Daily Devotional; formerly Chaplains Corner

[ampaterry]

Outstanding post, Tim - dead on!!

And I DO continue to work on it.

I WANT to forgive them -

But the blood-lust keeps rising up -

[tcox4freedom]

Forgiveness doesn't necessarily mean you can no longer be angry. It definitely doesn't mean you need to forget what happened. (Anger can be a righteous thing and remembering helps us understand how God helps us through bad things.)

Don't allow the enemy to lie to you; trying to convince you that "forgiveness" mean forgetting & no longer being angry. ("Be angry; but sin not!")

I wish eternal damnation on NO MAN. But, that doesn't mean "judgment" & "justice" should not be carried out. (That brings me to another lie the enemy tells us an many believe.)

Christians are called to be judges of sinful behavior. We are given the task to judge & pass sentences on illegal & sinful behavior. In fact, one day we will sit in judgement along with Christ has lost souls pass before HIM.

But, we are supposed to handle this difficult task without hatred or malice. Therein lies the "rub"; and the challenge. The only way possible to forgive, yet judge & pass sentence without any HATE or Malice against our enemies is to do so under complete control & direction of the Holy Spirit. (Otherwise, we judge & pass sentence from a state of SIN.)

It's important to understand, when we do anything from the state of "sin", we run the real risk of stepping out of Gods grace & HIS hand of protection.

Ok,
Sorry for the preaching.
God Bless

-

-

[ampaterry]

Man, this thought just keeps rolling. Everywhere I look, I find something else on it.

Can the gospel really dissolve deep-seated prejudices that have been hardened by centuries of hatred and strife? The experience of Yishael Allon of West Valley City, Utah, gives the answer. Yishael is Jewish. Over 20 years ago, he met his cousins's wife Sandy, who was dying of leukemia. Peace filled her heart and a love radiated from her life that gave her a "special glow." "She was the first real Christian I had ever met," writes Yishael. "She was different. I would question her, and all she'd talk about was Jesus." In 1980, Yishael heard the gospel on the radio and received a Bible. As he read Isaiah 53, the Holy Spirit convinced him that the prophet was speaking about Jesus; the same Jesus that Sandy knew. "I believed in the Lord Jesus and became a 'completed Jew.' A year and a half later, the Lord gave me His love for my enemies; the PLO who murdered 37 of my friends."

Is there a group you hate?

Do you have more reason for hate than Yishael? Is there a group you don’t LOVE?

Do you have less reason to love than yishael?

We need to look at our lives very carefully – look at them in light of these scriptures, then think about Yishael.

Matthew 5:43-44 (KJV);
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;"

Luke 6:35 (NCV);
“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without hoping to get anything back. Then you will have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God, because he is kind even to people who are ungrateful and full of sin.”

Make a special effort today to think kindly of someone who belongs to a group you don’t like! Reach out to one you don’t WANT to reach out to! You will not only please that person, but you will please Jesus Christ, and improve yourself in the process.

May God bless each one of us with his help in doing this -

[BlackEagle]

Tcox, God has taught you a lot about forgiveness. He has a way of taking us through fires to refine, melt and mould us to the shape He wants us to have.

Terry, you are right; the subject just goes on and on...because God's forgiveness keeps going on and on...

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Psalm 5

4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil may not dwell with you.
5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies;
the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.


7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
in the fear of you.
8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.
9 For there is no truth in their mouth;
their inmost self is destruction;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongue.
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.

Thanks again, Terry

[ampaterry]

Good stuff, BlackEagle -
It feels a bit like we are a BIG tag team here in the match between good and evil, doesn't it?

For today:

A deplorable incident occurred in the life of Mahatma Ghandi. He said in his autobiography that during his student days he was interested in the Bible. Deeply touched by reading the gospels, he seriously considered becoming a convert. Christianity seemed to offer the real solution to the caste system that was dividing the people of India. One Sunday he went to a church to see the minister and ask for instruction on the way of salvation and other Christian doctrines. But when he entered the sanctuary, the ushers refused him a seat and suggested that he go and worship with his own people. He left and never went back. "If Christians have caste differences also," he said to himself, "I might as well remain a Hindu."

