Daily Devotional; formerly Chaplains Corner

[lonewolf204]

Amen! I totally agree the Ten COMMANDMENTS would be a great place to start. Thanks, Terry

[carver]

Good post! You just can't say enough on either subject! As I look around the America of today, it becomes very clear that our morals have gone out the window. We have built a house on the sand I'm afraid!

[jbmid1]

This is where we need to begin.

II Chron 7:13-14

If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, 14 and My people [d]who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

[ampaterry]

jbmid1, that is spot on!!

Thanks, guys, for your support!!


For today:

The Hebrew calendar, although quite different from ours, is keyed to the solar year as all good calendars are. The holidays drift around a bit in our calendar, they vary no more than Easter does from year to year.

Today is the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishri. Tishri is the first month in their calendar, so today – and tomorrow – are celebrated as the Jewish New Year, which they call Rosh Hashana, literally, the Head of the Year. There is little similarity between the late night drinking of our celebrations and the Jewish celebrations, though. For a Jewish person, this is a day of judgement. Today, God judges the entire world for the coming year. Their practice of eating apples dipped in honey during this celebration is an expression of their desire for the coming year to be a sweet one.

And beyond being New Years, they also celebrate this day as the birthday of the Human race, because it was on this date that God created Adam.

There is an interesting thing about most Jewish holidays. Their months all start by the moon, and are corrected annually by the sun. In ancient times, the Sanhedron would observe the moon and pronounce when the next month had begun. Runners would then leave Jerusalem and spread the word across the countryside.

This worked fine for Israel, but the Jews in surrounding areas may not get the word in time due to the slow method of communication. Knowing the months were either 29 or 30 days in length, they would celebrate the holidays on two days, knowing one of them would be correct.

Now, the month beginnings are calculated exactly well into the future, but the holiday celebrations continue according to the old tradition. Israeli's celebrate only one day for each holiday, regardless of where they live in the world. And Jews that are not Israelis celebrate two holidays, even if they now live in Israel!

This day is marked by Awe, Reverence, and Joy. Awe at the power of God in his creation. Reverence for God as the creator who loves us, and Joy in being His people, and the focal point of his attention.

God bless you, guys!

And PS - - -
Watch for a new forum to be opened soon - -

[lonewolf204]

That's a good history lesson! Thanks Terry

[ampaterry]

Daily, we hear about more and more destructive and cruel behavior of college students, often in hazing ceremonies of various fraternities. I read this story that came out of one of our Ivy League schools a few years ago, and believe it outlines the real problem, a lack of responsibility, and gives a great solution to it as well.

A university president faced the unpleasant task of disciplining some students who had been apprehended in acts of vandalism on their college campus. One of the young men, a spokesman for the group, was the son of a very wealthy family. In the midst of the scolding by the president of the college, he jauntily reached in his pocket for his checkbook and said with a haughty expression, "What's all the hassle about? Why the fuss? Just tell us the cost of it, and I'll pay the bill."

The president of this university said in great anger, "Put your checkbook back. This week in the assembly, you men will make a public acknowledgment of your offense or you'll be expelled. Do you think a few miserable dollars can ever repay your debt to the founders of this university and the sacrifices they made to build this place and endow it with such great care and cost?"
Then his closing statement is one that really gets to you. He said, "Every one of you here is a charity student."

In the real analysis, we are all disobedient charity students, aren’t we? After all, we are here in this brief physical life just to learn lessons before we graduate into eternal life, the location of which is determined by how well we learn. In this process we ALL fail, but must strive constantly to improve.

The Word of God tells us what we should strive for:
1 Samuel 12:15 (KJV);
"But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers."

Ephesians 5:6 (KJV);
"But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;"

Be good students, guys - and I will see you in the summer vacation that never ends -

[lonewolf204]

Amen, Thanks Terry

[jack404]

Cheers Terry !

[cycloneman]

Hay question for you Terry

If we were all spirits before we came down here then it must be our spirit that is fighting good and bad. Not the human part of us. Does this make sense? Why would satan be such a bad boy? isnt he in the spirit? Is satan an abomination?

