PLUS

Haggai 1:6 “Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.”

II Corinthians 10:12 “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves:  but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”

Matthew 6:19-21 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

We live in a society consumed by consumption.  We worship wealth and thirst after treasure.  We measure ourselves by our material output.  Yet, we never find the happiness that we think will come at the other end of the cash register or the checkout stand.  Our shopping bag leaks like a sieve as our wages seep out and are swept away.

American Christians often get caught up in this societal obsession.  We sometimes mimic the consumption addiction we see around us, forgetting that our earthly treasures are corrupted by moth and rust and our competition with others provides an unwise and unreliable standard.

Instead, we are to invest our lives in non-material items with eternal significance.  After all, laying up heavenly treasure provides a permanence to our efforts as compared to the fleeting folly of the race on the earthly treadmill.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO AVOID THE EARTHLY AND AFFIX TO THE HEAVENLY.  May our hearts follow the permanent treasure of heavenly significance.

James 5:13-16 “Is any among you afflicted?  Let him pray. Is any merry?  Let him sing psalms.  Is any sick among you?  Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:  And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.  The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

In August 1982, President Reagan wrote a passionate letter to his seriously ill father-in-law, Loyal Davis, including the following:

“I want to tell you of a personal experience I’ve kept to myself for a long time.  During my first year as Governor you’ll recall the situation I found in Calif. was almost as bad as the one in Wash. today.  It seemed as if the problems were endless and insolvable.

Then I found myself with an ulcer.  In all those years at Warner Bros., no one had been able to give me an ulcer and I felt ashamed as if it were a sign of weakness on my part.  John Sharpe had me on Maalox and I lived with a constant pain that ranged from discomfort to extremely sharp attacks.

This went on for months. I had a bottle of Maalox in my desk, my briefcase and of course at home.  Then one morning I got up, went to the bathroom, reached for the bottle as always and something happened.  I knew I didn’t need it.  I had gone to bed with the usual pain the night before but I knew that morning I was healed.  The Maalox when back on the shelf.

That morning when I arrived at the office Helene brought me my mail.  The first letter I opened was from a lady – a stranger – in the Southern part of the state.  She had written to tell me she was one of a group who met every day to pray for me. Believe it or not, the second letter was from a man, again a stranger, in the other end of the state telling me he was part of a group that met weekly to pray for me.

Within the hour a young fellow from the legal staff came into my office on some routine matter. On the way out he paused in the door and said:  ‘Gov. I think maybe you’d like to know – some of us on the staff come in early every morning and get together to pray for you.’

Coincidence?  I don’t think so  A couple of weeks later Nancy and I went down to L.A. and had our annual checkup.  John Sharpe, a little puzzled, told me I no longer had an ulcer but added there was no indication I’d ever had one.”

President Reagan went on to share the gospel with Loyal who died 12 days later.

Today’s problems in government seem endless and insolvable.  Our leaders on both sides of the political aisle need miraculous physical, moral, and relational healing.  They need us to faithfully and fervently pray for them.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE HEALING OF OUR LEADERS IN THIS LAND.  No problem is endless and insolvable when we give the Lord control. According to Reagan, “we only have to trust and have faith in His infinite goodness and mercy.”

Galatians 5:13 “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”

Matthew 20:28 “Even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Our nation’s founders lived lives of service and sacrifice.  They set aside the ease of a privileged life under powerful British rule because they felt the call of liberty.  They risked everything to author and sign the Declaration of Independence, and to fight for our nation’s independence and freedom.  They endured hardships to craft the U.S. Constitution and to grow a new nation. They did so out of a thirst for liberty, and their service still impacts us today.

Even more so, our Savior lived a life of service and sacrifice.  He set aside the ease of His heavenly throne because He knew that we would need liberty that only He could provide.  He endured unimaginable hardships to give His life a ransom for many.  He did so out a love for each and every one of us, and his service still impacts heaven and earth today.

In today’s culture, selfishness is elevated over service.  We laud those who accumulate and ignore those who distribute.  We idolize those who gather and dismiss those who give away.  We award those who have servants, and create punchlines about those who serve.  We celebrate those whose use of liberty is extreme and excessive, and mock those whose use of liberty is restrained and reserved.  Service is subjugated to self, even among Christians.

We would not have national liberty if our forefathers felt the same way.  We would not have spiritual liberty if our Savior felt the same way.  We cannot expect either type of liberty to characterize this land if we don’t once again elevate and celebrate service driven by a love of one another.

PLEASE PRAY FOR A NATIONAL CELEBRATION OF SERVICE ONCE AGAIN IN THIS LAND.  It should be a fundamental part of every neighborhood, every church, every community, every town, every city, every state, and throughout the nation. We should seek to serve everyone with whom we come into contact.  May Christians lead the way.  Let us never use liberty as an occasion for the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

In the week after the 231^stanniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution, it is important to reflect upon one of its foundational principles stemming from the Declaration of Independence.  That document boldly proclaims “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”  These rich thoughts stem from Biblical truths.

In a world characterized by polarization and division, we are quickly diverging from an important founding pillar – that all men are created equal because all men are created in the image of God.  As such, there is no room for the intolerable hate that often is directed towards those who are different from us.  This is especially true for Christians who are disrespecting our God whenever we treat anyone in a way not characterized with full dignity and respect.  God created each person just as much as He created you.  He loves each person just as much as He loves you.  Your disrespect for others will not separate them from God’s love, but will only separate you from God’s will.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO TREAT ALL PEOPLE WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT.  God’s image is reflected in each person, and we honor Him by treating them accordingly.

Mark 2:21-22 “No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.  And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but the new wine must be put into new bottles.”

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

In the midst of the Revolutionary War, the Second Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation on November 15^th, 1777.  This document, our nation’s first constitution, established the form of our federal government as we fought for and eventually won our independence. Yet, it was far from perfect.

By 1787, it had become clear that major structural changes were needed to create a viable and sustainable federal government.  With this in mind, a Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania State House to revise the flawed construct.  As they looked at the changes required, however, they realized that the only real way forward was to start over.  In those hot summer months, from May 25^thto September 17^th, those founders created the United States Constitution.  Yes, in 116 days, the world saw an innovation of government unmatched in human history.  These men recognized the shortcomings of doing things the way they had always been done, refused to accept a few small fixes to cover up deep flaws, committed to doing something grand, and worked together in spite of their differences.

As we assess our lives and our ministries today, there are some things we can learn from the innovative and cooperative spirit of our founders.  While the core doctrines of our faith are unchanging, what are we clinging to from the past unnecessarily that is hindering our ability to make an impact for Christ today?

Are we ignoring the shortcomings of doing things the way they have always been done?  Are we accepting a few small fixes to cover up any deep flaws?  Have we refused to work together to do something grand because of our differences? Are we trying to sew a piece of new cloth on an old garment?  Are we putting new wine into old bottles?

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD EMBRACE AN INNOVATIVE AND COOPERATIVE SPIRIT.  In less than four months, our founders scrapped the government that enabled victory in the Revolutionary War in order to create something that was magnificent and lasting.  What can we do that is magnificent and lasting in our lives or in our ministries?