Anglican Morning Devotion for 5 May 2021 Anno Domini
A ministry of the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.” (Jeremiah 6:16; KJV)
The Old Paths – what are they and how do we know them? The Old Paths to which Jeremiah refers is that laid out to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the promise of God to send a Savior/Redeemer. We know those paths from the reading of the Holy Scriptures with prayerful industry.
The Old Paths of the greatest nation yet to be founded upon God’s green earth are written in the courage, Christian faith, and sacrifice of the Founding Fathers who laid down the path that we must follow if we will remain free.
Many of the highways in America began as cattle trails and later grew into roads connecting towns and villages. These old trails were perfectly suited to become permanent means of transport because those who pioneered them knew the best routes which were the easiest to travel in the shortest amount of time. This recommends the wisdom of the past to the more recent observers on the scene.
It would be unwise to cast away the labors of our Founding Fathers, and all who have blazed the trails before us, in favor of a system that has failed at every attempt in history (such as socialism or Communism). The same is true as relates to our faith. Great and courageous men have risked their lives, and some paid the last full measure, to ensure our liberties are safely guarded. But that torch of freedom requires sacrifice to sustain. Our Lord Jesus Christ died for our liberty from the bondage of sin. But we, too, must bear our crosses and bear every burden to defend our faith from usurpers of our day.
The Great Reformers were very courageous in excavating the sands of heresy from off the true religion taught by our Lord and His apostles. They faced not only political dangers, but even spiritual and religious threats. Some were burned at the stake for refusing to deny a single line of Scripture. I wonder how many pulpit dandies of our day would risk the loss of even a little finger, or perchance a purse!
Christianity has blazed a trail through the world. Every place of its planting the people have thrived in joy. Science, education, and the social contract resulting from Christian principles have elevated men and women of all races, nations, and tongues. But there is a growing dissent which would have us forget the warnings of Scripture and launch out on a lark of modern religion that accepts all things except that which is righteous. New bible versions are geared to present a politically-correct gospel that is in contrast to the Old Time Religion of our fathers.
If the institutional memory of a nation can be destroyed by iconoclast pulling down monuments, we will suffer the anemia that is vulnerable to any new idea. The same is true of our Christian faith. The battle we face in the faith today is political as well as spiritual because if freedom is denied, so will the faith of the people be constrained to believe whatever government tells them is the most recently acceptable. I quote below a very wise cleric and successful business man concerning a part of the challenge that is being levelled against us:
“There is no such thing as WHITE PRIVILEGE. What does exist is success for those who work hard and follow the clear instructions of Scripture. Our church is a fine example, while most members here in the United States are white, worldwide our members are around 99 percent non-white. So what? Our members are Christians, not White Christians or Black Christians or Brown Christians or Yellow Christians. No place in the Word does Jesus discuss race. A person’s race is of no account, any more than hair color. What is important is who a person is and how they act.
“The so called white privilege really means that if you act in accord with Scripture and the principles laid down by our founding fathers, you will be successful. There are many people who have benefited from that form of white privilege whose skin is far darker than mine.
“The current trend to divide us by race is put on us by those who would divide and conquer.
“I have no black friends, I have plenty of friends whose skin is very dark, but they are my friends because they are who they are without regard to color.” ~ the Rev. Hap Arnold