I wonder how many times this has happened in a Christian church? I wonder how many potential brothers and sisters we have driven from our churches by making them feel uncomfortable with the color of their skin, or their last name, or what part of the world their ancestors came from?

Gal 3:26-28 (KJV);
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

That is the passage we should keep in our hearts when we have a visitor to our church. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female. There are no blacks, there are no Irish, there are no orientals, there are no Indians, there are no Native Americans when they visit one of our churches. There are no Germans, there are no Mexicans, there are no Spanish when they need a helping hand; they are ALL one in Christ Jesus or at the very least may become such
-
-
if we do not drive them away.

May God bless each one of us with an accepting heart.

[tcox4freedom]

Unfortunately Terry, I have see things like that happen right here in America.

During the 90's, the Lord used me to help restore hurting & failing churches. I've been blessed to work with many different denominations; and have been welcomed in several different churches with various ethnic memberships.

One thing,most all of these churches failed at miserably, is lovingly reaching out to others. Most of them just didn't think they could for some reason or another. Usually, it was because of an inferiority complex when it came to small churches. However, I found that a large church that is failing almost always have a spirit of pride & haughtiness to contend with.

This can be true even with churches that have a great outreach. Sadly, I also discovered that (sometimes) the higher one goes in denominational "government", the stronger the prideful spirit becomes.

I've also seen the national/world leadership in at least three large denominations simply refuse to accept inconvenient "BIBLICAL" truths of scripture. They refuse to believe the TRUTH for no other reason than they learned something different in seminary and/or their bylaws state something different.

I think the most heart breaking thing I discovered was there does seem to be a lot of the blind leading the blind. I've even seen many Pastors & leaders that have never been weaned off of the milk & feasted on the meat God has given us. (They just stand there waiting on the leaders to feed them and never let go of the denominational teat.)

-

[ampaterry]

We have always been, and always will be, an open church.

And that has caused :

Some Southern people left when they could not convince the congregation to join the New South movement to separate ourselves from the USA.

Some white people left when a black couple joined the congregation.

The black couple left at the end-of-the-year financial report when they found we support the Jewish people.

Our services now typically have four people present.

But God told me to open this church, and until he tells me to close it, we will continue to hold services here every Sunday morning.

[tcox4freedom]

God can do more with four humble hearts than he can with 400 prideful & haughty spirits.

BTW,
I not only would like to move to your area one day. I would also love to attend your church
Terry.

You are one of the most honest & forthright men in which I've ever had the pleasure of associating. I find you to be a real man of integrity & honor. Even though I've never formally met you, I'm glad to call you friend & honored to call you brother.


-

[BlackEagle]

Amen, Terry;
on the one hand some churches have tried to become all inclusive, throwing God's Word out the window. There is no absolute right or wrong, just some nebulous good feeling that comes from being politically correct. They have become so open minded their brains have fallen out.

A couple of the churches addressed in Revelation 2 fell into this category. Pergamum had its adherants to the Nicolaitanes and also the teachings of Balaam. Thyatira had fallen for a Jezebel, who may have been teaching that you can't help people out of sin if you haven't tried it yourself.

On the other hand, as you say, a Christ centered church looks on the inside of a person, not his external looks, and asks God to use them to build that person up, to find out where that person is in his relationship with Christ and take him to the next stage.

Paul chose to go to the gentiles because all the Jews had heard about Christ and either accepted or rejected Him. The gentiles were new territory; at least that's what I'm reading out of Romans 15:20-21
Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation: But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand.

[BlackEagle]

Tag team? I guess so.

When we were growing up we had family worship around the breakfast table. We would sing as part of that family worship, and as time went on we developed 4-part harmony. Dad and mom would sing melody and alto, I picked up tenor and bass; my sister picked up alto, and my brother also picked up tenor and bass. Dad and mom carried the tune; I was happy to carry the supporting part. Still do.

You call the tune, I'll do my best to add some harmony.

[ampaterry]

I am humbled.

We will all meet one day, guys -
If not in this life, we will certainly meet in the next.
Possibly after we are beheaded for the witness of Christ.

[Krogen]

Originally Posted by tcox4freedom

God can do more with four humble hearts than he can with 400 prideful & haughty spirits.

BTW,
I not only would like to move to your area one day. I would also love to attend your church
Terry.

