The Moon Praises Him

 

The Moon Praises Him by Dr. D. James Kennedy

The heavens declare the glory of God … and night unto night declares knowledge.

— Psalm 19:1-2

We all look at the moon, admire the moon, sing about the moon—the moon in June. It brings out tunes and all of that, but what does the moon really mean to us?  Let me say this: If there were no moon, there would be no you. 

For example, the moon is God’s cleaning-maid for the earth. It cleans up the oceans with its tides. Without those tides and without the moon, all of our shores and all of our bays would be filled with billions of tons of garbage, stench, and debris. The highest priced landscape would be as far from the seashore as you could get, especially on the leeward side.

Furthermore, the moon’s gravitational pull mixes the atmosphere. Just as it works on the sea, it works on the atmosphere and mixes oxygen with the water in the waves breaking on the shore. When you watch waves breaking on the shore, you are watching the ocean’s lifeline in progress. Oxygenated water is required by plankton, which is the foundation of the whole marine food chain without which all marine creatures would die. 

The moon just “accidentally” happens to be there, just “accidentally” happens to be the right size, in the right place, and the right distance away from the earth to exert the proper gravitational force on tides and the atmosphere to perform the job with which it is tasked.

Day by day, night by night, God’s creation itself brings Him glory for those who will listen.  Are you listening?

Judgement

Judgement by Dr. Jim Denison

Dr. Tony Evans is one of the most brilliant biblical expositors in the evangelical world. Always measured and thoughtful, he is the opposite of a reactionary voice. As a result, when he says America is under judgment, you and I should listen. And when he explains why, we should listen even more personally. In an interview with The Christian Post, Dr. Evans stated his belief that God’s judgment on our world is evidenced by conflicts which seem unending in recent years. He cited 2 Chronicles 15:3–6, which reads in part, "One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress." He also pointed to Romans 1, which speaks of God removing himself from those who remove themselves from him. Why is God judging us?   Dr. Evans stated, "I think one of the things we’re facing now is the judgment on America because of the failure of the church to be the people of God that represents his kingdom more than we represent the nation." This is because, as he states, "We’ve been more cultural Christians than Biblical Christians." Is he right? Funerals began yesterday afternoon in Uvalde, Texas, a week after a mass shooting that killed nineteen children and two teachers. Several schools have faced copycat threats in the days since. Just days after the school shooting in Uvalde, more than thirty people lost their lives from gun violence around the country. And the ongoing pandemic is impacting our children in deeply significant ways. In a New York Times survey, 94 percent of school counselors said their students were showing more signs of anxiety and depression than before the pandemic. One said, "Anxiety is filling our kids right now. They are worried about their family and friends. They are stressed because they are behind in school." Parents are struggling as well. They are dealing with the rising costs of gas, groceries, and other daily expenses. Black, Latino, and Asian parents are stressed about racism, bullying, and violence their kids may encounter. And 62 percent of parents said they feared their children could be victims of a mass shooting. One parenting expert said, "There’s almost not a word to express the stress parents are under right now. ‘Overwhelmed’ doesn’t cut it. It’s beyond anything we’ve experienced." Beware "the coral insects of thy little sins" Recently, we focused on Alan Noble’s perceptive book, You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World, and his assertion that we belong either to ourselves or to God. Here’s why his book is relevant to Dr. Evans’ warning: when we belong to ourselves, we commit idolatry. We worship the creature rather than the creator. God cannot bless such sin because He cannot be complicit in idolatry, and He knows how much this sin harms us. In fact, He must judge such sin as a means to our repentance and restoration to Himself. As a result, it is imperative that you and I see sin as God does. There are no "small" sins with a holy God, no "private" sins we can commit without consequences. On the contrary, "sin when it is fully grown brings forth death" (James 1:15). Charles Spurgeon noted that God "hides His face behind the wall of thy sins" and observed, "That wall may be built up of little pebbles, as easily as of great stones. The sea is made of drops; the rocks are made of grains; and the sea which divides thee from Christ may be filled with the drops of thy little sins; and the rock which has well nigh wrecked thy ship may have been made of the daily working of the coral insects of thy little sins" (Spurgeon's emphasis). However, he added, "Christians can never sin cheaply; they pay a heavy price for iniquity. Transgression destroys peace of mind, obscures fellowship with Jesus, hinders prayer, brings darkness over the soul; therefore be not the serf and bondman of sin" (Spurgeon's emphasis). How to be blessed Dr. Evans is right: The further our culture turns away from God, the further we turn into idolatry and the inevitable judgment of God. What is true of our nation is also true of your soul and mine. However, our Lord can empower us to live for Christ and not for ourselves, to choose holiness over idolatrous sinfulness. Jesus promised Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). Sufficient in the Greek means to have all we could want or need. Made perfect could be translated as "brings its intended purpose to completion."  If we will admit our weakness over temptation and ask God for His power to fulfill His Christlike purpose in our lives (Romans 8:29), His grace becomes sufficient for us, always. When we face temptation, therefore, our first response must be to turn to our Lord for His help and His victory. Our second response must be to then do what He tells us to do. As we obey God, we are empowered by God. When we do what we are called to do, God does what only He can do. As we work, God works. As God works, we work. John Calvin observed, "It is a most blessed thing to be subject to the sovereignty of God." Will you be blessed today?

Quote from Woodrow Wilson

"The President, Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, following the reverent example of his predecessors, desires and enjoins the orderly observance of the Sabbath by the officers and men in the military and naval service of the United States.  The importance for man and beast of the prescribed weekly rest, the sacred rights of Christian soldiers and sailors, a becoming deference to the best sentiment of a Christian people, and a due regard for the Divine Will demand that Sunday labor in the Army and Navy be reduced to the measure of strict necessity."  Woodrow Wilson

Quote from Abraham Lincoln

 "The discipline and character of the national forces should not suffer nor the cause they defend be imperiled by the profanation of the day or name of the Most High ... 'At this time of public distress,' adopting the words of Washington in 1776, 'men may find enough to do in the service of God and their country without abandoning themselves to vice and immorality ...'"  Abraham Lincoln

Quote from Ulysses S. Grant

 "I believe in the Holy Scriptures, and whoso lives by them will be benefited thereby.  Men may differ as to the interpretation, which is human, but the Scriptures are man's best guide."  Ulysses S. Grant

Laud the Character of Christian

 "The Commander-in-Chief directs that Divine service be performed every Sunday at 11 o'clock, in each Brigade which has a Chaplain.

Those Brigades which have none will attend the places of worship nearest to them. It is expected that officers of all ranks will, by their attendance, set an example for their men.

While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion.

To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest Glory to laud the more distinguished Character of Christian."                                           George Washington

Quote from George Washington

"Commanding officers of each regiment are directed to procure  Chaplains ... persons of good Character and exemplary lives

l hope and trust, that every officer and man, will endeavor so to live, and act, as becomes a Christian Soldier, defending the dearest Rights and Liberties of his country ... The peace and safety of this Country depends, under God, solely on the success of our arms."    George Washington