Ok now if we were all in the spirit before we came here I take it God created us? If so then how did he create us? the bible gives us a story about God breathing life into man. But is there any reference to the spirit life?

If satan is as i have heard the most beautiful of all angles then why do we portray him as ugly? I am wondering if the description of beautiful doesn't really mean the most cunning?

[cycloneman]

I got to tell you i cant believe i dont think i ever found this thread.

I'd like to think i have something to do with a new forum opening up. I think if i had seen this that the new forum may not have happened.

Strange hugh, was this thread blinded from me until now?

[Python]

Originally Posted by ampaterry

Today is the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishri. Tishri is the first month in their calendar, so today – and tomorrow – are celebrated as the Jewish New Year, which they call Rosh Hashana, literally, the Head of the Year.

Rosh Hashana is also known as The Feast Of Trumpets and the Day Of Judgement. The Feast Of Trumpets begins with Rosh Hashana. The solemnization continue for Ten Days Of Repentance, culminating on Yom Kippur or The Day Of Atonement/ "New Beginnings". Many scholars believe that the Rapture will occur "sometime" (not knowing the day or the hour) during The Feast Of Trumpets and Yom Kippur (New Beginnings) will enter Israel into the 70th Week Of Daniel where God once again turns His attention to reconciliation with Israel. According to Jewish tradition Yom Kippur is also the day when God decides the fate of each human being.

[Python]

Originally Posted by cycloneman

If satan is as i have heard the most beautiful of all angles then why do we portray him as ugly?

The "ugly" is Hollywood's way to make money.

[ampaterry]

Daily devotional for today, guys:

I read about a pastor who disliked answering machines. Many people feel that way, so that is no big thing, but it is interesting how he ended up with one. When he and his wife were gone on vacation, he called home to speak to his daughter who had stayed there, and got an answering machine. Redialing carefully, he got it again. On the third time, his daughter answered, and explained that she had just bought her mother an answering machine for her birthday.
He admitted that they got a lot of use out of that machine, but it is funny how they got it. Their daughter gave her mother what she wanted--an answering machine to get messages from her friends.

There are many different perspectives on giving, especially among children. For example, many kids agree that homemade things are not real gifts. "Don't give me a homemade thing," they say. Another is "Don't send me to a birthday party with a cheap gift. Anything under ten dollars is an embarrassing excuse for a gift." That's their wisdom about giving birthday gifts.

What's your wisdom about giving? In your mind, what constitutes a "real" gift? What do you think real giving to God is? What kind of giving pleases him, honors him, advances his work?

The Word of God has much to say about gifts given to God:
Numbers 31:50 (KJV);
"We have therefore brought an oblation for the LORD, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD. "

Proverbs 3:9 (KJV);
"Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:"

Many churches speak often of “sacrificial giving”, and also of “seed giving” meaning you give money to God to get money in return. Usually, these pushes are more about enriching the church than the members.
What does God say about sacrificial giving?
Psalm 51:16-17 (KJV);
For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Sacrificial giving, giving money "until it hurts", is not what God has asked.
He asks that we give ourselves to him - -

God bless you, guys -

[Woodnut]

Good lesson terry, many people do not realize this.
AMEN!

[ampaterry]

Originally Posted by cycloneman

I got to tell you i cant believe i dont think i ever found this thread.

I'd like to think i have something to do with a new forum opening up. I think if i had seen this that the new forum may not have happened.

Strange hugh, was this thread blinded from me until now?

I see the new forum as the place for multiple threads.
One stickied at the top will be this one, a daily devotional.
Others can be questions, discussions, prayer requests, sharing of interventions, testimonies, etc. It will work a lot better that way, I believe, because I have had several contact me in PM asking something and saying they did not want to "hi-jack" the devotional thread.

So, if it was hidden from you, and that hiding contributed to your influence in opening up a new forum, I would say the hiding came from above, not from below.

The one crucial thing in the new forum, IF we intend to be allowed to KEEP it, is absolutely no heated arguments, no insults, etc., as these were the reason for banning religious discussions in the first place. We are being given a chance here, guys, to show exactly how decently we can all conduct ourselves in an area that is very commonly a battle ground.

