COPIED FROM AN EMAIL I RECEIVED TODAY FROM FOCUS ON THE FAMILY ACTION:
Today is the anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions -- the horrendous Supreme Court cases that legalized abortion and have resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of preborn babies. Thousands of pro-life Americans are in our nation’s capital marching for the preborn very near the place President Obama took the oath of office earlier this week.
I want to ask you to join me in praying for a change of heart for President Obama.
You see, Obama has pledged to push the most radical pro-abortion agenda in American history. He said, “The first thing I’d do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act” (FOCA). FOCA could overturn hundreds of pro-life measures and could legalize even the heinous partial-birth abortion procedure.
But President Obama also professes to follow Christ. Since God can change the hearts of even unwilling rulers, He certainly can change the heart of a president who professes to be a Christian! Will you join me, today and in the days to come, in praying for a miraculous change of heart in Obama’s plans to push FOCA and a radical abortion agenda?
Tom Minnery
Senior Vice President, Government & Public Policy
UPDATE ON FACEBOOK THIS WEEK: "David B. Smith is wishing Christians would stop complaining about our President and start praying for him and all of our leaders. God's will for His plan not ours!"
You're right on David. It's the one thing we can do that has the most power. Take it to the ONE who can change the heart of man. PRAYER DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
FATHER ABRAHAM
I'm still reading in Genesis about Abraham and came across a very familiar part of his story. GENESIS 22:1-18 You know the one where God tells Abraham to go up on the mountain and sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Abraham and Sarah had waited so long for this son. Sarah even laughed when she heard she would have a son because she and Abraham were so old. But like usual...God is faithful to His promises.
So now God tells Abraham to take this long awaited son up on the mountain and sacrifice him. Abraham does as instructed. He takes Isaac, a couple of servants, and cut the needed wood for the burnt offering sacrifice. He goes to the place God had told him. When they arrive, Abraham tells his servants to stay behind while he and Isaac go the rest of the way by themselves. Can you imagine what Isaac is thinking? (ISAAC: Dad, I know God told you to do all of this but where's the lamb for the sacrifice? Something's not just right here. ABRAHAM: Don't worry, son. God will take care of all the details.) So they head on up the mountain. Abraham builds the altar, puts the wood down, ties Isaac up, lays him on the wood and raises the knife. Abraham has every intention of going through with the instructions God gave him. But an angel of the Lord stops him and says he sees how Abraham trusts God. Then just like Abraham knew God would, He provided the lamb. It was in the bushes.
Why does God do all of this if He never planned on Abraham having to actually kill his son? You can find the answer in Genesis 22:1. It was a test - a really big, important test. Some times the things we go through or have to experience is nothing more than God testing our faith, just like He did with Abraham. If Abraham was going to get graded on THIS test, what would it be? I think he would receive a huge A++. He did exactly what God asked him. He never wavered or 2nd guessed God. His faith carried him all the way through, all the way up to raising the knife. IF he had to kill Isaac he believed God would raise him from the dead.
A couple of years back when I was studying this same story to teach SS, this verse jumped out at me. Genesis 22:5 "He said to his servants, 'Stay here with the donkey. My son and I will go over there and worship, and then we will come back to you.'" Have you ever noticed that verse? What did Abraham mean when he said "we will come back to you?" I think Abraham's faith that God would provide never failed. He knew he would come back down that mountain with his son. He didn't know how but he had absolute belief that God would not have given him Isaac, made the promises He did, only to have it end up this way. BUT...just incase he was wrong, he was also determined that he would be faithful to do whatever God was asking, even if it made no sense or was going to break his heart.
This is one of my favorite OT stories. What an awesome example for us!! Will we be willing to go the distance, whatever God asks of us? Even when it makes no sense or is going to be really tough, will we be willing to keep the faith all the way till the end? Could we be listed in the "Faith Hall of Fame"? Check it out...Hebrews 11:17-19. Just saying...
So now God tells Abraham to take this long awaited son up on the mountain and sacrifice him. Abraham does as instructed. He takes Isaac, a couple of servants, and cut the needed wood for the burnt offering sacrifice. He goes to the place God had told him. When they arrive, Abraham tells his servants to stay behind while he and Isaac go the rest of the way by themselves. Can you imagine what Isaac is thinking? (ISAAC: Dad, I know God told you to do all of this but where's the lamb for the sacrifice? Something's not just right here. ABRAHAM: Don't worry, son. God will take care of all the details.) So they head on up the mountain. Abraham builds the altar, puts the wood down, ties Isaac up, lays him on the wood and raises the knife. Abraham has every intention of going through with the instructions God gave him. But an angel of the Lord stops him and says he sees how Abraham trusts God. Then just like Abraham knew God would, He provided the lamb. It was in the bushes.
