Author: John Page 79 of 164

Proverbs 30:8-9 “Remove far from me vanity and lies:  give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:  Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD?  Or let I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”

Revelation 3:16-17 “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knoweth not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”

In a wealthy nation like the United States, nearly all of us fall into what is described as the top one percent.  Yes, 99 percent of the world’s population is less wealthy than the average American.  Yet, prosperity, like power, tends to draw us away from God.  When we are full, we are tempted to deny the Lord.  When we are rich, we believe that we have need of nothing.  All the while, we neglect to recognize that we are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.

As Christian Americans, we need to establish checks in our lives so as not to fall into this trap.  We must realize that prosperity has a powerful influence on us that can lead us away from God because we are comfortable and seemingly self-sufficient.  Regardless of our situation, we still have a desperate need for the LORD that we must never forget.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO AVOID THE TRAPPINGS OF PROSPERITY.  Regardless of our financial condition, we are always a needy people.

Acts 17:6 “And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also”

The Battle of Britain played a decisive role in World War II.  Lasting from July 1940 until October 31^st, 1940, it was the German Air Force’s attempt to gain air superiority over the United Kingdom to facilitate a German seaborne invasion or to force the British into a negotiated peace settlement.  The British Royal Air Force rose to the occasion and sufficiently repelled the German Luftwaffe.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill recognized the oversized role that the Royal Air Force played in the German’s first defeat of World War II.  He prepared the following emotional line to use in a speech to the House of Commons:  “never in the history of mankind has so much been owed by so many to so few.”  While rehearsing in front of Major General Hastings Ismay enroute to the speech, Ismay wisely remarked “What about Jesus and his disciples?”  Churchill, recognizing the truth provided by his General, changed the pivotal line of his speech to: “Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.”  After all, nothing in human history could rise to the impact provided by Jesus and his disciples.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD LIVE OUR LIVES IN A WAY THAT RECOGNIZES OUR INFINITE DEBT TO CHRIST.  Indeed, so many of us owe so much to our Lord and Savior.  In reality, we owe it all to Him!

Proverbs 16:3 “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.”

Psalm 37:4 “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart”

As a proud people, we often assume that God is on our side.  We seek to bend His will to match our will.  We mask our questionable actions with Godly pretenses and justify our stubborn desires with an air of moral superiority.  We do so while failing to ask the real question:  “Are we on His side?”  It is this reminder from President Abraham Lincoln that is the real query of importance.

In order for our thoughts to be established in the proper way, we must first commit our works to the Lord.  We must ask – are we on His side?  In order for the desires of our hearts to be properly prioritized, we must first delight ourselves in the Lord.  We must ask – are we on His side?  A proper heart and a proper mind come first through obedience.  They come through the repeated asking of the question – are we on His side?  Once we commit ourselves to being on His side, then He molds our minds and hearts to align with His will.  At that point, His desires become our desires.  Our desires never become His desires.

PLEASE PRAY FOR A YIELDED HEART AND MIND THAT ALIGN WITH GOD’S WILL.  Do so by constantly asking the question – am I on His side?

For a related thought, please see:  https://prayatlunch.us/are-we-on-his-side/

Matthew 19:26 “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

On October 14, 1947, the famous World War II fighter pilot and ace Chuck Yeager became the first to break the sound barrier by flying faster than the speed of sound is his Bell X-1 rocket plane.  It was a technical accomplishment that had been elusive for many years, and was a hurdle that some thought impossible to overcome.   That single flight proved the doubters wrong.  Thus, on an October day seventy years ago, Yeager’s flight test team shattered three barriers at once:  the sound barrier, a technical barrier, and a psychological barrier.

Too many of us see challenges instead of chances.  We see obstacles instead of opportunities.  We see barriers instead of breakthroughs.  For Christians, it should not be so.

We have a God for whom all things are possible!  With us as individuals it is not so, but we have a God who is unlimited by impossibilities.  May we trust in Him to break the barriers that surround us.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO RELY UPON A GOD WHO CAN BREAK ANY BARRIER.  We need to trust the One for whom nothing is impossible!

Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”

Cricket is an interesting game, with some similarities to baseball but with many differences.  One notable difference is that it is very difficult to get an opposing player out.  In fact, there are situations during Test Matches where the same batter remains at bat for an entire day because the defensive team cannot get him out.  In the meanwhile, the batter scores hundreds of runs for his team.  It is very rare for a batter to get out without scoring a single run.  In fact, such a situation is called a Duck.  It is extraordinarily rare for a batter to get out on the first pitch (aka first bowl).  This situation is called a Golden Duck, and if achieved in a match (at any level) it qualifies the batter to become a member of the Primary Club.  Sadly, I am a member of the Primary Club.

While stationed in the United Kingdom many years ago, my village cricket team invited me to play a match with them against a neighboring village.  I was excited to show them the American athletic prowess and eagerly joined the team.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to practice ahead of time or even to warm up immediately before the game.  Before I knew it, I was at bat with a determined bowler intent on thwarting my cricket debut.  At the first pitch, I swung for the fences expecting a glorious crack of the bat.  Instead, all I heard was the cheering of the other team.  Sure enough, my mighty swing completely whiffed and the ball struck the wicket behind me.  I was out on the first ball, and didn’t even know what a big deal it was until my team passed on the deflating news.  They also passed on my name and story to the Primary Club who sent me a tie commemorating the event.  I had one pitch thrown my way, and I missed it.

There is only one pitch that matters for eternity – what do we do with the glorious news of Jesus Christ.  Do we accept it and connect with Him, or do we miss it altogether?  Thirteen years ago this week, I accepted Jesus as my Savior after missing His grace every time it came my way prior to that.  It was the single most important decision I will ever make in my life.

May we all remember the glorious moment when we connected with Jesus.  May this single event motivate us continuously to reach out to our needy world with the good news of Christ.  PLEASE PRAY THAT CHRISTIANS WOULD FAITHFULLY PITCH THE GOSPEL TO THOSE AROUND US.  Making connections for Christ will help bring our nation and our world into THE PRIMARY CLUB!