This is a bit late, but I always read what MEDIC wrote back a couple years ago about MLK. Civil rights are extremely important but so is a man’s character. Wasn’t he the one that said, “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Man’s existence was drab, cold, and bleak. Life came, like a brilliant thought flashing accross a dim mind. It came without further notice. Exploding on the scene. Throngs of angels didn’t build a palace of gold or crown him with jewels. Not many noticed. A few wise men and shepherds but who were they really?
It wasn’t a special place like a palace with the best delivery midwives. No comfort of plush quilts and soft fabric. It was hay, stuble, and swaddling clothes. It seemed only heavens host was celebrating this birth. Earth paid little attention.
After hundreds of years of prophetic silence all the desires of the prophets, the psalms, and the law rejoiced. His trajectory could be traced by the prophets from the cradle to the cross. Daniel foretold the exact timing of the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah foretold his birth and his death. Zachariah foretold of his pierced hands and side - the wounds he received in the house of his friends.
We have eye witness accounts of his majesty, mercy, and mighty resurrection. Our society has begun the decline of rejecting the promise of God and accepting the purulent answers of man. They have denigraded Christ to the form of a fairy tale. Peter said,
(2Pe 1:16) For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
Truly it was “unto us” that a child was born and “unto us” a son was given. There was a day a baby was born in the city of David, a Savior, Christ the Lord.
To repeat Mary, (Luk 1:46) “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord…“
To quote the old man Simeon, “(Luk 2:28-32) Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Friends, despite your persuasion and the current thoughts about Christ. Despite your feelings about religion and faith. Jesus was born and Jesus died for our punishment. True, December 25th was not the actual birth day, but that isn’t what is important. The important thing to consider was his birth and the purpose of that birth.
I pray all of you have a happy and safe celebration of Jesus our Messiah.
The biblical book of Joshua records the story of the Israelites crossing the Jordan River just before the battle of Jericho. The priests carried the Ark of the Covenant before the people and when their feet touched the water, it dried up. The priests then advanced to the middle of the dried up river and stood there, holding the Ark while the nation of Israel passed over on dry ground. After the crossing was completed, the Lord Himself instructed Joshua to have 12 stones removed from the midst of the dried up Jordan and taken to the Israelite camp for the night. Later, those 12 stones were used to fashion a memorial in the midst of the Jordan River at the spot where the priests stood while the people passed over.
Joshua 4 reads:
WHEN ALL the nation had fully passed over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from among the people, one man out of every tribe, and command them, take twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm; carry them over with you and leave them at the place where you lodge tonight.” Then Joshua called the twelve men of the Israelites whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. And Joshua said to them, “Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God in the midst of the Jordan, and take up every man of you a stone on his shoulder, as is the number of the tribes of the Israelites, that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, What do these stones mean to you? Then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over the Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the Israelites a memorial forever.” … And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.
The Book records many more instances where memorials are established. The Lord Himself made one in Genesis 9, setting His own bow in the sky as a reminder of his covenant with man. The tassels of the prayer shawls worn by Hebrew men were to be reminders of the commandments of the Lord in Numbers 15. A day per week, the Sabbath Day, was set aside at the command of the Lord in Deuteronomy 5. The purpose was so the Israelites would, “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.”
Biblical memorials have a purpose. They are not simply interesting or informative. They are crucial! In times of testing, in times of trial, when the enemies of the people of God were pressing hard and it was tempting to give in to to despair, to abandon faith in a God that is near, to reject not only His ability but His willingness to deliver, these memorials were designed to draw attention away from the clamor of the immediate to the immutable reality of the past. God’s people were to remember that He would deliver them today, not merely because He had said He would do so but because He had actually done so before and because His character does not change. Thus they could be confident of the tactic of placing their faith in God and hold firm to His deliverance from today’s enemy.
