Fifty years ago today John F. Kennedy spoke for 16 minutes and with 1355 words inspired thousands to enter politics, government or the Peace Corps.
He said that America continued to fight for “the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the Hand of God.”
The speech has become etched in American lore, particularly among the 60 million people who watched it on television. They saw a youthful and apparently vigorous president grasp power from the elderly Dwight Eisenhower, summoning a new generation “to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle.” It called on all to “pay any price; bear any burden” to guarantee the survival of liberty.
“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
“Here on earth, God’s work must truly be our own,” he concluded.
Did John F. Kennedy’s noble wishes die with him? Fifty years later we the People of the United States, in Order to form a perfect Union, we the people…..Yes we the people, have frustrated Kennedy, failed ourselves and forgotten our God.
Kennedy wished that “Here on earth, Gods work must truly be our own!” Kennedy had no idea that “Gods work” was dedicated to the sure destruction of this democracy.
God already declared that the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against His anointed, saying, Let us break His bands. He that sits in the heavens will laugh: the Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He will speak to them in His displeasure. I will set my King in Jerusalem. I have decreed: Thou art my Son and I shall give you the heathen for your inheritance, even to the far reaches of North America, for your possession.” (Psalm 2 vs 1 -8)
That King has asked us to die for His cause. Ours is not the quick death of the bomber, to the cry of Allahu Akbar. Ours is the slow daily torturous death of sacrificing our will, our desires and very life. Let us answer His call to martyrdom.
That soldier Paul of Tarsus said, I sometimes think God has put us on display, like prisoners of war at the end of a victor’s parade, condemned to die in the arena. We have become a spectacle to the entire world — to people and angels alike. (I Cor 4 v 9)
So let us answer Kennedy’s call, in making “Gods work our own.” Embrace Gods vision of liberating this planet. Make a friend of self-denial. Be willing to die for His greater cause. You prove to everyone, that there is no-one more fearless, than those with nothing to lose.