The American Soul
The American Soul
Last Chances
A powerful wake-up call for Americans who have forgotten the Christian foundations of our republic. In this thought-provoking episode, I explore how we've been blessed with countless talents yet often fail to use them for God's purposes or our nation's benefit.
What talents has God given you? Whether it's athletic ability, academic intelligence, compassion, loyalty, or financial resources - we all have something. The real question is: what are you doing with these gifts? Just like in Jesus's parable of the talents, we'll be judged not by comparison to others but by how we've stewarded what we've been given. Those blessed with more carry greater responsibility.
For generations, Americans have proudly rested on the achievements of those who went before us, celebrating our victories while gradually losing what they fought for. I share Calvin Coolidge's profound 1923 Memorial Day address, where he declared that American institutions are "founded on righteousness" and that the settlers who shaped our nation were "intent upon establishing a Christian commonwealth." This uncomfortable truth challenges modern notions of patriotism: you cannot be truly pro-American if you reject the general principles of Christianity that form our foundation.
Most urgently, I warn that "there's going to come a final opportunity" - both for individuals to accept Christ and for our nation to return to its roots. Just as there comes a day when a spouse stops asking for attention or a child stops asking to play, there will come a time when God stops calling us to turn to Him. That reality should motivate us to action now, before it's too late.
Join me in examining how our personal faith connects to America's destiny and why acknowledging our Christian heritage isn't just about preserving history—it's about securing our future. What will you do with the time and talents God has given you?
The American Soul Podcast
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Hey folks, this is Jesse Cope, back with another episode of the American Soul Podcast. Hope y'all are doing well, wherever y'all are, whatever part of the day you're in. Sort of appreciate y'all joining me, giving me a little bit of your time and a little piece of your day. I will try and use it wisely. Hopefully it gives us some extra tools for our toolbox. Hopefully it helps our countries turn back toward God and Jesus Christ, even if just a little bit, and hopefully, even more importantly, it helps each of us turn toward God and Jesus Christ, even if just a little bit. For those of y'all who continue to share the podcast with others, tell people about it. Thank you so much, very, very grateful for that. For those of y'all who continue to pray for me and for the podcast, thank you very, very grateful for your prayers. Definitely need them. So thank you, father. Thank you for today. Thank you for you, father, and your Son, jesus Christ and your Holy Spirit. Thank you for rain and sunshine. Thank you for all the many blessings you bestow upon us. Thank you for food to eat, water to drink, clothes to wear, roof over our heads, cars that run, job that pays the bills For those of us that have those things. Father, thank you For those of us that don't, please guide us. Show us what you want us to do, give us patience and perseverance and help us to trust you more. Please be with those around the world, father, who are suffering because they're following your son, jesus Christ. Be with those in Nigeria, those in Syria, those in communist China, north Korea, those in Iran and other Muslim countries around the world. Be with Israel, father. Guide her and the people there, and be with us in America. Be with our leaders. Help us to elect men who rule in fear of you, father, please, and help us most of all in our individual lives to follow the commands of your Son, jesus Christ. To love you, father, with all that we are, to love our neighbors as ourselves. Father, be with those who are listening today. Thank you for them. Comfort them in whatever distress they're facing Anguish, anxiety, fear, whatever suffering they have. Be with their families. Strengthen their families. Strengthen their marriages if they're married. Guide those who have children in raising them to know you, father, and your Son Jesus Christ. Most of all, father, please forgive us our sins because of your Son Jesus Christ, and please bring us home to you and your son in your timing. And God, my words here. Father, please, in your son's name, we pray Amen.
Speaker 1:Have you made time for God today? If you say that he's your first priority, have you made time for him? What else have you already done today or yesterday? What did you do? Did you read your Bible? Did you pray? Did you make excuses?
Speaker 1:Same thing if you're married folks, did you love your spouse yesterday? You know what they need. And if you don't, man, that's the first. That's like an emergency protocol right there, like you need to figure out what they need.
Speaker 1:But you think about when you were dating even if it's been decades, folks how willing you were to drop everything and be with them. And I just refer you back to the savings account analogy that we talked about on the last few podcasts. If you were putting money into a savings account every day, when would it be more valuable to you? After five days, 50, five years, 10 years, 20 years, 40 years? You know the answer. Whatever the longer period is, that's when it's going to be more and more valuable. Every day that you have it, you're putting money into it every single day.
