"You have...not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a wide place....Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trust in the LORD, mercy shall surround him....The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect....No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength....The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles....Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion who rejoice at my hurt....Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, 'Let the LORD be magnified." (From Psalms 31-35)
65 years ago today, May 7, 1945, the Allied Expeditionary Force, the Soviet High Command, and the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht signed the official surrender of Germany, ending World War II. It was ratified in Berlin the next day. On that day, Our text was confirmed throughout the earth. In succeeding days, much of the rejoicing and dancing in the streets was celebrating the triumph of military might, but there are uncounted testimonies of prevailing prayer of faithful Followers of Jesus Christ which prayed for that day. The First United Brethren Church in McKeesport, PA, led by Pastor Kenneth Barnette, was among them. Their faithful prayers throughout the war brought about a manifestation of Isaiah 28:6, "He will be a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate." General George S. Patton once said, "Courage is fear holding on a minute longer." Thank God for those who held on--------- to victory.
Yet our texts reveal that, "Dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations." History is the Great Stage on which Jesus Christ fulfills His Word. All of human history, from the beginning to this very day just demonstrates what the Bible says, "Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true." Jesus, Who is referred to in the Scriptures as, "The Word of God," shed His Blood, suffered, died, and rose again for the rebellion and carnage of the human race. No one ever did, nor ever could do that. No one was good enough. It is written of Jesus, "....the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot....to cleanse your conscience...."
Salvation for humanity is not, "by the multitude of an army;" it is in Jesus Christ. And when He returns-------------------- nations will "study war no more."
Father, in Jesus' Name, thank You so much for people who were willing to "die for something rather than live for nothing." Amen.
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I have put one of the best articles which Gary Bauer has ever written on our Blog @: www.apf327.blogspot.com
When an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
Watchman
Sentinel
Friday, May 7, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
"A City That Was Joined Together Within Itself"
"The built up Jerusalem is like a city that was joined together within itself." (Psalm 122:3)
This translation is from an article which I sent to our Jerusalem Watch Blog. I assume it is a great translation since it comes from a Jew living in Israel. There are two new posts to the Jerusalem Watch Blog as well as new posts to the "News, Commentary" Blog. I try to keep them up to date (There is one today concerning an alarming trend in Austria, the nation who had more Nazis per capita than Germany in the 1930s). Also, according to an article which I will send corresponding to today's devotional, Jerusalem/Zion is mentioned 823 times in the Bible. See the great quote about Jerusalem and the Koran in the accompanied article. If you are interested, I can send the complete article to you.
Our text, in the richness of the Hebrew language speaks of the Beloved City, "the City of the Great King" Jesus. It is His City, the City over which He lamented, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem." Don't ever let anyone tell you in their allegory based theology that Jerusalem is no longer central to God's plan. Today it is being "built up" while the American Administration is determined to allow Arabs and the Arab influenced Islamic world to defeat the purposes of the Blessed Trinity by pressuring Israel to give up at least half of Jerusalem to those who don't love her and never have. Obama is attempting to usurp the will of God. And, if memory serves me correctly, such an attitude is condemned to fail.
This is America's "National Day of Prayer." Politicians have lined up to issue proclamations to impress the naive, while the Administration has refused to have any observance in the White House, or allow Franklin Graham, who speaks the Truth of God, in the Pentagon. Some say we must look for the best in people. I say, look for the truth in people. Stand today in Jesus Christ and in His Words. Sin and righteous do not mix. Righteousness will always triumph. I pray today that America will be dominated by "righteousness," not the "righteousness" of amalgamation, but the "righteousness" which Jesus says, "exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,...Even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ...."
Father, in Jesus' Name, keep me from self promoting "niceness." Amen.
