For David ‘was a man after the Lord’s own heart’ and ‘he served the Lord’s purpose in his generation’

November 29, 2007

When: Thursday, November 29, 2007 12:00 AM to Friday, November 30, 2007 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
Can the life of a good Christian be anything other than that of a man nailed to the Cross with Jesus Christ?
— St. John Vianney
 
Abba, Father, today’s readings bring to heart and mind several thoughts, but the words that Samuel and Paul spoke of David, ring loudest; ‘a man after Your own heart’ and ‘he served Your purpose in his generation’. You are our Source of Source, The One God, who through Jesus Christ has given us away to be reconciled to You, so that in the Spirit we maybe one with You and walk under the sun in Your ways, even when we stumble. For as we know even David was far from perfect, but he always came back to You; and in this way I know I am Your child because even in my wickedness I knew I needed to one day reconcile and account for my ways. What I did not know is how hard it would be to separate myself from the memory of what I was, so I can be all You meant me to be, but like David and as Paul spoke, though I die a thousand times, I do so gladly, knowing I will rise with Christ Jesus. Thank you Jesus, Amen.
 
1 Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers in their generations. 10 But these were men of mercy, whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten; 11 their prosperity will remain with their descendants, and their inheritance to their children’s children. 12 Their descendants stand by the covenants; their children also, for their sake. 13 Their posterity will continue for ever, and their glory will not be blotted out. 14 Their bodies were buried in peace, and their name lives to all generations. 15 Peoples will declare their wisdom, and the congregation proclaims their praise.
1 The earth is the LORD’s and the fulness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein; 2 for he has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers. 3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. [Selah]
17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: `Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’" 20 And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth." 21 And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."
 

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Unless you strive after virtues and practice them, you will never grow…

November 28, 2007

When: Wednesday, November 28, 2007 8:00 AM-8:30 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
Unless you strive after virtues and practice them, you will never grow to be more than dwarfs. – St. Theresa of Avila
 
Abba, Father, today’s readings are filled with blessings through obedience and faith. Faith that is more power than fact, faith to act on what cannot be seen when opposite of what is seen. Can the eyes be so deceitful? Can the mind, taught by the ways under the sun deceive us so? Obedience that is that action that is only possible through and in faith. Faith filled with hope and love. Hope that I will become the image of Christ as Jesus was while He walked under the sun, and love for the You, my Abba, Father, through Christ Jesus in the Spirit. For it is through Him that we must see as He saw, think as He thought, speak as He spoke and feel as He felt. I know that without Christ Jesus I am nothing because He is one in You. What I do not know is how to walk as He walked, O Lord God in Jesus name help me walk as He did. Through the Spirit which is the living Christ who is one with You bless me, strengthen me give me the heart of Christ to purify my mind in and with Jesus so I can see, think, speak and act as He walked, Amen,
 
1 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his lords, with whom he drank. 2 Under the influence of the wine, he ordered the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar, his father, had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, to be brought in so that the king, his lords, his wives and his entertainers might drink from them. 3 When the gold and silver vessels taken from the house of God in Jerusalem had been brought in, and while the king, his lords, his wives and his entertainers were drinking 4 wine from them, they praised their gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone. 5 Suddenly, opposite the lampstand, the fingers of a human hand appeared, writing on the plaster of the wall in the king’s palace. When the king saw the wrist and hand that wrote, 6 his face blanched; his thoughts terrified him, his hip joints shook, and his knees knocked. 13 Then Daniel was brought into the presence of the king. The king asked him, "Are you the Daniel, the Jewish exile, whom my father, the king, brought from Judah? 14 I have heard that the spirit of God is in you, that you possess brilliant knowledge and extraordinary wisdom. 16 But I have heard that you can interpret dreams and solve difficulties; if you are able to read the writing and tell me what it means, you shall be clothed in purple, wear a gold collar about your neck, and be third in the government of the kingdom." 17 Daniel answered the king: "You may keep your gifts, or give your presents to someone else; but the writing I will read for you, O king, and tell you what it means. 23 you have rebelled against the Lord of heaven. You had the vessels of his temple brought before you, so that you and your nobles, your wives and your entertainers, might drink wine from them; and you praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, that neither see nor hear nor have intelligence. But the God in whose hand is your life breath and the whole course of your life, you did not glorify. 24 By him were the wrist and hand sent, and the writing set down. 25 "This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, TEKEL, and PERES. These words mean: 26 MENE, God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it; 27 TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting; 28 PERES, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians."
62 Sun and moon, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. 63 Stars of heaven, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. 64 Every shower and dew, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. 65 All you winds, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. 66 Fire and heat, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. 67 Cold and chill, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. 13 This will be a time for you to bear testimony. 14 Settle it therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer; 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death; 17 you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.
 
