September 5
Here is a brief reflection upon the life of Napoleon and upon his views of Christ and Christianity. The following is authored by Bill Federer.
'There is between Christianity and whatever other religions the distance of infinity' -Napoleon
After the French Revolution, a slave revolt resulted in France's loss of Haiti (Saint-Domingue), one of the world's main producers of sugar. Desiring to replace it with another tropical colony in order to compete with Britain's India, the French General Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt in 1798.
Napoleon defeated the Egyptian Mamluk slave cavalry in just a few weeks. Napoleon then attempted to introduce democracy, equality and liberty but found there were no words in the Arabic language to convey such concepts, as the people had been ruled by the sword for centuries.
Napoleon uncovered the Pyramid treasures, the Rosetta Stone and conquered into Palestine. After losing the Battle of the Nile to Britain, Napoleon eventually had to return to France.
Napoleon, who was born AUGUST 15, 1769, conquered across Europe, including the countries of Italy, Austria, Poland, German States, Holland, Denmark and Norway. Napoleon's use of mobile artillery and the military tactic of 'envelopment' resulted in him being considered one of the greatest military commanders of all time.
Napoleon spread the metric system where all measurements were divisible by ten. He instituted a civil-legal system called the Napoleonic Code, which emancipated Catholics in Protestant countries and Protestants in Catholic countries, as well as Jews across Europe.
Fearing Haiti's slave rebellion would spread to the French Louisiana Territory, and badly needing money for his Army, Napoleon sold a million square miles of land to the United States in 1803 - the "Louisiana Purchase."
Napoleon hired Muslim Mamluk cavalry to invade Spain, but the draining Pennisular War resulted in Mexico declaring Independence.
Napoleon invaded Russia in June of 1812 with 400,000 men, six months later he retreated with only 40,000. The loss of French troops and his defeat at Leipzig led to Napoleon's abdication and exile on the Island of Elba in 1813.
After a year, he escaped and again took control of France for another 100 days, but lost the Battle of Waterloo, June 18, 1815. During the 17 years of Napoleonic Wars, an estimated 6 million Europeans died.
In October 1815, Napoleon was banished to the South Atlantic Island of Saint Helena, where he died in 1821 at the age of 52.
Prior to his death, he reflected upon his life. Napoleon dictated his "Mémoires" to General de Montholon, Baron Gourgaud and General Bertrand. His conversations were written down by Emmanuel de Las Cases in Memorial de Sainte Hélène (published 1823).
Napoleon had complained to Montholon of not having a chaplain, resulting in Pope Pius VII petitioning England to allow Abbé Vignali to be sent. Napoleon read out loud the Old Testament, the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles.
Affirming his belief in God, Napoleon told Montholon:
"I know men; and I tell you that Jesus Christ is not a man."
He went on: “Superficial minds see a resemblance between Christ and the founders of empires, and the gods of other religions. That resemblance does not exist. There is between Christianity and whatever other religions the distance of infinity...
“His religion is a revelation from an intelligence which certainly is not that of man"
Napoleon continued telling Montholon:
"The religion of Christ is a mystery which subsists by its own force, and proceeds from a mind which is not a human mind. We find in it a marked individuality, which originated a train of words and actions unknown before..."
Napoleon added:
"Jesus is not a philosopher, for His proofs are miracles, and from the first His disciples adored Him. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires; but upon what foundation did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force! But Jesus Christ founded His upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him."
Napoleon stated: "The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all that oppose it."
Napoleon once told a Milan parish priest in 1797: "Society without religion is like a ship without a compass."
Friday, September 5, 2014
Thursday, September 4, 2014
To Whom Shall We Bow?
September 4
“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, ‘We ought to obey God rather than men,’” Acts 5:29.
Peter’s words to the High Priest followed a remarkable demonstration of the power of Christ through His disciples. It came after His resurrection and after He told them that the signs and miracles He had done would be replicated by them (see John 14:12).
