Dear Lord God, I cannot help but against the backdrop of the tragedy at VT and the realization that such horrors are taking place else where around the world on a regular basis. There is evil in the world, but You God are good, and all that You created is good. So where does such evil come from. It roams like a lion around all of us waiting to devour us and anyone around us. We must be and live in the Spirit, even when lonely and brokenhearted, even when touched by the ways of illness, suffering and tragedy under the sun. We must see with ‘eyes of faith’ we must be watchful of the lion and prepare ourselves by girding our waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which we will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints (Ephesians 6:14-18). We must have courage and character to be the righteous, for as in the words of Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, testimony before the House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee.
"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good and evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. "The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain’s heart. "In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed…I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy — it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best. This was written way before I knew I would be speaking here today:
Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You’ve stripped away our heritage,
You’ve outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!
"Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation’s history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine’s tragedy occurs — politicians immediately look for a scapegoat…
There is no doubt that God sent Darrell Scott as a voice crying in the wilderness. Will we listen, will we hear him. Dear Lord God that is my prayer today that we realize that You LORD are near to the brokenhearted, and You are there to save the crushed in spirit. But, He whom You sent utters Your words, for it is not by measure that He gives the Spirit; You love Your Son, and have given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life; help us to listen to the Spirit, to obey, to have the courage to bring You back into our everyday life, everyday, and to speak up to the weak and poor who cannot speak for themselves. All this I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord, my Savior, and the only answer to the evil under the sun. Amen
"I Am A Voice" sung by Trish Short,
Idleness begets a life of discontent. It develops self-love, which is the cause of all our miseries, and renders us unworthy to receive the favors of divine love.
— St. Ignatius Loyola
27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, "We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us." 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him." 33 When they heard this they were enraged and wanted to kill them.
Bible Study: [17-42] A second action against the community is taken by the Sanhedrin in the arrest and trial of the Twelve; cf Acts 4:1-3. The motive is the jealousy of the religious authorities over the popularity of the apostles (Acts 5:17) who are now charged with the defiance of the Sanhedrin’s previous order to them to abandon their prophetic role (Acts 5:28; cf Acts 4:18). In this crisis the apostles are favored by a miraculous release from prison (Acts 5:18-24). (For similar incidents involving Peter and Paul, see Acts 12:6-11; 16:25-29.) The real significance of such an event, however, would be manifest only to people of faith, not to unbelievers; since the Sanhedrin already judged the Twelve to be inauthentic prophets, it could disregard reports of their miracles. When the Twelve immediately resumed public teaching, the Sanhedrin determined to invoke upon them the penalty of death (Acts 5:33) prescribed in Deut 13:6-10. Gamaliel’s advice against this course finally prevailed, but it did not save the Twelve from the punishment of scourging (Acts 5:40) in a last endeavor to shake their conviction of their prophetic mission.
2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and be glad. 9 O fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no want! 17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the LORD delivers him out of them all. 20 He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.
Bible Study: [Psalm 34] A thanksgiving in acrostic form, The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Psalm 34:5, 7), can teach the "poor," those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone (Psalm 34:4, 12). God will make them powerful (Psalm 34:5-11) and give them protection (Psalm 34:12-22).
31 He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth belongs to the earth, and of the earth he speaks; he who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony; 33 he who receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for it is not by measure that he gives the Spirit; 35 the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. 36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him.
Bible Study: [31-36] It is uncertain whether these are words by the Baptist, Jesus, or the evangelist. They are reflections on the two preceding scenes.
/ raangulo
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