The Bible tells us we get the government we deserve, not the government we want. Whatever we sow, we will reap. There is a cause and a reason for all that has come upon America in this day, financially, militarily and governmentally. As Pogo said, “We have met the enemy and it is us!”
Perhaps the clearest biblical passage on this subject can be found in the third chapter of Isaiah. The Lord starts out by telling Judah why He is going to haul them off into captivity in the most egregious manner. The people have abandoned their relationship with God and their duties to love their neighbor, and have given themselves over to the sin of consumerism.
Rather than care for the orphan, the widow and the poor, they have given themselves to excessive buying of things they want but do not really need. Therefore, a just God is going to devastate them in hopes of getting their attention that they might see their sin, and so He can redeem them from the consequences, if and when they repent.
Isa 3:1-5 For behold, the Lord GOD of hosts is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support, the whole supply of bread, and the whole supply of water; 2 the mighty man and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, 3 the captain of fifty and the honorable man, the counselor and the expert artisan, and the skillful enchanter. 4 And I will make mere lads their princes and capricious children will rule over them. 5 And the people will be oppressed, each one by another, and each one by his neighbor. The youth will storm against the elder, and the inferior against the honorable. NASB
Gods tells them (and maybe us?) that He is going to bring their society to ruin! He will take away their provision. He will remove their skilled warriors and confound their vaunted military. He will take away their wise judges and their insightful prophetic men and women, replacing them with people who cannot think straight or reason in a Godly manner.
Honorable men will no longer be found in leadership, and will become scarcer and scarcer as time goes by. Expert craftsman will no longer be found in business and trade. Work ethic will be destroyed, and skill sets will be lost. Their musicians and poets will no longer be skilled at lifting their spirits, but will give themselves over to promoting darkness and iniquity. Inexperienced people (lads) will be their rulers, and “capricious children will rule over them.” Oppression, dishonor and conflict will grow rampant in their national life.
Isa 3:6-9 When a man lays hold of his brother in his father’s house, saying, “You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler, and these ruins will be under your charge,” 7 On that day will he protest, saying, “I will not be your healer, for in my house there is neither bread nor cloak. You should not appoint me ruler of the people.” For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because their speech and their actions are against the LORD, to rebel against His glorious presence. 9 The expression of their faces bears witness against them and they display their sin like Sodom. They do not even conceal it. Woe to them for they have brought evil on themselves.
No good man or woman will want to govern this people. The society has become too self-centered to manage even by the wisest of men and women. People will become ungovernable. God’s people, (whether it be Judah then or America today), have fallen away from Him, and no longer bother to hide their sin. The people boldly violate God’s commandments.
Isa 3:10 Say to the righteous that it will go well with them (in exile), for they will eat the fruit of their actions. 11 Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him, for what he deserves will be done to him. 12 O My people! Their oppressors are children, and women rule over them. O My people! Those who guide you lead you astray, and confuse the direction of your paths. NASB
Those who are rightly related to God and to their neighbor will find God’s peace at some level (even in captivity), but they will suffer the same fate as the wicked. Those who have abandoned God and failed to care for their neighbor will get what they deserve, to include inexperienced leadership and female domination (a real slap in this patriarchal world).
The society (culture) is leading the people astray!
Isa 3:13-15 The LORD arises to contend, and stands to judge the people. 14 The LORD enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people, “It is you who have devoured the vineyard. The plunder of the poor is in your houses. 15 “What do you mean by crushing My people, and grinding the face of the poor?” declares the Lord GOD of hosts. NASB
God now arises like a prosecutor in court and brings the official charge against Judah. The leaders of the society have “devoured the vineyard.” Those with wealth and power have thought only of themselves. They have consumed the people’s inheritance. They were entrusted with wealth and prosperity to insure the well-being of all the people, but instead consumed it all upon themselves. They have plundered that which was given to care for the poor, and that “plunder” is to be found stored up in the rich man’s house. The rich man has excess goods while the orphans, the widows and the poor go hungry.
The rich have second homes while many have no shelter over their head. Having a second home is not necessarily wrong (if God gave it to you), but we better be actively working to also shelter the poor. If we bought the second home with money God designated to shelter the homeless (only you and God will know), we probably are in trouble with God.
By their mismanagement of God’s provision, says God, the people of Judah are “crushing the poor, grinding their faces into the ground!” So now it will be their turn to suffer. God will haul them off as slaves into captivity where they themselves will become the orphan, the widow and the poor. OUCH!!
