“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
“Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God . . .”
—–His Book
MARTYR
November 7, 2015 By Leave a Comment
A martyr is not simply someone who dies for his faith.
“The cause, not the suffering, makes a genuine martyr.” —–St. Augustine
A martyr is one “who has become an instrument of God, who has lost his will in the will of God, not lost it but found it, for he has found freedom in submission to God. The martyr no longer desires anything for himself, not even the glory of martyrdom.” —–T. S. Eliot
In original Greek, “martyr” means “witness.”
“. . . we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses [martyrs], . . . ” —–Hebrews, His Book
“You shall be witnesses [martyrs] to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” —–Jesus
The time has now come when Christians in America also experience what Jesus promised:
“Blessed are you when people revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven; for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
(The promise that Islamic killers die for—70 virgins in glory—is one more appealing counterfeit of the devil.)
FAITHFUL UNTO . . .
November 5, 2015 By Leave a Comment
“I told my son I wished I could have been there to understand what our forefathers went through up to and including the revolutionary war. Unfortunately my wish is coming true.”*
+ WOW!
+ THE PATRIOT movie
+ Churchill, “Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, Never Give Up.”
+ The Greatest Generation
+ In God We Trusted
+ God Blessed America
+ “We pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” They made good on their pledge, and paid the price.
+ So did my dad, compelling me to follow his faithfulness.
*I hope that encourages you and your son!
HISTORY REPEATS – – – FOR SURE ?
November 5, 2015 By Leave a Comment
Could we repeat our history when we defied history and created America, ONE NATION UNDER GOD ?
I don’t know if I should end that with ? ? ? or ! ! !
ONLY TWO CHOICES—WHO WILL YOU BELIEVE?
October 20, 2015 By Leave a Comment
1) God said, “Let there be . . . ”
or
2) The devil said, “Did God really say . . . “
GET REAL
October 20, 2015 By Leave a Comment
It is not our job, nor is it safe, to participate in games of phony cordiality to ease other people’s consciences without repentance.
“WE WHO CARE”
October 13, 2015 By Leave a Comment
In my first two years of college, when Concordia in Austin, Texas was very small, we had a campus organization called “We Who Care”.
Students volunteered to help all kinds of people—old folks, mentally disabled, kids in need of a friend.
And we did it for Jesus, because He said, “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do it for Me.”
Question: Who Cares?
Question: Who Can Care?
Question: Who Can Make a Difference?
Only people can care and make a difference in other people’s lives. Be ready to respond to a need, and do it. It is that simple.
Please know that governments cannot care about anything but the government. Government welfare is about the welfare of the government getting bigger.
Government does its God-given job* only when the people limit government power.
When people forget that government is their servant, they soon become its slaves.
Back to the title:
We are the ones who care about others.
We are the ones who take care of others.
And, Christians are the ones who care because Jesus cares about us.
*Government is made by God to punish bad guys who do bad, and praise good guys who do good. —–His Book
ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN? ARE YOU READY?
October 12, 2015 By Leave a Comment
“Are you a Christian?”
“Are you ready, if you say ‘Yes’?”
If a gun is pointed to your head, or if a knife is held at your throat, or if someone asks if you’re a Christian without threatening you, you might ask the person if he knows what it means to be a Christian.
You may never know if you may be the last person to tell someone about Jesus, and how trusting in Him is the only way to heaven.
If you are a Christian, ask God every day to arrange opportunities to speak about “the one thing needful”—that is, sharing a word from His Book.
“CHANGE YOUR NAME, OR CHANGE YOUR WAYS!!!!!” *
October 7, 2015 By Leave a Comment
America glorifies murder and violence on the screen—yet we decry killing when it spills over onto the news in real life.
America perpetuates the murder of babies—yet we exonerate and pay those who do the killing.
America makes a deal that leaves American Christians in Iranian prisons—yet makes a big deal trade for an American traitor.
American leaders advocate taking guns from Americans—yet endorse giving bombs to Iranians.
America knows our enemies can easily plunge us back 200 years instantly with assorted weapons on our infrastructure—yet we continue to live with total dependence on all our electronic technology going on forever.
America is racing to doomsday—yet we can’t get off.
America cozies up to the deadly vipers of terrorism—yet we turn our back on Israel in dead silence, in fatal silence, fatal to them and us, in spite of warnings from their leader before the whole world.
America fears the collapse of our fragile finances—yet we steadfastly stick to stashing our resources and hopes in the kingdom of Babylon.
American Christians will not repent of our sins in synch with Sodom—yet we broadcast cries for revival without “bringing fruit demonstrating repentance”.
In America, how many Christians today, right now, are changing their ways, sacrificing to the point of discomfort, to the point of suffering, by choice, to get right with God, to meet all the requirements of II Chronicles 7:14?
In America, until we who name the name of Jesus, see and turn from wicked ways in ourselves, individually and as His people together, God will continue to not hear, not forgive, not heal our land.
In America, the number one Biblical indictment of the church today is, “He went away sad, because he had great possessions”. I have heard that real life story waved off by American church leaders for decades, with “Jesus isn’t really saying WE should sell everything and give it to the poor and follow Him (just the one guy He was talking to then)”. How will we fare when it is taken away from us by force, by government, by collapse, by terrorism?
In America, financial advice given to American Christians does not apply to anyone without a portfolio or to Christians around the world. So, who is out of the will of God, clearly and repeatedly laid out in the Bible?
America has been the exception to the rule historically, clearly blessed by God, because we trusted Him and declared that trust publicly.
America will not be the exception to the rule historically as justified judgment falls on a nation that forgets God.
And, the unrepentant church will not be exempt.
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked.
Whatever a man (or nation) sows, that shall he also reap.”
“The wicked shall be turned into hell;
And all the nations that forget God.”
Better to sound the severe warnings of God while we have freedom.
Better to repent while we have time.
Busy, Busy, Busy
Each of us is so busy it becomes an end in itself to keep everything spinning in our own world—no time to stop and pray and read our Bibles, and let God examine our hearts and turn us.
“Be Still, And Know That I AM God.”
*—Alexander the Great, in anger to a young army deserter named Alexander.
AWESOME SUNRISE
October 7, 2015 By Leave a Comment
Every sunrise compels us to rise and shine.
“Rise and shine, and give God glory,
Children of the Lord.”