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Morning Devotional...


 


"For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men."
(1 Peter 2:15)

I know from personal experience that when people start to criticize you and persecute you because you live by faith, your natural human response is to want to strike back. It's easy to want to start dishing out a little criticism of your own. "Maybe if they get a taste of their own medicine, they'll shut their mouths," you think.

But you know what? They won't. Your words will just add fuel to their fire and they'll criticize you harder and louder than they did before.

According to the Word of God, however, there is a way to silence them. Not by arguing with them. Not by defending yourself. But by keeping quiet and continuing to do the good works God has called you to do.

Jesus was highly criticized by the religious establishment of His day. But He never fought back. Instead, Acts 10:38 says He simply went about doing good.

When people start riding you about living the faith life, be like Jesus and just keep on blessing people. Keep on praying for folks who are oppressed by the devil and get them delivered. Keep on laying hands on the sick and get them healed. Keep on doing what God has called you to do.

That will aggravate the devil because his primary purpose is to make you ineffective for the kingdom of God. He wants you to get wrapped up in the criticism. He wants to distract you, to get your mind off the job God has given you. He really wants you to quit.

Don't do it! Instead, follow the instructions in 2 Timothy 3:14 and "continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of." Silence the ignorant criticisms of men by continuing to do good and by continuing to live by faith. And when all their foolish words have faded away, you'll still be standing strong.

Scripture Study: Luke 23:1-9 


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On Photography Cafe, one of our newer members got Photo of the Day for tomorrow.  Just thought I'd post it here for you all to see.


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When I was a girl, I had to walk across railroad tracks going to school. It was lots of fun to try to balance on the rails and pretend I was a tightrope walker.

Once hot summer afternoon in Alabama, the children on the next farm took me to a beautiful little valley where a tall railroad trestle spanned the valley. We began to walk across on the railroad ties, but About 2/3 of the way across (and it seemed like a huge distance to me), the rails began to vibrate indicating the approach of a train.

My, goodness, the other two scampered quickly to safety, and I froze. they both ran back and each took one of my hands and I made it in time for us to dive to the grass as the train was coming onto the other end of the track! Still makes me breathless to think of it.

Ruth Ann

 

Today's Daily Word - Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Divinely Routine

Wherever I am, I am in God's presence.

Jesus fed four thousand people after blessing seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. With this, He showed that something as routine as a meal could be a time of learning to bless what we have and strengthen our receptivity to our abundance.

During routine times, we too can experience divine revelations. Familiar tasks that we perform without much thought take on greater significance when we acknowledge God's life and intelligence working through us.

We don't have to be in a special place to spend quiet times of letting all our attention and focus be on God. Wherever we are is that perfect place to pray, to contemplate on God's presence, and to be blessed.

"Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them to the crowd."--Mark 8:6 

Good Morning I too lived next to the railroad tracks. I crossed them and played near them many times. I remember the troop trains coming through after the war was over. My friends and I would stand on the corner across the street and wave to the soldiers, they would  throw their C- rations to us so we could have the Hershey bars that were in them. Out in the country where the trestles were low over the small rivers we would jump into the river from the trestle. (when I was a teenager)

Well I slept with  the ankle brace on all night. and took it off this morning to see how it will feel. It is still painful but I can walk on it, I do have to be caredul how I move it though. It is not so bad that I cannot go to work though or that I would feel the need to gohave it xrayed. We will see how it continues.

TTYL

May 24 - The First Christian

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"He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light" (John 1:.

Perhaps the least understood and appreciated man in the Bible is the man who was the first Christian soul winner, missionary, martyr, disciple, and pastor, as well as the first to make disciples for Christ, to acknowledge His deity, to baptize converts to Christ, to be imprisoned for his faith, and to teach concerning Christ, as Christ later commanded in His great commission.

John the Baptist is often mistakenly called the last Old Testament prophet, but that was Malachi, 400 years earlier. John was actually the first Christian! He leaped in joyous recognition of Christ while still in his mother's womb (Luke 1:44); in fact, he uniquely (apart from Christ) was "filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb" (Luke 1:15).

He was such a godly man that he was often mistaken for Christ, and John the apostle even had to stress that John the Baptist was not really that Light, but that God had sent him to bear witness of the true Light—Jesus Christ. Christ Himself testified that no greater man than John the Baptist (not even Noah, Abraham, Job, Moses, or Daniel!) had ever been born (Matthew 11:9-11).

