Some of us at our church are involved in a little rebuilding project.  We become more excited with every completed step.  As things begin to take shape, I am reminded of one of the great building projects of the Bible, the rebuilding of the city walls around Jerusalem.  Israel’s Babylonian captivity had ended and their new masters, the kings of Persia, were more gentle.  An envoy of dedicated Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem and aid in a rebuild effort already begun.  The next order of business was the massive city wall that had been reduced to heaps of rubble.

  After the project was begun, Nehemiah reports, “So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work” (Nehemiah 4:6).  But their advancements were not without opposition.  The workers on the wall were ridiculed, they fought discouragement, greed among themselves, and cleverly laid traps by the enemies of their cause.  In spite of it all, the walls were miraculously finished in fifty-two days, an accomplishment that is pretty impressive even by the most advanced modern industrial standards.

  In our country, we are surrounded by the rubbish of crumbling walls built by our godly forefathers.  There are enormous tasks before us if we would rebuild the moral, spiritual, economic and civil foundations upon which our country was founded.  It is utterly amazing what can be accomplished when people have a mind to work, but we must remember, what is accomplished by the people is only the concerted effort of individuals.

  God’s Word says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:13).”  According to this verse, our faith in Christ is vital if we would save our country.  Why?  “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it… (Psalm 127:1.)”  Would you be willing to help?  Do you have a mind to work?  Step #1  “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved… (Acts 16:31).”

 Did you ever stop to consider the four women on Noah’s ark?  They are referred to simply as wives: “Noah, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives.”  According to Genesis 10, the roots of every nation reach back to one of these women.  They are our grandmothers.  We know that all four of these ladies were from ungodly families.  Their moms, dads, brothers and sisters, etc. all died in their sin, outside of the ark.

 But these women rejected those gods in preference to the One True God.  Like Joshua, they determined, “but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15).  Today, godly wives and mothers are those who have made the break from the gods of this world; they are sold out to the one true God.  Their god is not in the things they possess, nor the way that they look, nor a place or position of prestige.

 Secondly, our grandmothers left their ungodly families in preference to their godly husbands.  According to Ephesians 5:21-33 husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the Church.  Wives are responsible to recognize and revere their husbands as the heads of the home.  These women of the ark followed their husbands, even when God was leading them to do the unusual for Him.  God’s way works and His way honors Him.

 Thirdly, they were unaffected by the scorn and ridicule resulting from their husbands building a ship in the desert, and preaching God when the whole world had forsaken Him.  Today, it is certain, there will be scorn, ridicule, and persecution if we put God first and perform that to which we are called.

 The fourth and fifth traits are related: the things that the Lord had done were rehearsed in the hearing of their children, and the Word of the Lord, that had been their salvation was held in high regard. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7a).

 Today, it is obvious that in most homes, these godly traits are forgotten and the blessings that they afford are lost, but they don’t have to be lost forever.  You could help bring them back Mom, Grandma.  …We Love You!

  Remember the speeches we heard at the National Conventions?  We were told that though we are a diverse people, we are ALL Americans, and when times get tough we pull together to “Get things done.”  But it was all political rhetoric.  Actually, we are becoming a more godless and divided nation, and, as our forefathers warned, a godless republic cannot stand.

  Governing the godless is impossible because the godless believe: that the events of life are ordered by chance, that every man is in charge of his own destiny,  that all truth is relative (i.e. no truth that applies universally at all times), that man is the center of all that matters (humanism), that there are no moral absolutes (i.e. hard and fast rules for defining right and wrong).  But we know from history, this is the recipe for disaster.

  We need to return to the principles upon which our nation was founded. Consider our motto, In God We Trust.  The Bible tells us that, “…He (God) is a buckler (shield) to all them that trust in Him. (2 Samuel 22:31).”  And how about our pledge, “…one Nation under God.”  The Scriptures are clear, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD… (Psalms 33:12).”  God is our only hope, and yet many of our leaders despise Him.

  Why do we need God and His ways?  Because He orders the events of life with purpose.  “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1).”  God has established absolute truth.  Jesus said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (John 17:17).”  He has established moral absolutes like: “Honor thy father and thy mother.  Thou shalt not kill.  Thou shalt not commit adultery.  Thou shalt not steal, bear false witness, or covet.”

  The soul of a nation is its people and before we will have God in our nation, we must have God in our hearts.  He is ready to take residence in your heart, but you’ll need the help of His Son, Jesus, who has purchased forgiveness for your sins and makes it available to you through faith.

  You know you’re getting old when the jokes about growing older seem more like the facts of life than humorous antidotes.  e.g. You know you’re growing old when: Your joints are more accurate than the National Weather Service.  Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.  It takes twice as long to look half as good.  Come on… We might as well smile because from an earthly perspective it only gets worse, until our bodies fail us, and suffering and loss bring us to the point at which there is no will to live.  What we are all experiencing in our earthly pilgrimage is a sad reality of life, it ends in death.

  In spite of the indisputable law of averages, many insist that they will beat the process of aging, and, though they might long to share their secret, it is mysteriously locked up in their own experience.  When confronted with the brevity of life, they almost smugly reply, “I’m all set.”  But in truth, no one can be all set if their confidence is in themselves, their doctors, their program, their organization or their cleverly devised plan.  All of our predecessors had these as well.  The law of averages is always enforced, and death lurks in the path of every man.

  The reason there is an enemy called death is because of sin. For the wages of sin is death… (Romans 6:23).  Isn’t it obvious?   The destructiveness of sin is why you and I are headed for the grave and the earth to ruin.  To deny this is foolish, as foolish as it is to deny that there is a God while standing in the midst of His creation.

  It would be unbearably sad if the only perspective of life was the one that physical life forces upon the living.  But as sure as there is a God in heaven, there is also one other perspective, His perspective.  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16).  Look and Live!

  Let’s imagine!  You are invited to have lunch with friends at noon next Monday at a local restaurant.  Since your car will be in the shop, someone has agreed to pick you up around 11:30.  The time comes and goes while you wait anxiously by the door.  At 4:00, you discover that the meeting did occur as planned, but you were forgotten.  There is nothing quite like being forgotten; it engenders a whole gamut of emotion.  What could be worse?

  In June of 2009 my granddaughter was born.  Her father (my son) was 25 years old; I was 50, and my father was 75.  Together, we represent four generations, exactly twenty five years apart.  About that same time someone asked, “Did you know that after you die, you will be forgotten in two generations?”  The question troubled me; the idea seemed cruel somehow.  Could it be true?  I mused.

  With only one exception, my great grandparents died before I was born.  Though I remember seeing my great grandmother a few times, I was not old enough to really know her before she died.  It is true then, even my own great grandparents are all but forgotten.  To be appreciably influenced by great grandparents, or even to remember them well, is the exception rather than the rule.

  Life is very brief, and our existence will effect relatively few people in the vast expanse of time.  Most of us, like our predecessors, will be forgotten in two generations.  But wouldn’t it be great if we could make a difference that lasts longer than life, be remembered by our great grandchildren, make a mark on this world that would effect generations to come, influence the lives of others in ways that would matter to them beyond their lives here on earth.

  C. T. Studd (1860-1931) was a missionary to China, India and Africa.  He put it all in perspective when he wrote, “Only one life ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”  The fact that I am quoting him so many years later, may be an initial evidence that he was right.