Daily Devotional; formerly Chaplains Corner

[lonewolf204]

Terry, I think Dave Ramsey is doing a lot of good! In saying that he is just selling common sense! When your outgo exceeds your income you are in trouble. Thanks

[ampaterry]

"The attractiveness of pity and the ugliness of self-pity are unarguable. Yet we live in a society in which self-pity far exceeds pity. The excessively popular genre of literature, the celebrity autobiography, that smothers us in self-pitying subjectivism is the unpleasant evidence that we may be the most self-pitying populace in all of human history. Feeling sorry for yourself has been developed into an art form. The whining and sniveling that wiser generations ridiculed with satire is given best-seller status among us."

Eugene Peterson wrote that in Earth and Altar in Christianity Today, Vol. 30, no. 4.

I have noticed the exact same thing.
We have songs sung by rock stars who have earned fortunes and are loved by millions of fans in which they cry around about how hard their life is.
We have multimillionaire actors and actresses who tell us how horrid it is to not have a personal life, and how nasty reporters hound them every day.
We have politicians who cry around about how their uncaring opponents have publicized the dirty secrets which they want left in the closet or under the bed.

Hey, all you horribly mistreated personalities!

Hey, you who despise the public life you have chosen for yourselves!

I have the solution:

Get a REAL job!!

Quit singing, quit acting, and quit running for office; Go out and WORK for a change, and all of these problems will solve themselves!

The Word of God tells us:
Philippians 2:14-15 (KJV);
"Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;"

John 6:43 (KJV);
"Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves."

Good advice.

Guys, may God bless each one of you!

[jack404]

Through Christ i am saved. Everything after that is a bonus , hard times too , what else matters but our ETERNAL SOUL ?

being poor , hard , but theres always a way to get a buck ( honestly too)
bad health sucks , but watch your kids and grand kids happy and playing and you feel a million times better

life is for celebration , each and every day , even the bad ones
Celebrate He who gave His life for yours and things always get better

good words , Thanks for the reminder Terry

[Woodnut]

AMEN! Thanks Terry for the great words and reminders.

God bless you Terry, Jack and all the rest.

[todd51]

I would like to offer a prayer of thanks for the successful angioplasty procedure performed on my leg on Tuesday and add a special thanks for all the caregivers that looked after me, they are special people.

[reflex1]

More great words Terry - thanks again! But ya forgot our illustrious professional sports players that make millions upon millions for playing a game that should be enjoyed rather than asking for the amounts they receive! DISGUSTING!!!

[ampaterry]

This year, today is the ironic conjunction of two holidays.

This is Womens Equality day, a day set aside over forty years ago to commemorate the equality of Women in our culture. Today was selected because it was on this day in 1920 that the 19th amendment was passed, giving women the right to vote. So this day is about the freedom and equality of women.

The irony comes in when we find that today is also a holiday in the Islamic calendar – Islam being completely anti-women and anti-freedom. Women, in Islam, are property, to be used and abused at the whim of men. This particular Islamic holiday is Al Qud's day, the last day of Ramadan, dedicated to violence and hatred against the Jewish people.
As with all Islamic holidays, this one comes earlier each year. But even more than that, it seems the Muslims themselves cannot keep track of when this holiday really falls. I have checked dozens of Islamic sites, and virtually none of them agree on what date it falls this year, differing by WEEKS! But whenever it is, this is a day set aside by Muslims to engender Palistinian solidarity against the Jewish People in general and Zionists in particular.

Imam Khomeini once said "If each Muslim were to pour out
(just) one bucket of water, there would be a flood to wash away zionism."

I would modify that just a bit, and say “If each Muslim were to hold his head in a bucket of water for 30 minutes, there would be an end to the hatred and murder of Israeli's, Jews, and most other victims of terrorism in this world.”

But that is not politically correct – even though it is tragically absolutely true. Islam was formed in violence, spread in violence, and maintains it's hold over people and nations through violence. The Koran has plain directives to all Muslims that they must subvert, enslave, or kill all people of all other beliefs.

