Most of the time when we have a moral dilemma, or decision to make regarding right and wrong, we can sense the right decision, but we are tempted to make the wrong decision.

For example, The cashier made a mistake on your bill in your favor, what do you do? Co-workers are gossiping at work about someone we don’t particularly like…do we join in or not? You are out late Saturday night and the alarm goes off to get up for church on Sunday….

There are many examples of this situation. Some are much more dangerous, like those who are tempted to commit adultery, or suicide, or drinking for an alcoholic…we can overcome these temptations when we rely on God’s help.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:13 “…God is faithful and will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted He will also provide a way out so you can endure it.” You must believe this and you will be able to overcome.

Dear Lord, when we face trials that seem unbearable, remind us that with you we can overcome any temptation. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Today we celebrate the foundation of the United States of America. The advances America has made in almost every field are truly amazing. From a small group of settlers fleeing oppression and tyranny, to the undisputed world leading country, America is the land of opportunity for millions of immigrants and natives, and is unique in all of history. America is the only major country that has been established based upon a set of principles, including the belief in God, rather than the nationality of its citizens. No country comes close to the amount of charity, humanitarian relief, and when necessary, the use of military force to protect the freedom and safety of Americans and others.

The success of America is not a coincidence. The bible says in Proverbs 14:34, “Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” Psalm 33:12, “What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.”

It is indisputable that the United States of America is a country founded on the belief in God. Our founders said, “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.” Our money is all coined with “In God We Trust”

Most of the founders were Christian, and the vast majority of American’s today consider themselves Christian, over 70%.

God has blessed the United States with tremendous prosperity, and I believe it is because of American’s dedication to God. May He continue to bless America.

Dear Lord, Thank you for America and letting us live here. Help us not take the America we have been given for granted. Help us stand strong and unashamed of our faith in Jesus Christ, and help us move our country closer to You. God Bless America. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

What does it mean to be mature? or What does it mean when we tell someone to “grow up?” It doesn’t have anything to do with their age, but is more about their behavior and judgment. One definition of maturity is the ability to accept delayed gratification; to work on something for an extended period of time before seeing the results.

In a similar way as we become more mature in our Christian faith, we can begin to accept the struggles and challenges of being a Christian with the joy of knowing we will be rewarded in time. We accept those challenges out of love for God, and our fellow men and women. Paul writes in Romans 8:18, ” Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later.”

Dear Lord, Help us become more mature Christians to take our suffering and struggles in faith, knowing that our reward will come in the future. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

For those of you with children, I imagine you have had this conversation when they were toddlers, “I love you this much” and spread your arms way out in each direction, then your toddler says, well “I love you this much” and spreads his or her arms out….and so on. The memories are wonderful.

In Ephesians Paul describes how God feels the same way about us. Ephesians 3:17-19, he writes “And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love; and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high his love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so great that you will never see the end of it or fully know or understand it. And so at last you will be filled up with God himself.” TLB

What comfort it is for us to know that we can confront everything in life knowing we are the loved children of the Father and creator of everything.

Dear Lord, no matter how much we love others and love you, it doesn’t compare to the magnitude of your love for us. Help us have peace in this knowledge. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Have you seen those cartoons showing the character sawing a tree branch while sitting on the branch, cutting on the trunk side of where he is sitting? After a couple cuts, he saws through the branch, but falls along with it.

This is similar to what happens when we do things we know we shouldn’t. By doing things we know are wrong, we undermine our faith and begin distancing ourselves from God. When we do, the devil, described at times as “the accuser” works on us with guilt, trying to make us feel unworthy of reconciliation with God. In contrast, when we exercise our faith, by doing what we know is right, even when it is difficult or scary, we are relying on God and making our faith stronger.

In his letter to Timothy, 1 Timothy 1:19, Paul writes, “Cling tightly to your faith in Christ and always keep your conscience clear, doing what you know is right. For some people have disobeyed their consciences and have deliberately done what they knew was wrong. It isn’t surprising that soon they lost their faith in Christ after defying God like that.”

Dear Lord, help us choose to do the right thing, led by the conscience that you gave us. Help us remember that it is always better to do the difficult right thing than the easy wrong. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.