Good Morning Church! Do you believe what you say you believe and do you know why?

And not just in regards to your faith — I am talking about all of it. Do you really believe what you say you believe and can you defend it?

Or has your entire belief system been handed down like a family heirloom?

And just like your aunt Edna’s brooch you recognize it when you see it — It’s always been around — but you don’t really know it’s story or if you really care at all.

Unfortunately that’s how most us build the foundation of everything we believe in.

We were born to it. It’s just who we are but we don’t know why.

As I listened to the radio this week I was reminded of the story of Frederick Douglass.

A friend of Abraham Lincoln — a former slave — A man born to hate America.

In his early life he had been taught that The Constitution of United States was a racist document — after all it specified that the slaves should only be counted as three-fifths a person.

But after studying the document himself he discovered the three-fifths compromise was actually devised as a way to prevent the southern states from using the slave population to increase the number of representatives they could send to The House of Representatives and the number of electoral votes they would be allowed for presidential elections.

At the time 40 percent of the southern population were slaves. The slave owners wanted to count the slave population in order to increase their power and influence.

The northern states knew that would lessen their chances of abolishing slavery altogether so a compromise was reached to allow the southern states to count the slave population — but only as three-fifths per person.

5 slaves were counted as 3 not to devalue the lives of the people they enslaved but to lessen the power and influence of those who enslaved them.

Once Douglass knew the truth he not only changed his belief system — he became one of the most outspoken defenders of The United States Constitution and the men who wrote it.

Now take the example set by Douglass and apply it to your life.

Can you?

Would you live differently if your belief system was founded on truth rather than tradition or what you have been told is truth?

Like Douglass would you find yourself with a renewed passion and conviction for what you believe in?

Would you act differently — love differently — live differently?

Would our country be different?

If everyone who wears the name of Jesus Christ really believed what they said they believed? Would that spark in you ignite again?

Imagine the possibilities;

We could change the world because the One we believe in overcame it all.

So Church? What do you say? Do you believe?

Are you ready to stoke the fire?

God Bless!

Laus Deo — Soli Deo Gloria!

LaVern Vivio

August 14, 2016