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God Bless the USA!

                 249 years ago today, the Declaration of Independence was signed. Two days later, a Pennsylvania newspaper published the document, making it public knowledge for the first time. At the time of its adoption, the colonies had been at war with Great Britain for over a year. During that time, there had been several victories by the American forces, including the Battles of Lexington and Concord, but the Founding Fathers knew that the British were a formidable foe. They also knew that their mere signature on the Declaration was sufficient to convict them of treason, and they never dreamed that it would be almost 7 more years before the Americans would be completely free of British rule. Still, they adopted the Declaration, pledging “to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”             It was not until 1787, a little over eleven years after the signing...
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"Tomorrow" Might Be Too Late!

                 A friend and longtime member of my Sunday School class passed away last week.   She had been in a nursing home for over a year, but her death still seemed sudden.   She had very little family—just an aunt and some cousins, so her church family was her family.   She was a “people” person, and I think that for her, one of the worst things about being in the nursing home was that she was alone.   She was confined to her bed, so unless people came to her, she had no one to talk to.             I went to visit her several times, sometimes with other friends and sometimes alone.   At first, she welcomed the gifts of puzzle books and sweet treats, especially brownies, but the last time I visited, it was obvious that she was beginning to decline.   Every time I tried to leave, she kept calling me back.   I even made it to the hallway once...
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A Forgiven and Forgotten Past

                 Sometime after Jesus calmed the wind and waves on the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 8:23-27), He returned to Capernaum, the city that became His base of operation for His ministry.   While there, He came upon a tax collector named Matthew.   The Scripture records only two words that He said to Matthew, “Follow me” (Matthew 9:9 NIV84).             To understand how special that invitation was, we must first understand the status of tax collectors in Jesus’ Jewish world.   While, even today, we don’t like to pay taxes, the tax collectors in Jesus’ time were primarily Jews who worked with the Romans to collect the taxes the Romans levied on the Jewish people.   If “conspiring with the enemy” wasn’t bad enough, most of the tax collectors added to the amount owed so that they could line their own pockets with the excess.   In short, tax collectors wer...
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The Faith of a Young Girl

                 This morning in my quiet time, I reread the story of Naaman, one of my favorite Bible stories from childhood. Naaman was a commander in the army of Aram, and he had leprosy. He was healed after he finally agreed to obey the instructions of the prophet, Elisha, and washed seven times in the Jordan River.   That’s the story in a nutshell, but as I read this morning, I saw something I hadn’t noticed before.   As we dive deeper and deeper into the Word, the Holy Spirit has a way of enlightening us to things that we might not otherwise see.   That’s what happened this morning.               I had never stopped to consider how Naaman heard about the prophet who could heal him, even though that is a crucial part of the story.  Israel and Aram were supposedly at peace, but that didn’t stop guerrilla bands from attacking people in Israel.  Duri...
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Jesus Prays to His Father

                 A few weeks ago, I wrote about the need to “abide” in Christ.   I think every Christian desires to develop that deep, intimate relationship with our Savior.   That is the definition of “abide.”   The question is always, “How do we do that?”             This week my Bible study group looked closely at John 17, which I believe allows us to examine the deep, intimate relationship between the Father and the Son.   As Jesus prays, not a prayer of teaching as is found in Matthew 6, but a prayer of love and devotion to His Father and the “Mission”, we get a glimpse of what it means to “abide” in God or Christ.             He begins the prayer with humility, seeking glory for Himself only so that the Father might be glorified.   His mission of bringing salvation to the world was done.   ...
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The Leap of Faith!

                 During my prayer time this morning, I was prompted to consider Hebrews 11: 11 and give praise for the way that God moves in our lives even in difficult circumstances.   As I reread the “Faith Chapter”, I began to think about what “faith” looks like.   The writer of Hebrews tells us that faith is, “… being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11: 1 NIV84).  My thought was, what does faith in action look like?             Abel’s faith was reflected in his choice to give God the first fruits of his labor.   His wise choice displayed his righteousness (Hebrews 11: 4).   Enoch’s faith was simple—He pleased God (verse 5).   He is a reminder to us that we can’t please God without faith (verse 6).             The faith of many others was displayed by their...
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Giving Thanks for Those Who GO

                 As I write this morning, the Middle East is at war, and there are thousands of missionaries and Christians caught in the crossfire.   For many of them, danger is nothing new.   They face persecution and the possibility of arrest and even death every day.   As Paul tells us in Philippians, they are our partners in the pursuit of our mission to take the Gospel to the whole world.   That partnership must begin with prayer.             I have a prayer journal that I use in my daily prayer time.   It lists my family and closest friends and the things that are happening in their lives.   It lists the members of my Bible Study and their prayer needs.   It also includes prayers for my country and my church.   I include these reminders to ensure that I cover the ones that I love with prayer.       ...
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