Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father. (1 Thessalonians 1:3 NKJV)

There are three things in this verse that stand out to me, and I know that you will love them just as I do:

Faith can work, love can labor, and hope can give you patience. If we feel we have faith, yet do nothing, we don’t really have faith. If we say we have love, yet do nothing, we don’t really have love. If we say we have hope, then we will be patient until we see the manifestation of what God has for us.

HOPE in the Hebrew means “rope.” I believe God lets His rope down from heaven so we can tie a knot in it and hold onto it until we see the manifestation of our faith and our love.

Rahab had hope in God’s Word. She even put a red rope in her window. Her wall stood when other walls fell. When other people’s walls fall, their lives fall down too. If you hang onto the rope of God’s hope, your wall will stand.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We know that it is through faith and patience that we inherit Your promises. We make a decision to hold on to faith and to have patience until we see the fulfillment of Your promises. 

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen

One thing that cannot be passed down from one generation to the next is the most important thing of all—a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. God doesn’t have any grandchildren.  Every person is required to accept Jesus as Savior, as an act of his or her own will and faith.  Every person must choose to follow Jesus as Lord, again as an act of his or her own will and faith.

Certainly, all Christian parents want to see their children choose Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Even more than we desire this, God desires this. He wants our children and grandchildren to be in intimate relationship with Him and to serve Him all the days of their lives.

The enemy of our souls, however (Jesus called him the thief and robber, the father of all lies, and the devil), desires to stop God’s truth from operating beyond our own lives and generation.

Thankfully, our God is victorious in all things!

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord  (Psalm 33:12a NKJV)

Did you know that the United States began its life as a Christian nation?  Our forefathers fled to this country so that they could worship God in the manner they wished.  Our constitution, our Declaration of Independence, and our Bill of Rights all mention God.  We were birthed as a nation of God, and we are blessed for it.

God has used America to bless the world.  Our confidence is in God—it is even printed on our money!  There are certainly tremendous needs in our nation today, but there are also tremendous Christians who are taking God’s Word to intercede for this country.  We are the salt that preserves this nation—let’s not lose our saltiness.  We are the light that overcomes the darkness of this nation—let’s not hide our lights under a bushel.

Let’s stand boldly in God, speak against evil, pray, and believe God for the miraculous outpouring of His Spirit upon all flesh in the United States.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank You today that our nation is blessed because of the Christians who are praying and believing You.  Thank You for doing great and mighty things in our midst and raising up laborers and intercessors.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.