By M. Stanford
"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him" (Col. 2:6).
One day we came to Him in utter need and reliance, and received life. Every day we are to abide in Him in utter need and reliance, that He may live that life in and through us. We are born again by faith, and we are to live anew by faith. "He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5).
'There are earnest Christians who are zealous for a free Gospel, with acceptance of Christ, and justification by faith alone. But after this they think everything depends on their diligence and faithfulness. While they firmly grasp the truth, 'justified by faith,' they have hardly noticed the larger truth, 'the just shall live by faith.' They have not yet understood what a perfect Saviour the Lord Jesus is, and how He will each day do for the sinner just as much as He did the first day when they came to Him.
"They know not that the life of grace is always and only a life of faith, and that in the relationship to the Lord Jesus the one daily and unceasing duty of the disciple is to believe, because believing is the one channel through which Divine grace and strength can flow into the heart of man. The flesh of the believer remains evil and sinful to the last; it is only as he daily comes, all empty and helpless, to his Saviour to receive of His life and strength, that he can bring forth the fruits of righteousness to the glory of God." - A.M.
"Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving" (Col. 2:7).
He Lives
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.
####
Daily Smile:
What is a snake’s favorite subject?
Hisssstory!
In The News:
Chen Guangcheng: Forced Abortion in China 'Still Extensively Exists'
Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng, whose dramatic escape from house arrest and flight to New York captured the attention of the world in May, has issued a powerful video calling on the Chinese Communist Party to account for crimes committed against the Chinese people, ASSIST News Service reports. These include crimes committed against Chen's own family -- such as his nephew, who was just given a three-year jail sentence for defending himself when officials broke into his house and savagely beat him and his parents. Instead of improving, Chen says "the human rights situation in China is, in fact, getting worse. ... In China, no one is safe." Moreover, Chen says "the violence in maintaining China's one-child policy still extensively exists. It is a sin, because life is sacred." In 2006, Chen was detained and tortured for exposing the massive, systematic use of forced abortion and involuntarily sterilization in China. According to Reggie Littlejohn, president of Women's Rights Without Frontiers: "Chen Guangcheng has endured incalculable suffering for human rights in China, and in particular, for the rights of women not to be forcibly aborted or sterilized. He has confirmed that these barbaric practices are still being used 'extensively.' ... The leaders of the United States should join Chen in calling for a peaceful transition away from policies that are oppressing and terrorizing the people of China, who are one-fifth of the population of the earth."
Court Upholds Indiana's Ban on Secular Wedding Officiants
A federal court in Indiana has rejected atheists' requests to preside at wedding ceremonies, saying only clergy or public officials are licensed to solemnize marriages, the Religion News Service reports. A lawsuit filed by the Indiana chapter of the Center for Inquiry argued that an Indiana law requiring marriages to be "solemnized" -- made official by signing a marriage license -- only by clergy, judges, mayors or local government clerks violated the Constitution. The New York-based secular humanist organization claimed barring "secular celebrants" from solemnizing marriages provided preferential treatment to religious celebrants. But Judge Sarah Evans Barker of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana ruled Nov. 30 that since marriage has religious roots, government regulation of marriage is therefore an act of religious accommodation -- not endorsement -- and protected by the Constitution. She also noted that Indiana's law did not limit who may marry the plaintiffs, but only who may sign their license. The Center for Inquiry has promised an appeal of Barker's ruling.
68 Percent Prefer 'Merry Christmas' Over 'Happy Holidays'
Most Americans still prefer signs in stores that say "Merry Christmas" rather than ones with "Happy Holidays," according to a new Rasmussen Reports national survey. The poll found that 68 percent of American adults prefer "Merry Christmas," while just 23 percent like "Happy Holidays" instead. The survey of 1,000 adults nationwide was conducted November 11-12, 2012, with a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
Pennsylvania Restaurant Forced to Open 'Church Bulletin Discount' to Atheists
A settlement has been reached in an atheist's complaint against a Pennsylvania restaurant that offered a 10-percent discount to customers who provided a church bulletin while dining on Sundays, the Christian Post reports. The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission said Nov. 28 that Prudhomme's Lost Cajun Kitchen in Columbia may continue providing the discount on Sundays as long as it omits the word "church" from its discount offer and accepts pamphlets pertaining to all faiths, even "publications from the Freedom From Religion Foundation." The discrimination complaint was filed on behalf of local atheist John Wolff in the summer of 2012, who argued the discount was discriminatory because he did not attend church. In response, restaurant co-owner Sharon Prudhomme argued it was merely a marketing attempt to increase business during slow Sunday afternoons.
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