DAYS OF PRAISE -4 JULY- BE GRATEFUL ,BUT PRAY:“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven

Christianity can be condensed into four words: Admit, Submit, Commit and Transmit. -Samuel Wilberforce

Ceremony Becoming the Occasion

by Henry Morris III, D.Min. | Jul. 4, 2014

“The LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” (Isaiah 61:1)

“Philadelphia, July 5, 1777. My dear Daughter: Yesterday being the anniversary of American Independence, was celebrated here with a festivity and ceremony becoming the occasion . . . The thought of taking any notice of this day was not conceived until the second of this month, and it was not mentioned until the third. It was too late to have a sermon, as every one wished, so this must be deferred another year” (John Adams, from Adams Family Correspondence: June 1776–March 1778, 274).

John Adams made two observations that should be remembered today. First, the idea of “taking any notice” of the significance of the day was “not conceived” for some time, and second, “every one wished” to hear a sermon rather than hold a celebration. We have come far!

But note the Creator’s idea of independence. The text inIsaiah 61 is what the Lord Jesus quoted in the synagogue in Nazareth as He assumed His public ministry. “This day,” Jesus declared, “is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:21). God’s great liberty is of the spirit and of the mind, not merely of the land and the national population. The independence of Christ will heal the brokenhearted. It grants deliverance to the “captives” and new sight to the blind. The liberty of the King of kings and the Creator of the ends of the earth will set at liberty the bruised.

Be grateful and celebrate the wonderful liberty that God has granted the United States. But pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. . . . For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Matthew 6:10, 13).

HMM III

http://www.icr.org/articles/type/6/

DAYS OF PRAISE -BE PATIENT

Be Patient

September 26, 2010

"Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts:

for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh."

(James 5:8)

Many of us have been looking for the return of the Lord Jesus

for a long time. This writer has kept a simple little plaque on

his office wall for over 50 years. It reads: "Perhaps today,"

and serves as a daily reminder that today might indeed be

the day when He comes again. We do long for His appearing,

and as things seem to grow worse in the world year by year,

it is easy to become impatient--or perhaps even despondent-

-when He doesn't come.

Yet day by day "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh!" as our

text teaches. "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye

have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For

yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will

not tarry" (Hebrews 10:36-37).

Even the first-century Christians had to learn patience as they

also anxiously were awaiting Christ's return to deliver them out

of their tribulations--tribulations which were so great they

seemed to fit "end-time prophecies."

"Occupy till I come" (Luke 19:13) is His admonition to all who

await His second coming. "Blessed is that servant, whom his

lord when he cometh shall find so doing" (Luke 12:43). But

rather than hoping the Lord will come quickly to free us from

our tribulations, we should "count it all joy when fall into divers

temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of faith worketh

patience" (James 1:2-3). We need patience, and "tribulation

worketh patience" (Romans 5:3). For God will render "to them

who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and

honor and immortality, eternal life" (Romans 2:7). We should

"be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and

patience inherit the promises" (Hebrews 6:12). "Be patient

therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord" (James 5:7). HMM

Institute for Creation Research | 1806 Royal Lane | Dallas | TX | 75229