DAYS OF INFAMY

I Was Just Thinking About – DAYS OF INFAMY.

Most people are familiar with the historic references to events – Remember The Alamo; Remember Pearl Harbor. There are also Biblical references of what one should remember – Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy; Remember your Creator in the days of your youth; and at the Passover meal as Jesus symbolized with bread and wine the death he would die, He said: Do this in remembrance of me! The Apostle Paul emphasizes these words – for as often as you do this, you do show the Lord’s death until he comes again.

Today represents another day that should be remembered. It was on November 22, 1963 that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, TX. The speech he had prepared to deliver was never given. Even though it was lengthy, his concluding point would’ve been: “We in this country, in this generation, are - by destiny rather than choice – the watchmen on the walls of world freedom. We ask, therefore, that we may be worthy of our power and responsibility, that we may exercise our strength with wisdom and restraint, and that we may achieve in our time and for all time the ancient vision of ‘peace on earth, good will toward men.’ That must always be our goal, and the righteousness of our cause must always underlie our strength. For as was written long ago: ‘except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain’.”

One summary observes these thoughts: “Neither the fanatics nor the faint-hearted are needed. And our duty as a Party is not to our Party alone, but to the nation, and, indeed, to all mankind. Our duty is not merely the preservation of political power but the preservation of peace and freedom. So let us not be petty when our cause is so great. Let us not quarrel amongst ourselves when our Nation’s future is at stake. Let us stand together with renewed confidence in our cause — united in our heritage of the past and our hopes for the future — and determined that this land we love shall lead all mankind into new frontiers of peace and abundance.”

There are obvious spiritual applications that can be made from this speech. One is the role of the watchman and the urgency of his vigilance, Ezekiel 3:16-19, “The word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked person: You will surely die, and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.  But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.” Do you sense this urgency and responsibility today or are you known by your complacency and indifference?

Prayerfully – consider these things with me.