In Acts 5:12-28 we see another early fulfillment of that promise:
“The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.
“As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.
“Then the High Priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.
"‘Go, stand in the temple courts,’ he said, ;and tell the people all about this new life.’
“At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.
When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 'We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.'
“On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.
“Then someone came and said, ‘Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.’
“At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them. The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the High Priest.
"‘We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,’ he said. ‘Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.’”
Peter’s response as stated above, may be required of us at some point in the not-too-distant future. It doesn’t take a Constitutional scholar to recognize that our rights are being abrogated by an over-reaching government. It doesn’t take an intense study of the nightly news to recognize that our country, once brave and free, our government, once “of the people, by the people, for the people,” is, to paraphrase Lincoln, “perishing from the earth.”
When the jack-booted thugs come for us because we are steadfast in our allegiance to a Heavenly Kingdom rather than to the inglorious potentates of earth, what shall we do? Shall we bow and scrape before them to preserve our lives?
What shall we do when required to support the inane banality of traitorous law-makers? Will we be like the crowd of people in the children’s story, “The Emperor’s New Clothes” who ooohed and aaahhed over the 'fine attire' of the emperor who was in fact naked?
Or shall we stand to boldly proclaim that our rights are being swept away and that the police forces whose job is to protect the citizenry have become a military force to subjugate us to tyranny!
Unless we stand in truth as Peter did, unless we are willing to lay down our “lives, our fortune and our sacred honor,” as our founding fathers did when this country was established, we shall be the last generation of free people to occupy this land; our progeny shall be enslaved by the wicked chains of godless oppressors.
“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, ‘We ought to obey God rather than men,’” Acts 5:29.
Peter’s words to the High Priest followed a remarkable demonstration of the power of Christ through His disciples. It came after His resurrection and after He told them that the signs and miracles He had done would be replicated by them (see John 14:12).
In Acts 5:12-28 we see another early fulfillment of that promise:
“The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.
“As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.
“Then the High Priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.
"‘Go, stand in the temple courts,’ he said, ;and tell the people all about this new life.’
“At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.
When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 'We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.'
“On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.
“Then someone came and said, ‘Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.’
“At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them. The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the High Priest.
"‘We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,’ he said. ‘Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.’”
Peter’s response as stated above, may be required of us at some point in the not-too-distant future. It doesn’t take a Constitutional scholar to recognize that our rights are being abrogated by an over-reaching government. It doesn’t take an intense study of the nightly news to recognize that our country, once brave and free, our government, once “of the people, by the people, for the people,” is, to paraphrase Lincoln, “perishing from the earth.”
When the jack-booted thugs come for us because we are steadfast in our allegiance to a Heavenly Kingdom rather than to the inglorious potentates of earth, what shall we do? Shall we bow and scrape before them to preserve our lives?
What shall we do when required to support the inane banality of traitorous law-makers? Will we be like the crowd of people in the children’s story, “The Emperor’s New Clothes” who ooohed and aaahhed over the 'fine attire' of the emperor who was in fact naked?
Or shall we stand to boldly proclaim that our rights are being swept away and that the police forces whose job is to protect the citizenry have become a military force to subjugate us to tyranny!
Unless we stand in truth as Peter did, unless we are willing to lay down our “lives, our fortune and our sacred honor,” as our founding fathers did when this country was established, we shall be the last generation of free people to occupy this land; our progeny shall be enslaved by the wicked chains of godless oppressors.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
That Terrible Cost
September 3
"The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land,” Ezekiel 8:12.
"I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," Revelation 3:17.
The above verses convey a sense of smug confidence that the Lord neither sees nor cares about the behavior or the attitude of men. The individuals represented by this line of thought evidence a security rooted in their complacency, a security that is not troubled by sin because God seems not to notice it.
