If you were asked to describe the Bible, what words would you use?
In the front of a Bible given to me when I graduate high school, the words below are found. Let them stir your mind on how you will describe the Bible when someone asks.
This book reveals the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.
Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is a traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s character. Here, too, heaven is opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end.
It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure.
It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgement, and be remembered forever. It involves highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.
Owned, it is riches; studied, it is wisdom; trusted, it is salvation; loved, it is character; and obeyed, it is power.
F – Focus on what you will do, not what you have done. There are many people who always tell you what they once did, but be the person who has their eyes on the prize has a forward focus. Focus on the actions you will do as a new creature in Christ. (Romans 6.1-9)
A – Attribute good things to God. As a child of God, every spiritual blessing you have is in Christ (Ephesians 1.3). Every good and perfect gift is from the Father of lights. (James 1.17). As we go throughout our life, let us remember is it the Lord that blesses us, let’s give Him the glory.
I – Invest your time wisely. Paul told the Ephesians church to walk as wise people; redeeming the time (Ephesians 5.15). Time passes swiftly and it will continue as long as we walk this earth. Remember, life is like a vapor that appears for a little while and vanishes away (James 4.14). Invest your time in God’s word and the fellowship with God’s people.
T – Take your cares to God. I am humbled every time I read 1 Peter 5.7, “Cast your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.” It is humbling to know the God of heaven and earth cares about us. He cares enough that you can ask Him anything and He will grant my requests according to His desire to help me get better. Remember, our faith in God is faith in His answers.
H – Humble yourself. Do not just humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, but humble yourself to your brothers and sisters in Christ. Lift them up and see how the world begins to change (Philippians 2.3,4)
I know that everyday is a blessing, but I do not like today.
Today is September 11th.
Today is a day which takes our minds back to a terrifying morning that shook our nation at its core.
Many turned on the news to watch an airliner fly into the World Trade Center. The impact blew the plane part and debris tumbled to the ground.
The news missed the first plane because no one would have ever seen that happen. By the time the second plane was heading to the tower, each news reporter thought an accident had happened.
I wish it was an accident.
Instead, it was terror.
It was terror fueled by a religion that spread its numbers through violence, threats and unrighteous acts.
These unrighteous religious zealots would take innocent lives.
They would take fathers…mothers…grandfathers…grandmothers…and children.
I do not like today.
I do not like the memory of watching the news focus on men and women jumping to their death instead of deal with the flames, smoke and toxic fumes of the Twin Towers.
I do not like watching the moments unfold again.
I do not like the photos of that terrible day I see each year on the week and September 11th.
I do not like today.
I doubt I will ever like today.
But…
Today is a day our nation must not forget.
Forget the Sunday NFL, last year’s college football championship or even where you left your car keys until you find them again…but do not forget today.
Do not forget that there is an evil lurking in the world.
A potent, vile stench evil that seeks to destroy others.
The evil is not in a plane, a bomb and gun or even a book. It is in someone’s heart.
The evil has consumed them like a raging fire.
No matter what good may be in the world, the evil stench sees that everyone must be destroyed. I believe that the only opinion is there opinion. It does not care about the innocent. It just does…not…care.
We need to be reminded that no matter how many hugs we give, there is still evil in the world.
No matter how many jobs we may give people in the world, there is still evil.
This evil is deathening. (Not deafening, because this evil brings death. It is deathening.)
This evil is real.
My first thoughts on that day?
My first thoughts on that September morning were for my family. They were on the road and traveling back to our home.
My next thoughts were on those who lost the lives and the families that were unaware if their loved ones were dead or alive.
I thought of the children whose parent or parents had passed away.
Then, I became angry. What kind of evil could this be that would conjure up such a hatred toward others? Why would they desire to kill, crush and injure as many people as possible?
May anger turned to wishing those who did such evil to the worse possible level of punishment. Not even Dante’s inferno described such a place. Those cowards of terror needed to be in the place of fire, brimstone and the gnashing of teeth.
Some of those exact same emotions go through my mind on a day like today.
I do not like today.
