Presidents' Day

Two of the most popular U.S. presidents were born in February--George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. The holiday that celebrates their births is known as Presidents' Day.

During the War Between the States Lincoln said, "I am oftimes driven to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I have nowhere else to go."

We need to realize our total dependency upon God. Jesus said, "Without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

There is a chorus that is based on this truth from the Scriptures:

Without Him I can do nothing,
Without Him I'd surely fail,
Without Him I would be drifting,
Like a ship without a sail.

We must never forget that we need the Lord--every day, every hour, every minute. Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13).

The arm of flesh will fail us--even our own arm of flesh--but if we walk in the Spirit, realizing our total dependency upon Him, we shall prevail in prayer, in truth, in warfare, and in everything.

Here are some other significant presidential quotes:

"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far" (Theodore Roosevelt).

"Business underlies everything in our national life, including our spiritual life. Witness the fact that in the Lord's Prayer, the first petition is for daily bread. No one can worship God or love his neighbor on an empty stomach" (Woodrow Wilson).

"More than an end to war, we want an end to the beginnings of all wars" (Franklin Delano Roosevelt).

"Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first, the most basic, expression of Americanism. Without God, there could be no American form of government, nor American way of life" (Dwight D. Eisenhower).

"And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country" (John F. Kennedy).

"Until justice is blind to color, until education is unaware of race, until opportunity is unconcerned with the color of men's skin, emancipation will be a proclamation  but not a fact" (Lyndon Baines Johnson).

"We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles" (Jimmy Carter).

"We are a nation of communities. . . all of them varied, voluntary, and unique. . . a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand point of light in a broad and peaceful sky" (George Bush).

Let me conclude with this statement from President Abraham Lincoln: "I do consider that I have never accomplished anything without God: and if it is His will that I must die by the hand of an assassin, I must be resigned. I must do my duty as I see it, and leave the rest to God."

Happy Presidents' Day!