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Dear Saints,
In the Beginning, God...
We forget that at times.
Our forgetfulness costs us individually and in the aggregate, collectively as a nation.
When the nation basks in the blessings of God, a legacy of blessing rather than fresh blessing, poor decision–making is less noticeable to the general public than during times when a nation begins to recognize after a lag time that the population is living under a cloud of adversity.
It is in those times of abundance/affluence that poor decision-making simply translates into waste of stored up surplus, less noticeable but nonetheless, waste. However, when conditions move in the direction of overt deficiency, stringency, and economic downturn, poor decision-making becomes prominently displayed in stark view where everyone can see it as it is, extremely costly, representing tremendous loss.
To show you the relationship between the terminology used to describe modern quality of life indicators in comparison to the terminology used in the Holy Bible, I have presented below those measures based upon a couple of tables from my book entitled, Acknowledging God in the Decisions of State. Take a look at the Tables labeled 3.4 and 3.5, based upon Leviticus 26 below. Table 3.4 represents blessings; 3.5 presents curses as described in the Holy Bible.
TABLE 3.4
GOD’S BLESSINGS & Social Science Indicators; Blessings Based on LEVITICUS 26
"Rain", Measured as Rate of Precipitation or Required Precipitation
"produce"--Measured as Rate of production in all sectors - Sustained production
"threshing shall last", Measured as Surplus Food Supplies –Stored Food
"the full"-- Measured as Caloric Intake
"safely"-- Measured as Rate of violent crime
"peace"-- Measured as Crime rate, political instability
"none will make you afraid"-- Measured as Security indicators
"rid the land of evil beasts"--Measured as Death rate-animal attacks; as threat rate,risk
"sword will not go through your land"-- Measured as Rate of violence within geographic borders
"chase your enemies, and they shall fall"-- Measured as Rate of conquest of enemies/# encounters
"Five of you shall chase a hundred"--Measured as Ratio of military personnel/# enemies routed fruitful,
"Gross Domestic Product"
--"multiply you"-- Measured as Population Growth to...
--"old harvest"-- Measured as Food Stockpiles, Other Surplus Production
"clear out the old because of the new"-- Measured as Trade due to over supply
"tabernacle among you"-- Measured as Revival, Rate of worship
"I will walk among you and be your God"-- Measured as being Recognized as a Christian country
"and you shall be My people"; "you should not be their slaves"-- Measured as No physical captivity, nor debt
"you walk upright"-- Measured High ethical standard of living
*
TABLE 3.5GOD’S Curses and the Social Science Indicators: CURSES Based on LEVITICUS 26
"Wasting disease and fever"-- Measured as Rate of tuberculosis, Rate of HIV, etc.; Rate of fever
"Weakened eyes"--Measured as Rate of blindness
"Sorrow of heart"--Measured as Rate of emotional illness
"Sow your seed in vain"--Measured as Futility of effort; low yield
"Enemies shall eat it"-- Measured as Foreign Rate of Consumption/displacement
"Set my face against you"--Measured as Low Rate of worship
"Defeated by your enemies" --Measured as Rate of defeat in military events
"Those who hate you shall reign over you"--Measured as Enemy control over governance operations
"flee when no one pursues you"--Measured as Rate of paranoia
"break the pride of your power"--Measured as Loss of main industries
"heavens like iron and your earth like bronze"-- Measured as Environmental depletion
"in vain"-- Measured as Low productivity rate
"land shall not yield its produce"-- Measured as Land designated unsuitable
"nor fruit"-- Measured as Low yield
"wild beasts"-- Measured as Rate of animal hazard
"destroy your livestock"-- Measured as Death & Disease rate in livestock
"make you few in number"-- Population decline
"highways shall be desolate"--Measured as Rate (decline) commercial trucking
"sword against you"-- Measured as the # of incidents of military engagements
"send pestilence "-- Measured as Rate of pestilence/ severity/scope
"delivered into the hand of the enemy"-- Measured as the # taken in captivity
"supply of bread--" Measured as Rate of food supply/scarcity
"eat and not be satisfied--" Measured as Rate of caloric intake
"shall eat the flesh of your sons,
and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters"-- Measured as Rate of abortion
"destroy your high places"-- Measured as Rate of destruction of geo symbols
"carcasses on the lifeless forms of your idols"-- Measured as Causes of death
