Daily Devotional; formerly Chaplains Corner

[BlackEagle]

The list could go on, Terry;
George Washington Carver, I believe he was also a Christian, developed peanut butter.

An oil prospector many years ago was studying Exodus and delved into the term "pitch" used to describe the substance slathered on Moses' basket to keep it waterproff. It was term for petroleum/tar like substance. He discovered oil in the area described in the Bible.

One of the amazing things to me is way civilisation developed within a few generations of Adam and Eve...Gen. 4:20-22.

Man can collect knowledge, but God gives wisdom how to use it.

Thanks again.

[ampaterry]

Great ones, BlackEagle, and the list COULD go on and on.
Pasteur, for instance, fought against and disproved the then popular theory of spontaneous generation of life based upon his knowledge that only God could creat life. Matthew Maury developed the charts of currents that are still used all over the world, and he searched for them because the Bible spoke of "paths in the sea".
When the seekers - the scientists - started with a firm Bible belief, the breakthroughs were far more spectacular than from those with an atheist mindset.

[ampaterry]

Today is Labor Day! The first Labor Day celebration occurred in 1882 when several Unions organized a parade on the first Monday in September in New York City. The purpose was to show the solidarity of different unions with each other. The founder was either Peter McGuire of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners or Matthew Maguire of the International Association of Machinists.

Several states recognized Labor Day before it became a Federal holiday in 1894 when President Grover Cleveland signed it into law. The shifting of Labor Day from a union celebration to a general celebration is obvious due to the fact that President Cleveland was distinctly anti-union. He had, in fact, earlier that same year sent federal troops to end a strike by the American Railway Union at the Pullman Co. in Chicago. This action resulted in the deaths of 34 union members.

Europe, China and other parts of the world celebrate May 1st, May Day, as a holiday to celebrate unions and workers.

Union membership in the US peaked at 40% of the work force back in the 50's, and has steadily declined to today when only 14% of the workers are in a union. The result of this is that Labor Day has almost completely transformed from a celebration of Unions to a last fling of summer.

I will address both significances of this day.

First, for the laborer, you have an absolute right to a fair wage:
1 Timothy 5:18 (KJV);
For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

And second, as a celebration of the end of summer, we first recognize that God is the creator of the seasons:
Genesis 1:14 (KJV);
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

And we recognize that it is proper to celebrate this work of His creation:
Psalm 92:4 (KJV);
For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.

Have a blessed day, guys, and let us all pray that the current direction of our government to penalize the workers and reward the shirkers will be reversed before it is too late -

[BlackEagle]

let us all pray that the current direction of our government to penalize the workers and reward the shirkers will be reversed before it is too late

-
An honest day's wages for an honest day's work.
Amen, Terry;
and thanks.

[cutter]

Amen Terry! The post you made before todays sermon was great. I hade never thought of that. I am realizing that nothing is by accident, God is involved in everything even if you don't want him. My most memorable day is when I accepted God and Jesus Christ as my saviour. That was no accident! (please excuss my spelling)

[ampaterry]

Originally Posted by cutter

Amen Terry! The post you made before todays sermon was great. I hade never thought of that. I am realizing that nothing is by accident, God is involved in everything even if you don't want him. My most memorable day is when I accepted God and Jesus Christ as my saviour. That was no accident! (please excuss my spelling)

Thank you -
And that, my friend, is NEVER an accident!!

[ampaterry]

Newton received from the Lord some almost unbelievable answers to his prayers, so he often engaged in "large asking." In explaining this he would sometimes tell the story of a man who asked Alexander the Great to give him money in exchange for his daughter's hand in marriage. The ruler consented and told him to request of his treasurer whatever he wanted. So he went to the treasurer and asked for a very large amount of money. The treasurer was startled and said he couldn't give him that much without a direct order. He went to Alexander and argued that even a small fraction of the money requested would be more than enough for this man.
"No," replied Alexander, "let him have it all. I like that fellow. He does me honor. He treats me like a king and proves by what he asks that he believes me to be both rich and generous."
Newton concluded the story by saying, "In the same way, we should go to the throne of God's grace and present petitions that express honorable views of the love, riches, and bounty of our King!"

