CHRISTMAS BLOG- SHARE THE BLESSING
The most practical Christmas gift I can give to you is a pervasive truth from the Scriptures. A pervasive truth is one that jumps out at us from many books of the Bible and is repeated frequently. I call this particular truth, "Share the Blessings".
Here is the truth I'm talking about: When we are the recipients of a blessing, we are not to bottle it, horde it, or store it. Rather, we are to share the blessing! A perfect example is in 2 Corinthians 1:3,4.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, Who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."
In other words, if we are blessed, pass it on. Jesus makes it clear in the Lord's Prayer that, if we are forgiven, we are to be forgiving. When the Holy Spirit blesses us with a spiritual gift, we are not to bottle it for our own enjoyment, but we are to use it to share with others. When we have been encouraged, encourage others. They need it.
I encourage you to Share the Blessings this Advent season and rejoice as the blessings spread through your family, friends, and neighbors.
May God bless you greatly this Christmas season and into the New Year!
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Let's change subjects completely....
HUDNA
Just as I was preparing to write to you about the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians, someone gave me an article from news commentator Charles Krauthammer which covered the topic. He does a good job explaining what is really going on at this time. It is called "HUDNA". I hope you have seen his article. I want to expand on his explanation from my experience inside Islam which I referred to in an earlier blog.
The main line media would have us believe that the new leader in Egypt is cooperating with the U. S. to help bring about a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians. He is actually being praised for his role in the process. Nothing could be more naive. He is a leader in the Muslim Brotherhood. He has no interest in real peace with Israel. He is simply engaged in the ancient Islamic strategy of HUDNA. It goes back to Mohammed. Mohammed used Hudna a few times in his life. It has been a strategic weapon in Islamic conquests ever since. It has been used so many times that it has its own name. Here is how it works:
When muslims are engaged in a conflict and things are not going well, they call for a ceasefire. They negotiate the conditions for the ceasefire which can be anything because they have no intention of keeping them for long. Then they re-arm, repair the weapons, adjust strategy, and replenish the troops until they believe they have the upper hand. Then they resume the attack. That is what the Palestinians are doing right now. They will resume the rocket attacks on Israel as soon as they see they have the upper hand. The new Egyptian leader is simply a tool to implement Hudna. I hope our State Dept. realizes that before they nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Thursday, November 8, 2012
REACTING TO THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Everyone I've talked to this week has a reaction to Tuesday's election. The election was a great way to express one's opinion about the way the nation is run. About half of the voters thought President Obama earned 4 more years to try to bring about the "change" he talked about in 2008. The other half wanted a change in leadership. They preferred a successful, experienced businessman who understands the economy and has run various large organizations.
The responses after Tuesday were predictable. President's supporters were joyful. The supporters of Gov. Romney were crushed. They felt he was the last hope to keep us from rushing over the "cliff" into disaster which so many advisors are predicting. Many are now making plans to protect themselves and their families from the coming disaster.
Here are some thoughts for those who are believers:
1. An old hymn says something like this, "This is not our home, we are just passing through". I Peter 2:11 says, "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires." Throughout Peter's letter believers are referred to as "strangers". Hebrews 11:13 has the same idea. Our real citizenship is not here, but in heaven. (Philippians 3:20). This world should seem strange to believers because we are strangers here. So, we should not be surprised at decisions that people make that seem unreasonable. I remember the day not long ago when the Federal Government reversed the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. At the same time, the ban on beastiality was also lifted. I never felt more like a "stranger" in my life. Peter's words were never more real.
2. Involving oneself in political efforts to which we are committed is admirable. But, to bring others into the new citizenship of heaven is to be our primary activity. As much as we love to involve ourselves in the things of this world, we need to heed Paul's advice, "As we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body". Our earthly citizenship is only temporary. Our heavenly citizenship is eternal.
Everyone I've talked to this week has a reaction to Tuesday's election. The election was a great way to express one's opinion about the way the nation is run. About half of the voters thought President Obama earned 4 more years to try to bring about the "change" he talked about in 2008. The other half wanted a change in leadership. They preferred a successful, experienced businessman who understands the economy and has run various large organizations.
The responses after Tuesday were predictable. President's supporters were joyful. The supporters of Gov. Romney were crushed. They felt he was the last hope to keep us from rushing over the "cliff" into disaster which so many advisors are predicting. Many are now making plans to protect themselves and their families from the coming disaster.
Here are some thoughts for those who are believers:
1. An old hymn says something like this, "This is not our home, we are just passing through". I Peter 2:11 says, "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires." Throughout Peter's letter believers are referred to as "strangers". Hebrews 11:13 has the same idea. Our real citizenship is not here, but in heaven. (Philippians 3:20). This world should seem strange to believers because we are strangers here. So, we should not be surprised at decisions that people make that seem unreasonable. I remember the day not long ago when the Federal Government reversed the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. At the same time, the ban on beastiality was also lifted. I never felt more like a "stranger" in my life. Peter's words were never more real.
2. Involving oneself in political efforts to which we are committed is admirable. But, to bring others into the new citizenship of heaven is to be our primary activity. As much as we love to involve ourselves in the things of this world, we need to heed Paul's advice, "As we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body". Our earthly citizenship is only temporary. Our heavenly citizenship is eternal.
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