"lay your cities waste"-- Measured as the# of abandoned buildings, vacant space
"sanctuaries to desolation"--Measured as # or abandoned houses of worship
"your enemies who dwell"-- Measured as the Rate of crime
"I will scatter you among the nations" --Measured as the Rate of out migration
"a sword after you"-- Measured as Rate of violence
"land shall be desolate and your"-- Measured as Rate of vacated space, housing
"cities wasted" --Measured as Rate of out migration from cities
"land shall rest"-- Measured as the # of years desolate
"faintness into their hearts"-- Measured as Rate of heart attack
"shaken leaf shall cause them to flee"-- Measured as Rate of perceived risk
"flee as though fleeing from a sword"--Measured as Rate of paranoia
"fall when no one pursues"-- Measured as Rate of household injury; Rate of paranoia
"stumble over one another"-- Measured as Rate of conflict
"no power to stand before your enemies"-- Measured as Strategic vulnerability
"perish among the nations"-- Measured as Absorption rates
"land of your enemies shall eat you up" --Measured as Subjugation rate; subsistence
"waste away in their iniquity in your enemies"-- Measured as Rate of enslavement
"fathers' iniquities"-- Measured as Rate of inherited difficulty; life expectancy rate
"they shall waste away"-- Measured as Rate of desolation
****
Saints, "Blessings" and "Curses" on nations don't normally emerge simply overnight [they can, but don't normally], but come as a consequence of distance from God. In periods of apostasy, we must be on guard against what I refer to as wicked reasoning, reasoning that does not line up with the written word of God, the Holy Bible.
"As a man thinketh, so is he." Proverbs 23:7, the Holy Bible
So, we must judge ourselves to make sure we don't fall into these and related traps.
It is the prayer of those in right standing with God that availeth much. And,
it is righteousness that exalts nation.
Detecting Wicked Reasoning
Here are a few examples for our prayerful consideration.
Wicked Reasoning: “Now that we are free, let’s conduct ourselves as others do.” – (Modern – Baal)
Godly Reasoning: “True freedom is enslavement to Christ who is author and finisher of our faith.”
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.*
Wicked Reasoning: “We are law abiding. That should be enough.” (Socio-political stability)
Godly Reasoning: “Given the life that God has given us, we will seek to please Him.”
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For if we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.*
Wicked Reasoning: “God will tolerate our sin distance from Him because we are human, after all.”
Godly Reasoning: “In recognition of Christ’s death and our death in Him, the nature of our affections has changed. We are new creations. Old things have passed away. All things have been made we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God.
*
Godly Reasoning: “Whatever is good, and lovely, and worthy of good repute, focus on these things.”
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life and offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
Godly Reasoning: “Do not be ensnared by empty philosophies. Grow to spiritual maturity in Christ.”
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey – whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
Godly Reasoning: “Be holy because God is Holy. Be still and know that He is God.”
"I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
May God transform our thinking so that we may reflect His Light in dark times.
And, May that which is Most important to You, LORD GOD, become most important to us.
Praying in Christ Jesus!
AMEN!
--Livvy McDonald :)<><
My Postscript
Please bear with me. I love this song. I'm probably singing "off key" here but I'm enjoying every minute of it. The lyrics are below. [If you are viewing this blog entry via feed, click here so you can see the video.]
Hallelujah, Y'all!
"Since I Have Been Redeemed," by Edwin O. Excell
I have a song I love to sing,
Since I have been redeemed,
Of my Redeemer, Savior king,
Since I have been redeemed.
[Chorus:
Since I have been redeemed,
Since I have been redeemed,
I will glory in His name;
Since I have been redeemed,
I will glory in His (My Savior's) name.]
I have a Christ who satisfies
Since I have been redeemed,
To do His will my highest prize,
Since I have been redeemed.
[Chorus]
I have a witness bright and clear,
Since I have been redeemed,
Dispelling ev'ry doubt and fear,
Since I have been redeemed.
[Chorus]
I have a home prepared for me,
Since I have been redeemed,
Where I shall dwell eternally,
Since I have been redeemed.
[Chorus]
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