God's Love in Action

Jesus said: "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me".  
(Mt. 25:40)

THOUGHTS ON THANKSGIVING

In 1621, the 53 surviving Pilgrims of the Mayflower company held a Thanksgiving feast. In Of Plymouth Plantation, William Bradford lists the Mayflower passengers and also those who died during the first winter of 1620/1621 and during the spring of 1621. No other ships arrived in Plymouth until after the "First Thanksgiving" celebration. Forty-five of the 102 emigrants died the first winter and were buried. The Pilgrims at the "First Thanksgiving" were the only Mayflower survivors. That works out to a 44 percent mortality rate. The first Thanksgiving feast lasted three days and was attended by 53 Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag Indians. Earlier this month, many Christians were disappointed and some were depressed at the 2012 election results. But should believers be surprised, let alone depressed, over such events? Is our hope in this world? Should we not be giving thanks to God not just today but for each day that He gives us? What was the focus of the Pilgrims? Governor William Bradford wrote that Reverend John Robinson, prior to their departure from Holland and voyage to the New World, "...spent a good part of the day very profitably and suitable to their present occasion; the rest of the time was spent pouring out prayers to the Lord with great fervency, mixed with abundance of tears. And the time being come that they must depart, they were accompanied with most of their brethren out of the city, unto a town sundry miles off called Delftshaven, where the ship lay ready to receive them. So they left that goodly and pleasant city which had been their resting place near twelve years; but they knew they were pilgrims, and looked not much on those things, but lift up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits." This excerpt from Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation  references the Epistle to the Hebrews 11:13-16: "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city." --TBC Staff HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

How President Lincoln Established Thanksgiving Day

11/22/12 | Steve Strang

In spite of the problems we face in our nation regarding the economy, religious liberty and increasing godlessness, we still have much to be thankful for. I’m thankful for my family, a wonderful wife, good health and a wonderful year of growth and influence through books such as The Harbinger. I know you’ll take time, as I do, to thank God for His many blessings.

It’s also a good time to be reminded of how many problems there were in 1863, when Abraham Lincoln told the country it should put aside a day to thank God for His blessings. Enjoy reading his own words in his proclamation dated Oct. 3, 1863:

In the words of Lincoln...

"The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.

"In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

"Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battlefield; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years, with large increase of freedom.

"No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

"It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people.  I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.

"And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.

"In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

"Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth."

ISLAMIC SHARIA LAW COMES TO GREAT BRITAIN [Excerpts)

Stoning for adultery. Amputations for theft. Death for apostates. And second-class status for Christians and Jews. This is life under Sharia law, the Islamic system practiced in countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Great Britain.

Yes, Great Britain.

There are reportedly some 85 Sharia courts now operating there, with Islamic judges ruling on cases ranging from financial to marital disputes among British Muslims.

"We went into some proceedings and there were a couple of Islamic judges sitting up above the rest," said Alan Craig, who recently stepped down as leader of the Christian Peoples Alliance party. "And there was one Muslim woman who was suing for divorce."

Craig is a former city councilor in East London, home to several Sharia courts where women face open discrimination.

"A woman's witness value is half that of a man," Craig told CBN News. "So [the courts] will tend, therefore, to take the man's position in a divorce."

Craig is working with Baroness Caroline Cox to pass a bill in Britain's House of Lords protecting women from this Sharia oppression.

Muslim women in Great Britain often face intimidation within their communities to settle things the Sharia way. According to Craig, some wrongly believe Islamic courts are their only option.

"What we're trying to do is say, Muslim women, especially in this country, need to be informed," he explained. "They actually have other rights and our view, better rights, under English law."

(Stakelbeck, CBN News Online: World, 11/15/12)

 

Four More Years… Of Exile (Responding to the Obama Re-Election)

The encouraging word below was emailed to me by a friend and I wanted to share it here, along with a few of my own thoughts, with everyone else who I'm sure is asking the same question of - "WHY"? 

Needless to say, I was not at all happy with the election results either, but as the writer here points out this may INDEED be "the plan". I have shared before that I think believers have gotten waaaay too caught up in "politics", and that politics in itself is not going to produce the much sought after "change" desired since the real problem lies within the HEART of individuals and their desperate need for God. Perhaps this election result is just one more method God will use to relinquish His people's proclivity to still put their trust in "man" and what man can do for them.

That said, I truly think that if we handle this correctly it absolutely can become one of the best times for the true church to really SHINE. I think we need to be careful of the whining, complaining, blaming and badmouthing we are all at times tempted to do, and I'll be the first one to plead guilty there! 

