In our time there are more words with less content than in any previous era! We are flooded with communications. Is your mailbox anything like mine bringing you glossy flyers advertising everything from political candidates to extermination companies; dozens of bulging envelopes offering yet another credit card; magazines with advice on everything? Add to all that print the fact that we have 250 channels more or less on the TV, access to hundreds of radio stations, and the amazing Internet providing us with some very good and very bad information! Who do we trust, what should we read? Is the information accurate or biased?
This surfeit of information has invaded Christianity as well! Messages pour out over pulpits, in emails like this one, from TV shows, in magazines and a person has to wonder - how much of it is inspired by the Spirit? The impact we are having in our world does not, to me at least, seem to be in proportion to all the noise we're making. Could it be that the word of God is not being heard, that many who speak in His Name really have not heard from Him, at all?
Jeremiah warned of prophets whose words were without inspiration. “These preachers are liars, and they use my name to cover their lies. I never sent them, I never commanded them, and I don’t talk with them. The sermons they’ve been handing out are sheer illusion, tissues of lies, whistlings in the dark." (Jeremiah 14:14, The Message)
Peter is even stronger in his condemnation of those who speak for God without listening to Him - "These people are as useless as dried-up springs of water or as clouds blown away by the wind—promising much and delivering nothing. They are doomed to blackest darkness. They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With lustful desire as their bait, they lure back into sin those who have just escaped from such wicked living. They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves to sin and corruption. (2 Peter 2:17-19, NLT)
But, when a person hears from God: truly hears the Word and knows the voice of the Spirit, that person hears words of life. That man or woman gains wisdom that leads to life that is genuine, rich, abundant, and eternal! Have you learned to listen? Do you quiet your soul, still your mind, and close your mouth long enough each day to let God speak to you? He is speaking, friend. His voice has not been stilled, but it is often ignored.
Today, let me urge you to borrow the prayer of young Samuel and make it yours. When he was just a young boy he prayed, "Speak, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10, NIV) Listen well, God is speaking,
______________________________________
This Sunday at the Assembly I will be talking about how to listen well to the word of God. Remember, we begin our Summer schedule- Sunday School in recess; Worship beginning at 10 AM. See www.WashingtonAG.com
Friday, June 02, 2006
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Too tired even to think?
When I picked up my Bible this morning and tried to read, my mind was closed. I saw the words on the page, but they just bounced off my brain. No, it is not a crisis of faith, nor is it intellectual deterioration, though some might want to argue that point. (smile) I'm just tired! It's been a season of high demand, of extended ministry, of family needs. So, for weeks now, I have not been able to hit the 'off' button for any real breaks. When I see a long stretch of work in front of me, my natural response is to press the accelerator, to try to go faster to get it all done more quickly. But, that's not the best way, as I've learned over time. God's wisdom asks us to endure, to patiently pace ourselves, and to wait on Him as we pray for His will to unfold.
Since my mind resisted study of the Word this morning, I turned to a familiar passage, one I know well and that is filled with promise and hope. Here it is:
"God lasts. He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine.
He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath.
And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts.
For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
they run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind. " (Isaiah 40:28-31, The Message)
In moments of fatigue, we can easily alienate ourselves from the people who could best support us and help us meet the needs that are making such demands of us. Temptation comes to us when our strength is depleted offering us apparent relief from the pressures. When we're really exhausted, we might even begin to think that God has left us. But the Word assures us that everybody has times when the demands of life are high, when the pressure is on.
So what does God ask of us in those moments? Go faster, work harder? No! He says, that "those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength." (Isaiah 40:31, NIV) That phrase is translated in various ways in different Bible versions. In place of 'hope,' some translation say 'wait.' Others say 'trust.' The Hebrew of the original text connotes being expectant, to anticipate; hence to wait hopefully! Since that is God's counsel, we would be wise to let it speak to us, wouldn't we?
I'll make time this day to 'wait' for Him, to quiet my heart and mind, to listen carefully to Him - yes, even to worship. And, I know from experience that the next part of that passage is true. There will be 'fresh strength!' Yes, as the Spirit blows over me, I'll be lifted like an eagle is lifted on the air currents under his wings.
Are you tired, too, my friend? Has life demanded much of you recently, drawing down your resources?
Be aware of the Tempter's efforts to seduce you from the very Presence of the One who can renew your strength.
Make time to wait and worship. Re-arrange your priorities to include the important, not merely to address the urgent.
Psalm 46:1-7 (NIV)
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Since my mind resisted study of the Word this morning, I turned to a familiar passage, one I know well and that is filled with promise and hope. Here it is:
"God lasts. He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine.
