Daily Devotional; formerly Chaplains Corner

[pkcgbifaid]

These are words that I needed to hear. Lately I have been too caught up in what my mom always calls "that stinkin' thinkin'"... too concerned with those things that are wrong in my life and not the things that are right.

Thank you Terry for this reminder.

[Juker]

Amen, Terry!

[carver]

When out and about have you ever noticed that when you speak to someone, or they speak to you, that either they, or you, are not really paying attention? You know, "How are you? Fine. And that's it. I always try to pay attention to the response I get, and give an answer. Me, "How are you today"? Them, "I'm OK". Me, "Man that's great! It sure beats the alternative doesn't it"? I have started many conversations while stand in line at the store this way. It makes me feel better, and the person I'm tallking to feels better. You would be surprised where these little conservations can you! Thanks Chaplain!

[Juker]

+1. When someone seems down about their lot in life, I always say, "Well, you got out of bed on your own power today, you're not hooked to any machines, and nothing is stopping you from being the happiest person on the planet." It's a fantastic opener for witnessing to people.

[ampaterry]

Thank you, guys, for the encouragement!
So true! These are excellent times for a witness -
I find that my single word response "Outstanding!" almost always breaks through the automatic nature of these exchanges, and the person asking extends the conversation -
For today, I got thinking back on Easter. And it's OK to think about Easter at any time of year, because the empty tomb is the most significant single event in Christian history. It separates Christians from all other faiths.

In the Battle of Waterloo, the French under the command of Napoleon were fighting the Allies (British, Dutch, and Germans) under the command of Wellington. The people of England depended on a system of semaphore signals to find out how the battle was going; they didn’t have TV or Radio in those eays. One of these signal stations was on the tower of Winchester Cathedral.
Late in the day it flashed the signal: "W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N---D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D- -." Just at that moment one of those sudden English fog clouds made it impossible to read the message. The news of defeat quickly spread throughout the city. The whole countryside was sad and gloomy when they heard the news that their country had lost the war. Suddenly the fog lifted, and the remainder of the message could be read. The message had four words, not two: "W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N- - -DE-F-E-A- T-E-D- - -T-H-E- - -E-N- E-M-Y!" Sorrow was turned into joy, defeat was turned into victory!
So it was when Jesus was laid in the tomb on the first Good Friday afternoon. Hope had died even in the hearts of Jesus' most loyal friends. After the frightful crucifixion, the fog of disappointment and misunderstanding had crept in on the friends of Jesus. They had "read" only part of the divine message. "Christ defeated" was all that they knew. But then on the third day--Easter Sunday--the fog of disappointment and misunderstanding lifted, and the world received the complete message: "Christ defeated death!" Defeat was turned into victory; death was turned to life!

As Christians, we can never loose the battle! There is only one possible way for us to be defeated, and that is if we desert. With Christ, and for Christ, victory is certain. We can loose the victory by flight but never by fight.

Romans 8:28 (KJV);
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Thank you, Lord, for the empty tomb.
Thank you for your victory over death.
And thank you for doing this for us.
Amen -

[Woodnut]

AMEN !!

[jack404]

Deo duce, ferro comitante

Amen

[ampaterry]

Several years ago, we watched God's and Generals on TV. This is a GREAT movie. It re-emphasized for me how very little involved our country seems to be with God today compared to what it used to. We have a politician now and then that is open about their belief and faith in God, but it is a rare thing indeed. At the time of the civil war, virtually ALL of the leaders, on both sides of that horrid war, were openly believers.
Several days after watching that movie, I learned this sad little tidbit of history that was not within the time frame of that picture. The last battle of the American Revolution was the Battle of Blue Licks, fought at the stream that bears that name. It was a battle that should never have been fought, for it was fought after the war was over! News traveled slowly in those days. Blue Licks is in Kentucky, and there was no means of quick communication over the Appalachian mountains. No one knew the war was over.
And that bit of history has a Christian meaning too, because it is a fact that Jesus Christ won the victory over Satan at Calvary. But the lines of communication are slow to some people, and they continue to fight battle after battle when the victory is already theirs.

The Word of God tells us who does the fighting for us:
Deuteronomy 20:4 (KJV);
"For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you."

Jesus tells us that he has overcome:
John 16:33 (KJV);
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

We are told that the victory is ours:
1 Corinthians 15:54-57 (KJV);
"So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

We are on the winning side, guys, for our victory is already settled.

[Woodnut]

AMEN !!

Thanks Terry.

[ampaterry]

This notice was sent home with a group of High School students:
"Our school's cross-graded, multi-ethnic, individualized learning program is designed to enhance the concept of an open-ended learning program on the continuum of multi-ethnic, academically enriched learning, using the identified intellectually-gifted child as the agent of his own learning."
One of the parents, a person willing to speak out what we all would think, sent back a note which read, "I have a college degree, speak two foreign languages and four Indian dialects--but I haven't the faintest idea what you are talking about."

