Jun 30, 2020
Mike Schrage, GNPI President
I’ve been married for almost 40 years, and I still struggle with admitting that I am wrong to my wife. I found it hard to apologize to my children when they were under my roof. Even today in the workplace, it’s a challenge to tell my coworkers I’m sorry. As individuals, we have to lay aside our pride to improve our relationships. So it should not come as a surprise that we are now struggling as a nation to admit our pride and ask God and one another for forgiveness.
As a Christian, I am not male, female, white, or black, I am foremost a servant. I am under Christ. I am broken, redeemed, adopted, and forgiven. I am no longer the holder of my personal identity, much less my destiny. Instead, I am hidden in Christ. Christ, my supreme example.
As a servant, I lament that I still have pride and not enough love. I also lament for the culture of my homeland—for all of us as citizens and for the state of the Church because the U.S. is now the fifth-largest unchurched nation in the world. I pray for our leaders this Independence Day as those in authority over us who will give an account to the living God about how they led us.
God, hear from heaven and forgive me. Forgive all of us our sins and heal our land. We strive to come alongside you, God our Father, and the angels in heaven.
That is my cry, that is my hope. As we reflect on our independence, may we realize how desperately we need to depend on God and one another. Amen!