INTRODUCTION
Why has God been pushed out of the political process? Why has God been removed from the national conversation? The answers to those questions rest in whether we believe we still need God or not. In other words, has our affluence and independence smothered our sense of gratitude and trust?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Are you the type of person that would drive through a red light in the middle of the night if there were no other cars around? On the flip side, how do we know the right thing to do when there is no law?
- Proverbs 30:8-9 speaks about dependence on God. Why do people neglect God during times of affluence?
- Israel, in the Old Testament, was a nation with numerous laws and regulations, yet had a national conscience shaped by their relationship with God. Does a nation need a relationship with God or can it succeed with simply a perfect set of laws?
- Prosperity is not conducive to humility and gratitude. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
- Deuteronomy 8:20 records the consequences if Israel chose to disobey God. Does this Old Testament passage have any contemporary significance? Why or why not?
- Is it possible for a nation to be accountable to God and still protect individual freedoms? In other words, how do we balance the need for laws and a divinely informed conscience?
MOVING FORWARD
We must be a nation of conscience led by those who understand that they are accountable not only to the American people, but also to their Creator. God has been an integral part of shaping and developing this country. Let's boldly invite God back into the national conversation and include concepts like accountability, trust, and gratitude in the framework of our conscience.
CHANGING YOUR MIND
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
Proverbs 30:8