However, there's definitely a better way. Instead of the continual complaints about the way things are, and/or the giving into feelings of hopelessness over it all...we need to be fervently praying, seeking God and His will for our own personal lives more than ever - that and that alone is what will really begin to make a DIFFERENCE.

Sadly, the true church, for the most part has been AWOL - the time has come when it's no longer what can so and so in office do to help us, but rather what can WE as His people, like the disciples of old, DO, to once again turn this world right side up! I don't believe this world we live in will get "better" per se', because Jesus clearly said that evil will "increase" not decrease in the last days, but I do believe it's a time when many will repent and turn to the Lord as they begin to realize that He truly is their only hope both in this life and the next.

I have to say that my spirit definitely bears witness with the word from this brother, and today I too feel a new resolve. 

We as God's people have been lax for far too long being content to live (or better put, exist) in our own little comfort zones, but I believe those times are now coming to an end. The Lord needs each one of us in our proper place on the battlefield. No more christian "celebrities" to look to or depend on, no more looking to "politics" wasting countless time and energy hoping for someone else to bring "change"- the early church NEVER did things that way and neither should we...the last days church, either.

Do you ever wonder HOW the disciples accomplished SO much with so little, while we just seem to continue to spin our wheels, and oftentimes have a hard time getting out of our own way? Could it possibly be because THEY lived for ONE thing ONLY - to seek and know God and to do HIS will. What a distinct difference in the mindset and methods of the believers then and the church of today.

Bottom line, they were willing to truly pay the price Jesus talked about. They had no personal agendas, and/or lofty self-fulfilling goals that they allowed to sidetrack or compromise their ultimate mission.Why do we keep complicating such a simple concept? Why do we keep erroneously thinking we can have God and our way too? I think these are questions we all need to ask ourselves if we want to see the kind of change that only an authentic move of God can bring.

I believe the Lord is calling us to wake up and decide once and for all to be about our Father's business, and His business alone! Our country and this world is in DIRE need not for a republican administration, but for the TRUE Gospel of Jesus Christ which alone can bring lasting peace and freedom. No matter the price we have to pay, we MUST start to speak, think and do differently - we need the Lord more than ever, and in turn He also needs us to be willing and obedient to do HIS will above and beyond our own.

Simply put, the days are short, the time is NOW, and the harvest is more ripe than ever...may God help us all to fully let go of the things and comforts of this world...the many weights that so easily distract and beset us. The jobs and material possessions we'd like to have, the entertainment and sports fanaticism, the nice cushy comfortable lifestyles we all covet and envy, etc., as a soldier in God's army, all these things must pale in comparison to our "call to duty." 

Now, please don't misunderstand, I'm not saying these things are wrong in themselves - I'm just saying that they provide a major distraction and tend to consume waaaay too much of our time and energy. God has not called us to pursue patriotism and work feverishly for our country, He has called us to take up our cross and follow HIM. It's easy to forget that this world is not our home, that we really are citizens of another Kingdom - a Kingdom that alone deserves our unwavering loyalty, time, and attention. I pray the Lord will open our eyes to realize and see this like we never have before.

In any event, in light of the election results and the overall condition of the church and the world we live in, my prayer today is...

Lord help us to get our priorities straight and to make our passions and obsessions to be about YOU alone...help us to truly seek you and your Kingdom FIRST, to see things as you do, to stop the blaming, complaining, rationalizing, excuse making, and badmouthing. Help us to not only read your Word but to wholeheartedly APPLY and DO it...help us to be and live as the "called out" separated people you've ordained us to be. May the world clearly SEE that we are your people, that we are indeed "different" and with no doubt in their mind be able to say of us - surely they have been with Jesus!

Forgive us for not "redeeming the time" in these evil days as you've told us to do...for wasting so much precious time in pursuit of things that have no real spiritual significance or eternal value...and forgive us as well for seeking to please ourselves more than seeking to please you.

God is calling the AWOL church back to their posts...He needs YOU - will you obey and answer? 

I hope the word below encourages you as it did me...

In His love,

Judie 

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Steve Elliott

Four More Years…of exile. But there is hope. Please read my thoughts on where we go from here. –Steve

I’m writing to you to explain why, even after a late and discouraging evening that stretched past 1am on the east coast, I was back at the office before 8am this morning.

And why the sinking feeling i felt last night has already been replaced with a deep determination.

And why I’m going out to buy equipment for our new office this afternoon.

And why we are going to build, build, build — despite a stunning and, for me, unexpected defeat.

