PLUS

Deuteronomy 28:1-12 “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:  And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.  Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.  Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.  Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.  Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.  The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face:  they shall come out against thee one way, and free before thee seven ways.  The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.  The Lord shall establish thee a holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.  And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.  And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.  The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand:  and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.”

It is wonderfully exhausting to read the bountiful contingent promises of the Lord in Deuteronomy 28.  A nation is promised a multitude of blessings for hearkening diligently unto the voice of God.  That nation will:

• Be set high above all nations
• Be overwhelmed by countless blessings
• Be blessed in her urban and in her rural areas
• Be blessed in her labor
• Be blessed in her resources and in her production
• Be blessed in her business
• Be protected from her enemies and successful over them
• Be blessed in her provision and in her prosperity
• Be blessed in her credibility and in her reputation

Every aspect of that nation will be blessed!  It hearkens back to the success of America in times past when we hearkened diligently to Him and He opened unto us His good treasure.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICA WOULD HEARKEN DILIGENTLY UNTO GOD ONCE AGAIN.  His good treasure awaits us.

Matthew 13:25 “But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.”

Mark 3:27 “No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house”

On this Father’s Day weekend, and throughout the year, we need men who are vigilant and strong.  We need men who are prepared for the onslaught of a determined enemy and who are ready to rebuff him.  We need men who will not stand for tares to be sown or goods to be spoiled on their watch.  We need men who will not be bound by the cares of this world, or lulled into complacency by the steady march of society away from God.

As men, we should be ashamed at what has happened to this nation in the last few decades.  We have slept and the enemy has sowed tares in our most basic institutions:  in families, in churches, and in our government.  We have been bound by the tricks of our adversary, and our homes, our churches, and our governments have been spoiled by an attitude that embraces sin and that rejects God.

All the while, we have neglected to use the power within us:

I John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them:  because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

PLEASE PRAY THAT CHRISTIAN MEN IN THIS LAND WOULD BE VIGILANT AND STRONG.  Our God can give us the strength and the vigilance we need … greater is He!

II Timothy 3:14 “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and has been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them”

I Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my believed brethren be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

In late 1939 as the dark clouds of war began to swirl around the continent of Europe, the British Ministry of Information was given the responsibility to produce posters that would encourage their population.  “Freedom is in Peril” and “Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution will Bring Us Victory” were produced and plastered around the nation.  Yet, there was one poster that was designed and made for an even more dire situation.  “Keep Calm and Carry On” was reserved for a possible invasion of Great Britain by the Germans.  It was a reminder to the British population that they were to remain steady and reliable in spite of the chaos that was going on around them.  That particular version of chaos fortunately never came, and the posters were never distributed.

There is chaos swirling all around us today, as our nation has been invaded by a determined enemy.  Yet, as Christians we are to remain steady and reliable.  We are to continue in the things we have learned and of which we have been assured.  We are to be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.

PLEASE PRAY FOR A STEADY AND RELIABLE DEMEANOR AMONG AMERICAN CHRISTIANS.  In spite of the chaos, we are to Keep Calm and Carry On!

Jude 1:3 “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

I Corinthians 3:2 “I have fed you with milk, and not with meat:  for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.”

A couple of months ago, Dr. Tom Amberry passed away at the age of 94.  Though certainly not a household name, Tom performed an amazing feat that is almost impossible to comprehend.  At the age of 71, he made an amazing 2,750 free throws in a row.  Over the course of 12 hours at the Rossmoor Athletic Club, Tom didn’t miss.  In fact, he could have kept going, but was asked to leave the gym because the facility was closing.  He was a master of the fundamentals, and saw the free throw as a gift; “you should take advantage of it” he would tell players and coaches alike.  It was a simple way to score for one dedicated to strong form, solid mechanics, and proper focus.  Tom had such form, mechanics, and focus.

American Christians need to be far better about our fundamentals.  We must create a foundation of faithfulness through strong form, solid mechanics, and proper focus that we can readily build upon.  Reading our Bibles and spending time in prayer are the basics – gifts we should take advantage of.  They are the milk that will allow us to develop a more robust diet.  They are the tools that will enable us to earnestly contend for the faith.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO FOCUS ON THE FUNDAMENTALS OF OUR FAITH.  These gifts, if taken advantage of, will give us an advantage in this land.

(Guest contributor – Chaplain Scott Foust)

John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

In 1912, Woodrow Wilson was elected as our nation’s 28th President.  As World War I broke out in 1914, Wilson maintained an unwavering policy of neutrality.  The idea of war brought back his earliest memories when, as a 4-year old boy growing up in Augusta, GA, he witnessed the horrors of the Civil War, when his dad’s local church was converted into a make-shift hospital for Confederate soldiers, and he heard the gruesome stories about Gen Sherman marching into Atlanta and burning it to the ground.  (Note: It was Wilson who presided over the dedication of the sculpture, “New South,” the centerpiece for the Confederate section of Arlington National Cemetery.)

Wilson absolutely despised the notion of war.  Notwithstanding, he recognized the valor of those soldiers who fought in wars.  In 1914, on Memorial Day, Wilson gave a speech at Arlington, saying, “I can never speak in praise of war, ladies and gentlemen.  But there is this peculiar distinction belonging to the soldier … He is giving everything he hath, even his life, in order that others may live.”

Two thousand years ago, a very similar statement was made by a humble man from Galilee:  “Greater love hath no man than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends.”.  That statement was made by none other than Jesus of Galilee.  In fact, Jesus didn’t merely say these words:  He embodied them!  He gave up His life, so that each of us may live eternally.  He fought the war on a Cross, so that we may live in peace with God the Father.

PLEASE PRAY THAT OUR NATIONAL, STATE AND LOCAL LEADERS WOULD SQUASH THE TEMPTATION FOR SELFISH AMBITION.  We need them to internalize this “peculiar distinction” espoused by President Wilson and modeled by Jesus of Galilee.