United Church of God

Letter From Dan Preston - January 24, 2020

Letter From Dan Preston

January 24, 2020

Happy Sabbath!  Last week's memory verse was James 4v7 (NKJV), "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."  Look among the words below to see if you can find clues to this week's memory verse!

Busy news week

Unless you've managed to avoid TV, radio and the internet this week, you've probably heard about the impeachment proceedings of President Trump.  At this point, the ground rules for the trial have been set, and opening arguments are being made by both sides.

Although we must be careful not to get too caught up in politics, it would be prudent for us as American citizens to watch as these proceedings unfold. No doubt there will be some astounding accusations made by both parties!

Count your blessings

While there are a lot of angry people in our nation on both sides of this particular case, I think everyone can agree that we are fortunate to live in a country where these kinds of political disputes can be handled (relatively) peacefully.  

The founding fathers of our nations saw fit to incorporate the process of impeachment into our constitution.  This provides two important things: The first is protection for the people against an abuse of power by a president.  The second is protection for the president, that he not suffer a violent coup. Because of this, America has been blessed with peaceful exchanges of leadership since the constitution went into effect in 1789.

A lot of work

Not matter whether you think the president is innocent or guilty of the articles of impeachment, there's not doubt a lot of time, effort and energy is going into this trial.  Some would argue it's a waste of those things, others would argue it will be well worthwhile. In either case, it's a lot of work!

Have you ever been a part of something that was a lot of work? Something that some people thought was absolutely vital, while others called it a wast of time?  Guess what. You are involved in exactly such a work!

Astounding results

God has called us to be a part of an amazing work.  We are called to preach the good news of the coming Kingdom of God.  Sometimes we work in one particular direction with very little to show.  Other times, it goes in directions we do not expect, such as discovering 6,000 brethren in Angola a few years ago.

While I do not believe our 'work' as a Christian is ever done, I do believe there will come a day in God's Kingdom when we look back at the ways in which God has accomplished His purpose over the years and say, 'Wow! I wouldn't have believed it if you had told me!'  And unlike any human endeavor, there will be no doubt this work will be worthwhile and will obtain astounding results!