In 1853 Commodore Perry of the US Navy was commissioned to develop a trade relationship with Japan. The Japanese culture was to not trust anyone who was not Japanese. After several failed attempts to meet with the emperor,the emperor arranged a cautious meeting with Perry on a Sunday morning. Perry responded that he could not meet with him on Sunday morning because he must attend Sunday worship service, which upset some of his aides, who knew how easily offended the emperor could become.
The emperor postponed the meeting until the next day and said that Perry could be trusted because he was faithful to his God. This trust opened the door to the Orient for the United States. What are we saying to Muslim nations when we, as a nation, attempt to secularize our country? Can anyone trust a people who have no God to guide our values. I’m afraid that in a feable attempt to tell the Muslims that we are not in a holy war with them, we have declared ourselves infidels for having no spiritual values at all.
Do you think our nation should declare its religious roots or should America continue to be secularized? What say ye?
Tags: Commodore Perry, conviction, faithfulness
H. C. Morrison was the founder of Asbury Theological Seminary. Morrison came to Christ as a farm worker, plowing in a field one day, when he saw an old Methodist preacher coming by on his horse. Morrison knew the elderly gentleman to be a gracious, godly man. As he watched the old saint go by, a great sense of conviction of sin came over Morrison and he dropped to his knees. There between the furrows in his field, alone, he gave his life to God.
Reflecting on this testimony, Billy Graham earnestly prayed, “Oh, God, make me a holy man.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if ordinary people could so dedicate our lives to Christ, that when we walked or drove past people would come under conviction by the Holy Spirit within us. That’s my goal and desire.
“If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8).
Tags: conviction, holiness, righteousness, witness
A father and son were driving down a country road and saw a watermelon patch a little way off the highway. The father said to the boy, “Keep a lookout here while I go get us a melon.” He snuck into the patch, lifted a choice melon from the vine, and then called to the boy, “Is anyone coming? Look both ways.” The little fellow wisely responded, “But Daddy, shouldn’t we look up too?”
Why do people think they can get away with something just because they hid it from others? Aren’t we forgetting that there is One who sees and hears all we do and say? Perhaps we really aren’t thinking the right way.
“O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You…are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether” (Psalm 139:1-4).
Meditate on this today.
Tags: conviction