Staying True To God
Yes, I believe in God. His majesty shall reign forever. Believing in this supreme being casts away my doubts. It renews my spirit and makes me steadfast. Worshipping God is not just about being religious although that’s also a big factor. Why? Because the communities built by different congregations are huge pillars of the society.
God is good all the time. Making out time to pray and visit your places of worship are nice rewarding activities. For the few times I have found myself embroiled in arguments pertaining to religion, I always present my acknowledgement that various worship institutions are inherently set up with good intentions. There is nothing awful about worshipping God.
Missionaries were among those who spread civilization as we know it by teaching lots of people how to read and write while tending to the sick. Such practices remain today. Many churches have schools, social amenities and programs, foundations and sponsorships, that help channel the best potential of youths and help the elderly retire with dignity. But like every invention of humans, there are extremists, puritans, and opportunists whose actions may deceive unsuspecting believers yearning for something deeper and more fufilling. This obviously led to my post titled Good Character Religion because faith without good works is not exactly the best package.
No one is greater than God who is so great. In my deepest moments of reflection, I attempt to visualize God. Not arguing his or her existence, for who could tell? No one has seen God physically. But just like everyone who has encountered his saving grace in their lives, I have no doubt about his presence, protection, guidance, and provisions in mine. So sometimes I try to imagine, stretching my mind to its highest ramifications, exulting God’s inifintieness. Often times, I have this subtle awareness elicited by the different religious doctrines which purport that God is in all of us, that he is the sum total of everything, every energy, every living and nonliving thing, those we know and those we don’t, those discovered and those yet to be discovered, the sum total of the past, the present, and the future. In such moments and everytime I can, I bow my head in praises.
In God We Trust is the official motto of the United States. The association of this great nation with God almighty brings together every amazing principle we have about ourselves and the steps we take to better the world we live in. This motto has been part of the public identity since the 19th century. It balances that unique individualism Americans pride on with the importance of binding together as one people ordained to achieve great feats.
People always talk about America’s exceptionalism and how that relates to the claims of the uniqueness of other countries. I believe that having such a motto, having it inscribed on the currency, on the flags and seals of different states, in public buildings and in the minds of people, prove that God’s majesty is indeed undeniable.
America also being a place where freedom is appreciated and inclusiveness welcomed, the founding fathers saw it necessary to imprint a caveat on religious radicalism by instituting the Bill of Rights and making freedom of religion a right for everyone while separating the affairs of the State from the Church so as to avoid the establishment of one religion over this great nation. As such, people can choose to worship their God however they deem fit without subjugating others to any forceful beliefs or ways of worship.
Staying True To God is a message I culled from the Homily of Pastor T.D. Jakes in 2009 during the service that was part of the plenty activities that ushered in a great era, a new beginning, a better alliance and faith in ourselves, which was the unprecedented inauguration of the first African American President of the United States. He drew his inspiration from the biblical story of Daniel who made it out of the lion’s den because he stayed true to God.
Serving God, worshipping him, and praising him should make anyone proud. Accumulation of wealth and power make some feel like they are now bigger than God but it’s never true. Some shy away from attachments to the things of God because it is not as mainstream or in vogue with what it actually means to be cool and of-the-talk.
As some may ponder on the great mysteries of this wonderful deity, in some cases more confused by the different symbols with which people pledge their truest devotions, challenged by the curiosity of their minds as to which is the best way to tune into God’s bosom, I think it makes sense to note that God’s Grace abounds in the simple things as well. The fufillment of being made in God’s image and likeness can be attained by loving one another, looking out for one another, and doing the best we can in making life worth living for ourselves and others no matter our differences.
