Happy Reading,
Richard
Salt Block Christians ... for Jesus!
"In the same way, let your
light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:16
In the final paragraph of Revelation, John records these words of Jesus Christ: "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life" (22:17). Here is a threefold invitation given by the Holy Spirit speaking through the Word of God; by the bride of Christ, His church; and by those who have already responded to Christ. To whom is this invitation given? To all who are thirsty. "Whosoever" .
In the final paragraph of Revelation, John records these words of Jesus Christ: "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life" (22:17). Here is a threefold invitation given by the Holy Spirit speaking through the Word of God; by the bride of Christ, His church; and by those who have already responded to Christ. To whom is this invitation given? To all who are thirsty. "Whosoever" .
Dairy Farmers scatter large blocks
of salt in the pasture where the milk cows graze. Apparently, these
cows need salt that was not in their grain and hay. Shortly after the
cow goes to the salt lick, she will head for the water tank. And that is exactly what Jesus Christ
wants for His people. If we are salt in the world, the way we live and
the words we say should make the non-Christians around us thirsty for
God.
I recall a family who wanted to lead one of their friends to Christ. They did all the usual things, even taking him to hear the gospel preached. One week they invited the guy over for dinner. The family did nothing special, just went about as they normally did. The kids were friendly and talkative at the meal, the father led in a prayer of thanksgiving for the food, the kids helped with the dishes, did their homework, and scurried off to bed.
Later that week, the man called and said he had become a Christian. The way the family lived had convinced him of his need for Christ.
Prayer: "Lord, help me to be salt in the world, creating thirst for the Living Water that only You can give. Amen."My home, my lifestyle, and my responses to the difficulties of life affect how non-Christians perceive their need for Christ. May I be found to be a salt block for Jesus!
This Is My Father's World
I recall a family who wanted to lead one of their friends to Christ. They did all the usual things, even taking him to hear the gospel preached. One week they invited the guy over for dinner. The family did nothing special, just went about as they normally did. The kids were friendly and talkative at the meal, the father led in a prayer of thanksgiving for the food, the kids helped with the dishes, did their homework, and scurried off to bed.
Later that week, the man called and said he had become a Christian. The way the family lived had convinced him of his need for Christ.
Prayer: "Lord, help me to be salt in the world, creating thirst for the Living Water that only You can give. Amen."My home, my lifestyle, and my responses to the difficulties of life affect how non-Christians perceive their need for Christ. May I be found to be a salt block for Jesus!
This Is My Father's World
1. This is my Father's world,
and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings
the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
his hand the wonders wrought.
2. This is my Father's world,
the birds their carols raise,
the morning light, the lily white,
declare their maker's praise.
This is my Father's world:
he shines in all that's fair;
in the rustling grass I hear him pass;
he speaks to me everywhere.
3. This is my Father's world.
O let me ne'er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King; let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let the earth be glad!
Daily Smile:
Dolphins are so intelligent that within a few weeks of captivity they can train a man to stand on the edge of their pool and throw them fish three times a day.
In The News:
Pentagon: Religious Proselytizing is Not Permitted
Religious liberty groups have grave concerns after they learned the
Pentagon is vetting its guide on religious tolerance with a group that
compared Christian evangelism to "rape" and advocated that military
personnel who proselytize should be court-martialed, Todd Starnes reports.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation -- whose president, Mikey
Weinstein, met privately with Pentagon officials on April 23 -- is
calling on the Air Force to enforce a regulation that they believe calls
for the court martial of any service member caught proselytizing.
Weinstein, who called the act of evangelizing "a version of being
spiritually raped," said U.S. troops who proselytize are guilty of
sedition and treason and should be punished -- by the hundreds if
necessary -- to stave off what he called a "tidal wave of
fundamentalists." He said: "Someone needs to be punished for this. Until
the Air Force or Army or Navy or Marine Corps punishes a member of the
military for unconstitutional religious proselytizing and oppression, we
will never have the ability to stop this horrible, horrendous,
dehumanizing behavior." Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research
Council, told Fox News he was stunned that the Pentagon would be taking
counsel and advice from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. "Why
would military leadership be meeting with one of the most rabid atheists
in America to discuss religious freedom in the military?" Perkins said.
"That’s like consulting with China on how to improve human rights." The
FRC has launched a petition drive urging
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to protect the religious freedom of
troops "and not to proceed with the purge of religion within the ranks
called for by anti-Christian activists."
'Morning-After' Pill Goes Over-the-Counter to 15-Year-Olds
The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that the so-called
"morning-after" pill will now be available over-the-counter without a
prescription to girls as young as 15, WORLD reports.
The drug, sold under brand names like Plan B and ella and marketed as a
method of "emergency" contraception, prevents implantation of a
fertilized egg or causes an early abortion. According to the FDA ruling,
drug stores will be able to stock the drug on store shelves just like
condoms, but buyers would have to prove their age at the cash register.
Previously, the government had required a prescription for girls 16 and
younger. And in 2011, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen
Sebelius disregarded a recommendation by the FDA to make the drug
available over-the-counter -- a decision that surprised many given the
Obama administration's strong support for abortion. A federal judge ruled earlier in April that
there should be no age restrictions for the drug, giving the FDA 30
days to act. The FDA said Tuesday's decision was not a result of the
judge's ruling.
Jury Deliberations Could Be Long in Gosnell Case
After more than six hours of heated closing arguments Monday in the
murder trial of Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, the jury
began deliberating on the charges against him, Baptist Press reports. "Those deliberations could be long," according to The Philadelphia Inquirer April
30, adding that the jury of seven women and five men "will have to
parse their way through a verdict sheet reportedly more than 30 pages
long." Among the charges the jury must address are four counts of
first-degree murder in the deaths of viable children who were killed
after delivery and a count of third-degree murder in the death of a
Virginia woman during a 2009 abortion. Gosnell, who has pleaded not
guilty, could receive the death penalty if he is convicted of
first-degree murder. Other charges include conspiracy, theft, corruption
of minors, solicitation and operating a corrupt organization.
15 Countries Cited for Religious Freedom Violations
For its annual report of the world's worst violators of religious
freedom, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom counts
15 nations where abuse of religious liberty is "systemic, egregious and
ongoing." The commission, which was created by Congress in 1998 as an
independent watchdog panel, also wants to highlight the crimes of
non-nations, which for the first time this year get their own section in
the report. "Violence perpetrated by non-state actors against religious
minorities and others who conflict with their worldview is increasingly
common, with incidents occurring in places as diverse as Pakistan and
Nigeria," said Knox Thames, the commission's director of policy and
research. Somalia, for example, which doesn't make the list, is home to al Shabaab,
a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization that has brutally
suppressed Christians and Sufi Muslims who do not subscribe to its
radical interpretation of Islam. "Somalis accused of committing crimes
or who al Shabaab deems to have deviated from accepted behaviors are
punished through stoning, amputation, flogging, and/or detention,"
according to the report. On its 15-nation list of the worst offenders,
USCIRF includes eight that the U.S. State Department also considers
"Countries of Particular Concern": Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North
Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan. But as in years past, the
commission wants the State Department to add seven more: Egypt, Iraq,
Nigeria, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Vietnam.
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