 

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Ron Paul worth listening too

November 28, 2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsDlO2Lr_cg

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Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, `I am he!’ and, `The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them.

November 27, 2007

After you have made a decision that is pleasing to God, the Devil may try to make you have second thoughts. Intensify your prayer time, meditation, and good deeds. For if Satan’s temptations merely cause you to increase your efforts to grow in holiness, he’ll have an incentive to leave you alone. – St. Ignatius of Loyola
Abba, Father, I search for Your truths, for Your teachings; seeking Your will and to fulfill Your purpose. Yet under the sun while one cannot exist by bread alone, one must eat and make sure others are fed. I seek Your truths in faith that You are my Source or Source, knowing that You are my creator and heavenly Father, my God who through Jesus Christ made sure that I am reconciled to You, forgiven for all I have done wrong and failed to do right. I seek Your teachings so that I may know how to serve You best, for I am weak and prone to temptations under the sun where the influences of this worlds lust for material riches surrounds me like rising flood waters. Abba, Father, I come back to You each day knowing that without You I am nothing; for only in Christ I have the peace and treasures that to me are more valuable than anything I have seen under the sun. Help me use this time well, through Jesus in the Spirit show me those truths You feel appropriate and teach me what I need to chose wisely. This I ask in Jesus name, Amen.
Daniel 2:31-45
31 “In your vision, O king, you saw a statue, very large and exceedingly bright, terrifying in appearance as it stood before you. 32 The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs bronze, 33 the legs iron, its feet partly iron and partly tile. 34 While you looked at the statue, a stone which was hewn from a mountain without a hand being put to it, struck its iron and tile feet, breaking them in pieces. 35 The iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold all crumbled at once, fine as the chaff on the threshing floor in summer, and the wind blew them away without leaving a trace. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. 36 “This was the dream; the interpretation we shall also give in the king’s presence. 37 You, O king, are the king of kings; to you the God of heaven has given dominion and strength, power and glory; 38 men, wild beasts, and birds of the air, wherever they may dwell, he has handed over to you, making you ruler over them all; you are the head of gold. 39 Another kingdom shall take your place, inferior to yours, then a third kingdom, of bronze, which shall rule over the whole earth. 40 There shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron; it shall break in pieces and subdue all these others, just as iron breaks in pieces and crushes everything else. 41 The feet and toes you saw, partly of potter’s tile and partly of iron, mean that it shall be a divided kingdom, but yet have some of the hardness of iron. As you saw the iron mixed with clay tile, 42 and the toes partly iron and partly tile, the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 The iron mixed with clay tile means that they shall seal their alliances by intermarriage, but they shall not stay united, any more than iron mixes with clay. 44 In the lifetime of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people; rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever. 45 That is the meaning of the stone you saw hewn from the mountain without a hand being put to it, which broke in pieces the tile, iron, bronze, silver, and gold. The great God has revealed to the king what shall be in the future; this is exactly what you dreamed, and its meaning is sure.”

Daniel 3:57-61
57 Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever. 58 Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever. 59 You heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever. 60 All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever. 61 All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.

Luke 21:5-11
5 And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, 6 “As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” 7 And they asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?” 8 And he said, “Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, `I am he!’ and, `The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified; for this must first take place, but the end will not be at once.” 10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

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BreakPoint: The Bounty and Goodness of Our God, 11/22/07

November 26, 2007

I thought you might be interested in this…

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The Bounty and Goodness of Our God
A Thanksgiving Story

November 22, 2007

It has become the worst drought in the history of the Southeast. The ground is parched; crops are dying. And last week, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue decided to do something about it. He urged Georgians to pray for desperately needed rain.

Despite much ridicule and some protest, last week, Gov. Perdue led a prayer vigil on the steps of the State Capitol. Praying along with him were pastors from several denominations and hundreds of Georgians.

Gov. Perdue may not have realized it, but he was following in the steps of our Pilgrim fathers and mothers nearly 400 years ago: Joining together with neighbors for prayer was a familiar ritual for the Pilgrims. For example, in April of 1623—three years after the first Pilgrims landed—the transplanted Englishmen and women planted corn and other crops. A good harvest was essential to their survival. But in the weeks following the planting, it became clear that a dry spell was turning into a drought.

Pilgrim father Edward Winslow recorded their distress in his diary. “It pleased God, for our further chastisement,” he wrote, “to send a great drought; insomuch as in six weeks . . . there scarce fell any rain.” The crops began to shrivel up “as though they had been scorched before the fire . . . God,” Winslow wrote, “which hitherto had been our only shield and supporter, now seemed in His anger to arm Himself against us. And who can withstand the fierceness of His wrath?”

The Pilgrims decided the only solution was to humble themselves before God in fasting and in prayer. They appointed a day of prayer and set aside all other employments.

