The Atlantic/Aspen Institute American Values Survey, was conducted in 2012 by the firm, Penn Schoen Berland. Mark Penn, lead pollster summarized the results in charts. Basically, their survey noted Americans say they are more tolerant and open-minded than their parents. About half believe the economic system is unfair to middle and working-class Americans. About two-thirds believe the country is heading in the wrong direction. 69 percent believe the country’s values have crumbled since the 1970s. And almost half say values will continue to cripple over the next ten years. American values and lifestyle have gone through profound and radical changes. Many of these changes affect us in more ways than one. What do we do?
We commit our way to the Lord. Psalm 37:5 tells us “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.” I read that the literal translation of the word “way” in the scripture above is “lifestyle.” And, that the word “trust” means differently than Psalm 37:3. Its literal translation is to “roll your way on the Lord—commit it to him.”
When we commit ourselves to the Lord as the Psalmist wrote, we are submitting ourselves and literally handing our life over to him. We subject ourselves; all that we are, all that we have to the Lord’s control and guidance. This is genuine faith and belief that God can care better for us than we can for ourselves.
Dr. Adrian Rogers, preacher/teacher of Love Worth Finding Ministries, wrote that when we commit as noted above, “your standard of living may change, but not your standard of life. It’s very important you understand that. There’s a difference between a standard of living and a standard of life.”
We definitely need to keep this in our heart and mind. The American lifestyle and its incessant radical changes will affect us if they haven’t already. We will be challenged and we will question much of what we have been taught. It is when we yield ourselves in strong faith
to God that will keep us firmly grounded.
ritasalomon 