Life Is Hard, and Then ...
If God is for us, who can be against us? - Romans 8:31
When should we expect life to get easier? When we graduate--when we marry--when we retire?
Today's passage contains a story that seems to nullify God's great promise that in Abraham all the families of the earth would be blessed. He is to take his son, Isaac, into the land of Moriah and kill him -- offer him as a sacrifice upon one of the mountains. Verse 1 tells us this command came to him "after these things." After what things? After all the hardships and difficulties Abraham already had gone through.
All the tests and trials we have endured will not prevent other tests from coming our way. But these things need not destroy us nor wreck our faith. On the contrary, if you and I respond as Abraham did, in obedience and faith, these tough battles and trials can be the crowning moments of our lives.
For Christians, tough times are supposed to bring us higher and higher, closer to the Lord.
Christian, what winds are knocking you around today?
Family matters? ... Finances? ... Ill health? ... When Abraham faced his toughest test, he looked to the Lord. By God's grace and strength, you and I can do that, too.
Prayer: Lord, I will trust and obey You, no matter what. Amen.
God has determined that we should become conformed to the image of His Son.
I Surrender All
All to Jesus, I surrender;
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
All to Jesus I surrender;
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
All to Jesus, I surrender;
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.
All to Jesus, I surrender;
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power;
Let Thy blessing fall on me.
All to Jesus I surrender;
Now I feel the sacred flame.
O the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His Name!
Fiscal Cliff Imperils Adoption Tax Credit
With Congress embroiled in debate over the so-called "fiscal cliff," many in the adoption community are concerned that the adoption tax credit set to expire at the end of the year could be forgotten, Baptist Press reports. The tax credit that provided last year a maximum of $13,360 to each adoptive family has helped countless low- and middle-income families afford the costly endeavor. Unlike a tax deduction, which only reduces taxable income, a tax credit actually reduces a person's tax liability. U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) introduced in September the Making Adoption Affordable Act, which would permanently establish the tax credit and make it "refundable," allowing adoptive families to receive a refund "in excess of their tax liability," but amid all the debate regarding the fiscal cliff, the bill "has sort of been stalled," says Bill J. Blacquiere, president of nationwide adoption agency Bethany Christian Services. "Throughout this year we've always been told by legislators that this bill would be taken up after the election," he said. "Well, now it is after the election..." Blacquiere fears that without the tax credit, there will be fewer adoptions. "People would just simply say, 'I can't afford this cost,' and they would back out of it," he said.
Pakistani Christians Hold Prayer Rally for Wounded Missionary
Hundreds of Pakistani Christians gathered in the city of Lahore to pray for a wounded Christian missionary, CBN News reports. Bargetta Emmi, a Swedish national and director of the Full Gospel Assemblies in Pakistan, is fighting for her life after being shot in the neck by a gunman on a motorcycle in front of her Lahore home earlier this week. The shooter escaped and no one has yet claimed responsibility or stated a motive for the attack. Emmi, who is in her 70s, has worked in the Muslim country for nearly 40 years.
Belgium: Two Newly Elected Muslim Politicians in Brussels Vow to Implement Sharia
Two Muslim politicians who won October municipal elections in Belgium's capital, Brussels, have vowed to implement sharia, or Islamic law, in Belgium, the Gatestone Institute reports. The two candidates, Lhoucine Ait Jeddig and Redouane Ahrouch, both from the fledgling Islam Party, won seats in two heavily Islamic municipalities of Brussels, and say they regard their election as key to the assertion of the Muslim community in the country. In a one-hour video of a post-election press conference, Ahrouch says at one point that he will strive to make sure the town council's "motions and solutions are durable and definitive and will emanate from Islam." The Islam party, which plans to field candidates in European-level elections in 2014, campaigned on three core issues: ensuring that halal meals are served in public school cafeterias, securing the official recognition of Muslim religious holidays, and pushing for a law that would legalize the wearing of Islamic headscarves in public spaces. Ahrouch has admitted he is taking a gradual approach, saying it may take decades to enforce sharia, but says his ultimate goal -- creating an Islamic state in Belgium -- has not changed. "I think we have to sensitize people, make them understand the advantages to having Islamic people and Islamic laws," he told a reporter. "And then it will be completely natural to have Islamic laws and we will become an Islamic state." Muslims now make up one quarter of the population of Brussels.
Israel Still Excluded From Obama Administration's Touted Counter-Terror Forum
Six months after the Obama administration said it was "committed" to involving Israel in its flagship international counter-terrorism initiative, there has evidently been little progress, and the State Department indicated Wednesday it was still trying, CNSNews.com reports. As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton prepares to attend a meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) in the United Arab Emirates next week, a State Department spokesman said the U.S. would there again raise the issue with its GCTF partners. The Obama administration took flak from the start when it excluded Israel from the forum, because Israel has had decades of experience facing and combating terrorism -- far more than most other countries invited to join the forum. Critics said it was obvious Israel was left out because Muslim countries, which the administration wanted to draw in, would not have joined had Israel been involved. Eleven of the 29 countries welcomed into the GCTF are members of the 56-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC); a senior administration official said last summer a key aim of the GCTR was to "bridge old and deep divides in the international community between Western donor nations and Muslim-majority nations."
