Read the Bible in a Year (24JUN19)

PSALMS MOMENT – (24JUN19) The Pledge of Allegiance was first written by the socialist minister Francis Bellamy in August of 1882. He hoped that this pledge would be taken on by nations across the world. It originally read: "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." In 1923, the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance read as follow: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." President Eisenhower, in response to the communist threats, prompted Congress to add “under God” as part of the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954. Now, over half of a century later, God is no longer wanted in many aspects of government and society. Liberty and Justice for all is losing its meaning because of the corruption of some, and the silence of others.

The psalmist asked, “Do you rulers indeed speak justly? Do you judge people with equity?” He answered himself by saying no, they did not. There was no justice in their hearts, and they devised wickedness from the womb. When we as a nation deny the most innocent among us, unborn babies, to be snatched from the womb barbarically, we have denied liberty and justice to all. Yes, there are many states who are changing their laws regarding such evils, but we still have states that are defiant and are upping the bounty to allow murder to increase in their state. Yet, that is not the only area where we have injustice. When we deny services to our own citizens and yet, allow others to flood our borders to implode our tax and welfare system, we are denying liberty and justice for all. We have politicians plotting to bring down the nation rather than see a particular party win. There is so much wickedness taking place in this nation that we do not have the room to list all the evils, but we should ask ourselves these questions: Where is the justice? Where is the liberty? Where is the freedom? What have we done to God? Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY – (24JUN19) “I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.” These were the words written by the psalmist as he watched his enemies plot his demise. He had not done anything to them, but they hated him for his mere existence. Have you ever had someone to dislike you for no apparent reason? Have you ever been mistreated, talked about, lied on, or even sabotaged when you knew that you had not done anything wrong? Sometimes, we will encounter such people in life who will despise us just because of what we stand for and nothing more. Yet, Jesus told us to love our enemies and to pray for those who despitefully misuse us. Oh, that’s a hard thing to do sometimes when you know that the other person has no love for you at all, and yet, God expects more out of His children than He does those who do not know Him. Why is that? It is because we are to be the example for them to see Him through us. If we act just as unkind as they do, they will never get to taste and see that the Lord is good. For many people, the only Jesus they will ever see is what is displayed in you. Therefore, your act of kindness towards them is not about getting them to like you, but it is helping them to know Jesus. Something to ponder….

PSALMS MOMENT – (24JUN19) The psalmist said, “Hear me God, as I voice my complaint.” He went on to ask God to protect his life, but if we just take a moment to think about his statement to God, we may ask ourselves the question, “Do I do more complaining than thanking God?” There is an old song that says: “Too much complaining, and not enough of, “I thank you, Lord.’ ” We can sometimes get into such a complaining mode that we forget to take a look at all the things that the Lord has done for us and say, “Thank you!” It is easy to get caught up into what we do not have because there is such a demand to have this and to have that, but when we compare our lives to some who are on the street or maybe in a third world country where they do not have running water, electricity, or even toilets, do we really have anything to complain about? I think not. Sometimes, our complaints can come from wanting to keep up with others more so than an actual need. Yet, even if there is a need, we can probably say that God has done more than enough over our lifetime that if He did not do anything else for us, we have been blessed with more than enough. Therefore, let us stop complaining, and remember to tell the Lord, “I thank you Lord.” Something to ponder….