Never Be Discouraged

There is really nothing we need to know

or even try to understand.

If we refuse to be discouraged

and trust in God's guiding hand.

So take to heart and meet each minute

with faith in God's great love,

aware that every day of life

is controlled by God above.

 And never dread tomorrow

or what the future brings.

Just pray for strength and courage

and trust God in all things.

For God never comes too early, 

and He never comes too late.

                                             Helen Steiner Rice

Friends, stay with us, back 2700 years to Scripture more important than Christmas, beginning Sunday. 

 

Going Through the Gates

     In ancient times, city gates were symbols of strength and centers of life. Business deals, marriages arranged, disputes settled, kings addressed and prophets proclaimed God's word. 

     There is a specific gate God calls "the gate of the Lord," the gate of righteousness. We don't have righteousness of our own. Isaiah says our righteousness is "like filthy rags." 

     So how do we walk through the gate of righteousness? 

     The answer is Jesus. He is the gate. "I am the gate. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved" John 10:7,9

     We don't present God our impressive record; rather, clothed in his righteousness, we present His Son. 

     Some of us try to enter life's gate in our good works, our ministry record, our morality. 

     Prayer: Jesus, I lay down my filthy rags of self-righteousness and striving. Clothe me in Your righteousness. 

Part of a message from our pastor.

Contrarian, Like Him or Not

     What do we do about a person we appreciate on one hand...and don't on the other hand?

     Senator Fetterman, D- Pa., wrote an honest book about his rise in politics, and trouble with depression. He despises the Congressional dress code, which he calls the only bipartisan cooperation he has seen in Washington. 

     "He won the race even after suffering a massive stroke that left him struggling to relearn how to speak. In February 2023 after his Senate term began, Fetterman admitted himself to a psychiatric ward. Some of the effects continue today." 

     "In his book, Unfettered, he said his memory fails. He has a wife, brother and close friends. It's a story of cognitive dissonance," wrote Carolina Lumetta. 

     "He battled suicidal thoughts. After he won a hard-fought Senate race he was in a depressive fog. He described himself as stubborn and proud. He believed mental illness was fixed by 'pulling up your socks and getting on with it.'" 

     "Fetterman is the Rand Paul of the Democratic Party, often voting against his caucus on matters like immigration and Israel (and we think the war on Iran). Whenever reporters ask about his contrarianism, he stomps through the Senate basement repeating, 'I am not a Republican.'" 

     Views recognizes his honesty, his effort to conquer mental illness, and his willingness to go against his party. But we can't cheer for those linked with communists, who have steadily gained Democratic seats in government since their elders fled Hitler in the 1930s and settled in the U.S. Are Republicans worse than communists, Mr. Fetterman? 

          Jimmy

British Ships Head for New York

   Part 2 By Janie Cheaney

     "In June 1776, while the Continental Congress met, British ships were coming. Richard Lee of Virginia proposed a resolution that the colonies had a right to be free and independent. What was demanded was a formal statement of separation. 

     "As Jefferson said, the purpose of the Declaration was not to find new principles. The principles already existed in the writings of Aristotle and Cicero and modern thinkers like John Locke and Algernon Sydney. They appealed to 'nature's God,' a recognition of God's laws over nature made evident by way of man's reason.

     "The Declaration's endorsement of 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' was the foundation of God-given individual rights. The list of grievances against King George shows how each right would later be addressed in the U.S. Constitution. 

     "A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since 1776, carrying Americans further away from their founding principles. The 250th anniversary of the Declaration is an ideal time to review our founding principles and be grateful for the men who articulated and fought for them." 

Democrats care about individual voting rights for foreigners. 

 The 250th Anniversary of the Declaration 

     This is a good time/year to recall the founding principles of the men who studied and fought for independence. The Declaration was not a radical document to excuse an uprising.

     It was based on common sense, in terms plain and firm, to command the assent to actions the colonies were soon to take, wrote Hillsdale professor Matthew Spalding in his book, The MAKING of the AMERICAN MIND. 

     He wrote, "political ferment merged with traditional thought in a room of forward-thinking men together in Philadelphia." He says "the Declaration probably could not have been written a half-century earlier, or a decade later. It came to light between the rule of kings and the revolutionary upheaval that overthrew kings." 

     Thirteen colonies had been governing themselves almost since their founding, with English monarchy practicing in neglect. The French and Indian War changed all that. Parliament expected the colonies to help pay for their own defense. 

     Tax laws led to colonial fury, which led to "Intolerable Acts." Open conflict flared with shots one morning in Lexington, Massachusetts. 

Continued tomorrow

Note: Americans are upset with our (unnecessary?) war in Iran, not that they support Iran (Democrats?) It took war to establish freedom in America, and it may be war that keeps us - and Israel - safe. We regret our wars since the 1960s (Democrat - and Bush - presidents). But in our smaller world, Iran is different. Jimmy

The Number 40 

     Some numbers carry meanings beyond mathematics. Few are as common as the number 40. It occurs across time and cultures, marking the passage from one stage of life to another. 

     In the Bible, Noah's flood lasted 40 days and nights before the world emerged cleansed. Moses fasted for 40 days on Mount Sinai before receiving the law. Israelites wandered for 40 years before entering the promised land. The prophet Elijah journeyed 40 days to Mount Horeb. 

     In the New Testament, Jesus fasted 40 days in the desert before beginning his ministry and he appeared to his disciples for 40 days after his resurrection, before he ascended to heaven. 

     In each case, the number marks an interval that precedes a new beginning. 

     As for practical roots, 40 represents the fullness of testing, long enough to transform a person but not too long.

     The word "quarantine" is from the Italian for "forty days" - the period ships were once required to isolate during plagues. Human pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks. 

     From Scripture to folklore, politics and routine speech, the number symbolizes endurance, patience and renewal. 

Source: EPOCH TV 

Jesus Speaks

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:3-8 

   There are more blessings in that chapter. If we care what God wants, here it is.

What comes out of a man is what makes him unclean. For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery...and more. Mark 7:20-21 

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked...Luke 6:35  

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God...John 3:19-21