Ephesians 2:4-7 (KJV);
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”

Hebrews 4:16 (KJV);
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

I have talked to many people who do not take things to God because they fear they will ask too much of him. Take this from me, one who has seen many miracles in answer to prayer – the greater danger is that we will ask to little of him than too much! We serve a miracle working God – and nothing is beyond his reach!

In our firearms practice, we say "aim small, miss small!"
In our prayer life, let us say "ask large, receive large!"

May God bless each one of you -

[BlackEagle]

Amen, Terry;

And it's not just things we should ask for...
James 1:5--If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Thanks again.

[ampaterry]

Excellent point - in fact, wisdom should be the FIRST thing we ask for.
If Americans had been doing this for decades, we would not be in the mess we are in right now!

For today:

There was a mother who, like all Christian mothers, constantly prayed for her son. He was in trouble most of the time, and had not turned his life over to God.

Then one day she received a telegram from the prison where he was incarcerated which stated that he was dead and asked what she wanted done with his body. Stunned by the news, she opened her Bible and laid the message beside it. "Oh, God," she said, "I have steadfastly believed that You are a rewarder of them who diligently seek You. I felt sure that I would live to see Tom saved and preaching the Gospel; and now this wire says he is dead. Lord, which is true, this telegram or Your promises to me?" Then she knew she had won the victory and she sent this note to the prison: "You must be wrong. My boy is not dead!”

The prison HAD made a horrible mistake, and her son was not dead.

Dr. Thomas M. Carter, an evangelist, tells that story. It is the story of his own life, for it is he that was in prison, and whose mother would NOT stop seeking the lord over.

Matthew 25:35-40 (KJV);
“For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Hebrews 11:6 (KJV);
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

And the message to us is - -

Never give up in seeking salvation for someone.

May God bless each one of you -

[BlackEagle]

Amen, Terry;

That sounds like the testimony of George Verwer, founder of Operation Mobilisation, and of Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators. People prayed for them, sometimes for decades, not knowing what was happening until these men happened to visit, shared their testimonies and/or shared about the ministry God was having through them.

One of the things the Bible talks about has been described as the "Perseverance of the Saints", which could refer to the dogged faithfulness of saints praying for people;
James 5:16 "...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

Or it could refer to the perseverance of God after people, what (I think it was) CS Lewis called The Hound of Heaven.

[ampaterry]

So true, BlackEagle -
When we married, I was an agnostic - and bounced backa and forth between that and atheism for many years. During that period, my wife REFUSED to stop praying for me, as did several others.

For today:

Dr. John Walvoord said: “Prayer is much like a check to be countersigned by two parties. I sign the check and send it up to heaven. If Jesus Christ also signs it, it does not matter how large it is -- it'll be honored.”

Matthew 7:7-11 (KJV);
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”

Does that mean that every single prayer will be answered, no matter what? No – because there are qualifications on the kind of checks which Jesus will sign. For instance:

James 4:3 (KJV);
“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

I’ve always liked this direction concerning prayer. It is based upon the letters of the word PRAY, and shows the order of things to be accomplished in a prayer:
P – Praise
R – Repentance
A – Ask (for others)
Y – LAST OF ALL – Yourself.

May God richly bless each one of you -

[BlackEagle]

Amen

That makes me think of a couple of things...

Psalm 37:3-5
Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

As I delight myself in the Lord, my heart becomes more like His heart, so my desires come into line with what he wants me to have, so He grants my prayers. If my heart is not alligned with God's, my desires are all wrong and God won't want to give them.

It also made me think of

Revelation 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Pergamum was the city where the Roman emperor would set up court. The jury members would vote by casting a black stone for guilty, or a white stone for innocent.
The white stone had a second use outside of court. It was like a kind of blank check drawn on the giver's bank, to be redeemed as and when the recipient wants to redeem it.