But the Word does address this kind of indifference to the law and the heart of the Holy One in I Corinthians 10:12 where Paul conveys the sobering admonition, “Let Him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
There is a day coming when each person who has ever dwelt in a tabernacle of flesh will be held accountable for not only his actions but also for his words and his thoughts. There is a day coming when each nation will be judged by how it has surrendered to the tenets of the Lord.
Those who think their wealth will keep them secure from accountability will discover--contrary to their self-assurance that they needed nothing--they were instead “poor and wretched and blind and naked,” Revelation 3:17. Those who are citizens of wealthy nations will feel the earth shake under their feet just as will those who are impoverished when that day comes when “everything that can be shaken will be shaken,” Hebrews 12:27, “and only what cannot be shaken will remain.”
It is sobering to contemplate the ramifications of the clear warnings of scripture that a time of accountability is coming for everyone. Whether each individual confronts that day individually upon his demise or whether they are caught up in that “great and terrible day of the Lord,” Malachi 4:5, before which our God will endeavor to restore the hearts of His people to the truths learned from our fathers, those who turn away from His truth will be judged and found wanting.
As stated in Ecclesiastes 8:11: "Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil," man has become entrenched in his folly because it appears there is no accountability for wrongdoing; but in this presumption, man is sorely in error.
Habakkuk 2:3 states quite clearly, “The promise is for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie. Though it tarry, wait for it, for it will surely come.” God’s word is steadfast and true. “His promises are yea and amen,” II Corinthians 1:20. When man turns his back on the Lord, there is a price to pay and man shall be held accountable for all his transgressions if he has not bowed before the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and placed every wicked thing he has ever done under the blood of the Lamb.
God does see—He sees beyond wealth and power, He sees beyond poverty and impotence--and He has not forsaken His law. If a man hasn’t received Jesus’ payment for the law in his behalf, that man will be required to pay the penalty for it on his own, and no one is wealthy enough to afford that terrible cost.
"The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land,” Ezekiel 8:12.
"I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," Revelation 3:17.
The above verses convey a sense of smug confidence that the Lord neither sees nor cares about the behavior or the attitude of men. The individuals represented by this line of thought evidence a security rooted in their complacency, a security that is not troubled by sin because God seems not to notice it.
But the Word does address this kind of indifference to the law and the heart of the Holy One in I Corinthians 10:12 where Paul conveys the sobering admonition, “Let Him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
There is a day coming when each person who has ever dwelt in a tabernacle of flesh will be held accountable for not only his actions but also for his words and his thoughts. There is a day coming when each nation will be judged by how it has surrendered to the tenets of the Lord.
Those who think their wealth will keep them secure from accountability will discover--contrary to their self-assurance that they needed nothing--they were instead “poor and wretched and blind and naked,” Revelation 3:17. Those who are citizens of wealthy nations will feel the earth shake under their feet just as will those who are impoverished when that day comes when “everything that can be shaken will be shaken,” Hebrews 12:27, “and only what cannot be shaken will remain.”
It is sobering to contemplate the ramifications of the clear warnings of scripture that a time of accountability is coming for everyone. Whether each individual confronts that day individually upon his demise or whether they are caught up in that “great and terrible day of the Lord,” Malachi 4:5, before which our God will endeavor to restore the hearts of His people to the truths learned from our fathers, those who turn away from His truth will be judged and found wanting.
As stated in Ecclesiastes 8:11: "Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil," man has become entrenched in his folly because it appears there is no accountability for wrongdoing; but in this presumption, man is sorely in error.
Habakkuk 2:3 states quite clearly, “The promise is for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie. Though it tarry, wait for it, for it will surely come.” God’s word is steadfast and true. “His promises are yea and amen,” II Corinthians 1:20. When man turns his back on the Lord, there is a price to pay and man shall be held accountable for all his transgressions if he has not bowed before the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and placed every wicked thing he has ever done under the blood of the Lamb.
