We have many freedoms as Americans. Basically, freedom is a gift from God, but it should never be taken for granted. We should highly value our freedom and protect it if we wish to keep it.
The greatest freedom that God offers us is the freedom from the domination of sin. This comes only to those who accept Jesus as Savior and commit their lives to Him. This is an inner freedom which gives us not only forgiveness but also strength to resist the temptation to give in to sin.
In America we have the freedom to believe in Jesus and proclaim Him to others. The time may come when we may not have legal freedom to tell people that Jesus is the only way to God. But if we have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we must continue to speak His praise and live for His glory. We will obey God, not man.
We heard a wonderful message at our church Sunday morning on Standing for Liberty, showing the great need of America to turn back to God. Our three branches of government are based on Isaiah 33:22. The tax exemption for churches was based on what was done in Ezra 7:24. Our whole government was based on Christian principles, yet now our schools won't allow anything Christian in the schoolbooks. And many things allowed by laws in America are totally opposed to God.
In order to preserve freedom in America we must respect our leaders and the rule of law. We need to pray for all our leaders, that they will make good laws and live moral lives. Even though we may disagree with some laws we must obey them. Pray that more of our leaders will recognize God in their lives and behave in an ethical way. Only thus will we have peace and order in society.
The best way to make changes in American society is to promote good laws that are fair to all. Violence only tears society down. Voting for good leaders is the American way.
Apathy about the deterioration of society will lead to the dominance of evil and the spread of immorality. As Christians we are obligated to vote for good laws and honorable leaders.
Sometimes it is necessary to speak against those whom we believe are leading our country down a wrong path. But we must speak the truth in love with proper respect for all those in authority.
Have you prayed for our president by name? Have you prayed for our governors and our congressional leaders? God can guide them if we pray faithfully for them. If they make poor decisions, God can still overrule and cause His purposes to be accomplished.
Proverbs 21:1 says “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.”
Believe that ultimately God is in control. He has purposes that we may not understand. He may allow conditions that put pressure on churches because He sees that we need discipline to bring us back to a more fervent faith.
Use your freedom to spread the good news of God’s love and salvation through Jesus Christ. People will listen to a simple explanation of what God has done for you. Let people see that you are not afraid to stand up for Jesus.
It may not be so easy even five years from now. Value your freedom while you have it.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
MY SONG OF JOY
JESUS HAS BEEN WATCHING ME TODAY
As I drove to the dentist this morning I saw numerous spikes of lightning in the western sky above Tulsa and soon the rain began. Seven tornadoes had hit Tulsa in the past week, but I was trusting God to keep me safe.
Suddenly I thought of a poem I had written 54 years ago on a long, lonely drive to Canada for a missionary conference at Prairie Bible Institute. Piles of snow were packed on each side of the narrow road in Idaho, and I thanked God that it wasn’t still snowing. The road could have been dangerous and I didn’t have any car insurance.
I was a missionary to the Navajo Indians at the time. I knew it was unwise to drive so far without insurance, but I barely had enough support to pay for room and board and gas for the car.
The words God gave me that day in 1956 comforted me and strengthened my faith. I couldn’t write them down as I drove, so I had memorized each line before composing the next one, singing them to myself in a melody the Lord gave me. When I got to my motel in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, I wrote it all in a notebook. Months later I managed to write out the music which has been resounding in my soul ever since.
“Jesus has been watching me today.
Faithfully He cares for me alway.
I will never yield to doubt or fear,
For I know my Savior’s always near.
And so I’m trusting Him and no danger can alarm.
In His perfect will He is leading me on.
I am leaning hard on His everlasting arms,
And no matter what may come, I’ll always have a song.”
I have passed through many storms since then and God has always been with me. I had no idea I would spend five years in Laos so near the Vietnam war, but God kept me safe there. Later I encountered some severe storms in my personal life. But God has been faithful to keep me true to Him.
I am glad that Jesus is still watching over me today. This is the greatest comfort a Christian can have.
