Devotion 7.4.26

Matthew 11

"The Father Revealed in the Son

25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Christ is devoted to and follows his Father's Will. As followers of him, we are to release our burdens to Christ which make us weary, and he will give us rest.

"In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — " The Declaration of Independence

I learned within the last year that we refer to the two kingdoms, all God's, in this manner. When someone passes, we say he went to "the church triumphant." His days of living on this earth now done, he is with Christ until He returns "to judge the living and the dead" (Apostles' Creed). Those of us on earth, waiting until Christ's return or until our own death, are in the "church militant." 

Each member of the earthly kingdom of God, the church militant, confesses his or her belief in God, the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit via the Apostles' Creed (as well as the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed - sparingly on the latter). We teach our beliefs to the next generation in hopes and prayers that the members of that generation believe and take the torch we hand them.

As citizens of the United States, the introduction to the Declaration of Independence is also referred to as the "American Creed."

As you read it in the introduction of this devotion, did you sit up and get a few chills down your spine? I did. Such an eloquently written few words which define the vision of who we desire to be. Men, equal in our liberties in the eyes of the law we write, in an effort to protect the basic liberties endowed by "our Creator." Thomas Jefferson, at the age of 33, did an outstanding job of making the case for our independence from England and the crown, beginning with a great foundation.

How are we doing, as a generation tasked with passing two torches, the torch of faith and the torch of liberty? How are we as citizens of the church militant and the US going to be graded when our job is done? 

We have been blessed with 250 years as a people in this country to continue toward that "more perfect union." We have been blessed to correct and open our liberties to more in our nation as history marches forward, and we have lived to expand these liberties to others in nations that have been hostile to freedom. These battles have been epic and costly. Our work will be judged by history and known by those generations who follow us. God will ultimately judge us on our work as members of the church militant. 

Our prayer is that God opens the hearts of men and women who do not believe, those who do not believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as the sovereign God of their lives. Those who believe in another god, as an actual god, an idol, are the focus of our sharing the gospel of grace and forgiveness. Our prayer as a nation blessed to be part of a great experiment, that of self-rule. We pray to God for our effort to not be in vain, and we pray for our own vanity to be reined in, that we not take for granted our status in God's kingdom or in our own country founded on liberty. We pray that the next generation grows in an appreciation of the unique status of liberty we find ourselves living and the extent to which these liberties are fragile if left unattended. We pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who have the courage to confess their faith in countries that are hostile to the message of Christ. We pray we use our liberty to wisely to share the message of Christ to those in hostile lands, giving them assistance when able, and constantly being vigilant in the church militant to do God's Will in our lives.

Finally, pray that we remain vigilant. Pray that our vigilance is in line with God's Will. Pray for God's strength to give us rest when weary, and to give us the strength necessary to remain vigilant one more day, when the burden may seem too much. Pray for us to do so in a manner that is reflective of God's love. Pray that we are given eagles' wings daily to renew our own faith and give the spark of faith to those who hear God's Word in our message.

We give thanks to God for living in our own share of the 250 years of freedom and ask that God grant us more years of liberty and sharing his Word in a world that hurts and in a world that suffers. 

In all, God's Will be done.

Hope Men's Ministry is a ministry in service to Hope Lutheran Church and School. Our purpose is to grow, unite, and share God's Word to all men through meaningful activities. These activities center on fellowship, service, conversation, prayer, study and devotion as we seek to become men of God as He created us to be.