[Faith-talk] Good Night Message for Thursday, February 21, 2013

[Paul]

Well folks, as this is being written, here in the Americas we are slowly winding down the next to the last Thursday in February.  I hope that, by God's matchless grace and His providential care, that your day went well today or is going well for you in other parts of this world on this Friday morning or afternoon.

Some of you may remember sometime ago that I posted some patriotic quotes about our forefathers and the Bible, but they were posted without their context, that is, in light of the article from which they were taken.  Today we will change all that.  Written by an unnamed author for the Gospel Tract Society Inc., the article in question is entitled "Great Americans and the Bible," rendered as follows:

GEORGE WASHINGTON:  "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."

ABRAHAM LINCOLN:  "I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man.  All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this Book.  I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.  I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into Heaven and say there is no God."

DANIEL WEBSTER:  "If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will prosper.  But if we and our posterity neglect the instructions and authority in this book, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overtake us and bury our glory in profound obscurity."

This is the Book that inspired thousands of men and women to travel to a New World where they could live and worship God in freedom.

This is the Book our forefathers drew upon for the great principles included in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

This is the Book that the people of America, in every walk of life, have turned to for strength, for comfort and for guidance.

This is the Book that is in every court of this broad land, a reminder of America's ideal of freedom and justice for all.

This is the Book that its enemies burn, the Book they smear and fear, because it proclaims the dignity of the individual and teaches that all men are created in the image of God.  America still needs the Bible.  We need courage to face today's problems and divine wisdom to solve them, just as our forefathers did.

We need to renew the spirit of faith in the Book that is the foundation of our personal well-being, and the cornerstone of our country's greatness.

Let this Book revive in us the spirit of our fathers to face tomorrow unafraid.

Let us too turn to the book that reveals the mind of God, His holiness, His love for lost sinners and His salvation through Jesus Christ.

Dust it off! Read it! Believe it! Today could be a new beginning for you if you would believe the message of this Book:

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

This wonderful message of hope has changed all of history, bringing life and blessing wherever it has been believed.  If it is believed once again, it would bring blessing and life and hope to our nation, and to you, today!

The simple, yet profound, message of the Bible is that God loves you, and He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for your sins so that you might have new life, real life, eternal life.  Won't you believe the life-giving message of this book today?

And there you have it for today.  Until tomorrow when, Lord willing another good night message will be presented, may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, throughout this night or day and especially in these last days in which we live.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul