1/3/13

Pray if you want to!

 Pray if  you want to! 
    
CBS and  Katie Couric et al must be in a panic and  rushing to reassure the White House that this is  not network policy. 


 
Folks,  this is the year that we RE-TAKE AMERICA &  CANADA  *********  Get  Ready ********* 

Keep  this going around the  globe.
Read it  and forward every time you receive  it...
We can't  give up on this issue. 

Andy Rooney  and  Prayer

Andy  Rooney says: 

I don't believe in Santa  Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for  singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in  December.
I don't  agree with Darwin , but I didn't go out and hire  a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his  theory  of evolution.  

Life, liberty or your pursuit of  happiness will not be endangered in any  way because  someone says a 30-second prayer before a  football game.

So what's  the big deal?

It's not  like somebody is up there reading the entire  Book of Acts. They're just talking to a God they  believe in and asking him to grant safety to the  players on the field and the fans going home  from the game. 

But it's a Christian  prayer, some will argue.

Yes, and this is  the United States of America , and Canada ,  countries founded on Christian  principles. According  to our very own phone book, Christian churches  outnumber all others better than  200-to-1.
So what  would you expect --
Somebody  chanting Hare  Krishna? 

If I went to a football game in  Jerusalem ,
I would  expect to hear a Jewish  prayer.
 
If  I went to a soccer game  in Baghdad,
I would  expect to hear a Muslim prayer. 

If I  went to a ping pong match in China  ,
I would  expect to hear someone pray to  Buddha.
 And I  wouldn't be offended.It  wouldn't bother me one bit.

When in Rome  .....

But what about the atheists? Is  another argument.

What about  them?

Nobody is  asking them to be baptized.  We're not  going to pass the collection plate. Just humor  us for 30 seconds.  If that's asking too  much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear  plugs.  Go to the bathroom.  Visit the  concession stand.  Call your lawyer! Or,  just exercise their right to leave this  country!

Unfortunately, one or two will  call their lawyer.
One or two  will tell thousands what they can and cannot  do.  I don't  think a short prayer at a football game is going  to shake the world's  foundations.

Christians are just sick and  tired of turning the other cheek while our  courts strip us of all our  rights.
Our  parents and grandparents taught us to pray  before eating, to pray before we go to  sleep.
Our Bible  tells us to pray without  ceasing.
Now a  handful of people and their lawyers are telling  us to cease praying. 

God,  help us.  And if that last sentence offends  you, well, just sue me.

The silent  majority has been silent too long.  It's  time we tell that one or two who scream loud  enough to be heard that the vast majority  doesn't care what they want!

  It is  time that the majority  rules!

    It's time we tell them, "You don't have to pray;  you don't have to say the Pledge of Allegiance;  you don't have to believe in God or attend  services that honor  Him.
That  is your right, and we will honor your  right;
But  by golly,
You  are no longer going to take our rights  away.
   We are fighting back, and  
we  WILL WIN!"

God  bless us one and all...Especially those who  denounce Him,  God bless America and Canada , despite all our  faults, we are still the greatest nations of  all.
God  bless our service men who
Are  fighting to protect our right to pray and  worship God.
 Let's  make 2013 the  year the silent majority is heard and we put God  back as the foundation of our families and  institutions. And our military forces come home  from all the wars. 

Keep looking  up.
   

If you agree with  this, please pass it on.
If not delete  it.

   

 
BUT  REMEMBER SHOULD YOU DELETE  IT,
that's  one reason why this world is in the mess we're  in now.
WE  JUST SIT  BACK & LET IT  HAPPEN!!
 
I know, this isn't my usual post, but I liked it so much that I wanted to share it with you.  Many thanks to Jean Cameron for sharing!!!  Gary

Bible Reading, Jan. 3


 
Jan. 3
Genesis 3


Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, "Has God really said, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?' "
Gen 3:2 The woman said to the serpent, "Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat,
Gen 3:3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.' "
Gen 3:4 The serpent said to the woman, "You won't surely die,
Gen 3:5 for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Gen 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit, and ate; and she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate.
Gen 3:7 The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
Gen 3:8 They heard the voice of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.
Gen 3:9 Yahweh God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?"
Gen 3:10 The man said, "I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself."
Gen 3:11 God said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"
Gen 3:12 The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate."
Gen 3:13 Yahweh God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
Gen 3:14 Yahweh God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock, and above every animal of the field. On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.
Gen 3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel."
Gen 3:16 To the woman he said, "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth. In pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."
Gen 3:17 To Adam he said, "Because you have listened to your wife's voice, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground for your sake. In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
Gen 3:18 Thorns also and thistles will it bring forth to you; and you will eat the herb of the field.
Gen 3:19 By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
Gen 3:20 The man called his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
Gen 3:21 Yahweh God made coats of skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them.
Gen 3:22 Yahweh God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, lest he put forth his hand, and also take of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever..."
Gen 3:23 Therefore Yahweh God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.
Gen 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed Cherubs at the east of the garden of Eden, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.



Jan. 3,4
Matthew 2

Mat 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,
Mat 2:2 "Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him."
Mat 2:3 When Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Mat 2:4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born.
Mat 2:5 They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written through the prophet,
Mat 2:6 'You Bethlehem, land of Judah, are in no way least among the princes of Judah: for out of you shall come forth a governor, who shall shepherd my people, Israel.' "
Mat 2:7 Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and learned from them exactly what time the star appeared.
Mat 2:8 He sent them to Bethlehem, and said, "Go and search diligently for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship him."
Mat 2:9 They, having heard the king, went their way; and behold, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, until it came and stood over where the young child was.
Mat 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
Mat 2:11 They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Mat 2:12 Being warned in a dream that they shouldn't return to Herod, they went back to their own country another way.
Mat 2:13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him."
Mat 2:14 He arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt,
Mat 2:15 and was there until the death of Herod; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called my son."
Mat 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was exceedingly angry, and sent out, and killed all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding countryside, from two years old and under, according to the exact time which he had learned from the wise men.
Mat 2:17 Then that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying,
Mat 2:18 "A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; she wouldn't be comforted, because they are no more."
Mat 2:19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying,
Mat 2:20 "Arise and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel, for those who sought the young child's life are dead."
Mat 2:21 He arose and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
Mat 2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in the place of his father, Herod, he was afraid to go there. Being warned in a dream, he withdrew into the region of Galilee,
Mat 2:23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."