Speaker 1:We ought to treat our faith, our relationship with God and Jesus Christ and our relationship with our spouse exponentially more important than a bank account with a little bit of gold or silver in it. But we don't, do we? We don't do we, we don't? This was just some thoughts based upon a sermon my pastor gave a couple weeks ago. How do we use god's talents?
Speaker 1:All of us have talents, folks. Some of y'all think that you don't, you're wrong. Some of you right now are you're rolling your eyes at me going I don't have any talents. Cope, you're crazy. Or Mr Cope, you're crazy. If you're younger, you have talents. I guarantee you you have talents.
Speaker 1:Maybe it's on an athletic field, maybe it's in a classroom. An athletic field? Maybe it's in a classroom. Maybe it's just being a friend, a good listener, like Job's friends were at the beginning when they just sat and listened to their friend. Maybe it's being kind or compassionate. Maybe it's being polite folks.
Speaker 1:Maybe you are a polite person, a well-mannered person. A lot of people today think of that as a weakness or chowey. It's not. It's a weakness not to have manners. If you were taught them Now, if you weren't taught manners, that's a whole different ballgame. But if you were taught them and you ignore them, that's a weakness, loyalty, right. Maybe you're just a really loyal friend. You have a strength. Maybe it's something that's easily quantifiable, like the ability to speak a foreign language or the ability to run a sub 50, 400. Maybe it's not easily quantifiable, maybe you're just the person everybody kind of likes being around because they don't feel like they have to pretend like they're somebody else.
Speaker 1:But the question that our pastor made us think about, made me think about, is how do we use those talents? Maybe it's financial. Maybe you've inherited a lot of money. Maybe you didn't even do anything to earn it. Maybe you did earn it, maybe you didn't, but maybe you have a lot of money. Whatever our talents are, whatever our skills, our abilities, whatever blessings God has given us, how are we using that? What have we done for the kingdom? What have we done to save souls with those talents? We have been given so much, especially in America, folks, especially in America and Western civilization in general. But man, I'm talking to American Christians right now we have been given so much and we have done so little with it in recent years. Our history of our country, yeah, we've done a lot, but we've been sitting back resting on the laurels of their achievements for so long now We've been pointing back.
Speaker 1:I saw a great shirt this was years ago. I don't even remember where it was. It was a little seaport town somewhere. I think that we had gone to my wife and I and it said on the back of it I think it was an American flag on the front and on the back it said two-time world champion, world war champions or something right. And it was like you know, when somebody's a one-time national championship for football or volleyball or something you know, or two-time national championship, but this was two-time world war champions. Folks, that was 80 years ago. Nothing wrong with talking about it. We need to teach the history of it. We certainly need to teach the character that was present then for those people to make so many sacrifices, because we could use a little bit more character and virtue today.
Speaker 1:But we have been resting on the achievements of those who have come before us in America for so long that we're losing America. We're losing what they fought for. We're in the process, for the last 80 years, of losing what those before us have suffered for, because we're too afraid to acknowledge one simple fact that America is, was founded as, was born as, and can only be successful as a Christian republic. Everything pretty much boils down to that. All the issues abortion, racism, dei, crt, illegal immigration, feminism, lgbtq relationships, school choice, taxation, you name it, you run the gamut and every single issue boils down to that one fact. And everything, every way in which we're losing our nation and losing what those who went before us have suffered for, boils down to that one fact. It might even be just as simple as laziness and procrastination on our part, which are neither one acceptable by God and Jesus Christ. So yet again, it goes back to us refusing to acknowledge that we're a Christian nation. We're founded that way and have responsibilities to act that way.
Speaker 1:One of the things he said that really hit home is we're going to be judged based on our situation in life. What's going on in our life? Right? I've heard this a number of times, a number of different ways. I'm going to try and make it real simple here.
Speaker 1:You got two kids in a classroom. One kid acts up all the time. They give you about 50% effort, right? They're just a pain in the rear end. You never like seeing them come to class. Another kid comes into class, sits down, gives you 75%, 80% Pretty polite most of the time, yes, sir, no, sir, yes, ma'am, no, ma'am, et cetera, and you really look forward to seeing them in class.