But the President of the United States – more than one of them, actually, and from BOTH major political parties, has made the statement that Islam is a “religion of peace”. Whether those presidents were ignorant of the truth, or whether they hoped that reality could be changed by their pronouncements, I do not know. But I do know this: They are tragically wrong.

May the Lord bless each and every one here, and protect us from the evil forces in this world -

[ampaterry]

I am anxious to get the new computer running -
I posted yesterday afternoon, and it never made it to this forum!

I had thanked each one of you for your support, gave thanks for the good report from todd, and told Reflex he was right!!

Now let's see if this gets posted - -

[jack404]

i see your posts ,

and thanks!!

[Juker]

I don't write it every day, Terry, but reading CC has fast become a part of my morning routine. Continued thanks for what you're doing.

[Maximilian II]

Yes! It's good to have a "place," even if it's electronic, where we have the FREEDOM of religion enough to express and appreciate our Christianity openly and with little fear of criticism or derision.
Thank you from me also, Terry, for your effort and your insight.
May God guide you, me, and all those desiring His Word!

[ampaterry]

Thank you, guys, for those kind words!

The Islamics have eight religious holidays a year. This year, they had one in February, one in June, one in July, and the other five during Ramadan in August. After today, there is only one more for the year.

Today is Lailat-al-Qadr. Maybe. The exact date of this is rather undecided, but it is felt that it falls sometime during the last ten days of Ramadan. This holiday, called the Night of Power, and the Night of Spiritual Bliss, is to celebrate the night on which Alah revealed the entire Koran to Muhammad.
Does that sound familiar?
Yes, it should. It was just a few days ago that they celebrated Nuzulul Qur'an, which was also a celebration of the giving of the Koran. The best I can figure, the previous day celebrated the giving of the Koran, while today celebrates the giving of the last book of the Koran, making it complete.
Anyway, like all Islamic holidays, this one can fall on any date, depending on the year it is in due to the Islamic calendar ignoring the sun and following the moon.
There are mystical powers associated with this holiday. Sallallaahy Alayhi Wasallam said:
“Verily this month has come to you; and therein is a night which is better than a thousand Months. Whosoever is deprived of it, is deprived of all good; and none is deprived of its good except a totally unfortunate person”.
“Whosoever stands up at the Night of Power out of faith and hopeful of reward, all his past sins will be forgiven.”

The Bible tells us what brings forgiveness for sins.
Under the first covenant, it was the repeated sacrifices of animals:
Hebrews 9:22 (KJV); And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
And under the new covenant:
Colossians 1:12-14 (KJV); Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Not a word about "standing up" on some specific date.
There are no viable alternatives, my brothers and sisters -
Only God, through one of his two covenants, has made a way for our sins to be forgiven.

May God bless you, each and every one!

[ampaterry]

Are you concerned about what people think of you? This can be a real problem for a Christian, because we may find ourselves in the situation of being more concerned with what other people think of us than doing God's will for us. If we are overly worried about peoples opinions of us, we find it difficult to witness, because this might lead some to say we are some kind of fanatic, or we might offend some who hold other beliefs. We may find ourselves not speaking out against sin, for fear of drawing the displeasure of the sinner! We ought to be far more concerned with GOD than with man.
Robert Baker wrote in Country Road 13, as recorded in Christianity Today:
“As I grow older, I care less what people think about me and more what God thinks of me. I expect to be with him much longer than with you.”

The Word of God tells us that if we do the things that are pleasing to God, HE will deal with the problems we may encounter with people:
Proverbs 16:7 (KJV);
"When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him."

We are told that we should be concerned with God's pleasure, not peoples pleasure, and that God looks at our INTENT in these matters:
1 Thessalonians 2:4 (GWT);
" Rather, we are always spreading the Good News. God trusts us to do this because we passed his test. We don't try to please people but God, who tests our motives."

And we are given an example of one who received great blessings due to God's pleasure in him:
Hebrews 11:5 (NCV);
"It was by faith that Enoch was taken to heaven so he would not die. He could not be found, because God had taken him away. Before he was taken, the Scripture says that he was a man who truly pleased God."

