THE COST OF FREEDOM

On May 24, 1861, Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth took troops into Alexandra, Virginia.  He saw a Confederate flag flying above the thee story Marshal House.  Ellsworth, with an aide, climbed to the roof where Ellsworth hauled down the flag.  As he was descending, a man on the second floor gave him a blast from a shot gun at close range, killing him.  Abraham Lincoln could not restrain his tears when he heard the news of Ellsworth’s death.  He exclaimed, “My boy, my boy, was it necessary this sacrifice should be made?”
The cost of war in human life is a terrible price to pay for freedom.  Why are we so willing to fight and if need be to die?  WE FIGHT BECAUSE WE BELIEVE.
War is not good but sometimes necessary.  Our soldiers fight and die NOT for the glory of war, but for the prize of freedom.

The words of the philosopher John Stuart Mills says it best: “War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things.  The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight; nothing he cares more about than his own personal safety; is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free.”

Our country was founded by people who crossed the ocean, not seeking soil for their plows, but liberty  for their souls.  A people seeking God to worship Him according to the dictates of their hearts.
Ronald Reagan said, “If we ever forget that we’re a nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”

If we are truly concerned about America then live a life in harmony with the will of God as recorded in the Word of God, the Bible.  Only then, does one have the right to sing:  “GOD BLESS AMERICA, LAND THAT WE LOVE.  STAND BESIDE HER AND GUIDE HER THROUGH THE NIGHT WITH THE LIGHT FROM ABOVE. FROM THE MOUNTAINS, TO THE PRAIRIES, TO THE OCEAN, WHITE WITH FOAM.  GOD, BLESS AMERICA, OUR HOME SWEET HOME.”

We desperately need the blessings of God.  The Psalmist wrote in the 33 Psalm verse 12:  “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”

WHY GOD CREATED CHILDREN…

This is humorous and somewhat true.  Hope you enjoy it.

“To those of us who have children in our lives, whether they are our own,  grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or students…here is something to make you chuckle.
Whenever your children are out of control, you can take comfort from the thought that even God’s omnipotence did not extend to His own children.

After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve.  And the first thing he said was “DON’T.”
“Don’t what?”  Adam replied.  “Don’t eat the forbidden fruit,” God said.  “Forbidden fruit?  We have forbidden fruit? Hey Eve…we have forbidden fruit.”  “No way.”  “Yes, way.” “Do NOT eat the fruit,” said God. “Why?”  Because I am your Father and I said so,”  God replied, wondering why He hadn’t stopped creation after making the elephants. A few minutes later, God saw His children having an apple break and He was ticked.

“Didn’t I tell you not to eat the fruit?” God asked.  “Uh huh,” Adam, replied.  “Then why did you?” said the Father.  “I don’t know,” said Eve. “She started it,” Adam said.  “Did not.”  “Did to.”  “Did not.”
Having had it with the two of them, God’s punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own. Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed.

But there is reassurance in the story.
If you have persistently and lovingly tried to give children wisdom and they haven’t taken it, don’t be hard on yourself.  If God had trouble raising children, what makes you think it would be a piece of cake for you?

Things to think about…
1. You spend the first two years of their life teaching them to walk and talk.  Then, you spend the next sixteen telling them to sit down and be quiet.
2. Grandchildren are God’s reward for not killing your own children.
3. Mothers of teens now know why some animals eat their young.
4. Children seldom misquote you.  In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn’t have said.
5. The main purpose of holding children’s parties is to remind yourself that there are children more awful than your own.
6. We child proofed our homes, but they are still getting in.

Advice for the day:       Be nice to your kids.  They will choose your nursing home.

And finally, if you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: “Take two aspirin”  and “keep away from children.”

Christian Mothers

Mothers come in various sizes: skinny, filled-out, and ‘oops’.  They are found everywhere: in maternity wards, over ironing boards, teaching three-year olds “Jesus Loves Me”, up and around while the rest of the family is down with the flu, cutting out stone coupons, championing causes, turning right out of the left lane, kissing where it hurts, perspiring over new math, changing her husband’s mind, looking daggers at
the umpire who has just called her little one out on strikes, popping corn at the school festival, on her knees with an open Bible, taking away privileges, giving back privileges, pushing piano practice, and sitting in a pew crying while her little girl is being married.

