a try? Remember Jesus started with twelve men and look what God has done with that!
Questions For You To Think About:
What would be your definition of a Christian nation?
What do you see as the core problem in America?
How can you begin to show Jesus to those around you?
2 Minute Drill
What happens when we focus on the wrong things in our marriage?
Quick Hits:
This Week’s Quote: Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao was born in December 1978 in the Philippines. He is regarded by boxing historians as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He is the only boxer in history to win twelve major world titles in eight different weight divisions. He also holds the record of being the only boxer to hold world titles in four different decades: the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s. He is a Christian and speaks boldly about his faith.
Being a Christian means accepting Christ as your savior, your God. That's why you are called a 'Christian.' If you remove Christ, there's only 'ian' and that means 'I am nothing.'
The most important thing as a leader is your relationship with God.
This Week’s Trivia Question
In which country do people celebrate Christmas by gathering on the beach?
This Week’s Did You Know
The original Elf on the Shelf was named Fisbee. The Elf on the Shelf was inspired by the creators' own toy elf, Fisbee, who they grew up with in the 1970s. They told HuffPost that Fisbee "would report to Santa Claus at night and be back in a different position in our house the next day.
Something To Talk About!
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Awesome Marriage This week
AM Podcast: Our Favorite Ways to Celebrate Christmas | Ep. 537
We take a break from some of the tough subjects we have covered this year and talk about our own families’ Christmas celebrations. Join us this week!
AM YouTube Channel: You’ve Got Nine Days
What can you do over these last few days before Christmas to get closer to Jesus and closer to those you love?
AM YouVersion Plan: Seeking God’s Direction
How do you seek God’s direction for your life and your marriage? In this five day plan, two longtime Awesome Marriage followers, David and Tracy, give their perspective on this important question.
This Week’s Trivia Answer:
Australia!