Monday, May 31, 2021
FREE INDEED
Whom the SON sets free is free indeed!
No matter what other freedom you possess, if you have not been set free from sin by the sacrifice of JESUS CHRIST, you are yet in bondage.
Lay your life at HIS feet. Let JESUS set you free.
Thoughts on Today's Verse
"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:30-31
Thoughts on Today's Verse by Phil Ware
What is your strength? Is it your youth? ...your conditioning? ...your wisdom? ...your friends? ...your experience? None of us can depend upon our human ability.
Health, wisdom, and wealth are all vulnerable to the fragility of life and circumstance.
Only the LORD can ensure that we can survive the unthinkable, thrive in the mundane, and soar in good times. Let's call upon, let's wait upon, let's depend upon the LORD!
The Full Text of the Bill of Rights
The Full Text of the Bill of Rights
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment II
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Amendment III
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.
Amendment VII
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Today Is MEMORIAL DAY
Today Is MEMORIAL DAY
WE DEDICATE THIS DEVOTIONAL TO ALL OF THOSE WHO HAVE BRAVELY AND HONORABLY SERVED OUR NATION.
SPECIAL HONOR GOES TO THOSE WHO MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE TO PRESERVE OUR FREEDOM AND TO UPHOLD THE TENETS OF OUR MATCHLESS CONSTITUTION,
OUR NATION THANKS YOU! MAY YOUR SACRIFICE NOT HAVE BEEN IN VAIN. MAY WE WHO LIVE CHERISH THE FREEDOM AND NATION OF LAW THAT YOU DIED TO PRESERVE. MAY WE NOT ALLOW ENEMIES FROM WITHOUT OR ENEMIES FROM WITHIN TO CHANGE THIS COUNTRY-- TO TRANSFORM IT INTO A SOCIALIST HELL HOLE OR TO UNDERMINE ITS STEADFAST GIRDING IN LAW.
TO THOSE WHO SERVED AND ARE STILL ALIVE, WE PRAY THAT YOU NEVER DOUBT HOW SIGNIFICANTLY GOD HAS USED YOUR LIFE IN HIS PLAN AND PURPOSE.
TO THOSE WHO ARE SERVING OUR NATION IN THE ARMED FORCES, TODAY, ALLOWING US TO ENJOY THE FREEDOMS WE OFTEN TAKE FOR GRANTED, THANK YOU! YOU
ALL THE FREEDOMS WE CHERISH -- FREE SPEECH, FREEDOM OF RELIGION, FREEDOM OF THE PRESS, THE ENTIRETY OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS -- EXIST ONLY BECAUSE OF THE SACRIFICES OF THOSE WHO HAVE DEFENDED AND NOW DEFEND OUR NATION!
YOU ARE REAL-LIFE HEROES AND WE PRAY FOR GOD'S RICHEST BLESSINGS ON YOU
Sunday, May 30, 2021
MEMORIAL DAY
MEMORIAL DAY
Three day weekend
Family and friends gather together
Fun and games
Shared memories
Delicious food
But it's so much more than all of that.
Long weekends are needed to give respite from demanding lives.
The gathering of loved ones to enjoy recreation and to remember shared memories and enjoy delicious foods is an important outlet for all who consume their days with the heavy burdens of responsibility for those dependent upon them and for charting their safe course through the challenges that abound in a world fraught with danger.
But what about those who aren't there? What about those who have given themselves to the task of assuring the safety and well-being of we who are enjoying the holiday?
As we attend our cookouts and enjoy the company of family and friends, may we be mindful that this long weekend isn't simply our step into summer. May we ponder the sacrifices that have been made so our lives can be secure. May we reflect upon the young men and women whose sacrifices have assured our freedom.
May the freedom that they lost so much to give us be the focus of our Memorial Day week end. May we be thankful for the sacrifices they made. May we remember them with renewed determination that what they gave up was not in vain.
And may we be mindful that there is a sacrifice that is even more precious than theirs -- that the SON of GOD gave HIMSELF for our eternal freedom. As we celebrate, may we cherish those to whom our debt is so great and may we love the ONE to whom our debt is eternal.
