Be grateful, not great
To The Sun: The political slogan Make America Great Again is not biblical or Christlike, although it was reportedly started by a group calling themselves Christians. I serve the God of the Bible who gave his one and only son to die for all of us, so that through living and believing in Him, we have eternal life (See John 3:16 and 11:25-26).
No place in the Bible can we see God or Jesus telling us to be great. In fact, it is just the opposite. After all, didn’t Adam and Eve try to be great like God by eating the forbidden fruit? And how did that turn out for them? (See Genesis 3:1-24).
And then in Genesis 11, we see where a nation attempted to be great by building a tower to reach to the heavens, “so that we may make a name for ourselves” (Genesis 11:4). And how did that turn out for this nation? The Bible says “there the Lord confused the language of the whole world” (Genesis 11:9).
Also, King David, a man according to God “after my own heart” and who through his “descendants would give us the Savior Jesus,” (Acts 13:22-23) attempted greatness when he took a census of Israel. Seventy thousand Israelites fell dead because of this census taking (l Chronicles 21:1-17).
In the book of Acts, known as the story of Christ’s church, the author Luke details the founding and early development of the church following Jesus’ ascension into heaven (see Acts 2:147). Luke notes the church was thriving through believers sharing their possessions and being “one in heart and mind” (Acts 4:32-37). But the story takes a tragic turn when two believers, a husband and a wife, seek greatness by selling their property. Unfortunately, they kept part of the money and took the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet, apparently claiming it was all the money. The apostle Peter called them out and stated they lied to the Holy Spirit. They were struck dead and buried (Acts 5:1-11).
We are not called to be great but to be humble and grateful. By the way, when you study each of these true stories, please note, most of the time it was Satan who inspired them, and according to Jesus in John 8:44, Satan is “the father of lies.”
So I cannot now or ever jump on board with such a slogan as Make America Great Again. Jesus in Matthew 23:11-12 clearly states, “The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
My prayer is 2 Chronicles 7:14, a direct quote from God to King Solomon. “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Even though this prayer was spoken many years ago regarding the Jewish nation, I believe it is relevant today. After all, God doesn’t change (Malachi 3:6 and Isaiah 40:8).
We are called to be his servants and to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And to Love your neighbor as yourself” (quote from Jesus in Matthew 22:37-39).
The apostle Paul states in 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18, “We do not pay back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
May we seek to love and serve like Jesus and not to be great but grateful. — SUSAN SOUDERS, Altamont, striving to be a good and faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ
Invoking 1798 act is concerning
To The Sun: President Trump has invoked the 1798 Enemy Aliens Act to supposedly deport members of a Venezuelan gang. The first question to ask is why he tried to invoke this act when he already has ample legal authority to deport the people he describes in his invocation on the act.
One issue that has not received much attention in the litigation that has arisen over the invocation of the act is the government’s allegation that they don’t need to provide the names of the people deported or explain how it was determined that they were Venezuelan or members of the gang. Please, as an American, think about this position. If it is upheld, anybody could be grabbed and disappeared, period.
President Trump has clearly shown he wants no dissent from any of his positions. He attacks anybody who criticizes his and Musk’s policies: the press, lawyers, universities, judges, politicians of both parties, anybody who speaks out.
The reason he is using this act is to silence any opposition to him. If upheld, we should all be terrified, including MAGA supporters who disagree with any of the actions taken by Musk against veterans, farmers, Social Security recipients and a host of others. — RON SVATY, Ellsworth, former district court judge
