Luke 11:28

 "Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it." Luke 11:28

The Value of a Negative Example

The Value of a Negative Example by Dr. D. James Kennedy “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come.” 1 Corinthians 10:11

Out in his yard, a minister was building a trellis to support a vine that he was going to plant. As he worked, the minister noticed a young boy, about twelve years old, standing nearby watching him. The minister nodded at the young lad as he continued to work, thinking the boy would go away. After a while, however, he noticed that the boy still stood there. Finally, the minister asked the boy, “Getting a lesson in horticulture?” “No,” came the response, “I just wanted to hear what a preacher said when he hit his thumb with a hammer.”

Do you realize that non-believers often study your life, watching to see if your actions and reactions corroborate what you profess? They not only watch preachers; they watch all Christians. Some of them watch hopefully, wanting confirmation of the life-changing potential of Christianity. Others watch hatefully, looking for an opportunity to disbelieve God. In either case, the world is watching.

While we all want to serve as good examples, as humans we can’t help failing. Yet, as humbling as it is for us, God can still use our mistakes as opportunities to show His greatness. Note the candor of Scripture concerning the sins of those who professed faith in the living God. Even the greatest saints have their portraits drawn with all warts present.

Consider Abraham and his lie about his wife. Or Moses and his anger and slaying of the Egyptian. Remember David’s adultery and his attempt to cover it up with murder. As we turn to the New Testament, let’s not forget the cowardly denials of Peter or the failure of Mark, who turned tail and ran during his first missionary trip. Yet despite their failures, God used these people to accomplish mighty things.

The next time you make a mistake, especially if you know someone has observed it, ask God to forgive you and to use you despite your sinfulness. Remind yourself that nobody's salvation depends on your perfection but everybody's salvation depends on Christ's perfect and complete work in his behalf.

And pray that God will enable you to be a good example for the cause of Jesus Christ as you acknowledge your sins and foibles and the Lord's provision to overcome them.

Today in History

Today in History 1520 Ferdinand Magellan Reaches the Pacific

After sailing through the dangerous straits below South America that now bear his name, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan entered the Pacific Ocean with three ships, becoming the first European explorer to reach the Pacific from the Atlantic.

On September 20, 1519, Magellan set sail from Spain in an effort to find a western sea route to the rich Spice Islands of Indonesia. In command of five ships and 270 men, Magellan sailed to West Africa and then to Brazil, where he searched the South American coast for a strait that would take him to the Pacific.

He searched the Rio de la Plata, a large estuary south of Brazil, for a way through; failing, he continued south along the coast of Patagonia. At the end of March 1520, the expedition set up winter quarters at Port St. Julian. On Easter day at midnight, the Spanish captains mutinied against their Portuguese captain, but Magellan crushed the revolt, executing one of the captains and leaving another ashore when his ship left St. Julian in August.

On October 21, he finally discovered the strait he had been seeking. The Strait of Magellan, as it became known, is located near the tip of South America, separating Tierra del Fuego and the continental mainland. Only three ships entered the passage; one had been wrecked and another deserted.

It took 38 days to navigate the treacherous strait, and when ocean was sighted at the other end Magellan wept with joy. His fleet accomplished the westward crossing of the ocean in 99 days, crossing waters so strangely calm that the ocean was named “Pacific,” from the Latin word pacificus, meaning “tranquil.”

By the end, the men were out of food and chewed the leather parts of their gear to keep themselves alive. On March 6, 1521, the expedition landed at the island of Guam.

Ten days later, they dropped anchor at the Philippine island of Cebu—they were only about 400 miles from the Spice Islands. Magellan met with the chief of Cebu, who after converting to Christianity persuaded the Europeans to assist him in conquering a rival tribe on the neighboring island of Mactan. In fighting on April 27, Magellan was hit by a poisoned arrow and left to die by his retreating comrades.

After Magellan’s death, the survivors, in two ships, sailed to the Moluccas and loaded the hulls with spice. One ship attempted, unsuccessfully, to return across the Pacific. The other ship, the Vittoria, continued west under the command of Basque navigator Juan Sebastian de Elcano. The vessel sailed across the Indian Ocean, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and arrived at the Spanish port of Sanlucar de Barrameda on September 6, 1522, becoming the first ship to circumnavigate the globe.

