Jul

2

Rendered

By Julie B Cosgrove | Comments Off


Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.  Matthew 22:19-22

When the Federal Mint started issuing the State Quarters in 1999, my  husband and I bought a little folder to house them all.  Yesterday, we finally got “Hawaii”. Now we have all 54- including DC, Puerto Rico, Samoa and the Virgin Island coins.  So, when I read this passage today, something struck me about Jesus’ words.  

On the Roman coin was a picture of Caesar and an inscription to him. The coin honored him, claiming all the money in Rome was essentially his property to take at any time. He was just letting the people use it to pay taxes to him.  But as Christians, we see all things as the property of God, our creator and Heavenly Father.   Jesus was basically asking them to determine where their loyalties lay. Today, He asks the same of you and of me.

Our coins in the US typically honor a historical person or a symbol of our freedom. But they are not the coins of the realm, because there is no kingdom here. They are not the government’s property, but that of the people of this democracy.  We elect people in government to help us spend these coins and manage them. We pay taxes so our roads can be serviced, the poor cared for, our children educated ( or so it is supposed to be- but that’s another topic all together, isn’t it?) , and our troops equipped to defend us.  But, the money is still rendered unto us, We the People.

Perhaps, that is why our founding fathers, in their wisdom, placed  four  simple yet profound words on every coin – In God We Trust.  Perhaps, they too had this passage in Matthew and this lesson from Jesus in mind.  It’s like saying, remember to whom you, this land and everything else belongs. Maybe, it is a message we need to clarify today.

Jun

10

Authoritative Prayer

By Julie B Cosgrove | Comments Off


“May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.” Psalm  72:15

Our nation is a divided one and has been for years. Red states, blue states. But whoever is in office, whoever sits in the Senate or the House or behind the benches of the Supreme Court need our prayers. Whoever governs the state where you live, or the town, or the school board needs our prayers. All figures in authority in our nation of the people, were put there by the people or appointed by someone who was  put there by the people. Havre you prayed for them regularly?

If we are to remain one nation under God we must be indivisible through prayer. The person in office may not have your beliefs, values or political support, but  God is very clear that we are to pray for them and that all people in authority are there for a reason.  We must humble ourselves to His wishes and pray for those  in authority even though they seem ungodly. We are a blessed nation, one of the wealthiest in the world. Yet we are often barren in our beliefs, personal disciplines and lifestyles. America is the new mission field.  America need prayer. So do our leaders.

Heavenly Father, our times, our nation, our states and our towns are in Your Hands and we lift up those in authority. You are a God of wonder, of promises and second chances. If these officials do not know you, we pray their heart may be turned so that they may come to know Your Son as their Savior to rule over their decisions. If they have strayed, we pray that Your voice will lead them back. If they bend a knee every morning to you, we pray that You will give them strength to follow You in all circumstances and be a beacon of justice and truth.. Until the day comes when Your Son returns and every knee shall bow, keep this land in Your sight and under your protective wings and teach us to pray daily  for it and those who govern it. Amen.

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Romans 13:1

Apr

22

Iron and Clay- which will your child be?

By Julie B Cosgrove | 1 Comment


Iron and Clay

“So this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some strength of iron in it…partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle…so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united any nor than iron mixes with clay.”   Daniel 2:41-43

Daniel was interpreting the King’s dream of a statue that was gold at the top, then silver, bronze and finally iron and clay. One well placed rock broke it and it crumbled. He was prophesizing about Babylon, but it seems the description fits our country, doesn’t it? We were founded one nation under God, but  no longer are to many. It was once a golden nation. A nation founded on the God given rights of all  created equal in the sight of the Creator, each personof value and worth.  Of course, that was the ideal- slavery, indentured servitude, the east coast work houses, the mistreatment of the native Indians, the lawlessness of the wild west was the reality. Still our country remained a beacon. Churches were the center of town life. Freedom rang.

Now that for several genrerations our legislature has made God unpopular and banned Him from our schools and His principles are no longer taught, we are a nation divided.  We are partly strong, yet our morals, our economy and our  ethics are crumbling like clay. God’s remnant is the iron. We hold these truths to be self evident – in God we will continue to trust. Our God will provide and protect His people, if we pray and return to Him. If we continue in our homes to teach our children of His power and promises, of His grace and our sinfulness.  If we continue to treat people with love and dignity and reach out to be His hands and feet and teach our kids to do so also. If we teach them that honesty is the best policy and confession is good for the soul. Only if they receive Christ as their Saviour.

Jesus said He was not interceding for the world, only those the Father had given to His care. (John 17:9) As believers, we are the children of the King destined for the streets of gold.

Mothers, as the old song form Crosby Stills and Nash says,” teach your children well. ..” May God bless us and our nation.

Apr

21

At the Gate of Beautiful

By Julie B Cosgrove | Comments Off


In the 3rd Chapter of Acts, it says that Peter and John were in Jerusalem and walked by a gate leading into the Temple. There was a crippled beggar there . They instantly healed him and brought him walking and dancing into the Temple.

Of course the Hebrew worshipers were astonished because they had passed by this man day in and day out on the way to worship. Maybe they had contributed a small coin to his livelihood now and then, when they had spare change they did not need to buy an offering. You see where this is going. My Church is in an older part of town. Many are. It sits half way in between a poorer section of town and a grand old section with manicured lawns and stately mansions of the past. I think it is appropriate that it is where it is- sort of between heaven and hell, like the Church of believers should be.

As Christians, we are called to look around us and see who is hanging out just outside the gate called Beautiful- just outside our blessed lives. Peter and John say to the people “by faith in the name of Jesus this man whom you see and know was made strong.” (vs 16) By my faith I am supposed to demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit, to bring people into His Temple of Mercy to be healed, in spirit and maybe body. I am supposed to take them by the hand and help them enter the gate called Beautiful and into His presence.

As women, we can do that in some way, each day, no matter how busy we are. Father, show me who to lead through the Gate called Beautiful today, Maybe with a smile to a harried grocery store clerk, or letting that person in traffic, or hugging a loved one. Just show me who needs a glimpse into your Kingdom. “I can not do everything, but I can do something. Lord what will you have me do?” is part of the motto of the Daughters of the King, a women’s prayer group to which I belong. The answer- every day pray, then obey, don’t walk away.

Nov

6

A Sad Day for My Country

By Carrie | 15 Comments


Yesterday was a sad day. I didn’t stay up on Tuesday evening to see the results of the election but I knew when I went to bed that things didn’t look promising. When I awoke in the morning and turned on the radio my fears were confirmed. Barak Obama had won the election.

Over the last few weeks my husband had talked to our six-year daughter about the candidates, who we stood for and why. When I told her on Tuesday that everyone was voting she said she hoped John McCain would win. I told her that may not happen but she told me not to worry, God would let the “good man” win.

Unfortunately that isn’t true. I explained to my daughter than Israel had many bad kings and that sometimes God gives us bad leaders to teach us or to judge us. In way though she is right. Our sovereign God does choose our leaders and we can still rest in his choice even when we suspect the outcome won’t be easy for us.

But this is still a sad time for me because our nation has chosen a leader who does not support Godly values. A man who fully supports partial-birth abortion is a candidate that no Christian should be comfortable with. I can only expect that with a liberal President and a liberal Congress our nation will slide further into ungodly practices and incur God’s judgment. That is not a place I want to be.

I am also scaried as a parent. If our nation lurches more and more toward darkness I will have to fight harder and harder to keep my children in the light. As things like “alternative lifestyles” become more acceptable I have to worry that my kids will see things at our local mall that I don’t care to explain to them at a young age. Sheltering my children from ungodly practices may become impossible.

But despite my sadness and fears, I know that God “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Rom 8:28). The darkness around us may grow but it will never overcome the light.

But I do hope this time will be a wake-up call for Christians. I think too many Christians today have become too comfortable with the world and it is time for us to set ourselves apart and be different. As children of God we are a holy nation – let’s start living that way and show the darkness what is light.

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