He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath.
And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts.
For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
they run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind. " (Isaiah 40:28-31, The Message)
In moments of fatigue, we can easily alienate ourselves from the people who could best support us and help us meet the needs that are making such demands of us. Temptation comes to us when our strength is depleted offering us apparent relief from the pressures. When we're really exhausted, we might even begin to think that God has left us. But the Word assures us that everybody has times when the demands of life are high, when the pressure is on.
So what does God ask of us in those moments? Go faster, work harder? No! He says, that "those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength." (Isaiah 40:31, NIV) That phrase is translated in various ways in different Bible versions. In place of 'hope,' some translation say 'wait.' Others say 'trust.' The Hebrew of the original text connotes being expectant, to anticipate; hence to wait hopefully! Since that is God's counsel, we would be wise to let it speak to us, wouldn't we?
I'll make time this day to 'wait' for Him, to quiet my heart and mind, to listen carefully to Him - yes, even to worship. And, I know from experience that the next part of that passage is true. There will be 'fresh strength!' Yes, as the Spirit blows over me, I'll be lifted like an eagle is lifted on the air currents under his wings.
Are you tired, too, my friend? Has life demanded much of you recently, drawing down your resources?
Be aware of the Tempter's efforts to seduce you from the very Presence of the One who can renew your strength.
Make time to wait and worship. Re-arrange your priorities to include the important, not merely to address the urgent.
Psalm 46:1-7 (NIV)
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Don't be deceived!
"The church has nothing to offer me."
"My needs are not addressed by the church so I'll form my own fellowship."
"I don't need the church to serve Christ."
"He's my personal Savior."
Statements like those are evidence of a misplaced focus that has deceived Americans almost completely. We are individualists, who seek personalized service, and who want the freedom to 'do our own thing,' but our radical commitment to Self is destroying our community structures - government, neighborhood, and Church. Individualism is not a bad thing when it comes to buying a car that reflects our personality or ordering a sandwich to satisfy our tastes; but it is terribly destructive when we buy into the assumption that "the world owes me happiness." That attitude is especially destructive to the Christian church. The Word requires that as Christians we set aside our own needs, that we dethrone Self, and that we become servants of all, readily accepting a place in the Body that is assigned to us by the Spirit. But that is not a popular instruction among Believers in this culture!
Many Believers are quite willing to move from church to church for no better reason than - "My needs were not being taken care of in that fellowship." Pastors feel tremendous pressure to provide individualized care, specialized ministry, and a comfortable environment in order to keep people in the building. This Pastor knows too well the pain of that comes when a family picks up and moves down the road, not for valid reasons such as genuine doctrinal differences or the call of God to another place of service, but because 'their youth program has a better leader,' or ' the music fits my preferences,' or 'the sermons are shorter.'
Brian McLaren, in a recent lecture delivered at Moravian Seminary in Bethlehem, PA, observed that he believes that many Christians have bought into a 'gospel of self-enhancement.' They have turned the Bible's declaration that "God loves the world," into "God loves ME!" While it is true that God loves each of us individually, He did not send Jesus into the world to give us the ability to become self-actualized - more healthy, more wealthy, and more happy than our neighbors - despite much preaching that would imply that to be true. Christ came to restore us, individually, to the image of God; calls us into the Church, and from a place in the Church, requires that we find ways to link to other Believers to lovingly serve the wide world around us. This is the message of Rick Warren's bestseller - The Purpose Driven Life. The whisper of the Spirit, deep within us, is insistent that we exist for some reason greater than piling up lots of stuff to play with or carving out a place of comfort where we can live out our days in self-indulgence. We were created for mission - to know and serve God- called into the Body, the Church. Jesus says that if we embrace self-sacrifice, only then do we truly find life! His word challenge us - “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process?" (Luke 9:23-25, NLT)
The deception of self-service is subtle. Outright selfishness is usually awfully obvious, even to ourselves. I quickly realize when I'm being a selfish baby demanding that others 'serve me, coddle me, comfort me.' But I don't always see how I'm manipulating others so that they will meet my ego needs. Criticism of another person that is rooted in my own discomfort is easily masked behind spiritual language. Resistance to leadership which is really just about my desire to be first, is often wrapped in a supposed concern for the greater good of the organization. Jesus draws the line starkly. "No one," He says, "can serve two masters!" We can't love Self and Christ equally.
Meditate on this passage for a time today. As you do, invite the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the joy that you can find in humble service to God, expressed in serving others.
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.
He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges.
Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father. - Philippians 2:5-11 (The Message)
"My needs are not addressed by the church so I'll form my own fellowship."
"I don't need the church to serve Christ."
