WISE WORDS FROM ABRAHAM LINCOLN

I was listening to Steve Hadley recently, and he used a quote from Abraham Lincoln that really struck me.

“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown.  But we have forgotten God.  We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.  Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving, too proud to pray to the God that made us.  It behooves us, then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our nations sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness."

Abraham Lincoln

March 30, 1863

Isn’t it amazing how a quote from over 150 years ago still resonates so strongly regarding the state of our nation!

There is no doubt that America has been greatly blessed by the Almighty throughout most of our history and have grown to possess wealth and power to the point that we have been recognized as the richest, most powerful, influential nation on planet earth.  I’m afraid that is not going to be true much longer.

“BUT we have forgotten God.”  Sad to say, not only have we forgotten God, we have basically rejected God.  He is no longer welcome in our government, our schools or—more and more every day—in society as a whole.   It is becoming increasingly clear that those of us who choose to live our lives based on the truth of God’s word are being identified as troublemakers, unloving and disruptive to society.

Sadly, more and more people that profess to be “Christian” are making the decision to reject the truth of scripture and align themselves with false teaching so as to be able to be politically correct and fit in with the culture.  The problem is that the truth of God’s word is irrefutable and unchangeable.  Those who can so easily reject that truth, usually by perverting it to make it mean what they want towards supporting a personal agenda, need to examine their profession.

2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith….”

Scripture is very clear in declaring that the word of God stands forever, and its truth is everlasting.  A true Christian accepts this truth.  Do you?

Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”

Psalms 119:89 “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.”

Psalms 119:160 “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.”

1 Peter 1:25 “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.”

Scripture is also very clear in declaring that you can identify a man/woman by his/her fruits.

Matthew 7:15 & 20–23 “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves….Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

A true believer is one that possesses the indwelling Holy Spirit and acts accordingly—again, producing the appropriate fruit.

Romans 8:9 “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

Galatians 5:22–24 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

Ephesians 5:8–10 “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.”

John adds one more important point that should be included in your examination.

1 John 2:21–22 “I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?”

John declares that a true believer will not deny that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah, our Savior, the anointed Son of God.

Titus 2:11–14 “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

Luke 1:30–35 “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS….Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

Have you examined yourself honestly?  Did you pass?