There was a new poll out yesterday asking American’s who they admire most. The 2,634 respondents were not given a list of names, but instead offered names spontaneously. The majority of those polled responded with “President Obama” as their #1 choice, followed by Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King #3. When asked to explain their choices the top responses were:
Doing what’s right regardless of personal consequences: 89%
Not giving up until the goal is accomplished: 83%
Doing more than what other people expect of them: 82%
Overcoming adversity: 81%
Staying level-headed in crisis: 81%
What does this say about our society and the direction it’s heading? Mr. Obama has barely been on the job a month and has made some less than popular decisions already. Even the most successful presidents have failed policies. Jesus has been on the job for over 2000 years and His policies in the Bible have never failed. Let’s make some things very clear: only Jesus died on the cross for our sins. These were the sins of those that crucified him, those that mocked and ridiculed him, and those of us who weren’t even born yet. His personal consequence was death, yet he did not give up. No one on earth expected Him to die on the cross, yet He did because that was the only way. Only Jesus rose again on the 3rd day. How could there ever be more adversity than that to overcome? Only Jesus is the King of Kings. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
This same poll was conducted in 2001 and the #1 answer was Jesus Christ. I talked about this shift of worldview from the cross to man in the Are we living in the time of Samuel post and I think this poll is yet another indicator that a shift is definitely underway. I want to reiterate the quote I used in that post, “Unless the people can return to their roots and mission, they will crumble from within.”
Isaiah 40:28-31 “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
