In a recent heart wrenching tragedy covered on the local and national news reports, a two year old child was swept away from his mother’s grasp in a flash flood.  This event took place, not in the backcountry of the Colorado mountains, but in the greater city of Denver, on a downtown bike path, and on what started out as a sunny spring day.

As reports stated, the grandfather called to warn his daughter of the impending dangers of the storm and the possibility of flooding.  The daughter continued on her walk and sought shelter from the storm under a nearby bridge.

A fire department official stated, “The mother put the toddler in his stroller to protect him from hail, but torrential rain pushed the stream over its banks. The flood knocked the woman down and tore the stroller, with the boy inside, from her hands…”

It would be inappropriate to second guess and theorize what the young mother should or shouldn’t have done in those circumstances.  In that instant, she tried to safeguard her child as best she could, but the circumstances around her quickly got beyond her ability to control them.

For the most part, we all have “sunny and clear skies” in our spiritual walk.  Nothing should stop us from growing closer to God on a daily basis through prayer and study.  There are always enough hours in the day to devote some time to God. 

But when our adversary strikes us, it’s never with our foreknowledge and according to our schedule.  His attacks, much like a surging and flooding river, can quickly overcome us and draw us down into his waters.  And when we are caught up in those currents, tragedy usually follows. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:8: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

We can AND MUST anticipate Satan’s attacks.  This preparation is accomplished by rooting our knowledge in the voices of God’s prophets and the examples they left for us in God’s Word, the Bible.  If we do, our spiritual house will be much like the example of which Christ told us in Luke 6:48: “He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.”

How many wouldn’t love to win the Lottery? If you asked the average person, the answer would be a resounding YES! It has become a national pastime buying weekly tickets, especially a few times of the year when the grand prize reaches amounts that garner national attention.

Most of the winners begin with great aspirations when they win a prize of that sort, becoming instant multi-millionaires. But looking at the lives of many of those people today, years after they were awarded that grand prize, we frequently see ruined lives: stories of divorces, family members suing one another, and suicides are not uncommon. Even with the greatest of expectations, lack of financial maturity and planning lead many away from what they thought was a dream come true.

Among the billions of people on earth today, we have been given a precious spiritual gift. The gift of God’s Spirit is rare and priceless, and one that can and does change our lives for the better. But without proper spiritual guidance and planning, God’s Spirit within us can disappear from our grasp. And squandering His Spirit can lead to a much greater ruin than squandering money, much worse than those whose lives were shattered from lost fortunes.

We are told in Proverbs 11:14: “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Foremost, God’s Word should give us daily counsel. The Ministry and our brethren, secondly, can help to guide our paths.

With these counselors the “dream come true” that has been given to us can become a reality.  But we can’t cash the check just yet!

In Revelation 3:18, 21, we read: “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see… To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

Unlike the winners of the Lottery, our gift is despised by the world. Christ was slandered and killed because of His uncompromising willingness to be led by God’s Spirit within Him, and likewise, we will be slandered and hated as well. But we must continue to overcome, continue to strive for that “payout” that is awaiting us. And we will only achieve it if we allow God’s righteous counsel to open our eyes, guiding us away from that which harms and towards our cherished reward.

When we wake every morning, is it with a heart that longs to seek
after God’s Will, or with an attitude that we merely TRY not to break
His Laws?  The American Heritage Dictionary states:  “Observe
stresses compliance or respectful adherence to that which is
prescribed…” and “Celebrate emphasizes observance in the form of
rejoicing or festivity…”

As growing and persevering Christians we
are required to observe God’s Laws and His Way of Life.  But what
has the day-to-day “grind” of continued observance done to our
hearts?  Does the “first love” attitude still resound in it? 
Or have we become so battle-hardened through years of enduring, that we
no longer see the joy that this way of life brings?

We live in an
age in which our lifestyle is becoming more and more disliked. 
It’s easy to quietly endure, show few outward signs and hope no one
notices our unpopular beliefs.  But in trying to stay a “quiet
Christian,” are we still reflecting the attitude of the Being we
profess to follow? 

Christ said of King David that he was
a “man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22).  One such example of this
attitude occurred when David returned to Jerusalem with the Ark of the
Covenant: “… And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David,
and said, ‘How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering
himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the
base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!’  So David said to
Michal, ‘It was before the LORD…. Therefore I will play music before
the LORD. And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be
humble in my own sight…'” (2 Samuel 6:20-22).

David’s response,
when confronted with negative views of what he was doing, wasn’t to
quietly hide himself away.  On the CONTRARY!  He said he
would celebrate even more.

Likewise, we must strive to celebrate
this way of life more so, as the world around us darkens to God’s
truth.  When confronted with embarrassment because we stand out
from the crowd, we must know that God isn’t embarrassed. God isn’t
viewing us with disdain because of our perceived archaic beliefs. 
In fact, He might just be saying to you and me: “YOU are a person after
My own heart!”

Many of us probably have friends or neighbors who would consider
themselves to be patriotic, and supporters of the United States of
America. Maybe they take the time to display the flag on the 4th of
July, remember the men and women who sacrificed in the wars of this
country, or with pride hold their hand to their hearts when the
national anthem is played.  Service to one’s country still holds
true as a virtue and serving those around you are still ideals held by
many.

But are these the ideals to be held by Christians? 
And should Christians practice patriotism?  The answer is,
Yes!  But to whose country should we show our true allegiance?

During
the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel, through God’s Spirit, interpreted
the king’s dreams, and because of that service was made “ruler over the
whole province of Babylon” (Daniel 2:48). Continuing in verse 49, we
read that Daniel appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego to be “over
the affairs of the province of Babylon.”

In that particular case,
for God’s specific purpose, He chose to have men performing civil
service for a foreign county (as they had been deported from Judah to
Babylon), who also had God’s Spirit guiding them. Undoubtedly, they
performed their duties as was prescribed by the appointments Daniel
gave to them.  But when decrees were set before them to disobey
God, by worshipping an idol of gold, what was their response? 
“…let it be known to you, O King, that we do not serve your gods, nor
will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Daniel 3:18).

God
came before ALL men for these three, and because of their belief God
saved them from their trial, and the king honored them greatly (Daniel
3:28).

What are our duties, then, in our respective
countries?  While we are to honor and submit to those in
authority, we are not to obey them when their demands conflict with
God’s instructions.

But we are expected to be patriots–patriots
of a kingdom that has yet to be set up, but is no less real.  We
are “…ambassadors for Christ…” (2 Corinthians 5:20), and as
ambassadors we are required to show complete patriotism for God’s
soon-coming Kingdom. Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippines 3:20).
While coming out of our earthly country, in a spiritual way, we are
desiring a better country: we are waiting for God’s heavenly kingdom to
be set up here on earth (Hebrews 11:14-16). We are to be patriots of
God’s very Kingdom.

A patriot is defined as: “One who loves,
supports and defends one’s country.” Can that be said of us in how
proudly we “show our colors” to those around us? Matthew 5:14 states:
“You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be
hidden.”

It is our responsibility and duty, not just to ourselves, but to mankind as a whole to let the light of God’s truth so shine.