2For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.
He goes on to say in verses 6 and 7:6Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God.7But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
I really believe it is in the small actions and attitudes, perhaps seemingly insignificant, that can play a huge role in determining the trajectory of our Christian walk. Without become obsessive, I believe that attention to detail, self-discipline, I dare say, self-control - these are very important components of the fulfilling and productive life. We can be challenged to check our hearts and guard against small thoughts that can enter in, grow, and become destructive. What we accept or tolerate in our lives that do not line up with God's purpose can consume us in a detrimental way, if we're not careful.
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There's a passage of Scripture in Zechariah chapter 4 that illustrates for us the hand of the Lord in the life of a nation and of a leader, as well as his attention to detail in following the Lord's commands:
9"The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.10For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the Lord, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth."
The Pledge of Allegiance is one of those time-honored rituals that most of us have memorized and are more than willing to recite when the occasion arises. But, the senior opinion writer for the website, AL.com, Leada Gore, contends that we may be saying it wrong.
When I read the headline to that effect on yesterday's "Wake-Up Call" feature, I thought, "here we go again." I figured it has to be about those two words, "under God," that were added in 1954. Another AL.com piece, by Angela Levins, quoted President Eisenhower, who authorized the change on Flag Day, June 14:
"In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and war."Apparently, there have been some NBC decision makers who seem to have a case of forgetfulness regarding those two words in the pledge. Todd Starnes of Fox News reported that an astute reader pointed out that NBC has once again omitted God from the Pledge of Allegiance. The omission happened during a commercial promoting the network’s upcoming spy thriller called “Allegiance.” The promo used the phrase, “One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
That is the way the Pledge was published in 1892 in "The Youth's Companion," according to the Levins piece. It could have been written by Frances Bellamy for a Columbus Day celebration or by the editor of the "Companion," James Upham.
In 2011, NBC was caught omitting "under God" from the Pldege in a promo that ran during its U.S. Open golf coverage. Starnes reports that NBC was forced to apologize after it happened not once, but twice.
He quotes a tweet by Sherwood Baptist Church pastor Michael Catt: “Why does mainstream America not trust media? Simple, you can’t get Pledge of Allegiance right, why trust you to tell us anything else? #NBC."
And, in 2013, Rev. Al Sharpton did not utter those words during a "Lean Forward" promo on MSNBC.
Now, back to the AL.com piece about saying the Pledge wrong. It wasn't what I thought. Ms. Gore reminded readers that there's no comma - and therefore no pause - in between one nation under God.
She references a debate in Utah last year when the State Legislature was debating a bill to honor the date when the phrase "under God" was added to the pledge.
It is impossible to ignore the influence of the Divine in the foundation of our nation. And, not some non-specific deity, but I believe that the God of the Bible was involved in the events leading to the establishment of our great nation. I believe that He was and continues to orchestrate events in response to dedicated, praying people. He has not forgotten our land, but if we expect to continue to experience His hand of blessing, we must return to the principles upon which the country was founded and align ourselves with His will. It is important that we are standing in prayer for America!
This matter of the comma can also remind us of the importance of small things. Take out the comma and the emphasis of the phrase changes. Ecclesiastes 10 addresses how something small can have an adverse effect: "Dead flies putrefy the perfumer's ointment, And cause it to give off a foul odor; So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor." James writes about how the tongue, a small object, can have a huge effect on our lives. As authors Bruce and Stan remind us, God Is In the Small Stuff! There may be small adjustments that we can make, in our heart attitudes or perhaps our practices, that can play a huge role in refining the course of our life. Just as a comma removed or added can alter the meaning of a sentence, small, maybe seemingly insignificant actions or attitudes can be instrumental in our spiritual walk.
She references a debate in Utah last year when the State Legislature was debating a bill to honor the date when the phrase "under God" was added to the pledge.
Someone pointed out that one lawmaker, Sen. John Valentine, said the pledge differently than others.
Valentine doesn't pause - it is one nation under God.
"There is no comma," Valentine said. "We are one nation under God. We are not multiple nations, not multiple parts, but one nation under God."So, it wasn't about the phrase, after all. Whew! But, Senator Valentine correctly used the lack of a comma to make an important point about our country.
It is impossible to ignore the influence of the Divine in the foundation of our nation. And, not some non-specific deity, but I believe that the God of the Bible was involved in the events leading to the establishment of our great nation. I believe that He was and continues to orchestrate events in response to dedicated, praying people. He has not forgotten our land, but if we expect to continue to experience His hand of blessing, we must return to the principles upon which the country was founded and align ourselves with His will. It is important that we are standing in prayer for America!
This matter of the comma can also remind us of the importance of small things. Take out the comma and the emphasis of the phrase changes. Ecclesiastes 10 addresses how something small can have an adverse effect: "Dead flies putrefy the perfumer's ointment, And cause it to give off a foul odor; So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor." James writes about how the tongue, a small object, can have a huge effect on our lives. As authors Bruce and Stan remind us, God Is In the Small Stuff! There may be small adjustments that we can make, in our heart attitudes or perhaps our practices, that can play a huge role in refining the course of our life. Just as a comma removed or added can alter the meaning of a sentence, small, maybe seemingly insignificant actions or attitudes can be instrumental in our spiritual walk.
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