"Come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord." (2 Cor. 6:17).
Oh, what a privilege that would be. To ignore the world as though I were a cloistered monk with set duties on a farm and daily/nightly prayers in near-hypnotic singing of praises to the Lord, day-after-day until I see and taste Heaven.
The Influence
As my friends know, I am not a monk, and I do interact with the world. But I do so carefully as I am sorely tempted. Sometimes I feel guilty about anything I see having anything to do with politics because of the corruption and vitriol.
Still, I have been reading a wonderful book by the late British pastor, J.C. Ryle, entitled Practical Religion. Pastor Ryle's book speaks to many of us who are in the Church and long for Heaven. From the twelfth chapter of the book as mentioned earlier, entitled "The World," pp. 112, I (c):
"When St. Paul says, 'Come out and be separate,' he did not mean the Christians ought to take no interest in anything on earth except religion. To neglect science, art, literature, and politics--to read nothing which is not directly spiritual, to know nothing about what is going on among mankind, and never to look at a newspaper, to care nothing about the government of one's country, and to be utterly indifferent as to the persons who guide its counsels and make its laws--is idle, selfish neglect of duty.
"St. Paul knew the value of good government, as one of the main bits of help, to our living a quiet and peaceable life in godliness and honesty (1 Tim. 2:2). St. Paul was not ashamed to read heathen writers and quote their words in his speeches and writings."St. Paul did not think it was beneath him to show an acquaintance with the laws and customs and callings of the world in the illustrations he gave from them. Christians who plume themselves on their ignorance of secular things are precisely the Christians who bring religion into contempt."
Reprocessing
Wow! I reckon it's time to stop complaining and get involved in ways best-suited for my skill-set and experience. Convention of States would be that worthy cause, since it is an organization that continues to grow and marches on through state legislatures all over our republic.
For me, it would be the pen. That is my sword. For others, it could be in the way of donations. And there are leadership positions all over each state times 50. All we need are 34 states to call a convention. Four more states would bring it to 38 states to get amendments added to our Constitution.
The Amendments
I believe the republic is ready for a substantial change of faces in the "Swamp." It's time to establish term limits. This would be the first debate of the Convention of States. The second would be establishing a fair and straightforward budget system with no unfunded placeholders. If We the People must live within our means, then so should our government.
Finally, we want to take the necessary steps to stop federal overreach. Costly burdens or one-size-fits-all plans from geniuses in federal agencies need to stop. States know what is best for their people and can spend and budget accordingly.
Folks, we're talking about simple logic, similar to what our Founders fought for as they developed our original Constitution.
We've listened to the news media long enough. We might walk away convinced specific theories of conflict regarding the level of melanin in one's skin (not enough or too much) might be America's problem. Even worse, we could be one year from cataclysmic floods or deathly droughts.
And let's not forget about those experts who demand we wear those masks and stay home all of the time. Plague followed by economic collapse followed by complete government control. Yeah, that ought to do the trick if the objective is an oppressed nation.
The Foundation
Long before our Founders were taught to read Bibles, before Muhammed called Christians "The People of the Book," there was God. Our Triune God. That same God ensured we have access to 66 books, bound together and known as the Bible.
Christians believe the words are God-breathed. We are charged with reading those books and making both Old and New Testaments foundational structures in our own lives. Without said foundation, we would be lost, having to pick and choose whatever the talking heads recommend.
Convention of States remains on what I perceive to be the correct path, and I have no fear in saying so. What about you?