"He's my personal Savior."
Statements like those are evidence of a misplaced focus that has deceived Americans almost completely. We are individualists, who seek personalized service, and who want the freedom to 'do our own thing,' but our radical commitment to Self is destroying our community structures - government, neighborhood, and Church. Individualism is not a bad thing when it comes to buying a car that reflects our personality or ordering a sandwich to satisfy our tastes; but it is terribly destructive when we buy into the assumption that "the world owes me happiness." That attitude is especially destructive to the Christian church. The Word requires that as Christians we set aside our own needs, that we dethrone Self, and that we become servants of all, readily accepting a place in the Body that is assigned to us by the Spirit. But that is not a popular instruction among Believers in this culture!
Many Believers are quite willing to move from church to church for no better reason than - "My needs were not being taken care of in that fellowship." Pastors feel tremendous pressure to provide individualized care, specialized ministry, and a comfortable environment in order to keep people in the building. This Pastor knows too well the pain of that comes when a family picks up and moves down the road, not for valid reasons such as genuine doctrinal differences or the call of God to another place of service, but because 'their youth program has a better leader,' or ' the music fits my preferences,' or 'the sermons are shorter.'
Brian McLaren, in a recent lecture delivered at Moravian Seminary in Bethlehem, PA, observed that he believes that many Christians have bought into a 'gospel of self-enhancement.' They have turned the Bible's declaration that "God loves the world," into "God loves ME!" While it is true that God loves each of us individually, He did not send Jesus into the world to give us the ability to become self-actualized - more healthy, more wealthy, and more happy than our neighbors - despite much preaching that would imply that to be true. Christ came to restore us, individually, to the image of God; calls us into the Church, and from a place in the Church, requires that we find ways to link to other Believers to lovingly serve the wide world around us. This is the message of Rick Warren's bestseller - The Purpose Driven Life. The whisper of the Spirit, deep within us, is insistent that we exist for some reason greater than piling up lots of stuff to play with or carving out a place of comfort where we can live out our days in self-indulgence. We were created for mission - to know and serve God- called into the Body, the Church. Jesus says that if we embrace self-sacrifice, only then do we truly find life! His word challenge us - “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process?" (Luke 9:23-25, NLT)
The deception of self-service is subtle. Outright selfishness is usually awfully obvious, even to ourselves. I quickly realize when I'm being a selfish baby demanding that others 'serve me, coddle me, comfort me.' But I don't always see how I'm manipulating others so that they will meet my ego needs. Criticism of another person that is rooted in my own discomfort is easily masked behind spiritual language. Resistance to leadership which is really just about my desire to be first, is often wrapped in a supposed concern for the greater good of the organization. Jesus draws the line starkly. "No one," He says, "can serve two masters!" We can't love Self and Christ equally.
Meditate on this passage for a time today. As you do, invite the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the joy that you can find in humble service to God, expressed in serving others.
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.
He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges.
Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father. - Philippians 2:5-11 (The Message)
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
A Great Life?
So, how would you define a great life?
Being wealthy enough to buy all the 'toys' your heart desires?
Being healthy 'til the day you die?
Being famous, applauded by people?
Being able to go fishing at least two days a week and catching your legal limit every time? Hitting 715 homeruns in your baseball career? Two kids, a wife, and a house with a white picket fence? The list could go on!
Jim Collins, in a book entitled Good to Great (Harper Collins, 2001), written about American companies and why some of them grow, writes this-
"It is impossible to have a great life unless it is a meaningful life; and it very difficult to have a meaningful life without meaningful work. Only then can you have the tranquility that comes from knowing you've had a hand in creating something of intrinsic excellence that makes a contribution. Indeed, you might even gain the deepest of all satisfactions: knowing that your short time here on earth has been well spent, and that it mattered."
I don't know what Mr. Collins' spiritual background is, but that paragraph points to a great life! A great life is not attained by accumulating power, money, or other symbols of 'success.' Nor is a great life reached by self-indulgence, creating a life that is packed with pleasure and 'fun'- though for many, perhaps most, Americans that is the apparent goal of life. A great life is one that is focused on creating excellence, making a genuine difference in the world, for the 7 or 8 decades in which we are privileged to breath the air of this planet.
Achieving that mark demands one more step - receiving Jesus Christ as Lord - and then; finding and living in the purpose for which He created you.
The Bible says, "God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly." (Romans 12:6-8, NLT) Some of you just read that as 'church speak' disconnected from your 'real' life in the world. That is wrong, and I want to urge you to go back and re-read it as a way to live in every part of your life. Go back - read it again!
