Do you plan for the best? Or for the worst?
Some people act as though nothing bad will ever happen to them. Other people assume nothing good will ever come their way. The truth is somewhere in the middle.
Christ calls us to count the cost. Plan. And step out in faith.
I love the book of Esther. It’s a great story–with a none-too-bright king, an evil villain, a trusted adviser and the brave and beautiful queen. The disaster train speeds along, and the villain has the Jewish nation tied to the tracks. Our reluctant heroine, Queen Esther, is advised that she was made queen “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).
Is there a disaster train speeding toward America? Many people think so.
Lord, give us the hero/heroine we need “for such a time as this.” Amen.
Micah 6:8 (NIV)
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
I wonder: is it humanly possible to walk humbly and run for President at the same time?
The maps in my school books had America front and center. When I pray, I tend to put America’s needs front and center. I pray, Your will be done in America. I am thinking, “Do what’s best for America.”
The Lord’s Prayer reads, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” What if best for EARTH isn’t best for America?
Your kingdom come, your will be done, Lord.
Scotsman John Knox (1510-1572), former Catholic priest and galley slave, was a leader in the Protestant reformation. He preached hellfire and damnation to queens. Quite a character.
Our presidential candidates should take his advice to heart.
“You cannot antagonize and influence at the same time.”
A voice of experience?
Yep, there’s a campaign on. What’s important to you in a candidate?
Remember Old Testament Samuel? The people asked for a king, and he told them to be careful what they wished for.
As should we.
I’ve been reading ‘Mending the Soul” by Steven R. Tracy. The book explores the destructive power of abuse. It explains the redemptive power of God’s love. Dr. Tracy urges abuse victims to acknowledge their painful histories:
“Facing our brokenness is a breathtaking act of faith in the living God; refusal to face our brokenness is a tragic denial of his existence, power, and goodness . . . God is a god of truth. God is the Lord of history who will ultimately triumph over all human evil.”
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self control,
Thy liberty in law.
Katharine Bates, 1904
Children get more than genes from their parents. Take Amon, King of Judah, for bad example:
2 Kings 21:20-22 (NIV)
He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. He followed completely the ways of his father, worshiping the idols his father had worshiped, and bowing down to them. He forsook the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and did not walk in obedience to him.
Good or bad, you are an example to those who follow. 