As I drove to the dentist this morning I saw numerous spikes of lightning in the western sky above Tulsa and soon the rain began. Seven tornadoes had hit Tulsa in the past week, but I was trusting God to keep me safe.
Suddenly I thought of a poem I had written 54 years ago on a long, lonely drive to Canada for a missionary conference at Prairie Bible Institute. Piles of snow were packed on each side of the narrow road in Idaho, and I thanked God that it wasn’t still snowing. The road could have been dangerous and I didn’t have any car insurance.
I was a missionary to the Navajo Indians at the time. I knew it was unwise to drive so far without insurance, but I barely had enough support to pay for room and board and gas for the car.
The words God gave me that day in 1956 comforted me and strengthened my faith. I couldn’t write them down as I drove, so I had memorized each line before composing the next one, singing them to myself in a melody the Lord gave me. When I got to my motel in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, I wrote it all in a notebook. Months later I managed to write out the music which has been resounding in my soul ever since.
“Jesus has been watching me today.
Faithfully He cares for me alway.
I will never yield to doubt or fear,
For I know my Savior’s always near.
And so I’m trusting Him and no danger can alarm.
In His perfect will He is leading me on.
I am leaning hard on His everlasting arms,
And no matter what may come, I’ll always have a song.”
I have passed through many storms since then and God has always been with me. I had no idea I would spend five years in Laos so near the Vietnam war, but God kept me safe there. Later I encountered some severe storms in my personal life. But God has been faithful to keep me true to Him.
I am glad that Jesus is still watching over me today. This is the greatest comfort a Christian can have.
Friday, May 14, 2010
PREPARING FOR REVIVAL
ARE WE READY?
Usually this question makes us think of Christ’s return. He is coming soon to take the church out of this world. As conditions deteriorate even here in America, we tell ourselves that Jesus will come for us before things get really bad.
But that is not the question we should be asking. Are we ready to stand for Jesus when persecution really comes on strong, when our freedoms as Americans may be limited? Or are we just looking for an escape from the realities of life in this increasingly secular society?
God never promised that we would not suffer for our faith in Him. Christians in countries like China, Africa, and India have suffered greatly and have refused to deny Christ. Churches there have been burned and believers have died. Many children have been left as orphans because their parents would not give up their faith in Jesus.
We sheltered Americans and others in free countries tend to think that our constitutional freedoms will protect us from having to suffer any extreme persecution. We look to politics to keep our freedoms safe. We look for revival to keep our churches strong.
But maybe that is not God’s plan. Perhaps severe persecution will come as our culture becomes even more secularized, and when we begin to stand firm against all opposition, revival will spring up in our midst.
True Christians are different. They are loyal to Christ even when the laws change against them. The world does not like that. The world today demands conformity. We need courage and determination to refuse to lower our standards.
When we speak up for Jesus in the face of opposition, our hearts are warmed and strengthened. God promises a special joy for those who proclaim His truth during times of persecution. This is revival.
Are we ready? If we are not speaking up for Jesus now, how will we do it when conditions become harder, when believers are openly discriminated against by their neighbors and leaders?
We need to prepare for these difficult times that are coming to America. Let your friends and neighbors know now that you are a follower of Jesus. Speak His name in your conversations.
You do not need to become a street preacher. Just offer a little Bible tract to people you meet, even to clerks who wait on you in stores. If we let people know we love Jesus, our own hearts will be warmed and revived. Our faith will become stronger, more fervent. And unbelievers will see that God is real and working in their midst. They will pay more attention and some may turn to the Lord. A great awakening could result.
Take your stand for Jesus now and it will not be so difficult when the hard times come.
Are we ready? To have genuine revival we must first repent of all hidden sin and let God's Spirit fill us and use us. We also need to be telling people that God loves them. This will help us be ready for the return of our Savior and Lord. This is the way to revival.
Usually this question makes us think of Christ’s return. He is coming soon to take the church out of this world. As conditions deteriorate even here in America, we tell ourselves that Jesus will come for us before things get really bad.