Americans Will Lose Jobs

 Americans Will Lose Jobs

Stephen Moore, Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Project for Economic Growth, at The Heritage Foundation, slammed Joe Biden during an interview on Thanksgiving, saying that Biden’s policies, specifically his desire to rejoin the Paris Climate Accords, are going to harm American workers.

Moore made the remarks during an interview on Fox News with Rick Leventhal where he noted that under the Trump administration the unemployment rate rapidly improved after it spiked earlier in the year due to the pandemic. Moore also touted the record-breaking time that a vaccine has been created, which happened under the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed.

Toward the end of the interview, Moore warned about the negative impacts that America will face if Biden rejoins the Paris Climate Accords once he takes office.

“I think one of the best things that Donald Trump did when he came into office, and we had talked to him on the campaign about this, that Paris climate change treaty is a joke,” Moore said. “The single biggest polluter in the world, by far, by far, is China and it doesn’t require China to do anything.”

“Meanwhile, we have to shut down our coal plants, we have to shut down our oil and gas facilities that employ millions of workers, we have to use more expensive energy while China and India and Russia laugh behind our back,” he continued.

“So, I don’t think it’s a very wise thing to do, this doesn’t put America first, it puts America last because American workers are the ones who are going to have to lose their jobs while the rest of the world — especially the countries that are the big polluters — don’t have to change their behavior.”

RICK LEVENTHAL: He’s a former adviser to the Trump 2016 campaign and founder of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity. Steve, first your thoughts on Janet Yellen’s position possibly as treasury secretary.

STEPHEN MOORE: I just have to say at the outset, we really should be celebrating this Thanksgiving this amazing economy. This is, we are now living through the single greatest and swiftest recovery from recession in American history thanks to Donald J. Trump.

We have the unemployment rate down below seven percent in six months, it took Obama-Biden 6 years to do that. We’ve got growth, the Dow went up to 30,000, a lot of that is because of Operation Warp Speed and the vaccine that’s coming. So, 2021 is really setting up to be a blockbuster year as long as Joe Biden’s policies don’t ruin it and don’t derail this incredible expansion.

Now, some of the people that Joe Biden has nominated or at least is expected to nominate, people like Janet Yellen.

I know Janet Yellen a bit, I think she’s a very competent person. I don’t always agree with her on policy, but we could’ve gotten a lot worse. You know. I think a lot of conservatives are happy that at least it’s not Elizabeth Warren.

LEVENTHAL: What about these other potential members of the squad being added to the cabinet? I know progressives are pushing their agenda on Joe Biden and hope that he’ll play ball with them.

MOORE: Well, first of all, I was listening to that report and it sounds like it’s all this kind of racial and gender equity and not choosing the most qualified people, I’m not saying these people aren’t qualified, but I think Americans do want a color blind society and the idea that people should be picked because of their gender or the color of their skin probably isn’t the best idea for America.

By the way, Donald Trump had some incredible high-level people who served him in his cabinet who were black and who were Hispanic who did an amazing job. So, I think what matters is, who can get this economy back. We still have a lot of work to do, but truly, this is an amazing recovery we’ve been in. Nobody expected we’d be where we are and let’s not forget, nobody thought we could have a vaccine in less than a year. That’s never happened before in world history, never. And we’ve got this vaccine that’s going to be out early in January hopefully and that’s going to save potentially millions of lives all over the world.

Thoughts on Today's Verse

 He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." Luke 11:28

Thoughts on Today's Verse by Phil Ware

God gave us his word to bless us. When we obey what he asks of us, we get to walk in that blessing. On the other hand, as Jesus reminded us at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, when we know the will of God and don't obey it, we are foolish.

I don't know about you, but I prefer to receive a blessing!

Thank God for speaking to us through his word — the Scriptures — so we can know his will and walk in his blessing and for speaking to us through his living Word — his Son — so we can know his heart as we apply his will to our lives.