Walter Brueggemann, perhaps the foremost Isaiahan scholar today and a man to whom I am much indebted for my understanding of this prophet, has said, “Western culture now faces a displacement (a discontentment) that may indeed be expressed as an exile.” We have lost our sense of well-being and are dwelling in a state of fear and foreboding about our security, our future and our course of action. Indeed, our time and place is much like Isaiah’s time and place. Isaiah’s words are, therefore, important to hear lest, as Brueggemann would say, we wind up in “Babylon” “longing for home” (or olden, better days).
Isa 3:16-17 Moreover, the LORD said, “Because the daughters of Zion are proud, and walk with heads held high and seductive eyes, and go along with mincing steps, and tinkle the bangles on their feet, 17 therefore, the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs, and the LORD will make their foreheads bare. ” NASB
Rarely does God chastise the women in the Bible because they have so little power and authority. But women in every age have influence and are required by God to exercise it for the good of the society. Historically, it is the women who lead the society to care for the sick, feed the poor, educate the children and leverage the culture for decency.
But the daughters of Zion here are not influencing the society for good. They are, instead, leading the society away from righteousness by their attitudes and behaviors. They are caught up in the culture of seduction and hedonism as evidenced by their commitment to consumerism. This next little section inspired me in my book to refer to Isaiah Chapter 3 as the “Dillards’ chapter” because it sounds like someone has just bought out the women’s accessories department at Dillards.
Isa 3:18-23 In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, headbands, crescent ornaments, 19 dangling earrings, bracelets, veils, 20 headdresses, ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets, 21 finger rings, nose rings, 22 festal robes, outer tunics, cloaks, money purses, 23 hand mirrors, undergarments, turbans, and veils.
The prophet paints a picture of conspicuous consumption; e.g., Imelda Marcos with more than just shoes. He accuses the women of consuming excessively upon themselves rather than caring for their neighbor. Then God speaks judgment and outlines the consequences.
Isa 3:24-26 Now it will come about that instead of sweet perfume there will be putrefaction; instead of a belt, a rope; instead of well-set hair, a plucked-out scalp; instead of fine clothes, a donning of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty. 25 Your men will fall by the sword, and your mighty ones in battle. 26 And her gates will lament and mourn; and deserted she will sit on the ground. NASB
This is a picture of downfall and exile, and it is ugly! The men have been slain in war. The women are all gathered up, stripped of their finery, shaven and branded, clothed in sackcloth, roped together and marched into captivity. The ones who survive the death march will live as slaves. The party spirit has been replaced by lamenting and mourning by women sitting in the dirt each night on the march.
Is God against wealth? Is He opposed to us having nice things? Is he opposed to nice houses, second houses, nice cars, multiple cars, nice clothes and retirement plans? On the contrary! No, He is not. He often gives us those things when our hearts are rightly related to Him and to our neighbor. But God is opposed to consumerism; i.e., the spending (consuming) of resources upon ourselves as a lifestyle with little or no concern for others.
Let’s take a look at another well-off woman who gets God’s highest marks. (Let’s also remember that these principles are equally true for men.) This woman (and her husband) were very well off, blessed by God Himself, and commended on how they handled it.
Prov 31:10-20 An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. 11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good and not evil all the days of her life. 13 She looks for wool and flax, and works with her hands in delight. 14 She is like merchant ship. She brings her food from afar. 15 She rises also while it is still night, and gives food to her household, and portions to her maidens. 16 She considers a field and buys it. From her earnings, she plants a vineyard. 17 She girds herself with strength, and makes her arms strong. 18 She senses that her gain is good. Her lamp does not go out at night. 19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hands grasp the spindle. 20 She extends her hand to the poor; and she stretches out her hands to the needy. NASB
The question is not should we have money and be prosperous? The question is: are we the lady in Proverbs 31, or are we the lady in the Dillard’s chapter (Isaiah 3)? It is an important question, don’t you think?
God is sovereign over governments. He raises up one and puts down another as it suits Him and His purposes.