Speaker 1:Often, the kid that you don't really look forward to, you find out that they go home, right, the first kid that you do like. Let me start with them. They go home. Mom and dad are both there. They've got a new car. They've got all the blessings that come with having a loving set of parents at home. Mom stays home with the kids, loves her husband, etc, etc. Dad goes out, works, earns a living. They've got a great, a phenomenal family life. The kid that you don't look forward to seeing goes home each day to a single-parent household where the mom's a drug addict, prostitute, living in welfare with four other siblings that are all younger than that kid.
Speaker 1:Depending on them, situation matters, situation is going to have a great deal. What have we done? And that ought to, that ought to affect you two different ways, depending on who you are listening. If you've come from a really bad background and you just constantly feel like a failure because you're comparing yourself to other people, realize that God takes into account situation. We got to have some situational awareness, folks. It doesn't mean you shouldn't keep striving. But if you're going to strive, strive for Jesus Christ, not toward those around you that you're comparing yourself to, and, on the other hand, those of us that have been blessed supremely with loving parents, financial blessings, health, strength, speed, whatever you want to talk about, good looks, whatever it is. Man, this ought to hit pretty hard and we ought to be paying a whole bunch of attention because we're going to be judged based on what we've been given, like the talents.
Speaker 1:Right, the parable of Jesus Christ. You got the one guy, got given the 10 talents, the next guy the five talents, the last guy the one talent, and it depends on what we do with it. You know, the guy with the five talents went out and made five more talents. The guy with the 10 talents went out and made 10 more. Jesus Christ didn't look at the guy with five talents and condemn him because he only got five, while the guy with 10 got 10. And it doesn't say it in the Bible. So I'm telling you my opinion, I'm inferring here. And it doesn't say it in the Bible. So I'm telling you my opinion, I'm inferring here. But don't you think that Jesus would have been just as mad with the guy with ten talents if he had gone out and buried those, like the guy with the one talent did.
Speaker 1:Situation matters, situation matters. That's not an excuse to sit back and be lazy folks, just sit back and be lazy folks. But that's an encouragement, a really strong encouragement for those of us that have been given more to do more. Look around and find somebody that has less than you do. Folks, there's always somebody and help. Just some more notes that I was writing when I was saying we compare ourselves to those who have had far less than others for far too often. Right, we compare ourselves with those around us that have far less than we do to try and make ourselves feel better, and it's a double-sided coin. We should be grateful for the things that we have, but we also ought to use every ounce of our abilities to be good stewards of those talents that God's given us Somewhere in here and I cannot remember the quote Well, there's two things.
Speaker 1:One of the things our pastor said was we can either take more than we can give or we can give more than we can take. That's true in general, in our faith in Christianity. That's true with our just life in general, our community, our schools, our churches. It's really true in marriage. I was talking to a friend of mine for years a while back and they were talking about that particular aspect of their marriage and it's just so heartbreaking and it's so common folks.
Speaker 1:You know it, you've seen it in some of yours, you see those couples even from the outside. My uncle used to say you don't really know what's going on in a marriage until you're behind the bedroom doors, and I 100% agree with that. But a lot of times you can tell quite a bit just watching a couple interact and you know you've seen those for one spouse and gives constantly Right. A lot of times they're viewed as like the nice guy Right, or the nice girl. They just constantly give, give, give and their spouse just constantly takes, takes, takes. Now I'll tell you what. This was not part of the conversation with my friend. But man, there comes a point where that nice guy or that nice girl finally has enough and usually it's a catastrophic failure. Usually it is a catastrophic break and it's really nasty and it's too late at that point for the spouse that has taken all these years to realize that they've lost something really good.
Speaker 1:There's a quote from one of our founders, maybe a couple of them. I didn't find it today. I should have, but no people can have more reason to worship God almighty than the people of the United States. I'm paraphrasing there, but but that's us folks we got. I know I'm spending a lot of time here today, but we have a huge responsibility as America and we have been shirking our duty for decades. There's going to come a final opportunity. Folks talking about us Our pastor was talking about us with our souls.
