Washington Monument

Last week I had the privilege of going to Fairfax, Virginia to be interviewed on the TV show Communicating Today. I knew that the exit for Washington DC was only about 10 miles past the exit in Fairfax, so we decided to pass our exit and continue to our nation’s capital.

Neither my wife or I had ever been to DC, and we were both excited about the opportunity. We had no idea what to expect once we exited, and we didn’t know if we would get to see any of the sites since we only had a few minutes. All at once when we were taking our exit I saw the Washington Monument, which is far taller than I had realized.

Part of what made this such an amazing sight to me was the age of the monument. Completed in 1884, the Monument has been observed by people from all over the world. I was also struck by its size and strength. I remember the Virginia earthquake on March 23, 2011; our church building, some 8 hours away, shook during the quake as the Capital was evacuated. The Monument suffered some damage, but it still stands high into the sky.

Upon seeing the building my mind went to a familiar Bible verse: Proverbs 18:10, which says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it, and they are safe.”

Our eternal Lord has been around forever; Abraham, Moses, David, and people throughout history have found shelter in His name. And He is strong, a very present help in time of trouble.

Let the righteous find refuge in their strong tower, the name of the Lord.

Undefeated

Fall is coming upon us, and for many of us that means one very important thing: another season of football is here. As teams have spent the past few months preparing for the season they all have the same goal, and that is to win it all. These coaches and players have put in blood, sweat, and tears in hopes of having that perfect season, going undefeated, and finally, holding up that championship trophy.

I wish that more Christians had that same drive and determination as they live their lives. I wish we would invest time in reading God’s Word and trying to live our lives like Him. After all, with God on our side, how can we ever lose?

Psalm 62:6 says, “He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense. I shall not be moved.” When the Psalmist said he will not be moved he was saying that he cannot be shaken, or as one translation puts it, I will not be defeated.

There is an old adage that says defense wins championships, and this psalm says God is our defense.

It looks like it is going to be a great season. 

A Powerful Weapon

Throughout history technology has given way to new and powerful weapons. From the first to realize that riding on a horse provided an advantage in the trenches, to the modern day missiles that can be fired from a jet and hit precise targets, we are continually developing new weapons. But there was one bomb that guaranteed immediate victory. This, of course, was the atomic bomb.

Developed during the second World War, this bomb was highly anticipated. When President Harry S Truman received word that the bomb was ready, he gave the order to drop it, a decision that he knew would guarantee victory, and unconditional Japanese surrender. He was right.



But the Bible tells us of another weapon that guarantees victory. It is found in 1 John 5:4. “For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that overcomes the world: our faith.”

Our faith guarantees us victory. Put your faith in the promises of God so that you can have victory over the enemy. For example, the enemy wants you to think that God could never love someone like you, but God has promised you His love. You can have God’s love but lose the battle if you give in to fear and worry. But our faith gives us immediate victory.

There is one promise of God that we cannot receive without faith, and that is His promise to prepare us a home in heaven. Our faith in Jesus Christ alone will lead us to victory if we allow that faith to change our lives. Our faith is not in anything we have done, but in what Jesus has already done for us.

President Truman heard the news that the bomb was ready, and he put his faith in his engineers and intelligence, and he made the decision to go with it. It is the same for us. When we hear the good news of what Jesus has done on the cross, we put our faith in Him and go with it.

March on in faith to victory!