Winslow describes what happened next. “In the morning,” he wrote, “when we assembled together, the heavens were as clear, and the drought as like to continue as it ever was.” But by late afternoon—after eight or nine hours of prayer—”the weather was overcast, the clouds gathered on all sides,” Winslow wrote. The next morning brought “soft, sweet and moderate shows of rain, continuing some fourteen days.” The needed rain was “mixed with such seasonable weather,” he wrote, “as it was hard to say whether our withered corn or drooping affections were most quickened or revived, such was the bounty and goodness of our God.”

This dramatic answer to prayer was a witness to the local Indians. As Winslow notes, “The Indians . . . took notice . . . all of them admired the goodness of our God towards us, that wrought so great a change in so short of time, showing the difference between their conjuration and our invocation on the name of God for rain.”

The harvest that fall was abundant—and the Pilgrims survived yet another year.

Today is Thanksgiving—the day on which we recall the three-day celebration in 1621 in which the Pilgrims invited local Indians to join them in thanking God for His blessings on them—not, as some school children are taught today in class, giving thanks to Indians. And Americans ever since have been celebrating this, an occasion recognized and enshrined by Congress. We ought to take time to thank God for His manifold blessings on us today.

By the way, the day after Governor Perdue prayed on the Capitol steps, rains swept the state—nearly an inch in places. But the drought has continued. So, as we give thanks today, let’s remember those in the drought-stricken Southeast and ask the Giver of all good gifts to bless the land with rain.

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ANNOUNCEMENT

Happy Thanksgiving from everyone here at BreakPoint!

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ONLINE FEATURE
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THE POINT

The Point Radio: A Glutton for Contentment

From everyone at The Point: God’s blessings to you and your loved ones this Thanksgiving!

Listen to Today’s Point Radio Broadcast

For printer-friendly version, simply visit http://www.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT01MjQxNDUmcD0xJnU9LTEmbGk9MTk1MzE4NQ/index.html and click on Today’s Commentary. The printer-friendly link is on the left-hand column.

Copyright (c) 2007 Prison Fellowship

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

“BreakPoint” is a daily commentary on news and trends from a Christian perspective. Heard on more than 1000 radio outlets nationwide, “BreakPoint” transcripts are also available on the Internet.

BreakPoint is the worldview ministry of PFM (formerly Prison Fellowship Ministries): 44180 Riverside Parkway, Lansdowne, VA 20176.

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BreakPoint: The Bounty and Goodness of Our God, 11/22/07

November 26, 2007

I thought you might be interested in this…

If this email does not display properly, please view our online version.

The Bounty and Goodness of Our God
A Thanksgiving Story

November 22, 2007

It has become the worst drought in the history of the Southeast. The ground is parched; crops are dying. And last week, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue decided to do something about it. He urged Georgians to pray for desperately needed rain.

Despite much ridicule and some protest, last week, Gov. Perdue led a prayer vigil on the steps of the State Capitol. Praying along with him were pastors from several denominations and hundreds of Georgians.

Gov. Perdue may not have realized it, but he was following in the steps of our Pilgrim fathers and mothers nearly 400 years ago: Joining together with neighbors for prayer was a familiar ritual for the Pilgrims. For example, in April of 1623—three years after the first Pilgrims landed—the transplanted Englishmen and women planted corn and other crops. A good harvest was essential to their survival. But in the weeks following the planting, it became clear that a dry spell was turning into a drought.

Pilgrim father Edward Winslow recorded their distress in his diary. “It pleased God, for our further chastisement,” he wrote, “to send a great drought; insomuch as in six weeks . . . there scarce fell any rain.” The crops began to shrivel up “as though they had been scorched before the fire . . . God,” Winslow wrote, “which hitherto had been our only shield and supporter, now seemed in His anger to arm Himself against us. And who can withstand the fierceness of His wrath?”

The Pilgrims decided the only solution was to humble themselves before God in fasting and in prayer. They appointed a day of prayer and set aside all other employments.

Winslow describes what happened next. “In the morning,” he wrote, “when we assembled together, the heavens were as clear, and the drought as like to continue as it ever was.” But by late afternoon—after eight or nine hours of prayer—”the weather was overcast, the clouds gathered on all sides,” Winslow wrote. The next morning brought “soft, sweet and moderate shows of rain, continuing some fourteen days.” The needed rain was “mixed with such seasonable weather,” he wrote, “as it was hard to say whether our withered corn or drooping affections were most quickened or revived, such was the bounty and goodness of our God.”

This dramatic answer to prayer was a witness to the local Indians. As Winslow notes, “The Indians . . . took notice . . . all of them admired the goodness of our God towards us, that wrought so great a change in so short of time, showing the difference between their conjuration and our invocation on the name of God for rain.”

The harvest that fall was abundant—and the Pilgrims survived yet another year.

