Today, we hear the term “reparations” from the political left and many other groups almost every day. As a white American, I sometimes feel that people like me are under attack because of things that happened long before I was born.
I thank God I was born in America, the land of the free. I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth, and my family and ancestors were not slave owners. I am a third-generation coal miner.
Part of my family roots on my grandfather’s side trace back to Matewan, West Virginia, in Mingo County. Matewan was the site of the famous 1920 Battle of Matewan, often referred to as the Matewan Massacre. The battle was fought over coal miners’ rights.
On one side were Matewan citizens and members of the United Mine Workers of America. On the other side was the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency, hired by coal companies that were determined to prevent miners from organizing unions.
The Battle of Matewan was a setback in the struggle for miners’ rights, but the fight continued until the early 1930s, when the federal government recognized labor unions and the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 was enacted.
Since I was a little boy, I have heard stories about how miners in Matewan were treated by the coal companies. The companies owned the houses where miners lived and the stores where they bought food and supplies. Many miners were paid in company scrip that could only be spent at the company store. They had little choice but to pay whatever prices the company charged for food, clothing and housing. In my opinion, that system resembled a form of economic bondage.
Many people have stories of hardship and suffering. I am not asking for reparations, but I do believe we should learn from the mistakes of the past and work to create a better future for our children, our families and our nation.
The real problem is the human heart.
The Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” James 4:1-2 asks, “From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?” Verse 2 continues, “Ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not.”
Jesus said in Matthew 24:37, “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” What were those days like? Just look around and you will see. Matthew 24:38 says people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark.
Why are people marrying and giving in marriage? Jesus said in Matthew 19:8 that it is because of the hardness of their hearts. The heart problem is seen throughout Scripture. Genesis 6:5 says that God saw the wickedness of man was great upon the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Verse 6 says it grieved God in His heart that He had made man. Verse 7 records God’s judgment, yet verse 8 declares, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”
That grace is the only hope for this generation.
It is not reparations that mankind needs. It is the grace of God that comes through His Son. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
God does not ask us to make reparations for the way we have treated Him and His Son. Instead, He offers forgiveness and a new beginning. If we repent, receive a new heart and follow Him, God promises in Ezekiel 36:26, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.”
Isaiah 1:18-20 presents both a promise and a warning. Verse 19 says, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.” Verse 20 says, “But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”
If we reject God’s plan of salvation, there will be a day of reckoning. First Timothy 5:24 reminds us, “Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.”
As always, I encourage you to mark your calendars for the Generations United Revival, “Come Alive Virginia,” Aug. 6-8 at the stage at Poplar Gap Park in Grundy.
Speakers and guests will include Joel Horn and youth from his church on Thursday, Aug. 6; Steven and Lori Ward of the Living Room Program on Friday, Aug. 7; and J.T. Harman, youth singing groups, and Jeremy and Amy Mickles, founders of Youth Worship Night, on Saturday, Aug. 8. Steven and Lori Ward will be with us all three nights.
Many young people will be ministering each evening through music, testimonies and skits. We invite everyone to come and join us. Please bring a chair, as the services will be held outdoors.
It’s going to be an awesome time in the Lord.