Thoughts on Today's Verse
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. — Galatians 2:20
Thoughts on Today's Verse by Phil Ware
Christianity is all about dying to ourselves. Some see this as hideous, onerous, and weak. "Why give up your desires, wants, and longings for something someone else mandates?" they wonder. "That sounds like slavery!" they charge.
However, they fail to realize that surrendering our wills to Christ is like a bird surrendering to air currents or a fish to the water. When we surrender to the Lord, he gives us the power to be what we were made to be — enabled to be useful in ways that are eternal, empowered to have life not limited by mortal boundaries, and blessed by communion with the Creator as our Father.
What is lost in this surrender to Christ living in us?
Only our selfishness and our self-damage caused by rebellion.
God's Motives
God's Motives From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman May 30, 2021
"He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me."
II Samuel 22:20
Questioning someone's motives for their activities can become an overriding response to those to whom we relate. Wrong motives can result in broken relationships, poor business decisions, and falling out of God's will. Sometimes we do not know the motive of another person. It is wrong for us to assume what their motive is until we have confidence that we know their intentions. When we respond or react prematurely, we become judge and jury over them.
God has a plan for every one of His children and His motive for each of those plans is to do good to His people because He loves them. His desire is to bring us into a spacious place. He wants us to go beyond our borders of safety and security so that we might experience life at a level that goes beyond ourselves.
What do you think of when you think of a "spacious place"? No limitations? A large, grassy field? Open air? These are positive images. Sometimes these spacious places encourage us to step out in faith into areas where we've never ventured. Sometimes we need to be rescued by the Lord.
When Peter walked on the water, God was inviting him to a spacious place. He went beyond the security of his boat and ventured into a whole new world. He didn't have complete success in his venturing out, but it was a process that would lead him to the next victory in his faith walk with Jesus. Sometimes failure is what is needed in order to move us to the next level of faith with God. However, we must be willing to fail and let God rescue us.
The Lord delights in this process. His motive for His children is always love. It is always to bring us to a new level of trust and dependence on Him.
Saturday, May 29, 2021
Thoughts on Today's Verse
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. — Galatians 5:25
Thoughts on Today's Verse by Phil Ware
It is one thing to talk about being filled with the Spirit; it is quite another to live under the Spirit's control and direction in our life. Paul is reminding us that we must do more than talk the talk; we must walk the walk. The Holy Spirit must guide our decisions, determine our morality, and control our speech. His fruit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control — must be in evidence. Paul says to Christians filled with the Spirit, "Live like it!"
Thoughts on 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Thoughts on 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 by John W. Ritenbaugh
(16) Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (17) If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
One level of this concept of responsibility to the body is, of course, taking care of our physical bodies. Because we belong to God and are therefore holy and are integral parts of the body of Christ, this responsibility weighs upon us with greater intensity than upon those who are not. In John 14:23, Jesus introduces the basis for this concept to illustrate the closeness of our relationship with God: "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." Under the Old Covenant, God is mysterious and distant and dwelling in the Temple. Under the New Covenant, we become the Temple, and God becomes knowable and personal.
In I Corinthians 6:15-20, Paul clearly confirms these concepts:
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "The two," He says, "shall become one flesh." But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in you body and in your spirit, which are God's.
It is difficult to imagine how much more clearly he could express our responsibility to maintain good health! It is actually a fourfold responsibility:
1. To God because He bought us at a price;
2. To Jesus Christ because we are part of His body;
3. To ourselves to come out of sin; and
4. To our loved ones to serve them.
Meeting all of these glorifies God. Paul's concern is that debauching the body by involving it in sin threatens the continuation of the relationships. We normally think of sin as breaking a law. This is not a wrong understanding, but the Bible's usage is much broader. Biblically, sin is falling short of the glory of God, or turning aside from the path of what is right. It is also missing the mark. Sin is the Bible's term to indicate a failure to do things right, and right is the way God would do it. Of course, some failures to do what is right are far more serious than others are.
Friday, May 28, 2021
Isaiah 59:14
“Judgment is turned away backward, and justice stands afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter." Isaiah 59:14
How Will You Honor Memorial Day?
How Will You Honor Memorial Day? by Eric Metaxas
Memorial Day is almost here:, the semi-official start of summer with a three-day weekend thrown in. So much to do . . .