Why does God do all of this if He never planned on Abraham having to actually kill his son? You can find the answer in Genesis 22:1. It was a test - a really big, important test. Some times the things we go through or have to experience is nothing more than God testing our faith, just like He did with Abraham. If Abraham was going to get graded on THIS test, what would it be? I think he would receive a huge A++. He did exactly what God asked him. He never wavered or 2nd guessed God. His faith carried him all the way through, all the way up to raising the knife. IF he had to kill Isaac he believed God would raise him from the dead.
A couple of years back when I was studying this same story to teach SS, this verse jumped out at me. Genesis 22:5 "He said to his servants, 'Stay here with the donkey. My son and I will go over there and worship, and then we will come back to you.'" Have you ever noticed that verse? What did Abraham mean when he said "we will come back to you?" I think Abraham's faith that God would provide never failed. He knew he would come back down that mountain with his son. He didn't know how but he had absolute belief that God would not have given him Isaac, made the promises He did, only to have it end up this way. BUT...just incase he was wrong, he was also determined that he would be faithful to do whatever God was asking, even if it made no sense or was going to break his heart.
This is one of my favorite OT stories. What an awesome example for us!! Will we be willing to go the distance, whatever God asks of us? Even when it makes no sense or is going to be really tough, will we be willing to keep the faith all the way till the end? Could we be listed in the "Faith Hall of Fame"? Check it out...Hebrews 11:17-19. Just saying...
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
YOU gotta have faith
"(1) The Lord said to Abram, "Leave your country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land I will show you. (4) So Abram left Haran as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. At this time Abram was 75 years old." Genesis 12:1 & 4
"(8) The officer answered, "Lord, I am not worthy for you to come into my house. You only need to command it, and my servant will be healed. (10) When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those who were following him, "I tell you the truth, this is the greatest faith I have found, even in Israel." Matthew 8:8 & 10
Do you see some similarity in those two groups of verses?
As soon as I read the familiar verses in Genesis today on my mobile Bible :-) where God told Abram (or Abraham as we know him) to leave without giving him the details I automatically thought of the faith it took for Abraham to be obedient. He didn't question God. He didn't ask for the rest of the story. He didn't ask what next? He just stepped out in faith and did what God asked him to do.
So...then I read on and switched over to the NT and what do I read? I read about people who were coming to Jesus to be healed because they had faith He could/would do that. In fact, there was an officer Jesus described as "having the greatest faith in Isreal." WOW!! That's some faith, isn't it?
Earlier Carmela was praising God on FaceBook for answering her prayer request. I was reminded of the verses I'd read before and thought "we gotta have faith" just like these guys did. God is still teaching me patience on a specific prayer request I have. But God spoke to me even later when I was thinking about it again. It was like He said, "No, Marsha - YOU gotta have faith."
I needed that. Thank you, Lord, for speaking to me and reminding me You see all things, and You haven't forgotten about me. Your timing is perfect, and I will continue to "try" to be patient... and have faith.
"(8) The officer answered, "Lord, I am not worthy for you to come into my house. You only need to command it, and my servant will be healed. (10) When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those who were following him, "I tell you the truth, this is the greatest faith I have found, even in Israel." Matthew 8:8 & 10
Do you see some similarity in those two groups of verses?
As soon as I read the familiar verses in Genesis today on my mobile Bible :-) where God told Abram (or Abraham as we know him) to leave without giving him the details I automatically thought of the faith it took for Abraham to be obedient. He didn't question God. He didn't ask for the rest of the story. He didn't ask what next? He just stepped out in faith and did what God asked him to do.
So...then I read on and switched over to the NT and what do I read? I read about people who were coming to Jesus to be healed because they had faith He could/would do that. In fact, there was an officer Jesus described as "having the greatest faith in Isreal." WOW!! That's some faith, isn't it?
Earlier Carmela was praising God on FaceBook for answering her prayer request. I was reminded of the verses I'd read before and thought "we gotta have faith" just like these guys did. God is still teaching me patience on a specific prayer request I have. But God spoke to me even later when I was thinking about it again. It was like He said, "No, Marsha - YOU gotta have faith."
I needed that. Thank you, Lord, for speaking to me and reminding me You see all things, and You haven't forgotten about me. Your timing is perfect, and I will continue to "try" to be patient... and have faith.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
The WORD is Mobile
I've started reading the Bible on this program Kevin C. suggested loading on my Blackberry. It's pretty cool. It has the entire Bible with all kinds of different versions. It has a daily reading plan so I've been using it for the last several days. I really like that I can take it wherever I go. It has chapters listed to read daily and it seems to help not being able to see how many verses I'll have to read. I just start reading. In the past it always seemed a bit daunting. I don't know if this makes sense so all I'm saying is I'm enjoying reading this way.
Earlier while I was reading, two things struck me from some of the verses. One was in the OT and one was in the NT. I'll start with the OT.
