America the Ugly!
Almost every patriotic occasion includes the singing of "America, the Beautiful". Of course this refers mainly to the landscape. There is something in this country to appeal to almost everyone. However, from the standpoint of the citizenry, we have become "America, the Ugly". We are divided politically, racially, financially and worst of all, spiritually. Those who do not look like, act like or agree with us we consider to be enemies. We lambaste each other with rhetoric that would peel the paint off a wall. Anytime someone dares to question the scathing things we say, we loudly proclaim our "freedom of speech".
What used to be news reporting has degenerated into opinionated verbiage espousing the reporter's own political stance or that of the media that pays them. Listening is a lost art. When someone else is speaking we often are waiting for a brief lapse so that we can jump in with our opinion which we deem to be the only one worth hearing.
Our ugliness reaches its apex when it erupts into physical violence. Mob-think is when we cease to think for ourselves and let the group we are in lead us along. Usually the loudest and most violent are able to sweep others along in their pursuit and soon things happen that no one would do on their own.
The time has come for true followers of Jesus Christ to realize that the only hope for America is a sweeping revival. If the country that was once beautiful is to return to that beauty, we must repent of our selfish pursuits and return to God as the Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer of all life. We must realize that the song many of us learned as children is absolutely true..."Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world."
There is not one person you will encounter during your lifetime for whom Jesus did not die.
What used to be news reporting has degenerated into opinionated verbiage espousing the reporter's own political stance or that of the media that pays them. Listening is a lost art. When someone else is speaking we often are waiting for a brief lapse so that we can jump in with our opinion which we deem to be the only one worth hearing.
Our ugliness reaches its apex when it erupts into physical violence. Mob-think is when we cease to think for ourselves and let the group we are in lead us along. Usually the loudest and most violent are able to sweep others along in their pursuit and soon things happen that no one would do on their own.
The time has come for true followers of Jesus Christ to realize that the only hope for America is a sweeping revival. If the country that was once beautiful is to return to that beauty, we must repent of our selfish pursuits and return to God as the Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer of all life. We must realize that the song many of us learned as children is absolutely true..."Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world."
There is not one person you will encounter during your lifetime for whom Jesus did not die.
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