“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord …”

— Psalm 33:12

This time of year is always a perfect time to dwell on the founding of our nation. Did you know that God’s providence played an enormous part in the settling and founding of this country? George Washington alluded to God’s providence many times as he recounted our nation’s development. Let’s look at just one stunning example, forgotten by many today.

In the first year of the Revolutionary War, America almost lost the entire conflict. British General Howe had cornered Washington’s army in Brooklyn Heights. The British forces surrounded the American forces in a great semicircle, and behind them British ships could close them off at any time. In fact, the British intended to do just that the next day and thus end the war.

The Americans had no way to escape. Nevertheless, that night, Washington endeavored to escape, realizing the helplessness of his position. He collected every vessel he could find, from rowboats to sloops, and set about to evacuate his troops by night. Counselors advised against such an escape because the British would see them in the moonlight and hear the splashing of their oars. But Washington was determined to go ahead anyway. Just as the American troops began to launch their vessels, a strange and unusual fog rose up and completely covered all of them. The next morning, when General Howe gave the orders to close the trap, he was astonished to find that Washington and his entire army had disappeared.

Precisely because of many incidents like these, Washington wrote after the war: “I am sure that never was a people, who had more reason to acknowledge a divine interposition in their affairs, than those of the United States.” Today, thank God for His providence during the formation this great nation. And please join me in reminding people of God’s hand in founding it. Let’s give credit to Whom it is due.

“The hand of Providence has been so conspicuous in all this, that he
must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and more than wicked,
that has not gratitude enough to acknowledge his obligations.”
George Washington

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

— 2 Timothy 3:16

The more I read the Bible, the more I realize what an incredible book it is. Charles Wesley, the great hymn writer, said the Bible was written either by angels and good men, by demons and bad men, or by God. I am convinced that God wrote the Bible, and I have a lot of evidence to back up my conviction. I believe that God wrote the Bible, because in the Old Testament alone God says twenty-six hundred times that He did so.

We can trust the Bible as God’s Word because two thousand of its predictions have already come true: Over one hundred prophecies address the city of Babylon, including its destruction and the fact that it would never be rebuilt; Three hundred and thirty-three prophecies concern Jesus Christ, accurately predicting His place of birth, His character, and His crucifixion.

The Bible is from God because it is unified in thought. It contains sixty-six different books by approximately forty different authors writing in three different languages—Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Yet the same golden thread of redemption runs through it—God by His grace saves us when we believe in Jesus Christ, His Son.

We know God gave us the Bible because He has preserved it from destruction. It has survived twenty-six hundred years of attack. It has survived philosophical debates, wars, persecutions, and burnings.

We know the Bible is God’s Word because archaeology has confirmed it. For example, the Old Testament mentions the Hittites some forty times, but secular literature makes no mention of them at all. Because of this, some people said that the Bible is inaccurate. Then archaeologists dug up the great Hittite empire and proved the Bible right.

We know the Bible is from God because it has the power to transform. It transforms individual lives, societies, countries. It has produced literacy, liberty, and a republican form of government.

We have an abundance of proof that the Bible is God’s Word. Since He has taken great care to communicate and preserve His Word for you, treasure it, and take the time to know it well. Let it speak to your heart today.

“Not one single archaeological discovery has ever controverted the Bible.”
Nelson Glueck

“… It is enough. Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

— 1 Kings 19:4

Has discouragement dogged your path recently? You’re probably all too familiar with that sick feeling: A friend has let you down or the promotion has fallen through or your car just clutched its chest and died.

Life often seems riddled with letdowns, and if you haven’t experienced such discouragement yet, you’re in for a rude awakening because, sooner or later, discouragement elbows its way into all of our lives. Even spiritual giants such as Elijah experienced discouragement. After the greatest triumph of Elijah’s career—his defeat of the prophets of Baal—he fled for his life. When Jezebel, the Queen of Israel, threatened Elijah’s life for what he had done to the prophets, Elijah cried, “It is enough. Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” Elijah was in the pit of despair even though he had just experienced great victory through God’s power.