God does see—He sees beyond wealth and power, He sees beyond poverty and impotence--and He has not forsaken His law. If a man hasn’t received Jesus’ payment for the law in his behalf, that man will be required to pay the penalty for it on his own, and no one is wealthy enough to afford that terrible cost.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Take Heed
September 2
"But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man," Luke 21:34-36.
This is a reiteration of the Lord’s warning in Matthew 24:44 and in Luke 12:40, “At an hour when you think not, the Son of Man shall come.” We are put on our guard about the promise that, after over 2000 years is yet unfulfilled. We are given notice that the human mindset that immediately precedes His return will be one of doubt.
And perhaps ‘doubt’ is too mild a word. Perhaps it should be stated, ‘The human mindset that immediately precedes His return will be one of disbelief.” Indeed, we in the Christian world have allowed ourselves to become aloof from our heritage of faith. We have allowed ourselves to become complacent, even indifferent, to the truth our forefathers were willing to die to espouse.
The founding fathers of the United States of America were willing to pledge their lives, their fortunes, their sacred honor in order to establish a country free of governmental tyranny, and we, their spiritual sons, are oblivious to the sacrifices they were willing to make because our history books have been so ‘dumbed down’ that we don’t even read about them anymore.
The exploits of our fathers in the faith are also relegated to the ash heap of history. We no longer study church history to be aware of the resolute and steadfast bravery with which the Apostles and those who followed them proclaimed the gospel. We hardly ponder the violent deaths they were willing to die in order that we might “know the truth that sets us free,” John 8:32.
We are too busy with the nothingness of our daily lives to ponder long upon the sacrifices of a group of men who were willing to lay everything upon the Altar of Freedom and Salvation. If we don’t investigate the truth that sets us free from oppression, how can we teach it to our children?
Deuteronomy 11:19-20 makes God’s command in the matter quite clear: “You shall therefore impress these words of Mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall write them on the door-posts of your house and on your gates, so your days and the days of your children shall be many in the land the Lord your God shall give you.”
We must begin again to “take heed” of ourselves. We must not be unchallenged by the admonitions of the Lord. Rather, we must take seriously His commands and drink in His truth and consume His words. If we want to live as a people, if we hope to survive as a culture, it behooves us to partake of the Word that sets us free and to share of the gospel of Christ’s good news among all our fellow sojourners through life.
"But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man," Luke 21:34-36.
This is a reiteration of the Lord’s warning in Matthew 24:44 and in Luke 12:40, “At an hour when you think not, the Son of Man shall come.” We are put on our guard about the promise that, after over 2000 years is yet unfulfilled. We are given notice that the human mindset that immediately precedes His return will be one of doubt.
And perhaps ‘doubt’ is too mild a word. Perhaps it should be stated, ‘The human mindset that immediately precedes His return will be one of disbelief.” Indeed, we in the Christian world have allowed ourselves to become aloof from our heritage of faith. We have allowed ourselves to become complacent, even indifferent, to the truth our forefathers were willing to die to espouse.
The founding fathers of the United States of America were willing to pledge their lives, their fortunes, their sacred honor in order to establish a country free of governmental tyranny, and we, their spiritual sons, are oblivious to the sacrifices they were willing to make because our history books have been so ‘dumbed down’ that we don’t even read about them anymore.
The exploits of our fathers in the faith are also relegated to the ash heap of history. We no longer study church history to be aware of the resolute and steadfast bravery with which the Apostles and those who followed them proclaimed the gospel. We hardly ponder the violent deaths they were willing to die in order that we might “know the truth that sets us free,” John 8:32.
We are too busy with the nothingness of our daily lives to ponder long upon the sacrifices of a group of men who were willing to lay everything upon the Altar of Freedom and Salvation. If we don’t investigate the truth that sets us free from oppression, how can we teach it to our children?
Deuteronomy 11:19-20 makes God’s command in the matter quite clear: “You shall therefore impress these words of Mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall write them on the door-posts of your house and on your gates, so your days and the days of your children shall be many in the land the Lord your God shall give you.”