Prov 8:15-16 “By me kings reign, and rulers decree justice. 16 “By me princes rule, and nobles, all who judge rightly. NASB
Isa 41:2 He delivers up nations before him, and subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, as the wind-driven chaff with his bow. NASB
Ps 75:6-7 For not from the east, nor from the west, nor from the desert comes exaltation; 7 but God is the Judge. He puts down one, and exalts another. NASB
Ps 110:5-6 The Lord is at Thy right hand. He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath.6 He will judge among the nations. He will fill them with corpses. He will shatter the chief men over a broad country. NASB
Dan 2:20-21 “Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. 21 “And it is He who changes the times and the epochs. He removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to wise men, and knowledge to men of understanding. NASB
God gives us good government when we deserve it, and He gives us bad government when we deserve that. Ultimately, He gives us what we demand. He gives us what we think we want, as seen in the story about Israel demanding a king in 1 Sam (see below).
The story of the Prodigal Son is another example of God giving us what we demand if it is the only way we can learn. The Prodigal Son’s father eventually gave him what he demanded even though he knew it would not go well. It was the only way the hard-headed, self-willed boy could learn.
1 Sam 8:4-9 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; 5 and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. 8 Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day — in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods — so they are doing to you also. 9 Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall solemnly warn them and tell them of the procedure of the king who will reign over them.” NASB
In about 610 BC, God told the prophet Habakkuk (Hab 1:5-17) that He was going to use the pagan, brutal kingdom of Babylon to punish His people Israel. The prophet was astonished! “How can you use Babylon to punish us,” he asked. “They are more evil than are we!” God promised to punish Babylon in the long run.
But for now, they were the rod of His discipline for the Divine purpose of addressing the accumulated prolonged sin of His people in hopes of saving a remnant who would follow Him. The point is that God will give us the government we deserve, even if it is more immoral than are we.
Therefore, we cannot hold out any false hope that since we are more righteous than are they, God will not let them win. In fact, He may cause them to win!
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2 Chron 7:12-14 Then the LORD appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, 14, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. NASB
So how do we get the government we want and the country we want? How do we “humble ourselves and pray, and seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways?” We reverse the two mistakes that got us in this mess. We develop a right relationship with God and with our neighbor. All salvation is based on relationship, and all relationship is based on trust.
We put God first, and we put our trust in Him over all other things. We obey Him in faith (and faithful obedience) even when it seems that what He asks will not work. We love him more than our possessions and acknowledge His ownership over all of them. We embrace Jesus as our Lord and not just our Savior. We abandon the corrupted gospel of prosperity and comfort and follow Jesus down that narrow, more difficult path that leads to life (Mt 7:13-14) and life more abundantly (Jn 10:10).
We stop seeking stuff and seek rather the Lord and the things with which He wants to bless us. We ask God to show us our sin and create a clean heart within us by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Ps 51:10-13). We embrace sanctification as a process rather than gratification as an idol.
Heb 12:14 Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. NASB
We learn to be content with less and to be happy with the basics. We seek to be more pleasing to the Lord than to please ourselves. We seek to become more like Jesus in this lifetime.
Phil 4:10-13 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. NASB
1 Tim 6:6-10 But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. 7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8 And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang. NASB
Heb 13:5-6 Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU, ” 6 so that we confidently say, “THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT SHALL MAN DO TO ME?” NASB
Then we begin again to care for our neighbor, particularly the poor, the orphan, the widow, the homeless, the hungry, the sick and the needy. We become rightly related (righteous) with our fellow man. How do we do that? What are the practical steps we must take in order to right the ship?
Matt 7:12-14 “Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. 13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. 14 “For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it. NASB
It helps to understand the path that was wide and easy that led to our destruction before we can embrace the path that is narrow and difficult that leads to life. A little review of history is in order.
Prior to 1950, all healthcare, all welfare and all education in this country were financed and managed largely by Christians and Jews, often through their churches and synagogues or local communities reflective of their values. Every revival in America (and elsewhere) was accompanied by the proliferation of religious and secular societies designed and purposed to care for people.
These included orphanages, schools for the needy, blind and deaf, temperance societies, abolition groups, groups to promote literacy and biblical knowledge, societies to promote moral reform, business reform, political reform, dietary reform, and countless others. Secular groups often populated with Christians and Jews sprang up as well, such as the Lion’s Club, the BPOE, the Rotary, etc.
None of these were funded or managed by the federal government. They flowed out of people’s response to the Divine call to love their neighbor and to steward the earth. Even local governments largely reflected and supported the Judeo-Christian values of their people.
All hospitals were funded and operated in local communities by mostly religious people without any government assistance or interference. All schools were funded and operated in local communities by mostly religious people without any government assistance or interference. All welfare assistance organizations were funded and operated in local communities by mostly religious people without any government assistance or interference.