Today is Thanksgiving—the day on which we recall the three-day celebration in 1621 in which the Pilgrims invited local Indians to join them in thanking God for His blessings on them—not, as some school children are taught today in class, giving thanks to Indians. And Americans ever since have been celebrating this, an occasion recognized and enshrined by Congress. We ought to take time to thank God for His manifold blessings on us today.

By the way, the day after Governor Perdue prayed on the Capitol steps, rains swept the state—nearly an inch in places. But the drought has continued. So, as we give thanks today, let’s remember those in the drought-stricken Southeast and ask the Giver of all good gifts to bless the land with rain.

click here for more information

ANNOUNCEMENT

Happy Thanksgiving from everyone here at BreakPoint!

FEATURED RESOURCE

BreakPoint WorldView magazine is now available for FREE online. Sign up today!

GREAT BOOKS

Sign up for the Great Books Audio CD Series, a monthly audio program presenting foundational worldview readings.

ONLINE FEATURE
BreakPoint WorldView: “ Always Winter?: C. S. Lewis and Hope for the Visual Arts” by Jerry L. Eisley

THE POINT

The Point Radio: A Glutton for Contentment

From everyone at The Point: God’s blessings to you and your loved ones this Thanksgiving!

Listen to Today’s Point Radio Broadcast

For printer-friendly version, simply visit http://www.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT01MjQxNDUmcD0xJnU9LTEmbGk9MTk1MzE4NQ/index.html and click on Today’s Commentary. The printer-friendly link is on the left-hand column.

Copyright (c) 2007 Prison Fellowship

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

“BreakPoint” is a daily commentary on news and trends from a Christian perspective. Heard on more than 1000 radio outlets nationwide, “BreakPoint” transcripts are also available on the Internet.

BreakPoint is the worldview ministry of PFM (formerly Prison Fellowship Ministries): 44180 Riverside Parkway, Lansdowne, VA 20176.

Privacy Policy.

Forward this email to a Friend.

Subscribe to BreakPoint.

Informz for iMIS

Posted in Articles that caught my attention, Daily Bible Readings | Leave a Comment »

You go to pray; to become a bonfire, a living flame, giving light and heat.

November 26, 2007

You go to pray; to become a bonfire, a living flame, giving light and heat. – St Josemaria Escriva
Abba, Father, I come to You each day in praise and thanksgiving, seeking forgiveness and the heart of Christ Jesus so I will forgive. For You have shown me that if I am not filled with the Spirit I am not able to walk in Your ways with love in my heart and forgiveness in my words and actions. So on those days when I am void of thoughts and words to express myself, I just sit and listen, all the time knowing that even in silent prayer, I come to You, to become a bonfire, a living flame, giving light and heat this day. O Lord that You would bless me indeed, and that Your hand would be with me today, to keep me from eveil and from causing any more pain. These things I ask in Jesus name, Amen.
Daniel 1:1-6, 8-20
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came and laid siege to Jerusalem. 2 The Lord handed over to him Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and some of the vessels of the temple of God, which he carried off to the land of Shinar, * and placed in the temple treasury of his god. 3 The king told Ashpenaz, his chief chamberlain, to bring in some of the Israelites of royal blood and of the nobility, 4 young men without any defect, handsome, intelligent and wise, quick to learn, and prudent in judgment, such as could take their place in the king’s palace; they were to be taught the language and literature of the Chaldeans; 5 after three years’ training they were to enter the king’s service. The king allotted them a daily portion of food and wine from the royal table. 6 Among these were men of Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 8 But Daniel was resolved not to defile himself with the king’s food or wine; so he begged the chief chamberlain to spare him this defilement. 9 Though God had given Daniel the favor and sympathy of the chief chamberlain, 10 he nevertheless said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king; it is he who allotted your food and drink. If he sees that you look wretched by comparison with the other young men of your age, you will endanger my life with the king.” 11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief chamberlain had put in charge of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days. Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then see how we look in comparison with the other young men who eat from the royal table, and treat your servants according to what you see.” 14 He acceded to this request, and tested them for ten days; 15 after ten days they looked healthier and better fed than any of the young men who ate from the royal table. 16 So the steward continued to take away the food and wine they were to receive, and gave them vegetables. 17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and proficiency in all literature and science, and to Daniel the understanding of all visions and dreams. 18 At the end of the time the king had specified for their preparation, the chief chamberlain brought them before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 When the king had spoken with all of them, none was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; and so they entered the king’s service. 20 In any question of wisdom or prudence which the king put to them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom.
Daniel 3:52-56
52 “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages. 53 Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever. 54 Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. 55 Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever. 56 Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven, praiseworthy and glorious forever.
Luke 21:1-4
1 He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury; 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two copper coins. 3 And he said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; 4 for they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all the living that she had.”

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