THE TWILIGHT ZONE

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”  (John 8:12 NIV)

It’s amazing how easily we adjust to darkness. When you go into a dark theater, you grope around until your eyes adjust. And then the darkness becomes quite comfortable. But go back outside, and your eyes water and you’re reaching for your sunglasses. The light actually hurts your eyes.

Our world lives in spiritual darkness, separated from God. Jesus said He is the Light of the world. But too often, people become comfortable in their own personal twilight zone, where the goal becomes reducing the Light, or even extinguishing it altogether so they can stay comfortable. We see this happening in our schools, our governments, and our social gatherings.

But the Light of Christ is stronger than any darkness. In a world of comfortable darkness, stay out of the twilight. Walk in the Light. Then be a light to guide others out of the darkness. 

-- Anne Graham Lotz in “Fixing My Eyes on Jesus”

#6172

A PRAYER FOR THE U.S. ELECTION

“The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  (Isaiah 9:6b NLT)

O God, we acknowledge You today as Lord, not only of individuals but of nations and governments as well. As the Scripture says, we know that the government rests on Your shoulder, yet we act as if it all depends on us. Grant us the grace and the courage to put our trust and hope in You. You are our Sovereign God, and there is no other. We acknowledge You are Lord of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.

We confess that we are experiencing fear and anxiety today, yet we know You are greater than those things that come against us. We pray for the 2024 Presidential Election, for Your guidance, and for peace and safety for all.

We are grateful for the privilege of being able to organize ourselves politically. We are grateful for the freedom to vote and to express our political views. But help us remember that what matters most is Your will and reign in our lives.

We confess to you sometimes we are so loyal to our politics that we lose sight of our brothers and sisters. We ask for eyes that are free from blindness so that we might see each other not as enemies, but as brothers and sisters, created in Your image.

We confess that our actions, our words, our rhetoric have caused divisions. We pray for this deeply divided and evenly split nation. May we come together for the common good and do as you have called us to do in Micah 6:8 - to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with You. Help us act out of grace, mercy, and justice rather than out of arrogance or fear.

Lord, guide us in Your way, Your truth, and Your life.

Help us to listen in love, work together in peace, and collaborate with one another as we seek to make our community, our nation, and the world the creation You intended from the beginning.

In the name of Jesus, our Savior and King, we pray. Amen.

– Adapted from First United Methodist Church in Ormond Beach, Florida 

#5982

KINGDOM PROMISES: DIVINE PURPOSE AND DIRECTION

“The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.”  (Psalm 103:19 NIV)

The Kingdom of God is unlike any earthly government we know. It doesn’t operate on democracy where we have rights and can cast votes. Instead, it’s a divine monarchy, where Jesus is King and Lord. In His Kingdom, we don’t have rights; we have responsibilities. As citizens of His Kingdom, we’re called to live in obedience to His righteous and gracious decrees.

This isn’t about losing our freedom but embracing a life filled with divine purpose and direction. Our King’s decrees are not burdensome; they are life-giving and rooted in love. When we submit to His rule, we align ourselves with His will, which is ultimately for our good and His glory.

In God's Kingdom, our responsibilities are privileges in disguise. We’re tasked with loving one another, serving the needy, and spreading the gospel. These responsibilities transform our lives and the lives of those around us, reflecting the love and grace of our King. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry, compiled from a variety of sources 

#5981

A BIBLICAL FOUNDATION

“The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous rules endures forever.”  (Psalm 119:160)

William Henry Seward was born in 1801.  Secretary of State under Lincoln during the Civil War, he would arrange the purchase of Alaska in 1867.  As vice-president of the American Bible Society, he declared in 1836:

"I know not how long a republican government can flourish among a great people who have not the Bible… But this I do know: that the existing government of this country never could have had existence but for the Bible.  And, further, I do in my conscience believe that if at every decade of years a copy of the Bible could be found in every family in the land, its republican institutions would be perpetuated." 

-- Stephen Abbot Northrop in “A Cloud of Witnesses”

#5666

A PRAYER FOR THE U.S. ELECTION

“The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  (Isaiah 9:6b NLT)

O God, we acknowledge You today as Lord, not only of individuals but of nations and governments as well. As the Scripture says, we know that the government rests on Your shoulders, yet we act as if it all depends on us. Grant us the grace and the courage to put our trust and hope in You. You are our God, and there is no other. We acknowledge You are Lord of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.

We confess that we are experiencing fear and anxiety today, yet we know You are greater than those things that come against us. We pray for the 2020 Presidential Election and ask for peace and safety for all, and for Your guidance.

We are grateful for the privilege of being able to organize ourselves politically. We are grateful for the freedom to vote and to express our political loyalties.

We confess to you sometimes we are so loyal to our politics that we lose sight of our brothers and sisters. We ask for eyes that are free from blindness so that we might see each other as brothers and sisters. We are one in the Body of Christ because we, all humanity, are created in Your image.

We confess our actions, our words, our rhetoric have caused divisions. We pray for this deeply divided nation. May we come together for the common good and do as you have called us to do - to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with You through creation. Help us act out of love, mercy, and justice rather than out of arrogance or fear.

God, our Creator, guide us in truth and love.

Help us to listen in love, work together in peace, and collaborate with one another as we seek to make our community and world the creation You intended from the beginning.

In the name of Jesus, our Savior, we pray. Amen.

-- from First United Methodist Church in Ormond Beach, Florida

#4964

GOOD ADVICE

Jesus said, “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so also you must love one another.”   (John 13:34)

“Tuesdays with Morrie” is a memoir by American author Mitch Albom about a series of visits Albom made to his former sociology professor Morrie Schwartz. In it Albom quotes Schwartz as saying, “There are a few rules I know to be true about love and marriage: If you don't respect the other person, you're gonna have a lot of trouble. If you don't know how to compromise, you're gonna have a lot of trouble. If you can't talk openly about what goes on between you, you're gonna have a lot of trouble. And if you don't have a common set of values in life, you're gonna have a lot of trouble.”

Good advice. But I think the same could be said about relations in general. We seem to have “a lot of trouble” these days because we don’t respect others, because we don’t know how to compromise, because we don’t talk openly about our differences, and because we don’t have a common set of values. That’s true in marriages, in families, in churches, in communities, in government, in the country, and in the world.

-- David T. Wilkinson


#4672

THE INFLUENCE OF THE BIBLE

Yesterday at the Inauguration President Obama took the oath of office while placing his hands on two Bibles. We are told that one of those Bibles was owned by Abraham Lincoln and the other was owned by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  It doesn’t so much matter that they owned the Bible; what matters is that they were inspired and influenced by the Bible.

Dr. Jerry Wiles, in a booklet entitled Inspirational Highlights of the Bible in America, wrote, “One of the most amazing things about the Bible is the discovery of how little most people know about it at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Even in America, with all the various translations and versions that are available, most people have never read the entire Bible even once. However, reading through the whole Bible was a fairly common practice in the early part of our nation’s history. In order to have a well-rounded education in America today, it’s important to know something of how we got the Bible, the history and influence of the Bible in America, and most of all, the content of the Bible itself. We can get to know its content by reading it for ourselves. Spending only fifteen minutes a day we can read through the entire Bible in one year.”

The Apostle Paul admonished the Colossians, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom.” May it be so for both the leaders and the people of this great country. 

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson


#3147