“ Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth : but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” John 15:15

After a brief and delightful conversation, a friend just left my office. As I sat there alone I began to realize that all of my true friends are friends of and to Christ. I have no need for any other kind. And as I think about what a great blessing my friends are I always end up in the same place– it is all because of Christ, my best Friend!

J R Miller wrote:”For myself, after all my years of teaching and helping others, and all my experiences as a Christian, my whole creed is summed up into one little sentence, “Christ and I are friends!” No friend in all the world is so near to me as He is. I trust Him, I love Him. I take everything to Him, I lay every burden upon Him. I go to Him for wisdom, for help, for the love I need in my own heart. He is everything to me as Friend.

Christ is my personal Friend. He is my dearest, truest, strongest and best Friend!

Then for myself, my whole duty is summed up in being a friend of Christ’s. He says, “You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.” This includes all Scripture commands.

In telling you this, I want to help you to understand that the essential thing in the Christian life is knowing Christ, trusting Him, loving Him, following Him, having Christ for your Friend–and being His friend.

The secret of a beautiful life is living in unbroken fellowship with Christ, under the influence of His presence, and the inspiration of His love and grace.”

“And He changeth the times and the seasons; He removeth kings and raiseth up kings….” – Daniel 2:21

What does the Word of God have to say about government?  It teaches that God has ordained human government. The prophet Daniel said that God is the one who removes kings and God is the one who sets up kings. And Romans13 teaches that the powers that be are ordained of God.

What about wicked governments? Did God set them up? It may surprise you to learn, yes, He did. That does not mean they are God’s will. God would much rather have righteousness. But by and large people get the kind of government they deserve. Wicked leaders are God’s reward for a wicked people. 

 What are we to do as a church? What is my responsibility so far as government is concerned? First of all, we are to pray for our government. We need to pray for leaders even if they are wrong“For this is good and acceptable and right in the sight of God our Savior” (1 Timothy 2:3).I am calling upon you to confess your sins personally and our sins nationally. And I am calling upon you to pray for America as Daniel prayed for his people—in the power of the shed blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is prayer time in America.–Adrian Rogers

Be of good comfort…and the God of love and peace shall be with you– 2 Corinthians 13:11

This admonition and promise, at first glance, seem to be backwards. It seems as though Paul should first give the promise of God’s presence with us, followed by the admonition to therefore be comforted. But he doesn’t.

Paul actually says for us to be comforted and then promises – subsequently – that the God of love and peace will be with us. The clear implication is that the love and peace of God will only be felt by us after we follow the admonition to “be of good comfort.” Why?

The fact is that Paul is exhorting us to be comforted. We are to allow the transcendent promises of God to flood our hearts; we are commanded to receive the marvelous truths of the gospel and hold on to them and believe them. It is only when we allow ourselves to be comforted, when we give in to the reality of goodness and joy and pleasure in all that God promises to us and purposes for us — it is only then that we can feel the love and peace of God with us. It cannot be in any other order!

We may often wonder why God has not sent comfort our way, why we do not feel the presence of God with us. But the truth is that God has sent countless comforts our way, in His Word, but we have not believed them, have not received them, have not allowed them to infiltrate our doubting and discouraged and deflated hearts.

It is only when we allow ourselves to be comforted by the truth of all that God has promised us that we will then feel the love and peace of God with us. So, believer, be comforted.(B.B.H.)

“The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.”–Psalm 33:10–12

In his farewell letter to the Continental Army when he resigned his commission in 1783, George Washington wrote: “I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in His holy protection, that He would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the field, and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation.”

America has a long and rich heritage of Christian faith and principles. We have never been a country where everyone was a believer, but the truths of Scripture were once held in high regard even by most of those who were not Christians. Today that is no longer the case. As we face a culture that glorifies evil and condemns good, we must respond. While we exercise our rights as citizens, we must never lose sight of the fact that our most important contribution to our nation is found in our obedience to Christ and our daily Christian walk.–Daily in the Word

“Doth not wisdom cry ? and understanding put forth her voice? — For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.” — Prov. 8: 1, 7-8

We live in a corrupt and confusing world, so we must be careful as to what counsel we listen to. The only time we know for certain that we’re on the right path and  safe ground is when we rely upon God. J. R. Miller left this good advice:

“In this world’s counsels—there is a great deal of guessing and speculating. Friends advise us, and intend to speak only what is true; yet by reason of the limitation of their knowledge, they may often give wrong counsel. Bad advice, though well meant and honestly given, has wrecked many a life. But here is counsel that is always absolutely true. The words that this divine Wisdom speaks to us—are always infallibly right words. Here is a Guide, in whose leading we may put implicit confidence. Here is a Counselor, whose counsel is always safe, because always right and true.

Those who abandon themselves utterly to the Word of God, follow its counsels and obey its every precept, are sure of blessedness in two worlds. It never has been heard that the Bible took any person on a course which ended in disaster, or in any loss or dishonor. It always leads in right paths; and these right paths are safe throughout, and have their unvarying destination in the highest good and blessedness of those who pass over them.“