By John Stallings
The full sentence helps
explain the meaning better:
These are the times that try men's souls:
The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from
the service of his country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and
thanks of man and woman.
At the time Thomas Paine wrote those words, it
looked like we would lose the American Revolution and some people were walking
away because times were getting tough. By saying "These are the times that
try [or test] men's souls," he was saying... "This is how we'll see what
your spirit is really made of. Do you leave when things look bad, or do
you have the courage to stand up for what you believe in?"
Somehow these word seem apropos
in this hour.
ELECTION AFTERGLOW
Pot-heads, sodomites,
pro-aborts and all common moochers, are sharing a collective thrill in the
afterglow of President Obama’s re-election. Added to that list are Ayman
al-Zawahiri, Ayatollah Khamenei, Vladimir Putin and Chris Matthews, as well as
millions of others.
Who can deny that the American
people by a clear majority have rejected fiscal responsibility, energy
independence, national security, border security, and traditional family values.
In the mind of many of us Barack Obama’s re-election is a complete political,
economic, moral, social and spiritual catastrophe.
However despite the very real
implications of America
Let’s briefly detail some of
the reasons why Christians should rise above the depression and hopelessness
that has gripped so many.
In Hebrews 11, we’re encouraged
to consider the lives of the faithful saints of old. Some of these men and
woman lived very blessed lives and experienced great prosperity. Others
suffered terrible hardships. What they all shared, however, was a vision, a
hope of “a better country,” a heavenly “city.”
Consider what the Bible has
to say concerning Abraham:
“By faith he made his home in the
promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did
Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was
looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is
God.” [Hebrews 11:9-10]
As our “great thinkers”
ponder the reasons for the outcome of the election, I notice that many of them
postulate that we conservatives have not been sensitive to the minorities,
women’s rights, and especially illegal aliens.
Please!
Let’s turn this around. In response,
though I’ve been a close observer of national politics for well over half a
century, and have seen many Liberal defeats, I don’t remember ever hearing them
ever so much as hint at the possibility that “we’ve been too strident on the
abortion issue” or for that matter any of the issues they hold dear. No matter
how many elections they lose, they seemingly have no self-doubts.
However, they have no inhibitions when it comes
to telling conservatives –we’re defeated by our core values.
As sad as it is to watch our
great country take such a harsh left-lurch into irresponsibility and outright
godlessness, I’d like to remind us that our ultimate and eternal citizenship is
not here on earth. We’re to live within this corrupt and perverse age as
aliens, foreigners, whose eyes are forever fixed on our true, eternal home.
Consider this passage as we imitate these saints of old:
“They admitted that they were aliens and
strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a
country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left,
they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a
better country – a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called
their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” [Hebrews 11:13-16]
Think about it; anywhere you
open the bible you find people who live in nations where they are a minority, and
where persecution and hatred of the Godly is common. This is after all, how
life was for the early Godly folk. Perhaps our hope has been too focused on
this life, on our stuff and our comforts.
Maybe if Americans are made a
bit more uncomfortable, we might shift our eyes to the heavenly city, to the
country that God is preparing for us. Maybe that’s one plus behind this election
catastrophe.
In one of the most well-known
prophetic messianic Psalms, we read the following description of what Jesus
will accomplish when he returns:
“The LORD will extend your mighty
scepter from Zion
One of the primary events
that will accompany the return of Jesus as he establishes his messianic kingdom
over the earth from Jerusalem is the judgment of the many unrighteous,
self-serving and corrupt politicians throughout the whole earth. As the Psalm
states, when Jesus returns, before he establishes his kingdom, he will “crush
kings on the day of his wrath.”
While some may feel uneasy
with this point, personally, I take great comfort in it. Who among us doesn’t
truly grieve at the degree of corruption, character assassination, slander,
lies and deceit that so many politicians use to acquire and maintain power? The
Lord will not allow this to remain unpunished. There is coming a day of
justice.
For now, America
So I will continue to stand
and fight for this great nation, believing that there is yet hope for
repentance, revival and restoration. As I watch this beautiful country slip
away and devolve into something almost unrecognizable, I take great comfort in
knowing that a heavenly country lies ahead. I have been promised a kingdom, and
it is on this kingdom the eyes of my heart are fixed. And even more than the
coming kingdom, my eyes of hope are fixed entirely on the coming King.
I wrote a song many years ago
called “I’m not letting anybody steal my joy. I’m standing by that.
Hear
this: the present man in office
will never have control over my emotions and will do nothing to steal my joy.
“May the God of hope fill you with
all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by
the power of the Holy Spirit.” [Romans 15:13]
Be Blessed,
John
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