Mothers worry about everything: the war, her daughter’s first date, bike riding in the street, her first gray hair, the baby’s fever, first day at school, her husband’s cholesterol level, her son’s solo drive in the family car, report cards, warmed-over suppers, mistreated children, and too much violence on TV.
A mother is: happiness with tears in its eyes, love with a firm paddle in its hand, joy watching dad and the kids devour chicken and noodles, sacrifice taking the neck and wings and leaving the breast and drumsticks, foresight stashing away a little extra for college, faith singing in the choir, herding primaries, serving the church dinner, keeping up the pledge, making a call, and sending a box to the missionaries.

Being a mother is such a demanding task that God has entrusted it only to females.  There is no experience so costly, so rewarding, so aging, and so exciting as being a mother.   The day can be a fabulous flop complete with a dented fender, a collapsed cake, a six-stitch cut, and upset bowl of chocolate ice cream on the new carpet, daughter emerging from the bathroom with a new hair shade, and the husband coming home and asking, “what have you been doing today?”

But, when all is quiet, when dad is home and the baths are over and the homework is done and the prayers are said, Mother takes that one last peek into every bed, and seeing the sweet innocent faces asleep, says guiltily: :How could I have screamed at her today?  How could I have spanked him?”
And full of faith, hope and love she looks out the window, through misty eyes at the night sky and prays:

Thank you, Father, thank you for the privilege of being a Mother.
By your grace and wisdom help me to teach them to love you as I do.
In the Name of your child, Jesus Christ, I ask. Amen
Selected

STUBBORN BIRD

A Devotion from David Simpson, Minister of Lanier Christin Church, Gainesville, Georgia        “Stubborn Bird”

“OK, I was going to write about something else, but this bluebird continues to try to get my attention!  Here at the church office, I am watching this stubborn bird continually tap at or fly into the window. Then, he tries another window, and yet another.  I think he has circled the office tapping on every window!  So I looked it up.  What is this hitting the window stuff all about?   According to the Penn State Extension office: This is a problem that is most common in spring as male birds are establishing and defending territories. The male sees his reflection in the window and thinks it is a rival trying to usurp his territory. He flies at the window to try and make the rival leave. 

And therein lies today’s lesson.  My bird buddy thinks he sees a “rival trying to usurp his territory.”   At the end of the day, this bird is going to have one big headache simply due to the stubborn and selfish guarding of his so-called territory.  Could it be that we act in similar patterns at times?

When Jesus was brought before Pilate, the Bible says in Mark 15:9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate,  10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him.11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.

Jesus intruded on the territory of the religious leaders.  He threatened their authority.  He invaded their turf.  He challenged their notions of who God is.  So they flew into Jesus with all they had in order to satisfy their own self-interests.  Nothing less than his death would satisfy them.  They instead accepted Pilate’s Passover prisoner release of a crook, a rabbi’s son, perhaps the child of one of their own, to satisfy their selfish ambitions.  It all led to the cross for Jesus.

Lest we shake our heads in disgust at the behavior of the Pharisees in dealing with their rival, Jesus, perhaps we would do well to look deep within ourselves.  Does Jesus ever intrude on our territory?  Do we perceive him as a rival to what we are trying to do?  Do we stubbornly fly into our own illusions of controlling the people and things around us?   Do we have our own self-interests that conflict with the desires that Jesus has for us?

Maybe, just maybe there’s a reason for the frustration we sometimes experience.  Could it be that we are focusing too much on ourselves?  Maybe we should ask some soul-searching questions:  Is Jesus a rival to my agenda?  Are self-interests causing me to run into hard places?  Am I giving myself a headache because of my own stubborn refusal to do it anyway other than my way?

Oh, by the way, my bluebird friend is now singing!  That’s got to be better than banging against the window!  Maybe we should do the same.  Choose singing His praises over the fruitless behavior of stubborn self-centeredness.  Jesus is no rival.  He is Savior and Lord. Allow Him to be just that for you today and every day.               Agape,   David”

I believed that you would appreciate David’s devotional about his bluebird.