PLUS

Joshua 1:7-9 “Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

II Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Esther 4:15-16 “Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”

Experienced Mercury and Gemini Astronaut Gus Grissom said the following about their brave endeavors that pushed the envelope for American space flight and for human exploration: “If we die, we want people to accept it. We’re in a risky business, and we hope that if anything happens to us, it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life.”

On January 27, 1967, during a launch rehearsal test for Apollo 1, an electrical spark caused a fire in the crew capsule from which the astronauts onboard could not escape. On that tragic day, Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee perished in a fiery disaster on the launch pad.

Grissom’s quote is an example of a man who understands the risks associated with endeavors and is bravely willing to accept them to achieve their important collective mission.

Throughout Christian history we have seen, through words and actions, the same concept reiterated and repeated. We saw it through God’s direction to Joshua, by Paul’s direction to Timothy, and in the Esther’s response to Mordecai.

God is directing us similarly today as we serve Him through our counter-cultural Christianity!

We aren’t being charged to be reckless. Yet, we are being called to understand the risks associated with our endeavors, and to bravely and willingly accept them to achieve our important collective mission for Christ.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO SERVE CHRIST WITH BOLDNESS AND COURAGE. We’re in a risky business, and we hope that if anything happens to us, it will not delay the program.

Colossians 2:6-9 “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

II Corinthians 11:13-15 “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”

In the beginning of 2020, as the world was shutting down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual options were in high demand. Zoom Video Communications was the preferred solution for many, and its business was booming. Investors took notice.

By the end of March, ZOOM was up over 1800% for the year. Unfortunately though, the stock market ticker symbol ZOOM was not the right one for Zoom Video Communications. Instead, it was the symbol for Zoom Technologies, a Chinese company that made mobile phone parts. ZM, the right symbol for Zoom Video Communications, was only up 132%. Investors had been confused by the symbols, and The Security and Exchange Commission shut down trading on ZOOM until they were able to unravel the situation. By then, though, the damage had already been done and investors had unknowingly sunk their money into Chinese mobile phone components. They had been dupped by an unintentional counterfeit.

The world offers a slew of impotent counterfeits that look similar to the real thing, but fall far short of the real life-changing power of Christianity. These fakes come in the form of philosophies, vain deceits, the traditions of men, and the rudiments of the world. They are offered by false apostles, deceitful workers, false prophets, and ravening wolves who dupe many with fakes and falsehoods.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO BE DILIGENT AND VIGILANT IN OUR PURCHASES AND OUR PERSUASIONS. The counterfeits of this world often seem to be good investments, but they never provide the temporal nor the eternal returns of the real thing.

Hebrews 12:1-3 “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, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, let ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”

General John Burgoyne created an audacious strategy for the British Army during the Revolutionary War that was carefully crafted and deliberately designed to divide and sever the forces of the American army. Burgoyne would attack through Canada from the north, rendezvousing with General William Howe from New York City. Their rejoin would isolate New England and create conditions that would strangle the colonial military and end their fledgling revolutionary aims.

While the general concept of such a strategy was sound, its execution was poor. Burgoyne’s plan was largely encumbered by his own leadership characteristics that insisted on an excessively luxurious lifestyle. His indulgence prompted him to haul along an extra thirty wagons of personal belongings with his forces. Such a lack of focus and loss of logistical flexibility culminated in a shocking defeat for the British at Saratoga in October of 1777. The strategic loss was largely because the General wouldn’t lay aside the besetting weight of excess and indulgence.

God has given us a role and responsibility as a part of His audacious and sound strategy. It has been carefully crafted and deliberately designed. Unfortunately, we see losses because we won’t lay aside the besetting weights that encumber our focus and flexibility. Our excess and indulgence create strategic loss for the cause of Christ.

What are we hauling along with us in our lives that hinders us as we strive to serve the Lord?

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO RUN WITH PATIENCE WHILE LAYING ASIDE EVERY WEIGHT AND THE SIN WHICH DOTH SO EASILY BESET US. Audacious strategies fall short when encumbered by excesses and indulgences.

Galatians 5:7-10 “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.”

I Corinthians 5:6 “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?”

Ephesians 4:27 “Neither give place to the devil.”

Song of Solomon 2:15 “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.”

I’m currently battling a kidney stone, actually two of them. Not to get too graphic, but these tiny 4mm stones are butting together at the bottom of my ureter. It can be fairly painful, especially when these jagged intruders slightly and slowly move through a tube whose diameter is smaller than theirs. I try not to mention to my wife that kidney stones are more painful than childbirth. I’ve found it gets me less sympathy, not more.

I had a bout with a kidney stone back in 1997 towards the beginning of my Air Force career. It changed my life’s path when I found out in 2004 that I was permanently disqualified from being an astronaut as a result of that single stone. God had other plans for me! Interestingly, this major crisis in my life played a key role in me coming to Christ twenty years ago.

It’s amazing to consider the impact of such a tiny little thing!

In our lives, the tiny little things can make all the difference. Small impurities within us can affect the totality of our being. A little foothold can allow the devil a vile inroad that can erode our testimony and infect our character. A small area of relational neglect can sap trust and create a major fissure.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO BE COMPLETELY DISSATISFIED WITH EVEN THE TINY LITTLE THINGS THAT CAUSE US TO DEVIATE FROM GOD’S PLAN AND GOD’S WORD. The tiniest little things can truly have a huge impact!

ADMIN: The picture is from IG@sciencefunn

Psalm 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and he people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.”

Psalm 20:17 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”

Jeremiah 9:23-24 ‘Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and rightesousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.”

William Ralph Emerson, the second cousin to Ralph Waldo Emerson, wrote the following:

“What makes a nation’s pillars high
And its foundations strong?
What makes it mighty to defy
The foes that round it throng?

It is not gold. Its kingdoms grand
Go down in battle shock;
Its shafts are laid on sinking sand,
Not on abiding rock.

Is it the sword? Ask the red dust
Of empires passed away;
The blood has turned their stones to rust,
Their glory to decay.

And is it pride? Ah, that bright crown
Has seemed to nations sweet;
But God has struck its luster down
In ashes at his feet.

Not gold but only men can make
A people great and strong;
Men who for truth and honor’s sake
Stand fast and suffer long.

Brave men who work while others sleep,
Who dare while others fly…
They build a nation’s pillars deep
And lift them to the sky.”

Emerson is mostly spot on. A nation must never embrace gold, nor sword, nor pride as its pathway to high pillars and strong foundations. And while lauding men who will stand fast and suffer long for truth and honor is an appropriate step, we need to be careful about what we are truly trusting in.

We are not to unduly elevate wisdom, might or riches. Instead, we are to focus on leading lives that understand and know the Lord and surrounding ourselves with people who prioritize the same. The brave men who work while others sleep are to be prominent in our minds as role models and heroes, but our preeminent affection and true source of our strength is to be rooted in faithfully remembering the name of the LORD our God.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO ESCHEW OUR SOCIETY’S FOCUS ON GOLD, SWORD, AND PRIDE, AND INSTEAD FOCUS ON BEING AND FOLLOWING THOSE WHO REMEMBER THE LORD OUR GOD. The LORD delights in that!

NOTE: I won’t be posting next weekend, but please keep praying for our nation and our leaders!