In no sense was the message of John an "Old Testament" message. He preached the deity of Christ, redemption by His sacrificial death, and salvation only through faith in Him (John 1:34,29; 3:36). He "began" the gospel message (Mark 1:1-2) and baptized and taught disciples whom he then directed to Christ. Their baptism was "Christian baptism." In fact, John had baptized Christ Himself! Finally, when he had "[made] ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17), he was imprisoned by Herod and executed because of his faithful witness for Christ. He had given the "knowledge of salvation unto His people" (Luke 1:77). HMM

Marilyn - you're supposed to sit in a swing on the porch, not fall through it!  It might be wise to see a doc on that foot, though - could have broken bones.

Pat - is a Heeland Coo anything like a Highland Cow?

AL I am "thinking" about going to the dr.

Maybe we will see about that.

Hi everyone.  We are having a beautiful day here in Georgia.  It is suppose to get up to 80.

Judy, Pat is being sent to an orthepedic doctor with the tentative diagnosis of oesteo-arthritis.  When she first called for an appointment she was told it would be June 21st before the first available appointment.  However, yesterday they must have had a cancellation and so she is seeing the doctor at 2 pm today.  She was feeling better yesterday but today is sort of back to square one.  

Al, glad you got the wrappings off your leg.  The few times I have had to use the support stocking I thought they felt so good that is was worth the effort in putting them on.  Fortunately I have not had any swelling in my legs or feet.

Marilyn, sure sorry to read of your accident.  It sounds like it is time that you got into something else as that place sounds dangerous to you.  I do hope there was no serious damage.

Ruth Ann, that was certainly a frightening experience with the railroad tracks.  I hope you didn't try that stunt again, although suppose you had to get back across the bridge to get home unless there was a road bridge close by.  

Angela, congratulations on your winning photograph.

Janet, that was another good devotional thought for today.

Hope everyone has a good day.  

I'm just stopping by to greet you and wish you a blessed day.  We are getting ready to go to Garden City to do some errands and pick up Darrel's motorcycle he has had repaired.

See you later!

I have called my doctor's office to ask for a referral to X-ray at the hospital without having to go through the ER which would take 2-3 hours before I even saw a Doctor. I hate waiting in the ER for so long.

TTYL

Marilyn - I did the same thing about a month ago - I agree it's definitely better than going through ER.  But - be sure to make sure your photo is requessted by your doctor or whoever, 'cause they don't automatically send them.

panieee

Judy Mc ~ Yes, I can talk to Lynn on the cell phone...we both have Verizon so we can talk anytime.  I called her Saturday.  Everything is being taken care of.  And yes, I really miss Jerry.  My heart quickened when I was mowing Saturday and a car, like Jerry's, came down the road.  TBear called me Sunday...well, we played phone tag for awhile.  She called me...left a message.  I called her...left a message and finally she called me back and we talked.  She is really busy this last week of school for Kayln plus getting their old house ready for the market.  I am anxious to get back up there to see all of them again. 

I got my A/C drain cleaned.  But the remote on the garage still isn't working.  I don't know what is wrong there.  I do know that the cover over the battery won't stay put because I broke a little piece of plastic off but that wouldn't cause it to not work.  Everything is programmed right...just not working.  But the remote in the car and in the house works fine.  Someone smarter than me will have to figure this one out.  I also got Kaye Don's birthday card made...now to find something for someone who has everything for his gift.  He sure is a hard one to buy for.

Today, I WANT to start in my bedroom and get it cleaned.  I have all the windows open and it is chilly in here.  A good temp to start cleaning.

May 24   
Preaching: Use Your Head!
..Of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have
become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be
teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles
of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not
solid food. 
--Hebrews 5:11-12
Many a preacher would like to challenge the intellectual and
thinking capacity of his congregation, but he has been warned
about preaching over the people's heads.
I ask, "What are people's heads for? God Almighty gave them those
heads and I think they ought to use them!"
As a preacher, I deny that any of the truths of God which I teach
and expound are over the heads of the people. I deny it!
My preaching may go right through their heads if there is nothing
in there to stop it, but I do not preach truths which are too much
for them to comprehend. We ought to begin using our heads.
Brother, you ought to take that head of yours, oil it and rub the
rust off and begin to use it as God has always expected you would.
God expects you to understand and have a grasp of His truth
because you need it from day to day.  I Call It Heresy!, 145.

"Lord, help me to use my own head first, to be willing to be
stretched intellectually by Your Holy Spirit. Then use me to
stretch others as well. Amen."
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hey ya'll, had some free time on the cruise ship and decided i'd check in with ya'll, anyways i'm having a blast on the sr trip and mexico is so pretty. i need to go ttyl
Sarah

Wow!  We must rate if she thought of us on a cruise.  I'm not sure I would!!!

have a great time sarah (or hope you had a great time, depending on when you read this!)

