TGIF
Last Sunday, while here in the DC area visiting our children and grandchildren, our families went to Arlington Cemetery to visit the gravesite of one of Cindy’s and my best friends, who he and his wife were godparents to both of our children, and who went home to the Lord almost six years ago. It is quite a sobering experience to traverse all of Arlington Cemetery and see the thousands of matching white headstones as far as the eye can see, and to begin to understand what this country has stood for, and died for, over such a long time.
While there, we also visited the gravesites of JFK, his wife Jacqueline, and two of their children one who died at birth and one 2 days after birth. That is such a beautiful setting, high above the many gravesites, where the designers of the site wrote out across a large beautiful stone wall parts of JFK’s inaugural address that he gave to the nation on January 20, 1961. All the parts of his speech listed there are so relevant to our world still today, like his still iconic quote in that message – And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country.
As I read all the quotes provided there on the stone wall, I was especially touched by the conclusion to his speech. It read – With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.
There are two points to these words that stuck with me since I read them almost a week ago. First is that our good conscience [is] our only sure reward.
Hebrews 10:22 – let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
I don’t know how many of you may remember a sermon I gave about a year ago, it was about the ways God communicates with us regularly. I stated that God communicates with us through our conscience, making us feel exuberant at times we do something good, even giving us goosebumps! He can also lead us to feel very weak, sad, humiliated, or fearful even to the point of tears at other times when our conscience lets us know that maybe we were not the best Christian at some moment in time – maybe just today or maybe for the past year or longer!! So I read JFK’s words here as using our conscience to guide us in the right way and to lead us to our just reward.
2 Corinthians 1:12 – Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrityand godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace.
The second point is knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own. It made me think back to my TGIF message 2 weeks ago, where my focus was on the major national and global problems we were facing and what could we possibly do? I said in that message “So is there anything at all we can control? Yes, I believe there is! The one and only thing we have total control over is what we choose to think about and how we choose to spend our time.”
I cannot solve the global pandemic nor help any still stranded Americans get home from Afghanistan. But I can choose to do God’s work every day of my life with my light for Him burning brightly, I can choose to help someone in need today, I can choose to volunteer at my church or at a nursing home or school or at the many charitable organizations in our community who are always looking for volunteers, I can choose to call and write to my Covenant brothers and sisters and their families who are dealing with serious medical issues. I can choose to make a difference for God today … and tomorrow … and every day! I believe that is the challenge that President Kennedy was giving to us in that speech he gave to start his presidency – we have a role to play in His Kingdom, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem to us. To Him, we can reshape the world.
May we never forget our past, how God and our family and our nation shaped us throughout our lives, and may we thank God continually for all He has given us and to where He has led us today. May we look to our future with our hope in Him, and may we continue to grow in Him and to serve Him every day we still have breath in our bodies.
Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:25 – Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.