PLUS

Ecclesiastes 4:9 “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor.”

Philippians 1:27 “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ:  that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel”

On this Veteran’s Day weekend, it is important to go back to the origins of this important day of remembrance.  One hundred years ago, on November 11^th, 1919, President Woodrow Wilson spoke the following on the one year anniversary of the end of World War I:

“A year ago today our enemies laid down their arms in accordance with an armistice which rendered them impotent to renew hostilities, and gave to the world an assured opportunity to reconstruct its shattered order and to work out in peace a new and juster set of international relations. The soldiers and people of the European Allies had fought and endured for more than four years to uphold the barrier of civilization against the aggressions of armed force. We ourselves had been in the conflict something more than a year and a half.

With splendid forgetfulness of mere personal concerns, we remodeled our industries, concentrated our financial resources, increased our agricultural output, and assembled a great army, so that at the last our power was a decisive factor in the victory. We were able to bring the vast resources, material and moral, of a great and free people to the assistance of our associates in Europe who had suffered and sacrificed without limit in the cause for which we fought.

Out of this victory there arose new possibilities of political freedom and economic concert. The war showed us the strength of great nations acting together for high purposes, and the victory of arms foretells the enduring conquests which can be made in peace when nations act justly and in furtherance of the common interests of men.

To us in America the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service, and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of nations.”

President Wilson made an important point about the earthly source of strength and victory that applies to nations today.  It also applies to churches today and to Christians today.  There is power when we are “acting together for high purposes.”  No nation is an island, nor is any Christian an island.  When we work together “in furtherance of the common interests of men” and set aside our “personal concerns,” then we can make great strides in statesmanship, fellowship, and discipleship.  

PLEASE PRAY FOR CHRISTIANS TO ACT TOGETHER FOR HIGH PURPOSES.  Partnership with other Christians can be “a decisive factor” as we serve Christ in this land today.

Philippians 3:14 “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 5:15-16 “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

Esther 4:14 “For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed:  and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Colossians 3:23 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.”

God gives us a sense of urgency in our service to Him.  Instead of being complacent and ploddingly methodical, we are to be energized and mindful of the time that expires at every tick of the clock.  We are to redeem the time, press toward the mark, and serve for such a time as this, as is highlighted in these previous posts:

While It Is Day

Redeem the Time

Making History Today

Yet, there is another important Biblical thought about our service to God that is illustrated by a prominent adverb in Colossians 3:23 – HEARTILY.  Not only is our service to be characterized by urgency, but also by a consuming, heartfelt passion.  We are to pour ourselves into our service for Him “with zest and gusto.”  We are to leave it all on the field, recognizing that our every action should be intended to please Him.  We don’t do it so that He will love us, but we do it as an outpouring of our faith-filled love for Him.  

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD HEARTILY SERVE GOD.  Plenty of people display a lackluster commitment to their religion that is evident in their anemic actions.  Service-minded Christians who desire to make a potent impact for Him must do it heartily as to the Lord.

ADMIN NOTE:  A Merriam-Webster definition of heartily is “with zest or gusto.”

Acts 7:58-60 “And cast him out of the city, and stoned him:  and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.  And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.  And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

Luke 23:34, 47 “Then said Jesus, Father forgive them; for they know not what they do.  And they parted his raiment, and cast lots … Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.”

Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer were faithful 16^thCentury Christians in an England that was hostile to many believers.  Their faith caused both to be executed side-by-side by burning at the stake.  When questioned about whether he would stay faithful during the tortuous fire that would take his life, Ridley stated “So long as the breath is in my body, I will never deny my Lord Christ and His known truth.” Indeed, he stayed true to this statement with the help of his friend Latimer.

As the fire was lit beneath their feet, Latimer stated the following famous thought to his friend Ridley: “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man.  We shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace in England as I trust shall never be put out.”  Their faith in the midst of a life-draining trial provided a template for the faithful who watched them burn and a thought-provoking example for those who were judging the validity of their gospel message.  The Sauls and the Centurions of England were watching and listening, judging and learning.  

The trials faced by Christians in today’s American society pale in comparison to those faced by the martyrs of the past, though there are places in this sin-stained world where current persecution comes in the form of medieval torture.  Yet, when Christians go through any challenges, trials, and persecutions, the world is watching.  Our faith provides a template for the faithful who watch us respond and a thought-provoking example for those who are judging the validity of our gospel message.  The Sauls and the Centurions of today are watching and listening, judging and learning.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO FAITHFULLY ENDURE CHALLENGES, AND PLAY THE MAN IN OUR DAY. The Sauls and the Centurions around us are paying attention to the way we carry our flame of faith.

I Thessalonians 4:16-17 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:  and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:  and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

Titus 2:13 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”

John 14:2-3 “In my Father’s house are many mansions:  if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

In March of 1942, General Douglas MacArthur and his family evacuated the Philippines on the order of President Roosevelt.  The Japanese were closing in on the strongholds of Bataan and Corregidor, and Roosevelt needed MacArthur to command the American troops in the Pacific from a position of safety.  General MacArthur reluctantly accepted the president’s orders, but promised the Filipino people that “I shall return.”  The people trusted him, were comforted by his words, and lived for the next two and half years ready for liberation.

On October 20^th, 1944, 75 years ago this weekend, General MacArthur fulfilled that promise as he set foot back on Filipino soil at Leyte, claiming the following: “People of the Philippines:  I have returned.  By the grace of Almighty God our forces stand again on Philippine soil – soil consecrated in the blood of our two peoples.”

The Lord’s return is inevitable.  He will come again to receive us unto Himself.  We are to trust Him, be comforted by His words, and live ready for his liberation.  In the meanwhile, we are to serve diligently with His promise firmly in our minds.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO SERVE IN LIGHT OF THE IMMINENT RETURN OF CHRIST.  He will honor His promise and shall return!  Let us be ready.

Job 13:15 “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:  but I will maintain mine own ways before him.”

Daniel 3:16-18 “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

Acts 5:29 “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.”

Hebrews 13:6 “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

There is nothing more encouraging than a Christian who stands by their Bible-based convictions regardless of the consequences – those who honor God even though the immediate cost is significant.  The Christian role models who do demonstrate a true and practical faith, while truly prioritizing God as the preeminent element in their lives.  They boldly speak up and stay strong because they know they ought to obey God rather than men.

We see great examples of this type of faith in God’s Word that should provide a template of trust that we should follow today.  Job trusted God regardless of his challenging context.  The three Hebrew young men remained faithful in the face of the real threat of the fiery furnace.  Peter stared down the authorities of the day to obey the Lord.  None of them feared the temporal because they clung to the eternal. So must we!

PLEASE PRAY FOR A FAITH THAT IS STRONG REGARDLESS OF THE COST OR THE CONTEXT.  We must boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Admin Note:  I will not be able to publish a post next week, and will be back to post on the 19^thof October.