Author: John Page 128 of 166

Romans 12:20-21 “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Tomorrow as we recognize the great civil rights leader and Baptist pastor, Martin Luther King Jr, our nation should be mindful of the lessons of his effective, non-violent, Christian-centered methods. During his “I Have a Dream Speech” Dr. King carefully reminded his followers of the importance of responsibility and restraint:

“But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.”

Christian Americans in particular should embrace the importance of these Bible-based principles. We must not let the nation’s drift from the Lord cause us bitterness. We must not let the nation’s drift from the Lord cause us hatefulness. We must not let the nation’s drift from the Lord cause us to lash out with wrongful deeds. Instead, we must conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must overcome evil with good.

Though the way of the world and the flesh is to lash out at adversity and injustice, the way of the Lord is the opposite thereof. We are to be humble. We are to be prayerful. We are to be grace-filled. We are to demonstrate charity and love.

If we are to see our dreams of national revival come true, we must separate ourselves from the ways of the world. Doing so makes us unique and far more effective. Doing so allows Christ to shine through us. PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO FACE ADVERSITY WITH DIGNITY AND DISCIPLINE.

Psalm 122:6 “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.”

There are times when legislation is amazingly aligned with God’s word. House Resolution 7177, signed into law on October 15, 2008, is one such instance related to American support of Israel. It states the following:

“Any certification relating to a proposed sale or export of defense articles or defense services under this section to any country in the Middle East other than Israel shall include a determination that the sale or export of the defense articles or defense services will not adversely affect Israel’s qualitative military edge over military threats to Israel.”

The law goes on to define this edge with the following language:

“The term ‘qualitative military edge’ means the ability to counter and defeat any credible conventional military threat from any individual state or possible coalition of states or from non-state actors, while sustaining minimal damages and casualties, through the use of superior military means, possessed in sufficient quantity, including weapons, command, control, communication, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities that in their technical characteristics are superior in capability to those of such other individual or possible coalition of states or non-state actors.”

Wow! Public law mandates that American military sales in the Middle East will always allow Israel to maintain an edge over any possible coalition of states or non-state actors. Such an edge is intended to minimize Israeli damage and casualties, based on the relative quantity and quality of weapons in the region. Such an edge allows for Israeli military superiority while intending to safeguard the peace of Jerusalem.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE PEACE AND WELL-BEING OF ISRAEL. Such prayers complement public law while demonstrating our love.

Genesis 12:2-3 “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

The United States has been Biblically wise in its support of Israel. Throughout the decades, America has supported Israel diplomatically, politically, economically, and militarily. America has codified its support through legislation like the U.S.-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012 that includes the following strong language as its prelude:

“Since 1948, United States Presidents and both houses of Congress, on a bipartisan basis and supported by the American people, have repeatedly reaffirmed the special bond between the United States and Israel, based on shared values and shared interests.”

While presidential support has occasionally waivered, our nation’s support has been unwavering. In spite of the many ways that our nation has drifted away from God’s Word and invited His wrath, this single avenue of faithfulness may be why we continue to be blessed and not cursed. May we never drift from it.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN POLITICAL LEADERS WOULD CONTINUE OUR NATION’S SUPPORT OF ISRAEL. The differences between the Lord’s blessings and the Lord’s curses hang in the balance.

II Thessalonians 2:13-3:1 “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work. Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you”

As Lincoln closed his short Farewell address (see the previous post), he stated the following:

“To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.”

Reminiscent of Paul’s closing salutations, Lincoln ended his short speech with a dedication to pray for his audience and a request that they would pray for him. While our Congressmen may not ask us to pray for them as they begin this 114^th Congress, they need our prayers. We must be committed to commend them to His care.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE 114^th CONGRESS, NOW AND THROUGHOUT THEIR TERM. They need His care and our prayer.

John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches; He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

As President-elect Abraham Lincoln was on the verge of leaving his hometown of Springfield, Illinois for Washington DC in 1861, he spoke the following words in what is now known as his Farewell Address:

“My friends — No one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting. To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe every thing. Here I have lived a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an old man. Here my children have been born, and one is buried. I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of the Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail. Trusting in Him who can go with me, and remain with you and be every where for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.”

Lincoln’s words from the Springfield Great Western Railroad Depot directly mirror John 15:5. He recognized that with the Lord he would not fail; indeed, with God he would bring forth much fruit. He also recognized that without the Lord he could not succeed; indeed, without God he could do nothing. Lincoln recognized that the same was true for George Washington as well. The same is true for us and for our leaders today.

Specially, the same is true for the 114^th Congress that begins their legislative term this week. As they leave their hometowns to converge upon Washington DC, they must heed the Biblical wisdom recited by Lincoln as he began his first term. In order to thrive, they must develop and maintain a constant connection to Christ.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE 114^th CONGRESS TO ABIDE IN CHRIST. After all, our nation needs them to bear much fruit.