Speaker 1:If you haven't already accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, I cannot encourage you to do anything else more Right now. Wherever you are, doesn't matter driving down the road talk to God In your office. Talk to God. Tell him that you're a sinner. You know you are. You know you've messed up. You know you've done some things you shouldn't have. Repent of those sins to God, the Father, god of the entire universe. Tell him that you accept Jesus Christ, his only son, as your Savior. Father, you know I'm a sinner. I've done some horrible things, father, I know. Please forgive me. Please, jesus Christ, come into my life. Christ, I need you, I need your salvation. I need your blood to cover my sins and please, you know, take the wheel. I need you to be the one that's driving my life and I accept you as the son of God, as my risen Lord and Savior. Folks, I cannot encourage you to do anything more than that. There is going to come a final opportunity. There's going to come a day when that door closes and there are no more opportunities. You will not get another second chance, and this is true in every area of our life, almost, folks. There's going to come a day when you push that spouse that's a really good spouse of yours too far and they're gone. There's going to come a day where you turn down that job opportunity because it's just not quite perfect the last time and they don't offer it again. There's going to come a time where your kid comes knocking at the door asking you to play, and you say no, and that's the last time they ask you to play. There's going to come a time your spouse comes and asks you to do something with them, to hang out with them, to be with them, and you tell them no, and that's going to be the last time they come and ask. There's going to come a time when God asks you to please turn to him through his son, jesus Christ and you say no, and that's the last chance you get. That ought to terrify you if you have not already accepted Jesus Christ. And why not already accepted Jesus Christ? And why he calls so many times? Why do we continue to ignore him? Huh, why do we continue to turn him away?
Speaker 1:Our pastor read from Isaiah, chapter 55, I believe, verses 8 and 9. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are my ways your ways, declared the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. I don't think that was exactly what I was looking for, but it's true. Oh, there it is. It wasn't, it was.
Speaker 1:We're going to start with verse five. Behold, you will call a nation you do not know, and a nation which knows you not will run to you because of the Lord, your God, even the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and he will have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon While there's time. While he may be found, while he's near, there's gonna come a day when he's not.
Speaker 1:Folks, again, what do we give our time and energy to? It's what our priorities are, whatever that is, whether we want to admit it or not, we are what we take in. And what are we doing to encourage others around us as far as what they take in our spouse, our kids, our friends, and it includes our attitude? Are we truly seeking to follow Christ or to convince others that we follow Christ? Do we follow Christ when few others do or only when most others do? Yeah, I know, I know I went way over, but I thought that that was. There's going to come a last opportunity, folks. There's going to come a last opportunity. 1 Timothy 5,.
Speaker 1:Honor widows. Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, the older women as mothers and the younger women as sisters in all purity. Honor widows, who are widows indeed, but if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to make some return to their parents, for this is acceptable in the sight of God. Now, she who is a widow indeed, and who has been left alone, has fixed her hope on God and continues in entreaties and prayers night and day. But she who gives herself to wanton pleasure is dead, even when she lives, even while she lives. Prescribe these things as well, so that they may be above reproach. But if anyone does not provide for his own and especially for those of his household, he is denied than faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Speaker 1:A widow is to be put on the list only if she is not less than 60 years old, having been the wife of one man having a reputation for good works, and if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has assisted those in distress and if she has devoted herself to every good work, but refuse to put younger widows on the list for when they feel sensual desires and disregard of Christ, they want to get married, thus incurring condemnation because they have set aside their previous pledge. At the same time, they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house, and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies talking about things not proper to mention. Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house and give the enemy no occasion for reproach, for some have already turned aside to follow Satan. For some have already turned aside to follow Satan. If any woman who is a believer has dependent widows, she must assist them, and the church must not be burdened so that it may assist those who are widows.
Speaker 1:Indeed, concerning elders, the elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching, for the scripture says you shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing and the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning. I solemnly charge you, in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and his chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others. Keep yourself free from sin. No longer drink water exclusively, but use a ton here. Let's see Now.
Speaker 1:She, who is a widow indeed, who has been left alone, has fixed her hope on God and continues and entreaties and prayers night and day. How many of us that are in some kind of just real heartache or suffering, pain, whatever? How many of us go to God night and day in prayers and in treaty? I just I don't. And I've got a couple of things that have been on my heart for years. Folks, I'm getting better at it, I'm doing a little better at it, but we have this thing that's really bothering us, that's truly bothering, and we don't go to God and look, I'm not telling you he's going to magically make you walk again if you're in a wheelchair. I'm not magically telling you he's going to make your spouse love you that never has. I'm not going to magically tell you that he's going to heal your kid of cancer. But what I am telling you is that if you're really praying to God night and day, there's going to be a peace that you have about that situation that you haven't had before Doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt. Still, folks, I'm not trying, it's not going to be magical and rainbow and unicorns and whatever cupcakes, but there's a peace, right?
