I clearly remember 58 years ago today. It was a Thursday night and I was upstairs in my parents’ bedroom. Everyone else watched another TV show downstairs, and I was up watching my favorite “Ironside” with Raymond Burr, which started at 7 p.m. It was interrupted by a news bulletin. Martin Luther King Jr. had been shot in Memphis, Tennessee.
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Not the End
I clearly remember 58 years ago today. It was a Thursday night and I was upstairs in my parents’ bedroom. Everyone else watched another TV show downstairs, and I was up watching my favorite “Ironside” with Raymond Burr, which started at 7 p.m. It was interrupted by a news bulletin. Martin Luther King Jr. had been shot in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Bible shows us how to live according to God’s plan. It also shows people who did not love God and obey His will in their lives. That includes Cain who killed his brother [Genesis 4:1-8], Balaam who sought bribes [Numbers 22], Saul who preferred worldly prestige and riches to serving God [1 Samuel 15], Solomon who was deceived by the idolatry of his many wives [1 Kings 11:14], and Judas who betrayed his Master for worldly power and money [John 12:6].
Zacharias and Elisabeth are great examples of a united couple who learned, at times from mistakes, and were bold to speak for God. They were filled by the Holy Spirit and saw God’s grace, forgiveness, service, and deliverance in their lives.
Time to get dressed.
The Bible is God’s will for us and is beautifully put together. Paul’s letters, for example, give teaching, reproof, and correction. You see that in “triads” like Romans-Corinthians-Galatians and Ephesians-Philippians-Colossians. Let’s look at this first group and see how God’s spiritual love in us brings true freedom when we manifest it, show it forth with power.
Last night I remembered a couple of old hymns we sang in my childhood going to Roman Catholic mass. They are “Shepherd of Souls in Love Come Feed Us,” and “O Sacred Head, Surrounded.” I can still sing most of the lyrics because we repeated them during many Sundays [and some weekday masses at the RC school I attended] in my youth. They do show a love and appreciation for what Christ has done for us.
Paul taught Timothy to walk by God’s spirit and to use the spiritual abilities that he had in Christ. One specific encouragement he gave can be applied to our lives.
A soldier may wield great power in terms of weapons and training. Yet, he cannot use that power unless given authority by a commander. A rocket has great power to hurtle an object across space. Yet, it won’t move an inch without the authority given from the control tower. The same is true of spiritual power. A person must have both the inherent power and ability, AS WELL AS the authority to use that power. Let’s see how two Greek words exousia [authority] and dunamis [power] are used together in the New Testament. This will help us understand the power and authority that we have in Christ today.
It REALLY IS a wonderful life in Christ. The thing that turned things around for George Bailey was when Mary and the kids prayed for him–as well as many others who loved and appreciated him. That’s a key to our “wonderful life.” It is FULL of wonders. The Book of Acts shows God working in the life of the early church believers. The Biblical Greek word for “wonders” [teras] is used nine times in Acts.
There is snow in North Carolina today. Sometimes it is rare here, but still very lovely. The Bible speaks of how important snow is to daily life, and how significant as a comparison to eternal affairs this frozen moisture is.