My Prayer...

Thank you, Father, for revealing your will to me through the Scriptures. Thank you for wanting to bless me and protect me from evil. Please forgive me for the times in the past that I have ignored your will or neglected being obedient to it. Today, I commit to live intentionally in your will and to live obediently to your word. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Keeping Track

 Keeping Track by Bill Keller

Many years ago, the Chinese government began paying US big tech firms to develop a system to literally track and be in control of EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE 1.4 BILLION PERSONS IN THEIR COUNTRY!

Also, approximately 40 million packages are handled daily by FedEx, UPS, USPS, DHL that can be tacked virtually from the moment they leave your hands until the moment they are delivered to any destination in the world.

Obviously, we have mechanisms that accurately track massive numbers of items. While the Chinese have not yet put a tracking code on each one of their citizens, they are able to fairly accurately keep track of their 1.4 billion citizens in a massive data base via a computer program that assigns every one of their citizens a social credit score. This social credit score has a profound impact on the daily lives of Chinese citizens.

Here are some of the things that affect that score. Being a Christian or part of any faith group impacts a person’s score negatively. Other things that have a negative impact are having unpaid debts, playing excessive video games, being a critic of the government, not keeping your home or business clean, playing loud music, and breaking any laws.

Helping your social credit score are things like taking care of elderly parents, being a law-abiding citizen, performing charitable efforts, and supporting the Chinese government.

While much of this information is accessible through public records, it is obvious much of it is the type of information that can be known only by personal observation which is acquired in any repressive regime through government spies. These spies are people you would never suspect, but they are tasked by the government with reporting the things they see to those within the government who are keeping track of each citizen.

So, what is the impact on a person of having a poor social credit score? Based on their score they can be banned from using public transportation. They can be banned from flying. They can be prohibited from leaving the country. They can be banned from being able to check into a hotel. It can be impossible for them to get a decent job. Their internet connection can be slowed way down. They can become social outcasts.

Think for a minute about our own country. Here we have our FICO score, or our credit score. This is not something YOU initiated. As a matter of fact, it is not something you have any control over. It is virtually impossible to avoid acquiring a FICO score unless you don’t exist.

You may not think about your FICO score unless you are trying to buy a home, a car, a washing machine. It is a score that follows you throughout your entire life, and again, is critical if you ever try to get credit to buy anything.

Many people think the government controls the FICO score, or the credit reporting agencies. The fact is, Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian, are the main three credit reporting companies and they are private businesses over which the government has no real control. Although these companies have put in place procedures for people to challenge their credit score, doing so is a long, tedious process that will test your patience.

At this point you may be saying, “Well, this is interesting, but so what?”

Here is the so what. US based big tech companies put together the computer programs the Chinese government has been using for several years now to assign EVERY ONE OF THEIR 1.4 BILLION PEOPLE A SOCIAL CREDIT SCORE, and there will be some sort of consortium of private companies, just like Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian in the credit reporting world, to use this existing computer infrastructure to assign every person in the US a social credit score whether you want it or not!

There are unconfirmed reports that it is already happening. People are already being assigned social credit scores, even though they don’t even know what it is or how it will be used.

This type of a “score” would be incredibly valuable for employers, insurance companies, colleges, businesses and organizations that would pay a firm, just like business pay the big three credit reporting agencies, to have your social credit score and the factors that make it up.

My guess is that it would be made up of the incredible volume of existing public information such as public records that are accessible regarding your criminal history if any, your credit history, your driving record, school and medical records, and so much more. There are tons of “investigative” websites where you pay $30 or more to literally find out virtually everything there is to know about a person. THESE DATA BASES ALREADY EXIST!

So utilizing just current existing data bases of public records, a company could end up assigning a person a social credit score. Obviously, how they determine that number, how they weigh information, all of that really will be left up to the company that puts this together.

Interestingly, the equipment that can produce this kind of information about each individual can also be used to control voting machines.

Do you think it’s already being done?

Quote

 May you find someone to love you as much as Barack Obama loves himself.