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Jerusalem Watch: www.apfjw.blogspot.com
News, Commentary: www.apf327.blogspot.com
When an 18 year old Norwegian "heard the call to evangelize China, he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking Unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking Unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
"The Law Is Spiritual," You Read Correctly, "Spiritual"
"We know that the law is spiritual...." (From today's reading,Rm. 7:14)
Who is the, "we," Paul?!? Most churchgoers you talk with are anti-law. Yes, they speak against governments when those governments pass laws against the Bible, but if you listen to the average religious person today, "law," is usually cast in a bad light. Maybe the reason is found in the last part of verse 14, "....I am carnal, sold under sin."
It cannot be emphasized too much that Jesus confirmed the law when He said, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." Many interpret, "to fulfill," as, "to replace." It is a sort of disguised "replacement theology." Maybe they would protest such theology when it comes to Israel and the Church, but they practice it when it comes to law and grace, faith and works, which are not mutually exclusive.
The psalmist said, "Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day." I know my love for Jesus Christ when I know my love for His Law. "If you love Me, keep My commandments" ("law"). Somehow even here the word, "commandments," sounds better to most than, "law," that much maligned word in the human race. Jesus, "The Word of God," spoke, "keep My commandments," many times to the Jews in the Old Testament. Nothing changed when He appeared among men. Love for God has always and only manifested in love for His Law-------the supreme confirmation that, "the Law is spiritual."
Father, in Jesus' Name, forgive any self-conceived spirituality. Amen.
************************************
Check out Prophetic Stuff @:
www.apf327.blogspot.com
www.apfjw.blogspot.com
When an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
Who is the, "we," Paul?!? Most churchgoers you talk with are anti-law. Yes, they speak against governments when those governments pass laws against the Bible, but if you listen to the average religious person today, "law," is usually cast in a bad light. Maybe the reason is found in the last part of verse 14, "....I am carnal, sold under sin."
It cannot be emphasized too much that Jesus confirmed the law when He said, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." Many interpret, "to fulfill," as, "to replace." It is a sort of disguised "replacement theology." Maybe they would protest such theology when it comes to Israel and the Church, but they practice it when it comes to law and grace, faith and works, which are not mutually exclusive.
The psalmist said, "Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day." I know my love for Jesus Christ when I know my love for His Law. "If you love Me, keep My commandments" ("law"). Somehow even here the word, "commandments," sounds better to most than, "law," that much maligned word in the human race. Jesus, "The Word of God," spoke, "keep My commandments," many times to the Jews in the Old Testament. Nothing changed when He appeared among men. Love for God has always and only manifested in love for His Law-------the supreme confirmation that, "the Law is spiritual."
Father, in Jesus' Name, forgive any self-conceived spirituality. Amen.
************************************
Check out Prophetic Stuff @:
www.apf327.blogspot.com
www.apfjw.blogspot.com
When an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Sometimes There is no Second Chance
"Then I said to you, 'Do not be terrified, or be afraid of them. The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes....'"(Dt. 1:29, 30)
But terror and fear ruled.
All but the most super spiritual among us have wondered at times why God does not answer all prayers. The not so subtle thinking is, "After all, doesn't He owe us?!?" Any who cut their spiritual teeth on the Charismatic movement came to expect every prayer to be answered just the way they prayed it. It was called, "faith." But it was too often a "me first" faith, not an "obedience first" faith.
There are two incidents in the early chapters of Deuteronomy which reveal the reality of life in the Kingdom of Heaven which was later to be confirmed and fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ. Deuteronomy 1 relates the story of the Jews about to enter "The Land." They heard how great it was, but they also heard of the impossibilities from some of their own number. Moses told them, "Do not be...afraid," of the unknown. But the people responded with a desire for some greater guarantee than the Word of God, "Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us...." They thought they were a committee designated to vote on the report of the men---- missed that one. They saw, indeed, the goodness of The Land, but the dangers and "impossibilities" loomed larger. They refused to go in. God said, "Okay, if that is the way you want it, you cannot go in." Then after the rebels heard the judgment pronounced by the Lord God, they relented. "O please, please forgive us. We'll go now." The Lord God said in affect, "Too late." The second incident recalls the disobedience of Moses at the Rock, and Moses begging God to change His Mind about refusing to let him go into the Land. Again, disobedience sealed the response.