Now, there’s nothing wrong with relaxing with friends and families and celebrating the arrival of summer. But I want to challenge you and your family to find ways to pay homage to those who have given their lives for the sake of our country and our freedoms. And I have some suggestions for you.
But first, a little context. Since the Revolutionary War, more than 1.3 million Americans have died during our nation’s armed conflicts. More than half of those were casualties on both sides of the Civil War. If you can imagine, more than two percent of the American population perished during that savage conflict—that would be like 7.7 million Americans dying today.
It was after that great conflagration that Americans, primarily in the northern states, chose a day to honor the war dead: May 30th, 1868, was the first Decoration Day, as it was called because citizens were asked to decorate the graves of the fallen. After World War I, the day became a time for remembering all war dead, not just those of the Civil War. It wasn’t until 1968 that Congress moved the date from May 30 to the last Monday in May. And in 1971, Memorial Day officially became a federal holiday.
So, what can we do to remember and show our gratitude?
First, fly the flag. At home and in your town. You might want to check over at your local town hall and ask if the flag will be displayed properly on Monday: Flown at half-mast until noon. As the USMemorialDay.org website puts it, “The half-staff position remembers the more than one million men and women who gave their lives in service of their country. At noon, their memory is raised by the living, who resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain, but to rise up in their stead and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all.”
Second, attend your local Memorial Day parade. Don’t be shy: Don your patriotic gear and stand with your fellow citizens.
Third, visit a national cemetery and decorate graves. Or simply walk the grounds quietly and pray.
Fourth, you might attend a memorial service. Many Veterans of Foreign War posts hold special services to honor the dead.
Fifth, take your children to a military museum or battlefield. Teach them about the sacrifices made by so many. Instill in them a respect for the men and women who to this day volunteer to serve their country in the armed forces—knowing they may be called on to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Sixth, observe the National Moment of Remembrance at 3:00PM on Monday. Since 2000, Americans have been asked to “voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of Remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to Taps.”
Finally, consider donating to organizations that help our nation’s veterans and families. And get your church to reach out to military families in your area.
So yes. Enjoy your long weekend. But find a way to honor those who, through their sacrifice, made this weekend possible.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman
May 28, 2021
"Then Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.'" - Genesis 50:24
I was boarding the airplane in Frankfurt, Germany, when a mentor of mine asked me this question, "Would you consider why God referred to Himself as the 'God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob'? Why didn't He simply say, 'the God of Jacob'?" What a strange question, I thought to myself.
For the next hour I racked my brain trying to discover the meaning to this question. I had never read it in a commentary, and the Scriptures do not really say why this is so. It became a good exercise with the Holy Spirit that led to some interesting observations - one from my mentor, one from my own insight.
First, could it be that the Lord has given us a "type of trinity" in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Abraham was considered a father figure to the nation of Israel. Isaac was the son who had to be sacrificed on the altar. Jacob was the man who had to learn to walk according to the Holy Spirit instead of his flesh. Each of these patriarchs had a particular relationship with God to fulfill.
My friend asked about an hour into the flight, "So, what did you discover?"
I told him of my observation.
"Hmm...that is interesting. I believe that what we also see in the patriarchs are examples of three distinct types of personalities. If the Lord had cited only one of the patriarchs, we would tend to seek to model that leader. However, the Lord has given us three distinct personalities in whom He performed His work. Abraham was the pioneer who ventured out into unknown territory and was considered righteous for his faith. Isaac was faithful to follow in his inheritance with few ups and downs in his life. He had the fewest calamities among the three. He was called simply to be faithful to what had been already given. Jacob had extreme conflict in his life. He suffered more pit experiences than either of his predecessors. He had much conflict in relationships that became the source of his inheritance. Each of us can identify with one of these men in how God has related to them."
God works in each person's life uniquely, and He has provided examples of lives for us to identify with from the Scriptures. Who do you identify with most in your Christian pilgrimage? Discover this for yourself. You will find encouragement as you seek to learn from someone who has gone before you.
Thursday, May 27, 2021
Thoughts on Today's Verse....
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. — Isaiah 40:28-29
Thoughts on Today's Verse....
God is eternal. He has unlimited power. His supply of strength is limitless. He blesses and shares his grace without growing tired. Most importantly, he longs to share his power and grace with us daily.