+ + Let’s Be Clear: We Just Got Pummeled
Before I go on, let’s be clear: last night was a defeat and I didn’t see it coming. I expected a “Tea Party Wave” — perhaps a 300+ victory for Romney. All the signs seemed to be there. The 2010 elections, the failed recall of Scott Walker and even the Chick-Fil-A Day pointed to a re-shaped political landscape. The polls and crowds made it clear that there was more enthusiasm with Romney.
But that wave never came. The people did not rise up and reject Obama’s statism. Quite the opposite — 15 million fewer people voted and Romney earned less votes than John McCain did four years prior.

+ + Far Worse Than 2008
Upon reflection, what happened last night was far worse than what happened in 2008. Our first “dance” with Obama was mostly about smoke and mirrors — “hope and change” that was never really defined. For many Americans, Obama 2008 was more an idea, an idealized dream and a collective catharsis from our dark past.

But Obama 2012 was something altogether different because now we know the real Barack Obama. We watched him advance the most radical leftist agenda at least since FDR. We saw him rape and pillage the free market and impose a government takeover of industries. We witnessed him go to foreign nations nd apologize for America and then leave our people alone to die in Benghazi.
This time we knew Barack Obama. Yet a majority of American voters said, “More!” and the opposition to Obama’s agenda never really showed up at the polls.

We can try to console ourselves by saying it was a close election… that the leftist media gave Obama the election…. that we couldn’t really expect a Northeastern liberal Republican to be our standard bearer…. that a bizarre hurricane swung the election.

All that may be true.

But it matters little now. And the less time we spend blaming each other or the trickery of the other guys the better.

So here’s why I’m more determined…. why I’m building.

+ + A 2,500-Year-Old Letter Written For Today
I want to share with you a letter that, although it is 2,500 years old, it could have been written this morning. For us. For faithful patriots who feel like they just discovered they will have to live at least the next four years in exile.

This letter was written to Jewish exiles who had been pushed out of Jerusalem and forced to live under a tyrannical ruler named Nebuchadnezzar.

The exiles wanted one thing: they wanted to be re-established back in Israel. They even had a prophet named Hananiah come to them and tell them that their time of exile would only last two years.
You can read about it in Jeremiah 28.

Hananiah was a false prophet. He died.

And so Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles. You’ve probably heard a part of that letter recited many times. It’s one of the most commonly quoted passages in the entire Bible. Unfortunately, this passage is mostly taken out of its proper context and delivered as a “feel good” word that everything is going to be good.

One of my friends was quoting this verse yesterday morning:

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Those words sound so good. The future is bright. God has a plan for prosperity, for a real hope and a real future. On the eve of the election, it must have meant a Romney win, the GOP takes the Senate and we start the rollback of the Obama regime, right?
Not exactly.

+ + The Plan Was Exile
Here’s the shocking context of Jeremiah 29 (and I offer to you, the context for 11/6/12): Then plan was exile.

That was the “plan” Jeremiah’s letter was talking about. I encourage you to go read all of Jeremiah 29. Here is the immediate context:

This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans…..

The plan was 70 years of exile. Keep that in mind the next time someone quotes Jeremiah 29:11 to encourage you that your time of trouble will soon end. Not only was the exile going to last 70 years, the exile WAS the plan!

If you don’t believe me, go back and read the beginning of the letter, from Jeremiah 29:4. Here you’ll see the Lord (through Jeremiah) giving the Jewish exiles specific instructions on how to conduct themselves in exile:

–Build houses and settle down
–Plan gardens and eat what they produce
–Marry and have sons and daughters
–Marry off your sons and daughters so they can have children
–Increase in number; do not decrease

Again, remember the context. A false prophet had just come and said the time of exile would only last two years. That prophet died. The truth is, the people will be in exile for 70 years. And the directive is to build families, grow businesses, think trans-generationally and increase.

+ + Seek The Welfare Of The Land
It gets better. Because Jeremiah’s letter makes it clear that building and marrying is not enough. People in exile must do something else — they must be a blessing to the land.

Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

So let’s review. First, the Plan is exile. Second, build. Third, bless. Simple, clear instructions.
But why was this important? Why a “plan” for exile with specific instructions on how to act in exile?
Historians tell us that it was during the Babylonian captivity that the Israelites moved from a Temple/ Jerusalem focused society to a synagogue and community focused society. Simply put…

It was the lessons learned during their time in exile which enabled the Jews to survive 2,500 years in exile. But not just surive, but to thrive and become the most prosperous, most successful and most innovative people group in the history of civilization.

Exile was the plan.

So that’s why, today, I’m going to build. And I’m going to plant. I’m going to bless. And I’m going to pray. For that is the final piece to the puzzle…

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

So let’s get building. Let’s get planting. And let’s get praying. And let’s bless this land. There are lessons to be learned in exile.

Steve Elliott, Grassfire