My friend, if you don’t think God is serious about sin, let me read a few verses of scripture for you. These are the words of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 5:27-30: “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, ‘thou shall not commit adultery’. But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offends thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee, for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offends thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee, for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”
Based on that, I would say He is serious about sin, wouldn’t you? Now please don’t misunderstand my motive for sharing this with you. I am not a minister, and I have never preached in my life, I’ve given lay messages, yes, but I never preached. However, I am a Christian, but I have not always been a Christian. In my younger days I made a lot of mistakes. I have not made those same mistakes since I came to know Him back on February 26, 1984. Since that fateful day, my life has never been the same. If you are a regular reader of this column, you know that my wife and I have co-authored a book titled “Keep Your Fork” that is designed to call our nation back to God, as He is the only one who can save our nation.
What a lot of people in our nation today do not know is that we have a Spiritual Heritage, and one of the reasons our forefathers came to this land was for religious freedom. I have quoted this before and it bears repeating: a quote by a French nobleman by the name of Alexis De
Tocqueville who came to America in the 18th Century to learn why our nation had become so great in such a short period of time. After several months he penned these words: “I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there … in her fertile fields and boundless forest and it was not there … in her rich mines and vast world commerce and it was not there …. in her democratic congress and her matchless constitution and it was not there. Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness, did I understand the secret of her genius and power.”
The message of the Bible is simple — live for God and obey His laws and commands, and your reward will be to have eternal life. If everyone in America would accept Jesus, most of our problems in society would be solved almost overnight. When we love our neighbor as ourselves, and treat others as we wish to be treated, it’s a different kind of lifestyle and so much fun. We still had much of the Puritan influence in our country when I graduated from high school in 1956, and it was a completely safe society.
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(Jim Davidson is an author, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. For a personalized copy of “Keep Your Fork” send $25 (includes P&H & TAX) to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Dr. Conway, AR 72034)