Happy Thursday

THE CAPTAIN OF OUR SALVATION by C. R. Stam
Years ago a man of God was asked to preach at the funeral of a young soldier whose parents were unsaved.
During the course of his message the preacher sought to impress upon his hearers the basic fact that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom.6:23).
This greatly upset the parents. After the service they complained: “This is embarrassing. Our boy was not a sinner.”
The truth was that shortly before his death this young man had done what every true, born-again Christian has done. He acknowledged himself to be a lost sinner and, trusting Christ as his Savior, had been so gloriously saved that his parents were mystified that he could be so happy in the face of death.
The simplest believer in Christ understands all this. He knows that for the “old man” the death of the body is indeed a “dishonorable discharge” for laws broken, orders disobeyed, responsibilities unmet, and trusts betrayed. But for the “new man the death of the body is the vestibule through which he is ushered into the blessed presence of “the Captain of our Salvation,” the One who “by the grace of God tasted death for every man” that He might “bring many sons unto glory” (See Hebrews 2:9,10).
This is why we read in Hebrews 2:14,15:
“Forasmuch, then, as the children [of Adam] were partakers of flesh and blood, He [Christ] also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
“And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
No wonder St. Paul’s simple message of salvation was: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Only Believe
Fear not, little flock, from the cross to the throne,
From death into life He went for His own;
All power in earth, all power above,
Is given to Him for the flock of His love.

Refrain

    Only believe, only believe;
    All things are possible, only believe,
    Only believe, only believe;
    All things are possible, only believe.

Fear not, little flock, He goeth ahead,
Your Shepherd selecteth the path you must tread;
The waters of Marah He’ll sweeten for thee,
He drank all the bitter in Gethsemane.

Refrain

Fear not, little flock, whatever your lot,
He enters all rooms, “the doors being shut,”
He never forsakes; He never is gone,
So count on His presence in darkness and dawn.

Refrain

Daily Smile:
The factory foreman inspected the shipment of crystal vases leaving the plant, and approached his new packer. He put his arm around the man’s shoulder and said, “Well, Ole, I see you did what I asked. Stamped the top of each box, ‘This Side Up, Handle With Care.’”

“Yes sir,” the worker replied. “And just to make sure, I stamped it on the bottom too.”

In The News:

Adoption Tax Credit Made Permanent in Fiscal Cliff Bill
The "fiscal cliff" bill signed by President Obama didn't fully please either political party, but it did contain good news for the adoption community by maintaining a tax credit that makes adoption more affordable for low- and middle-income families, Baptist Press reports. The adoption tax credit was set to expire at the end of 2012, and for months the adoption community had been lobbying Congress to extend it. The House and Senate did more than that, making the credit permanent under the bill passed just before the new year. Unlike a tax deduction, which only reduces taxable income, a tax credit actually reduces a person's tax liability. Under IRS rules, an adoptive family can claim adoption expenses -- court costs and adoption agency fees, among others -- up to the maximum amount allowed under the credit, which last year was $13,360. Since many adoptions cost $20,000 and up, the tax credit simply makes the expensive process more affordable.

Court Blocks Ban on Gay Therapy for Minors
A federal appeals court shortly before Christmas blocked a California ban on "reparative therapy," giving concerned parents the right -- for now -- to seek counsel for a child with homosexual tendencies, WORLD News Service reports. The first-of-its-kind ban would have gone into effect Jan. 1, before a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit of Appeals issued an emergency order putting the law on hold until the court can hear full arguments on the measure's constitutionality. The law, passed by the legislature and approved by Gov. Jerry Brown in the fall, says therapists and counselors who use "sexual orientation change efforts" on minors would be practicing unprofessional conduct and subject to discipline by state licensing boards. Mathew Staver of Liberty Counsel, who is representing reparative therapy practitioners and recipients in a suit seeking to overturn the ban, applauded the court's decision to grant his request to delay its implementation. "The law is an astounding overreach by the government into the realm of counseling and would have caused irreparable harm."