Editor, Gazette-Journal:
As our country is involved in the Middle East and other parts of the world, we can look at the United States through a Christian world view and see how we fit into God’s plan for mankind.
Many years ago, man had an erroneous image of God as a righteous, all-powerful being, so awesome that to see His fate was to die. To sin was to incur His wrath.
Someone had to give us a more correct understanding of God’s love, mercy, forgiveness and grace. That person would have to endure heat, cold, hunger, thirst, fatigue, and other unpleasant physical conditions. He would have to see evil, cruelty, injustices, hatred, and other examples of man’s inhumanity to man. He would have to face rejection and opposition from those who felt their power threatened. He would have to set us free from the wrong ideas that were holding us captive. And in the end, He would have to suffer and die for our sins.
Jesus volunteered for that job, came to earth as a human, and showed with miracles and fulfilled prophecies that He was the promised Messiah.
After His resurrection and return to heaven, Jesus’s followers began to spread His teachings throughout the world, with their greatest successes occurring in Europe. Over time, gladiator games were abolished, rulers ceded rights to their subjects, women were treated with respect, slavery was abolished, etc. Wherever Christianity has a major influence, progress occurred and freedom began to flourish. Founded on Biblical principles, the United States has been the continuation and high point of Christian influence in the world.
Luke 12:4 says, “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required…” God has given our country many blessings and has made us the most powerful nation on the earth. He didn’t raise up this country for our glory and purpose, but for His. I believe He intends, with our consent, to use our wealth, resource and sometimes our military to bring freedom to oppressed people.
It would be a stretch to suggest that our military personnel now serving and those who served in the past are perfect like Jesus, or that the United States is heaven, but some things are similar. Many of our military personnel in the past were volunteers. Now they all are. Many left our awesome, beautiful country and have taken on the difficult and dangerous jobs of protecting our country and freeing oppressed people. Many are enduring harsh physical conditions and are seeing some of the inhumanity of evil people. And regrettably, some of them may suffer, and some may die.
Many people want to live lives that have meaning, have a positive impact on the world, and be part of something bigger than themselves. In opposing tyranny and oppression in both the past and the present, our country, and especially our military, is accomplishing those goals and continuing the work Jesus started on that first Christmas day. Let us pray that God gives them and their families many blessings and much success.
Robert Boudreaux
Gloucester, Va.