Speaker 1:You think I can't remember the guy's name that we read One of the Christians, that Bloody Mary burned at the stake because he wouldn't turn Catholic, and he was marched out to the stake in front of his wife and 11 children at least a few of those 11. And one of them the wife was still holding. It was a nursing age child and he was walked out in front of him and burned at the stake. You think he was happy about that? Do you think that he was happy to leave his wife and kids? You think that there was any level of, or no level of, anxiety or fear or bitterness or resentment anxiety or fear, or bitterness or resentment? But there almost, almost assuredly, had to be some peace too. You think he wasn't praying when he was in prison, night and day?
Speaker 1:You think the Nigerians and the Syrian Christians right now that are waiting on some Muslim to come knock on the door and rape their wives and little girls and kill their sons and them, you think they're not praying night and day? I bet they are. What are we doing? What are we whining about? What problems do we really truly have and are we praying about them? I just wiped out all my little notes. Probably best, probably best, but I'll tell you what I know. There's one more, at least. Yeah, verse 8.
Speaker 1:But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he is denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. We have a responsibility to take care of those in our own household. Do we not think that that applies in America as well, members of our American family, since we are a Christian nation, to apply that principle so that before we go out looking for criminals coming into our nation, before we pretend to be benevolent by stealing from those who work to give to those who don't, that we have a responsibility to care first and foremost, maybe, just maybe, for our veterans who risk life and limb in defense of our country? Maybe, all right, where are we going today? We are going to I can find it Alvin Coolidge. Memorial Day 1923. The destiny of America. This was in Northampton, massachusetts.
Speaker 1:Patriotism is easy to understand. In America, it means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country. In no other nation on earth does this principle have such complete application. It comes most naturally from the fundamental doctrine of our land that the people are supreme. Lincoln stated the substance of the whole matter in his famous phrase government of the people, by the people and for the people of the whole matter, in his famous phrase government of the people, by the people and for the people.
Speaker 1:A little side note here, folks it doesn't do much good to have government of the people by the people for the people if the people are immoral and irreligious. John Adams told us that if we don't have a moral and religious people, our government doesn't work. And so that's great to say, hey, it's of the people by the people for the people, right? I remember that from one of the Toy Story movies even, I think. But if you don't really understand that you have to be a virtuous people in order for that government to work, it doesn't do any good. It's like having the Second Amendment without the First Amendment, without a Christian people. All you're doing is giving a bunch of people guns that don't have morals, and that's a bad idea.
Speaker 1:The authority of law here is not something which is imposed upon the people, it is the will of the people themselves. The decision of the court here is not something which is apart from the people, it is the judgment of the people themselves. The right of the ownership of property here is not something withheld from the people. It is the privilege of the people themselves. Their sovereignty is absolute and complete. The definition of the relationship between the institutions of our government and the American people entirely justifies the assertion that all things were made by them and without them was not anything made that was made. It is because the American government is the sole creation and possession of the people that they have always cherished it and defended it and always will.
Speaker 1:Two things the lesser one, first we don't really own property here in America anymore. If you think you do, just try not paying your taxes for one year and see what happens to your property. That's not the way it was meant to be. That's not the way it should be. No American citizen should have to pay taxes on their primary residence. You could even put in a time like, say, five to seven years. You pay taxes for those first five to seven years, and then you don't ever pay taxes again on your primary residence, and neither should your children or grandchildren or great-grandchildren or great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren that you pass that land on to. You don't own anything right now, though in America folks, you just rent it as a pleasure of the government.
Speaker 1:The second thing, though I didn't really like this the way Calvin Coolidge used this Bible verse all things were made by them and without them was not anything made. That was made. That comes out of John, I believe, the first chapter of John. Perhaps All things came into being through him and apart from him, nothing came into being that has come into being right. That's verse three, talking about the deity of Jesus Christ. It kind of irks me a little bit that he was trying to compare that, but it's valid in the sense that we're a Christian nation and so the reference to God and Jesus Christ, that relationship that he's talking about between the institutions of our government and the American people, the American people, if they made those institutions right, based on the principles of Christ, then the only way that that can survive is if the people in those institutions adhere to those principles of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:Again, there are two fundamental motives which inspire human action. The first, and most important, to which all else is subordinate, is that of righteousness. There is that in mankind, stronger than all else, which requires them to do right when that requirement is satisfied. The next motive is that of gain. These are the moral motive and the material motive, while in some particular instance they might seem to be antagonistic, yet always when considered broadly or applied to society as a whole, they might seem to be antagonistic, yet always, when considered broadly or applied to society as a whole, they are in harmony. American institutions meet the test of these two standards they are founded on righteousness, they are productive of material prosperity. They compel the loyalty and support of the people because such action is right and because it is profitable when your treasure is, or where your heart is, or your treasure is where your treasure is, or your heart is right.