But that is not the question we should be asking. Are we ready to stand for Jesus when persecution really comes on strong, when our freedoms as Americans may be limited? Or are we just looking for an escape from the realities of life in this increasingly secular society?
God never promised that we would not suffer for our faith in Him. Christians in countries like China, Africa, and India have suffered greatly and have refused to deny Christ. Churches there have been burned and believers have died. Many children have been left as orphans because their parents would not give up their faith in Jesus.
We sheltered Americans and others in free countries tend to think that our constitutional freedoms will protect us from having to suffer any extreme persecution. We look to politics to keep our freedoms safe. We look for revival to keep our churches strong.
But maybe that is not God’s plan. Perhaps severe persecution will come as our culture becomes even more secularized, and when we begin to stand firm against all opposition, revival will spring up in our midst.
True Christians are different. They are loyal to Christ even when the laws change against them. The world does not like that. The world today demands conformity. We need courage and determination to refuse to lower our standards.
When we speak up for Jesus in the face of opposition, our hearts are warmed and strengthened. God promises a special joy for those who proclaim His truth during times of persecution. This is revival.
Are we ready? If we are not speaking up for Jesus now, how will we do it when conditions become harder, when believers are openly discriminated against by their neighbors and leaders?
We need to prepare for these difficult times that are coming to America. Let your friends and neighbors know now that you are a follower of Jesus. Speak His name in your conversations.
You do not need to become a street preacher. Just offer a little Bible tract to people you meet, even to clerks who wait on you in stores. If we let people know we love Jesus, our own hearts will be warmed and revived. Our faith will become stronger, more fervent. And unbelievers will see that God is real and working in their midst. They will pay more attention and some may turn to the Lord. A great awakening could result.
Take your stand for Jesus now and it will not be so difficult when the hard times come.
Are we ready? To have genuine revival we must first repent of all hidden sin and let God's Spirit fill us and use us. We also need to be telling people that God loves them. This will help us be ready for the return of our Savior and Lord. This is the way to revival.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Earthquake in Haiti
Days of Praise in Haiti
Many admit that Haiti in general was ill prepared for an earthquake or any disaster of this magnitude. But the Christians were prepared and responded with a strong witness for Christ.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper commented about the people and what they were doing. After hundreds of thousands were crushed to death and even before family members could be accounted for, the people gathered in open places and sang hymns and songs and praises. They prayed and worshiped their Holy God, the God of Heaven.
Haiti was perhaps the most prepared for this disaster! For decades ministries like the Gospel Tract Society and churches without number have evangelized Haiti, fighting the battle between good and evil, of God and Satan. For decades the Gospel was preached and throngs were discipled. That was a success, for when the plates of the earth’s mantle shifted 6 miles below the surface, and concrete crumbled and fell, taking many lives with it, what was the response of those left in ruin? Yes, they sang in the streets.
What was the response of the civil government? At the one-month anniversary of Haiti’s earthquake, its president Rene Preval, called for three days of holiday from work for the purpose of prayer and fasting. We didn’t see it on the news, but Tom Buttram of the Gospel Tract Society heard from people in Haiti that it had happened. Stores and stations were closed and prayer and worship took place. A country dedicated to worship of Voodo saints may soon become a truly Christian nation, as God brings to the overcomers beauty for ashes.
– excerpts from the Gospel Tract Harvester, Feb/Mar. 2010, pages 10, 22
Many admit that Haiti in general was ill prepared for an earthquake or any disaster of this magnitude. But the Christians were prepared and responded with a strong witness for Christ.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper commented about the people and what they were doing. After hundreds of thousands were crushed to death and even before family members could be accounted for, the people gathered in open places and sang hymns and songs and praises. They prayed and worshiped their Holy God, the God of Heaven.
Haiti was perhaps the most prepared for this disaster! For decades ministries like the Gospel Tract Society and churches without number have evangelized Haiti, fighting the battle between good and evil, of God and Satan. For decades the Gospel was preached and throngs were discipled. That was a success, for when the plates of the earth’s mantle shifted 6 miles below the surface, and concrete crumbled and fell, taking many lives with it, what was the response of those left in ruin? Yes, they sang in the streets.