I am often asked about other versions of the Bible outside of the King James Version. Now, my admiration of the KJV is second to none, and I routinely use it in my sermons, daily devotional, and in my personal Bible study. While I own and read many different versions, the KJV is the single one that I use the most. That is because it is closest to the original languages that is still readable .
There are times, however, when the language of 1565 used in the Geneva Bible, and virtually unchanged in the 1611 KJV Bible, is simply not clear to us today. At those times, I go to other versions to get the meaning, then back to the KJV to make sure there are no contradictions in that other version.
When we communicate with others, however - particularly the unsaved - it is most important to speak in a manner that they will understand. If we sprinkle our testimony with "thee", "thou", "wouldest" and "doest", we run the risk of them not knowing what we are talking about, just like that high school did with it's cryptic note. The Word of God tells us that it is not the words, but the understanding that is important.

I Corinthians 2: 9-11 (GWT);
"But as Scripture says: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him." God has revealed those things to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches everything, especially the deep things of God. After all, who knows everything about a person except that person's own spirit? In the same way, no one has known everything about God except God's Spirit."

I know it is emphasized by a lot of Christians, but memorizing a thousand passages of the Bible does no good if you don't understand what they mean. Islam is the most glaring example of this I know of, when they require non-Arabic Muslims to memorize passages and prayers in Arabic even though they do not know that language.

Memorize it?
Sure, that's good.
But UNDERSTAND it!
That is crucial.

God bless you, guys!

[Woodnut]

AMEN !! Terry, and I fully agree.

[firelegs22]

I couldn't agree more.

[ampaterry]

Do you read your Bible regularly? You should, for several reasons. Here is one you may not have thought of: Your mortal life has ended, and you are rubbing elbows with every person who ever went to heaven. You bump into someone who introduces themself as Zephania - and you realize you can't remember a single thing written in their book. Embarrasing, huh?

So, let's have a quiz on that Bible you may (or man not!) have been reading.

1. What group of converts burned their books of magic?

2. Who burned Joab's barley field just to get his attention?

3. Who burned the Philistines' grain by tying torches to the tails of foxes?

4. What king of Babylon burned Jerusalem?

5. What Canaanite city was burned down by the men of Dan?

6. What Israelite had his goods burned after he had been stoned to death?

7. What nation burned David's city of Ziklag?

8. What king committed suicide by burning down his palace with himself inside?

9. What judge killed about a thousand people when he burned down the tower of Shechem?

10. What Israelite city was burned up by Pharaoh?

11. What tribe of Israel sacked Jerusalem and burned it?

12. In Judges, what tribe had its cities burned by the other tribes?








Answers:

1. The Ephesians (Acts 19:19)

2. Absalom (2 Samuel 14:28-33)

3. Samson (Judges 15:4-5)

4. Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25:9)

5. Laish (Judges 18:26-27)

6. Achan (Joshua 7:24-25)

7. The Amalekites (1 Samuel 30:1)

8. Zimri (1 Kings 16:18)

9. Abimelech (Judges 9:49)

10. Gezer (1 Kings 9:16)

11. Judah (Judges 1:8)

12. Benjamin (Judges 20:48)




How did you do?

Remember, it is God’s direction to study scripture, and quizzes like this are always fun – but there is only one thing it is CRUCIAL to know, and that is to know Jesus Christ as your personal savior! Everything you learn after that is just frosting on the cake.

God bless you, guys!

[jack404]

well 3 out of 12 ( 1, 11 & 12 ) best study up some eh

[permafrost]

Excellent choice of biblical subjects, Terry. You would think that people on this forum would know questions about military related biblical passages and the burning of things. I'm sure some probably do, very well. My score--0. Embarrassing.

[Woodnut]

Good way to get people to read more. Like permafrost, my score--0, even if I was close on some of them. EMBARRASSING, I must confess.
Thanks for the lesson to us all, which is, "READ MORE".

[ampaterry]

Don't feel bad, guys -
The advantage of being the one that POSTS the quiz is that I am unable to fairly TAKE it, and therefore cannot give my own score - - -
LOL!!