Thanks again, Terry. You get me thinking about things with these daily devotionals.

[ampaterry]

And you expand what I was originally thinking about, BlackEagle -
Thank you!

For today, I want to relate a story told by Dr. Helen Roseveare, a missionary to Zaire.

A mother at our mission station died after giving birth to a premature baby. We tried to improvise an incubator to keep the infant alive, but the only hot water bottle we had was beyond repair. So during devotions that morning we asked the children to pray for the baby and for her little sister who was now an orphan. One of the girls responded, "Dear God, please send a hot water bottle today. Tomorrow will be too late because by then the baby will be dead. And dear Lord, send a doll for the sister so she won't feel so lonely." That afternoon a large parcel arrived from England. Eagerly the children watched as we opened it. Much to their surprise, under some clothing was a hot water bottle! Immediately the girl who had prayed so earnestly started to delve deeper, exclaiming, "If God sent that, I'm sure He also sent a doll." And she was right! The Heavenly Father knew in advance of the child's sincere requests, and 5 months before, He had led a ladies group to include both of those specific articles.”

Although our prayers are not always answered this dramatically, I have seen several times when they HAVE been, and it is a very humbling thing to confront such an answer! Just to think that the creator of the universe loves US!

Philippians 4:19 (KJV);
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

Matthew 6:7-8 (KJV);
“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”

BEFORE WE ASK! Isn’t that a wonderful thing? What a mighty God we serve!

May he bless each one of you with two things:

1. To have your prayers answered and your needs met
2. To be used by Him to answer the prayers and meet the needs of someone else.

I have encountered both many times in my life, and I find that - as wonderful as 1 is, 2 is an even greater feeling!

[BlackEagle]

Before they call I will answer;
while they are still speaking I will hear.--Isaiah 65:24

A good friend of mine lost his wedding ring in some brush. Four of us were searching for it and we prayed that God would help us find it. As we finished praying, I happened to look down and found it.

Thanks again, Terry.

[ampaterry]

Wow, that is quite a coincidence, huh?

And so says the world - -

For today, some words from J. I. Packer:
"Certainty about the great issues of the Christian faith and conduct is lacking all along the line. The outside observer sees us staggering on from gimmick to gimmick and stunt to stunt like so many drunks in a fog, not knowing at all where we are or which way we should be going. Preaching is hazy; heads are muddled; hearts fret; doubts drain strength; uncertainty paralyzes action.... Unlike the first Christians who in three centuries won the Roman world, and those later Christians who pioneered the Reformation, and the Puritan awakening and the Evangelical revival, and the great missionary movement of the last century, we lack certainty. Why is this?
We blame the external pressures of modern secularism, but this is like Eve blaming the serpent. The real truth is that we have grieved the Spirit... we stand under divine judgment. For two generations our churches have suffered from a famine of hearing the words of the Lord."

I believe he was right – and I believe this still applies to us today as well! What a tragic truth, and indictment, this is of the Christian church, Preachers, and all witnesses to the power and love of Jesus Christ!

Acts 20:20 (KJV);
“And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house,”

1 Corinthians 9:16 (NCV);
“Telling the Good News does not give me any reason for bragging. Telling the Good News is my duty—something I must do. And how terrible it will be for me if I do not tell the Good News.”

2 Tim 4:1-2 (NLT);
“And so I solemnly urge you before God and before Christ Jesus—who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.”

May God bless each one of you -

[BlackEagle]

Amen to that, Terry;
Thanks.

All too often the message from the pulpit is social platitude or PC rhetoric, with only allusions to God's Word.

One of the marks of a good church, for me, is to hear God's Word being faithfully expounded on. That's what Jesus told Peter to do when He said, "Feed My Sheep".