You are one of the most honest & forthright men in which I've ever had the pleasure of associating. I find you to be a real man of integrity & honor. Even though I've never formally met you, I'm glad to call you friend & honored to call you brother.


-

Tcox, I quoted your whole message because I couldn't possibly have said it any better. You wrote my thoughts as if you were reading my mind.

Terry: You have more that four people in your church. We're just not in Tennessee.

[jack404]

indeed

and if i may ask ?

ease off on the beheading bits eh ? for some of us thats getting to be a real threat eh ..


hahahahahahahahahahaha

cheers

[ampaterry]

Thank you, guys - you are very encouraging to me!

Jack, I believe it is a real thing indeed, and we are all in danger because of the wild and blind drive toward 'religious tolerance'. Only Christianity can be attacked with impunity, as the others are all treated special as minorities, and it matters not how many ambassadors are raped and murdered.

For today -

This is from William Barclay's Commentary on the Gospel of John;

It's interesting to me how Jesus looks at men. He does not only see what a man is; he also sees what a man can become. He sees not only the actualities in a man, he also sees the possibilities. Jesus looked at Peter and saw in him not only a Galilaean fisherman but one who had it in him to become the rock on which his church would be built. Jesus sees us not only as we are, but as we can be; and he says: "Give your life to me, and I will make you what you have it in you to be."

Regardless if you see Peter as the rock on which the Church of Jesus Christ is built, or if you see his faith as that rock, the point remains; Jesus saw what Peter could be, far beyond what he was.

Once someone came upon Michelangelo chipping away his chisel at a huge shapeless piece of rock. He asked the sculptor what he was doing. "I am releasing the angel imprisoned in this marble," he answered. Jesus is the one who sees and can release the hidden hero in every man.

What a great story! You know, it takes a great artist to see the figure in the shapeless block. Most people would look at it and see a big rock! And that is EXACTLY how it works with us and Jesus. Most people would look at us and see a big lump. Jesus looks at us and sees the person we can be, and he not only SEES us that way, but he TREATS us that way as well!

Matthew 4:18-19 (KJV);
“And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

John 1:42 (KJV);
“And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.”

1 Corinthians 2:9 (KJV);
“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

[ampaterry]

One Christmas Eve the telephone rang in the office of the pastor of the church in Washington, D.C. that President Franklin Roosevelt attended. "Tell me Reverend," the voice inquired, "are you holding a Christmas Eve service tonight?" When advised that there would certainly be a service that evening, the caller asked, "And do you expect President Roosevelt to attend your church tonight?"

"That," explained the Pastor patiently, "I can't promise. I'm not sure about the President's plans for this evening. But I can say that we fully expect God to be in our church tonight, and we feel secure in the knowledge that His attendance will attract a reasonably large congregation."

I like that Pastors attitude. He does not strike me as the type that will judge the service on who, or how many, attend it. A pastor does his best to speak the words God gives him to speak; beyond that, there is little we can or even should do concerning the attendance to the church. The success of the service is measured in the amount of worship and love that is present toward each other, toward God, and received from God.

Psalm 14:2 (KJV);
“The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.”

Psalm 75:1 (NLT);
“We thank you, O God!
We give thanks because you are near.
People everywhere tell of your mighty miracles.”

Acts 14:15 (KJV);
“And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:”

May God bless each and every one of you -

[BlackEagle]

Thanks, Terry;
Yesterday's devotional: Dad has said many times that God is in the people changing business...He said to Peter, "you are...you shall be..." He takes us from where we are to where He wants us to be, and from what we are to what He wants us to be.

Today's: I agree. We know God is in every service, and the worship we have is giving something of His "worth-ship" back to Him. It has an effect on how I view worship services. He is Holy... Isaiah 6:3

[ampaterry]

Thank you!

Today is step-family day. This day was founded by Christy Borgeld of Grand Rapids Michigan in 1997, and the first celebration of it was a family picnic, which is the recommended method of celebrating this day. This is not a national holiday, at least not yet, as Congress has yet to declare it to be one.

We have come a long way from the stereotype “wicked step-sisters” of Cinderella fame. Statistics tell us that thirty percent of children are currently in step-families, one third of Americans now live in a step family and a full HALF of all Americans will be in a step-family at some point in their lives. This is due mainly to the increased acceptance of divorce in our society. There was a time, many years ago, when people stayed in bad marriages because divorce was simply unthinkable for any reason.

