During his campaign, President Trump promised to “make America great again.” Politicians have made this promise before. It was the slogan for Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in 1992. It was first used during Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign in 1980.
President Trump hopes to fulfill his promise by implementing new policies (and amending existing ones). This is how politicians affect change – through politics and legislation. I’m sure Trump will do some great things during his time in office. But we must recognize that politics can only do so much.
If America is made great, it won’t be through a politician. Jesus is the only One who can change our country. And He wants to do it through His church. Do you want to make America great again, truly? Then you must learn to live out your Christian identity in the context of your American citizenship.
Meet Jesus’ Expectations
Jesus calls us “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). He expects us to have a sanctifying influence on our nation. Our holiness ought to rub off on our family members, neighbors, and coworkers.
He also calls us “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). He expects us to illuminate our nation’s conscience with the gospel. We ought to provide a biblical perspective on current events and national affairs.
He tells us, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). He expects us to display our faith for others to see. We ought to work out our salvation in plain sight, thus furnishing an example of how He can change our country.
In short, we make America great by proving the gospel works. Our country needs to see lives changed by God’s grace. It needs to witness good deeds done for His glory. Only then will it be compelled to honor Him in its conduct as a nation.
A specific way to do this is maintaining a godly attitude toward the President. The Bible tells us to respect and honor him (Romans 13:7). By submitting to his leadership, we will earn respect for ourselves.
Another way is generosity toward the needy. Jesus became poor for our sakes that we might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). What if we forsook our luxuries to meet the needs of fellow Americans? Surely we would earn the right to be heard!
Advance God’s Kingdom
When Jesus saves you, He grants you citizenship in God’s kingdom (Philippians 3:20; Colossians 1:13). Each citizen of God’s kingdom is given the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit changes us into godly, respectable people.
We make America great by advancing God’s kingdom. As we share our faith, Jesus saves more people and gives them His Spirit as well. The Holy Spirit then changes them the way He’s already changed us. This produces more godly, respectable Americans.
We affect change in our nation by bringing people into God’s kingdom. As more Americans submit to Jesus’ lordship, He gains more influence in our country. We must remember to use our rights as a platform to preach the gospel and promote Jesus.
What other ways can we be “salt” and “light” in our nation? Share your thoughts with a comment below!
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Zack Donaldson 
We can be salt to our neighbors by guarding our speech. Like you said, we must maintain a godly attitude toward the president, which implies we must never slander him but rather honor him. In the same way, we should shun everyday gossip. Then our neighbors will notice our upright character.
“O LORD, who may abide in Your tent?
Who may dwell on Your holy hill?
He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness,
And speaks truth in his heart.
He does not slander with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor takes up a reproach against his friend…”
(Psalm 15:1-3)
Salt is a preservative, so we should act in ways that preserve our neighbors’ character; we must not endorse their sin and we must not set a sinful example. Ideally, our neighbors will notice our upright character and inquire about the source of our holiness: “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:6). We must take captive even our daily, mundane conversations to make it obedient to Christ.
“Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3).