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The unexamined life is not worth living
Socrates
By growing as individuals we will affect our country in a good way.
It is easier to change ourselves than others.
Restore our Nation by Restoring Ourselves
So you want our Nation to be improved. Good Luck you'll need it :).
Should we shoot first and ask questions later?
Make up a bunch of laws and start enforcng them?
Find a group to pick on and blame them and get rid of them?
No. No. No.
Well there is someone to focus on
and that is ourselves as individuals.
That is what this page is about.
Lets have a little reflection here.
What is improvement? Do we need it?
Where do we start?
Can it be accomplished?
We need to start with ourselves and once
we are going the right way that is it. God will do the rest once we
get our hearts in the right place.
Why Grow Individually?
We need to grow individually
First we need to grow.
We are not perfect. We have not arrived there yet.
Second we need to grow Individually
So you think you can help others - what about yourself?
Lets take the log out of our eyes then we can help take out someone elses speck more easily.
If you try to do eye surgery on others with a log stuck in your eye it can cause damage.
Sometimes irreparable damage. Understanding this principle can help
explain problems with the shoot first ask questions later philosophy.
When people are dead it is hard to ask them questions or bring them back to life.
We need to not only grow but we need to grow individually as seen in
2nd Chronicles 7:14
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2nd Chr. 7:14 is a conditional promise from God.
If we do what God says to do he will be faithful to his promise.
We are not to heal the land that is Gods responsibility.
Our duty is to humble ourselves and pray and seek Gods face and turn from our wicked ways.
It is not about us changing others. It is about us humbly allowing God to change us.
It is about us giving up our pride and listening to God and others(God often works through people,
sometimes even bosses and Mother in laws(but not as much as they sometimes think)).
Notice our responsibility is to humble ourselves not others.
The verse says "humble themselves" ... not humble others or force others to follow our rules
With this in mind how can we grow as individuals?
Well based on 2nd Chronicles 7:14:
The right way:
we can grow in humility (humble yourselves and pray)
we can grow in relationship of love with God and others.(pray and seek my(God's) face)
we can turn from our wicked ways (also helps us grow in relationship to others and God)
The wrong way:
we can become more proud
we can grow more seperated in relationship with God and others
we can become more wicked
You would be surprised at how often what people think
is growth or the right way is actually the wrong way.
There are people thinking more money, fame, power, pleasure
is the right way.
Independence and pride is often seen as a virtue(a good characteristic)
Donald Trump thinks he is going the right way because he is at the
top of what he and many other people value but based on this verse
is he?
summary
- change yourself not others
- change yourself from the inside
Where from here?
Future topics to be added:
Examine your personality
Examine your worldview
Examine your habits
Examine your morals
- what if you want to change but can't?
Contact:
bruce@restoreournation.org
last updated:
Oct. 5th, 2004
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