Whatever discouragement we face, God’s Word tells us that we can have hope. Scripture tells us that whatever comes our way, God will use it for good in our lives. He promises us that He will deliver us from our despair, although we may have to suffer for a while. Why does God allow us to suffer? Because through the fires of our affliction, God consumes our impurities and refines our gold. After all, what is a precious jewel but a piece of earth that has gone through some rather traumatic experiences? God is in the process of creating beautiful gems out of us so that we may adorn His crown.

Life can either wear us down or polish us up. If you feel discouraged today, trust Christ to use your discouraging times to mold you into a precious jewel, a person of great strength and character. Allow those thoughts to comfort you in tough times.

“If you believe God is living, act like it.”
Katherine Luther

“And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken …”

— Hebrews 3:5

Have you ever struggled to remain faithful to God in certain areas of your life? To be faithful literally means to be “full of faith.” The practical outworking of faithfulness is remaining true to God and His Word regardless of the cost or adverse circumstances.

Consider one man of faith, General William Booth, who founded the Salvation Army. In his later years, he lost his eyesight. He visited the doctor for help, but the doctor could not do much for him. His son, Bramwell Booth, had to give his father the final report: “I am afraid that there is little that they can do for you.” General Booth said, “You mean that I will never again see your face?” His son replied, “I am afraid the likelihood is that you will never again see my face in this world.” To this, General Booth declared, “Well, I have served God and the people with my eyes, and now I will serve God and the people without my eyes.” What an incredible example of faith in the midst of a tremendously adverse circumstance.

If we want to faithfully seek and serve God, we must remain true to God even in the face of possible loss, as Abraham remained true to God even when he faced losing his son, as Daniel remained true to God even as he faced the horrors of the lions’ den. To be faithful to Christ means to forsake this world with all its trappings and temptations. But even when we lapse in our faithfulness to God, He remains steady in His faithfulness to us. If you have trouble being faithful to God’s call, then ask the Lord for His strength and help. Bolster your faithfulness by studying His Word and obeying its commands.

“I do not want merely to possess a faith,
I want a faith that possesses me.”
Charles Kingsley

“… but the greatest of these is love.”

— 1 Corinthians 13:13

How is your love life? Or put differently, is yours a life of love? Today I’d like to focus on a man who exemplified Christian love. Henry Drummond, a nineteenth-century Scottish evangelist and writer, influenced lives wherever he went. He’s perhaps best known for his book entitled The Greatest Thing in the World, an exposition on the Love Chapter of 1 Corinthians.

Drummond discovered that the most important thing he could do in life was to learn to love. He set his heart and mind and soul on this goal. In learning to love, he became one of the most influential men of his time. He always kept company with a myriad of people, from well-known citizens to unconventional, vagrant bohemians. Everyone was his type of person. Dwight L. Moody said that most Christians make an occasional sojourn into the thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians, but Henry Drummond seemed to live in that chapter all his life, and it poured out from his pores. His love for others radiated from his face.

Have you made the joyful discovery that the greatest thing in the world is to give love (not to get it)? When we look back on our lives, we will see that in our moments of selfless giving, our lives took on their truest significance. Compared with all other things, love stands out as the greatest. But we cannot share this love on our own; we must receive it from Him who is love. Ask God to fill you with His love so that you might share it with others. Pray that His love would flow from you in all that you do.

“Love is life, and lovelessness is death.”
Frances Paget

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

— Ephesians 4:29

Of all the contributing factors that make our homes happy, good communication must be high on the list.

As we relate to people, we communicate on many levels—everything from “Hi, how are you?” to divulging facts, expressing emotions, and ultimately sharing our true selves. To make a home run smoothly, we need communication on all levels, but especially on that most intimate level of revealing ourselves to our housemates and families.

But that kind of communication can feel threatening. Sharing at the deepest, most intimate level makes us vulnerable, and many people don’t want to risk rejection. But as these people stay on “safer” levels of communication, they never discover the real glory of intimacy.

People avoid intimate conversation not only because they fear rejection but also because they have built up resentment against people who have hurt them in the past. As they refuse to forgive and as they continue to keep records of wrongs, these people maintain barriers between themselves and others. While they may feel safer that way, these people miss the joy of reconciliation and better understanding. We must express tenderheartedness and forgiveness toward one another as God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven us. If we don’t let go of our anger, we will clam up or blow up. “In your anger, do not sin,” and “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” These admonitions from Ephesians can help us forgive others and let go of pent-up resentment.

