JULY 4, 2026

"Tis not in mortals to command success, but we'll do more, Sempronius, we'll deserve it." 

― JOSEPH ADDISON

JOB 29-30

 26Yet when I hoped for good, evil came;

when I looked for light, then came darkness.

27The churning inside me never stops;

days of suffering confront me.

28I go about blackened, but not by the sun;

I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.

29I have become a brother of jackals,

a companion of owls.

30My skin grows black and peels;

my body burns with fever.

31My lyre is tuned to mourning,

and my pipe to the sound of wailing.(30:26-31)

ACTS 12

Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 20He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.

21On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

24But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.

JOURNAL 

As our nation celebrates 250 years of independence, I find myself returning again to a single sentence that helped shape the hearts of many of America's founders. It comes from Joseph Addison's play Cato, George Washington's favorite play, and one he often quoted. John Adams echoed it in a letter to Abigail in February of 1776 as the colonies stood on the edge of an uncertain future.

"The Events of War are uncertain: We cannot insure Success, but We can deserve it." - John Adams

That single sentence captures so much of what I believe God has been teaching me. The founders could not ensure that America would exist a year later. Washington could not guarantee that his army would survive another winter. Adams could not know whether signing the Declaration would lead to liberty or the gallows. 

Nearly two centuries later, those same words found new life during the darkest days of the World War II. "Deserve Victory" became a rallying cry that appeared on British wartime posters alongside images of Winston Churchill. Britain could not command victory over tyranny. Churchill could not promise his people success. He could only call them to courage, sacrifice, perseverance, and steadfast faithfulness. The outcome remained uncertain, but their duty did not. They would do all that was within their power and leave the final result to God and providence.

Job understood the other side of this truth. He did everything right and still confessed, "When I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness." His suffering reminds me that faithfulness does not purchase favorable circumstances. God never promised that obedience would eliminate pain. He promised His presence through it.

Acts 12 offers the opposite picture. Herod possessed everything the world celebrates. Power. Recognition. Wealth. Applause. Yet in the moment he accepted glory that belonged to God alone, his kingdom ended. The applause of men vanished in an instant, but "the word of God continued to spread and flourish."

One man suffered while remaining faithful. Another prospered while becoming prideful. Neither circumstance determined what was true. God did.

That is why comparison is so dangerous. Success and failure are often poor judges of a person's life. The only measure that ultimately matters is whether I have surrendered today's opportunities to the Lord. Have I loved well? Have I served well? Have I acted with courage, integrity, humility, and discipline? Have I been a faithful conduit of God's power, love, and discipline?

This is the heart of Deserve Victory.

It is not about earning God's favor or controlling the future. It is about living today with such faithfulness that whatever tomorrow holds, I know I honored Him with what He placed in my hands. Providence belongs to God. Obedience belongs to me.

Perhaps that is the greatest lesson of America's founding as we celebrate 250 years. The founders did not possess certainty. They possessed conviction. They acted because it was right, not because success was guaranteed. They trusted that God governs history while men remain responsible for their choices.

The same is true for me today. I cannot command the future of my family. I cannot command the success of my work. I cannot command the outcome of my book, my coaching, my teaching, or the lives of my sons. But I can deserve victory. I can choose faithfulness over fear. I can choose obedience over control. I can choose today's assignment and leave tomorrow in the hands of God.

Proverbs reminds me that "though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again." The promise is not that I will never fall. The promise is that God is still writing the story. My responsibility is simply to rise again and continue walking with Him.

On this Independence Day, I am grateful not only for the courage of those who founded this nation, but for the God whose providence has always been greater than human plans. History has never been directed by those who could guarantee success. It has been shaped by ordinary people who faithfully gave themselves to the work before them and trusted God with the ending.

15Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous,

do not plunder their dwelling place;

16for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,

but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.

PROVERBS 24:1