When a man is trapped in a mine, he cannot save himself. That man must be saved. No small amount of effort is expended to save such a man from the clutches of death. But it must be admitted, both the decision to save and the power to save rest in the hands of others.
The same thing is true in your relationship to God. The Bible says we are all "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1). In other words, we are all like dead people because of our sins. "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Dead people cannot save themselves. That would be like a dead person getting up out of a grave under his or her own power. It can't be done. In fact, our whole generation is like a mass of walking dead people. We need to be saved from this generation of walking dead. As Peter said so long ago, "Be saved from this perverse generation" (Acts 2:40).
The point is, you cannot save yourself from the consequences of your sins. Only God can save you! God expended no small amount of effort to bring about salvation for people like you and me. He sent Christ into the world. And the Bible says, "It is He who will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). Christ died on a cross to pay for the sins of others. Christ rose again from the grave. He could do that because He is God. Because Christ paid the penalty for sin and then rose again from the dead, He gives others victory over death and sin. Although you cannot save yourself from sin and death, Christ can save you. "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved" (Acts 16:31).
Shout To The LORD
Shout to the Lord, all the earth,
Let us sing
Power and majesty, praise to the King;
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name.
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands,
Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand,
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.
My Jesus, My Savior,
Lord, there is none like You;
All of my days
I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love.
My comfort, my shelter,
Tower of refuge and strength;
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth,
Let us sing
Power and majesty, praise to the King;
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name.
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands,
Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand,
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth,
Let us sing
Power and majesty, praise to the King;
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name.
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands,
Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand,
Nothing compares to the promise I have
Nothing compares to the promise I have
Nothing compares to the promise I have in you
Daily Smile:
One day a man is walking down the street when he sees an old man with a nice looking dog. He goes over to the man and asks: 'does your dog bite?' the old man replies 'No never'.
When the man bends down to stroke the dog, it immediately takes a snap at his hand.
The man says 'I thought you said your dog did not bite! 'I did' replies the old man, but this isn't my dog!'
In The News:
Boy Scouts Proposing to Lift Youth Gay Ban
Under increasing pressure over its longstanding ban on gays, the Boy Scouts of America is proposing to lift its ban for youth members, Fox News reports. The Scouts plan to continue to exclude gays as adult leaders, and announced Friday they would submit this proposal to the approximate 1,400 voting members of its National Council at a May 20th meeting in Texas. Earlier, the BSA indicated it might give local Scout units the option of admitting gays as both youth members and adult leaders, or continuing to exclude them. However, they changed course on Friday due in part to surveys sent out this year to members of the scouting community. Gay –rights groups oppose the ban, some churches and conservative groups want it maintained.
No New Church Buildings Allowed in Sudan
Citing stagnate church attendance and an increasing number of abandoned buildings, the Sudanese government announced that it will no longer issue licenses to Christian churches, the ICC reports. Many of the Christians who attended the now abandoned buildings fled Sudan because of intense persecution. Following the secession of South Sudan in 2011, churches in Khartoum and northern cities have seen attendance drop, as many have migrated south (not all by choice). As a result, Sudan’s minister of Guidance and Endowments, Al-Fatih Taj El-sir, says “there will be no need for new churches as the existing ones can accommodate worshipers.” 55 licenses were denied in 2012 alone.
Boston Marathon Bombings: One Suspect Dead, Manhunt Underway for Second
Boston and surrounding neighborhoods are on lockdown Friday morning as authorities hunt for the remaining Boston Marathon bomber, Fox News reports in this developing story. The two suspects, now known to be brothers, engaged in a shootout with police last night, after a chaotic confrontation that also left one MIT police officer dead. The first brother, labeled by the FBI as “suspect one,” was killed in the crossfire. The other brother, now known to be 19-year-old Dzhokhar A Tsarnaev, fled the scene. The search for him was still underway as of 8:00 a.m. EDT. The suspects, who sources say were possibly from Chechnya or Turkey, surfaced just hours after the FBI released their images late Thursday evening. The pair shot and killed one police officer, robbed a convenience store, carjacked a man who later escaped and engaged in a shootout with authorities, in which they hurled explosives from their car.
Boston police labeled Tsarnaev as “suspect two” and said he was “armed and dangerous.” Authorities are urging residents in Watertown and other surrounding neighborhoods to stay indoors. All mass transit have been shut down, as well as schools.
This is a developing story. Please check back later for updates.
May '13 Edition posted @ http://the-starlight-news.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment