Deeper Devotional

Devotional written by Matthew Dussia
James 2:26 “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”
What are the foundational principles that make our country great? In thinking about this question, I came across the book, The Five Thousand Year Leap: 28 Great Ideas that Changed the World by W. Cleon Skousen.

In this book, Skousen described 28 principles that the Founders identified as key for success in governing the United States. These principals are within the Constitution and give the modern American wisdom on what makes our nation great and how to develop remarkable character traits.

Even though the Founders have identified and written down these keys for wisely governing our country, Samuel Adams noted, “But neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt. He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of his country who tries most to promote its virtue.” Adams goes on to say that the person should be proven in his virtue in order to be chosen for such a most important task as leadership. (Wells, Life of Samuel Adams, 1:22).

As the people of God, we identify with wanting to elect virtuous leaders as written in Proverbs 29:2: “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, But when a wicked man rules, people groan.” We also identify with the truth that, in some capacity, everyone is a leader. Simply bearing the name “Christian” is an indication that you are a Christ follower and you represent Christ wherever you go and whatever you do.

So, reflecting on Samuel Adams remark, what is it that makes a person virtuous or full of good character?

I am amazed at the character qualities of those early founders, particularly their attitude towards sacrificial service:

“Have we not seen the greatest and most important of our offices that of general of our armies, executed for eight years together, without the smallest salary.” (Smyth, Writings of Benjamin Franklin, 9:594-595)

In this statement, Benjamin Franklin spoke very highly of George Washington who sacrificed his time, money, energy, and put his life on the line for our nation. The attitude and action for sacrificial service is a model for character formation. Now, not everyone was in Washington’s position where he was able to do this; however, it was an extreme sacrifice even for him during those times. We can take from this example that George Washington is remarkable in this character trait of sacrificial service. His reward was doing the will of God and helping to play a key role in the formation of this country.

Let me be honest—volunteering is hard. It takes time when oftentimes, I would rather be selfish and focus on myself or those “lofty things God has called me to.” It takes hard work where I may sweat and be uncomfortable. It may take some of the money I have earned to volunteer my service. It may even cost my life.

However as a personal testimony, I was so inwardly fulfilled when I had the chance to serve at the Clothing Closet during Summer Serve this year because I was outwardly focused on a greater need than my own. Other blessings were that my family was energized by serving, and I was internally instilled with more of the heart of God, which gave me an unexpected measure of character formation from God.

Are we willing to allow God to forge our characters or do we have our lives completely mapped out? Let me challenge you to start small by creating intentional time in your day today to show your faith by your good works. It could be something like asking a question to a co-worker, “How may I bless you today?” Perhaps it could be making a desert for your neighbor. Perhaps it could be to show the love of Christ to another.

Pray with me. “Lord, I confess that I have not had my heart turned fully towards You in some of the days that I have lived. Lord, I have been reluctant to serve because I have tried to save my life when really, I am really losing it. Help me today O God, to instill the deep truth of outward thinking instead of dwelling on inward, selfish desires. I also ask for wisdom in understanding how I may arrange my schedule to accomplish those things that You are now putting into my heart for me to accomplish. In Jesus Name. Amen.”

Do you want to start volunteering more in a ministry that you are passionate about? It all starts with taking the first step. KPC has an online spiritual gifts assessment test called AssessMe. This is a wonderful tool that has helped me further define my gifts. I have been the type of person who has taken every assessment that I could get my hands on, and this one was the most accurate to describe how God has wired me uniquely in three areas: personality type, leadership style, and spiritual gifts.