The Hamilton Minute

“Then Elisha prayed and said, 'O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see…'”  Excerpt from 2 Kings 6:17 (ESV)

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Corner.

One morning, Elisha’s young servant went out first thing and saw the Syrian army surrounding Elisha’s home town. The servant was racked with fear and cried out to Elisha, “What will we do?” Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid.  There are more with us than are with them.”  Then Elisha prayed, "LORD, open this young man’s eyes.” The servant then saw mountain full of horses and chariots of fire!

As opposition mounts in our lives, fear not, the LORD - who is in us and with us - is greater than the hostility present in the world.

“Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:2

My name is Abraham Hamilton III and this is the Hamilton Minute.

No one likes to suffer difficult circumstances.  In this era of easy believe-ism it's often conveyed, “If life isn’t always smooth we’re doing something wrong.”

The Scripture teaches us, however, that our LORD often meets fruitful branches with additional pruning.  The pruning is not punishment.  It's actually to make us even more fruitful.

If you’re in a rough spot right now, take heart.  What may feel like the squeeze to end all squeezes could very well be the LORD’s pruning for additional fruitfulness.

When the LORD prunes us He does so for our good.

Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Psalm 119:89 (ESV)

My name is Abraham Hamilton III, and this is the Hamilton Minute.

The American republic was founded on the principle that rights are given to us by God, not man.  As a result, men nor government can take them away. That’s why our Declaration of Independence refers to our rights as inalienable rights.

Government’s role then is to protect the rights that God has given to us.

The first freedom listed in the bill of rights, which government is entrusted to protect, is religious liberty.  The founders did this because they know that free exercise of religion is the fulcrum for all liberty.

Wherever the flame of religious liberty is extinguished, all liberty is imperiled.

What is the source of America's greatness? Alexis de Tocqueville, a 19^th century French political thinker and philosopher, had this exact same question.

This is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

On the heels of the French Revolution, he came to America in 1831 to investigate America's ascendency. In doing so, he found that America's greatness did not lie in her economic system. It did not lie in her banking system. Nor did it lie in her educational system.

He found that America's pulpits, aflamed with righteousness, was the source of America's greatness. He opined that America is great because she is good, but when America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.

Let us pray for restoration of the flame of righteousness in our pulpits.

What would it take for you to compromise your principles?

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

Recently I heard a statement that went like this. “I don’t think principles matter if you can’t get elected.” Principles form the core of who you are; principles form the foundation of a civil society.

George Washington in his farewell address identified religion and morality as indispensable supports. “In vain would that man claim attribute to patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness”, George Washington said.

It makes me think of a scripture; “What would it profit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his soul?”  What would it profit a candidate to gain an election but lose his principles?

“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, 'Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.' This is a desert place” Acts 8:26.

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

At the height of a Holy Spirit outpouring in Samaria, where the Gospel was being preached with great power and droves of people were converting to follow Christ, the LORD instructed Philip to leave Samaria and head south to Gaza.

Philip didn’t know a divine appointment awaited him.

Through his ministry to the Ethiopian Eunuch, the Gospel would spread to Africa.

He left the crowd. To serve one.

I call this step down faith. It's easy to step up for the attention and applause of the masses, but do we have step down faith?

“There were added that day about three thousand souls.” Acts 2:41

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is the Hamilton Minute.

The day of Pentecost concluded with 3,000 converts being added to the initial body of 120 believers.  Then, that 3,120 spent time together daily going to the temple and interacting in each other’s homes.

They devoted themselves continually to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, sharing meals and praying together.

The 3,120 that made up the early church came from Turkey, the Middle East, and Africa and included Arabs and Romans.  In addition to all of this geographic and ethnic diversity they spoke different languages.  They were made one family in Christ Jesus.

Scripture has the answer to the issues we face today.

“And Moses said, ‘I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned’” Exodus 3:3.

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

In the burning bush encounter Scripture records that it began as Moses kept Jethro’s flock Exodus 3:1.

“When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, 'Moses, Moses!' And he said, 'Here I am'" Exodus 3:4.

Notice, God didn’t speak to Moses until He gave full attention to what God was trying to show him.

Diligent attention to daily duty is necessary.  We must be careful, however, not to allow duty to become an idol.  Are our hearts still sensitive to God? Can God still get our attention?

“She took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” Genesis 3:6(b) (ESV).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

Genesis 3 records for us the cataclysmic rebellion against God in the Garden of Eden.  The entire episode, Eve’s entertainment of the sensual lies of the talking snake, the deceptive twisting of God’s word, all of it transpired with Adam standing right there.

Adam was the one to whom God entrusted his word to originally, Adam was the one God charged with cultivating and protecting the garden and his wife.

Yet he stood there silent.

Men, let us not repeat Adam’s sin of present absence.

Stand on God’s word and defend your gardens!

“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.’” 1 Corinthians 14:33 (ESV).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

The BBC, the UK’s version of PBS, created a resource for children ages 9-12 that claims there are over 100 “gender identities.”

The BBC’s “The Big Talk” resource is a series of videos that features children asking questions about sex, relationships, and gender and the answers are given by trusted adults, including transgender activists.

“The Big Talk” said respecting others is not only about recognizing differences but celebrating them, including sexual differences, because that’s “integral to being a great person in society.”