Ecclesiastes, Wisdom to Endure Life's Vanities, Mark Copeland

                       "THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES"

            Wisdom To Endure Life's Vanities - I (8:1-9:18)

INTRODUCTION

1. The Preacher (Solomon, 1:1) has been sharing with us counsel for
   dealing with life...
   a. Counsel gleaned from his own search for meaning - 7:27
   b. Counsel guided by wisdom given him by God - cf. 1:16; 1Ki 3:12;
      4:30

2. In previous lessons we have noted that the Preacher offfered...
   a. Counsel For Better Living - 7:1-14
   b. Counsel For Balanced Living - 7:15-29
   -- Helpful to taking a proactive approach to improving one's sojourn
      "under the sun"

3. Yet no matter what we do, there are things...
   a. We cannot change
   b. We cannot escape
   -- Things which certainly add to the vanity of life "under the sun"

4. Two such things are "death and taxes"; in other words...
   a. We cannot escape the inevitability of death
   b. We must endure the governments of men

[Wisdom can help, however (8:1), and so as the Preacher continues, he
shares "Wisdom To Endure Life's Vanities".  Beginning with...]

I. ENDURING THE GOVERNMENTS OF MEN

   A. SUBMIT TO AUTHORITIES FOR GOD'S SAKE...
      1. Obey the king's command - 8:2-3
      2. Respect his power, and you will be unharmed - 8:4-5a
      3. A wise man will understand that judgment will come in it's own
         time, so don't resort to wickedness (i.e., rebellion) to
         alleviate misery - 8:5b-9
      -- Compare this counsel with that given to Christians - Ro 13:
         1-7; 1Pe 2:11-17

   B. ANTICIPATE WICKED RULERS...
      1. There will be times when men rule to their own detriment - 8:9
      2. But they will soon be forgotten after their demise - 8:10
      3. Why do some persist in their evil rule? Because their judgment
         does not occur immediately - 8:11
      4. Even so, it is still better to fear God - 8:12-13

   C. EXPECT TO BE PERPLEXED...
      1. Sometimes the righteous suffer, and the wicked prosper - 8:14
      2. One cannot always understand why things happen the way they do
         (remember Job?) - 8:16-17

   D. ENJOY LIFE...
      1. Delight in the fruits of your own labor - 8:15
      2. Which is the advice given throughout this book - 2:24-26;
         3:12-13; 5:18-20

[There is little value in getting all worked up about the inequities in
the governments of men.  As long as there are imperfect men, there will
be imperfect governments.  It is better to simply obey the laws, do
good, trust in God, and enjoy the fruits of one's labor.

In chapter nine, we find wisdom for...]

II. ENDURING THE INEVITABILITY OF DEATH

   A. DEATH HAPPENS TO ALL...
      1. It happens to both the righteous and the wicked - 9:1-3
         a. While the righteous are in God's hands
         b. And the sons of men are full of evil
      2. While we live, there is hope (9:4);  when we die...
         a. We know nothing of what goes on here on earth - 9:5a,6
         b. Others' memory of us soon fades - 9:5
      -- We cannot escape death

   B. ENJOY LIFE...
      1. While death is inevitable, we should still enjoy life - 9:7-8
      2. Live joyfully with the wife God has given you - 9:9
      3. Work diligently while you are here - 9:10
      -- While we cannot escape death, there is no reason to give up on
         life!

   C. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED...
      1. Time and chance happens to all - 9:11
         a. Being swift and strong does not mean you will always win
         b. Being wise, understanding, and skillful does not always
            ensure that you will be fed, rich, and the recipients of
            good favor
      2. Sometimes death will come unexpectedly, like animals caught in
         a trap - 9:12
      -- Anticipating the unexpected, we are less likely to be 
         overwhelmed when it occurs

   D. APPRECIATE THE VALUE OF WISDOM...
      1. The Preacher saw how wisdom saved a city - 9:13-15
         a. Even though found in a poor man
         b. Even though the man was soon forgotten
      2. Therefore he praises the value of wisdom - 9:16-18
         a. As better than strength
         b. As better than weapons of war
      -- Though often despised when it comes from a poor man, wisdom
         spoken quietly is better than the shout of a ruler of fools

CONCLUSION

1. We may not be able to escape all of life's vanities...
   a. There may be times we find ourselves under wicked governments
   b. Unless the Lord returns in our lifetime, death is inevitable

2. But we can endure life's vanities with the aid of the Preacher's
   wisdom...
   a. Enduring the governments of men by:
      1) Submitting to authorities for God's sake
      2) Understanding that wicked rulers will occur
      3) Expecting to be perplexed at times
      4) Enjoying our life as God gives us opportunity
   b. Enduring the inevitability of death by:
      1) Remembering that death happens to all
      2) Enjoying family and work
      3) Expecting the unexpected
      4) Utilizing wisdom that is available to us

In our next study, we shall consider more from the Preacher on the
value of wisdom and diligence in enduring life's vanities.

In the meantime, let's not forget that we have another "Preacher" who
has established the perfect kingdom, and delivered us from the fear of
death:  Jesus Christ!