We must begin again to “take heed” of ourselves. We must not be unchallenged by the admonitions of the Lord. Rather, we must take seriously His commands and drink in His truth and consume His words. If we want to live as a people, if we hope to survive as a culture, it behooves us to partake of the Word that sets us free and to share of the gospel of Christ’s good news among all our fellow sojourners through life.
Monday, September 1, 2014
Psalm of Protection
September 1
Our world is fraught with danger. There are wars and rumors of wars. There are terrorist hordes whose intent is to brutally annihilate everyone who does not subscribe to their concept of god and his purposes. Plagues are devastating whole populations. There are natural disasters on an intensified level.
The suffering of mankind is unabated in spite of great medical strides and technological advancements. According to the Biblical prophecy, “They shall cry, ‘Peace! Peace!’ but there is no peace,” Jeremiah 6:14, Jeremiah 8:11.
It seems the dire prophetic word, “When they are crying, ‘Peace and safety,’ then shall sudden destruction come upon them,” I Thessalonians 5:3, is even at the threshold of life as we know it. According to Luke 21:26, “Men's hearts are failing them for fear, because they are looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.”
Yet, we who believe in the power and salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ stand on His assurance that, “When these things come to pass, look up and lift up your head, for your redemption draws near,” Luke 21:28. We believe in the God who promises to hide His own people who love Him “under the shadow of His wing,” Psalm 17:8; that we shall be “kept as the apple of His eye.”
Psalm 91 delineates His assurances that His people shall be safe in Him but even if overtaken by the devastation wreaked by the forces of the evil one, still there is a promise that the life of His people transcends time and embraces eternity.
Psalm 91:
He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings shall you trust: His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flies by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand shall fall at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you behold the reward of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, your habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling. 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. 12 They shall bear you up in their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shall you trample under your feet. 14 Because you have set your love upon Me, therefore will I deliver you: I will set you on high, because you have known My name.
15 You shall call upon Me, and I will answer you; I will be with you in trouble; I will deliver you, and honor you.
16 With long life will I satisfy you, and shew you My salvation.
Our world is fraught with danger. There are wars and rumors of wars. There are terrorist hordes whose intent is to brutally annihilate everyone who does not subscribe to their concept of god and his purposes. Plagues are devastating whole populations. There are natural disasters on an intensified level.
The suffering of mankind is unabated in spite of great medical strides and technological advancements. According to the Biblical prophecy, “They shall cry, ‘Peace! Peace!’ but there is no peace,” Jeremiah 6:14, Jeremiah 8:11.
It seems the dire prophetic word, “When they are crying, ‘Peace and safety,’ then shall sudden destruction come upon them,” I Thessalonians 5:3, is even at the threshold of life as we know it. According to Luke 21:26, “Men's hearts are failing them for fear, because they are looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.”
Yet, we who believe in the power and salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ stand on His assurance that, “When these things come to pass, look up and lift up your head, for your redemption draws near,” Luke 21:28. We believe in the God who promises to hide His own people who love Him “under the shadow of His wing,” Psalm 17:8; that we shall be “kept as the apple of His eye.”
Psalm 91 delineates His assurances that His people shall be safe in Him but even if overtaken by the devastation wreaked by the forces of the evil one, still there is a promise that the life of His people transcends time and embraces eternity.
Psalm 91:
He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings shall you trust: His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flies by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand shall fall at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you behold the reward of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, your habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling. 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. 12 They shall bear you up in their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shall you trample under your feet. 14 Because you have set your love upon Me, therefore will I deliver you: I will set you on high, because you have known My name.
15 You shall call upon Me, and I will answer you; I will be with you in trouble; I will deliver you, and honor you.
16 With long life will I satisfy you, and shew you My salvation.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Stingy?
August 31
“Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. Likewise, he who had received two gained two more; but he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money,” Matthew 25:16-18.