When the people of Israel forgot to remember God and His provision, they made poor choices and reaped accordingly. In Joshua 9, Joshua does not remember to consult with God on a crucial decision involving the Gibeonites and makes an ill advised treaty. At other times in their history, they failed to remember God’s words and neglected to drive out the Canaanites from the land or to destroy the high places where false gods were worshiped. Just before his death Joshua erected one last memorial. At Shechem, he recited for the people a history of God’s provision and encouraged them to follow God ending his exhortation with his famous line, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” Near the end of Joshua 24 we read,
On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he drew up for them decrees and laws. And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the LORD. “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the LORD has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”
Today we celebrate Memorial Day here in the United States of America. Separated by thousands of miles and thousands of years from those who established biblical memorials we are yet as close to them as if we stood shoulder to shoulder. Today, we remember the provision a gracious and loving God made for us and for freedom loving peoples across the world. We remember the love of country and liberty that fills the heart of America’s soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.
We remember those, not driven or coerced, but those who, moved by love and devotion, willingly left hearth and home for a thousand battlefields known to none but God and the men who died there. We remember those in whose hearts God placed a fire that burns, depending on the times, with a quiet smoldering or a consuming blaze. We remember those who looked at the same times and events as their fellows yet responded differently. Possessed of purer and truer vision than the masses, they saw the world as their biblical forbears did, “(the) … men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do, …” These are men we may describe today, as the writer of Hebrews described other heroes of faith, as “men of whom the world was not worthy”. Men who did not tell others of their support, commitment and love since it was plainly evident in their deeds. As the Master clearly said, “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends”, and again, “The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep!”
I think it may be Providential that Memorial Day this year falls here and now. As a nation in the midst of a debate about our role in the world; as a nation in the midst of a debate about what has happened to us and what our response should be; as a nation planning to continue these debates in the aftermath of a pathetic, short term funding of our military mission we have some decisions to make.
We must decide if the freedom we enjoy today is something we can simply take for granted will be there tomorrow. If we determine the answer is ‘No’ then we must decide how we will proceed to ensure that it is. It is at this point Memorial Day makes its crucial contribution to the debate. It reminds us that without the ability and the will to fight for what we believe our future is at risk. If we are not careful, we will miss the mute reminder of millions of silent graves. Their worldly voices silenced by the violence they endured, their counsel is easily overpowered by the click of the stock ticker, the cries of our children, the myriad demands of daily life made possible by the freedom we enjoy. If we are to have a chance at hearing the whispers from those who earned the right to speak in death by serving us in life we must make the conscious choice to stop and listen for them.
Their quiet wisdom is needed in times of doubt and indecision. It is needed when the choices we face are clear but the determination of which is the right choice is not. It is needed, today more than ever, as we choose the course we’ll follow as a nation in the days ahead. If we stop and choose to remember those that navigated these same murky waters before us we’ll find those things the memorials they erected were intended to enshrine. Their voices counsel us, “Duty … honor … God … country … sacrifice … liberty … love!”
If we will not make the effort; if, in the midst of the liberty they pass down to us, we forget to remember, we are fools. And like the stone erected by Joshua at Shechem, the very thing intended to comfort, guide and preserve us will bear witness against us that we received wisdom but were untrue to our fallen, our nation and our God.
Praying we strive to keep our memories clear and strong …
Blue Collar Muse
2 Comments
Heroes, History, Holidays, Patriotism, Spiritual Warfare
One of the spiritual gifts my wife and I have is ‘hospitality’. We love to entertain friends at home, the more the better. Some of our past Titans parties approach legendary status. Chad, you’ll have to join us some Sunday this season! If we play the Seahawks we can put JJ on speakerphone and taunt him as his team loses!
But, I digress …
Something we’ve done to get together with friends is establish regular annual celebrations or events. For instance, for years on the Friday before Christmas, M’Lady K and I get together with one specific couple and others (the others vary from year to year) to share some great hors ‘dourves, fellowship and then we watch Frank Capra’s ‘It’s A Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart. We know all the lines and have our favorites and thoroughly enjoy it every year. It’s one way we implement JJ’s ‘Lesson of the Day’ from a couple of weeks ago.
M’Lady K and I were talking the other day about this sort of tradition and wondered why we had one for Christmas but not for Easter. We decided to start one up this year.
We have invited 2 or 3 couples and their kids to join us on Good Friday evening and we’ll be watching Mel Gibson’s ‘The Passion of the Christ together.
We bought a copy of the film when it came out having already seen it at the theater. For those of you that have seen it, you understand that it is a powerful film. I think that’s part of why we’ve not watched it since then. But it’s time. 3 of our 5 kids have seen it and we’re going to allow the younger 2 to watch it with us this year if they want to.