What was the response of the civil government? At the one-month anniversary of Haiti’s earthquake, its president Rene Preval, called for three days of holiday from work for the purpose of prayer and fasting. We didn’t see it on the news, but Tom Buttram of the Gospel Tract Society heard from people in Haiti that it had happened. Stores and stations were closed and prayer and worship took place. A country dedicated to worship of Voodo saints may soon become a truly Christian nation, as God brings to the overcomers beauty for ashes.
– excerpts from the Gospel Tract Harvester, Feb/Mar. 2010, pages 10, 22
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
LISTEN AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS
LISTEN WITH ALL YOUR HEART
Those who really listen to God’s Word with all their heart will understand even the parables, and they will bring forth much fruit. As our January Bible study was being held at church, I stared at our text, Matthew 13. The name Dixie Randolph was written there in the margin by verse 9. I remembered writing her name there last year when I read Matthew through in my daily devotions.
Dixie is a perfect example of one who heard God’s Word and accepted it totally. She had accepted Jesus into her heart as a young teenager after my friend Donna had invited her to church. I learned that Dixie lived around the corner from our house, so I suggested we walk to prayer meeting together the next Wednesday. It was about a mile to church, so we had time to talk at length.
Dixie told me that Jesus had changed her life but she said it was really hard to follow Him. She didn’t tell me until years later that one of her brothers was taking drugs or that she came from a very poor family. I didn’t even know that anyone took illegal drugs for entertainment in the 1940's. She probably thought that I wouldn’t believe her. I had never been inside Dixie’s home or met any of her family at that time.
I had been a believer only about four years myself and had given myself to serve the Lord wherever He needed me. I felt that He might lead me to China, but I knew definitely that He wanted to use me right then to witness to people around me in Los Angeles.
Dixie was already a believer, so all I did was encourage her. I told her that God would never fail her, to keep on trusting Him no matter what the cost. We became close friends, but Dixie never told me until years later that her mother had threatened to kick her out of the home.
“Stop talking about Jesus so much!” her mother had yelled at her. “I don’t want to hear that. I’ve heard all that before, and God doesn’t care about us. We just do what we can, whatever we want to do.” Dixie began reading her Bible at night under the covers or in the kitchen when everyone else was in bed. She couldn’t give up her faith in Jesus Christ, for He had changed her and given her something to live for.
I was busy with my studies in high school. It was important to keep my grades up so I could go on to Bible college and qualify to serve the Lord overseas or wherever He took me. But Dixie and I became close friends. She came to church regularly and also attended Euodia Club where we met once a week near our school to study the Bible. At that point in my life, I was just an encourager to anyone who crossed my path, and a witness for Jesus to the unsaved classmates that I knew. I was a rather shy person, but I did my best, and that was all that God asked of me.
Dixie asked me for advice about what Bible college to attend. She didn’t go to the one I recommended but went to Biola right there in Los Angeles. That was fine. I left her in the hands of the Lord and kept in touch as much as possible to encourage her to go on with God. I went to Prairie Bible Institute in Three Hills, Alberta, Canada, and graduated in 1953.
Imagine my surprise when I returned home from Laos many years later and found that Dixie was married to a hospital chaplain, David Randolph, and was doing a puppet ministry among juvenile delinquents at the state-run Juvenile Hall in Santa Ana. Later they moved to San Bernardino, where they are still busy giving out the Good News of salvation. Their financial support has dwindled in recent years, but Dixie and Dave sacrifice much and continue to give all their time to the Lord’s work in hospitals and state youth facilities. Dixie helps many young people whose families have kicked them out. Through Christ many discouraged young men and women have found deliverance from addictions and criminal activities.
Dixie has been more of a blessing to me than I have been to her. She has probably won more people to Christ and has endured more hardships than I have ever known. She has given her full time to Christian evangelism for more than forty years with no paycheck at all. In 1991 she was recognized publicly as one of the Points of Light by then President George H. W. Bush because of the many lives that had been changed through her selfless, dedicated ministry. I have pictures of her with him beside the plane, Air Force One, that brought him to the ceremony.
