Refreshing

Daily
in Gods Word
Emphasis on

State Mottos
part 2

Let us see JE

A father wanted to read a magazine but was being bothered by

his little girl. She wanted to know what the United States looked like.
Finally, he tore a sheet out of his new magazine on which was printed
the map of the country. Tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to her
and said, go into the other room and see if you can put this together.
This will show you our whole country today.
After a few minutes, the little girl returned and handed him
the map, correctly fitted and taped together.
The father was surprised and asked how she had finished so
quickly. Oh, she said; on the other side of the paper is a picture of
Jesus. When I got all of Jesus back where He belonged, then our
country just came together.'

Montana
October 1
Bible Reading: Revelation 21:9-27
Key Verse: Verse 11 - Having the glory of God: and
her light was like unto a stone most precious, even
like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
Key Words: Having the glory of God
The state motto for Montana is Silver and Gold. It
would probably not surprise you to know then that Montanas
nickname is the Treasure State.
There is another state with great treasure that awaits
us and that is our heavenly state.
Every year the state fair comes to visit. This is fair
heaven. There is more food than you could ever eat out there.
Usually, I can go to the fair for free because a member of the
church will give me tickets. Like salvation, my entrance into
this heavenly place is free. I receive a free gift that gains me
entrance.
Now, inside the fairgrounds, there is so much to do.
There are animals, games, an aquarium, shows it goes on
and on. Every time we go out there, we spend six to seven
hours because there is so much to see. The best part is the
Midway. There is where all the fun rides and roller coasters
are. Its also where most of the games are. When you play
games at the fair, it ends up costing you more to play the game
than to buy whatever it is that you are attempting to win. Its
all part of the fun though.
All of these various activities and events are available
to me simply because I have entered the fair. Entrance to the
fair gives me access to a lot of things.
The free ticket gains me entrance but it does not
automatically make me a full participant. All of the extra
things available to me at the fair are like rewards. I can only
enjoy them as much as I can afford them. I will have had to
put in some work somewhere on somebodys job in order to
be able to afford the additional fun that the fair offers.
Salvation is a free ticket available to those who accept
Jesus Christ as their Savior. It guarantees free entrance into

heaven. However, the amount we are able to enjoy heavenly

rewards is tied to the amount of effort weve made on earth.
Our heavenly rewards are tied to our earthly effort.
There will be many Christians who enter the kingdom.
They will be at the fair. It is true that it is better to be at the
fair than to not be at the fair, but its a terrible thing to be at
the fair and not be able to ride. Its a terrible thing to have all
the access but not be a full participant.
What to do:
Enjoy everything that Montana has to offer but
remember, there is a greater treasure to come.
********************

Nebraska

October 2

Bible Reading: I John 2:1-10

Key Verse: Verse 2 And he is the propitiation for
our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of
the whole world.
Key Words: And he is the propitiation for our sins
Nebraska is the Cornhusker State, also known as the
Tree Planters State. The state motto is Equality Before the
Law.
The law is no respecter of persons. While law
enforcers may have respect of persons on occasion, the law
itself does not. It finds us on occasion guilty, therefore we all
have need of an advocate (someone to stand with us and for
us).
He is also our propitiation. He is the great Equalizer;
He is the One Who brings us to the place of peace.
Tony Evans shares the story of a father and son: They
were riding in a wagon, trying to outrace a prairie fire, and the
prairie fire was catching up with them. They were soon going
to be caught because the fire was moving so rapidly. The
father and son got out of the wagon. As the fire raced to them,

the father dug a little ditch and set fire in a circle around him,
his son, and the wagon. He burned a big space. As the fire
came upon them, the fire raged.
Dad, weve got to get out of here.
No, son, stand.
But Dad, the fire.
Son, trust me. Stand.
Yeah, but weve got to run.
No, we dont, son. All youve got to do is trust your
father and stand.
How can I stand when Im surrounded by fire?
Because, son, this place where we are standing has
already been burned once. I just set it afire. There is nothing
left. All the fire can do is come up around us. It cant touch
us. Once the ground has been burned, it cant be burned
again.
Jesus was burned once. If you stand on Christ and His
accomplishment on the cross, you cant be burned again. But
we want to try to outrun the fire. We want to try to beat the
Evil One. We want to try and work to avoid the fire, when all
we have to do is stand on the atoning work of Jesus Christ

What to do:
Remember that Jesus is the greatest Equalizer.
********************

Nevada

October 3

Bible Reading: Proverbs 14:27-35

Key Verse: Verse 34 Righteousness exalteth a
nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.
Key Words: Righteousness exalteth a nation
Nevada! No doubt when one thinks of Nevada, they
think of gambling and Las Vegasviva Las Vegas! But
Nevada also has Lake Tahoe, the Hoover Dam, and of course,

Virginia City (the place where the Cartwrights from Bonanza

lived); and we wont mention former Senate Majority Leader,
the liberal Harry Reid! Anyway the motto for Nevada is For
Love of Country. We should love our country but the motto
For Love of Country indicates that we do what we do
because we love our country.
French writer Alexis de Tocqueville, after visiting
America in 1831, said I sought for the greatness of the United
States in her commodious harbors, her ample rivers, her
fertile fields, and boundless forestsand it was not there. I
sought for it in her rich mines, her vast world commerce, her
public school system, and in her institutions of higher
learning and it was not there. I looked for it in her
democratic Congress and her matchless Constitutionand it
was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America
and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I
understand the secret of her genius and power. America is
great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to
be good, America will cease to be great!
Amen!!
What to do:
You cant always control what others do, but you
can live righteously.
********************