Some believe they can disobey Jesus and just "claim it" or "declare" their way out of consequences. God does not work that way. He told Saul, "Obedience is better than sacrifice"---------- or claiming, declaring, binding, loosing. All the worship, declarations, prophetic intercessions a person or group can offer do not cancel the disobedience of men or nations, not in the Old Testament, not in the New. It is a very sobering lesson. Jesus, Immanuel, God incarnate, is Mercy, Grace, and Forgiveness incarnate. He shed His Blood, died, rose again, and is in the position of authority in the Throne Room of Heaven, where, "he always lives to make intercession for [us]." He has, "done all things well." But Jesus did not become, "flesh and dwell among us," to reveal a new "God." He is the same God in the Old Testament as in the New Testament, not a harsh God in the Old and a let-anything-come-what-may God in the New. In the midst of one of the greatest "promise" Psalms, 103, verse 7, God says, "He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel." Our texts reveal this reality. I must admit, I have thought about the following statement for quite a while today, and would be willing to discuss it with those who might object and have some theological question--------------- The Cross cancels sin. It does not cancel disobedience.
Father, in Jesus' Name, thank You so much for the lesson of Your Word. I pray that You keep writing Your Words in my heart and in my mind. Amen.
***********************************
New Great Articles at:
When an 18 year old Norwegian "heard the call to evangelize China, he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking Unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
Monday, May 3, 2010
The Great, "Therefore," of Life
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ...." (Romans 5:1)
I am "justified," declared innocent, holy, in a right relationship with the "Eternal One" only in Jesus Christ. Could we also say, "I am justified in my existence only 'by faith...through our Lord Jesus Christ?'" Furthermore, I can attest to our text that I have found peace in none other.
Turmoil may best describe our world and those whose lives have not found this, "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." The President of George Washington University during the 1960s gave one of the most penetrating descriptions of our age: "I'm afraid our neat, little, predictable world is vanishing, and that man is becoming more and more a lonely creature in the universe, doubting the mastery even of his own existence. Our fear of physical death has been transcended by that of even a greater fear--------- totally meaninglessness." Augustine expressed man's struggle in life this way, "Thou has made us for Thyself, O God, and our hearts are restless 'til they find their rest in Thee." Man is in the quagmire of his own rebellious pursuit of happiness and peace.
"Peace with God"---- most do not realize it, but what they are really seeking is this. But they will never find it in a "this," only in a "Him." Jesus Christ still calls to all the "lonely creature[s] in the universe," "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Oh, that we could know the depths of His call.
Father, in Jesus' Name, help me to know such depths! Amen.
********************************
www.apf327.blogspot.com
www.apfjw.blogspot.com
When an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
I am "justified," declared innocent, holy, in a right relationship with the "Eternal One" only in Jesus Christ. Could we also say, "I am justified in my existence only 'by faith...through our Lord Jesus Christ?'" Furthermore, I can attest to our text that I have found peace in none other.
Turmoil may best describe our world and those whose lives have not found this, "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." The President of George Washington University during the 1960s gave one of the most penetrating descriptions of our age: "I'm afraid our neat, little, predictable world is vanishing, and that man is becoming more and more a lonely creature in the universe, doubting the mastery even of his own existence. Our fear of physical death has been transcended by that of even a greater fear--------- totally meaninglessness." Augustine expressed man's struggle in life this way, "Thou has made us for Thyself, O God, and our hearts are restless 'til they find their rest in Thee." Man is in the quagmire of his own rebellious pursuit of happiness and peace.
"Peace with God"---- most do not realize it, but what they are really seeking is this. But they will never find it in a "this," only in a "Him." Jesus Christ still calls to all the "lonely creature[s] in the universe," "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Oh, that we could know the depths of His call.
Father, in Jesus' Name, help me to know such depths! Amen.
********************************
www.apf327.blogspot.com
www.apfjw.blogspot.com
When an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
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