I serve a risen Saviour,
He's in the world today;
I know that He is living,
Whatever men may say;
I see His hand of mercy,
I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him
He's always near.
####Chorus:
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and He talks with me
Along life's narrow way.
He lives, He live, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives:
He lives within my heart.
In all the world around me
I see His loving care,
And tho my heart grows weary
I never will despair;
I know that He is leading
Thro' all the stormy blast,
The day of His appearing
Will come at last.
####
Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian,
Lift up your voice and sing
Eternal hallelujahs
To Jesus Christ the King!
The hope of all who seek Him,
The help of all who find,
None other is so loving,
So good and kind.
####
The Poor, the Crippled, the Lame, the Blind
"But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”" Luke 14:13-14, ESV
Jesus was often invited to dinner at the home of rich, powerful people, and he noticed things happening which were not pleasing to God the Father. He saw some choosing places of honour for themselves, and told them that whoever exalts himself will be humbled. We should humble ourselves and God will exalt us. He also shocked the Pharisees and scribes at these dinner parties by healing people on the Sabbath, and by not doing the expected ceremonial ritual of cleansing. And one day he gave some startling advice.
‘He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:12-14).
The point is these helpless people have nothing to give us in return, just as a newborn baby can give nothing to its parents who look after it. But who are the poor the crippled the lame and the blind in my circle of influence? I’m now asking the Lord this question. Is it the mentally ill person at church who irritates me when she interrupts the sermons and shouts funny remarks in a big loud voice and then laughs? She was in tears one week in the coffee time after church because a hymn was sung that was used in her mother’s funeral recently. I knew then I had to put my hand on her shoulder and pray a little prayer for her. Maybe she’s one of the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind.
Then I was on a bus when the driver surprised me by pulling up and stopping even though there was no-one at the bus stop. He then came out of his driving seat and went down the bus to fetch a man in a wheelchair and take him off the bus. We all sat waiting while he crossed the busy road with the wheelchair and left him at the foot of the driveway up to a residential home for the elderly. All the time he was chatting away to him, laughing and joking.
The man looked so helpless as he made several feeble, unsuccessful attempts to propel the wheelchair up the sloping drive with his thin and twisted arms. I was so concerned I asked the driver about it as he came back to the bus. He replied that the man did this every single day and, yes, it was surprising that no-one would be sent to meet him and help him, and he did seem a bit tired today. Thinking about it afterwards, as the bus sped on its way, I concluded that he probably had a mobile phone on him that he could use to summon help whenever he needed it. He’s definitely one of the poor, crippled, the lame and the blind.
Prayer: Dear heavenly Father please show me who the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind people are. Help me to see them as You see them, through eyes of unconditional love. Help me to value them and to understand how to give them a feast, not looking for anything in return, except the joy of knowing You are pleased. Amen.
Today's Writer : Liz Griffin
Daily Smile:
What did Cinderella say when her photos were taking long to develop?
Someday my prints will come.
In The News:
Romney Asks Rev. Billy Graham to Pray for Him
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney met with the Rev. Billy Graham on Thursday, asking the evangelist to pray for him in the final weeks of the campaign, Brietbart.com reports. "I'll do all I can to help you," Graham, 93, told Romney. Graham and his son Franklin Graham met with Romney for 30 minutes on the Graham estate outside Asheville, N.C., where Romney held a campaign rally later that day. The meeting was closed to reporters, but photographers and video producers were brought in near the end, when the men appeared to be discussing the candidate's father, George Romney, whom Graham considered a friend. When Graham asked Romney what he could do for him, Romney answered, "Prayer is the most helpful thing you can do for me." Near the end of the meeting, Graham led a prayer for the Romneys, saying: "I'll do all I can to help you. And you can quote me on that." Romney and the Grahams also discussed religious freedom, religious persecution, Afghanistan and the growth of the Grahams' ministry in China, Sudan and North Korea, according to a readout of the meeting provided by a campaign aide.
Hobby Lobby's Request to Halt Contraception Mandate Gets Hearing Date
A judge has scheduled a hearing for Christian crafts retailer Hobby Lobby's request for preliminary injunction on the Health and Human Services mandate that would require the company to provide emergency contraceptive coverage or face steep fines, the Christian Post reports. The hearing will take place at 10 a.m. on Oct. 24 in Oklahoma City. Hobby Lobby's owner and founder, David Green, says the mandate violates their religious beliefs because it forces the business to provide insurance covering abortion-inducing drugs, such as the "morning-after" pill. When Hobby Lobby filed suit against the federal government in September, it became the first evangelical employer to challenge the mandate. Thirty-one lawsuits have been filed to date against the mandate, which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2013.
University Suspends Official for Supporting Marriage
One of the 160,000 Marylanders who signed a petition to overturn the state's same-sex marriage law may lose her job as chief diversity officer at Gallaudet University for participating in an "inappropriate legislative initiative," WORLD News Service reports. Dr. Angela McCaskill -- the first deaf African-American woman to earn a doctorate from Gallaudet, which specializes in programs to accommodate deaf and hard-of-hearing students -- signed the petition in July. Because of the petitioners' efforts, voters in Maryland will have the opportunity to repeal the law creating same-sex marriage; a "no" vote on Question 6 would repeal the law. On Wednesday, Gallaudet president T. Alan Hurwitz placed a statement on the university's Facebook page indicating he had placed McCaskill on paid administrative leave immediately and would use the time to determine his next steps regarding the situation. "It recently came to my attention that Dr. McCaskill has participated in a legislative initiative some feel is inappropriate for an individual serving as Chief Diversity Officer," Hurwitz wrote. But Robert Muise, senior counsel at the American Freedom Law Center, says all Americans have the right to sign petitions. "This is just a microcosm of a really larger problem that I'm seeing across the country -- Christians who want to engage in their religious belief and express their views are being punished," Muise said.
U.S. Birth Rates Fall for Fourth Straight Year
The government reported last week that U.S. births fell for the fourth year in a row in 2011, though the fall has slowed down a bit, WORLD News Service reports. Americans typically have more children in robust economic times, and "it may be that the effect of the recession is slowly coming to an end," said Carl Haub, senior demographer with the Population Reference Bureau. Falling births is a relatively new phenomenon in the U.S.; births had been on the rise since the late 1990s and hit an all-time high of more than 4.3 million in 2007. But fewer than 4 million births were counted last year -- the lowest number since 1998. Meanwhile, birth rates for teen moms have been falling since 1991 and are at historic lows. Last year the drop was 8 percent, to about 330,000 teen births -- the lowest number since 1946.
Presidential Election
Tuesday, November 6th
Are You Going To VOTE???
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