“For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.” 1 Corinthians 4:20
In an article posted at AmericanExperiment.org, Katherine Kersten writes the following about George Washington: “When George Washington died in 1799, Congress passed a resolution naming him ‘First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.’ So what personal traits made Washington such a great leader you may wonder? As a natural leader Washington could just as easily have become a Napoleon type figure, or some type of nefarious would-be dictator. His greatness however sprang from his life-long effort to mold himself to conform what he called his “character ideal.”
The key for George Washington becoming one of America’s most noble and notable people of character was his deeply rooted faith and dependence upon God for daily living. Washington knew that what others saw on the outside was just a reflection of what was on the inside.
As the Children of Israel were about to cross over the Jordon River, God gave specific instructions to Joshua. God told him to choose twelve men from among the tribes of Israel and have each man pick up a large stone from the riverbed that would be set up as a memorial. Future children would pass by the memorial and ask, “What do these stones mean?” Joshua 4:7 provides the answer, “Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across’.”
Then Joshua 4:9 says; “Joshua also set up another pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the place where the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant were standing. And they are there to this day.”
Today, let us live with the awareness that the life of the believer starts with an “inside job.” It’s not as much about what the world around us sees, but what’s more important is what is on the inside. If we believe right on the inside, then the outside stuff will always reflect the glory of God and will point others to Him.