PLUS

I John 4:14 “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.”

A few weeks ago, movie blockbuster Justice League was released in theaters featuring Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman.  These superheros are given the responsibility for saving the world from an alien invasion.  As a part of the pre-movie hype, Ben Affleck who plays Batman stated the following:  “We certainly are in need of heroes in 2017.  There’s a lot of stuff going on in the world, from natural to man-made disasters, and it’s really scary.”  Affleck went on to say: “Part of the appeal of this genre is wish fulfillment:  Wouldn’t it be nice if there was somebody who can save us from all this, save us from ourselves, save us from the consequences of our actions and save us from people who are evil?”

Ben Affleck is right, and fortunately there is.

As we enter the Christmas season, we should be ever-mindful that God sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world.  He fulfilled our wishes.  He met our need for a hero.

In light of the scary stuff that’s going on in the world, from natural to man-made disasters, God sent us someone who can save us from all this; who can save us from people who are evil.  Most importantly, He sent us someone who can save us from ourselves; who can save us from the consequences of our actions.  Jesus was sent to do it all.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO RELY UPON THE REAL SUPERHERO – JESUS CHRIST!  God sent him to us to be our Saviour, the only Saviour!

(The idea for this post stemmed from an Al Mohler podcast on November 17^th, 2017)

Romans 1:22 “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.”

Jeremiah 4:22 “For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding:  they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.”

President Teddy Roosevelt reminds us that “to educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.”

As our nation drifts away from a moral basis for our educational system, we find ourselves crafting those who create problems for society instead of cultivating progress in our society.  Our institutions crumble around us.  Our families are torn apart.  Our government is destabilized.  Our courts sway recklessly with popular opinion.  Our churches find themselves without a foundation.  Even this esteemed educational system is rotting from the inside out, creating parasites instead of promoting citizens.

Education for education’s sake is not a proper or useful goal.  Instead, education is meant to foster citizenship.  It is designed to accelerate societal progress.  It is intended to improve our land.  Unfortunately, its lack of foundational principles is promoting self-sufficiency, arrogance, selfishness, and pride.  It has become a menace to society.

None of this is to say that we should dismiss education.  Our counter-cultural stance should not be to accept or glorify ignorance.  Instead, we should build our education on a proper moral foundation.  We should provide the stability for our knowledge that enables progress.  We should educate in mind and morals.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO EMBRACE MORALLY-GROUNDED EDUCATION IN THIS LAND.  Doing so can enable us to counteract a system that menaces society.

Isaiah 41:20 “That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.”

Diana Kapp’s 2013 article in the Wall Street Journal entitled “Raising Children With an Attitude of Gratitude” is interesting and thought-provoking (see the link to the article below).  She explains that “concrete benefits come to kids who literally count their blessings.”  Specifically, she describes how expressing gratitude produces more gratitude.  It also results in a better outlook on life and greater life satisfaction.  Furthermore, it produces less envy, decreases depression, and even yields higher grade point averages.

Furthermore, Kapp laments that thankfulness isn’t being modeled by adults and parents in our society.  Our gratitude is being consumed by materialism.  It is being absorbed by a society in which comfort is the norm and self-sufficiency is elevated.

In many cases, Kapp is spot-on.  Yet, she misses one critical thing – the ultimate object of our gratitude.

It is the hand of the LORD that has done these things.  He is the One who has created all of it.  It is His goodness that we must see, and know, and consider, and understand.  We should certainly do so during the Thanksgiving Season, but also throughout the year.

PLEASE PRAY WITH AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR ALWAYS DIRECTED TOWARDS OUR LORD.  After all, He is the ultimate object of everything for which we have to be thankful.

Please see the article at:  https://www.wsj.com/articles/raising-children-with-an-attitude-of-gratitude-1387839251

Matthew 20:26-28 “But it shall not be so among you:  but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:  Even as the Son of man came not to be minister unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Sadly, yesterday I attended a memorial service for an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician.  EOD Techs are the brave members of the military who disarm bombs like improvised explosive devices.  The latest count indicates that 133 EOD Techs have lost their lives in combat since 9/11 in the midst of doing their heroic duty.  The following is known as the EOD Prayer:

Lord of power and might,
whose mercy is everlasting,
guard and guide those who
place their lives in the balance
to ensure the safety of those nearby.

Look with favor upon those
with the prowess and skill to disarm
explosive devices,
render them safe,
and remove from others the threat of harm.

Bless those who have been set apart
by this hazardous duty,
and give support to their families
and love ones who wait
through each tense call.

Receive into eternal rest
those who have given their lives
and bring healing to those who mourn.

Grant that in the EOD Family
there may be unity of spirit
for the well being of all

To your glory
with grateful hearts
we thank you loving God.
Amen.

While EOD Techs play a particularly heroic role in our military, they provide a great representation of the service, bravery, and sacrifice of all the members of our Armed Forces, past and present.

We need the Lord to guard and guide the members of the military who place their lives in the balance to ensure the safety of those nearby.  We need God to protect our military members from the threat of harm.  We thank the Lord for setting apart those whose serve bravely and sacrificially, and ask for peace and grace for their loved ones.  We are thankful for those whose service is intended for the well being of all!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE MEMBERS OF OUR MILITARY!  Do so on Veteran’s Day, and throughout the year.  Do so for EOD Techs, and for all who serve!

On a related note, please enjoy the video at the following link entitled This Flag:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0xNa7tZRtQ

Proverbs 30:8-9 “Remove far from me vanity and lies:  give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:  Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD?  Or let I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”

Revelation 3:16-17 “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knoweth not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”

In a wealthy nation like the United States, nearly all of us fall into what is described as the top one percent.  Yes, 99 percent of the world’s population is less wealthy than the average American.  Yet, prosperity, like power, tends to draw us away from God.  When we are full, we are tempted to deny the Lord.  When we are rich, we believe that we have need of nothing.  All the while, we neglect to recognize that we are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.

As Christian Americans, we need to establish checks in our lives so as not to fall into this trap.  We must realize that prosperity has a powerful influence on us that can lead us away from God because we are comfortable and seemingly self-sufficient.  Regardless of our situation, we still have a desperate need for the LORD that we must never forget.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO AVOID THE TRAPPINGS OF PROSPERITY.  Regardless of our financial condition, we are always a needy people.