A nation lives through the hearts of its people. America is an ideal as much, if not more, than a nationality. The American ideal traditionally has been to live free and do no harm to others. In that ideal, we become Americans by assimilating to the values of our nation—freedom, equality, respect for others, rule of law. Founded in the principle that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us, we have the freedom to own land, to enterprise with our skills and dreams, to worship how we see fit, and, as Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:13, to “enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God.” This is America. If you hold to these principles, you are an American. It’s an ideal that lives in your heart.
Lately, especially in the last nine years, the American ideal has come under tremendous threat. There are people in gangs like Antifa, the news media, and even elected politicians and members of the Supreme Court who do not ascribe to the American ideal. In fact, they want to tear down everything that is American, and as a previous “president” put it, “remake America.” It is in their heart to oppose everything that is American—its history, its capitalism, its religious foundations, its family units, its natural affections for those who are countrymen. This spirit that lives in these people is a rebellious one. The heart of these is as described in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it.”
There are those, however, who still embody the heart and spirit of America. They believe in freedom. They abide by the laws. They respect others. They stand for what is right according to a Godly standard. They are willing to speak up and take action when there is injustice. They hold dear to the creed that all men are created equal and have the God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They have a love for family. They are loyal. They are trustworthy. They are not afraid of a fight, but seek peace first. In short, they are a King David type of people, to whom God may testify as conveyed in Acts 13:22, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will.”
Whether you are a God-fearing American, one who understands that the American ideal and values also flow from the heart of God who created all things and called them good, or if you are a rebellious spirit having a wicked heart living in America, there is before you a choice of good or evil, of life or of death. The American ideal is goodness and life that shows lovingkindness and civility, but is not afraid to stand strong against unrighteousness. It’s all about the heart. Let us pray a Psalm 51:10 prayer for all our countrymen that the Lord create in them, in all of us, “a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within” us. May you be the heart of our nation and the example of the American ideal, reflecting the Lord’s good and perfect will.
