Pages

Sunday, July 3, 2016

THE DAY BEFORE



THE DAY BEFORE!

Ps 33:12
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord: and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. (Quote from the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776)

Try to imagine what the world was like on July 3, 1776. The march of evil had so pressed the colonists that they felt the next steps might just be the abandonment of inalienable rights and self-evident truths. These were rights that government did not nor could not bestow and truths so glaringly true as to nearly blind the observer unless the eye of the heart be blind.

It had “become necessary” to dissolve the political bands which connected one people to another and to trust one’s fate to the God who had been so greatly offended. The causes which impelled them to separation were broad. “Prudence, indeed, dictated that the government long established should not be changed for light and transient causes.” One of those causes listed was this sentence: “He (the king) has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.” The politicizing of the courts could not be reversed by yet more politics.

The colonists had petitioned for redress but those petitions were ignored and dismissed. The declaration concludes: “A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.” So the Continental Congress would soon vote to separate from such a tyrant and to declare that they are free and independent states. “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, they mutually pledged to each other their Lives, their Fortunes, and their sacred Honor.”

It is uncanny how similar our present situations compare to 1776. Now, to decide how to proceed we petition The Almighty for wisdom, courage, and relief!

Tough times lay ahead as we approach the end of the age. We wait for the return of Jesus – even so come quickly.

Oh, God! Give us wisdom to deal with the tyrant of our days and give us the courage and wisdom of our forefathers! Come quickly to help us, Oh God. AMEN

Saturday, July 2, 2016

THE ROOTS OF FREEDOM



THE ROOTS OF FREEDOM!

John 8:32-36
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

What has come to be called The Great Awakening was led by George Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards and Gilbert Tennant. It swept the mid-Atlantic colonies in the 1730’s and 1740’s. This sweeping spiritual revival focused on those who were already church members! It challenged their rituals, their piety and their self awareness.

Jonathan Edwards’ most famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” was based upon Deut 32:35 “To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.” It is said that those who listened to this sermon held onto the pillars of the meeting house for stability fearing the floor would open and hell would swallow them up!

While some discount its importance, the impact upon the American Revolution seems clear. The American Revolution was less about tea and taxation than it was about tyranny, freedom, and man’s inalienable rights handed down by the Creator. Just as Jesus said, “the truth shall make you free.” The foundation of the truth preached by Whitfield, Edwards and Tennant created the air in which freedom could breathe.

The need today is not so much a return to political conservatism and integrity but a spiritual revival which will produce a climate in which government reform can take place. Without a spiritual revival political reforms will only serve to replace one tyrant with another. The most important thing I can do for my country is to be a godly citizen!

Prov 29:2
2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.

Dear Lord, our nation needs you desperately! Create in us a thirst for godliness and return to us in great strength. Hear us when we pray! Restrain evil in our land. Oh Lord, revive us again! AMEN

Friday, July 1, 2016

THE REALITIES OF THE FLESH



THE REALITIES OF THE FLESH!

Matt 26:40-41
40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

           The disciples had marched the dusty road to Gethsemane. The dirt, like cool powder, soothed their weary feet. Finding a comfortable place, they stretched out on the rocks and wrapped themselves in the dew of evening. Jesus takes Peter, James and John then said to the others: “Stay here while I go yonder and pray.”

           It had been a difficult day. Their minds were still trying to process the announcement that Jesus was going to die. Maybe he was speaking metaphorically. Then there was the strange twist to the familiar supper when Jesus offered the bread and declared that it was his body. Then he offered the cup and declared that it was his blood. What could that mean? A yawn and a stretch and soon the three that was closest to Him fell fast asleep. Following this man was exhausting work.

Gal 5:17
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

           There are some harsh realities of the flesh. Our bodies, at the same time, make it possible for us to serve God and resist the rigors of that service. Our bodies prefer comfort and must be dragged along on the journey at times. Discipline is both difficult and necessary if we are to accomplish our spiritual goals.

1 Cor 9:27
27 But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit]. AMPLIFIED NEW TESTAMENT

Dear Lord, give me the courage to refuse my body the pampering it demands so that I might accomplish your purposes today. AMEN