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Daily Devotional – April 26

2Thessalonians 3:16 Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord [be] with you all.

Daily Devotional – April 26

ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG

“They say theres a heaven for those who will wait
Some say its better but I say it aint
Id rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints
The sinners are much more fun…

You know that only the good die young
Oh woah baby
I tell ya
Only the good die young, only the good die young.”

Billy Joel, “Only The Good Die Young”. 1977

A friend of an acquaintance passed away over a week ago at the young age of 52.   Roger was a man who lived life fast and hard.  An existence characterized by self-indulgent behavior with little to no regard for others.  Roger’s lifestyle had destroyed his body.

It was an unusual wake. One is accustomed to hushed reverence, subdued demeanors, and air of sadness at such–but the only thing lacking at this wake, to make the mood complete, was beer and loud music. There was no evidence of tears or pain at Roger’s passing.

AMOS 5:14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.

Deuteronomy 5:33 Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and [that it may be] well with you, and [that] ye may prolong [your] days in the land which ye shall possess.

While life and death is in the hands of God, and except for those times when people’s days are shortened for one reason or the other, God teaches us that “living right” surely increases our chances of a longer and more fruitful existence. 

Daily Devotional – April 24

WANT A CAUSE?

There are many causes one can embrace in this world — many inequities to deal with:

• Global Warming
• Women’s Rights
• Racial Equality
• Wars
• Poverty
• Immigration
• Whales (Oh, they have already been saved)

In a world where racial or ethnic slurs can get one fired or even landed in prision, there are things that continue to be horribly wrong.

The causes we tend NOT to notice are the causes that most directly affect our own family–our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Today, our family members are being imprisoned, tortured and murdered, while we luxuriate in the suds of our self-righteous bubble baths.  While we march on Washington in protest for things that hardly exist or matter, there are people suffering and dying simply because Jesus Christ is their savior.

Want a REAL cause?

Christian Persecution Info

Persecution.org

Persecution Blog

Luke 21:12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute [you], delivering [you] up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.

Daily Devotional – April 23

WOE IS ME!

“I  just can’t get over this younger generation and how they have it so much easier.”

“Things couldn’t get much worse than they are today.”  

“I remember the good ‘ol days.”

Older folk tend to look at the younger folk with a patronizing eye, thinking (if not saying), “In the old days we had it much worse than you do!”  Of course, change the conversation around a bit, and you will catch them telling you about how much better it was “back when.”   

There’s nothing like a good verse of scripture to put things in true perspective when our reminiscing gets a little “out of hand”:

1CORINTHIANS 10:13 There hath no temptation(trial) taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].

Seems that there is nothing that can or will happen to us that hasn’t or won’t happen to someone else!  

Any time we start to feel that our circumstances are “special”,  maybe we should funnel that energy into thanking God for his omnipresent assistance in bearing those burdens.  

“I had to walk to school every day – 5 miles, uphill both ways, through 4 feet of snow, while fleeing a pack of wolverines, with no shoes–(that’s me, not the wolverines), and…”

Daily Devotional – April 20

A little long, but worth your time. 

Daily Devotional – April 19

KEEPERS

I grew up with practical parents who had been frightened by the Great Depression in the 1930’s. A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a Name for it… A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things a curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-pairing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there’d always be more.

But then my mother died, and on that clear summer’s night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn’t any more.

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away, never to return. So, while we have it,  it’s best we

• love it
• care for it
• fix it when it’s broken
• heal it when it’s sick.

This is true for 

• relationships
• old cars
• children with bad report cards
• dogs and cats with bad hips
• aging parents
• grandparents.

We keep them because they are worth it.

There are just some things that make life important.

Keepers.

Hebrews 13:5 [Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

(Author: Unknown)

Daily Devotional – April 18

DUMB AND DUMBER SHEEP

Sheep have a definite reputation for being about the dumbest animals on earth. 

In the book of Acts, a couple disciples referred to the church congregation as a “flock” for which may be the cause of many a problem in today’s churches. It has furthered the stereotype that laypeople are the flock of dumb sheep under the watchful eye of the all-knowing shepherd.  

However, Paul offered some strong observations for the sheep to recognize what a real shepherd looks like:

I Corinthians 4:9-10 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. We [are] fools for Christ’s sake, but ye [are] wise in Christ; we [are] weak, but ye [are] strong; ye [are] honourable, but we [are] despised.

Sometimes its in the best interest of the sheep to consider what a real shepherd looks like when evaluating their own.  If he’s just another dumb sheep, then that would make the rest of the flock the “dumber” ones.

Note

My brother just got new glasses.  They were rimless and light and cost him over $500.00.

A week ago, I ordered a pair of glasses online from Zenni Optical.  They were rimless and almost nicer than his.  They came yesterday. 

I paid $38 (which included shipping).   If you wear glasses, you definitely owe it to yourself and everyone you know to tell them about this place. 

I don’t know how they do it.

Daily Devotional – April 17

 WHY?

The events at Virginia Tech yesterday always leave us perplexed, asking ourselves and those around us, “Why?”

It will be human nature to seek out blame-

• Some will blame guns
• Some will blame mental disorders
• Some will blame society
• Some will blame parents
• Some will blame government

But the truth of the matter, the reason things like this happen is for one reason:

Sin.

• Sin is a serious matter, rarely ever touching just the perpetrator.
• Sin is man’s rejection of God and the common sense path He has laid out for peaceful and wholesome living.
• Sin is the root of all of the world’s problems.

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

The only hope for this world is Christ.

1John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Our hearts and prayers go out to family and friends.