The Lord God Reigns!
The Lord God Reigns!
By Jim Poelman
Scripture Reading: Revelation 11:15-19
"We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign." Revelation 11:17
This vision of John in Revelation gives us one of the most important announcements that make up the good-news message of our salvation. It tells us not only that Jesus, the Savior of the world, “will reign forever and ever” but also that he is already reigning as the King of kings!
This important message empowers us to be God’s faithful witnesses wherever we are. With this news we can assure others that, in Christ, their lives can be made new and that eternal life isn’t just something in the future—it begins now (John 3:36; 5:24; 10:28).
If you are familiar with the music of Handel’s Messiah, you might recognize that some of these words in Revelation are part of a rousing section known as the “Hallelujah Chorus.” When he composed the “Hallelujah Chorus”—based on the seventh trumpet announcement: “The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever”—George Handel said he wept in wonder and awe. “It was as though I saw heaven open and I stood before the very throne of God,” he said.
This passage invites us to that powerful place of being in the presence of God and knowing that he makes our new life possible right now. The Lord God Almighty has come in his “great power” to begin his reign of hope and healing!
Lord, thank you for coming in power and grace to heal our brokenness and to give us new life. Amen.
Investigation Shut Down
Investigation Shut Down
Joe Biden’s team shut down an investigation launched by then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s State Department into whether the coronavirus pandemic originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
The effort was focused on looking at whether China’s biological weapons program could have had a “greater role in the pandemic’s origin in Wuhan,” CNN reported. The probe was run out of the State Department’s arms control and verification bureau.
“Officials involved in the effort relied on scientific research as well as public and classified information to probe the lab leak theory, including looking into any possible connection between the virus and the Chinese government’s biological weapons program,” the report said. “The US government believes China maintained an offensive biological weapons program even after joining the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention in 1984. China refutes this.”
Biden officials claimed that the reason that they shut down the probe was because they were concerned about the quality of the work and evidence. The story comes as the U.S. mainstream media has rapidly shifted its reporting on the lab leak theory from portraying it as an improbable conspiracy during the Trump-era to now portraying it as a credible theory.
A new report published this week stated that three researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) — China’s only Biosafety level-4 laboratory — were hospitalized in November 2019 with symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
“The details of the reporting go beyond a State Department fact sheet, issued during the final days of the Trump administration, which said that several researchers at the lab, a center for the study of coronaviruses and other pathogens, became sick in autumn 2019 ‘with symptoms consistent with both Covid-19 and common seasonal illness,’” The Wall Street Journal reported. “The disclosure of the number of researchers, the timing of their illnesses and their hospital visits come on the eve of a meeting of the World Health Organization’s decision-making body, which is expected to discuss the next phase of an investigation into Covid-19’s origins.”
The Australian reported earlier this month that documents obtained by the U.S. Government showed that the Chinese military had discussed weaponizing SARS coronaviruses a few years before the coronavirus pandemic erupted:
The document, written by People’s Liberation Army scientists and senior Chinese public health officials in 2015, was obtained by the US State Department as it conducted an investigation into the origins of COVID-19. The paper describes SARS coronaviruses as heralding a ‘new era of genetic weapons’ and says they can be ‘artificially manipulated into an emerging human disease virus, then weaponized and unleashed in a way never seen before.’
The report from The Australian was careful to caution that no information has been made public suggesting that the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic was the result of an intentional act. Many officials have urged investigations into the Wuhan Institute of Virology to determine if that lab, which is China’s only Biosafety Level-4 lab (BSL-4), had any role in the origin of the pandemic. BSL-4 is a designation for facilities that are designed to handle pathogens so contagious and dangerous that “infections caused by these microbes are frequently fatal and without treatment or vaccines,” according to the CDC.
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Jeremiah 33:3
'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.' — Jeremiah 33:3
Thoughts on Today's Verse....
This was originally spoken to Jeremiah about the fate of Jerusalem. However, this promise is true in special ways for us as well. God wants us to call to him.
God often waits for us to ask before he blesses us what he longs to give us. Yet we lack the ability to comprehend and receive all the great truth about God.
He is simply too big and too glorious for us to fully apprehend him in his grace.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)