Soup kitchens, food lines, shelters were all funded and operated in local communities by mostly religious people without any government assistance or interference. Funding for these often became the self-imposed responsibility of the wealthy members of society in support of local efforts to care for the less well-off.
Then after the war, America began to prosper. Goods and services which had long been scarce began to proliferate. Many other goods and services began to be mass manufactured and, therefore, available to the common man. America began to consume goods and services at an, heretofore, unheard of pace. The American Dream became redefined in terms of having stuff instead of being somebody.
Mass marketing followed mass manufacturing, and covetousness and greed were changed from sins to virtues within the culture. Buying was in. Saving was less popular and giving became a much lower priority. If the good life was available to all, why should I be concerned about my neighbor? Go for the gusto! You only go around once! Radio and printed media were replaced by television, and we became seduced by the most intense Jedi Mind Trick ever known to man – YOU NEED THIS!
Americans abandoned their responsibilities for providing education, welfare and healthcare for their neighbor. Soon a vacuum developed within our society in these three areas. It became visible rather quickly, but we were too busy consuming to pay it any attention. Recognizing a new way to leverage the electorate for votes, the politicians stepped in offering to fill the void.
The Department of Health, Education and Welfare was founded in 1953 in the Eisenhower Administration. The Hill-Burton Act to build public hospitals was passed in 1946, but government funded hospitals were not common until the 1950’s. Minimal Social Security for a few was proposed in 1935, but national Social Security for all was not instituted until circa 1950. Medicare was added in 1965.
Some in the federal government were motivated to care for the poor and needy. (We were still a relatively God-fearing society at large.) But many in the federal government saw it as the golden opportunity to gain control over the states, the local communities and the masses. Within two decades after the end of the war, the federal government had captured control of all three areas and was redefining all three as entitlements. This allowed them to confiscate more and more of our personal funds to pay for them. What we had once done voluntarily as a nation we were now coerced to fund
but not allowed to manage.
Church-based schools would never have promoted Darwinism in the manner the government has done, nor would they have promoted so many other secular values and practices as are promoted in schools today. While we pursued the god of Consumerism, others took over our culture by taking over the responsibilities we had abandoned.
Having lost control, we are now finding it nearly impossible to get it back. Once they had the levers of power, they moved the entire culture in a direction we had never intended or imagined. We are only now waking up to see just how much this is true.
If you give some in the government credit for good motives, the problem still remains that the government was never graced by God to do the tasks that it has co-opted and that we have abandoned. Lacking both calling and spiritual empowerment, the government administrates these areas badly. It CANNOT do it well. It is neither called nor graced by God to do it. Charles Simpson used to say, “If we gave the government authority over the Sahara Desert, in ten-years there would be worldwide shortage of sand ?.
So even when the government tries to manage healthcare, welfare and education, it fails. It is not their responsibility. Never was. It is ours, and we need to take it back, or our land will never be healed.
But how, you say? How do we take such a huge responsibility back from such a monolithic power as the government and the growing number of people who see the government as their Uncle Sugar? Many are calling for a large, organized, expensive political battle to recover the culture and the land. But that is the way of the Zealots of Jesus day and not the way that Jesus taught us.
Besides, it is too late for that. We are already outnumbered in our representative democracy. Now we have only one response, one hope. We must return unto the Lord and do the things He told us to do. It will not be easy. We lost it a little at a time and we will have to take it back that way also. It may seem impossible, but we have a big God with Whom all things are possible.
Matt 19:25-27 And when the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26 And looking upon them Jesus said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” NASB
Mark 9:22-23 But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can!’ All things are possible to him who believes.” NASB
Phil 4:12-13 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. NASB
Matt 17:20-21 And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you. NASB
The longest journey begins with the smallest step. Once we begin a journey with God, He adds His supernatural power to it to make it become more successful and fulfilling than we could have imagined on our own. If we commit ourselves to the right course, He will predestine it to success (Rom 8:28-30). God just needs to see the right commitments in our hearts.
We need to commit ourselves to take up our responsibilities in those areas that we have previously abandoned. We need to make it our business that children are properly educated, that people have access to healthcare and that people receive the support they need for basic things like food, clothing and shelter. Did I mention that it will take faith?
Practical application is required at this point. We cannot swallow the whole elephant at once, so we must take one bite at a time. When God sees us committed to the right direction, He will move to address the big picture. For instance, He may give us a government that can think straight, probably one congressman at a time. So I need to start doing more to care for the poor.
