PLUS

Colossians 3:23-24 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance:  for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

Luke 9:62 “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

George Washington reminds us of the following:  “Make sure you are doing what God wants you to do, then do it with all of your strength.”

God wants us to prayerfully seek out His will for every part of our lives.  He wants us to determine His will for the big decisions and the small decisions as well.  He wants us to humbly and prayerfully come to Him to glean what we are to do as we face dozens of decisions daily that will reveal our priorities, create our routines, and shape our lives.

Once we discern God’s direction, then we are to doggedly do it.  If it is God’s will, then we should surrender to serve Him with all of our energy, strength, and skill.  God wants us to demonstrate our faithfulness and showcase our testimony by pursuing his desires with passion, dedication, and expertise.

Throughout his public life, Washington put this admonition into action.  Though a reluctant General in the Revolutionary cause, Washington recognized his calling and pursued it heartily.  Again, though a reluctant draftee as our nation’s first president, Washington acknowledged God’s direction and put his hand to the plough without looking back.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO DISCERN GOD’S DIRECTION AND TO FOLLOW IT HEARTILY.  Let us put our hands to the plough without looking back to till the fields in this land.

John 3:31 “He that cometh from above is above all:  he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth:  he that cometh from heaven is above all.”

On May 12, 1779, General Washington met with the Chiefs of the Delaware Indians.  Washington praised their support and friendship, and began with the following words of appreciation:

“The Delaware Nation have shown their good will to the United States. They have done wisely and I hope they will never repent. I rejoice in the new assurances you give of their friendship.”

General Washington then went on to stress these important points:

“Brothers:

I am glad you have brought three of the Children of your principal Chiefs to be educated with us. I am sure Congress will open the Arms of love to them, and will look upon them as their own Children, and will have them educated accordingly.

This is a great mark of your confidence and of your desire to preserve the friendship between the Two Nations to the end of time, and to become One people with your Brethen of the United States. My ears hear with pleasure the other matters you mention. Congress will be glad to hear them too.

You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and ‘above all,’ the religion of Jesus Christ.

These will make you a greater and happier people than you are. Congress will do everything they can to assist you in this wise intention; and to tie the knot of friendship and union so fast, that nothing shall ever be able to loose it.”

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD FAITHFULLY SPREAD THE RELIGION OF JESUS CHRIST IN THIS LAND.  To these allies of the American cause, Washington did not waste the opportunity to stress upon them the importance of the truths of Christ.  These truths would make them a greater and happier people than they were without Christ.  The same is true of those in our nation today.

Matthew 17:19-21 “Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief:  for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.  Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”

During the cold winter of 1777-78, General Washington and the Revolutionary Army sheltered at Valley Forge.  It is said that a British sympathizer came across Washington in prayer and marveled at his fervency and faithfulness.  This eyewitness went on to proclaim “our cause is lost” to his fellow loyalists.  In his humble opinion, the British could not prevail against an army led by a man that could so passionately get ahold of God through prayer.

We must harness the same power that Washington used to bring about his great victory to bring about a great victory in our land in 2017 – a life of fervent and faithful prayer that gets ahold of God.  May those enemies of God who are witnesses to our prayer life proclaim to their allies: “our cause is lost.”

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICA WITH PASSION AND POWER.  May we harness the decisive weapon that can bring about our victory and make our adversaries be chasing a lost cause.

Micah 6:8 “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

As the Revolutionary War was coming to a close, General Washington wrote a “Circular Letter to the States” to remind them of the importance of the next few years during their “political probation.”  The world would watch as the newly formed nation demonstrated the principles for which they had fought.

As the closing part of this letter, Washington charged the Governors with the following:

“I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you and the State over which you preside, in His holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field, and finally, that He would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation.”

Washington admonished the citizens of this new nation to be like Christ!  If we would fail to do so, we could never hope to be a happy Nation.

PLEASE PRAY THAT CHRISTIANS IN THIS LAND WOULD TRULY BE CHRISTLIKE.  Let us do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.

Judges 10:11 “And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines.”

Following President’s Day, it is appropriate to do a series on quotes from President Washington and President Lincoln.  I will do so for the next eight weeks, while providing a poignant reminder of the faith of our forefathers.

Some detractors claim that Washington’s faith was in a generic god and not the God of the Bible.  Their claims about Washington’s use of terms like “Deity” and “Providence” weigh on our minds as we read about his continuous calls to God.  We wonder if his different terminology indicates the lack of a specific faith.  The following quote, and others in the next few weeks, should erase such doubts:

“May the same wonder-working Deity, who long since delivering the Hebrews from their Egyptian Oppressors planted them in the promised land – whose Providential Agency has lately been conspicuous in establishing these United States as an independent Nation – still continue to water them with the dews of Heaven and to make the inhabitants of every denomination participate in the temporal and spiritual blessings of that people whose God is Jehovah.”

Make no mistake, when Washington talks about Providence he is talking about Jehovah God!  He is talking about the Deity who delivered the Hebrews from the Egyptians.  He calls out to the LORD, and not to a generic supernatural power.

PLEASE CALL OUT TO JEHOVAH GOD TO DELIVER OUR NATION FROM OUR ERRANT PATH.  Washington knew that it was God who was conspicuous in establishing our nation.  That same God can deliver us again!