PLUS

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

II Timothy 2:3-5 “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life: that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a solider. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.”

Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

In his book, “44 Days of Faith and Valor: A Warrior’s Daily Devotional,” Police Lieutenant General Cesar Hawthorne R. Binag writes the following:

“As soldiers, dutiful obedience should be second nature to us. It’s ironic that some of us Christians in the military or police don’t have a problem with obeying our (human) officers and commanders; yet we refused to obey God. We obey our commanders because they can punish us – make us do push-ups or cancel our VOCO passes which allow us to go outside the camp for leisure and other reasons.

How low, therefore, is our view of God; and how little our respect for Him is when we fear our officers more than we fear Him: when we would not dare disobey our officers’ orders but would blatantly disobey His Word and instructions in the Bible.”

General Binag points out a great flaw in the thinking of a Christian solider that applies to all of us. We are regularly tempted to place everything else as a priority above the Lord, especially those things whose immediate nature seemingly drowns out the eternal nature of the things of God. We so easily forget that God’s thoughts towards us are directed towards His long-term plans and are filled with glory, peace, and grace. For that we should be immensely and eternally grateful.

We often entangle ourselves with the affairs of this life, tending to the things of this world instead of the things that far outlast this world, and it must not be so!

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO ALWAYS PRIORITIZE THE LORD OVER ALL OTHER SOURCES OF AUTHORITY. That type of dutiful obedience is what He deserves and what our loyalty should demand.

I Corinthians 10:31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

Colossians 3:23-24 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

Today we celebrate Veteran’s Day, honoring those brave men and women who have sacrificially served our great nation. It is a fitting day to thank all whose selflessness led them into the military on our behalf. It is a special day that intentionally falls on the anniversary of the end of World War I in 1918 – the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month.

Yet, there is an interesting historical convergence about this date that encourages and challenges me every year. It prompts me to think about a group of brave individuals going back to 1620 – veterans who braved the treacherous 66-day journey across the rugged northern Atlantic Ocean to come to the new world. On November 11th, these pilgrims found themselves within the safety of Cape Cod. Before setting foot on dry ground, realizing that there would come strong pressures that could divert them from their primary mission, they codified their mission statement in our nation’s first constitution – the Mayflower Compact. It was a document that bound them together with common purpose, mutual protection, and civil order.  The main body of this document stated:

“Having undertaken, for the Glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents, solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic; for our better ordering, and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.”

These American forefathers, at the outset of their foundational document, made their purpose clear – bringing glory to God and advancing the Christian faith.  They were not bashful about declaring that purpose, using those important words as the reliable basis for their society and to carry them successfully through the tough times that they would face in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead. Their focus on such a faithful common purpose allowed them to endure and thrive amidst their challenges.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD USE SUCH A COMMON PURPOSE TO ENDURE AND THRIVE IN THE CHALLENGING WORLD IN WHICH WE LIVE. It was a glorious undertaking in 1620, and could be so again today!

John 1:1-5 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In his was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

John 9:4-5 “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Matthew 4:14-16 “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Off of Interstate 15, near the border of California and Nevada, sits a huge solar power facility that starkly contrasts with the rugged desert floor. Over 170,000 mirrors reflect the desert sunlight onto 3 large towers that transform concentrated light and heat energy into electrical power.

A quick glance at the tops of the towers is blinding, causing the same temporary loss of vision that comes with an errant quick glimpse of the sun. Interestingly, though, there is an important fundamental difference. The sun is the source of the light, while the towers are simply a concentrated set of intentionally pure and carefully aimed reflections of that light. One is the source while the other is a byproduct of the source. Nevertheless, even the byproduct can be powerful when its reflection is pure and its aim is right!

Jesus is the source of light in this world. He has given us the charge and the power to reflect His light, to be the byproducts of the source. Nevertheless, even the byproduct can be powerful when its reflection is pure and its aim is right!

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO PROPERLY REFLECT THE LIGHT OF CHRIST INTO OUR DARK AND DISMAL WORLD. May our lives be like a solar concentrator for Christ.

II Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

I Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”

Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

The Prayer Revival of 1857, led by Christian businessman turned rookie missionary Jeremiah Lanphier, is the model of the PLUS ministry. Famous American evangelist R.A. Torrey described this magnificent revival with these thoughts in “The Power of Prayer”:

“The wonderful revival of 1857 and 1858 in America, which has been described as ‘the greatest revival known since the days of the apostles,’ was the result of prayer. First came the prayers of an obscure city missionary in New York, and then the prayers of those whom he succeeded in associating with him in his burden of a desire for a revival. It has been said of America, of the time immediately preceding this revival, that its moral and spiritual degradation was such that ‘the whole country was on the very verge of a volcanic eruptions of vice and political disaster.’ But prayer prevailed with God, the spirit of prayer spread, and the prayer meetings were held in New York in churches and theaters, attended by thousands.”

The Prayer Revival of 1857 was prompted by prayer. It was initiated by an obscure city missionary, and flourished in a society characterized by vice and spiritual degradation. Ultimately, it spread throughout the U.S. and around the world through maritime trade. Prayer prevailed!

In a society today characterized by vice and spiritual degradation, we need such an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And, it can be prompted by prayer, flourishing and spreading in a way that can only be attributed to Him!

PLEASE FAITHFULLY PRAY FOR A WIDESPREAD REVIVAL IN OUR LAND. Prayer prevails!

Psalm 139:13-17 “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works: and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.”

Luke 15:14-16 “And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in the land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed the swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him.”

Philippians 3:8 “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.”

Seventeenth century puritan George Swinnock wrote these powerful words regarding our perspective if we would truly understand the awesome holy nature of our Lord and our Creator:

“What a poor view you would now have of the beggarly portion that you now admire! What dung, what dog’s meat would the world be to you in comparison with God! You would leave the swine of earthly comforts, and the foolish children of disobedience who are paddling in the gutter of sensual waters, that you might have your portion among God’s children and your heritage among His chosen ones. All your love would be too little, and no labor too great for such an inestimable portion. Lord, let me partake of your special mercy. Though others feed on husks, give me this bread of life. May you be the portion of my cup. Whatsoever You deny me, or howsoever You deal with me, give me Yourself, and it shall be enough. You are the true paradise of all pleasure, a living fountain of happiness, and the original and exact pattern of all perfections.”

May we cease admiring the beggarly portions that we are so fixated on. Instead, may we realize that we are fearfully and wonderfully made by a Creator who provides the true paradise of all pleasure, a living fountain of happiness, and the original and exact pattern of all perfections.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD FIX OUR EYES FIRMLY ON OUR MARVELOUS GOD. Turn from beggarly portions to inestimable portions instead!

ADMIN: The Swinnock quote came from “Voices from the Past: Puritan Devotional Readings” edited by Richard Rushing.