Speaker 1:You don't want to focus on worldly things, but the only way to have true gain in this world and I'm not talking about worldly things you might get that you might end up getting material blessings in this world. Remember, if you do, what the purpose of them is. It's to be good stewards for God and to save lost souls, right, but and there's a lot of really bad people that seem to get a lot of material prosperity. But he's saying in a broad sense, and when I read, that when broadly considered or applied to society as a whole, they're in harmony as a whole, for future generations, for the nation as a whole. If you want prosperity, if you want true progress, you have to have right, you have to be founded on what does he say?
Speaker 1:Founded on righteousness, on the principles of Jesus Christ. You can't have it otherwise. These are the main reasons for the formation of patriotic societies. Desiring to promote the highest welfare of civilization. Their chief purpose is to preserve and extend American ideals, no matter what others may do, they are determined to serve themselves and their fellow men by thinking American, believing America and living America. That faith they are proud to proclaim to all the world. You cannot do that without the principles of Jesus Christ. If the core of your society, of your patriotic society, isn't the principles of Christ, it's not patriotic. I don't care what organization you're talking about today, it does not matter what conservative organization comes to your mind right now. If the core principles of that conservative, patriotic society are not the general, not doctrinal, doesn't matter if you're Roman Catholic or Greek Orthodox or Baptist or Methodist or some other version of Protestant. That's not what I'm talking about the general principles of Jesus Christ laid out in Scripture. If that's not the core of your patriotic institution, your patriotic society, as Coolidge labels it here, it's not patriotic. You cannot be pro-American if you are not pro-general principles of Christianity, Because that's the core, that's the foundation of our nation. I know that steps on some toes of our nation. I know that steps on some toes. You cannot be patriotic if you are not pro general principles of Christianity.
Speaker 1:It is no wonder that the people are attached to America when we consider what it has done and what it represents. It has been called the last great hope of the world. Its simple story is a romance of surpassing interest. Its accomplishments rise above the realm of fable. To live under the privileges of its citizenship is the highest position of opportunity and achievement ever reached by a people. I would argue it is, even more so, the highest position of responsibility ever reached by people. If you're born an American today, you have more responsibility than any citizen of any other nation, as a citizen of that nation, to support and strengthen and encourage that nation and her institutions, again based on the principles of Jesus Christ. That's why All of our achievements go back to that folks. It's not because we're stronger or faster or smarter or prettier or work harder or live longer. It's because our nation was founded on the principles of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:If there be a destiny, it is of no avail for us unless we work with it. The ways of providence will be of no advantage to us unless we proceed in the same direction. If we perceive a destiny in America, if we believe that providence has been the guide, our own success, our own salvation require that we should act and serve in harmony and obedience. Our founders put providence into the Declaration of Independence. Before that, when you're talking about the Mayflower Compact or the Portsmouth Compact or whatever it is, they go back to Jesus Christ, all the way back to Columbus and the point of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. Columbus and the point of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:If there's a providence, god right, as our founders clearly stated in our Declaration of Independence among many other places, our own success, our own salvation require that we should act and serve in harmony and obedience to that providence. If we think that we have a destiny in America, we have to act and serve in harmony and obedience to Providence. And it doesn't matter if we know those principles, folks. It's like if you can recite the Ten Commandments but you don't follow it, it doesn't do you any good. You any good If you know that Providence is there, if you know how about this? We'll take it a step further. If you know that our founders thought that Providence was there, which you. All you have to do is read the Declaration of Independence to realize that they knew that Providence was their. God, the Father of Jesus Christ. That's it. And before anybody even says deism, I'll turn you right back to Joseph's story that we talked about the day before on the podcast, or in fact, just President George Washington, who kissed the Bible at his inauguration. God, the Father of Jesus Christ, that's providence.
