victory. They are searching, and I ask that you pray for them.542
No one would ever wish for a personal, family, or national disaster. Unfortunately, such events will inevitably happen. At such times, we can only pray for the strength of faith evidenced by this Japanese Christian. In the face of a national tragedy, he saw hope that more in his country would turn to the true God. In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks America saw an apparent resurgence of faith across the land. “God Bless America” was seen everywhere. Unfortunately, as conditions returned to normal, these displays subsided. I pray that it won’t take a devastating disaster to bring about a more widespread and lasting return to faith among our own “proud people.” On a national or a personal level, when prosperity blinds us to our dependence on God’s mercy and the importance of God in our lives, it is surely a curse.
“Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”
December 28
On September 2, 1945, Gen. Douglas MacArthur made a radio broadcast to the American public from the site of the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay. Always eloquent, the great general conveyed his deep concern about the destructiveness of modern war and the need for a spiritual resurgence to prevent even worse conflicts in the future.
Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won… The holy mission has been completed and in reporting this to you, the people, I speak for the thousands of silent lips, forever stilled among the jungles and the beaches and in the deep waters of the Pacific which marked the way… A new era is upon us…
We have had our last chance. If we do not devise some greater and more equitable system, Armageddon will be at our door. The problem is theological and involves a spiritual recrudescence and improvement of human character that will synchronize with our almost matchless advance in science, art, literature, and all material and cultural developments of the past 2,000 years. It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh.543
The apostle Paul pleaded with the Galatians for the same kind of spiritual revival within their society. He perfectly contrasted for all time the difference between a life of the flesh and a life of the Spirit:
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
December 29
When asked to provide material for a history of World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt offered extracts from his public statements that he considered relevant to the topic, “What We Are Fighting For.”544
In his addresses to the nation he was always extremely effective in inspiring his fellow countrymen. More importantly, he was also able to capture the essence of their own motivation to sacrifice for a long and costly war.
We are not a warlike people. We have never sought glory as a nation of warriors. We are not interested in aggression… Our vast effort, and the unity of purpose which inspires that effort are due solely to our recognition of the fact that our fundamental rights are threatened by Hitler’s violent attempt to rule the world…
We are fighting today for security, for progress and for peace, not only for ourselves, but for all men, not only for one generation but for all generations. We are fighting to cleanse the world of ancient evils, ancient ills. We are fighting as our fathers have fought, to uphold the doctrine that all men are equal in the sight of God.
In this war of survival we must keep before our minds not only the evil things we fight against but the good things we are fighting for. We fight to retain a great past and we fight to gain a greater future. The issue of this war is the basic issue between those who believe in mankind and those who do not—the ancient issue between those who put their faith in the people and those who put their faith in dictators and tyrants.545
President Roosevelt’s words continue to inspire us and to remind us that we have duties and responsibilities to our nation and to God that go with the benefits of being an American.
Freely you have received, freely give.
December 30
Sunday, September 2, 1945, dawned gray and sullen over Tokyo Bay. The Japanese delegation considered the weather symbolic of their ancestors “weeping” as they climbed the ladder alongside the USS