For today, some thoughts about church debt -

Some churches plan beyond their means, and others fail to plan enough. The first instance causes a small church to be saddled with a debt which they should NOT have, paying for more room than they need. The second instance causes other problems, like the one I just read about which was taken from Christian Reader. It told of a church that was more than filled, and the choir had grown so large that folding chairs had been placed up to and around the pulpit. This seriously restricted their pastor, who likes to move about when preaching. One Sunday, the pastor had flung out a hand to emphasize a point--and hit a lady choir member full in the face!
The following Sunday, the pastor had just started his sermon when the congregation broke into laughter. He stood there, confused, until someone pointed to the choir behind him. He turned around, and there sat the lady he had struck the week before, calmly wearing a catcher's mask.
We must find a place in between these two extremes in our church planning. We need ENOUGH room, but we do not need burdensome DEBT upon our places of worship! There are times when debt is almost unavoidable, such as we faced here at Bethany when the air conditioning failed, and the gas heater was insufficient to keep the place warm enough without starting it the night before, which cost extra money for propane. To avoid debt, we could have purchased a small window unit, and continued to live with the extra hours the stove had to run, or we could install a central heat-and-air system and solve both problems at once. Even though a new electrical service was required, due to the wonderful low-bid for a system by two good Christian men, one a member of the church, and a ridiculously low interest rate from the bank, we were able to obtain a small enough loan that it was paid off in nine months.
As with all things, our guidance in such matters needs to be the Word of God, which never speaks of debt in a positive manner:
Romans 13:7-8 (KJV);
"Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law."

We should avoid unnecessary debt not only in our churches, but in our personal lives as well.

God bless each one of you -

[Woodnut]

AMEN !
Terry this is something I have tried to do all my life, but there are sometimes when it is just not possible. When this happens, I try to pay it off as soon as possible, and it usually don't take as long as you originally planned.
Thanks for posting.

[ampaterry]

You are right, Carl - there are times when it IS impossible to stay completely out of debt, and you have the right solution for those times; as little as possible for the least time possible.

If you listen to Dave Ramsey, a Christian financial counselor, you know that he advises absolutely NO debt for ANY reason. While I agree that such a policy is absolutely the BEST situation to keep yourself in, and one in which you are MUCH safer in case of unforeseen financial problems, I am not as adamant as Dave is about it.
Some statistics show the dangers of debt. For instance, over a recent fourteen year period, when the average consumer debt payments rose from 16 to 29.5% of monthly income, personal bankruptcy filings went from 320,000 per year to 1,100,000 per year.
Judy and I have always used a little credit, but kept it within reason. For this reason, when I was down-sized, it was a manageable situation instead of a disaster for us.
And for those disasters when you have done your best and it is not enough, listen to this story from the Word of God:
II Kings 4:1-7 (KJV);
"Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest."

God Is In Control today, just as he was in the days of Elisha! Someone said "Do your best, and God will do the rest!" and that applies well to everything in our lives.

God bless all of you -

[Woodnut]

AMEN !

Thanks Terry.
We all should strive to stay out of debt, but like I said before I cannot do it all the time. We use credit cards and pay off the full balance each month. I am a firm beliver in no interest. Interest saved is money in my pocket.

[Marlin T]

Is this possibly the best thread here at TFF?

Not sure, but I would vote for it. Thanks again Terry for all the Blessings and the education.

[cutter]

I will vote for it being #1 Love to read it every morning! As everyone has said THANKS so very much!

[ampaterry]

Thank you, guys for those very kind words - they are an encouragement!

Today, I am taking another trip down memory lane. Judy and I lived for several years in Alaska, where we had some wonderful adventures – and several very frightening ones too. Alaska is bigger than life – the valleys are wider, the mountains are higher, the winters are colder, the snow is deeper, the summers are brighter, the game is larger and more abundant, the streams run faster, the Northern Lights are HUGE, running horizon to horizon. Nothing there is small or commonplace. Due to the lack of contact with people, the wildlife exhibits NO fear of man – the moose and caribou are right out on the road, where you have to stop your car and let them pass. The bear have no fear of people either, which poses another problem, considering their ferocity.
People come from all over the country (and the world) to hunt in Alaska. Fred Bear came up there to kill a Kodiak using only his own line of archery equipment. There is one rule that is seldom broken, though. Even Fred Bear, with all of his hunting expertise, did not violate this rule.
You don’t hunt Alaska without a guide. It is too big and too wild and too under-populated to risk such foolishness as to go out into the wilderness alone, not familiar with the area. You probably would not make it back alive. I've been there, and I can tell you that there's nothing quite like having a reliable guide when you're in unknown country. That's when you want a guide who can get you there safely and back.
Keeping that in mind, Listen to how David describes God:
Psalm 48:14; "For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death."

God won't lead us halfway and then desert us. He won't punch out on the time clock and go home before the job is done. Our God is forever and He will guide us all the way through this life and into His eternal presence. I have seen many godly believers in my life who have verified the truth of David's words, people who have experienced the presence and guidance of God right up to their deaths, allowing them to both live and die in peace.
You can intimately know this God, too, but only as you spend time with Him in His Word. He has promised to be your guide in this life and in the next. Read all about Him. Discover God in His Word, the Bible.

God bless you, guys -

[ampaterry]

Oh - by the way - just for the record -

I was born and grew up in IL.
Guys, there, does not indicate Males, but either sex.
I called my buddies "guys", and my daughter called her female friends "guys" also.
I just want you all to understand that I am NOT slighting the fairer sex when I use that term.

[permafrost]

Good morning, Terry:
Thanks for something to start the day off right.