Author: John Page 82 of 163

Jude 1:3 “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

I Corinthians 3:2 “I have fed you with milk, and not with meat:  for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.”

A couple of months ago, Dr. Tom Amberry passed away at the age of 94.  Though certainly not a household name, Tom performed an amazing feat that is almost impossible to comprehend.  At the age of 71, he made an amazing 2,750 free throws in a row.  Over the course of 12 hours at the Rossmoor Athletic Club, Tom didn’t miss.  In fact, he could have kept going, but was asked to leave the gym because the facility was closing.  He was a master of the fundamentals, and saw the free throw as a gift; “you should take advantage of it” he would tell players and coaches alike.  It was a simple way to score for one dedicated to strong form, solid mechanics, and proper focus.  Tom had such form, mechanics, and focus.

American Christians need to be far better about our fundamentals.  We must create a foundation of faithfulness through strong form, solid mechanics, and proper focus that we can readily build upon.  Reading our Bibles and spending time in prayer are the basics – gifts we should take advantage of.  They are the milk that will allow us to develop a more robust diet.  They are the tools that will enable us to earnestly contend for the faith.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO FOCUS ON THE FUNDAMENTALS OF OUR FAITH.  These gifts, if taken advantage of, will give us an advantage in this land.

(Guest contributor – Chaplain Scott Foust)

John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

In 1912, Woodrow Wilson was elected as our nation’s 28th President.  As World War I broke out in 1914, Wilson maintained an unwavering policy of neutrality.  The idea of war brought back his earliest memories when, as a 4-year old boy growing up in Augusta, GA, he witnessed the horrors of the Civil War, when his dad’s local church was converted into a make-shift hospital for Confederate soldiers, and he heard the gruesome stories about Gen Sherman marching into Atlanta and burning it to the ground.  (Note: It was Wilson who presided over the dedication of the sculpture, “New South,” the centerpiece for the Confederate section of Arlington National Cemetery.)

Wilson absolutely despised the notion of war.  Notwithstanding, he recognized the valor of those soldiers who fought in wars.  In 1914, on Memorial Day, Wilson gave a speech at Arlington, saying, “I can never speak in praise of war, ladies and gentlemen.  But there is this peculiar distinction belonging to the soldier … He is giving everything he hath, even his life, in order that others may live.”

Two thousand years ago, a very similar statement was made by a humble man from Galilee:  “Greater love hath no man than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends.”.  That statement was made by none other than Jesus of Galilee.  In fact, Jesus didn’t merely say these words:  He embodied them!  He gave up His life, so that each of us may live eternally.  He fought the war on a Cross, so that we may live in peace with God the Father.

PLEASE PRAY THAT OUR NATIONAL, STATE AND LOCAL LEADERS WOULD SQUASH THE TEMPTATION FOR SELFISH AMBITION.  We need them to internalize this “peculiar distinction” espoused by President Wilson and modeled by Jesus of Galilee.

II Corinthians 5:15 “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”

During World War II, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt wrote what is known as her wartime prayer:

Lest I continue
My complacent way
Help me to remember that somewhere
Somehow out there
A man died for me today.
As long as there be war
I then must
Ask and answer:
Am I worth dying for?

Please remember the 1 percenters as you pray.  Only 1 percent of the US population serves in the United States military, and it is our responsibility to pray for them and to live up to the citizenship rights and responsibilities that they have secured for us.  In 2016 alone, 1400 members (past and present) of the United States Air Force were interred at Arlington National Cemetery, each via a moving service personalized to them and their families.  As we live our lives as citizens of this great country, may we consider whether we are worth dying for.  May we brush aside complacency and apathy and live up to the standards they set for us.

Of course and most importantly, our Saviour died for us as well.  May we not live henceforth unto ourselves, but unto Him.  As we live our lives as Christians with an amazing God, may we consider whether we are worth dying for.  May we brush aside complacency and apathy and live up to the standards He sets for us.

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR AMERICAN MILITARY, AND LIVE UP TO STANDARDS DEMANDED BY THEIR SACRIFICE.  May we also strive to live up to Christ’s standards.  May we be worth dying for.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.  For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow:  but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.  Again, if two lie together, then they have heat:  but how can one be warm alone?  And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

On May 2^nd, 1776, the nations of Spain and France each committed the equivalent of million dollars in weapons and ammunition to the American revolutionary cause.  Such a commitment provided badly needed equipment to the Americans who had faced a tough year of fighting against the British, but more importantly this commitment encouraged and emboldened the colonists as well.  Eight days later, riding the wave of support from their allies, the Second Continental Congress voted to allow the formation of independent colonial governments (see https://prayatlunch.us/conveyed-into-judah/).  Two months later, the encouraged and emboldened American colonies signed the Declaration of Independence.

Life is not a solo sport; neither is leadership or governance.  We all need the equipping, encouraging, and emboldening that comes with strong, trusting relationships.  All too often our rugged independence, a positive characteristic in many situations, causes us to neglect such relationships and try to solve our problems on our own.  In doing so, we lose an important force multiplier that comes with friendships, partnerships, and collaborations.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO SEEK ALLIANCES WITH OTHER LIKE-MINDED BELIEVERS.  We could all use more equipment, and an extra dose of encouragement and boldness that comes through trusting relationships.

Philippians 2:15-16 “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”

A few weeks ago, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito made a chilling observation that has been demonstrated time and again in our nation in recent years: “A wind is picking up that is hostile to those with traditional moral beliefs.”  He went on to state that “we are likely to seep pitched battles in courts and Congress, state legislatures and town halls, but the most important fight is for the hearts and minds of our fellow Americans.”  Finally, he charged us all with an important challenge: “it is up to all of us to evangelize our fellow Americans about the issue of religious freedom.”

Alito’s comments aren’t a surprise to any of us.  They are, however, an important reminder about the importance of shining as lights in the world.  In the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, we are to run our race well.  Regardless of the pitched battles that rage around us, we are to fight for the hearts and minds of our fellow Americans.  We are to evangelize for religious and spiritual freedom.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE STRENGTH TO RUN AND LABOUR WELL IN OUR DAY REGARDLESS OF THE HEADWINDS WE FACE.  The battle for the hearts and the minds of our fellow citizens is worth the investment of our evangelical fervor.