For my part, I am an independent. I have attended services that were Baptist, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Nazarene, Holiness, Church of Christ, Mormon, Seventh Day Adventist, Church of God, Cumberland Presbyterian and a lots of less well known and independent ones. I have had conversations with pastors, preachers, evangelists, elders, priests and Rabi's regarding their beliefs. I have found things in each one that I liked, and things in each that I did not like. I have found NO denomination in which ALL are saved, and I have found none in which all were lost.

One thing I am sure of.
Going to Church on Sunday morning does not make you a Christian any more than going to a football game makes you a quarterback.

I do not yet know when the new forum will open, but I look forward to it, and I beseech each one here to help keep it civil when it does open so we are allowed to keep it.

[lonewolf204]

Amen! Thanks Terry. I'm looking forward to the new forum.

[ampaterry]

Python is right; we WANT things that are evil to be ugly.
We WANT to portray Satan as a horrid monster that only truly perverted people could be attracted to.
But the reality is, Satan is very attractive.
How else could he manage to sucker in people with plenty of bible knowledge, as he did Jimmy Swaggart? Heck, how else could he manage to cause ANY of us to sin?

Have you ever seen a beautiful person on the outside that was, inside, blackness?
How about the beauty of the Box Jellyfish, whose touch is death?

Satan is very attractive.
I feel his allure almost every day since I left his camp thirty five years ago.

[cycloneman]

I hope i didn't say anything wrong. I dont know why some threads were deleted. I hope i was not the cause of it. I know i get excited sometimes but i was just asking questions.

[ampaterry]

Originally Posted by cycloneman

I hope i didn't say anything wrong. I dont know why some threads were deleted. I hope i was not the cause of it. I know i get excited sometimes but i was just asking questions.

Cyclone, nothing I said was aimed specifically at you!
Like you, I am getting excited about the new forum, and am VERY concerned that everyone be really cool on it so that we are allowed to KEEP it and not have it go south like so many Christian threads have.
Religious issues are TOUGH to keep civil, because people feel them in their gut, and the stakes are so very high. Folks just naturally want to MAKE people see their own POV, because they believe in their heart that their belief is right, and they want others agree so they can also go to Heaven!

This is going to be tough, it is going to be challenging, but I honestly believe we can do this.

[Double D]

The leadership here has a tough job. That job is trying to keep everyone from all walks of life happy. You have people from every corner of the earth and every denomination there is and you have athiests and you have people who dont have a clue what they are. Some love god, others hate the mention of him. Some want to discuss salvation and others want to disprove it. It will ALWAYS be that way until the lord comes back and settles things for good. We are primarily a gun forum first. Not a religion forum. But, many of us are christian so, how in the world do we not discuss what is most near and dear to our hearts? Problem is, we dont see it as an issue. But, our forum member brother that has been a member here for many years and has contributed just as much as anyone may be offended by it or just cant understand why it should take place on a firearms forum.

I will try not to ramble on but this is a complicated matter. Almost 99 percent of every religious based thread we have had here has gone south and ended badly. There was even a time many members left because of it. I dont understand it, but they did. Some might say, oh well, if they dont like it tough. Thats where things get tough. Its real hard to keep everyone happy. So, I will shut up now and appoligize for hyjacking the thread. I am thankfull for our forum pastor and all that he does and I have all the faith in the world that he will make this new forum a great place to visit.

[ampaterry]

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 expand the welfare rolls.
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, not the cartridge box.

God bless you guys, and Good Fast to our Jewish brothers and sisters.

[Woodnut]

AMEN! Thanks again Terry.

[cutter]

Amen Brother! I just hope and pray some crazy doesn't do something stupid right now. We are being goated to do bad things and we have to be able to keep our minds strong. Prayer helps with this, our prayers will be answered in a little over a year! Best to all and God Bless!!

[Brisk44]

If that were to happen it would not be from the legal gun holders but some disenchanted liberal who could not stand to see his misbegotten ideas shattered.

[lonewolf204]

Amen, Thanks Terry