by Dr. Paul Chappell

"And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

Matthew 5:41-48

We cannot criticize national leaders for doing things we've done in our own lives.

In his book Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, Charles Panati discusses the origin of the Pledge of Allegiance. Unlike many of our nation's symbols, the pledge wasn't instituted by Congress:

The Pledge of Allegiance is not a verse composed by the Founding Fathers of our republic. It was written especially for children in the summer is 1892 to commemorate that year's celebration of Columbus Day in public schools through out the country. The pledge first appeared in print on September 8, 1892, in The Youth's Companion, an educational publication. In its original form, it read: "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which is stands-one nation indivisible-with liberty and justice for all."

Its author was Francis Bellamy, an assistant editor of The Youth's Companion, who intended it fora one-time recitation. But its immediate popularity transformed it first into an annual Columbus Day tradition and then into a daily classroom ritual. It became one of the earliest verses memorized by students. Since its debut, Bellamy's pledge has undergone two major alterations. In 1923, the National Flag Conference of the American Legion replaced the somewhat ambiguously personal "my Flag" wording with the more explicitly patriotic "the Flag of the United States of America." And in 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill that added the words "Under God."

As Christians, we reject the idea of omitting the "under God" part of the pledge. We become defensive when someone challenges the inclusivity of that phrase, and lobby hard against those who wish to remove it. But have our lives and our actions already removed such a phrase?

We want to pledge to a nation "under God," but are we living under God's control? We want to pray in schools and public gatherings, but are we praying at home with our families? We want to be free to say Jesus' name in public, yet are we crying out to Him when we're alone?

In Matthew 5, God gives us examples of how to treat others. Give to them abundantly, love them unconditionally, and pray for them faithfully. Yet many times we overlook such commands, content with keeping to ourselves.

How can we condemn a government or group of leaders for actions we have already done in our lives? Have we given to the poor, loved those who hate us, and prayed for those who wish us harm? God isn't looking for a new government leader to reform our nation, but is waiting for Christians to read His Word and obey His commands. Only then will our nation return to being a land "under God."

To learn more about the ministries of Lancaster Baptist Church and Pastor Chappell, please visit lancasterbaptist.org, paulchappell.com, or follow him on twitter.

Daily Bible Reading
Psalms 113-115 | 1 Corinthians 6