Sunday, May 13, 2007 Wonderful men of Faith"

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Wonderful men of Faith"

From Julie's Keyboard:

God Loves A Cheerful Giver.....

Someone once said, "What I spent, I had; what I saved, I lost; but what I gave, I have."

In times like these it seems folks are doing one or the other of the first two parts of the statement above. This great country encourages using credit, spending the money earned and keeping the great cycle of economy going. Then again it encourages saving wisely for days ahead in the form of retirement and senior years. Both concepts seem to have their place and function. Yet, if we miss the last part (which actually should be the first priority) we miss out on the key factor for making a life of success.

Bearing in mind the many definitions of "success," we have to remember that God gives us all the guidelines necessary in His Word. As we study and do our best to appropriate His teachings regarding the things He has so graciously blessed us with, we cannot miss out on the quality of life He has designed for us to enjoy.

One may say "but I have so little to give." In all reality, every living being has something to give. Our material blessings and money always seem to be forefront. Could it be, because they might matter the most to us? As important as giving is in these areas, we must not forget our spiritual life. After all, this is the life consisting of eternity and has the greatest bearing on our circumstances here and now.

Let us daily search our hearts and determine to be that "cheerful giver" of whatever God has blessed us with by whatever means available to us.
Give some thought and meditation to the following passage of scripture this week. It will truly bless you.

Luke 6:38... "Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."

Julie

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"Wonderful men of Faith"

“Almighty God, and most merciful father, who didst command the children of Israel to offer a daily sacrifice to thee, that thereby they might glorify and praise thee for thy protection both night and day, receive, O Lord, my morning sacrifice which I now offer up to thee; I yield thee humble and hearty thanks that thou has preserved me from the danger of the night past, and brought me to the light of the day, and the comforts thereof, a day which is consecrated to thine own service and for thine own honor.”

Let my heart, therefore, Gracious God, be so affected with the glory and majesty of it, that I may not do mine own works, but wait on thee, and discharge those weighty duties thou requirest of me, and since thou art a God of pure eyes, and wilt be sanctified in all who draw near unto thee, who doest not regard the sacrifice of fools, nor hear sinners who tread in thy courts, pardon, I beseech thee, my sins, remove them from thy presence, as far as the east is from the west, and accept of me for the merits of thy son Jesus Christ, that when I come into thy temple, and compass thine altar, my prayers may come before thee as incense; and as thou wouldst hear me calling upon thee in my prayers, so give me grace to hear thee calling on me in thy word, that it may be wisdom, righteousness, reconciliation and peace to the saving of the soul in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

“Grant that I may hear it with reverence, receive it with meekness, mingle it with faith, and that it may accomplish in me, Gracious God, the good work for which thou has sent it. Bless my family, kindred, friends and country, be our God & guide this day and for ever for his sake, who lay down in the Grave and arose again for us, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.” ---- George Washington. George Washington's Prayer Journal, Sunday Morning: From William J. Johnson George Washington, the Christian (New York: The Abingdon Press, New York & Cincinnati, 1919), pp. 24-35.

Personal Note: The faith of our Founders never ceases to inspire me, what a great legacy of faith they have left us, what a great Nation they have given us! Here is Washington, alone in his study on a Sunday morning, reflecting upon his faith and the hope that governed his life and directed his path. Conveying his thoughts and desires of his heart to the Saviour he loved.

I am 48 years old now and I have been blessed to grow up in a wonderful America. In my America, one had no reason to go to town on Sunday, as there would be no one doing business, it was a special day set aside to honor our Christian God. As a child in public school, we prayed and gave thanks to God before we went to lunch. Before we did that, we started the day by standing and facing the flag of the United States of America. We pledged our allegiance to this great flag and to the republic and all it stood for. We acknowledged that this Nation was united as one under the sovereign power of God.

I didn’t understand all the implications that all this invoked, but I do remember that it made me feel good. That flag, though I was just a little boy, meant something special. I knew it represented something good and that it’s goodness and mine was somehow connected and sustained by the phrase “Under God.”

I remember as I stood and looked at that flag, as we all recited the words to the pledge, it made me want to be good, to be what that flag represented. I thought all the world wanted to be an American! I didn’t have any understanding of religion yet, I was just a little boy learning about the world around me. I had no idea that outside the boarders of this wonder Nation the world was a much different place. I would find that out later, and appreciate this country even the more. To this little boy, all I knew about God was that He was good, and if this Nation was under Him, this Nation had to be good.

I realize now that this understanding was perhaps the most profound reason I placed so much trust in my teachers, and generally all those whom I saw in authority. It all came from the fact that we lived under God and He was so very good. It gave me peace, it gave me trust, it gave a love for this country without evening knowing that’s what it was. I had a home, a place to belong, and a purpose for being here.

I remember going to the court square once with my Dad, there were two water fountains out side, one said “white” the other said “colored.” As we drank from the white fountain I noticed how broken and run down the colored fountain was. It took some time to learn the reason for this, I found out that my America was not yet perfect, but I then found out that things like this was continually challenged by the great Documents that were laid at our foundation by these wonderful men of faith we call the Founding Fathers.

I have come to understand, we as Americans make mistakes just like everyone else. We are not a special people with superior ideas, we are a people who have been influence by a special faith, given by this good God I came to know as a little boy. This faith inspired and gave birth to those great documents of freedom that govern us today, and have guided us and corrected us throughout our history. I now know, as long as we embrace this faith as a nation, protect and preserve those documents, even when we make mistakes, we will over come.

That is the America I want my children to know, to remember, and to love. So much is changing among us and my heart breaks, there are times tears fill my eyes as I see those trusted leaders come across my television screen, and tell the world this good God has no place in our public square. I think perhaps we are beginning to believe we are a special people with big ideas and don’t need any help from the “Under God” aspect of our history.

If we do ever move out from under this great influence, we will surely be a place just like any other. I have truly been blessed to live in this wonderful place, I pray we can preserve it for our children.

May God bless each of you,

David

Lymay Beecher:

"The government of God is the only government which will hold society, against depravity within and temptation without; and this it must do by the force of its own law written upon the heart.

This is that unity of the Spirit and that bond of peace which can alone perpetuate national purity and tranquility, that law of universal and impartial love by which alone nations can be kept back from ruin.

There is no safety for republics but in self-government, under the influence of a holy heart, swayed by the government of God." ---- Lyman Beecher (1775- 1863). 1831, in a newspaper article he wrote entitled, "The Spirit of the Pilgrims."