In a perfect world, today would be another day; not the day of memories it brings.
But, this is not a perfect world. From the beginning, no one listened. From the first family hatred would take the life of another. The pattern still exists today.
So, what do we do?
We shall continue. Just as September 12th was another day. It became a day of unity, hope, faith and love. The nation those evil men sought to bring to its knees, arose from the rumble. They prayed together, sang together and neighbor helped neighbor. The nation continued and we must continue.
We must not forget. Every person must remember and not forget. While we must not forget the evil that caused the events of the day, we must not forget that every day is precious. Every day is a blessing, thought we may never understand. We must remember that left unprepared, we will not be ready. We must be prepared, yet we must be found in peace.
We must learn. When we stop learning, we cease to live. Our minds must learn from the events of the past so we may experience the greatness of the future. It is up to each one of use to learn. We must learn from the evil but live in the great. We must realize we can do something with the knowledge we possess.
We must teach. Many of those we know were not alive or old enough to remember that dreadful day. We must remember that the story, the reality resides in our lives and we must teach future generations so they can learn. We must teach because it is our legacy. We must teach.
We must pray. Whether or not you are a religious person, you prayed that day. You may have even cried out to God to aid those who were perishing, those who were suffering. That day, all people were encouraged to pray. Let us not forget to pray.
We must not forget.
I do not like today.
I do not like writing on a day like today. Over the past 18 years, I struggle to write on this day more than any other.
I do not like today.
Today, I will live for the future, while learning from the past.
Today, even though I do not like it, I will use it for the best.
Moments of history have a way of helping us to understand spiritual truths. While we know they are different, various world events become seared in our minds and illustrate a spiritual point.
On June 5, 1944, a photograph was taken of General Dwight Eisenhower which tells a rich story as the invasion of Normandy was to come the next day.
The 101st Airborne Division was stationed in Greenham Common, England when General Eisenhower spoke to them. During his message to the troops, the commander said, “Full victory – nothing else.”
Those words, “Full victory – nothing else” describe the life of a Christian. They also described the sacrifice of Jesus. In Matthew 16, Jesus told his disciples that the “gates of Hell” would not prevail against the church. Those words are words of full victory – nothing else.
Christ’s death brought us full victory.
“Oh death, where is your victory? Oh death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15.56, 57)
Christians are preparing for their eternity in heaven because of the full victory Christ offers.
He paid the price.
He was our sacrifice.
In the end, He wins.
So, because we know the end of all things, let us…
“…be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15.58)
Since 2011, I have been sending out a Scripture Text 6 days a week. Some days have been right on track and others have missed by a day or two. During this time, the list has grown. There have been many people added and others have dropped off.
When the list started, I did it on my personal cell phone. As you can imagine, it was difficult to keep up with subscribers and messages of normal life.
Two years into the list, I decided to utilize the Remind Text Message service that school and other organizations were using. This free service was typically available just for schools, but I contacted them and got the “ok” to use it for our service.
Using the Remind Text messages service has run well until a few months ago. Because of changes in the Terms and Conditions of the Remind service, the Scripture Text message service is limited to a certain number of subscribers.
This limitation has affected the list and the amount of people available on the list. This has left me in a search for a new service, but each one is extremely costly.
It would be good to keep in mind that I am using Remind for a few other lists: a Motivational Text list and text message list for our congregation; each of these lists have grown.
Currently, I am searching for a new option for the Scripture Text Message list, and the others, but I cannot find on that works best without a large monthly payment.
If anyone knows of any sites or services that may be of use, please let me know. You can send me a text message on the Remind App or just reply to a Daily Text.
Without finding a new service, the list will stop growing and it will limit our encouragement reach.
Pray for this effort that another option may be found.
Below are the options I am considering. Let me know if you prefer one or none.
Option #1 – Ask for a minimum donation of $15/year per user to keep the text going on another service.
Option #2 – Keep using the Remind Service, but only have a limited number of users. (We are at this point now)
Option #3 – Move the list back to a personal contact list.
Option #4 – Stop the list.
As I mentioned, these are the current options, but one of these looks to be the way to go.
