Daily Devotional; formerly Chaplains Corner

[BlackEagle]

Thanks, Terry;
Yes I did wear green on St. Patrick's day, but then again, I always wear the same green sweatshirt!

Today's makes me thing of Proverbs 11:1
"A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight."

[ampaterry]

Thank you, BlackEagle!

I want to talk about a couple more salesmen today.

The first one sold GI insurance to new recruits. Corporal Jones was assigned to an induction center where he advised new recruits about their government benefits, including GI insurance. Soon he had a near 100% sales record. His officer was amazed. Rather than ask him how he did it, he stood in the back of the room one day and listened to his sales pitch. Jones explained the basics of GI insurance to the new recruits and then said, "If you have GI insurance, and go into battle and are killed, the government has to pay $35,000 to your beneficiaries. If you don't have GI insurance, and go into battle and are killed, the government has to pay only a maximum of $3,000." He concluded, "Now which bunch do you think they are going to send into battle first?"
Was he misleading those troops? Perhaps -

Then there is the well known insurance man, Elmer G. Leterman. He gives an interesting glimpse of the empirical approach to salesmanship:

"If I have a thin prospective client who wants life insurance," he said, "I have him examined by a thin doctor. If I have a fat prospective client, I have him examined by a fat doctor. The fat doctors think they're all right, and the thin doctors think they're all right. That's all there is to it."

Was he misleading his customers? Was he misleading the companies he worked for?
Perhaps. It depends on your faith in the medical profession.

I believe we would be better off to avoid saying anything that could be misconstrued as being dishonest. Paul tells us:
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 (KJV);
“Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”

So far, so good. Now for the next verse:
“Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
And that pretty well covers all of that GRAY area activity.

I will not have internet capability for the next eleven days – I will talk to you again on April 3rd!

[jack404]

cheers Terry ( enjoy eh you and yours )

[BlackEagle]

I'll miss the daily commentaries. Have a good "time off".

[nightwalker]

Thanks, Terry, for the work you do here. You do help. May the Lord bless and keep you.

[cutter]

I do miss Terry's daily message!! Thanks Terry and look forward to him comming back!!

[Double D]

Yes, we sure miss our forum pastor when he is away...but, I hope they are enjoying their vacation and they come back rejuvenated and rested!!

[tcox4freedom]

Welcome Back Terry!!!

Now get to posting.

[ampaterry]

Good morning, guys! We are back, sort of rested, and starting to get back to normal. We had an UNBELIEVABLE time on our Caribbean cruise! We visited St Thomas, where we rode in a small 700 HP power boat around the bay there. Then on to Antigua where we rode horses around the area, including on the beautiful beach. On to Tortola where we had a hair raising safari bus ride all over the mountain terrain there, and finally on to Nassau where we had a very pleasant and quite informative tour at a much more relaxed pace, combined with a nice visit to an endangered species sanctuary. Four days at sea between stops rounded out the eight day cruise with FANTASTIC food -
I kept up my exercise program, but I still gained 8 pounds, so need to get into serious dieting now -

Judy and I have experienced so many fantastic things in our life together -
When we lived in Alaska, we loved to explore the wondrous beauty of that state. On one excursion, we sought an old Ghost Town named Fairbanks Creek. We had located it on a map, and we set out to find it. We located the old road, and traveled along it. At one point, we had to drive out onto a glacier to get around a road blockage, and were stopped soon afterward by a creek that swept through where the road had been. At that point, we abandoned the vehicle and head onward on foot. We waded through the water clinging to small sapling trees for support. We climbed up steep hills, and negotiated deep ravines, and after several miles of exertion, we arrived! The town was in very good shape yet, with an old stage coach sitting on the main street that was marked to identify it as a mail delivery vehicle. Inside the houses, there were still clothes and personal effects. One house had the table set in the kitchen, and old dried up food still on the plates. There was a general store, which still had merchandise behind the counter. There was also a nice collection of Mammoth teeth on a shelf there. I picked one up, knowing these were rather valuable, but it weighed a lot - and there was only one way to leave Fairbanks Creek: Turn around, and go all the way back out the same way we had come in. We left without carrying anything of value out with us.

Each of us, by birth, arrives in a town called Sin. As in Fairbanks Creek, there is only one way out--a road built by God himself. But in order to take that road, one must first turn around. That complete about-face is what the bible calls repentance, and without it, there's no way out of town.

This forced reversal is described in the Bible:
Isaiah 55:7 (KJV);
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."

