Do Good and Live

King Solomon is credited with the writing of Ecclesiastes. He is also acclaimed as the wisest man ever to live. We have recorded in the Book of Proverbs, 31 chapters of the wisdom that he received from Almighty God. The writings of Ecclesiastes is sometimes looked upon as very negative in its approach to life, but when you study this book, you find the great wisdom in its writing. Solomon calls himself the "Preacher" and so he is. It is his last words in this book that I want to focus on. Here are his words:

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work in judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil."

As we look at the events playing out in our country and the world today, we see the signs of an ending world on the horizon. The Bible foretells of this impending doom, as it is called by many who don't understand. The end of this world is not the end. It is the beginning. It is the beginning of what God intended from the very beginning in the Garden of Eden. It is eternal life with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three beings of the Godhead have longed for the communion that they had with man in the Garden to be restored again. We have seen the plan unfold over the centuries of time with the final victory coming with Jesus' defeat over death, hell, and the grave. Our salvation has been purchased and awaits for our reunion with the Father in eternal life. This is not a pipe dream. It is truth stated and proven in the Holy Scriptures. This is the most important thing we must understand and believe.

Our country has recently been launched into a new era of politics. The new President, Barack Obama, has been singled out as the problem or the cure, depending who you listen to on the the subject. There is enough blame to go around on both sides of the issues, but the issues of economy and government are not where we will find the answers. The answers are found in the Word of God and our adherence to its principles. "Here O Israel, the Lord your God is one God and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength." "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." These two commandment of the Word of God are the one that Jesus Christ told us were the most important. These are the one that we must put in the forefront of our life. The problem in the United States is that we have turned away from these two commandments as a country. Politics has forced prayer out of our schools. It has a campaign to have "In God We Trust" removed from our money. No longer can the Ten Commandments be displayed in the court houses of our land. And the norm today is to find out how you can sue your neighbor rather than to love and prefer him.

Our nation rotates around greed. The capitalist system that has made our nation the greatest in history has worked over the centuries because it was built on the liberties of every man. The profit motive was was there, but was held in check by the biblical principle of treating the other fellow just as you would like to be treated. Our constitution speaks of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, but not at the expense of someone else's same liberties. Yes, today our nation moves under the banner of greed. Government is not the answer. Conservativism is not the answer. The answer is found in the Word of God and a return to moral values. The values on which our founding fathers established this country. Our people need to return to earning a wage because of a day labor, not from a government that seeks to keep the poor in slavery to the government. Welfare was never meant to be a source of income, it was meant to provide a stop gap in times of trouble beyond an individual's control. However, politicians over the last generation have found it advantageous to keep people dependent on welfare as a way of increasing their votes for re-election. That's what I said. By making it possible for people without initative to receive benefits and income from the welfare programs in this country, they build their coffers of votes. They campaign on the promise of making more funds available to these people to keep them in their poor and needy lifestyle. President Reagan, during his term in office, worked very hard to reduce the welfare rolls. He tied welfare to an individual's work habits. They had to have a job to be qualified to receive welfare. Interesting enough the people on welfare went down during his tenure. Imagine that!

Our country will always go through cyclical progressions. Its the nature of the free enterprise system. There will always be ups and downs. Economy rises and falls on the principle of supply and demand. That will always waiver. Profit will follow this principle. Government will never be able to prop up business because they don't provide demand and supply. Government intervention will never be anything but a bandaid. The sore beneath will still have to heal on its own. We the bandaid comes off, the problem will still be there until the wound is allowed to heal on its own. Businesses that don't provide a viable product or service that is needed by society will fall by the wayside. Businesses that make bad decisions and over-extend their finances in unsound products and services will soon fail. The only way they can stay in business is through government subsidies and if you look at history in this country, businesses that operate for profit never succeed when they have had to rely on government money to keep them afloat. The downside of the government funding a business is that they want to control how that business does their business and it is well documented that government doesn't know how to do that. Today, we have career politicians that have never been involved in business and know nothing of how to manage such. It is my belief that politicians today are the ultimate leeches of society. If it were up to me, I would limit the term of congressmen and congresswomen to two terms. After that they have to return to society and earn their income from a chosen profession in the marketplace. I would also put them on their own retirement plan and medical insurance that they have to raise just like everyone else, not one provided by the government that they instituted and voted into existence. By the way, where is the mindset to sacrifice in our congress. They recently voted themselves a pay increase in an economy where these same people are requiring the rest of the country to sacrifice and by the way, having to pay increase taxes. So much for my soapbox.

I adjure everyone who reads this blog to really search themselves to see if they truly are living by the golden rule and truly are involved in a committed relationship with our Heavenly Father. If you find any small percentage of doubt in your mind, drop to your knees and ask the Father to forgive you and come into your heart. Then pray that the Father will show you how to love Him and love your neighbor as yourself. Return to the study of the Bible and fellowshipping at a church that believe the Bible as its only source and works hard to care for its members in time of crises. This is the only answer. If you will do this and diligently seek the Lord in your life, then you won't have to look to some government program to bail you out. God will provide all your needs according to His riches in glory and He will give you the desires of your heart. Selah!!