Acts 2:46-47 “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”
As a part of my 2022 devotions, I am reading through a 1942 daily devotional entitled “Strength for Service To God and Country”. It was written by pastors throughout the country during World War II to distribute to American military members fighting for freedom around the world. Its introductory section shares the following about the purpose and content of this devotion:
“This is your book. It is for you alone. Its purpose is to strengthen and sustain you in those troubled hours when you feel a Need that cannot be well put into words.
All over this land you love – in the great cities, in smaller communities, in schools and colleges, and in houses of business – men have put aside the duties of the day to talk in type with you. They have done this gladly, eagerly – because they want to help – and because their hearts are filled with gratitude to America’s soldiers, sailors, and marines.
They are simple things, these messages. But then freedom, and righteousness, and love are simple terms, easy to grasp and comforting to cling to in troubled times. There is no need for fine writing, for big words and labored sentences when hearts talk with one another.”
This devotional book had particular power in its day because of the distributed nature of the message, for both the authors and the readers. The authors, as mentioned above, published their devotional from all over the land in order to express appreciation and encouragement, and pour themselves into the lives of their readers while uplifting the cause of Christ. Those words were given to readers who were deployed to face conflict in foreign lands that encircled the globe. Their dispersed readership provided an amplified message that spoke in personal and profound ways during times of great need. As a result, the network of authors and readers created a powerful bond of service that knitted the broader community together into one accord that supported, strengthened, and sustained while encouraging likeminded believers everywhere.
There is great power in the nature of the Christian movement in 2022, especially with the tools at our disposal. Through prayers, posts, and publications, spiritual leaders can pour themselves from across our land into the lives of others around the globe. As a result, the network can create a powerful bond of service that can knit the community together into one accord that uplifts the cause of Christ, and that supports, strengthens and sustains.
We should all be encouraged by the faithfulness of likeminded Christians today from all over this land we love – in the great cities, in smaller communities, in schools and colleges, and in houses of business. If this distributed mass of believers prays as we should, preaches as we should, and participates in our society as we should, then we can have an impact for the cause of Christ that the world has never seen.
PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS FROM ACROSS THE NATION TO FAITHFULLY SERVE OUR LORD IN THIS LAND. Today more than ever, it is critical to support, strengthen, and sustain from all over this land we love.