God has put certain gifts at your disposal, spiritual endowments that you uniquely can use, and He expects that you will use those gifts to make a difference - not just in your church a couple of hours each week - but everywhere, all the time. Greatness, in God's eyes, is not reserved for a few privileged people. It is available to every man and woman who submits his or her life to Christ. "Anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 5:19, NLT) Great people see each day as a sacred trust, and find ways to add value wherever they are!
Perhaps you're on the 'Mommy track' right now and think that your life is one of obscure servitude, as you wipe noses, deliver kids to school and Little League practice, and pick up after your thoughtless husband. You can do those things with gritted teeth, resenting each day, or you can add value - becoming a great Mom and a discovering opportunities to build character in the lives you influence in hundreds of ways each day.
Maybe you're stuck in a job that seems pointless, where you have little freedom to be creative. You can find meaning as you invest yourself in the people around you. You're thinking - "Come on, Jerry, get real! They hate this place as much as I do." - aren't you? If the Word is true, you are different from the inside out, so add value to your workplace by taking Christ with you to that office. Don't let the darkness envelop you; break it up by being light. No matter how vast the darkness, it cannot overcome the smallest light. Darkness is a void which is always filled with Light!
Do you attend a church marked by mediocrity, full of people who like low accountability and who do what they do without any passion for God; a church full of people who criticize and resist excellence? There's a place to become great! I mean it. Instead of joining in with those who suck life out of the air, become a person who asks God, the Spirit, to radiate His life and joy from you. Determine to become the best (you'll be attacked) at what you do for God there. Determine to hit the mark of excellence, even though it earns you scorn or even outright rejection. You will inspire a few, and gradually the few will become a majority with God's help, turning a 'hopeless' situation into a thing of God's glory.
Choose greatness. Pursue it with all of your heart, mind, and strength.
"We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward.
Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven."
(Hebrews 12:2, NLT)
Being wealthy enough to buy all the 'toys' your heart desires?
Being healthy 'til the day you die?
Being famous, applauded by people?
Being able to go fishing at least two days a week and catching your legal limit every time? Hitting 715 homeruns in your baseball career? Two kids, a wife, and a house with a white picket fence? The list could go on!
Jim Collins, in a book entitled Good to Great (Harper Collins, 2001), written about American companies and why some of them grow, writes this-
"It is impossible to have a great life unless it is a meaningful life; and it very difficult to have a meaningful life without meaningful work. Only then can you have the tranquility that comes from knowing you've had a hand in creating something of intrinsic excellence that makes a contribution. Indeed, you might even gain the deepest of all satisfactions: knowing that your short time here on earth has been well spent, and that it mattered."
I don't know what Mr. Collins' spiritual background is, but that paragraph points to a great life! A great life is not attained by accumulating power, money, or other symbols of 'success.' Nor is a great life reached by self-indulgence, creating a life that is packed with pleasure and 'fun'- though for many, perhaps most, Americans that is the apparent goal of life. A great life is one that is focused on creating excellence, making a genuine difference in the world, for the 7 or 8 decades in which we are privileged to breath the air of this planet.
Achieving that mark demands one more step - receiving Jesus Christ as Lord - and then; finding and living in the purpose for which He created you.
The Bible says, "God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly." (Romans 12:6-8, NLT) Some of you just read that as 'church speak' disconnected from your 'real' life in the world. That is wrong, and I want to urge you to go back and re-read it as a way to live in every part of your life. Go back - read it again!
God has put certain gifts at your disposal, spiritual endowments that you uniquely can use, and He expects that you will use those gifts to make a difference - not just in your church a couple of hours each week - but everywhere, all the time. Greatness, in God's eyes, is not reserved for a few privileged people. It is available to every man and woman who submits his or her life to Christ. "Anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 5:19, NLT) Great people see each day as a sacred trust, and find ways to add value wherever they are!
Perhaps you're on the 'Mommy track' right now and think that your life is one of obscure servitude, as you wipe noses, deliver kids to school and Little League practice, and pick up after your thoughtless husband. You can do those things with gritted teeth, resenting each day, or you can add value - becoming a great Mom and a discovering opportunities to build character in the lives you influence in hundreds of ways each day.
Maybe you're stuck in a job that seems pointless, where you have little freedom to be creative. You can find meaning as you invest yourself in the people around you. You're thinking - "Come on, Jerry, get real! They hate this place as much as I do." - aren't you? If the Word is true, you are different from the inside out, so add value to your workplace by taking Christ with you to that office. Don't let the darkness envelop you; break it up by being light. No matter how vast the darkness, it cannot overcome the smallest light. Darkness is a void which is always filled with Light!