All I did was be an encourager. You can do that, too. Who do you know who needs hope and encouragement that God will be faithful to take them victoriously through life? Tell others what Jesus can do for them. But first we must each be one who listens closely to God and follows Him with a sincere heart.
Those who really listen to God’s Word with all their heart will understand even the parables, and they will bring forth much fruit. As our January Bible study was being held at church, I stared at our text, Matthew 13. The name Dixie Randolph was written there in the margin by verse 9. I remembered writing her name there last year when I read Matthew through in my daily devotions.
Dixie is a perfect example of one who heard God’s Word and accepted it totally. She had accepted Jesus into her heart as a young teenager after my friend Donna had invited her to church. I learned that Dixie lived around the corner from our house, so I suggested we walk to prayer meeting together the next Wednesday. It was about a mile to church, so we had time to talk at length.
Dixie told me that Jesus had changed her life but she said it was really hard to follow Him. She didn’t tell me until years later that one of her brothers was taking drugs or that she came from a very poor family. I didn’t even know that anyone took illegal drugs for entertainment in the 1940's. She probably thought that I wouldn’t believe her. I had never been inside Dixie’s home or met any of her family at that time.
I had been a believer only about four years myself and had given myself to serve the Lord wherever He needed me. I felt that He might lead me to China, but I knew definitely that He wanted to use me right then to witness to people around me in Los Angeles.
Dixie was already a believer, so all I did was encourage her. I told her that God would never fail her, to keep on trusting Him no matter what the cost. We became close friends, but Dixie never told me until years later that her mother had threatened to kick her out of the home.
“Stop talking about Jesus so much!” her mother had yelled at her. “I don’t want to hear that. I’ve heard all that before, and God doesn’t care about us. We just do what we can, whatever we want to do.” Dixie began reading her Bible at night under the covers or in the kitchen when everyone else was in bed. She couldn’t give up her faith in Jesus Christ, for He had changed her and given her something to live for.
I was busy with my studies in high school. It was important to keep my grades up so I could go on to Bible college and qualify to serve the Lord overseas or wherever He took me. But Dixie and I became close friends. She came to church regularly and also attended Euodia Club where we met once a week near our school to study the Bible. At that point in my life, I was just an encourager to anyone who crossed my path, and a witness for Jesus to the unsaved classmates that I knew. I was a rather shy person, but I did my best, and that was all that God asked of me.
Dixie asked me for advice about what Bible college to attend. She didn’t go to the one I recommended but went to Biola right there in Los Angeles. That was fine. I left her in the hands of the Lord and kept in touch as much as possible to encourage her to go on with God. I went to Prairie Bible Institute in Three Hills, Alberta, Canada, and graduated in 1953.
Imagine my surprise when I returned home from Laos many years later and found that Dixie was married to a hospital chaplain, David Randolph, and was doing a puppet ministry among juvenile delinquents at the state-run Juvenile Hall in Santa Ana. Later they moved to San Bernardino, where they are still busy giving out the Good News of salvation. Their financial support has dwindled in recent years, but Dixie and Dave sacrifice much and continue to give all their time to the Lord’s work in hospitals and state youth facilities. Dixie helps many young people whose families have kicked them out. Through Christ many discouraged young men and women have found deliverance from addictions and criminal activities.
Dixie has been more of a blessing to me than I have been to her. She has probably won more people to Christ and has endured more hardships than I have ever known. She has given her full time to Christian evangelism for more than forty years with no paycheck at all. In 1991 she was recognized publicly as one of the Points of Light by then President George H. W. Bush because of the many lives that had been changed through her selfless, dedicated ministry. I have pictures of her with him beside the plane, Air Force One, that brought him to the ceremony.
All I did was be an encourager. You can do that, too. Who do you know who needs hope and encouragement that God will be faithful to take them victoriously through life? Tell others what Jesus can do for them. But first we must each be one who listens closely to God and follows Him with a sincere heart.
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