We also need to avoid faultfinding and blame. If we negatively evaluate someone, that person will not risk any deep communication, and we’ll experience isolation. Instead of focusing on the negative things, focus on the good in the people you care about. When we start focusing on the positive, the positive will increase, and we will “administer grace” to each other.

What are some ways you can foster deeper communication in your home today? Do you need to share yourself on a deeper level, to forgive someone, to refrain from harshly judging others? Take a risk today, and see how those you live with respond as you pursue intimate communication and relationships.

“Until I truly loved, I was alone.”
Caroline Norton

… Unlike those high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices—first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for He did this once for all when He offered up Himself.

— Hebrews 7:27

There were priests in the Old Testament, but now Christ, our great High Priest has come. He completed the work that they could only begin.

With a priest and an altar you have something else: you have a sacrifice. For hundreds of years, at God’s instruction, the ancient Hebrew priests offered sacrifices with many specific guidelines. There were daily sacrifices and specific annual offerings. They may have “forgiven” sins temporarily, but never permanently.

All of these sacrifices foreshadowed the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross. What He did is the basis for all forgiveness. His blood was much more precious than that of bulls and goats.

Read Hebrews 9-11 and you will notice that one word appears over and over and over again. It is a word that I recommend you underline. It is “once” or “one.” By one sacrifice Christ has forever reconciled us to God. There was only one sacrifice, and it took place upon the Cross 2,000 years ago. On that finished sacrifice all of our hopes are founded.

Question to ponder:
What does it mean that our High Priest offered Himself up “once for all”?

… weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

— Psalm 30:5

Sorrow, sadness, and weeping are all part of this life. None of us are untouched by the troubles of the world. But these are temporary—whereas joy, for the Christian, is everlasting. 

One time at a speaking engagement in Indianapolis, a man came up to me and said, “I was down in Ft. Lauderdale on vacation, and I met a lady in your church who shared with me those good tidings of great joy.” She had told him of the Gospel and he had accepted Christ. He continued: “You certainly cannot know, you cannot imagine the indescribable joy I have known for the last year since I came to know Christ. I never would have believed it.”

It is never recorded once that Jesus ever laughed, and yet the night before He went to the agony of the Cross, He said, “I have spoken these to you, that My joy may remain in you” (John 15:11). He came from the source of all joy—from Heaven—and He came to bring that joy to us. He took all of our sorrows and our griefs upon Himself, and thus, though He never laughed that we know of, He did weep. And He wept, so that we might be glad.

Question to ponder:
What difference does it make that sadness is temporary?

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

— Matthew 5:3

To be poor in spirit is to recognize that you are spiritually needy. It is to see that in ourselves we are poor and in need of a savior.

Christ came—not with pomp and circumstance, not with royal splendor, not with power, not with armies, but into a family with a great lineage: however, one that had fallen into poverty. He grew up in the home of a carpenter. He grew up in a city that was a byword: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46 NKJV).

He grew up with no education, and yet He was the wisest person who ever lived. He grew up, astonishingly, with no background. He exited that town, which was nothing, walked up on a hill, and there delivered the greatest discourse on human ethics the world has ever heard—the Sermon on the Mount. It has never been equaled and certainly never excelled.

The humble carpenter spread His blessings all over the world and taught us that humility is a virtue.

Question to ponder:
What is the relationship between having spiritual riches and being poor in spirit?

They feared greatly and said to one another, “What kind of Man is He, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

— Mark 4:41

We see something of the Deity of Christ and His uniqueness in the fact that He never bothered to trouble Himself to explain His frequently ambiguous conduct. For example, Jesus was asleep in the back of a boat in the midst of a great storm. Waves were breaking over the sides of the boat and the disciples were paralyzed with fear. They cried, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38).

“Well, I’m sorry fellows. If you had only awakened me earlier, I would have tried to help, but you see, it’s been such a long day and I was so tired. I just had to get some rest.”

No. He didn’t say anything like that. He simply said, “Peace, be still.” The waves ceased and the wind stopped. That is not the way any other man lives his life.

Jesus can calm the storms of our lives. The wind and the waves still obey His voice. He still calms storms.

Question to ponder:
What storm are you possibly experiencing in your life that you need to take to Jesus to calm?