My sister's husband had severe head injury in a car wreck, and had to be committed to a mental institution for the rest of his life. The doctors gave no hope whatsoever for him to ever improve. My sister was responsible for all the medical bills, which there was no way she could possibly pay. She could take bankruptcy, but the bills would immediately start building up again afterward. After a LONG time of soul-searching and tears, she filed for and received a divorce, then took bankruptcy on the medical bills. Years later, she met a wonderful man who loved her and her two kids, and they married, forming the first step-family among my siblings. I pray that all step-families be as solid, loving, and nurturing to each other as this family is.

And, just in case there are any Christians out there that turn up their self-righteous nose at the thought of a day to celebrate step-families, remember these two things:

Christ was raised by Joseph as a step-son; our Lord was in a step-family.

Scripture tells us we should all strive to be step-children:
2 Corinthians 6:17-18 (KJV); Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

May God bless each one of you -

[ampaterry]

Today is Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, which falls on September 17 each year. This event commemorates the formation and signing of the Constitution of the United States on September 17, 1787, and it also recognizes all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become US citizens. Originally, this was Constitution day and Citizenship Day fell on the third Sunday in May. It was moved to today in December of 2004.

Today, Americans are encouraged to celebrate the birth of our nation, and to learn more about this outstanding document which our country is founded upon; the Constitution of the United States. Part of the federal law recognizing this day included the requirement that all federally funded schools have lessons today (or on the nearest schoolday) on that document. Ask your kids about this; if they did NOT receive lessons on the constitution on this date, raise HECK with the school until they do so, and establish firm plans to do so each year in the future. This document is far too important to be ignored any more than the government already seems to be doing.

Every crook knows his Fifth amendment right to refuse to incriminate himself as a result of questioning. Most liberals think this is an excellent part of this document.

Every gun-owner knows his second amendment right to “keep and bear arms”. Most liberals think this is a bad idea, and attempt to interpret it so that only the armed services have this right, based upon the reference to “militia” preceding it. To understand how this is a right of EVERY citizen, one must check the definition of the word “militia” at the time of the writing of this document. Unlike the modern claims, it did NOT refer to an army, but instead meant every adult free male citizen of the country. With the later passage of equal rights amendments, this right now belongs to each adult citizen of our country, regardless of race or sex.

Thank you, Lord, for the outstanding leaders who drafted this document.
Thank you for the privilege of living in the country that is based upon it.
Protect us, Lord, from those who would subvert the rights guaranteed to us through it.
And we ask this in Jesus Name -
Amen -

[BlackEagle]

Yesterday's: We are all God's adopted sons--Gal 4:3-7
Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Today's: people like to pick and choose which parts of the constitution, law, or Bible they want to be valid. Ignorance is the best ally for spreading disinformation about the Constitution and other things. Obama said he wanted the Constitution to be a flexible document when he first came into office and has done everything he can to bend, spindle and mutilate it ever since. Modern theologians do that with the Bible, ignoring 2 Timothy 3:16-17, among other verses.

Another Amen from the "Amen corner".

[ampaterry]

Outstanding, BlackEagle, and you are dead on with the similarity of the treatment of the constitution and the Bible by some!

For today:

From BibleStudyTools.com: “Kefa Sempangi (whose story is told in the book A Distant Grief) was a national pastor in Africa and barely escaped with his family from brutal oppression and terror in his home country of Uganda. They made their way to Philadelphia, where a group of christians began caring for them. One day his wife said, "Tomorrow I am going to go and buy some clothes for the children," and immediately she and her husband broke into tears. Because of the constant threat of death under which they had so long lived, that was the first time in many years they had dared even speak the word tomorrow.

Their terrifying experiences forced them to realize what is true of every person: there is no assurance of tomorrow. The only time we can be sure of having is what we have at the moment. To the self-satisfied farmer who had grandiose plans to build bigger and better barns to store his crops, the Lord said, "You fool! This very night your soul is required of you" (Luke 12:20). He had already lived his last tomorrow.”

Psalm 144:3-4 (GWT);
“O LORD, what are humans that you should care about them?
What are mere mortals that you should think about them?”

