Even the Imperfect Fathers, including our Founding Fathers.
Today is election day 2020 and one of the biggest threats to us as a people, as a nation, is the lack of honor – we have grown to be a nation of DISHONOR.
Honor is mentioned 147 times in the bible, with the vast percentage of mentions outlining the mandate to honor others above everything, including ourselves (fathers, children, elders, leaders, neighbors, spouses, government officials, police and military, and God); the other mentions of honor outline how God responds to you – He honors you! Honoring one another is honoring God. In contrast, when we dishonor others, we are dishonoring God. And when we dishonor God, He disdains us (see 1 Samuel 2:30).
What happens when a nation embeds seeds of dishonor as part of it’s culture?
20 years in the military instilled the value of Honor into my DNA, it is part of my soul. I don’t always get it right, I occasionally fail; and when I find myself in a place of dishonor – the conviction levels are high. Because honor was an automatic function of military life, it was easy to spot those soldiers that had no honor, or a limited amount. In this regard, I am speaking of honoring the profession of arms, honoring your brothers, honoring military traditions, and honoring military leadership. When honor was blown, the unit would either evict the imposing soldier, or, unit morale would crash. I believe the same thing happens within the nation, but with God serving as the sole Judge.
Dishonoring the traditions that founded this nation and handed down from our Founding Fathers is dangerous and can lead to catastrophe – these acts of dishonor will not land where those operating in it believes it will land. The fastest way to kill a plant is to cut it off from its roots. Likewise, the fastest way to destroy a nation or culture is to cut it off from its history. One of the most vicious and relentless attacks on America is that of denigrating our founding fathers. And the ever expanding arms of dishonor are widening the gates of hell in this country.
This furthers the souring of men’s hearts, hardening them to the things of God as they observe, or personally feel, the effects of dishonor contaminating our nation. They isolate themselves further, or, they allow their flesh to take over and they retaliate in kind.
It is a valid statement that some Christians have placed their politics as an idol in their life – above that of even Jesus Himself – this is something that they will have to answer to Him about someday. These Christians are obvious as they tend to be the loudest – and the majority are not anointed to be a political voice. They choose to dishonor others. More often than not, they are allowing their opinions to overshadow what the Lord desires and they end up placing other Christians in a bad light. This was me not that many years ago and I am embarassed about it – thank God for his mercy and grace in forgiveness. (see Romans 12:10)
There are also some Christians that hold the premise that American traditions are of the world and have nothing to do with them or their mandate of sharing the Gospel or finding lost sheep. They forget that the world is where the lost sheep are located, the world is where they currently live, and the world is where they must go. And when they do, they find that they have to either operate within the parameters that the world has set for them, or, they have to be slick and operate under the radar. But, what if, they had used their Christian values to influence government and culture from the beginning? I believe they are dishonoring the government that God Himself has ordained (see Romans 13:1-2). I believe that this is not a healthy position to be hold.
And then there are the Christians that honor what God has provided us with. Christians that have chosen to steward the government we have, which affords us with opportunities to represent God in what we do. This means that we participate in our communities, our culture, and our nation. This honors not only God, but the others of the nation as well – including the lost sheep. Some Christians are annointed to be a credible voice in public discourse, debate, and media; other Christians are anointed to be a singular voice, meaning one on one discussions, writing, or small groups. These Christians recognize the balance of American traditions and Godly wisdom. These Christians recognize that our Founding Fathers founded a nation based on godly principles and, while not perfect, we were left with avenues and opportunities to improve on what they initially founded. We see the light they ignited and not the darkness of the world at that time. So, we follow the path that has been lighted upon our feet. Faith in God, faith in godly traditions, and faith in the human spirit to overcome obstacles when they come upon us. Faith that gives us HOPE.
Faith gives us HOPE. HOPE leads to HONOR. And HONOR exhibits the GLORY of God.
Faith, Honor, Glory, and Hope.
The founding fathers of America were not perfect. Some of them were foul characters, at least, at some point in their life. Nowhere does the command to honor our fathers and mothers imply that this is only for the perfect ones or even just the good ones, but it is for the ones that we have. America’s founding fathers all had flaws, as do our natural and spiritual fathers, but with the founding fathers of America over all we would be hard pressed to find such a noble company of men anywhere else in world history.
Every other revolution in history was led by the lowest classes, the disenfranchised, or the disgruntled. The American revolution was unlike any other revolution in history because it was led by the wealthiest people in the country. George Washington is generally believed to have been the wealthiest man in the colonies. When they pledged to risk their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor for freedom, they had much to lose. They stood up to the most powerful Empire in the world comment and few gave them any chance at succeeding.
Many of the founders did lose everything they had in the revolution comment and some lost their lives. None of them prospered by the war, but they gained something far more valuable for everyone-liberty. They founded the only nation in history on the belief that God is sovereign over man in man is sovereign over government-that the government exists to serve the people comment not the other way around. This is where we get the term American exceptional ism. This is not an arrogant statement. To be an exception means to be different, and the United States was the most different nation ever found it, and in some ways remains so.
The United States is not the only nation whose foundations are in jeopardy and currently being attacked. Many of Europe’s great nations are under the same threat. Many have good and badge in their history, just like America and every nation does. A key to the survival of the nation’s is to honor our fathers and mothers and refused to dishonor them. Our future depends on this.