Do not put your trust in Government

Psalm 146

 

“Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord, O my soul!  I will praise the Lord as long as I live;  I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.  Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.   When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.  Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed who gives food to the hungry.  The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.  The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.  The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.  Praise the Lord!”

 

Know your audience!  That’s what every good speaker tries to do, that is what every good salesperson attempts before going into an account.  It is also what politicians do and that’s why they are caught telling different stories to dissimilar groups.  Today I’m going to give some of my opinions on our culture and I believe our children in general are being trained to expect much and give little.

 

The Scripture is clear, Proverbs 22:6,  ^“Train up a child in the way he should go;  even when he is old he will not depart from it.”  As parents many of us have dropped the ball, we wanted to be their friend, always be liked, tell them lies about their skills, not require them to put honesty, and integrity above all else and seek a fellowship with the LORD. 

 

We have not trained them in our home, expecting the school system and church to do that job, and we are reaping what we sowed.  A generation of young people who want to put their trust in government, who expect someone else to be generous so they can be of no value to themselves or anyone else.  Today Proverbs 19:6, is being played out,

Many seek the favor of a generous man,^[ and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.  We have come a long way from John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961 when he said; “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”

 

Now I know that most of you give thought to what others say, and most are  not bashful in sharing agreement or disagreement, and my hope is  you give thought to the problem we are in as a nation, an not only address it, but let us ask our Father who loves us, to guide us as a Nation back to Truth.

 

As a Nation, that sounds great, but it must start in the home.  We have to look forward and to train our Children that all work is good, it is a gift from God, that laziness is of the evil one, the one that tells you one day you deserve and the next points out what a waste your life is, and the world would be better off without you.  You will never find your value in the worlds system, but if you look to the Father, the Creator of all things, He tells you of your great value to Him.  Now let me be really clear, you will not find your value in religion, only in Christ Jesus!

 

Give praise to the LORD, do not trust in men, nor government, nor religion, for they cannot save you, as the Psalmist states; “When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.”  As you read the remainder of Psalm 146, you will grasp the only One worthy of your praise, and worship.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice