For all of his accomplishments in sports and politics, President Gerald Ford remained a humble man. He was known for his self-effacing humor. One of his best lines was—“I’m a Ford, not a Lincoln.”
This level of humility certainly stands out in our current society, especially compared to the out-of-control egos of some of our politicians. The Bible warns against pride, and it urges us to remain humble. We would all do well to strive for this virtue in our lives.
“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips.”—Proverbs 27:1-2.
One of the most quoted verses in the Bible about prayer is 2 Chronicles 7:14—“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Most Christians agree that our nation could use a lot of prayer. And most would also agree that they could be more devoted to prayer. Let’s use the acronym P.R.A.Y. to talk about the importance of prayer.
“P” is for PRIORITY. Unless we make prayer one of our top priorities, we will never devote ourselves to prayer the way we should. Prayer was a priority for Jesus. Mark 1:35 says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Prayer was a priority for the disciples of Jesus. They once asked Jesus, “…Lord, teach us to pray…” (Luke 11:1). The early church gave prayer a high priority. Acts 2:42 tells us that they devoted themselves to prayer. Since prayer was so important to Jesus, his disciples and the early church, we must also make prayer one of our top priorities. Talking to God should not be our last resort, it should be our first inclination. We must constantly be working to make prayer a top priority in our lives.
“R” can stand for RESPECT. When we approach God in prayer, we must come to him with the utmost respect. We must address the awesome Creator of the universe with the reverent fear that he demands and deserves. We read this about Isaiah’s encounter with God—“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” (Isaiah 6:5). I think that many people come into the presence of God far too casually. While we Christians are encouraged to approach God with confidence (Hebrews 4:16), we also are cautioned to “…worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.” (Hebrews 12:28).
Let’s say that the “A” stands for ASK. Making requests to God to act on behalf of ourselves and others is a basic part of prayer. What a great privilege we Christians have to be able to petition the Almighty God—who is also our Father in heaven!—to move in great and powerful ways! In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus teaches us, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7). God never gets tired of hearing our requests as long as they are in line with his will.
Which brings us to the “Y”, which stands for YOUR WILL BE DONE. When the time was drawing near for Jesus to be crucified to pay for the sins of all mankind, he prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42). Even though it meant facing a torturous death, Jesus accepted God’s will and prayed that his will would be done. In the model prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray in the same way—“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10). There is a constant struggle for us to align our will with the will of God so that we can pray for the things that he wants. After all, God knows better than we do what is best.
So, let’s make it a priority to pray to God with the respect that he deserves, asking him to do great and wonderful things that he wills for us.
In a vintage Far Side cartoon, Gary Larson depicts some early settlers of the American west with their wagons circled, trying to withstand an attack from their opponents. As flaming arrows are landing all around them, one settler cries out to another, “Hey! They’re lighting their arrows!…Can they do that?”
Unfortunately, we can’t expect our enemy to go easy on us. Satan will do anything he can to try to defeat us. Therefore, we need to be strong in our faith.
“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”—Ephesians 6:16.
After studying the menu a diner asked his waiter, “How is the chicken prepared?”
The waiter answered, “Sir, we are very straightforward. We tell the chicken, ‘You are going to die.’”
The Bible is very straightforward. It tells us that we are going to die. No one lives forever in this life. Each one of us has an inescapable appointment with death. However, this biblical teaching is not there to cause us to live in fear or dismay. Its purpose is to give us the chance to prepare for the next life. It was totally up to God to save us. And it is up to us to accept the salvation that he graciously offers us through Jesus.
“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”—Hebrews 9:27-28.
The Community Church of Chesterland, located in a small community east of Cleveland, was recently the victim of arson. Aimenn Penny, 20, is accused of trying to burn down the church building in order to prevent the congregation from hosting a drag show that was scheduled to take place there. The building sustained minimal damage. Penny faces up to 50 years behind bars if he is convicted of all the charges that have been levied against him.
A couple of questions come to mind. First, is arson really the best option that Penny could come up with to protest a decision with which he disagreed?
Secondly, what did the church hope to accomplish by hosting a drag show? How in the world would such an event go along with the mission of the church? Don’t they understand that God forbids cross-dressing?
“A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this.”—Deuteronomy 22:5.
President Joe Biden released a video yesterday announcing his intention to run for re-election in 2024. In the video he remarked, “When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are.”
I agree with the president’s assertion that we are in a battle for the soul of America. I disagree with his implication that he is the best person to lead us in that battle. Mr. Biden is pro-abortion, is a champion of the homosexual agenda and rarely utters the names of “God” or “Jesus” unless he is using them as swear words. Any person with such a lack of character is hardly the one to set the moral tone for our nation.
Having said that, I must point out that it has been several years since I have been impressed with the moral fiber of any nominee for president. The choices we have been left with the past two elections have been very discouraging.
However, we must remember that our trust should not be in human leaders and the power that they wield, but in the Lord God Almighty.
“Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”—Psalm 20:6-7.
A lady was once asked why she found so much pleasure from working in her garden. She answered, “It’s hard to explain the joy of raising something that doesn’t talk back!”
Raising children can indeed be difficult at times. But with a little patience and a whole lot of Scripture, the results can be rewarding!
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”—Proverbs 22:6.
“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”—Ephesians 6:4.
I was all prepared to go through the checkout line at the grocery story. I didn’t want to be “that guy” who held up the line, so I had my credit card out and ready to use. When the time came I quickly began to insert my…driver’s license!?
Well, that way wasn’t going to work. So I fumbled through my wallet again and finally produced the correct card, the only one in my possession that would have paid for the groceries.
The only way we can have our sins paid for is to allow Jesus to do it. No other way works. He and he alone can pay the price for the sins we have committed.
“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”—1 John 2:2.
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”—John 14:6.
The gospel message—that salvation is available through faith in the crucified and resurrected Jesus—is the most important news possible for humanity. Any other news pales in comparison. Jesus died on the cross to pay for the sins of the world. On the third day he rose from the tomb, having defeated sin once and for all. The resurrected Jesus appeared to many people before ascending into heaven, where he now reigns. One day he will return for his church and take them to live with him forever in the new heaven and earth. This is wonderful news that needs to be proclaimed for all the world to hear!
On the Easter just before he died, William Sangster painfully printed a short note to his daughter. A deeply spiritual minister, he had been spearheading a renewal movement in the British Isles after World War II. Then he contracted a disease which progressively paralyzed his body, even his vocal chords, taking away his ability to preach. But the last Resurrection Sunday he spent on earth, still able to move his fingers, he wrote: “How terrible to wake up on Easter and have no voice to shout, ‘He is risen!’ Far worse, to have a voice and not want to shout.”
We Christians do indeed have something to shout about in the risen Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ! However, unbelievers have continually tried to get us to be quiet about our faith, or to renounce it altogether.
About 1930, the communist leader Bukharin travelled from Moscow to Kiev. His mission was to address a large assembly about the subject of atheism. For a solid hour he ridiculed Christianity. At last he was finished and looked out at what seemed to him to be the smoldering ashes of men’s faith. “Are there any questions?” Bukharin demanded. A solitary man arose and asked for permission to speak. He mounted the platform and moved close to the communist. The audience was breathlessly silent as the man surveyed them first to the right, then to the left. At last he shouted the ancient Orthodox greeting, “CHRIST IS RISEN!” The vast assembly arose as one and the response came thundering back, “HE IS RISEN INDEED!”
Yes, my friends, we do indeed have something to shout about in the risen Jesus! May nothing ever take away our desire to proclaim this wonderful news!
A church once held a meeting to discuss some plans for the future. Someone suggested that the church buy a chandelier. One man angrily took exception to this idea. He exclaimed, “We do not need a chandelier! First of all, there isn’t enough money in the budget. Second, nobody here even knows how to play one of those things. And finally, what we really need around here is more lighting!”
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”—Philippians 2:3-4.
Jesustrek 