Now – who are YOU going to work to please – God or man?

God bless you, guys!

[ampaterry]

Today is a feast day commemorating the beheading of John the Baptist. This day is celebrated in the Catholic, Lutheran, Church of England and many other Christian churches, and is one of the oldest feasts on the calendar. Eastern Orthodox and some other churches celebrate this as a fast day instead of a feast day.
The story of the martyrdom of St. John is told in several places. King Herod, lusting after his Step-daughter, promised her whatever she asked. On her mother's advice, she asked for the head of John the Baptist.
Herod did as she asked:
Mark 6:27 (KJV);
“And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,”

Josephus gave an additional reason in
Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18, Chapter 5, section 2;
“Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion, (for they seemed ready to do any thing he should advise,) thought it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties, by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it would be too late.”

That might explain why Herod did not argue too much against killing this man of God.

Scripture tells us of the danger of Lust:
Proverbs 6:25 (KJV);
Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

Matthew 5:28 (KJV);
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Make sure your heart is right, and your actions are not being directed by lust when dealing with someone of the opposite sex; make sure it is your brain that is directing your actions - - -

God bless each one of you - -

[ampaterry]

Yesterday was the last day of Ramadan in the Islamic calendar, and today marks the first day of the month of Shawal. This day is called Id Al-Fitr, which means “The festival of breaking the fast”. or just Id for short. Five of the twelve Islamic holidays are keyed to Ramadan, the other seven are scattered through the rest of the year. Today, the first day after Ramadan, is a day of celebration. Since they fasted every day during Ramadan, and also abstained from marital sex for the entire month, today is the day they celebrate the end of that.

Devout Muslims begin this celebration by taking a bath, using deodorant and putting on clean clothes today. Note that these practices are specified for today, which indicates that bathing, deodorant and clean clothes are not the normal daily routine for them.

Tonight, they will have parties. No drinking and no dancing, but they will have soft drinks, eat sherbet, and hug each other three times as specified in the Koran. During these hugs, I would think that the bath, deodorant and clean clothes are appreciated.

The Koran also specifies they must give alms to the poor today. The gift must be free of liens, and is satisfied with giving 3 ½ pounds of wheat flour, or the value of that. Checking Sam's Club, I find that 25 pounds of wheat flour costs $7.10, which makes this gift less than a dollar. Now it IS specified that this is the minimum they are to give, so they exceed the requirement if they give a whole dollar. But of course, that is from each one, so a family with three kids gives five bucks to the poor per year. It does have to be free and clear, though.

Later tonight, some will go to visit cemeteries, often staying for hours or even camping out overnight there to honor their ancestors. I rather like this particular practice -

Jesus indicates that cleanliness was such a common daily thing that he chastises Simon for not supplying him with water to wash his feet :
Luke 7:44 (KJV);
And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.

May God bless each one of us, and protect us in this world -

[Woodnut]

AMEN!
Thanks for the word Terry.

[jack404]

Song for you Terry and everyone else ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLLMzr3PFgk

[ampaterry]

Thank you, guys -
Jack, if anyone listens to this and keeps dry eyes, they have a heart of stone.
Outstanding!

The thought of getting up on a stage is frightening to most people. This fear of public speaking is the most common fear among people. I have pointed out before that this fear is more common than even the fear of death, which indicates that if most folks have to be at a funeral, they would rather be in the casket than officiating at the ceremony!
As weak and fallable human beings, we have a lot of fears. We are all familiar with claustrophobia (fear of closed places) and acrophobia (fear of high places). Less well known are astraphobia (fear of thunderstorms), mysophobia (fear of dirt), or erythrophobia (fear of blushing). Some may even have pantophobia which is fear of everything.
Jesus tells us not to fear, but have faith in him:
John 14:1(KJV);
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me."

And we are told that love removes fear;
1 John 4:18 (KJV);
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."

And finally, there is my personal favorite passage to bring to mind whenever we face something that scares us:
Psalm 27:1-6 (KJV);
"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD."