If we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have the assurance that we have been given “a measure of faith,” Romans 12:3. The scripture does not tell us that the quantity of faith each of us has been given is equal to that which has been given to another. No. We have been told only that each of has been given some amount of faith.
We know that faith is a spendable commodity in the Kingdom of Christ. We can claim healing for ourselves when we are afflicted with illness; thereby spending our faith on a desired outcome. We can spend our faith for the salvation of those we love, pouring it out before the Lord in supplication that they might see and receive His truth.
We also know that it is something that can be invested into the purposes of the Kingdom. We can contribute our faith on the efforts of missionaries, for example. Although we have not been called to go to far-flung corners of the earth or to the inner cities of our own countries to spread the good news of salvation in Christ, we can contribute to the efforts of those who have been called to do so.
So, whether we spend our faith in the behalf of those who are near to us, or whether we invest our faith in the ministries of those who are “afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call,” Acts 2:39, we have an allotment of faith to spend in the behalf of the Kingdom of Christ and His purposes.
What are we doing with our faith? How are we spending it? How are we investing it? Are we like the man who received one talent and hid it in the ground? Is it deep within us where no one knows we have it but ourselves? Or have we invested the measure of faith that we have in the things the Lord has led us to support?
Are we praying for the sick who are among us and trusting that the Lord will pour His healing balm of Gilead in and through them? Are we investing in the nurturing of the young in the truth that is eternal? Are we attuned to the cry of the lost who need to read the message of salvation in the “living epistle of our lives,” II Corinthians 3:2?
Let us not be stingy with the spiritual treasure that has been entrusted to us. Let us lend and spend it in the behalf of the purposes of the One who died to set us free and to give us an inheritance that is eternal.
“Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. Likewise, he who had received two gained two more; but he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money,” Matthew 25:16-18.
If we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have the assurance that we have been given “a measure of faith,” Romans 12:3. The scripture does not tell us that the quantity of faith each of us has been given is equal to that which has been given to another. No. We have been told only that each of has been given some amount of faith.
We know that faith is a spendable commodity in the Kingdom of Christ. We can claim healing for ourselves when we are afflicted with illness; thereby spending our faith on a desired outcome. We can spend our faith for the salvation of those we love, pouring it out before the Lord in supplication that they might see and receive His truth.
We also know that it is something that can be invested into the purposes of the Kingdom. We can contribute our faith on the efforts of missionaries, for example. Although we have not been called to go to far-flung corners of the earth or to the inner cities of our own countries to spread the good news of salvation in Christ, we can contribute to the efforts of those who have been called to do so.
So, whether we spend our faith in the behalf of those who are near to us, or whether we invest our faith in the ministries of those who are “afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call,” Acts 2:39, we have an allotment of faith to spend in the behalf of the Kingdom of Christ and His purposes.
What are we doing with our faith? How are we spending it? How are we investing it? Are we like the man who received one talent and hid it in the ground? Is it deep within us where no one knows we have it but ourselves? Or have we invested the measure of faith that we have in the things the Lord has led us to support?
Are we praying for the sick who are among us and trusting that the Lord will pour His healing balm of Gilead in and through them? Are we investing in the nurturing of the young in the truth that is eternal? Are we attuned to the cry of the lost who need to read the message of salvation in the “living epistle of our lives,” II Corinthians 3:2?
Let us not be stingy with the spiritual treasure that has been entrusted to us. Let us lend and spend it in the behalf of the purposes of the One who died to set us free and to give us an inheritance that is eternal.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Let Us Stand
August 30
“At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask! What shall I give you?" And Solomon said: "You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing,” I Kings 3:5-10
Solomon had an outstanding beginning to his reign. God was pleased with his focus on governing His people rather than upon himself. In I Kings 3:11-13, the Holy One responded, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have you asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before, nor shall one like you arise after you. I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days.”