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
Refrain
I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessèd Savior,
I surrender all.
All to Thee, my blessèd Savior,
I surrender all.
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
Refrain
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.
Refrain
All to Jesus, I surrender;
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power;
Let Thy blessing fall on me.
Refrain
Now I feel the sacred flame.
O the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His Name!
Refrain
Daily Smile:
Groups of Americans were traveling by tour bus through Holland. As they stopped at a cheese farm, a young guide led them through the process of cheese making, explaining that goat's milk was used. She showed the group a lovely hillside where many goats were grazing. 'These' she explained, 'Are the older goats put out to pasture when they no longer produce.' She then asked, 'What do you do in America with your old goats?'
A spry old gentleman answered, 'They send us on bus tours!
In The News:
With Congress embroiled in debate over the so-called "fiscal cliff," many in the adoption community are concerned that the adoption tax credit set to expire at the end of the year could be forgotten, Baptist Press reports. The tax credit that provided last year a maximum of $13,360 to each adoptive family has helped countless low- and middle-income families afford the costly endeavor. Unlike a tax deduction, which only reduces taxable income, a tax credit actually reduces a person's tax liability. U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) introduced in September the Making Adoption Affordable Act, which would permanently establish the tax credit and make it "refundable," allowing adoptive families to receive a refund "in excess of their tax liability," but amid all the debate regarding the fiscal cliff, the bill "has sort of been stalled," says Bill J. Blacquiere, president of nationwide adoption agency Bethany Christian Services. "Throughout this year we've always been told by legislators that this bill would be taken up after the election," he said. "Well, now it is after the election..." Blacquiere fears that without the tax credit, there will be fewer adoptions. "People would just simply say, 'I can't afford this cost,' and they would back out of it," he said.
Pakistani Christians Hold Prayer Rally for Wounded Missionary
Hundreds of Pakistani Christians gathered in the city of Lahore to pray for a wounded Christian missionary, CBN News reports. Bargetta Emmi, a Swedish national and director of the Full Gospel Assemblies in Pakistan, is fighting for her life after being shot in the neck by a gunman on a motorcycle in front of her Lahore home earlier this week. The shooter escaped and no one has yet claimed responsibility or stated a motive for the attack. Emmi, who is in her 70s, has worked in the Muslim country for nearly 40 years.
Belgium: Two Newly Elected Muslim Politicians in Brussels Vow to Implement Sharia
Two Muslim politicians who won October municipal elections in Belgium's capital, Brussels, have vowed to implement sharia, or Islamic law, in Belgium, the Gatestone Institute reports. The two candidates, Lhoucine Ait Jeddig and Redouane Ahrouch, both from the fledgling Islam Party, won seats in two heavily Islamic municipalities of Brussels, and say they regard their election as key to the assertion of the Muslim community in the country. In a one-hour video of a post-election press conference, Ahrouch says at one point that he will strive to make sure the town council's "motions and solutions are durable and definitive and will emanate from Islam." The Islam party, which plans to field candidates in European-level elections in 2014, campaigned on three core issues: ensuring that halal meals are served in public school cafeterias, securing the official recognition of Muslim religious holidays, and pushing for a law that would legalize the wearing of Islamic headscarves in public spaces. Ahrouch has admitted he is taking a gradual approach, saying it may take decades to enforce sharia, but says his ultimate goal -- creating an Islamic state in Belgium -- has not changed. "I think we have to sensitize people, make them understand the advantages to having Islamic people and Islamic laws," he told a reporter. "And then it will be completely natural to have Islamic laws and we will become an Islamic state." Muslims now make up one quarter of the population of Brussels.
Israel Still Excluded From Obama Administration's Touted Counter-Terror Forum
Six months after the Obama administration said it was "committed" to involving Israel in its flagship international counter-terrorism initiative, there has evidently been little progress, and the State Department indicated Wednesday it was still trying, CNSNews.com reports. As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton prepares to attend a meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) in the United Arab Emirates next week, a State Department spokesman said the U.S. would there again raise the issue with its GCTF partners. The Obama administration took flak from the start when it excluded Israel from the forum, because Israel has had decades of experience facing and combating terrorism -- far more than most other countries invited to join the forum. Critics said it was obvious Israel was left out because Muslim countries, which the administration wanted to draw in, would not have joined had Israel been involved. Eleven of the 29 countries welcomed into the GCTF are members of the 56-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC); a senior administration official said last summer a key aim of the GCTR was to "bridge old and deep divides in the international community between Western donor nations and Muslim-majority nations."
No comments:
Post a Comment