"Honest Abe??"

Matthew 7:3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?

We get quite a bit of wisdom from Holy Scripture; God’s Word both reveals and convicts those who read and understand His meanings. The above scripture quoted are the words spoken by Jesus. The statement is a look at criticizing others before we examine ourselves. Most of the Bible asks us to look outward toward Jesus, focusing on Him to reveal God’s plan for our lives and give us direction in times of trouble, or times of plenty. This specific verse calls for self examination, to see what our true character is, and how we reflect God in our lives. Christians know that all judgment rests with God, but we are allowed to examine the “fruit” of another’s life.

Throughout history, we have seen many iconic figures such as Winston Churchill, Pope John VI, John F. Kennedy, George Washington, Davey Crockett and perhaps America’s most iconic figure, Abraham Lincoln. Living in the “Lincoln Corridor” in Illinois, we have pretty high regard for that “old log splitter”. Abe’s common roots and down to earth wisdom touch a nerve in those of us in the “Land of Lincoln”. Abe was even known to quote the Bible now and then as he said “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

Recently our President, Barack Hussein Obama, has made some remarks about the Republicans who are trying to capture the nomination for President in the next election. He has made veiled references to the Republicans dividing the nation, rather than uniting it; oddly, it seems Mr. Obama has been calling the wealthy evil and racist, and against the poor. Those statements seem a little divisive to me. Those statements seem to be pitting one class against another, splitting America, not uniting America. It seems we have had several Constitutional issues since Mr. Obama has assumed office, while Mr. Lincoln said, “Don’t interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.” Abe Lincoln knew the value of our Constitutional Rights and our God-given freedoms.

Mr. Lincoln was the first President elected as a Republican, and he was a reluctant candidate. The office of President awed this “country lawyer”, and he held it with humility and dignity. His love for America has rarely been matched, and his concern for her is legendary. He said, “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedom, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”

Personally, I haven’t seen too much “Abe” in Barack Hussein Obama; there are real questions of character that have yet to be answered by our current Chief Executive, and as Abe said “Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”

What kind of a shadow is cast by Barack Hussein Obama; do you see a Lincoln, or something less?