But how do I vet and evaluate the poor who come my way? How do I know who is deserving of support and who is scamming the system? Sometimes a person might need only $20 and it does not matter that much, but if I am going to give in bigger chunks, how can I be assured it goes to the right people?
If we give money to the government we know that the inefficiencies there allow a minimal final output to the right people. I need to give more but to whom? The answer is that we need to give closer to home where we can have more oversight. This is behind the call for less national governance and more community-based decision making.
We have several options right here in Alpharetta, but the one the Bible instructs me to support is my own church. (If your church is not doing this well, change churches! Our church is well positioned to do this and has a heart for it.)
One of the things that give Christians a good name in the community is when the local church is active in meeting the needs of the community, even those who are NOT members; e.g., Habitat for Humanity, the Disaster Relief team, etc. The Summit Counseling Center is able to provide God-centered ministry and deserves our financial support so it can reach out to those in the community that cannot pay.
Our Samaritan Fund is well positioned to vet and evaluate those who come seeking help. We need to fund them to be able to do more of that. So, we give them additional money each month on top of our tithe, our support of needy family members, our Least-of-These commitments, and our missions’ projects. The additional money above the tithe is not huge, but it is a beginning. As God leads, we can give more.
When someone comes to me that I do not know asking for financial support, I send them to the Samarian Fund. Therefore, I believe, I need to send some funding for that, as well, hence our need to give more at this time. If Mt. Pisgah was not in debt as a church, we would be able to do a lot more in the community. We need to fix that.
When God reminds me that I am called to love my neighbor, I need to be able to point to some things I am doing of a significant nature as a response. If we all gave some regular monthly additional donations, it would add up. And if the body of Christ in America would in large numbers give more to care for the poor, we could take back education, healthcare and welfare from the government who has no grace for it and, therefore, does it badly. It is, after all our responsibility.
Some might say that this is too big of a task to be successful. When the exiles were released from Babylon and returned to Israel in 538 BC, they found the temple and the wall around Jerusalem both in total ruins. They could not survive as a people unless they rebuilt both of them, but it seemed like an enormous task. And then there were daily distractions and powerful enemies focused on causing them to fail. Initially it seemed impossible. Their first efforts to rebuild the wall were thwarted by their political enemies.
Then God sent Nehemiah to get the work done. Nehemiah taught the people three principles from God that enabled them to rebuild the wall completely in just a few short months. They were: (1) half the people must pray while the other half work, (2) each man must wear his sword while he builds, and (3) each family must build the wall in front of their own house.
The lesson for us is clear. The battle involves both prayer and obedient giving. We must be spiritually armed while we are financially active. And we each must do what God has shown our family to do without over-focusing on the overall task.
In summary, we do not like where our country is headed, morally and or financially. We believe our present government (no matter which party) is only going to make it worse, not better. We desperately want God to intervene and rescue us. Prayerful Bible study has shown us that we are getting what we deserve because we have consistently and willfully as a people violated both of the two Great Commandments. We have dishonored God and continue to do so with a vengeance.
God is no longer first in our hearts. Then we see that we have not loved our neighbor nor heard the cry of the needy. We have consumed our prosperity largely on ourselves. If we will humble ourselves in obedience to God, He will hear from Heaven and heal our land. That means that if we want to rescue our nation, our culture and our children’s future, we must put God first (Great Commandment One) and care for our neighbor (Great Commandment Two).
Practically speaking that involves rethinking of ourselves as stewards versus owners of what we have, and actively, progressively and more aggressively caring for the poor and needy around us.
Let the government build roads, hold elections and provide for our national defense. Let’s get them out of health, education and welfare. Because the government has become the source of all benevolence, it has become “God” to many people and its values are reshaping our culture and beliefs. When the people of God reflect God as the source of all benevolence, the people will see God as our Source and Provider, and we can reshape the values of the culture.
It is not mathematically possible to tax our way out of debt. We have gone too far into debt for that remedy to work. We must cut spending and that largely means in foreign aid, in military expenditures and/or entitlements. It actually will require a combination of all three.
When our debt service at Mt. Pisgah became larger than our income, we had to cut ministry and services to pay down debt. It is only because our people volunteered to personally fund and manage some of the eliminated ministry and services, that those programs and services are still available.
Similarly, we can only cut the size of entitlements in this country if the American people take over the responsibility of caring for the needy on a personal level as God always intended. If we honor the Lord and obey His call to service and generosity, He will multiply our giving to make it work. Let’s get God working with us for a change. Let us deserve a better government so He can give us one.