I also think of Psalm 45:1--My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

[ampaterry]

Great passage, that -

Out in Wyoming's ranching country a severe snowstorm hit the area the Sunday before Christmas. Although the minister felt certain that nobody was going to show up for his church service because of the weather, he opened up the church just in case someone might appear. Sure enough, through the cold and snow, a weather-beaten cowboy appeared in the doorway of the church. The minister did not recognize the man as one of his parishioners, however he invited him in and the cowboy took a seat near the back of the church. After a wait of 20 minutes, it became apparent to the minister that this cowboy was going to be the only person to attend his church that day.
Approaching the man, the minister asked him if he was expecting a full service. "I've been a cowboy out in this part of the country all my life," the fellow answered. "And all winter long I feed 500 cows every day. And come rain or shine, sleet or snow -- whether one comes or all 500 come -- I feed them every day." Duly inspired, the minister launched into a sermon that lasted the better part of an hour and a half. At the conclusion, the minister walked over to the cowboy and asked him how he enjoyed the service. "Like I said before," the cowboy answered, "I've been feeding 500 cows every day all my life. And come rain or shine, sleet or snow -- whether one comes or all 500 come -- I feed them every day. But if only one cow comes, I don't dump the whole feed load."
John 21:15-17 (KJV); “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?
He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.
He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?
He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.
He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?
Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee.
Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep."

[BlackEagle]

Amen.

And I like that story about the Wyoming cowboy. Flexibility.

[sub-moa]

Good one

[ampaterry]

Thank you, guys -

On this day we remember with heavy hearts the cowardly attacks on our nation by Muslims who felt it was their duty to kill innocent civilians in their continuing Jihad against every non-Islamic person on the planet. This was not an act of war, but an act of terrorism. They did not stand up and fight like men, but slaughtered men,women and children in order to earn their right to 72 virgins in the next life.

Congress passed the resolution to observe this day each year a mere few weeks after this attack. At 8:46 AM Eastern time, we should all stop whatever we are doing and have a moment of silence in the memory of the 2,977 lives that were brutally ended on this day, starting in explosion, fire and smoke as these cowards crashed commercial airliners full of passengers into the twin towers in New York. That time is selected because it is the time the first plane hit.

I am an old man. There are only a few memories that are burned into my brain.

One was when JFK was assassinated in Dallas in a motorcade.

One was watching the Challenger explode shortly after take-off.

And the worst of all – watching those planes crash into those majestic buildings. They used a technology far beyond their own reach and understanding to destroy buildings the likes of which they were completely incapable of producing, and ended the lives of people any one of which had far greater value than all of theirs combined.

Then the third plane hit the Pentagon.

And a fourth one was crashed into a field by passengers who would not allow them to use it as another weapon of destruction.

As a Christian, we are to forgive those who have injured us.

I know I should.

But I have not succeeded yet.

Lord, comfort today all those that lost loved ones on that terrible day -
And have mercy on us, Father, that such will never occur again in this beautiful country you have blessed us with -

Amen –

[jack404]

yep same here forgiving .. not quite there yet

maybe after we block a few more mosques and get some more jihad screaming clerics locked up or chased off i'll get the hang of it

[tcox4freedom]

I think a lot of Christians really do not understand "forgiveness". As a victim of child sexual, physical & emotional abuse, I struggled with the term "forgiveness" well into my adult years.

I personally have learned several things in my struggle over the years. The MOST important one is that "forgiveness" is NOT for the perpetrators! Forgiveness is for our own well-being.

NOTE:
I feel what I am about to say is important. I really want to be careful of what I write and I ask people reading it to read it with care as well.

If we can't learn to "forgive" those that sinned against us, we run the risk of allowing HATE & Bitterness to take control of our life. Un-forgiveness will ROT our souls. It can interfere with all aspects of our lives & severely limit our ability to live for GOD.

It can cause strains on our personal relationships because the Bible tells us that bitterness & hate cannot live in the same dwelling as LOVE & forgiveness. The Bible also states that unless we forgive those that have sinned against us, we cannot receive forgiveness from our FATHER.

