President Abraham Lincoln referred to America as being evil. If you read the Old Testament books of I and II Chronicles, you could describe America as an evil nation. During Lincoln’s time there was mob law. Men would get together and judge others, then cause blacks, gamblers, cattle thieves to be hung from a tree. There was little respect for the property of others and the government offered no protection.

In Chronicles, depending on who was king, they were described as being either evil or they followed God’s direction. If the king was evil, so was the nation and God punished them. If the king was a follower of God and as a nation the people worshipped Him, the nation became prosperous. During those times, many special days were set aside when the people came together to worship God. Passover was a time of thanksgiving to God for saving their first born from being killed as were the Egyptians first born. Almost every month there is a time Jews set aside days to worship God.

America, in 1863, President Lincoln set aside one day to worship God and that was the last Thursday of November. Another time was December 25th in remembrance of the birth of Jesus Christ we established Christmas. The third time is Easter when we remember the death of Christ.
Are these three times vs the more than 25 Jewish days of worshipping God, days that God is really worshipped in America? It seems to me they have become more commercialized than religious holidays.

Using the Old Testament as a guide how would you describe the religious condition of our government? Do you see any difference between evil kings and their governments and today’s politicians? How often do you hear the Lord’s name mentioned in awe and reverence? Are we a united people or a people divided? Are people worshipping government or God?

What has happened to America? There is too much hate among us. I John 3:14 – 20 – “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.”

Paul goes on to define love which is the requirement needed to receive eternal life with Christ. If we want to know what true love is we must follow the example set by Christ. Love requires real sacrifice and a servant’s heart. Laying down our lives may mean giving up our rights. It may mean putting the needs and interests of others before our own. Love develops a heart for sacrificial giving and provides selfless attributes in us. There becomes a desire to serve others without any reciprocal expectations. How much of this kind of love do we see in America today?

Americans no longer seem to have an unforgiving spirit. Mark 11:24-26 – “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins.”

In the Scripture above Jesus told His disciples that if anyone held a grudge against another person or if they became angry or bitter over something that was done to them or if they had an unforgiving heart they had better get over it if they wanted their prayers answered. Being self-centered human beings that we are and having a carnal nature it is sometimes difficult to overlook something that someone has done to us. Life is not always just a “big bowl of cherries”. However, if we as Christians want an advantage at work, school or at home we had better learn to get rid of the baggage of having an unforgiving heart. Which do you see more of: revenge or forgiveness?

Americans appear to be an angry lot: Ephesians 4:26 – 27 – “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” What may be the result of being angry? It can become a sin. The apostle Paul says that we can have strong feelings without being sinful. Paul is talking about our temper. There are ways to express and control our anger. If our anger causes bitterness, wrath and malice, anger can control us rather than we controlling it. Therefore, there may be times we have feelings of anger but they must not affect our Christian attitude and our actions to the point we commit sin. Anger can become dangerous and must be under the Control of the Holy Spirit within us. There is a lot of anger in America today. There seems little desire to reconcile. It is either “My way or the highway”. Have you ever seen a government more political and divided?

Lincoln talked about the evils of America. Prior to his address at Gettysburg, 48,000 men were killed in three days on the battlefield. Our country was full of hatred, anger and unforgiveness. We were a much divided nation full of evil. How would you rate America today as a nation comparing us to the time of the Civil War or how the Bible would define it in the books of Chronicles? I would suggest God is not the one being worshipped and He is the one that either prospers or punishes a nation. Which one do we qualify? Are we an evil nation as defined by the Bible needing punishment or should God be prospering us?