The Iron Pen #67

God & Country

The fate of republican government is indissolubly bound up with the fate of the Christian religion, and a people who reject its holy faith will find themselves the slaves to their own evil passions and of arbitrary power. Lewis Cass (1782-1866). Cass served as a U.S. Senator, Secretary of State under James Buchanan and Governor-General of the Territory of Michigan.

Present Yourself to God As A Blank Sheet of Paper

James Renwick (1662-1688) Scottish Covenanters Martyr

O! He is a Sovereign God; well would it become us to put a blank [sheet of paper] in his hand, and to leave the filling up thereof to Himself, and not to limit the Holy One of Israel, but rather believe in His Word, who hath condescended so far as to tell us, that all shall work together for good to them that love and fear him; He is wise and mighty, His end (which is His own glory, and the good of His people) cannot be frustrated and He can well make means work together for that end, when the contrary is intended by them.

THE GENERAL, THE PREACHER & THE LAWYER

[Editor’s Note: Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) was a born-again, Bible believing Presbyterian. He was the 7^th President of the United States of America. He was also a Major General in the army and was known as "Old Hickory." He is not to be confused with Confederate Army General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (1824-1863). Andrew Jackson also served as a lawyer, a Congressman, a U.S. Senator and judge on the Tennessee Supreme Court.]

Andrew Jackson invited the famous circuit-riding Methodist preacher, Peter Cartwright, to be his guest for Sunday lunch. A young lawyer was also a guest for lunch. The lawyer began attempting to draw the preacher into an argument about Hell. He posed this question. "Mr. Cartwright, do you believe there is any such place as Hell, a place of torment?" The preacher replied, "Yes I do!" The brash young lawyer laughed and responded, "Well, I thank God I have too much sense to believe in such a thing!" Andrew Jackson interrupted the conversation and sternly addressed the lawyer, "Well sir, I thank God that there is such a place of torment as Hell!" His response startled the young lawyer who asked, "Why, General Jackson, what do you want with such a place as Hell?" Jackson confronted him saying, "To put such…rascals as you are in, that oppose and vilify the Christian religion."

DRAGGING RELIGION INTO CHRISTMAS

An earnest Christian woman stopped for a moment to look at a window display in which among other things was pictured the Babe in the manger at Bethlehem. As she stood there, two other women stopped to look and she heard one of them say: "Just look at that, they’re dragging religion into Christmas!" (Moody Monthly – Dec. 1954)

Fishing For Men -- Whose Job Is It?

Fishing for men, soul-winning, is a common task for all the blood-bought children of God. There is no alibi, no exception, no excuse, no escape from this assignment. Every Christian is obligated to Christ first, to a lost world next, with an unassignable, inescapable, irremovable responsibility for the bearing of a victorious, Spirit-filled testimony to the saving, keeping power of the Lord Jesus.

The Five "NOTS" of The Believer

FORGET NOT – Psalm 103:2 "…forget not all his benefits."

FRET NOT – Psalm 37:1 "Fret not thyself because of evildoers…"

FEAR NOT – Isaiah 41:10 "Fear thou not; for I am with thee:"

FAIL NOT – Luke 22:32 "…that thy faith fail not:"

FAINT NOT – 2 Corinthians 4:1 & 16 "…we faint not"

BEWARE OF INFLATED SELF-ESTEEM

People who engage in murder, rape, and other forms of violence rarely suffer from low self-esteem, according to a review of nearly two hundred studies. The study, published in Psychological Review, found that people whose self-esteem is unstable or inflated seem to be the most dangerous. "One major cause of violent response is threatened egotism, that is, a favorable self-appraisal that encounters an external, unfavorable evaluation." Professor Roy F. Baumeister of Case Western Reserve University concludes that a little more modesty and humility would do more for society than boosting self-image (Christian News, 3/4/96). [Scriptures to note: 2 Timothy 3:1-2 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy...; Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.]

Point to Ponder

"God pity the country when the devil gets the home" -- Billy Sunday