New Hampshire

October 4

Bible Reading: James 1:20-27

Key Verse: Verse 25 But whoso looketh into the
perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he
being
not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this
man
shall be blessed in his deed.
Key Words: perfect law of liberty

New Hampshire: the Granite State whose motto is

Live Free or Die. Their motto was adapted on July 31, 1809.
We understand that freedom, especially the freedom
to worship God, was the primary reason for the forefathers
coming to America. They would have rather died than be held
in spiritual bondage.
Freedom: let us never take it for granted. But may we
also understand that freedom has restrictions. I am not free
to do as I want; I am free to do as I should. I am not free to
sin; I am free from sin.
The wonderful thing about living in America is that we
have options. In many countries around the world, options
are limited. The government controls everything, and the
ability to choose is lost. The wonder of the American
experience and experiment is the opportunity, at least on
paper and in principle, for a person to freely pursue life,
liberty and what makes them happy.
But there are also restrictions in a democracy. There
are limitations. We do not enjoy freedom without boundaries.
We cant just drive through a red light. We cant just shoot
through a stop sign. Why are there limits? Because, very
simply, in order to enjoy freedom, there must be sufficient
restrictions so that freedom is maximized.
What to do:
Live free through Christ.
********************

New Jersey
October 5
Bible Reading: Psalm 73
Key Verse: Verse 3 For I was envious at the foolish,
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Key Words: For I was envious at the foolish, when

I saw the prosperity of the wicked

I have had the privilege to live in New Jersey for a

short period of time when I was in the military. As a matter of
fact, I flew out of McGuire Air Force Base on my way to Viet
Nam. The state motto for New Jersey is "Liberty and
Prosperity.
I dont believe our founding fathers looked at
prosperity the way we do today. Prosperity to them was
growing their crops and having good health and their children
receiving some education. Today we think of prosperity as
having two cars and a fancy house, fine clothes and a rich
financial future. Some become envious of those who have
more than they do.
But I would encourage you to look at prosperity from
the eyes of Gods Word, and ask What have I gained if I gain
the whole world and lose my own soul?
About four or five years ago in Texas, a pilot left the
motor running on a plane and somehow this plane engaged
itself. It was without a pilot and took off. It was flying on its
own. It stayed in the air for over ninety minutes. Then, the
inevitable happened: it ran out of gas, crashed, and was totally
destroyed.
For a while, you can fly on your own. For a while, you
can take off and be somebody. For a while, you can act like
God does not exist. For a while, you can play a little religion,
but not be serious about subordinating yourself. And for a
while, you can fly.
I know there are atheists, and they look like they are
flying. I know, sometimes you look at evil people and you say,
How come they can be so evil and can fly so high? I know
sometimes you are jealous when you look at folk who have no
respect for deity and seem to be flying high. Keep watching,
because sooner or later, they will run out of gas, crash, and be
destroyed. When you fly your life without God in the pilots
seat of your life, thats what happens. Thats why the Bible
says dont be envious of the evil-doers. Just because they are
making money and getting ahead by doing wrong, dont get
jealous of them. One can only fly high on their own for a
while, but there will come a point where they will run out of
gas and will discover in an abrupt way there is a God Who is
Lord over the universe.

What to do:
Be thankful for what you have, not envious of
what others have.
********************

New Mexico
October 6
Bible Reading: Proverbs 22:1-8
Key Verse: Verse 6 Train up a child in the way he
should go: and when he is old, he will not depart
from it.
Key Words: Train up
The state motto for New Mexico is It Grows as It
Goes. Isnt that true for all of us? The direction in life in
which we choose to go is the direction in which we will grow.
If we choose to lean toward the world, our roots grow deeper
into this world and the world system.
The same is true for our children. The word train in
Proverbs 22:6 carries the idea of bending or pointing in the
right or Godly direction.
If our children grow and go to the wrong places in life,
then maybe, just maybe we need to take a long look at
ourselves to see if we pointed them in the right direction.
I was recently in Tennessee, not just any part of
Tennessee, but out in the country of Tennessee, farming
country, chickenswell, you get the idea. When I looked up
where I was going on Map Quest there were literally dozens of
turns onto small country roads. I immediately went to my
GPS, programmed in the address, and off my wife and I went
to Tennessee. As fate would have it, I missed a turn!!! My
fault!!! But nonetheless, I was on the wrong road. Praise the
Lord for a GPS!! It took me to only the Lord knows where, but
then it said, You have reached your destination. And sure
enough, there was the place I was supposed to be!! I could
have never made it without the GPS. God has given every
child a GPS called parents, and where they end up depends

upon two things: 1) are you, as parents, guiding them in the

right direction? And 2) are they listening?

What to do:
As parents, be a Godly GPS for your children.
********************

New York
October 7

Bible Reading: Philippians 3:13-21

Key Verse: Verse 20 For our conversation is in

heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour,
the Lord Jesus Christ:
Key Words: For our conversation is in heaven

New York: the Empire State whose motto is Ever

Upward. That would be a great motto for believers as well.
We should be striving for the heavenly, not the earthly.
It is impossible for a fish to be happy on land. A fish
on land is struggling trying to make it. A fish on land is going
to be squirming and flipping and twisting and jerking and
jumping. It wont be able to relax because it is not where it is
made to live. Also, eagles are most at home when theyre
soaring in the air. You know why? Because thats what they
were made for. You can never be fulfilled when youre
attached to the earth.
What to do:
We were not made for the earth, so seek the
heavenly.