Speaker 1:It doesn't matter if we know what providence, the ways of providence. If we don't follow them Right. What does Coolidge say here? The ways of providence will be of no advantage to us unless we proceed in the same direction. You know CS Lewis talked about if you wanted to get somewhere right, and actually there's a Bible verse I'm pretty sure I wish I had it in front of me right now Talking about the fact that two men can't go in opposite directions, like you can't join yourself to somebody to try and get to a goal and then you both go in opposite directions.
Speaker 1:It doesn't work. You can imagine tying yourself to somebody else at the waist and then you both try and go different directions. It doesn't work. You can imagine tying yourself to somebody else at the waist and then you both try and go different directions. It doesn't work. You have to both be going the same way, right. You have to both be going toward God, toward progress, toward those principles of Jesus Christ. If we want our nation to be great, we have to go along with providence.
Speaker 1:Throughout all the centuries, this land remained unknown to civilizations. Just at a time when Christianity was at last firmly established, when there was a general advance in learning, when there was a great spiritual awakening, america began to be revealed to the European world. When this new age began, with its new aspirations and its new needs, its new hopes and its new desires, the shores of our country rose through the mist, disclosing a new hemisphere in which, untrammeled by old world conventions, new ideals might establish for mankind a new experience and a new life. Settlers came here for mixed motives, some for pillage and adventure, some for trade and refuge. But those who have set their imperishable mark upon our institutions came from far higher motives. Generally defined, they were seeking a broader freedom. They were intent upon establishing a Christian commonwealth in accordance with the principle of self-government. They were intent upon establishing a Christian commonwealth in accordance with the principle of self-government. The settlers that came here. Of all the different motivations folks, the ones that have truly left their mark on us. Why do we go back to the Mayflower Compact over and over again? Because at the heart of the Mayflower Compact is what God and Jesus Christ, the ones that left, as Coolidge says here, but those who have set their imperishable mark upon our institutions, came from far higher motives, higher motives than pillage and adventure or trade and refuge. They were intent upon body of men.
Speaker 1:It has been said that God sifted the nations that he might send choice grain into the wilderness. They had a genius for organized society on the foundation of piety, righteousness, liberty and obedience to law. They brought with them the accumulated wisdom and experience of the ages, wherever it contributed to the civilizing power of these great agencies. But the caste and class, the immaterial formalism of the old world, they left behind. They let slip their grasp upon conventionalities that they might lay a firmer hold upon realities. Basically, they shook off you want to think about it from a church point of view? They shook off all the doctrinal nonsense that the denominations had come up with over there, the Catholic Church, orthodox, the Anglicans. They got rid of all the stuff that wasn't scriptural, all the stuff that men had added outside of God's word. They got rid of all of that and they came over right. It's the reason they were called Puritans Just scripture, just God's word. God and Jesus Christ and I like this Coolidge's they were an inspired body of men.
Speaker 1:It has been said that God sifted the nations that he might send choice grain into the wilderness. Sifted the nations that he might send choice grain into the wilderness. We talked about this either earlier today or maybe the day before on the podcast about how hard it is sometimes when we're going through pain and we don't know what the reason is. And it might be something that makes us really uncomfortable, like the fact that if we were successful or if we didn't have that pain or that handicap, we would endanger our soul, we would do something really bad, we would endanger other people's souls, or it might be folks that we're not ready yet. We might be like Moses. We might need to go off by ourselves for a while for God to turn us into what he really needs us to be, to use us right. You can make all the analogies you want to about gold and refining silver, etc. Burning off all the impurities, and I guess it really just gets back down to whether we trust God or not. These people, a lot of these people, went through unimaginable for us today, truly unimagined.
Speaker 1:Could you imagine getting on a ship, going somewhere that you never knew? You don't have any cell phones, there's no internet, there's no connection over there, except to know that there's some savages, there's wilderness, there's no civilization, and we're going to put you on a little bitty boat and send you across the Atlantic, which is terrifying in and of itself and hopefully you make it All so that you could set up a Christian commonwealth in accordance with the principles of self-government. I don't know how much more. Let's see how much time we've got left today. I tell you what I think we'll come back. We're not going to get through all of this anyway. I didn't have the intention of reading the whole thing, but I would like to read, I think, maybe just a little bit more. We'll see, but I'll leave you alone for that today. God bless y'all. God bless your families. God bless your marriages, if you're married. God bless America. God bless your nation, wherever you are around the world. Listen, folks, I'm glad y'all are here. We'll talk to y'all again real soon, looking forward to it.