OK,
Now that the hardness of REALITY has been spoken,

"What can we do when we see no way possible to "forgive" because the PAIN we feel is just to great?"

The only thing we can do is CONFESS our SIN of UN-forgiveness to the Lord. Then we can ask the Holy Spirit (Our "Comforter"), to help us get to a place where we can TRULY have God's forgiveness in our hearts.

Please note, I say "God's Forgiveness".

Forgiveness belongs to GOD. It is the gift of Grace & Mercy that HE bestowed upon us even though we are guilty of just as grievous sins against him as we have experienced from others. Really, the only TRUE way to forgive sins is by ALLOWING the Holy Spirit to work in us and asking GOD to forgive through us.

Remember when Jesus was crucified? He said, "Father forgive them. They know NOT what they do."

In this statement lies the other GREAT key to forgiveness- PRAYER!

We need to recognize that the SIN committed against us was NOT done by an enemy of "flesh & blood". The true enemy is Satan. The people satan uses to bring us harm are nothing but pawns in the war between good & evil.

By praying for them and asking God to forgive them we begin to see them more like Christ would/does. "They are lost & dying in their own sins."

"IF", those that crucified Jesus truly knew what they were doing, do you think they still would have crucified HIM?

The same thing can be said for those that commit sin & harm against us.

"Would they do it if the truly knew/believed there was the danger of living in an eternal Hell?"

NOW! Please do not misunderstand---
We have an obligation to be our brothers keeper, we are commanded to LOVE, protect & care for others.

This means we MUST be willing to take up arms to defend the defenseless and do what is within our power to see people come to salvation. So, we may not have any choice except to go to war & literally annihilate enemies that would destroy & kill us & our loved ones. But, we must do so at the direction of God. We must also act with forgiveness in our own hearts while having compassion AND "praying for our enemies".

I'm sorry for the long post; and I'm closing even though I want to say so much more. But, I want everyone to realize the importance of forgiveness. Even though one is an enemy and we may have to take action to save others & carry out justice, we also need to have the SPIRIT of Love & Forgiveness in our heart toward our enemies.

This (seemingly impossible) task can ONLY be accomplished by confessing our sin; and completely yielding any bitterness, resentment, hatred & animosity over to the Holy Spirit.

God Bless-

-

[HAGEN442]

9/11/2001 LET US NOT FORGET

[BlackEagle]

Thanks for that, Terry, and tcox.

The Chaplain at the Breendonk POW camp, who had been an inmate there during WW2, told us he could forgive his guards, but we must never forget, lest the same thing be allowed to happen again. His mission was to pass that message on to as many people as he could.

I can forgive a person, but that doesn't mean he won't try to do the same thing again, so I need to be on my guard about that person.

Never forget 9/11.
Never forget Pearl Harbor.
Never forget The Alamo.

That's just my opinions, for what it's worth.

[tcox4freedom]

Originally Posted by BlackEagle

Thanks for that, Terry, and tcox.

The Chaplain at the Breendonk POW camp, who had been an inmate there during WW2, told us he could forgive his guards, but we must never forget, lest the same thing be allowed to happen again. His mission was to pass that message on to as many people as he could.

I can forgive a person, but that doesn't mean he won't try to do the same thing again, so I need to be on my guard about that person.

Never forget 9/11.
Never forget Pearl Harbor.
Never forget The Alamo.

That's just my opinions, for what it's worth.

Plus 1

One thing that kinda ticked me (and the wifey) off today is the complete LACK of care concerning 911.

My wife works for the FG. She usually gets an email stating that all government offices need to recognize a tragic day by lowering the flag to half-staff. Well, I guess the administration doesn't have the time to send send out notices to lower the flag in remembrance today.

Honestly, it's almost like this particular administration want to "forget" what happened and NOT cause any ill feelings with the muslim world.

BTW;
My wife had a flag lowering ceremony today despite the complete lack of respect & care coming out of DC!

I'll be so happy to see this POSPOTUS & his supporters thrown out on their ^$$ in November, I may even dance a jig.

-