North Carolina
October 8

Bible Reading: John 7:14-31

Key Verse: Verse 24 Judge not according to the

appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
Key Words: Judge not according to appearance

North Carolinas state motto is To Be, Rather Than To

Seem. Isnt this motto what we all should strive for?
I would rather be a Christian than just seem to be.
I would rather be a good laborer than just seem to be.
I would rather be faithful than just seem to be.
I would rather be modest than just seem to be.
I would rather be a good spouse than just seem to be.
I would rather be truthful than just seem to be.
I would rather be obedient than just seem to be.
I would rather be humble than just seem to be.
I would rather be grateful than just seem to be.
I would rather be a person of integrity than just seem
to be.
I would rather genuinely love Christ than just seem to
love Him.
I would rather be a Godly parent than just seem to be.
I would rather love others than just seem to love them.
Today and all the tomorrows let us be rather than just
seem to be!!

What to do:
Be, rather than seem to be.

North Dakota
October 9

Bible Reading: I Corinthians 12:12-31

Key Verse: Verse 12 For as the body is one, and

hath many members, and all the members of that one
body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
Key Words: For as the body is one

The motto for the state of North Dakota is Liberty and

Union Now and Forever, but they have a second motto, One
and Inseparable.
You can tell from the words union, one, and
inseparable, that unity was a big thing for North Dakotans.
But unity has always been a big thing; its a big thing in the
work of God. Division ruins. It ruins not only the work but
the joy of doing the work.
Unity doesnt mean that we are all alike; but it does
mean that we all have the same goal and that we are all
headed in the same direction.
If a football team is unified, it does not mean that
everyones playing the same position.
It does mean
everybodys going to the same goal line. If an orchestra is
harmonious, its not because theyre all playing the same
instrument; its because theyre all playing the same song. If a
choir is singing in great harmony, its not because they are
singing the same parts; its because theyre adding their part
to the same song. It is the goal that produces the unity. Unity
is not sameness. Unity has to do with the same purpose.
Let us have the same purpose: to glorify God in all we
do.
What to do:
Either we serve as one or we fall apart as many.

Ohio
October 10

Bible Reading: Matthew 19:16-30

Key Verse: Verse 26 - But Jesus beheld them, and

said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with
God all things are possible.
Key Words: with God all things are possible

Ohio: the Buckeye State whose motto is With God All

Things Are Possible.
Have you ever heard someone say, Im too wicked;
God could never save me? Now, we know that isnt true; they
have been duped by the great deceiver.
Have you ever gotten a letter in the mail from a credit
card company telling you that you've been pre-qualified?
These letters will usually tell you that you can spend five
thousand dollars because they've already checked you out and
decided you would be a good customer. Now, that is just a
ploy, a joke, and a gyp. They are just trying to get you to
spend money so that they can charge you interest. It's a trick.
God has also pre-qualified us for righteousness. Unlike the
trickery involved with the credit card companies, He has prequalified us by already applying the righteousness of Christ to
our accounts. Our balances have already been paid.
Yes, all men can be saved for with God all things are
possible.

What to do:
Tell others about Christ.

Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian

and social duty of each individual
Continue steadfast and, with a proper sense of
your dependence on God,
nobly defend those rights which heaven gave,
and no man ought to take from us,
John Hancock

Oklahoma
October 11

Bible Reading: Proverbs 14:14-24

Key Verse: Verse 23 In all labour there is profit:

but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.
Key Words: In all labour there is profit

Oklahoma: the home of the Sooners and the Cowboys!

Oklahomas motto is Labor Conquers All Things.
There is something that can be said for hard work, for
in all labor there is profit. But there is one thing that labor
cannot conquer and that is death: For it is appointed unto
man once to die.
I've got bad news for you. Unless Jesus comes back,
you are going to die. Your death will not be delayed because
the Bible says you die by appointment. You are going to die.
Death today can look fairly nice. The folks down at the
funeral home know how to get us looking fairly good when we
are dead. The funeral parlors have professional makeup
artists who dress you up and make you look good. Ive seen
some people look better dead than they ever looked alive. But
theyre still dead.
Dead people used to be put into crude wooden boxes
and carried around in horse-drawn carriages. You dont die
like that today. Nowadays when you die, you die in style.
Were talking about bronze caskets lined with linen. If you die
before youve had a chance to put your head on a satin pillow,
no worries. Nows your chance. Always wanted to ride in a
limousine? Youve got it a fleet, in fact. You will stop traffic
that day. People will pull over just because you are riding by.
But youre still dead.
Back in the day, the coffin would be lowered into the
ground by ropes tied around the top and bottom of the casket.
Today, there are no ropes; a nickel-plated machine eases you
down. They dont want to wake you up so you get put six feet
under in the most comfortable way possible. But youre still
dead.

Whether its a coffin or a casket, a limousine, or a

horse-drawn carriage, a nickel-plated machine or a rope, you
are still dead. A fancy death doesnt change that reality.
What death should do is promote the idea of not
wasting time in life. The older you get, there should be certain
things you dont have time for because you realize that you are
losing time every day. You cant waste it.
Yes, labor is a good thing; but it will never deliver you
from death. The question is not will I live forever; but
where will I dwell in eternity, heaven or hell?

What to do:
Read some of these salvation verses: John 3:16,
36; Romans 3:23, 6:23, 10:9-10; Acts 17:31; Galatians
2:16; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:5; I John 1:9-10;
Revelation 22:17.
********************

Oregon

October 12

Bible Reading: Romans 13:1-7

Key Verse: Verse 1 Let every soul be subject unto
the higher powers. For there is no power but of God:
the powers that be are ordained of God.
Key Words: Let every soul be subject unto the

higher powers
Oregon: the Beaver State. Spanish and English sailors
are believed to have sighted the Oregon coast in the 1500s and
1600s. Captain James Cook, seeking the Northwest Passage,
charted some of the coastline in 1778. In 1792, Captain
Robert Gray, in the Columbia, discovered the river named
after his ship and claimed the area for the U.S.
The state motto was adopted for a second time in
1987, She Flies with Her Own Wings. You see, Oregon did

not want Great Britain or the United States to rule over them.
They wanted to be free from rulers. But we all have those
who rule over us, whether it is our parents, a teacher, a
supervisor, a mayor, and/or a government. The Bible
instructs us as to how we are to conduct ourselves under
authority.
Now, I admit getting people to obey in todays world
is, well to say the least, difficult. I am reminded of the mother
who wanted to have the last word but couldnt handle the
hassle that resulted whenever she said no to her young son.
After an especially trying day, she finally flung up her hands
and shouted, All right, Billy, do whatever you want! Now
lets see you disobey THAT!
Remember, we all want to be free from tyrants, but we
all need Godly rulers over us as well.

What to do:
Obey them that have the rule over you.
********************

Pennsylvania, Part One

October 13

Bible Reading: Philippians 4:1-8

Key Verse: Verse 8 - Finally, brethren, whatsoever

things are true, whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are
pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever
things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and
if there be any praise, think on these things.
Key Words: if there be any virtue

Pennsylvania became the second state in 1787.

Pennsylvanias state quarter features an outline of the state, a
keystone (Pennsylvanias nickname is the Keystone State), a
statue representing the commonwealth, and the state motto:
Virtue, Liberty, Independence.

The word virtue in our text means moral character or

moral goodness. Its great to have a motto that represents
morality but Im afraid weve lost our moral compass in
America; we are way off course.
Thomas Sowell writing for Readers Digest says: All
across this country, the undermining and destruction of the
values that children were taught at home is going on in public
schools. One of the first things a family tries to teach its
children is the difference between right and wrong. One of
the first things our schools try to destroy is that distinction.
The up-to-date way to carry on the destruction of traditional
values is to claim to be solving some social problem like drugs,
AIDS or teen-age pregnancy. Only those few people who have
the time to research what is actually being done in "drug
education," "sex education" or "death education" courses
know what an utter fraud these labels are.
For those are courses about how right and wrong are
outmoded notions, about how your parents' ideas are no guide
for you, and about how each person must start from scratch to
develop his or her own way of behaving.
We would all do well to adopt Pennsylvanias motto of
being virtuous.

What to do:
Virtue, dont leave home without it.
********************

Pennsylvania, Part Two

October 14

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:41-48

Key Verse: Verse 45 - And I will walk at liberty: for I

seek thy precepts.
Key Words: And I will walk at liberty

The motto for Pennsylvania also includes not just

virtue but liberty. Now, weve all heard that liberty is not the

freedom to do as we want, but to do as we should. But

sometimes even in religious organizations there is more law
practiced than liberty.
Elizabeth Elliott once wrote: What is it I must
forsake to follow Christ? a young person asks. Get rid of
everything in your wardrobe that is not white. Stop sleeping
on a soft pillow. Sell your musical instruments. Dont wear
jewelry. You cannot, if you are sincere about obeying Christ,
take warm baths. Elizabeth Elliot comments on the above
dialogue, Does this answer sound absurd? It is the answer
given in the most celebrated Christian schools of the second
century! Is it possible that the rules that have been adopted
by many twentieth-century Christians will sound as absurd to
earnest followers of Christ a few years hence?
Praise God for the liberty we find in Christ, not the
liberty to sin but the liberty to be free from a life of sin.

What to do:
We would do well to remember the words of
Thomas
Huxley: A mans worst difficulties begin when
he is able to do as he likes.
********************

Pennsylvania, Part Three

October 15

Bible Reading: Luke 15:11-24

Key Verse: Verse 13 - And not many days after the
younger son gathered all together, and took his
journey into a far country, and there wasted his
substance with riotous living.
Key Words: took his journey into a far country

We understand what is meant by independence, which

is a part of Pennsylvanias motto, but we have to understand
that we are not to be independent from God.

There is a story of a kite that was flying and the kite

began to talk to itself. The kite said, 'If only I could get rid of
this string. If the string wasn't holding me back, then I could
fly. I could fly above the clouds. I could fly as high as I
wanted to. If I could get rid of this string, there would be
nothing holding me back. I'm limited by this string.'
One day the kite got its wish. The string broke and the
kite came crashing down. What the kite did not realize was
that the same string that kept it down kept it up. Cutting the
string did not make it freer.
We will always head toward disaster when we cut the
string of dependence on God in search of more pleasure. The
same string that seems to hold you down also keeps you flying
high. God wants us to trust him and let him hold the string.
Staying connected to Him keeps us from falling.

Independence from God isnt independence; its

self-centered!!
What to do:
We should never be independent from God but
dependent upon Him.
********************

South Dakota
October 16

Bible Reading: I Kings 12 :1-14

Key Verse: Verse 14 - And spake to them after the

counsel of the young men, saying, My father made
your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my
father also chastised you with whips, but I will
chastise you with scorpions.
Key Words: I will add to your yoke

Did you know that South Dakota is one of the top ten
states to live in? And did you know it is listed as one of the
smartest states in America?