James 4:13-15 (GWT);
“Pay attention to this! You’re saying, “Today or tomorrow we will go into some city, stay there a year, conduct business, and make money.” You don’t know what will happen tomorrow. What is life? You are a mist that is seen for a moment and then disappears. Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and carry out our plans.”

We need to plan for the future as if we had assurance that we would experience it, but live this day as if it were our last. That is not an easy path to walk, but it is the only correct one. In this way, we will not waste our life dreaming of the future, nor will we sacrifice our future on the altar of present pleasure. Balance; in all things, balance.

May God bless each one of you!

[BlackEagle]

The cousin of my immediate supervisor dropped dead on the job last Thursday. Stark illustration of what you just said. She is heavily involved with her church and her cousin's 13-year-old son is attending some good ministry in the area. We're talking about it quite a bit at work and I'm providing a few resources for her to pass on.

The Irish have a habit of saying they will do this, or that will happen d.v. (Deo Volente). The Americans have translated and modified it slightly to "Lord willing and the creek don't rise."

I like Psalm 31:14-16, especially 15.
14 But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord,
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in Your hand;
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.
16 Make Your face to shine upon Your servant;
Save me in Your lovingkindness.

Thanks again, Terry.

[sub-moa]

My Dad told me a few things that I think of often.
1. Worrying about tomorrow is wasting today.
2. You will never be happy with anyone until you are happy with yourself.
3. Parents shouldn't raise children, they should raise adults.

He was not overly religous but he believed strongly enough to make sure I was raised in Church.
God gave him a long healthy life, and a swift quiet end. As far as I know thats all he ever asked him for for.

[ampaterry]

Thank you, guys!

Today is the Fast of Gedaliah. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, came against Judah and conquered it. Most Jews fled to Egypt, but a small number remained, and Nebuchadnezzar appointed a leader over them named Gedaliah. The story is recorded in Jeremiah and 2 Kings. Lets read the last part of the narrative:

2 Kings 25:24-26 (KJV);
“And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you. But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah. And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Chaldees.”

And thus the last of the Jews departed from their Holy Land, not to return until seventy years later. For this reason, the Fast of Gedaliah was instituted to commemorate this assassination and exile. The actual date is a few days earlier, but it is forbidden to fast during a celebration so it was delayed until after Rosh Hashana. The fast began yesterday at sundown, and lasts through sundown today.

There is a lesson in this story to us, right now in the 21st century. The people were unhappy with Gedaliah, suspecting him due to his association with the Babylonian rulers of their land. They took action without thought to the consequences; they killed him and only afterward realized they had just forced themselves into exile.

We dearly love to gripe and complain about our leadership. They are either too liberal or too conservative. They are Communist or they are Marxist. They cater to the rich or they cater to the welfare recipients. But we must always keep our wits about us; there is a way to deal with bad leadership, and it is the way of the soap box and the ballot box. The way of the cartridge box has very dire consequences.

May God bless each one of you -

[BlackEagle]

Thanks, Terry;
The Bible says a lot about what our relationship with government should be. One passage says we should pray for our leaders so we can live quiet and peaceful lives.

Revelation 2-3, among other places, describe churches under heavy persecution, and how they should respond to the persecution. Not sure how that would translate in our culture, and time.

[ampaterry]

Submit to those in authority because they are in power by God's direction -
one side of the issue -
Jews being herded into prison camps -
other side of the issue -
Always a quandry!

For today, I came across an interesting list.
How to Be Perfectly Miserable. (and stay that way!)

1. Think about yourself.
2. Talk about yourself.
3. Use the personal pronoun "I" as often as possible in your conversation.
4. Mirror yourself continually in the opinion of others.
5. Listen greedily to what people say about you.
6. Insist on consideration and respect.
7. Demand agreement with your own views on everything.
8. Sulk if people are not grateful to you for favors shown them.
9. Never forget a service you may have rendered.
10. Expect to be appreciated.
11. Be suspicious.
12. Be sensitive to slights.
13. Be jealous and envious.
14. Never forget a criticism.
15. Trust nobody but yourself.

And the formula for being happy? Memorize this list, and avoid doing anything on it!

Romans 12:3 (NRSV);
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NRSV);
“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;”

May God bless each one of you -