Have an awesoem day ya'll!

karmtt

Sarah surprised me the other night by paging me on MSN, from the cruise ship.  I told her Senior trips are a perk of going to a small school, the larger ones do not have them any more.  Anyway I don't think they do.  Have a great time, Sarah!

We are back home, and I think we got everything done that was on our list.  I had ordered Mom's cake from Wal-Mart, told them to use BRIGHT colors because she can't see much any more............well, this is the ugliest cake I ever saw!  YUCK.  The icing is a faded orangy pink, and happy birthday grandma is in blue.  Terrible.  I told them I was VERY disappointed and will never order a cake from them again.  I wish I had just refused it, and gotten a couple of smaller ones they had which were at least pretty.    I may call my friend who does cakes (should have had her do it in the first place; that's what I get for trying to save money.) and have her scrape the icing off and redo it.  Darn.

I think I better get some work done, since I have been gone all day.

Chris - I couldn't agree more!  But not witholding even intellectually challenging material doesn't mean making our messages difficult or obtuse.  They should be clearly stated enough for grade-school children to easily understand - yet they should at the same time contain all the truth of God's Word.  There's never an excuse for being unclear because of carelessness, but neither is there any excuse for hearers to be lazy.

Well I did NOT go to the urgent care, er or x-ray.  But I did go shopping with Versal at Winco in Eureka to buy groceries.  I did real good walking all over Winco, it doesn't hurt much. and I will continue to take it easy and rest it often, continuing to wear the ankle brace.

TTYL

It's been so interesting reading your messages about your childhood days and trains.  I enjoyed all mine as well.  Loved walking the rails.

Marilyn, I sure hope your foot is ok. 

Thanks everyone for your devotional thoughts today.  They've been good to read.

Imagine Sarah posting to us.  Wow!  And I've heard that the price of the internet on these ships is horrendous!

Soni, if you look in, I'm thinking of you today!  Love you.  And everyone else who is missing.

Boots, did you get my email about resetting your password?

Well, must go and do some work here.

Love y'all.

Oh, we have a tie for first in the poll to name my Heeland Coo.  And yes, Al Moak, that's the same thing.

Hope someone breaks the tie.

Already voted, can't do it now.

I've never been one to walk on tracks.  I saw a movie one time about a really poor family that lived near the tracks.  All I remember is that the mom would make these dolls for a living, and one of her little boys got run over.  It was really sad, and I remember seeing it several times (or at least scenes of it).  I guess it kinda made me leary of them.

I've got to watch a training video before my "boys" get back from the driving range -- Travis is learning to play golf.

laters

Pat yes I got the email on changing my pass word, but need some help.

I am the most dumbest person on this site when it come to computer knowledge.  I also would be in the running for the most dumbest.. period.

I bet that curlan coo is much smarter than I.

Pat if you can do it on that end it would be great.  Do I need to give you a new pass word?  I just get failures when I try. 

Thanks
Boots

Boots, it's all done and I've written you an email.

As soon as you leave a message in here with the login name of "Boots", I'll delete the login "Stoob" and then you can correct your email address.

Hi, friends,

I have some points of gratitude to report:

*My son has recently lost his health insurance coverage and I happened to hear a discussion on a community-interest tv channel that led me to do some research. Well, the Nashville Academy of Medicine has a program called Bridges to Care - that operates on the health side almost like a pro bono case for lawyers. The costs are on a sliding scale and Rx is only $5 and the uninsured regardless of family income can be accepted.

I* happened to remember that my next door neighbor told me last summer she has no health insurance. She has been widowed only a couple of years (this fall) and has always worked in a tiny family-owned restaurant in this community. She's not old enough to draw widow's pension yet. So, I talked with her, gave her copies of the information about this organization, and she hopes to establish coverage sometime this week!

*Then I phoned Medicare about the possibility of my disabled son being covered by the insurance card - yes, he will be, and will be eligible to be covered under the new program beginning next January, as well.

*I also asked about me, since I'll be full retirement age in January. Yes, I can get the drug card, too, even if I'm still employed. And, I can be covered by Medicare at the same time, which should help to take care of my huge after-insurance costs.

So, folks, you gotta know I'm MIGHTY GRATEFUL tonight! 

Ruth Ann

Oh, Ruth Ann, what a wonderful praise report.  Thanks so much for sharing it here with us all.

Pat

That is awesome Ruth Ann.  Go God!!!!!!!!111

It's that time again...time to lock the door and open a new one.

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