South Dakotas motto is Under God the People Rule.

What a great motto! For truly only under God can anyone
rule with true wisdom. Without Godly wisdom we will selfdestruct.
Omar Bradley, one of the Generals in World War II,
went to World War I, and he remembered it as a young man.
He served in the army in the US, became a General. He
actually led one of the largest armies in history during World
War II.
He spoke at an Armistice Day in Boston,
Massachusetts, in 1948. He said, With the monstrous
weapons man already has, humanity is in danger of being
trapped in this world by its moral adolescents.
Our
knowledge of science has clearly outstripped our capacity to
control it. We have many men of science; too few men of God.
We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the
Sermon on the Mount. Man is stumbling blindly through a
spiritual darkness while toying with the secrets of life and
death. The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom,
power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants
and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know
about peace, more about killing than we know about living.
Abraham Lincoln said on more than one occasion, I
have been driven many times to my knees by the
overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My
own wisdom and that of those about me seemed insufficient
for the day.
What to do:
Only when we are under God can we have the
wisdom of God.

Tennessee
October 17

Bible Reading: Job 2:7-13

Key Verse: Verse 10 - But he said unto her, Thou

speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What?
shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall
we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his
lips.
Key Words: good at the hand of God

Tennessee: the Volunteer State, whose motto is

Agriculture and Commerce.
Agriculture is the growing of goods and commerce is
the trading of goods.
As a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, I cannot think
of goodness without thinking of God. Years ago we had a man
in the church who when I would say God is good, he would
always say, Hes better than that!
Agriculture and commerce remind us of just how good
God is.
One of God's faithful missionaries, Allen Gardiner,
experienced many physical difficulties and hardships
throughout his service to the Savior. Despite his troubles, he
said, "While God gives me strength, failure will not daunt me."
In 1851, at the age of 57, he died of disease and starvation
while serving on Picton Island at the southern tip of South
America. When his body was found, his diary lay nearby. It
bore the record of hunger, thirst, wounds, and loneliness. The
last entry in his little book showed the struggle of his shaking
hand as he tried to write legibly. It read, "I am overwhelmed
with a sense of the goodness of God."
God is good!!

What to do:
When you think of Tennessee, think of the goodness
of God.

Texas, Part One

October 18

Bible Reading: Proverbs 17:1-18

Key Verse: Verse 17 - A friend loveth at all times, and
a brother is born for adversity.
Key Words: A friend loveth at all times
You would think that the motto for Texas would be
Everything is bigger and better in Texas, but that is not the
case. The motto for Texas is Friendship: the Friendship
State.
Now, no offense meant to the great state of Texas, but
when I think of a friend, I think of someone who stands by
you when no one else does. I just cant think of a state as
being a friend. I think of people as being a friend.
One example of friendship remains with me as vividly
as the moment I first heard of it as a boy. In his first seasons
with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson, the first black
man to play Major League baseball, faced venom nearly
everywhere he traveled -- fastballs at his head, spikings on the
bases, brutal epithets from the opposing dugouts and from the
crowds. During one game in Boston, the taunts and racial
slurs seemed to reach a peak. In the midst of this, another
Dodger, a Southern white named Pee Wee Reese, called
timeout. He walked from his position at shortstop toward
Robinson at second base, put his arm around Robinson's
shoulder, and stood there with him for what seemed like a
long time. The gesture spoke more eloquently than the words:
This man is my friend.

What to do:
Its always good to remember the old saying, I went
out looking for a friend and found none anywhere.
Then I went out to be a friend and found friends
everywhere.

Texas, Part Two

October 19

Bible Reading: John 15:1-17

Key Verse: Verse 13 - Greater love hath no man than

this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Key Words: that a man lay down his life for his

friends

The state motto for Texas is Friendship. Jesus

reminds us of what true friendship really is.
When you really have a friend, you will disregard
personal sacrifice. If you have ever read Charles Dickenss A
Tale of Two Cities, there is a classic illustration of John 15:13.
In fact, Dickens quotes it in the book.
The two people who become friends are Charles
Darnay and Sydney Carton. Darnay is a young Frenchman
who is thrown in a dungeon and faces the guillotine the next
morning. Carton is a wasted lawyer who has finished his life,
as it were, as a loose-living individual there in England.
Carton hears of Darnays imprisonment and through a chain
of events he gets into the dungeon and he changes garments
with Darnay who escapes. The next morning Sydney Carton
makes his way up the steps that lead to the guillotine. And
Dickens says, as he writes of this, Greater love has no one
than this, than one lay down his life for his friend. And thats
a classic example of the ultimate in friendship.

What to do:
If you want to have a friend, be a friend.
********************

Utah, Part One

October 20

Bible Reading: Judges 17

they

Key Verse: Verse 4 - Yet he restored the money unto

his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels
of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made
thereof a graven image and a molten image: and
were in the house of Micah.
Key Words: made thereof a graven image

The motto for Utah, the Beehive State, is Industry.