And when we turn around and head back on the road to righteousness, we must make the same decision; there is nothing of such value in the place which we turned away from as to be worth the effort of bringing it back with us from there.

May God bless each one of you -

[tcox4freedom]

GREAT Devotional Terry!

[BlackEagle]

Welcome back, Terry;
So glad to hear of your trip. Sounds like it was great fun.

And thanks for the reminder: repentance is turning around and going back, and I find I have to do that again and again.

[ampaterry]

Thank you, guys, for the support you give me here!

For today:

When Sammy Morris, a Kru boy from Africa, came to America to be trained for Christian service, he presented himself for education at Taylor University. He revealed a spirit all too rare among Christians. When the President of the University asked him what room he wanted, Sammy replied, "If there is a room nobody wants, give that to me." Of this incident the President later wrote: "I turned away, for my eyes were full of tears. I was asking myself whether I was willing to take what nobody else wanted. In my experience as a teacher, I have had occasion to assign rooms to more than a thousand students. Most of them were noble, Christian young ladies and gentlemen; but Sammy Morris was the only one of them who ever said, 'If there is a room that nobody wants, give that to me.'”
How about you, brother? What is your desire, sister? Do you seek the fine things of this world, or are you satisfied with little here, while working toward much in the life to come?

Jesus tells us that all our needs will be met here:
Matthew 6:31-33 (KJV);
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

And Paul wrote the church at Corinth and spoke of the future in glory:
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.

God cares for us both here and now, and there and then. With this provider, why do we seek more in this life than this African boy?

May God bless each and every one of you - -

[BlackEagle]

Thanks, Terry;
Today's message reminds me of the several times Jesus talked about how the last shall be first and the first last.
It's good for me to be reminded of that because of some things happening at work just now. I'll need to find the right balance there.

[ampaterry]

So true, BlackEagle - ALMOST everything in this life is a matter of ballance -

Today is a special day, normally known as Maundy Thursday. Other names used by different churches around the world are Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great & Holy Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries. This is a Christian Holy day that falls on the Thursday before Easter, and commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles as described in the Bible. It is the fifth day of Holy Week.

One of the several traditions of this date is the visiting of seven churches today. This is an ancient practice originating in Rome, where early pilgrims visited the seven pilgrim churches as penance. They visited Saint John Lateran, Saint Peter, Saint Mary Major, Saint Paul-outside-the-walls, Holy Cross-in-Jerusalem, and Saint Sebastian Outside the Walls. In the Philippines, they continue this tradition, some even doubling it and visiting fourteen churches today.

I realize that Bethany and many other churches are not in close proximity to six other churches, and many are not open today. So my request to you is a very simple way to handle this with Bethany or with your local church. Don't visit seven or fourteen churches today. Instead, make a commitment to visit your local church for the next fourteen Sundays in a row. Who knows, after three and a half months, you might discover you enjoy it, and are already in the habit of attending!

I will close with the scripture that is the basis of this day:
Luke 22:13-20 (KJV);
And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

Let us NOT lose sight of what this day really means, guys. We are preparing for tomorrow, Good Friday, when Christ paid the price for our sins and looking forward to the empty tomb of Easter Sunday, the day that Christ rose from the grave, conquering death!

May God bless each one of you -

[ampaterry]

Have you seen the movie, the Passion of the Christ? If you have not, I encourage you to do so. If you do not have a copy of this movie, Amazon has it in DVD for $5.49, and also carries it in Blue Ray and even VHS. I have bought several copies to lend out over the years, but they have all drifted away. This is the best film ever made regarding the price that our Lord paid for you and for me, when he sacrificed himself to satisfy the requirement that sin be balanced with a blood sacrifice. For all of the years from the time that God sacrificed animals to cover the sin of Adam and Eve until Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross, man's sin was covered by the blood of animal sacrifice. Over and over, year after year, people had to sacrifice a living thing to cover their own failures. It was the only way to keep themselves from being the property of Satan.

But God did not want this continued sacrifice. God did not want us to have to go through a priest to contact him. God did not want us to be separate from him. Yet, we have that sin nature which causes us to sin in spite of our best intentions. So God came up with a sacrifice so great, so huge, so inconceivable, that it would be sufficient to cover all the sins of all people for all time. He sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, to be born a human being. He lived among us, was tempted as we are, yet lived a completely sinless life. He was the only one to ever do this. Then, he offered himself as a sacrifice for you, and for me. This sacrifice is the greatest gift of love that the world has ever seen, or ever will see. Do not waste it. Accept it, and the one that gave himself for you.

Hebrews 5:5-9 (KJV);
“So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;”

Have a very blessed Good Friday.

