For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.
Luke 17:21b
Let us first state this; we are not trying to make light of recent events in Paris, Nice, Dallas & other areas of interest all over the world, nor are we saying, 'I told you so'! However, these events & others like them show ample proof of 'you reap what you sow'. Again, we realize that innocent people got hurt, even died; we are not saying they got what they deserved, not by any means: the world we live in, though, one which operates by 'the law of the jungle' & exalts 'the empire of man', has the tendency to leave a swath of death & destruction in its wake!
Politics, put simply, is 'the decision of the people'. Thus, politics, in & of itself, is not a bad thing, nor necessarily corrupt; however, since it is 'the decision of the people', if the people are corrupted & evil, so are their politics & thus we see what we see today! If, however, the people behind the politics are good & just, so are the politics. The problem is that people are themselves corruptible; in other words, different people have different ideas of what is right & what is wrong. This is not to say that truth is relative, however, it is what it is & so we have what we have!
This country was founded on the Biblical principles of Natural Law & Common Law. The Founding Fathers, who were predominantly Christian, crafted the documents by which we were to be governed, The Declaration of Independence & the United State's Constitution; although not perfect, these documents have provided us with a fairly solid foundation for government in this country. However, the problem is revealed, once again, when it comes to following its principles. Just like the Biblical Story of Israel concerning the Law, the people form the main body of the problem, not the Law itself. It is the people's failure to follow constitutional principles that has formed the difficulties we now face in America!
Some of these Foundational Principles may still be at work in this nation, but they are fading fast! This is because many Americans have lost any meaningful commitment to the Laws of Nature & the Creator's Revealed Law; hence, we witness the travesty of injustice today. Education in these important areas is of great necessity; what is needful in America today is a rediscovery of & a recommitment to the principles of Christ's Kingdom. Only through seeking first the Kingdom of God will the American peoples know any lasting peace! The principles of loving one's neighbor as oneself & doing unto others as you would want them to do to you are those Kingdom principles which are of foundational necessity to any nation faced with the corrupt politics & greed of their governing body!
The Peace of Heaven, which only right relationship with our Heavenly Father brings, is One that keeps us grounded through any difficulty! Politics is not necessarily evil. It depends solely on the corruption or incorruption of the people it represents. The problem is not politics, the problem is the people; if those in government in this nation were to exercise the principles outlined above, then we would begin to see more of the Peace promised in the Scriptures. If those in leadership continue building empires, whether their own personal one, or that of the United States of America, we can only expect more War, death & destruction!
Empire-building involves force, threat of force & strangely sanitizing concepts as 'Collateral Damage'. Our Heavenly Father does not wish for this death for any of His children. There are those who continually refuse Christ & accept His offered hand of fellowship & communion, for these, we can only shed a tear & offer a prayer of thanks that we are still here. The world is full of those who, whether out of ignorance or rebellion, refuse this blessed relationship. As we who have the Peace of this Blessed Relationship in our lives exercise the principles of our Perfect Liberty according to the Laws of Nature & Nature's God, we may see our Heavenly Father's Kingdom spread, leaving only a Path of Peace as it flows throughout this often chaotic world!
Charles Haddon Shank
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