250 YEARS BEHIND HER WITH THE HELP OF GOD’S PROVIDENCE
J.B. PHILLIPS who was a London Vicar and Parish Priest in WWII, suffered from poor health in the last few years of his life. He suffered from long spells of depression, severe migraines and other physical illnesses restricted him from traveling, which led to sadness and disappointment. I have him to thank for insights into his work called, LETTERS TO YOUNG CHURCHES, by the year 1957 one million copies had been sold in the United States and by 1970, more than 10 million of his books had been sold. He was considered one of the greatest communicators of all time.
Today as I write this letter to those I have given my life to for forty four years, on the week of the 250th Anniversary of America's birthday, I wanted to express my love for our Nation. I don't just pray for God to bless her, I love her from the deep, deep valleys, to the tallest mountains, from sea to shining sea and to the wide plains of the center of the continent with it's flowing rivers that nurture her, she is a beauty to behold.
But what is love?
LOVE IS THE GREATEST, FOR WITHOUT IT, THERE IS NO WORTH-WHILE SUCCESS AND NO REAL SECURITY.
LOVE IS THE GREATEST. FOR MEN ARE NEVER TRANSFORMED AT HEART PERMANENTLY EXCEPT BY LOVE.
LOVE IS THE GREATEST, FOR WITHOUT IT, KNOWLEDGE CAN BECOME DANGEROUS AND DESTRUCTIVE.
LOVE IS THE GREATEST, FOR IT PERSIST BEYOND THE CONFINES OF THIS TEMPORAL EXISTENCE.
LOVE IS THE GREATEST!!!
HAVE YOU EVER STOPPED TO CONSIDER HOW SLOW THE WAYS OF GOD REALLY ARE? HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT LOVE, BEYOND HUMAN TERMS?
IT IS A LOVE THAT CAN ONLY BE UNDERSTOOD AS BEING HIGHER, DEEPER, TRUER AND MORE JUST, THAN CAN BE IMAGINED.
I AM CONVINCED THAT AMERICA WAS GOD'S IDEA. I HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO "KEEP MYSELF IN THE LOVE OF GOD," ACCORDING TO THE BOOK OF JUDE verse 25.
Have you ever taken to heart the verse found in 1 John 4:8: "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love"? The God that I love became a man, to show us He understands us and experienced life just as we do. It is in what is called the self emptying of himself that he was tempted in all points as we are yet without sin.
It is in his kenosis (self emptying) that we can say, BEHOLD THE MAN.
I HAVE A DOMINATING PURPOSE WHICH I LIVE BY, AND AMERICA GAVE US THE FREEDOM TO PURSUE AND REPRESENT IT. THE APOSTLE PAUL MADE IT CLEAR WHEN
HE SAID; And that's about it, friends. Be glad in God!
I don't mind repeating what I have written in earlier letters, and I hope you don't mind hearing it again. Better safe than sorry--so here goes.
2-6 Steer clear of the barking dogs, those religious busybodies, all bark and no bite. All they're interested in is appearances--knife-happy circumcisers, I call them. The real believers are the ones the
Spirit of God leads to work away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ's praise as we do it. We couldn't carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it--even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God's law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God's law Book.
7-9 The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash--along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant--dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ--God's righteousness.
10-11 I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.
THE PURPOSE OF MY LIFE IS TO DO THE WILL OF GOD.
I THINK PAUL WOULD HAVE MADE A GOOD AMERICAN BUT, ANY CHRISTIAN WHO PURSUES HIS PASSION TO FOLLOW CHRIST WOULD BE A GOOD EXAMPLE AS WELL.
TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS AND THE LOVE OF GOD AND FOR THESE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN THE GLUE THAT HOLDS US TOGETHER. BUT WHAT IS LOVE FOR AMERICA? MANY YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES FOR IT FOR WE KNOW, "FREEDOM IS NOT FREE." LOVE FOR GOD AND COUNTRY IS THE GLUE THAT KEPT US TOGETHER AND WILL KEEP US TOGETHER IN YEARS TO COME.
WE LOVE YOU AND WE LOVE AMERICA THE LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE.
Cleddie Keith
Today as I write this letter to those I have given my life to for forty four years, on the week of the 250th Anniversary of America's birthday, I wanted to express my love for our Nation. I don't just pray for God to bless her, I love her from the deep, deep valleys, to the tallest mountains, from sea to shining sea and to the wide plains of the center of the continent with it's flowing rivers that nurture her, she is a beauty to behold.
But what is love?
LOVE IS THE GREATEST, FOR WITHOUT IT, THERE IS NO WORTH-WHILE SUCCESS AND NO REAL SECURITY.
LOVE IS THE GREATEST. FOR MEN ARE NEVER TRANSFORMED AT HEART PERMANENTLY EXCEPT BY LOVE.
LOVE IS THE GREATEST, FOR WITHOUT IT, KNOWLEDGE CAN BECOME DANGEROUS AND DESTRUCTIVE.
LOVE IS THE GREATEST, FOR IT PERSIST BEYOND THE CONFINES OF THIS TEMPORAL EXISTENCE.
LOVE IS THE GREATEST!!!
HAVE YOU EVER STOPPED TO CONSIDER HOW SLOW THE WAYS OF GOD REALLY ARE? HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT LOVE, BEYOND HUMAN TERMS?
IT IS A LOVE THAT CAN ONLY BE UNDERSTOOD AS BEING HIGHER, DEEPER, TRUER AND MORE JUST, THAN CAN BE IMAGINED.
I AM CONVINCED THAT AMERICA WAS GOD'S IDEA. I HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO "KEEP MYSELF IN THE LOVE OF GOD," ACCORDING TO THE BOOK OF JUDE verse 25.
Have you ever taken to heart the verse found in 1 John 4:8: "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love"? The God that I love became a man, to show us He understands us and experienced life just as we do. It is in what is called the self emptying of himself that he was tempted in all points as we are yet without sin.
It is in his kenosis (self emptying) that we can say, BEHOLD THE MAN.
I HAVE A DOMINATING PURPOSE WHICH I LIVE BY, AND AMERICA GAVE US THE FREEDOM TO PURSUE AND REPRESENT IT. THE APOSTLE PAUL MADE IT CLEAR WHEN
HE SAID; And that's about it, friends. Be glad in God!
I don't mind repeating what I have written in earlier letters, and I hope you don't mind hearing it again. Better safe than sorry--so here goes.
2-6 Steer clear of the barking dogs, those religious busybodies, all bark and no bite. All they're interested in is appearances--knife-happy circumcisers, I call them. The real believers are the ones the
Spirit of God leads to work away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ's praise as we do it. We couldn't carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it--even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God's law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God's law Book.
7-9 The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash--along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant--dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ--God's righteousness.
10-11 I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.
THE PURPOSE OF MY LIFE IS TO DO THE WILL OF GOD.
I THINK PAUL WOULD HAVE MADE A GOOD AMERICAN BUT, ANY CHRISTIAN WHO PURSUES HIS PASSION TO FOLLOW CHRIST WOULD BE A GOOD EXAMPLE AS WELL.
TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS AND THE LOVE OF GOD AND FOR THESE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN THE GLUE THAT HOLDS US TOGETHER. BUT WHAT IS LOVE FOR AMERICA? MANY YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES FOR IT FOR WE KNOW, "FREEDOM IS NOT FREE." LOVE FOR GOD AND COUNTRY IS THE GLUE THAT KEPT US TOGETHER AND WILL KEEP US TOGETHER IN YEARS TO COME.
WE LOVE YOU AND WE LOVE AMERICA THE LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE.
Cleddie Keith