Exloring Life Eternal

Living in Southeast Michigan, one cannot help but hear about the loss of jobs in the "big three" US automotive conglomerates.

It is resulting in plants closing. A Ford plant closed locally recently.

Delphi & others are cutting staff &/or going belly up. At least once a week this sort of thing is in the headlines with an interspersed note or two, maybe once a month, about progress in the auto & transport industry, usually tempered with bad news:
Hybrids are being released ... but the US makers are slower than others.
Rail traffic is up ... with Asian products on board.
A new R&D center is opening ... for a foreign owned company.
Overall use of busses is up ... with a possibility of some lines closing.

Etc., etc., etc.

Today, American Family Association sent out this:
"Ford 'Proves' Commitment To Homosexual Agenda"

What is at the root of this decline??

Here are my convictions as to why the USA is in decline & particularly the automotive industry:

1. A mistaken perspective on prosperity. The American dream is typically measured in property, nowadays, that often includes lots of gadgets & wireless whatnots & electronic thingamajigs. But, Jesus said, "Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."

2. A thoughless approach to life. The American heritage of Thanksgiving has been replaced with "Turkey Day" instead of family gatherings, "Football" instead of faith, & "Complaining & Criticizing" the ways & works of God rather than consecrating ourselves to the Lord Jesus as the path of joy! Ignorance is bliss in this land. But Jesus said, "The Lord is one, and you will love the Lord your God with all your heart & with all your soul & with all your mind & with all your strenght."

3. A self-centered & self-motivated method of success. Auto-motive: moving ones-self. Autonomy (self-law) is the rule. Individualism NEVER works. ECONomy is the law of selfishness & selfcenteredness always results in depression & death. But Jesus said, "Give & it will be given to you: pressed down, shaken together, & running over!"

Over the last 50 years the USA has become increasingly selfish in its approach to giving internationally. The results:
a. increasing defensiveness (military, psychology, & house alarms).
b. more aggression (military, social violence, psychological trauma).
c. lack of saving (in families, in government, in churches).
d. hopelessness (suicides, drug-addictions, weird mentalities).

BUT there are signs of HOPE:

1. Realization that sin is real & that hope is needed.
2. Gospel in various media: books, film, mp3, etc.
3. Rising prayer movements: 24/7, 10/40 Window, community prayer summits, etc.
4. Grace based unity movements that believe the Bible is true & that the resurrection took place.
5. Muslims & various other works based religions are losing members & being exposed by both apologists & the public media.
6. Net # of jobs is actually on the increase, despite the pessimism by which the news media prospers.
7. Martyrs who died are testifying to God's grace.
8. More missionaries are being sent out via Bible-believing groups, not just on short-term trips, but long term trips.

Future needs for the Healing of the Land:

A. The Church (i.e. those who have had the name of the Lord Jesus called on them & who call on His Name, those who believe in one God: Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.) to repent & prefer humility & discomfort to eternal, moral, & social disaster.

B. The Church to continue to stand against sexual immorality & to teach against immodesty & drunkenness & strong drink more clearly. That is, don't flirt with disaster & don't experiment with death.

C. The Church in America to cease identifying primarily "Americans" but to see ourselves as citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom -first- & -foremost- and citizens of the United States of America as a place where we serve, while we are here. In other words, let us not honor the USA more than Christ Jesus in churches. Let us pray for -all- leaders to be wise, both those we like & those we don't. Those who are kind & those who are cruel. Those who are righteous & those who are wicked.

BOTTOM LINE: Let America quit her love affair with the automobile & remember the True Image of God. Stop trading living people for dead things. Most of all, let us remember our First Love: Jesus Christ, for in Him, God has first loved us!!