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The
State of Our Union
The State
of the Union Address is an annual event in which
the President of the
United States
reports on the status of the country, normally to a
joint session of the U.S. Congress (the House of
Representatives and the Senate). The address is also
used to outline the President's legislative proposals
for the upcoming year.
Modeled
after the monarch's Speech from the Throne in the
United Kingdom
, the address is required by the United
States Constitution:
“The
President shall from time to time give to Congress
information of the State of the
Union
and recommend to their Consideration such measures as
he shall judge necessary and expedient."
(Article II, Section 3)
George
Washington gave the first state of the union address
in the
United States
on January 8, 1790 in
New York City
, then the provisional
U.S.
capital. It has occurred in January (except for six
occasions in February) since 1934. On January 23,
2007, U.S. President George W. Bush delivered the 2007
State of the Union Address. *
Considering
the recent account of the state of the union of the
United States
, let’s ask ourselves an important question:
“What
is the state of OUR (your and my) union with
God
?”
Sin
separates us from God.
Long ago God spoke through the prophet Isaiah:
“Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, That it
cannot save; Nor His ear heavy,
That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that
He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2).
If something is not done concerning our sin, it
will separate us from God for eternity
(2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).
Because
of His love for us, God gave us His Son to die for our
sins so that our sins can be forgiven, and we can be
reconciled to Him.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us,
in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for
us. Much more then, having now been justified by His
blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For
if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God
through the death of His Son, much more, having been
reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans
5:8-10).
Those
who believe
in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31) turn from sin in repentance
(Acts 17:30-31) confess
Christ before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized
(immersed) in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38) have their
sins washed away and are reconciled to God.
As long as we CONTINUE to walk in the light of
His word, the blood of Jesus will CONTINUE to cleanse
us and keep us reconciled to God (1 John 1:7).
Jesus
died for our sins on the cross so that we could be
UNITED with God – eternally.
He awaits our response…
What
is the state of YOUR
union with God?
David A.
Sargent, Minister
Church of Christ at Creekwood
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
* Information gleaned
from Wikipedia -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_the_Union_Address
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