We’re looking forward to time with good friends. We’re looking forward to the new tradition. Most of all, we’re looking forward to remembering the price paid for our redemption.
Over and over the Book encourages us to remember what God did in the past so we have specifics to hang our faith on in the future. This is true whether the event you are remembering specifically happened to you or not. For instance, stories in the Book inspire us and produce faith in us today even though the events happened to other people hundreds of years ago.
If this seems like something of benefit to you and yours, feel free to swipe the idea and fine tune it for you. The key is to lift up the Son, to fix our eyes on Him and magnify His name. Why? Because if Christ be lifted up, He will draw all men to Him.
Realizing I, too, am part of ‘all men’ and looking for a seat closer to the action …
BCM
9 Comments
Heroes, History, Holidays, Hollywood, Spiritual Warfare
One of the greatest joys of Bible study is the ability to examine the text in its original written language. There are nuances and word pictures in Greek that are utterly lost in translation if great care and effort are not taken, and these can make a big difference in the force, attitude, or meaning. One example of this is John 6:44 where Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent Me draws him…” The verb for “draw” hELKUSHi (hELKW) paints the word picture of a sword being forcefully drawn from its scabbard or of a fish being inexorably reeled in. Now how’s that for a vivid mental image of irresistable grace? Studying Greek helps in understanding Scripture just like having a color TV instead of a B/W helps to give you a clearer, more vivid picture of what is going on.
And that brings me to my real point…
When King Leonides of Sparta uttered his now-famous words, “Molon Labe,” in 480 BC, he was not inviting Xerxes’ army to “come and get” their weapons. LABE is 2nd person plural in the Imperative voice. LAMBANW, the lexical form of the verb, means to take or get. Another verb, DEXOMAI, means to get or to receive.
Do you see the difference?
When we speak of “getting” something from someone (e.g. I got this suit from JJ), English hardly conveys whether you acquired the item in question amicably or by force. If I were to say, “I took this suit from JJ,” it carries a completely different attitude than, “I received this suit from JJ,” doesn’t it?
Now, cast your mind back to the Battle of Thermopylae…
Xerxes issues his ultimatum to the Greeks. Leonides, knowing the outcome is hopeless but determined to fight on anyway, utters the words that will, ultimately, inspire and be egregiously and sloppily mistranslated by generations of freedom loving patriots.
Do you think he was inviting the Persians to stroll over and have the weapons handed over to them? NO! Leonides issued a mocking, double-dog dare: “You–all of you–come and take them!”
When the gun grabbers and JBT’s come for your firearms, courtesy of the unPatriotic Act that will allow a liberal administration to declare members of JPFO, GOA, and yes, even the execreable and self-serving NRA to be considered domestic terrorists, will you meekly and submissively stand quiescent and allow them to be taken from your hand? Or will you be one of the few who stand their ground and declare, in the true spirit of Leonides, “Oh, Hell no! You–come and take them!”
Whichever group you will ultimately choose to be in, please, please, please go forth and mistranslate no more. MOLWN LABE does not simply mean, “Come and get them.” If you’re going to have the cojones to quote Leonides, then have the integrity to do so properly and with the true force and accurate meaning of the words.
14 Comments
General, Gun Rights, Heroes, History, Weapons, Word of God
The Prophet Daniel - Messiah Prophecy
Daniel was a doubt dissolver. He was one of the most intruguing men in the entire Old Testament. He was honored by both enemy and friend alike and was promoted by his captors. Daniel was called a prophet by Jesus but many Jews deny him this title. Why? Well he made a prophetic statement of exactly when the Messiah would come and what would happen to him and what would happen to Jerusalem after him. So what would happen to Jerusalem after Messiah came? He said “the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;…” Tell me, when was Jerusalem destroyed along with its sanctuary? 70 AD. Does anyone know of a Messianic figure that came before 70AD? This is what Daniel said:
(Warning Long Post Ahead) (more…)
Comments Off
Heroes, History, Religion, Word of God
They said, “Give me liberty or give me death!” We say, “Give me security or I’ll not give you my vote.”
They said, “We must hang together or we will hang separately.” We say, “Hang yourself! I’m looking out for number one!”
