July 4
“Used Just a Bit!”

     Here it is the 4th of July again, and we are in a war that seems to have no end. Many are disheartened. Much of our country would just as soon give up and “get on with life.” The problem is that our enemy has no plans to leave this conflict, much less leave us alone here in North America. Virtually all people with wisdom, regardless of political position, recognize that another “911” or worse is already in the planning stage. Most likely there are multiple 911s on the planning table of America’s enemies at this moment. The strategy that Ben Laden has espoused is simple: “Keep them engaged and wear them down.” Unfortunately we are fickle and do wear down. BUT, we need not be worn out if we look to God.

     Used.    The Bible teaches that you and I were created for God, for His purpose. Any meaning in life flows from that creation. The Bible teaches that God is a constant, a known quantity. Malachi 3:6 reveals a very significant teaching. The word that the NKJV translates “consumed,” has the sense of “being consumed to the point of being used up.” The prophet Malachi proclaims a great truth. We are here and we exist in our lives because God does not change. He is constant and sure. We may feel that we are worn out with our problems, even with an intransigent war. But there is hope in God.

     Trust.    Because God does not change, we understand that His creation is sustained in Him. The Letter to the Colossians reveals that God, in the Person of Jesus Christ, is the Agent of creation. We can trust our Creator because He remains constant, “the same yesterday, today, and forever.” We talk about our Savior being an anchor. An anchor holds fast. It does not drift. It steadies the craft which is dependent on it. Our very life holds fast and does not drift because of Who Christ is. We understand that Jehovah, that’s the “LORD,” does not change, and this Lord is Jesus Christ, the only One Who remains the same, forever. We must trust in the Lord’s plan and do our utmost to be supportive of His plan as we understand it. Recognize that it is not easy being a Christian, but Christ has a plan for the world’s salvation and we are in that world.

     Vision.    We remember our American Revolution in July. We remember that the founding fathers were unified because of their Heavenly Father. When they were at an impasse or when they needed guidance, they sought out the same Heavenly Father that we petition today. They prayed for our land and its people. They prayed for the land and its military. They prayed for our land and its enemies. They prayed for our land and its future. God gave them a vision for a land committed to our Christian God, to His Son Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our Heavenly Father brings light to the world through His Son Jesus Christ. We can see clearly when we have the Light. The Light that comes through Jesus Christ, is constant, eternal, bright, without compromise or shadow.

     Truth.    The Lord Jesus assures us that He is the constant One, the same One there at mankind’s creation and the same One there at the end of creation. We call God “Almighty” because there is power in His Name because He is the One "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." In this time of turmoil and warfare, we need to look to truth, not opinion and not compromise with the forces of evil. Our God is constant and keeps us from being consumed by our enemies. Our God is constant and provides the trust and vision we need for dealing with our enemies in the world. That’s God’s truth. God’s truth seeks the ultimate peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

     We understand that God in the Person of Jesus Christ came to earth 2000 years ago to restore a lost and fallen mankind to its Heavenly Father. The Bible clearly explains that God was motivated by love. We understand that that love is constant and unchanging. We are restored to our Heavenly Father through the work of Jesus Christ in His sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. The world, especially the enemies of the cross and our enemies in El Qaida, reject all that God would do. They reject all who follow Jesus Christ. They reject any nation that would even tolerate those who honor the Christian God. “Houston, we have a problem!”

     As we celebrate another birthday for our nation, let us pray that God’s Word would be free to reach all peoples on this earth. Let us pray that the evil one, Ben Laden’s inspiration, would be rebuked in all his works and all his ways. Let us pray for our nation, that it would be strong in the Lord Jesus and that it would reject the ways of the evil one, the ways of the world. Jesus remains faithful to His people. Each Sunday in the Kyrie we pray for the world in these words, “Lord have mercy upon us.” May He indeed extend His mercy to all mankind and come and rule over us soon. Amen.

~ Pastor Dave