PLUS

II Timothy 4:7 “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith”

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

The Revolutionary War started on April 19, 1775 in the colony of Massachusetts.  On that day, British forces unexpectedly fired against the citizens of Lexington killing eight militiamen.  Their ultimate objective was a large stash of colonial arms at a militia armory in Concord just a few miles west of the Lexington Green. It was there that the colonial soldiers successfully stood their ground, causing the mighty British army to retreat back to Boston.  The retreat route took the British forces back near Lexington where 78 year old Samuel Whittemore was waiting.

This seasoned war veteran was not going to let the slaughter of his fellow countrymen stand.  He singlehandedly ambushed and killed three British soldiers before being shot in the face, stabbed by bayonets, beaten, and left for dead.  This old timer’s bravery boosted the spirits of the Revolutionary forces, and his toughness allowed him to recover and live another 18 years.  He died a free man under an American Constitutional government.

Whether we are old or young, we have a mission to complete.  We have a fight to win.  We must finish our course while keeping the faith.  We must press toward the mark.  We must aggressively answer the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  We must urgently serve God and fulfill our purpose.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO FINISH OUR COURSE WHILE KEEPING THE FAITH.  All Christians, young and old alike, must press toward the mark.

Judges 7:2-3 “And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.  Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead.  And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.”

Judges 7:7 “And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand:  and let all the other people go every man unto his place.”

In a previous post (https://prayatlunch.us/a-needy-people/), I discussed the important truth that even the “one-percenters” need to rely upon God.  The verses above provide a different reminder in a different context with respect to the “one-percenters”.

God whittled down the manpower of the Israelite army to less than one percent of its original size to battle against the Midianites.  He trimmed it from 32,000 men, to 20,000 men, and then to 300 men.  It is with this group of “one-percenters” that the Lord brought a great victory that could only be attributed to Him.

God doesn’t need a majority to succeed.  He doesn’t need a majority to bring great victory.  He doesn’t need a majority to win a battle or win the war.  He simply asks for a faithful group of “one-percenters”.

Don’t be dismayed by our lack of numerical superiority in our twenty-first century American culture. With God, we have the power of a mighty majority.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FAITHFUL MINORITY IN THIS LAND TO HARNESS GOD’S POWER.  We may just be “one-percenters,” but with God we are a mighty minority.

Please see the following for related thoughts:

https://prayatlunch.us/minority-miracles/

https://prayatlunch.us/spiritually-alert-minorities/

Ephesians 3:17-19 “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”

Colossians 2:6-7 “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.”

Ephesians 4:14 “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.”

As America was getting prepared for a looming World War II, President Roosevelt set some ambitious goals for improvements in industrial production.  When Adolf Hitler heard about these milestones, he discounted the capabilities of the American industrial machine.  In fact, he responded to our goals with the following: “What is America but beauty queens, millionaires, stupid records, and Hollywood?” (Freedom’s Forge, pg. 13)

May we never be simply a country of beauty queens.  May we never be just a land of millionaires.  May we never be known only as the producer of stupid records.  May we never be defined by being the home of Hollywood.

We need breadth, length, depth and height. We need to be rooted and grounded and built up in Christ and his love.  We need to be stablished in the faith.  We need to abound therein with thanksgiving.  Otherwise, we will be tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, by cunning craftiness, and by those who are waiting to deceive us.

Hitler may have been right, but when the crisis of world war came, we snapped back to our foundational source of strength.  May it not require a crisis to snap us back to our foundational source of strength today.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICA TO REST ON A FIRM FOUNDATION OF FAITH, WHETHER IN GOOD TIMES OR IN BAD TIMES. May America be known not for its beauty queens, millionaires, stupid records, and Hollywood, but by our stunning foundation that produces lives that are rooted and grounded in love.

Matthew 10:32-33 “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.  But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”

Matthew 12:30 “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Rosalind Picard recently wrote a powerful article describing her testimony in Christianity Today:

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/april/rosalind-picard-mit-professor-meets-author-knowledge.html

Her concluding paragraph describes her spiritual journey brilliantly:

“I once thought I was too smart to believe in God.  Now I know I was an arrogant fool who snubbed the greatest Mind in the cosmos – the Author of all science, mathematics, art, and everything else there is to know. Today I walk humbly, having received the most undeserved grace.  I walk with joy, alongside the most amazing Companion anyone could ask for, filled with desire to keep learning and exploring.”

Earlier in the article, she describes the important transformation in her life after coming to Christ:

“Have you ever tried to assemble something mechanical, and it only kind of works?  Maybe the wheels spin, but not smoothly.  Then you realize you were missing a piece.  When you finally put it together correctly, it works beautifully.  This is how it felt when I handed my life over to God:  I thought it had worked fine before, but after it was ‘fixed,’ it worked exponentially better.  That’s not to say nothing bad ever happened to me – far from it.  But in all things, good and bad, I could count on God’s guidance, comfort, and protection.”

As Christians in America today, may we help the world around us understand the life-changing truths so wonderfully explained by Professor Picard.  May we help an arrogant society who snubs the greatest Mind in the cosmos appreciate the undeserved grace of God.  May we illuminate the source of all joy and the most amazing Companion anyone could ask for.  May we help people recognize that they are missing a piece while assisting them to see how they were carefully designed to work brilliantly.

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR TESTIMONIES TO HELP THOSE IN SOCIETY KNOW THAT THEY CAN COUNT ON GOD’S GUIDANCE, COMFORT, AND PROTECTION.  Once they do, their lives will work exponentially better.

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”

II Samuel 12:7a “And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man.”

II Samuel 12:13a “And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned again the Lord.”

At this year’s State of the Union address, leaders of the military were invited as is typical as a part of the pomp and circumstance of the event.  This year, General Joseph Lengyel, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, was a part of that august entourage.  There was only one problem with this plan; General Lengyel’s uniform was out of regulations – he had put on his impressive ribbon rack upside down for the world to see.

General Lengyel’s response was impressively and admirably humble.  It was reflective and it was instructive.  He tweeted the following as a result of the event:

“Question:  What’s wrong with this picture?  I’ll give you a hint…It’s why they keep putting erasers on pencils.  Answer: The ribbons on my uniform are upside down.  Let this be a lesson and don’t let it happen to you!”

He went on to post these thoughts:

“Well, we’re all human, including me.  And, as I made a final check in the mirror just before I walked out the door, I missed it…Plain and simple.  I hope this is a lesson for everyone who wears the uniform, and really for anyone…They put erasers on pencils for a reason.  When you make a mistake or miss a detail, own it and move on.  One thing is for sure…My ribbons will NEVER be upside down again.”

General Lengyel is right in so many ways.  We are all human.  We all make mistakes and miss details.  When we do, we should learn from our errors.  We should acknowledge our faults.  Ultimately, when we fall short we should own it and move on.

Nathan courageously confronted King David about his series of sins and shortcomings, and David owned it. He fasted, and prayed, and repented, and moved on.  When we fall short, we must do the same.  Covering our errors or wallowing in our mistakes will sap our energy and hinder our testimony.  Instead, we must move on for God.

PLEASE PRAY FOR CHRISTIANS TO LEARN FROM OUR ERRORS AND ACKNOWLEDGE OUR FAULTS.  When we stray from God’s plan, we must own it and move on.