Dignity, Devotion, Duty, and Decency
By Dennis Love
McDowell County
In Psalm 11:3, we see God asking the righteous a question. “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” I read where a news reporter once asked someone the following question, “What are the two greatest problems facing America?” The man replied, “I really don’t know—and I really don’t care!” Whether the man realized it or not, he answered the reporter’s question. The two greatest problems facing our nation are (1) Ignorance—-“I don’t know” and (2) Apathy—-“I don’t care.” No two single factors are working harder to destroy the very foundations of our nation than Ignorance—-“I don’t know.” And Apathy—-“I don’t care.” Three thousand years ago King David asked this very probing question when he asked; “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do.” We are right now living in a time when many of the moral and ethical values that formed our great nation are crumbling right before our very eyes. What are the foundations that have made America great under God, but are being destroyed right before our eyes? First of all:
The Foundation of Dignity—v3
Do you know what made America a great nation under God? Human dignity and the value of human life is what made this a great nation under God. But sadly, that foundation has now been destroyed. It was destroyed when the courts in our land ruled that innocent, defenseless, unborn children have no right to life. For some people, these precious little lives are simply globs of flesh, undeserving of any human dignity. The foundation of human dignity and the value of human life is being destroyed right before our very eyes. SO, the words of King David should echo throughout our land and these words should be spoken throughout the halls of Congress and the United States Senate—-“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Then the second foundation that has made America great under God is:
The Foundation of Devotion
One of the things that have made our nation great is our devotion to God—our devotion to the home—and our devotion to the country. Was not this great land of ours birthed because of our ancestor’s devotion to God? Our devotion to God also came from some of our oldest educational colleges. Did you know that each of our nation’s oldest colleges was founded by a Bible-based denomination wanting primarily to do one thing—-train ministers? Harvard was founded in 1636 by New England Puritans. For years, Harvard was so devoted to God that their commencement addresses were given in Hebrew. Princeton was founded in 1746 by the Presbyterians. The Anglicans founded Columbia in 1754. And the Baptists founded Brown in 1764. And the list goes on and on. But that devotion is no longer found in our colleges and universities today. You would be hard-pressed to even find the Ten Commandments on display at any of these places of higher education today. The foundation of devotion is being destroyed right before our very eyes. SO, King David’s question, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do” is a question we should be taking seriously before our devotion to God, our devotion to home, and our devotion to our country, become forgotten words in our vocabulary. Then the third foundation that has made America great under God is:
The Foundation of Duty
One of the things that have set our nation apart through the years has been our work ethic. I’m thankful that I was brought up in a home where I was made to work whether I wanted to work or not. Hard-working people is what has made our country great. But like the other foundations that I have mentioned, this foundation is also being destroyed right before our very eyes. We are now living in the age of entitlements. Duty is crumbling right before us as more and more people feel entitled to live off of some type of federal financial assistance. Hard work has always been the key to success in our country and it always will be. It still does my heart good to see young people who are not afraid to go out and do an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. SO, the words of King David asking the question should be sounded loudly and clearly throughout our land today. It doesn’t need to be a whisper. This needs to be shouted and even roared throughout our land. “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Our duty to get out and work is being destroyed right before our very eyes. Then the fourth and final foundation that has made America great under God is:
The Foundation of Decency—v3
Common decency is being destroyed right before our very eyes. Common decency and basic morality have been the foundation that has made America great under God. But today, common decency and basic morality are being radically redefined. Do you remember seeing the movie “Gone with the Wind?” What’s the one line you remember most in that movie? It was where Rhett said to Scarlet, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Now excuse me for saying that, but I’m making a point here. Back in the day, when this line was spoken it sent shock waves throughout our land. Many people in our land went into an uproar over it and condemned it. YET, today that four-letter word has been replaced with a lot of other four-letter words that I cannot mention in this paper, and these words are looked upon today as being acceptable and even laughable. Most television networks now show nudity and it goes without complaint from anyone. Pornography is now a multibillion-dollar industry. And today, lifestyles that not very long ago were hidden in dark alleys and closets are now paraded proudly down Main Street in almost every American metro city and even in smaller towns across our land. So the foundation of dignity—devotion—duty—and decency are being destroyed right before our very eyes. But we still haven’t answered the question, have we? The question again is this: “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Surely we wouldn’t say, “I don’t know and I don’t care.” SO, what is the answer folks? Well, to know the answer we must look at the root of the problem. And the root of the problem is not a political problem. The root of the problem is a spiritual problem. So when the spiritual foundations which made America great are being destroyed right before our very eyes, what can we the righteous do? I will tell you what we can do. It’s three words. WE CAN PRAY. When the foundations are being destroyed all around us, what can we do? WE CAN PRAY.
Let’s pray that these great four spiritual foundations—The foundation of Dignity—The foundation of Devotion—The foundation of Duty—The foundation of Decency might be restored before we witness the complete and final fall of our nation spiritually. Let’s Pray!
You can read more from Dr. Love HERE.
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Dr. Dennis Love is the Senior Pastor at Glenwood Baptist Church in Marion, NC. He and his wife Vicki have been married for 39 years. They have been in Marion for 5 years. They have two sons and three grandchildren. You can visit the Glenwood Baptist Church Facebook page or The Glenwood Baptist Church Website
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