Journal: Stop Whining America!

Whether your guy won or your guy didn't win in the recent national elections, it's rather clear that our country is horribly divided. While half of the nation is rejoicing that things will continue as they have for the past four years, the other half seems pretty well convinced that America is going down the toilet (and is equally convinced that it's the fault of the first half).

Okay, America is in decline. We have some serious problems. The America that we know and love is going away (or is already gone) and a different America is emerging. The values that made us a great nation have been displaced by values that are opposed to God and His Word. The implications are obvious and the future is bleak. So, other than whining, what are you doing about it?

Rather than sit around wringing our hands and waiting until we can look at the inevitable conclusion to the path that we are on and say that we knew it was going to turn out in that way, let's do something. Better than that, let's do what it will take to get America back on track.

Without covering all of the bases or addressing all of the issues, here's what we need to do:

1) Repent!

We are God's people. We have put our trust and hope in things and people other than God. We need to repent, to stop trusting in candidates, parties, policies, laws, etc. and renew our trust in the God who is greater than all of these things. We need to repent of our idolatry.

We have settled down in the world and adopted the ways of the world. We need to stop being of the world and learn how to be in the world without being part of it. We need to learn the boundaries that separate being in the world from being of the world. We need to repent of our worldliness (which is idolatry).

We have avoided the Cross and sought after glory. We want the glory of our candidate winning, our party in majority, our referendums passing, and our views filling the airwaves. We are unwilling to suffer loss, endure hardships, and be marginalized in order to be faithful. We need to repent of our self-glory (which is also idolatry).

It starts with repentance. Then what?

2) Relentlessly Confront Secularism with God's Word

We've been duped. There's a difference between the doctrine of the two kingdoms and the so-called separation of church and state. We have to recognize that difference, learn it well, and then live it out. We can't afford to let the pagans in our country draw the boundaries any longer.

We have to speak up in the public square and insist on the Word of God being heard. We need to be bold about this. We should commit ourselves to being relentless about it. We should accept the fact that God's Word may very well be rejected and ridiculed, but never accept the limits that unbelievers place on it or on us. We should be as obnoxious about speaking God's Word as we've been about our political opinions.

3) Embrace the Magnitude and Urgency of our Work

There is little time to waste and much work to do. We've been in a moral and spiritual free fall for two generations. Now is the time for action and now is the last chance we may have to confront the forces that seek to silence God's people. We are up against something bigger than a conspiracy. We are in a spiritual battle. It rages inside and outside of the church. It is constant and it is critical. Recognize this and realize that there are no terms for peace. Then go all in.

4) Stop Kidding Yourself

There's no way that we will make any positive difference if we don't change our ways (see "Repent" above). We've made the church into a form of entertainment. We treat God's Word with a passing interest (or pass it by altogether). We're spiritually sloppy, weak, and undisciplined. This has to change.

The call to being a disciple of Jesus hasn't changed in 2,000 years. There are no short cuts and there is no alternative. He laid it out plainly and clearly: Deny yourself, take up your cross daily, follow Me.

If you really want to make a positive difference in our nation, be a genuine disciple of Jesus. Participate in the worship life of a faithful, orthodox church every Sunday (or more often) and receive God's wisdom, forgiveness, and power in and through His Word and Sacraments. Study the Word with other Christians under the leadership of a faithful, orthodox pastor. Read the Word on your own every day. Pray unceasingly. Support the work of a faithful, orthodox church with your time, your money, and yourself.

You have the privilege of being Christ's ambassador in this world. Through you, God is able to work His will to rescue those who are perishing. Maybe He will even turn America around and restore it as a nation under His blessing.

Don't lie to yourself.

It will take personal sacrifice. It calls for a serious commitment. It may very well cost you a lot in this world. It won't be easy. But it will be worthwhile. You will make a difference.

Or you can whine about our country going down the toilet.