Did you get that?  Don’t tolerate, celebrate says the BBC.

“When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, ‘What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone?’” Excerpted from Exodus 18:14 (ESV).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

In the recent Barr v. East Bay Sanctuary Covenant case where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump Administration’s new policy, which requires asylum applicants to apply in the first safe country they arrive in before coming to the U.S., the high court issued a stern repudiation of local district court judges issuing nationwide injunctions.

It’s a huge step toward reigning in an out of control federal judiciary, one I am glad to see.

“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female.” Genesis 1:27 (NASB).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

Hasbro has created a new version of their long-popular board game, Monopoly.  The new version, called Ms. Monopoly, was designed, according to Hasbro, as the first where women make more money than men.”

To accomplish this feat, the game is played by giving female players more money at the start of the game.

Great job Hasbro, you are empowering women and girls by telling them the only way for them to succeed is by giving them a head start.

I will not give my daughters that message.

“So about three thousand men from the people went up there, but they fled from the men of Ai.” Joshua 7:4 (NASB).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

In the heat of debate Joe Biden admitted that he and the Obama administration knew pulling out of Iraq would give rise to ISIS… but they did it anyway.

He said, "The big mistake that was made, which we predicted was that you would not have a circumstance where the Shia and the Kurds would work together to keep ISIS from moving in."

Your foreign policy decision gave ISIS a caliphate stronghold.

Consider the carnage, the thousands murdered, maimed, tortured and raped.

This substantively disqualifies Biden for the presidency in my view.

For just as the body is one and has many members and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For the body does not consist of one member but of many 1 Corinthians 12:12, 14 (ESV).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

Look briefly at one of your fingers. You’ve just witnessed one of the greatest displays of God’s creative intent there is. No other person in all the world, even an identical twin, shares your fingerprint.

God specifically designed each of us to be unique. That means we shouldn’t try to carbon copy anyone else in the Christian faith.

If God made you an arm in His body or a kneecap, praise be to our glorious God for drawing us to become a part of His body.

How freeing it is to realize that we were never meant to copy anyone – but Jesus.

“Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward” Hebrews 10:35 (ESV).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

Sometimes there’s a delay between crying out to God in prayer and seeing those prayers answered.

It is imperative for us in those times that we don’t waver in our confidence in our God.

The next verse goes on to say, “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” Hebrews 10:36 (ESV).

You see, the delay between supplication and delivered answer is one of the ways God develops endurance in us.

He desires that the roots of our faith grow down deep, that we become trees planted by rivers of living water … steadfast, immovable, always abounding in His work. In this we grow beyond superficial Christianity.

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

At the climax of the account when Jesus restored Peter’s personal relationship with him, and Peter’s call to ministry, He saw John following them.

Jesus had just predicted that Peter would give his life for the Gospel, when Peter said, “What about John, LORD?”

Jesus responded, “What does he have to do with your calling? You follow me.”

With those words, Jesus hit a consistent flaw of the human condition.  We derive value and self-worth by comparing ourselves to other people.

Your ups, your downs, your failures, your victories were never meant to be compared to other people.

We have been called to serve an audience of One. The only approval you need is His.

“By mercy and truth iniquity is purged; and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.” Proverbs 16:6 (KJV).

My name is Abraham Hamilton III and this is the Hamilton Minute.

We live in a day when churches are filled with people ready to hear and receive God’s mercy. Unfortunately, however, it is often accompanied by a de-emphasis or concealment of the truth of God’s Word.

Paul, the salvation-by-grace-through-faith Apostle, was asked if salvation is solely a product of grace what benefit then does the law provide. Paul responded, “Without the law, I wouldn’t have known God’s righteous standard and how far away from it I was.”

Any presentation of God’s mercy absent of God’s truth is no Gospel at all.

Iniquity is purged by mercy and truth.

“I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.” Psalm 139:14 (NASB).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

A generation has been taught they descend from animals, that there is no God.

They’ve been taught they are nothing more than a cosmic accident, they have no purpose and life has no meaning.

Life’s meaninglessness has been punctuated for them by the 60 million children who’ve been slaughtered in the womb… and counting.

But society is shocked when they act out exactly as they’ve been taught… like animals with no conscience.

Respect for human life begins with respect for the Life-Giver.

America needs repentance!

“Professing to be wise, they became fools.” Romans 1:22 (NASB).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

In an interview with The Hill TV, Bernie Sanders offered an astounding compliment to China and its economy in the midst of political turmoil surrounding the crackdown on political dissidents in Hong Kong.

He said,

… in fairness to China and its leadership, if I'm not mistaken, they have made more progress in addressing extreme poverty than any country in the history of civilization.

This man wants to be President of the United States.

The Chinese Communists have wrongfully imprisoned and tortured millions, and they have murdered over 65 million of their own people, but when you’re dead, you’re poverty’s solved, right Bernie?

“For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor [anything] secret that will not be known and come to light.” Luke 8:17 (ESV).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

Apple has formally apologized to Siri users this week after revelations emerged that the company paid contractors to listen to and transcribe anonymized audio collected through its Siri function.

There have been countless instances of recordings featuring private discussions between doctors and patients, business deals, drug deals, intimate physical encounters and so on. These recordings are accompanied by user data showing location, contact details, and app data.

In short, ladies and gentleman, your devices are spying on you.