Do you attend a church marked by mediocrity, full of people who like low accountability and who do what they do without any passion for God; a church full of people who criticize and resist excellence? There's a place to become great! I mean it. Instead of joining in with those who suck life out of the air, become a person who asks God, the Spirit, to radiate His life and joy from you. Determine to become the best (you'll be attacked) at what you do for God there. Determine to hit the mark of excellence, even though it earns you scorn or even outright rejection. You will inspire a few, and gradually the few will become a majority with God's help, turning a 'hopeless' situation into a thing of God's glory.
Choose greatness. Pursue it with all of your heart, mind, and strength.
"We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward.
Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven."
(Hebrews 12:2, NLT)
Monday, May 29, 2006
Memory - Precious, short, and subject to revision.
I close my eyes and . . . without leaving my chair, I can visit the beaches of Nags Head, NC where our family had some great vacations! The sounds - waves rolling onto the beach, sea gulls calling as they soar overhead, children laughing; the smells, the faces are stored in my memory. It can be fun to relive some of them, horrifying to remember others. We all know that the good things get better and the bad things get worse as they age in our memories! That's one reason we write the best and/or important memories down, preserving them for posterity.
The Bible tells us about some people who remembered... and found encouragement in celebrating the goodness of the Lord and those who served Him. "Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name. " (Malachi 3:16, NKJV) Jesus commanded that His followers to remember. We call it Communion, or the Lord's Supper. Every time we reverently move through the rite- it becomes an occasion to refresh the wonder of our salvation and His sacrifice - "The Master, Jesus, on the night of his betrayal, took bread. Having given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, broken for you. Do this to remember me. After supper, he did the same thing with the cup: This cup is my blood, my new covenant with you. Each time you drink this cup, remember me." (1 Corinthians 11:23-25, The Message)
Today is Memorial Day. It began after the Civil War that torn these United States apart. People were urged to go and decorate the graves of those whose lives were taken by that terrible, blood-soaked conflict. Decoration Day became a time to remember those who died in all of our nation's wars, and today is called Memorial Day. For many of us, it is kind of an unofficial first day of Summer, with picnics and cook-outs, pool parties, and perhaps a parade.
Today - as you enjoy a day off - remember those who lives were cut short by a bullet or a bomb. Give thanks to God for this wonderful nation and the freedoms we enjoy from tyranny because of those who were willing to defend our liberties. Ask Him for wisdom to use the freedoms and opportunities in a way that is honorable, that makes their sacrifice noble.
And, as you remember, pray for the coming of the Prince of Peace and for the Kingdom of Peace which the Bible describes.
"Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Israel.
There he will teach us his ways, so that we may obey him.”
For in those days the Lord’s teaching and his word will go out from Jerusalem.
The Lord will settle international disputes.
All the nations will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
All wars will stop, and military training will come to an end. Come, people of Israel, let us walk in the light of the Lord!" (Isaiah 2:3-5, NLT)
The Bible tells us about some people who remembered... and found encouragement in celebrating the goodness of the Lord and those who served Him. "Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name. " (Malachi 3:16, NKJV) Jesus commanded that His followers to remember. We call it Communion, or the Lord's Supper. Every time we reverently move through the rite- it becomes an occasion to refresh the wonder of our salvation and His sacrifice - "The Master, Jesus, on the night of his betrayal, took bread. Having given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, broken for you. Do this to remember me. After supper, he did the same thing with the cup: This cup is my blood, my new covenant with you. Each time you drink this cup, remember me." (1 Corinthians 11:23-25, The Message)
Today is Memorial Day. It began after the Civil War that torn these United States apart. People were urged to go and decorate the graves of those whose lives were taken by that terrible, blood-soaked conflict. Decoration Day became a time to remember those who died in all of our nation's wars, and today is called Memorial Day. For many of us, it is kind of an unofficial first day of Summer, with picnics and cook-outs, pool parties, and perhaps a parade.
Today - as you enjoy a day off - remember those who lives were cut short by a bullet or a bomb. Give thanks to God for this wonderful nation and the freedoms we enjoy from tyranny because of those who were willing to defend our liberties. Ask Him for wisdom to use the freedoms and opportunities in a way that is honorable, that makes their sacrifice noble.
And, as you remember, pray for the coming of the Prince of Peace and for the Kingdom of Peace which the Bible describes.
"Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Israel.
There he will teach us his ways, so that we may obey him.”
For in those days the Lord’s teaching and his word will go out from Jerusalem.
The Lord will settle international disputes.
All the nations will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
All wars will stop, and military training will come to an end. Come, people of Israel, let us walk in the light of the Lord!" (Isaiah 2:3-5, NLT)
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