"The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made; in the net which they hid, their own foot is caught." (Psalm 9:15, From today's Psalms reading)
Leave it to the Word of God to go to the heart of humanity's problem. We make pits and hide nets, then wonder what happened to our nations and our lives when we sink and are caught in them. America has been doing this for the past 50 years. Read, watch, or listen to the news and you will see in the nations of the world just how deep is their, "pit," how engulfing is their, "net." I have a new title for a book, The Rise and Fall of Mankind. In the Garden man rose and fell. In the Cross of Jesus, fallen man was once again raised to a, "new creation," in Jesus Christ. History shows, however, that even "Christian nations" have failed to follow Jesus, failed to obey His commands. They have been sinking and caught in pits and nets of their own creation throughout history.
The "remedy" for men and nations is to blame someone or something else for the pits and nets. This is politics in the United States of America; this is North Korea; and this, my friend, is far too often the "remedy" of Christians. This does not help anyone at all. I highly recommend praying the Scriptures because, "The Word of God," Who is Jesus Christ, gives us the prayers we need to break out of the vicious cycle. There are always consequences to pit and net construction, yet in Jesus Christ there is also forgiveness and redemption. Webster's defines "redeeming" as "serving to offset or compensate for a defect." While there is some theological truth in this definition, the Bible tells us that the redemption we have in Jesus goes beyond. He is our peace, our strength, our forgiveness, our way, truth, life, our everything. He did more than "offset or compensate" for our sins, though He can do this with our pits and nets. He destroyed their life destroying effects, "in His own body on the tree."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I do not want to think of the pits and nets I have made. I just want to think on You, and pray for no more pit and net construction. Amen.
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* May 19, 10:00 service of the CCE Congregation: I will be sharing about the North Korean Mission
* We have received $500.00 for this Fall's Berlin/Jerusalem Mission
Leave it to the Word of God to go to the heart of humanity's problem. We make pits and hide nets, then wonder what happened to our nations and our lives when we sink and are caught in them. America has been doing this for the past 50 years. Read, watch, or listen to the news and you will see in the nations of the world just how deep is their, "pit," how engulfing is their, "net." I have a new title for a book, The Rise and Fall of Mankind. In the Garden man rose and fell. In the Cross of Jesus, fallen man was once again raised to a, "new creation," in Jesus Christ. History shows, however, that even "Christian nations" have failed to follow Jesus, failed to obey His commands. They have been sinking and caught in pits and nets of their own creation throughout history.
The "remedy" for men and nations is to blame someone or something else for the pits and nets. This is politics in the United States of America; this is North Korea; and this, my friend, is far too often the "remedy" of Christians. This does not help anyone at all. I highly recommend praying the Scriptures because, "The Word of God," Who is Jesus Christ, gives us the prayers we need to break out of the vicious cycle. There are always consequences to pit and net construction, yet in Jesus Christ there is also forgiveness and redemption. Webster's defines "redeeming" as "serving to offset or compensate for a defect." While there is some theological truth in this definition, the Bible tells us that the redemption we have in Jesus goes beyond. He is our peace, our strength, our forgiveness, our way, truth, life, our everything. He did more than "offset or compensate" for our sins, though He can do this with our pits and nets. He destroyed their life destroying effects, "in His own body on the tree."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I do not want to think of the pits and nets I have made. I just want to think on You, and pray for no more pit and net construction. Amen.
************************
* May 19, 10:00 service of the CCE Congregation: I will be sharing about the North Korean Mission
* We have received $500.00 for this Fall's Berlin/Jerusalem Mission
When Peter, 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
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