Bible scholars believe that Solomon was about twenty years old when this occurred. He expresses his awe at his new responsibility and says in I Kings 3:7 regarding it, "I am a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in." He is admitting before the Lord that he feels totally inadequate to the task he has been given. His unspoken acknowledgment is that he needs the help of God to function as he should as Israel’s new leader.
The significance to us of Solomon’s recognition of his helplessness in performing the task that’s been entrusted to him is that we, too, must recognize our inability to function within the sphere of our influence as believers apart from the help of God. Our Savior understood that truth so He promised to send the Holy Spirit to help us live our lives faithfully before the scoffers and doubters of the world.
In Luke 24:48-49 the Lord said to His followers, “You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high."
These words were spoken after Jesus was crucified (see Luke 23:26-43), but our Savior knew that simply having witnessed His death and resurrection would not be enough to keep them securely in the hollow of His hand through the fiery trials they would face when they earnestly began to confront the world with its sin.
We, like them, need His help to overcome the anxiety we will feel, the fear we will encounter within ourselves when we begin to face persecution for our faith in Christ, so He sent the Holy Spirit to us as well. In Acts 2:4 we are told, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them.”
In Acts 2:39 the Word goes on to tell us, “The promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.” We are the spiritual children of those early believers, for they sowed the seeds that have grown up in every corner of the earth and from which fruit we have partaken.
Let us realize as Solomon did that we are children who need the continual presence and power of the Holy Spirit to be with us. Let us not become complacent as he did (see I Kings, Chapter 11) in the promises the Lord has given to us. Let us not become distracted by foreign concepts.
Rather, let us remain faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ and be bold proclaimers of the salvation He has given throughout our lives. Whether we live long in a land of prosperity and peace or whether we suffer in a land of warfare against God’s irrefutable and eternal TRUTH, let us stand.
“At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask! What shall I give you?" And Solomon said: "You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing,” I Kings 3:5-10
Solomon had an outstanding beginning to his reign. God was pleased with his focus on governing His people rather than upon himself. In I Kings 3:11-13, the Holy One responded, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have you asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before, nor shall one like you arise after you. I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days.”
Bible scholars believe that Solomon was about twenty years old when this occurred. He expresses his awe at his new responsibility and says in I Kings 3:7 regarding it, "I am a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in." He is admitting before the Lord that he feels totally inadequate to the task he has been given. His unspoken acknowledgment is that he needs the help of God to function as he should as Israel’s new leader.
The significance to us of Solomon’s recognition of his helplessness in performing the task that’s been entrusted to him is that we, too, must recognize our inability to function within the sphere of our influence as believers apart from the help of God. Our Savior understood that truth so He promised to send the Holy Spirit to help us live our lives faithfully before the scoffers and doubters of the world.
In Luke 24:48-49 the Lord said to His followers, “You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high."
These words were spoken after Jesus was crucified (see Luke 23:26-43), but our Savior knew that simply having witnessed His death and resurrection would not be enough to keep them securely in the hollow of His hand through the fiery trials they would face when they earnestly began to confront the world with its sin.
We, like them, need His help to overcome the anxiety we will feel, the fear we will encounter within ourselves when we begin to face persecution for our faith in Christ, so He sent the Holy Spirit to us as well. In Acts 2:4 we are told, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them.”
In Acts 2:39 the Word goes on to tell us, “The promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.” We are the spiritual children of those early believers, for they sowed the seeds that have grown up in every corner of the earth and from which fruit we have partaken.
Let us realize as Solomon did that we are children who need the continual presence and power of the Holy Spirit to be with us. Let us not become complacent as he did (see I Kings, Chapter 11) in the promises the Lord has given to us. Let us not become distracted by foreign concepts.
Rather, let us remain faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ and be bold proclaimers of the salvation He has given throughout our lives. Whether we live long in a land of prosperity and peace or whether we suffer in a land of warfare against God’s irrefutable and eternal TRUTH, let us stand.
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