I pledge allegiance to.........

Tensions are running thick in America during these times. This is mainly because people are having some serious differences about the way government should be run. You constantly hear words thrown around like Socialism(shared government responsibility with private entities to distribute wealth), Communism(government controls and distributes all wealth), and the high and lifted up Capitalism(distribution of wealth primarily controlled by private entities). For those that don't follow the various ways that governments are run Capitalism is by and far the God of American Culture. The American dream is sort of like Capitalism's holy spirit urging true believers to push and sacrifice to become one with their God, as evidenced with wealth and prosperity. For those of us with simpler taste this means a house, white picket fence, 2.3 kids, two cars in the garage, and I cant forget about good ole fido! Oh yea, we cant forget about Capitalism's sacrificial lamb: The holder of the Presidential Office. After all our beneficent leaders sacrifice their lives in the name of public service to uphold and establish the Word of their God, CAPITALISM. So much so that we feel a need to spread the Gospel of Capitalism(Freedom/Democracy) across the globe. We will use weapons if we have to also.

With that put into perspective Christians are very quick to fight for a system that daily usurps the authority of the True God and replaces it with cheap substitutions that are mainly material. Do I enjoy living in America, of course I do, but I do not enjoy it enough that I wont dare criticize problems with it and follow Capitalism's lamb in unrighteous worship. The nation of Israel was faced with a similar choice so long ago. They had the True God as their leader and what did they do......Israel Demands a King
8:1 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
Samuel's Warning Against Kings
10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
The Lord Grants Israel's Request
19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”

We see this in governments today with taxes, armies, seizure of property, etc. We still refuse to follow the True God , but we appoint man with all of their ideas to lord over us. Sadly we do this we great passion and angst.

To all my fellow brothers and sisters, it is a shame but in some instances we can easily tell whether or not someone has pledged an allegiance to a country, government, or whatever you want to call it, but we cant tell if some have pledged allegiance to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus, because there is no where near the movement to serve Christ as there is to serve men and ideas.

Fight for the things of the Lord and not the things of man. Grace and Peace