"The Lord saw that the human beings on the earth were very wicked and that everything they thought about was evil. He was sorry he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, "I will destroy all human beings that I made on the earth. And I will destroy every animal and everything that crawls on the earth and the birds of the air, because I am sorry I have made them." Genesis 6:5-7 (NCV)
It's hard to believe there was a time when God was actually sorry He'd created man. When I read that this morning it was like a knife went through me. Can you imgaine the anguish He must have felt when He said that? I thought about when Jesus hung on the cross and took on all the pain and paid the price for those sins THEN, today's and tomorrow's sins. God took pretty drastic measures when Noah was alive and allowed the world to be destroyed by a flood. God turned His back on mankind that day. God also took pretty drastic measures the day He allowed Jesus to die on the cross for you and me. God turned His back on His Son. Part of me wonders what God must think about mankind TODAY. While I know He loves us, and inspite of ourselves He provides a way for us to be with Him through His Son, how much does mankind grieve His heart? What if Jesus hadn't been willing to come to earth? Would God be so unhappy with us that He would consider destroying earth again? I look around, read the paper, watch the news, know what I think and say sometimes, and know there is a lot of evil around us. How would it be without the influence of Jesus? He changed the world, didn't He? How would the world be without Him? How would the world be without us? Think about it!!
The 2nd group of verses I read in the NT was in Matthew. Here they are... "People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do, you will be blessed. Rejoice and be glad, because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did the same evil things to the prophets who lived before you. " Matthew 5:11-12 (NCV)
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemies.' But I say to you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you. If you do this, you will be true children of your Father in heaven. He causes the sun to rise on good people and on evil people, and he sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong. If you love only the people who love you, you will get no reward. Even the tax collectors do that. And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than other people. Even those who don't know God are nice to their friends." Matthew 5:43-47 (NCV)
We are to love and most importantly I think, pray for those who hurt us. It's easy to be nice to those we think are nice or are our friends but not the ones we think have hurt us OR hurt the ones we love. That's hitting close to home right now so when I read these verses, it really made me stop. I think the verses speak loud and clear and don't need any explanation from me. All I'll say is it's really hard but I want those rewards in heaven the verses mentioned so it's something I have to work on and DO. What about you? Do you want to be who God wants you to be? Is there someone you're going to have to pray for whether you really want to or not? No? Well, consider yourself fortunate. Hold on though...there will be. They'll show themselves soon enough. Just remember to Pray for those who hurt you. And can we all just work on being nice to everyone, whether they are our "friends" or not? (Don't worry, I'm talking to myself first.)
Earlier while I was reading, two things struck me from some of the verses. One was in the OT and one was in the NT. I'll start with the OT.
"The Lord saw that the human beings on the earth were very wicked and that everything they thought about was evil. He was sorry he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, "I will destroy all human beings that I made on the earth. And I will destroy every animal and everything that crawls on the earth and the birds of the air, because I am sorry I have made them." Genesis 6:5-7 (NCV)
It's hard to believe there was a time when God was actually sorry He'd created man. When I read that this morning it was like a knife went through me. Can you imgaine the anguish He must have felt when He said that? I thought about when Jesus hung on the cross and took on all the pain and paid the price for those sins THEN, today's and tomorrow's sins. God took pretty drastic measures when Noah was alive and allowed the world to be destroyed by a flood. God turned His back on mankind that day. God also took pretty drastic measures the day He allowed Jesus to die on the cross for you and me. God turned His back on His Son. Part of me wonders what God must think about mankind TODAY. While I know He loves us, and inspite of ourselves He provides a way for us to be with Him through His Son, how much does mankind grieve His heart? What if Jesus hadn't been willing to come to earth? Would God be so unhappy with us that He would consider destroying earth again? I look around, read the paper, watch the news, know what I think and say sometimes, and know there is a lot of evil around us. How would it be without the influence of Jesus? He changed the world, didn't He? How would the world be without Him? How would the world be without us? Think about it!!
The 2nd group of verses I read in the NT was in Matthew. Here they are... "People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do, you will be blessed. Rejoice and be glad, because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did the same evil things to the prophets who lived before you. " Matthew 5:11-12 (NCV)
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemies.' But I say to you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you. If you do this, you will be true children of your Father in heaven. He causes the sun to rise on good people and on evil people, and he sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong. If you love only the people who love you, you will get no reward. Even the tax collectors do that. And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than other people. Even those who don't know God are nice to their friends." Matthew 5:43-47 (NCV)
We are to love and most importantly I think, pray for those who hurt us. It's easy to be nice to those we think are nice or are our friends but not the ones we think have hurt us OR hurt the ones we love. That's hitting close to home right now so when I read these verses, it really made me stop. I think the verses speak loud and clear and don't need any explanation from me. All I'll say is it's really hard but I want those rewards in heaven the verses mentioned so it's something I have to work on and DO. What about you? Do you want to be who God wants you to be? Is there someone you're going to have to pray for whether you really want to or not? No? Well, consider yourself fortunate. Hold on though...there will be. They'll show themselves soon enough. Just remember to Pray for those who hurt you. And can we all just work on being nice to everyone, whether they are our "friends" or not? (Don't worry, I'm talking to myself first.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
