Chaplain Paul E. Bellino
As we rejoice in our Lord this Resurrection Sunday, April 12, 2009 we are constrained to remember that our Lord Jesus Christ humbled Himself and “became obedient unto death…even the death of the cross” for our own sins, as well the sins of countless others over the eons of time.
If we are convicted by the Holy Spirit of our sin, if we repent and humbly, sincerely confess our sins, and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ through His shed blood at Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins we will be saved. Then by the blessed Holy Spirit's power we will be able to be obedient in our personal daily walk with the Lord Jesus, this will enable us to glorify God; and to stand true to the Southern Heritage of our forebears.
We should reverently contemplate this Easter, in "times that try men's souls," that our Lord died and rose again for our eternal redemption from sin and selfishness. Remember "it is always darkest before the dawn!" Praise be to God for He gives us victory through Christ Jesus our Lord in spite of the circumstances of the hour!
It was on June 25, 1862, that General Robert E. Lee experienced the hostile probe of General George B. McClellan's forces as he defended the Confederate capital at Richmond. General Lee expressed his concern to President Jefferson Davis with these words:
"I fear from the operations of the enemy yesterday that our plan of operations has been discovered to them. It seemed to be his purpose, by his advance on our right yesterday, to discover whether our force on that front has been diminished".
Lee in moving the greater portion of his forces to attack McClellan's right flank had made vulnerable his own right flank by leaving it lightly defended. It was not without anxious concern that Lee decided in the middle of the night that he was "determined to make no change in the plan." Lee simply ordered the general commanding his right "to hold his lines against all hazards, and to...(make) every preparation to meet any attack of the enemy in the morning."
General Lee was a true soldier of the "cross of Christ", and displayed great courage in upholding the standard of the "cross of St. Andrew" against all odds, in his defense of Richmond. We likewise are to take instruction, inspiration, and increased courage to stand firm in this critical hour, in this day of our Lord, for the cause of Christ and for the cause of our beloved Southern forebears.
We are not to be frightened by shadows in the night seasons of fiery trials from Satan and those who would tempt us to faint in the righteous cause of Biblical truth and Southern Heritage.
It was in mid-December 1862, when Confederate forces deployed against Union Generals Burnside, Hooker and others near Fredericksburg, Virginia, that Director Ron Maxwell depicted a scene in the movie Gods and Generals where General Lee is briefed on Confederate battle preparations by Generals Longstreet, Jackson and others. That scene is very illustrative and true to Lee's Christian character. After reviewing the maps and deployments, actor Robert Duvall playing the part of Lee said, "Gentlemen, these deployments are sound. The rest is in God's hands."
It is indeed true that even in this month, April, 2009 "The rest is in God's hands."
Have we made sound preparations for the trials of our lives? Are we prepared to accept eternal victory through Christ our Lord? The Resurrection we celebrate this Easter reminds us that we have not earned our redemption, but this blessing is ours by His grace for the asking under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and our sincere repentance of our sin by the Word of God. Let us not wait but instead let us take that step by faith in the finished work of Christ on Calvary.
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Dr. Paul E. Bellino is a Chaplain with the Chaplains of the Confederacy, the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Camp 1860, Blue Ridge Rifles, Dahlonega, Georgia., Chaplain of the President Jefferson Davis Camp, Military Order of the Stars and Bars,, Gainesville, Georgia, and Chaplain, Georgia Association Chiefs of Police. He is Founding Pastor, Atlanta's Church of All Nations, 650 Rowland Road, Stone Mountain, Georgia 30083 (P.O. Box 942088, Atlanta, Georgia 31141-2088).
DrPaulBellino@bellsouth.net