[01brian]

Amen!

[BlackEagle]

Thanks again, Terry.
Isaiah 53, particularly v5 comes to mind:
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

God's blessings on you and all also for a wonderful Easter as we rember in a special way God's great gift to us.

You've heard Tony Campolo's It's Friday, but Sunday's Coming?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcbKWT10z34 (3 minute exerpt)

[ampaterry]

Today at sundown, our Jewish friends begin the celebration of Passover, which they call Pesech (Pay Sack with a soft K), the Hebrew word for pass over. This holiday is the single most observed day in the Hebrew world, with 80% of the Jewish people attending a special service which includes a meal called a Seder on the first night in Israel, and on the first two nights elsewhere. The holiday period lasts for seven days in Israel, and eight days everywhere else, and is filled with various customs and practices that are rich with tradition.

One of these customs is the cleaning of their homes of all leaven and leaven associated items, called Chametz (Hum it's with a hard H). This is based upon the Jews hurried departure from Egypt following that first passover, when they did not have time to let their bread rise.

The leaven also represents puffiness of the soul, which means they are removing arrogance and pride at this time. They are not merely forbidden from eating leaven, but are forbidden to even own any during Passover, so they must legally get rid of it in some way prior to sundown tonight. One of the ways they do this is to sell it to a gentile; a real legal sale with the proper paperwork. They then have the opportunity to buy it back after Passover.

To make sure they have it all, they go over every crack in the stove, refrigerator, etc., with toothpicks and q-tips to remove every crumb. All surfaces which will contact food will be covered with foil or shelf liner.

At first, we gentiles might smile at all of this and think it to be a very odd waste of time. But think about the symbolic part of it. Think about going over the cracks in your stove with a q-tip, and mentally going after any arrogance and pride which you find in your own heart with a matching thoroughness as you work. All of us, Jew and Christian, Hindu and Shinto, would benefit from such a soul-cleaning.

1 Corinthians 5:6-8 (KJV);
Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

May God richly bless each one of you -

[nightwalker]

To me, leaven has always spoken of sin. I agree that we would all do well to examine ourselves closely to get rid of the stuff that seems small to most people's eyes, but we really know better. Thanks, Terry, for taking the time to serve us. May the Lord bless and keep you.

[jack404]

Nightwalker , +1 from me

I get more from Terry's dailies than my normal churchifyin


i'll add , when i fist started that bloody cancer treatment i moved from Spalding to a veterans home in Hove a suburb ny the beach in Adelaide ( nice spot if ya gotta live in a city )

the garden shop was run by this great jewish guy, he had a lady watch the store for him , Thursday/friday /saterday but the soil and bulk deliveries changed to Friday, so the lady would call me and i'd come down and drive the forklift and unload the what ever ..

i thought it great he paid so much bucks out to attend his faith , helped me out and a few others , i know he'd lost almost everything 10 years or so before i moved there , the bushfires spread to towns , wiped out small main streets in a few towns , so he's moved to the city and started again with nothing , this time as a plant and garden supply ..

there where times of year he got locals to do things he could not ( or i think just unsure even ..) , happy to pay

i say good luck to him .. more folks Christians especially should put more effort into their faith

[nightwalker]

Amen! Have a special Easter.

[cutter]

Terry,

I also get a lot out of your morning sermons! Thanks so much for what you do!! I hope everyone has a great Easter and remembers why we celebrate!!!
My Lord has risen!!!!

[reflex1]

And another Amen to ya Brother Terry - I'm sure you will have a very special "sermon" for tomorrow and I look forward to it as I do each day - thanks Terry!

[Skyking]

Originally Posted by ampaterry

Today at sundown, our Jewish friends begin the celebration of Passover, -

When does Passover begin and how long does it last?

Passover 2012 begins at sundown on Friday, April 6. That is the date according to the Gregorian calendar.

I observed this last eve and it also started the Feast of Unleavened Bread which last for 7 days , Passover is just the flash in the pan ,today is the !st day of Unleavened Bread which is a weekly Sabbath and also a high sabbath

[tcox4freedom]

Originally Posted by Skyking

When does Passover begin and how long does it last?

Passover 2012 begins at sundown on Friday, April 6. That is the date according to the Gregorian calendar.

I observed this last eve and it also started the Feast of Unleavened Bread which last for 7 days , Passover is just the flash in the pan ,today is the !st day of Unleavened Bread which is a weekly Sabbath and also a high sabbath

Sometimes your posts make me question whether or not you really understand anything about Christ and HIS teaching.