W.B. Crumpton and Associates
January 26
THE CIVIL LIFE IN RELIGION.-Render therefore unto Caesar the things
that are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. Matt. 22:
21. Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no
power but of God: the powers that are ordained of God. Rom. 13: 1, 2
MEDITATION.-It is in two senses that Christianity was designed to be
universal; it was designed to cover both the whole world and the whole
man. We stand related to the state and the municipality, to the civil
and political order, whatever form or order it may take. Christianity
does not prescribe any particular form of civil government, and it is
far from endorsing every act of legislation or administration, but it
teaches that civil government as such comes from, belongs to, and is
upheld by the Lord God of heaven and earth. No man or woman can be a
good Christian and a bad citizen at one and the same time. In
Christianity church and state have been separated by its own Founder;
and what God hath put asunder let not man join together. Our duties to
Caesar, that is, to civil government, are recognition and respect,
sympathy and prayer, obedience and co-operation. Though the right of
revolution always inheres in the people, our obligations to Caesar,
within their sphere, are as divinely ordained as our obligations to
God.
SUGGESTION FOR PRAYER-O thou, the author and upholder of government
among men, teach us again that the powers that are ordained of thee,
that magistrates are ministers of thine for good, and help us to
conform to thy will in supporting law and order in the world. Let thy
blessing be on all rulers, from the highest to the lowest, especially
those of our own land. In the name of Christ.
HYMN.-- My country! 'tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died, Land of the Pilgrim's
pride,
From every mountain side
Let freedom ring.
SCRIPTURE READING.-1 Peter 2: 13-17.
************************************************************************
These daily devotions come from an old book by Rev. Washington Bryan
Crumpton, 1842-1926. The book is called DAILY DEVOTION and was first
published in 1923 by the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist
Convention.
This book is now extremely rare. These daily meditations are copied
exactly from a precious copy the Lord led me to. There is but one copy
now known to be available in an in depth search of the Internet,
although Rev. Crumpton wrote other books, one of which, ADVENTURES OF
TWO ALABAMA BOYS, can still be obtained for hundreds of dollars, or
can be downloaded free from the internet.
More information on W.B. Crumpton, including a picture of himself and
his brother, can be found at this URL:
http://docsouth.unc.edu/crumpton/illustr2.html
A search of google.com will also glean tidbits about the role of Rev.
Crumpton in the history of the Southern Baptist church.
May you find as much joy, comfort, and love in these old fashioned
devotions as I have. God bless you all.
Love,
Anonymous.
.
|