Thats it, plain and simple: industry.
Utah is an industrious state. There is farming,
tourism, and mining, just to name a few of its industries. One
industry that Utah excels in is false worship through the
Mormon Church.
Whether or not people realize it, worship shapes our
lives.
James Michener, writing in his book, The Source, tells
the story of a man named Urbaal, who was a farmer, living
about 2200 B.C. He worshiped two gods, one a god of death,
the other a goddess of fertility. One day, the temple priests
tell Urbaal to bring his young son to the temple for sacrifice-if he wants good crops. Urbaal obeys, and on the appointed
day drags his wife and boy to the scene of the boy's "religious
execution" by fire to the god of death. After the sacrifice of
Urbaal's boy with several others, the priests announce that
one of the fathers will spend next week in the temple, with a
new temple prostitute. Urbaal's wife is stunned as she notices
a desire written more intensely across his face than she had
seen before, and she is overwhelmed to see him eagerly lunge
forward when his name is called. The ceremony over, she
walks out of the temple with her head swimming, concluding
that "if he had different gods, he would have been a different
man."

So it is with all of those who worship a false god.

What to do:
If our worship is wrong, our life will be wrong. Be
right with your worship.
********************

Utah, Part Two

October 21

Bible Reading: John 4:1-24

Key Verse: Verse 24 - God is a Spirit: and they that
worship him must worship him in spirit and in
truth.
Key Words: in spirit and in truth
Utahs motto is Industry. Its leading religious
industry is Mormonism. I had the privilege of serving in a
church as the Assistant Pastor in Salt Lake City, Utah, back in
the late 70s. At that time about 80% of the city of Salt Lake
were Mormons. False religion, false doctrine, and false
worship abounded in every region of the city.
While many in the Mormon Church would deny that
Mormons worship a man, they truly do. They worship Joseph
Smith, Brigham Young, and the president of the Mormon
Church, Thomas S. Monson.
We are not to worship man, but God, the true and
living God.
During the tenure of the great orator Henry Ward
Beecher, a visiting minister (Beechers brother) once
substituted for the popular pastor. A large audience had
already assembled to hear Beecher, and when the substitute
pastor stepped into the pulpit, several disappointed listeners
began to move toward the exits. Thats when the minister
stood and said loudly, All who have come here today to
worship Henry Ward Beecher may now withdraw from the
church. All who have come to worship God keep your seats!

After attending church one Sunday morning, a little

boy knelt at his bedside that night and prayed, Dear God, we
had a good time at church today but I wish you had been
there!
Amen!!
What to do:
Worship God, but worship Him in spirit (not flesh)
and in truth (not lies).
********************

Vermont, Part One

October 22

Bible Reading: Romans 8:1-17

Key Verse: Verse 6 - For to be carnally minded is
death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Key Words: spiritually minded is life and peace
Vermont: the Green Mountain State, whose motto is
Freedom and Unity.
Vermont is one of the seven states that incorporates
freedom into their motto. Freedom to our founding fathers
was a big deal. Freedom, something we are so profoundly
used to, that we take it for granted.
A man who lived in a foreign country became a citizen
of the United States of America. In the country where he was
raised and grew up, there was a curfew overseen by the
military. Beyond a certain time, the streets had to be cleared
and everyone had to be in their homes. When he immigrated
to the United States, he began immediately sightseeing to see
part of the country that he was now becoming a part of.
However, when he saw darkness set in and looked at his
watch, he saw that he was about to pass his curfew time.
Seeing a man getting in his car, he said, Sir, would
you please rush me to my hotel so that I wont overstay my
curfew and get in trouble?

The gentleman in the car couldnt figure out what in

the world the man was talking about until it dawned on him
that he was a foreigner and that he was a little mixed up about
his new life in America. He explained to and assured the man
that in the U.S. the law that he had been used to no longer
applied. He explained that he was no longer under the
jurisdiction of the country he came from. He was in a new
country now and that meant he was free to stay up and stay
out. The restrictions of the old homeland no longer applied.
This man was in the United States, but had not yet learned to
cast off the bondage of the old country.
A lot of us are in Christ, but weve not yet learned how
to cast off the old bondage of being in Adam. So we sing
about freedom, talk about freedom, and yet we feel the
pressure of the curfew and the bondage and oppression of the
old law system under which we operated. Far too many
Christians today are in chains because theyve just spent so
much time in the old country. In getting used to this thing
about being free in Christ, they have not adapted yet.

What to do:
Dont leave home without thanking God for your
freedom.
********************

Vermont, Part Two

Bible Reading: Hebrews 10:19-30

October 23

Key Verse: Verse 25 - Not forsaking the assembling

of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but
exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye
see the day approaching.
Key Words: Not forsaking the assembling of

ourselves together

Did you know that Vermont leads the nation in the

production of monument granite, marble, and maple
products? It is also a leader in the production of talc.
Vermont's rugged, rocky terrain discourages extensive
agricultural farming, but is well suited to raising fruit trees
and to dairy farming.
Vermonts motto is Freedom and Unity. There is
much that can be said for unity. There is much power in
unity.
There is a story of a little teeny pygmy who was
standing over a rhinoceros that he killed. This was an odd
sight to behold, a big, violent rhinoceros under the feet of a
little teeny pygmy. A guy saw this dead rhinoceros and this
little pygmy over it and said, Did you kill that? The little
pygmy said, Yeah, I killed it. Curious, the man asked, So
how did you, a little tiny pygmy, kill this rhinoceros? He
answered, With my club. Yep! I killed this rhinoceros with
my club. The man was still thoroughly confused, Well, how
big is your club? The pygmy said, There are about a
hundred of us in my club.
In other words, he was surrounded by folk who had
the same belief systems and worked together so that they
could handle being attacked by a rhinoceros.
What to do:
I trust you support your church. There is power in
unity
********************

Virginia
Bible Reading: Revelation 9:1-11

October 24

Key Verse: Verse 11 - And they had a king over them,

which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name
in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek
tongue hath his name Apollyon.
Key Words: And they had a king over them

