What's Wrong With This Country

We have fattened our hearts in the day of slaughter

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.... You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you. James 5: 1-6

Do the elections scare you as much as they frighten me?

Maybe it's the fact that I've just finished reading Isaiah and Jeremiah. In the calamities of Israel and Judah, I see our nation.

My prayer is: "Lord, do not give us what we deserve."

The issue is not in the politicians. Yes, many are corrupt and ensconced in their greed. 

But neither do our economic problems stem from entitlements such as welfare.

We, as a nation, want something for nothing: a free college education or free health care. If it's not free, cheap will do: cheap gas, inexpensive clothing, low mortgages. 

We live in a give-me society, and we forget everything has a cost. 

Everything.

Bernie Sanders cannot give us free health care. Someone needs to pay for it. Donald Trump cannot freely get rid of all immigrants. There's a cost. Hillary Clinton will not control Wall Street since they have already paid her off. Cruz, Rubio, Bush, Kasich. Not one of them will heal our nation.

But the issue isn't "them."  It's us.

To get cheap clothing, we buy materials manufactured overseas where de facto slavery runs the the sweat shops. 

Our cheap electronics are created under conditions in foreign countries that American law would not allow here at home.

We've lived luxuriously on the earth. Our lives are filled withwanton pleasure. Our hears, like our bodies have become obese--so I fear that God could well be leading us to the day of slaughter.

We need to think about Fair Trade. Under this principle, humans are paid a living wage under human working conditions. We must consider buying American made products, as well. For all of this, we will pay more. We will have less, but our lives will not be corrupted by greed that send politicians spiraling into finger-pointing wars all the while hiding their own corruption.

We have hope. 2 Chronical 7:14 says if we, as Christians, humble ourselves, if we pray--we can be healed.

For me, I pray every morning for our country, for God to give us what we need, not what we deserve. 

Ethically, I write about global equality and try to buy products judiciously. I'm only one person. We all need to change.

How can you humble yourself?