Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:11
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Controversy arose in Brandon, Mississippi Friday night when the Brandon High School band was barred from playing at halftime of their season opener. The reason was the inclusion of the hymn "How Great Thou Art" in their program. The ban traces its roots back to a 2013 decision by a federal judge which stated that the school district had violated the First Amendment rights of students by allowing religious activities to take place on school grounds.
At halftime, however, something happened that no judge can silence. It began with a single voice: "Then sings my soul...," and grew until a chorus of fans finished the chorus of the beautiful hymn: "How great Thou art, how great Thou art!" In defiance of a judge who overstepped his boundaries and violated their First Amendment rights, the fans and students of the Jackson Metro Area high school let their voice be heard.
Despite the fact that I call myself a political junkie, I have no intention of wading into the political weeds, as I do not consider this blog the place for that. I would, however, like to reflect on the founding of our nation and the reverence that we once held for God Almighty. In what now seems like the ultimate irony, those who came to America from Europe in the Colonial days did so because they wished to preserve their religious freedom. In fact, when public schools first began to dot the American landscape, one of their primary goals was to educate children in the Scriptures. Read the writings of many of the Founding Fathers, and it becomes clear that they recognized that the source of the freedom they fought to protect was God Himself.
Fast forward to 2015, and God is shunned on every hand. Those who choose to stand up for the truths of the Bible are mocked and shunned. Is this what the Founding Fathers of our nation intended? An extensive knowledge of the background of the revolution and the Constitution is not needed to answer with a resounding "No!"
America was built on the principles of God's word, but she has since turned away from them in about as sharp a turn as is possible. Whether our society wants to acknowledge Him or not, however, the greatness of God has not subsided. He is as great today as He was at the founding of the United States. He is as great today as He was at the time of creation. He never changes, and He will always be great.
Men can turn away from God, they can shun Him, they can try to stamp Him out of society, but they cannot eliminate Him. He is eternal. He is omnipotent. He will always be. One day, all who have ever lived will fall before Him to honor Him. Those who are alive today have a choice: they can choose to do so now, while He stands before them as Saviour, or they can wait until the day that He stands before them as judge, jury, and executioner.
That last comment is not popular today, but it is true. If you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ today, He longs to begin one. Today, He deals with men in mercy, and He would love to extend that mercy to you. However, if you reject His gift of salvation -- that He paid for with His own blood -- doom awaits. Please don't wait. Acknowledge His greatness today. Accept the gift and the Giver, and you'll understand why His children sing, "How great Thou Art! How great Thou Art!"
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Controversy arose in Brandon, Mississippi Friday night when the Brandon High School band was barred from playing at halftime of their season opener. The reason was the inclusion of the hymn "How Great Thou Art" in their program. The ban traces its roots back to a 2013 decision by a federal judge which stated that the school district had violated the First Amendment rights of students by allowing religious activities to take place on school grounds.
At halftime, however, something happened that no judge can silence. It began with a single voice: "Then sings my soul...," and grew until a chorus of fans finished the chorus of the beautiful hymn: "How great Thou art, how great Thou art!" In defiance of a judge who overstepped his boundaries and violated their First Amendment rights, the fans and students of the Jackson Metro Area high school let their voice be heard.
Despite the fact that I call myself a political junkie, I have no intention of wading into the political weeds, as I do not consider this blog the place for that. I would, however, like to reflect on the founding of our nation and the reverence that we once held for God Almighty. In what now seems like the ultimate irony, those who came to America from Europe in the Colonial days did so because they wished to preserve their religious freedom. In fact, when public schools first began to dot the American landscape, one of their primary goals was to educate children in the Scriptures. Read the writings of many of the Founding Fathers, and it becomes clear that they recognized that the source of the freedom they fought to protect was God Himself.
Fast forward to 2015, and God is shunned on every hand. Those who choose to stand up for the truths of the Bible are mocked and shunned. Is this what the Founding Fathers of our nation intended? An extensive knowledge of the background of the revolution and the Constitution is not needed to answer with a resounding "No!"
America was built on the principles of God's word, but she has since turned away from them in about as sharp a turn as is possible. Whether our society wants to acknowledge Him or not, however, the greatness of God has not subsided. He is as great today as He was at the founding of the United States. He is as great today as He was at the time of creation. He never changes, and He will always be great.
Men can turn away from God, they can shun Him, they can try to stamp Him out of society, but they cannot eliminate Him. He is eternal. He is omnipotent. He will always be. One day, all who have ever lived will fall before Him to honor Him. Those who are alive today have a choice: they can choose to do so now, while He stands before them as Saviour, or they can wait until the day that He stands before them as judge, jury, and executioner.
That last comment is not popular today, but it is true. If you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ today, He longs to begin one. Today, He deals with men in mercy, and He would love to extend that mercy to you. However, if you reject His gift of salvation -- that He paid for with His own blood -- doom awaits. Please don't wait. Acknowledge His greatness today. Accept the gift and the Giver, and you'll understand why His children sing, "How great Thou Art! How great Thou Art!"
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