The history of America is closely tied to that of

Virginia, particularly during the Colonial period. Jamestown,
founded in 1607, was the first permanent English settlement
in North America and slavery was introduced there in 1619.
The surrenders ending both the American Revolution
(Yorktown) and the Civil War (Appomattox) occurred in
Virginia. The state is called the Mother of Presidents
because eight U.S. presidents were born there.
The motto for Virginia is Thus Always to Tyrants.
The motto is a rallying cry against abusive power or those who
abuse their power.
Speaking of abuse, children who see physical violence
between their parents are six times more likely to abuse their
own spouses after they marry. If those children were also hit
by their parents as teenagers, they are 12 times more likely to
abuse their spouses.
Sexual abuse of children is more widespread than
previously assumed, according to a recent study. Who are the
victims? Between 15% and 34% of all girls in this country;
between 3% and 9% of all boys. More than 90% of the
abusers were adult males.
A recent survey on marital violence reports that
approximately one in every seven American couples has used
some form of physical abuse during an argument within the
past year.
But the greatest tyrant of all time is yet to come, the
Anti-Christ. He who isnt saved will fall into the hands of this
tyrant.

What to do:
Today is the day of salvation.

Washington
October 25

Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:1-10

Key Verse: Verse 1 - To every thing there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Key Words: To every thing there is a season

The motto for the state of Washington is By and By.

Its not a statement used often today and can carry a variety of
meanings. The most-used meaning is sooner or later. But the
motto no doubt deals with time.
When I think of the statement by and by, I think of
the song In the Sweet By and By.
In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore,
is a genuine product of the Midwest United States. It jumped
into life as the result of an impromptu conversation between
Samuel Fillmore Bennett (1836-1898) and his musician
friend, Joseph P. Webster (1819-1875) in Elkhorn, Wisconsin,
in the years of the gospel song makers in the mid-nineteenth
century.
Webster came into Bennetts office one day looking
depressed. When Bennett asked him what was the matter, he
replied that I will be all right by and by. That phrase leaped
into life for Bennett. The sweet by and by, he mused. That
would make a good hymn. Then and there he started to write
the verse:
Theres a land that is fairer than day,
And by faith we can see it afar;
For the Father waits over the way,
To prepare us a dwelling-place there.
Webster caught his friends enthusiasm, hummed out
a melody, and bringing in a friend with his violin the three
men soon were singing the song.
The two additional stanzas are:

We shall sing on that beautiful shore

The melodious songs of the blest,
And our spirits shall sorrow no more,
Not a sigh for the blessing of rest.
To our bountiful Father above,
We will offer our tribute of praise,
For the glorious gift of His love,
And the blessings that hallow our days.

What to do:
By and by will you be on that beautiful shore?
********************

West Virginia

October 26

Bible Reading: Matthew 6:16-24

Key Verse: Verse 24- No man can serve two masters:

for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or
else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye
cannot serve God and mammon.
Key Words: No man can serve two masters

West Virginia: home of the Mountaineers. As a matter

of fact, the motto for West Virginia is Mountaineers Are
Always Free.
But in reality, as much as we talk about freedom, man
is never really free. P. T. Forsyth wrote, The first duty of
every man is not to find his freedom, but his master. As a
child, we are under the authority of our parents. As rebellious
teenagers, we are under the authority of our sin nature. A
person without Christ is under the authority of the spirit of
darkness (Satan). As believers, we are under the authority of
the spirit of light (God). But we are free to choose our master.

And it is always wise to remember that freedom isnt

free, it will cost you something.
Giuseppe Garibaldi, the great Italian leader of Italy in
the 19th century, in a fiery speech urged some thousands of
Italys young men to fight for the freedom of their homeland.
One time a young fellow asked him, saying, If I fight, Sir,
what will be my reward? Swift as a lightning flash, came the
uncompromising answer: "Wounds, scars, bruises, and
perhaps death. But remember that through your bruises, Italy
will be free."
Freedom will cost you something!!

What to do:
Be vigilant: that is the price of freedom.
********************

Wisconsin, Part One

October 27

Bible Reading: Philippians 3:13-21

Key Verse: Verse 14 - I press toward the mark for the
prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Key Words: I press toward the mark
Wisconsin: home of the Green Bay Packers;
Wisconsin: the cheese state whose motto is simply
Forwardwhich I might add I love personally. Forward!
Keep moving forward. In order to do that, you must have
your eyes on the things ahead, not the things in the past.
Reggie Jackson was a baseball player known as "Mr.
October." He got his nickname because he was known to
shine when his team played in the postseason playoffs.
Reggie would come up to bat, and the ball was going
over somebody's fence. Reggie Jackson said once in an
interview that he lived for the postseason because that is when
he would shine.

But Reggie Jackson, in order to get to the postseason,

had to get through the regular season. His secret to enduring
the regular season was to keep his eye on October.
God is looking for some Mr. and Mrs. Octobers
people with their eyes on eternity who faithfully endure the
regular season of life, because they're looking forward to
postseason glory.
Let me encourage you to keep pressing forward for the
glory of God.

