Would the citizens and legislators of the United States respond differently?

 All the Prophets Testified of Christ (Pasche, F.E.)

"To Him give all the prophets witness that through His name, whosoever believeth in Him, shall receive remission of sins."Acts 10:43.

If any one doubts whether our Christian faith is built on a rock which cannot be moved, let him search the writings of all the prophets, let him compare what is said of Him who was promised with the writings of the New Testament, and he can­ not but see that all has been fulfilled in Christ. All writings of the holy men of God, from the First Book of Moses to the last book of the prophets, testify of Christ. Whatever was said of the Messiah by the prophets of old has come true in the crucified and risen Savior.

Into His hands we can cheerfully entrust our souls without fear and without scruple. Believing in Him, we have the one true faith and are God’s own people, true spiritual children of the patriarchs of old. And because all the promises based on this Savior are divinely true, none of them can fail. “As God is true,” says Paul to the Corinthians, “our word towards you was not yea and nay. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, was not yea and nay, but in Him was yea. For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God.”

As the promise given to Abraham that out of his seed He • should come in whom all the families of the earth would be blessed came true, even so must all the promises of God in Jesus Christ come true; not one of them will fall to the ground. To David the promise was made that of his house the Savior should come.

Now, his children were led into captivity, and the prospects of the promise’s ever coming true seemed slender indeed. Yet that little remnant of the Jews which held faithfully to the Lord’s promise was not deceived. No man who with earnest intent will search the Scriptures of the Old Testament and compare them with the New will deny that the promise has been fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth.

Prayer.

Awake, my soul, and rejoice in the Lord, thy Savior; mag­ nify the Highest, who has so faithfully fulfilled His promise and sent His Son into the world. Exult and be glad; for God Him­ self, out of love to thee, became man and thy next kinsman. Who can sufficiently praise His mercy and loving-kindness? O Lord, what is man that Thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that Thou considerest him? O dearest Jesus, I heartily thank Thee that Thou didst unite Thyself with our human nature and in this assumed humanity didst reconcile us with Thy heavenly Father! AMEN.

What the fathers’ ancient throng 

Hoped and held with yearnings strong 

And foretold long ere its date,

Stands fulfilled sublimely great.

 DAILY READINGS IN TH LIFE OF CHRIST - J.R. Miller (1890)

March 5. Silent Change

"When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,." John 2:9

Christ wrought this miracle without noise or ostentation. He said nothing to call attention to what He was going to do. The people around Him did not know of the wonderful work He had wrought. So He works today. He is not in the storm, the earthquake, the whirlwind; but in the "still small voice." His kingdom comes into men's hearts, not with observation and show — but silently, without parade. The bad life is changed, by His work, into moral purity — and yet no one saw the change made or the hand that wrought it. Silently help comes in the hours of need; silently prayer's answers, glide down; silently the angels come and go.

It is significant also that the "the servants who had drawn the water knew." Those who work with Christ are admitted into the inner chamber where omnipotence is unveiled. The lesson is very simple and beautiful. Christ takes into His confidence, those who serve Him; and calls them no more servants, but friends. Those who do Christ's will, know of His doctrine, and see His ways of working. If we would see Christ's power and glory — we must enter heartily into His service. Ofttimes it is in the lowliest ways, and in the paths of humble, self-denying service, that the most of His glory appears.

The master of the banquet did not know whence the wine came; is it not often so with us? People do not know whence the blessings come which glide so softly into their hearts. Many a troubled Christian kneels in prayer in great fear, oppressed by a sense of need, and rises with new rich joy in his heart — yet knowing not whence the strange sweet blessing came. We drink the cups which God fills for us with heavenly sweetness, we receive the gifts which are brought down to us from the very throne — and yet ofttimes we do not know whence these things come, nor recognize the divine presence that works so close beside us.

 CHARLES SPURGEON ON SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH - from his sermon published October 7, 1915:

Fifth Commandment - the first Commandment of Promise (JLO)

The Fourth Commandment. (Pasche, F.E.)

"Children, obey your parents in all things; for this is -well- pleasing unto the Lord." Col. S, 20.

“We should fear and love God that we may not despise our parents and masters nor provoke them to anger.” Children who disrespect their parents by disobeying them and doing other deeds of wickedness and thus provoke them to righteous anger and sorely grieve them surely are not lovely olive-branches, but sharp and pricking thorns about the family table. They dishonor God by despising their parents.

God says: "Honor thy father and thy mother.” Our parents are nearest, and ought to be dearest, to us: our father, of whom we have been begotten; our mother, of whom we have been born. Next to God we owe to them our very being. Therefore “honor thy father and thy mother.” This is a commandment of the most high God, and woe to him who disobeys it! When children have learned to honor their parents, they can no longer speak of them as “the old man” and “the old woman” ; nor will they marry when they have grown to manhood and womanhood without the knowledge and consent of their parents.

Honor to our parents implies that we serve them, and that we do so not only when bidden, but whenever an opportunity offers to do something of which we know that it will please them. And we must support, nourish, and cherish them when they grow old and helpless in order to “requite” them as the Bible says, that is, to return in part the loving care which they bestowed upon us when we were young and helpless.

Due honor to our parents demands that we also obey them; for the Lord says: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” And again He says. “Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord.” We should obey our parents in all things in which God has placed them over us and esteem them as a precious gift of God. Parents, to a certain extent, are the representatives of God over against their children. Obedient children are the pride of a home and give the hearts of their parents great pleasure.

Prayer.

Almighty God and Father, we confess that we have not honored Thee in Thy representatives, our parents, as we should have done, but have set aside Thy precept and therewith provoked Thy right­eous anger. Grant that we may know our sin and repent of it and accept as the atonement for our disobedience the perfect obedience of Thy dear Son. Give to all parents a due sense of their respon­ sibilities and enable them to exercise their office to Thine honor. Give to us hearts that fear and love Thee, that we may honor those whom Thou hast placed in authority over us and render to them obedience and service, love and esteem. Amen.

Give to thy parents honor due,

Be dutiful, and loving too,

And help them when their strength decays, 

So shalt thou have length of days.

DAILY READINGS IN THE LIFE OF CHRIST - J.R. Miller (1890) 

March 4. Co-Workers with Christ

"Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it." John 2:7-8 

The servants' part in this miracle was important: they had to carry the water and fill the vessels, and then draw out and bring the wine to the guests. Thus they became co-workers with Christ in His miracle. So our Lord calls His people always to be His helpers in blessing the world. We cannot do much. The best we can bring is a little of the common water of earth; but if we bring that to Him — He can change it into the rich wine of Heaven, which will bless weary and fainting ones. If we take simply what we have and use it as He commands — it will do good. 

Moses had only a rod in his hand — but with this he wrought great wonders. The disciples had only five barley-loaves — but these, touched by Christ's hand, made a feast for thousands. So to the common water carried by these servants, under the Master's benediction, became wine for the wedding.

Christ passes the gifts of His love and grace through human hands to others. The redemption is divine, wrought by Christ alone — but the priesthood that mediates is human; human hands must distribute the blessings. Gifts of mercy can get to the lost — only through those who have been saved.

Then how striking is the other side of this truth: the servants carried only common water from the spring — but with Christ's blessing the water became good wine. So it always is when we do what Christ bids us to do — our most common work, leaves heavenly results. No labor is in vain which is wrought in the Lord. Our commonest work amid life's trivialities, in business, in the household, which seems but like the carrying of water to be emptied out again — is transformed into radiant service like angel ministry, and leaves glorious results behind. The simplest things we do at Christ's bidding — may become immortal blessing to other souls or to our own!