They left houses, land, friends, and family to fight for freedom. We left morals, faith, friends, and family to fight for riches.
They placed a firm faith in God. We place a firm faith in self.
They gave all. We give only when it is convenient.
To them it was One Nation Under God. To us it is One Nation Under political correctness.
The above quotes are not exact but you get the point. It is time for America to turn back to what made her great! We live in desperate times. My opinion is, we will not change. We are too lazy to change. We like to blame the politicians for our failures. After all, very few want or are willing to be responsible including the elected. Some great American’s actually do take responsibility. Many of 3G readers take responsibility, no doubt. Responsibility can’t rest on the shoulder’s of the grass roots movement or on our military. Responsibility needs to go mainstream! Then responsibility must go to Washington. If responsibility can’t get to Washington then “We the People” have failed the men and women that founded our precious country.
Responsibility for what? Responsibility to stand on the Constitution of the United States of America. Responsibility to lead with accountability and conviction to moral principles. Responsibility to stay true to ethics and not the ethics found in Hollywood known as situational ethics but the kind that has a bedrock; based on truth, honesty, and what once was the American way.
Countless lives have been spent to protect our freedom we need to count those lives as honorable and stand up to the moral decay and take responsibility. We are not ruled by the Supreme Court. We are not ruled by the President. We do not take our orders from Congress or the Senate. “We the People” of the United States rule this great land. We refuse to bow to tyrants, treasonous “think tanks”, money, or political posturing. It is time we rise up and take the responsibility that belongs to only us.
What do you think we say that is so different than our founders?
Seattle beats the Carolina Panthers 34-14 to capture the NFC Championship
Panthers: owned!!!! My Seahawks finally do it! I thought I would never live to see the day the Hawks go to the Super Bowl. I’ve been waiting over twenty years for a playoff win let alone a Super Bowl appearance. Miracles do happen!
As some of you know, my wife is from Pennsylvania and she is a big Steelers fan. It’s going to be an crazy Super Bowl Sunday in the Honeycutt house. Interesting fact: My sisters went to high school with Pittsburgh Steeler ProBowl star Troy Polamalu in Winston Oregon. I guess his high school girlfriend actually lived by us. Love the guy (he is a good Christian man and toughest defensive player in the league) but I hope the Hawks can pull through.
Code Pink Freak
A McLennan Sheriff Deputy warns an unidentified Cindy Sheehan supporter that she will be arrested if she does not stay on the Camp Casey 1 side of the road across from the pro-Bush protesters near President Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2005. Several thousand people descended on President Bush’s adopted hometown Saturday, either attending a rally supporting him or arriving for the last leg of an anti-war demonstration near his ranch. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
We really do have it all. America is the best country in the world and some of these figures make me feel better:
The American worker makes much more than he used to, and, yes, that’s in constant dollars. In 1909, the typical hourly wage was $3.43. In 1950, it was $9.70. Last year it was $15.70. In 1950, more than 30 percent of Americans were classified as poor. Today the figure is 10 percent to 15 percent — with a poverty level that Democrats set artificially high for political purposes. Today, even the poor have a bewildering array of comforts. “More than 98 percent of American homes have a telephone, electricity and a flush toilet,” the study says. “More than 70 percent of Americans own a car, a VCR, a microwave, air conditioning, cable TV, and a washer and dryer.” In 1900, almost no homes had such conveniences. Running for vice president last year, John Edwards said there are two Americas: a rich one and a poor one. Not really. There are three. One is incredibly well-off. One is nicely well-off. The third has to settle for just well-off. You can call that injustice if you want. I don’t. I call it prosperity never before seen in human history. In America, poor means starting at Wal-Mart for $10 an hour. That’s $19,500 a year. Granted, I wouldn’t want to live on such a salary. But I’m older than I look. If I were right out of high school, it wouldn’t sound too bad at all.
Being “poor” in America is not having enough money to get the latest cool gadget. Yes, I know there are families out there that struggle to pay the bills, keep a home, etc. but for the most part Americans are in MUCH better shape compared to countries such as Ethiopa and Uganda who are struggling just to get food and water. We are so incredibly lucky and no one should forget that or take it for granted.
Hat tip goes to Jack Army.