What to do:
Remember, a quitter never wins and a winner
never quits.
********************

Wisconsin, Part Two

October 28

Bible Reading: Luke 9:51-62

Key Verse: Verse 62 - And Jesus said unto him, No

man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking
back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Key Words: and looking back

The motto of Wisconsin is Forward. It is important that

we learn from the past, that we live in the present, and that we
plan for the future. But it is important that we keep looking
forward.
If you spend all your time today thinking about your
failures or successes yesterday, then you will ruin your
tomorrow. When today looks too long at yesterday, we are
borrowing from tomorrows time.
Yesterday is like a rearview mirror. When you go
somewhere in the car, you use a rearview mirror. A rearview
mirror shows you whats behind you. You need a rearview
mirror but you only need a rearview mirror to glance in, not to
live in. You dont move forward by focusing on a rearview

mirror; you move forward by focusing on the windshield. If

you live in a rearview mirror, you will hurt somebody. But in
front of the rearview mirror is a much bigger piece of glass
called the windshield. The windshield shows you where you
are going and thats a lot bigger than where you have been.
Dont let yesterday mess up today, which will ruin tomorrow.
While you are driving forward in your Christian life, every
now and then look in your rearview mirror. Take a peek in
your rearview mirror to see whats behind you so that you
dont make a wrong turn while youre moving forward. Just
dont stare too long.
What to do:
Learn from the past, but dont live there.
********************

Wyoming
October 29

Bible Reading: I Corinthians 10:23-33

Key Verse: Verse 26 For the earth is the Lord's, and
the fulness thereof.
Key Words: For the earth is the Lords
The Cowboy State and a beautiful state it is!!
Wyomings motto is Equal Rights.
It was adopted as their motto in 1893. Unlike those
who cry equal rights today, Wyomingites understood that with
equal rights come this thing called responsibility.
A pastor once made an investment in a large piece of
ranch real estate which he hoped to enjoy during his years of
retirement. While he was still an active pastor, he would take
one day off each week to go out to his land and work. But
what a job! What he had bought, he soon realized, was several
acres of weeds, gopher holes, and rundown buildings. It was
anything but attractive, but the pastor knew it had potential
and he stuck with it.

Every week he'd go to his ranch, crank up his small

tractor, and plow through the weeds with a vengeance. Then
he'd spend time doing repairs on the buildings. He'd mix
cement, cut lumber, replace broken windows, and work on the
plumbing. It was hard work, but after several months the
place began to take shape. And every time the pastor put his
hand to some task, he would swell with pride. He knew his
labor was finally paying off.
When the project was completed, the pastor received a
neighborly visit from a farmer who lived a few miles down the
road. Farmer Brown took a long look at the preacher and cast
a longer eye over the revitalized property. Then he nodded his
approval and said, "Well, preacher, it looks like you and God
really did some work here."
The pastor, wiping the sweat from his face, answered,
"It's interesting you should say that, Mr. Brown. But I've got
to tell you -- you should have seen this place when God had it
all to Himself!"
God gives us the land, but He expects us to plow it.

What to do:
Remember with rights come responsibility.
********************

America (In God We Trust)

October 30

Bible Reading: Galatians 3:20-29

Key Verse: Verse 28 There is neither Jew nor
Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither
male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Key Words: for ye are all one in Christ
One of the great experiments when it comes to
nationality is the American Experiment. The American
Experiment is unique because of its intentionality to bring
people from all walks of life, from every nation, under the

banner of a single flag and to intentionally seek to bring

across to these shores people from all kinds of other nations
who would make up a union called the United States of
America.
This experiment brought people together who would
pledge allegiance to a single flag even though their
backgrounds were different, unique, and dissimilar. We
acknowledge our differences by annotating our original
heritages to our current nationality with terms like Irish
American, Swedish American, Polish American, African
American, or Hispanic American. The introductory phrase
cites the uniqueness. The last word cites the unity. Whatever
I am uniquely based on regarding culture, history,
background, or previous location, I am that under the
American Banner.
There was in this Experiment an attempt to have a
United States even though the people seeking to be unified
were totally different. What the American Experiment
represents from a cultural, historical, and geographical
perspective to this nation, the church of Jesus Christ was
meant to be for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords people
from different backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives, all
pledging allegiance to the cross.

What to do:
Pray for our country to return to God for He is
our Only Hope for unity!

The State of Contentment

October 31

Bible Reading: Philippians 4:1-11

Key Verse: Verse 11 Not that I speak in respect of
want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am,
therewith to be content.
Key Words: whatsoever state I am, therewith to

be content

The State of Contentment is not over-populated. As a

matter of fact, the State of Contentment is quite unused in
that people move in and move out of this state on a continual
basis.
Oh yes, the State of Contentmentbetter a smaller
home with happiness than a bigger house with misery. At
least thats the way it should be. Many people today pursue
stuff that is bigger and better, then pop pills for the misery it
brings.
Contentment is being just as happy driving that
Mercedes as you would be if you had to drive that jalopy from
college. In both cases youd have a ride. Contentment is
taking as much pleasure in that big three-hundred-thousanddollar house as you would a two-bedroom apartment. In both
cases youd have a roof over your head. Contentment is
appreciating that T-bone steak as much as you would a hot
dog. In both cases you are not starving. Contentment is being
just as satisfied with the designer outfit as you would with an
outfit from the thrift store. In both cases you have clothes on
your back and you are not naked. Contentment is realizing
that God has met your needs.

What to do:
Live in the State of Contentment. Its a great state
to live in!

Notes

I deeply appreciate the

help of
Mary Parsons
Glenda Myrick
And my lovely wife, Linda

Without God using these

people to help, this
devotional would not
have been possible.
Dr. Mike Rouse

is a ministry of

5568 Chalkville Mountain Road

Birmingham, AL. 35235
(205) 854-2741
www.mountainviewbaptist.org