May the Lord deliver every one of us from our own personal fears -

[ampaterry]

I received a prayer request several days ago from hunter2980.
He is going in this morning for knee replacement surgery, and will be off line for a while following that.
Unite with me in prayer, please -

Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning uplifting Bill who is having surgery today to replace his knee joint and restore his mobility.
Lord, you are the Great Physician, and all healing comes from you.
We ask this morning that you would put your hand on Bill, and bring healing to him.
We ask that you would be with the surgeons and all the medical people that are working on him today.
We ask that everything would be done exactly correctly.
We ask for a complete success in this.
We ask for a rapid healing and a total and complete recovery from this, with no setbacks, side effects or problems of any kind.
And we ask these things in the name of Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God -

Amen -

[Woodnut]

AMEN ! Terry.
My prayers go out to Hunter also. God be with you.
My wife has had the knee replacement and says that the theorapy is the worst part of it. But all in all it is well worth it.
Hunter, hang in there, things will be better. God Bless you and make this easy for you.

[jack404]

Amen , Prayers from this side as well

and glad you like the vid,

funny thing is i am terrified of many things

including public speaking , but when God helps , it fades away , but never fail to get the shakes after,

Through Him all things are possible , if we Trust and Believe in him and Know we are doing it for His works

as for the quote

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? "

i carved that into my foregrip of my trusty old L1A1 SLR about 30 years ago

the Quartermaster saw it one day and told me if it had been anything else but that he'd have had me charged .. instead he only had me strip and clean every rifle in the company ... on a weekend ..

cheers and thanks for the reminder !

[Marlin]

Amen, Terry. Lovely prayer for Hunter. I have had the operation and I should have done it about seven years before I did. I was scared to death of the surgery and kept putting it off and putting it off. I had extensive therapy BEFORE the operation, which I feel made it seem like a piece of cake, healing quickly and having very little problem with the after-therapy. I am sure that he will feel as I in that I should have done it a long time ago.....

[ampaterry]

Please give a report as soon as anyone hears about Hunter -

For todays meditation, I was thinking about a quote by Charles Spurgeon I once read. What caused me to think of it is realizing the number of single people who complain about the scarcity of suitable mates! I hear it all the time, and my standard reply is – “Where are you looking?” If you expect to find a godly Christian mate, you do not search for them in dens of sin. If you are hungry for rabbit, you do not go fishing –

I was reminded of this advice I give when I readwhat Spurgeon said:
“Those who would be in health do not sit still in their houses to breathe such air as may come to them, but they walk abroad and seek out rural and elevated spots that they may inhale the invigorating breezes. Thus those godly souls who would be in a vigorous spiritual state do not merely think on whatever holy doctrines might come into their minds in the ordinary course of thought, but they give time to meditation, they walk abroad in the fields of truth, and endeavor to climb the heights of gospel promises. It is said that Enoch walked with God. Here is not an idle but an active communion. The road to bodily health is said to be a footpath, and the way to spiritual health is to exercise one's self in holy contemplation.”

The Word of God tells us to meditate on several things of God:
Psalm 77:11-12 (KJV);
"I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings."

And it tells us that such is a delight to us!
Psalm 119:12-16 (KJV);
"Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word."

God bless each one of you - -

[rosierita]

Originally Posted by ampaterry

I received a prayer request several days ago from hunter2980.
He is going in this morning for knee replacement surgery, and will be off line for a while following that.
Unite with me in prayer, please -

Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning uplifting Bill who is having surgery today to replace his knee joint and restore his mobility.
Lord, you are the Great Physician, and all healing comes from you.
We ask this morning that you would put your hand on Bill, and bring healing to him.
We ask that you would be with the surgeons and all the medical people that are working on him today.
We ask that everything would be done exactly correctly.
We ask for a complete success in this.
We ask for a rapid healing and a total and complete recovery from this, with no setbacks, side effects or problems of any kind.
And we ask these things in the name of Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God -

Amen -

Amen.

[Woodnut]

AMEN! Thanks for another fine analogy.