Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say Rejoice. Some of you may not understand that last statement because you may be going through hard times in your life right now, but you should be rejoicing because through the good times and the bad, God has got your back. You better give Him your praise! I’m quite sure that I have shared the following message a number of times over the last few years and I feel in my spirit that today, someone needs these words in order to move forward. Here they are.
Today’s Prayer
Father, as we commemorate the birthday of our nation’s first president, George Washington, let us consider his words of wisdom, which helped to lay the foundation of our nation’s government: “Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” Help us to read and re-read these words, and then compare them with the trends of today, where we are quick to take down Your ten commandments from our school walls because we don’t want to “offend” minority groups. Many of our young people are caught up in the “do your own thing, whatever” philosophy, leading to confusion, crime, and juvenile pregnancies. As we re-read President Washington’s words, help us to see that a “no rules” society can only lead to chaos. Oh Lord, no nation can long exist without law and order. Help us to demand better government for our families, for our nation’s young people, and for ourselves. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
Let’s eat.
…”Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” ~ Genesis 28:16 |
The bible tells us that Jacob was forced to flee his family after receiving the blessing of God from his father, Isaac. He ran as a result of his broken relationship with his brother, Esau, who threatened to kill him. He was alone after leaving his family and was sleeping in the wilderness area at Bethel. It is here that Jacob encountered God personally for the very first time. He had a dream in which Heaven was opened up to him. The Lord spoke to him there and gave him a promise to give him the very land on which he was lying.
This encounter with God made him realize that God was in this place, even though he had not been aware of it. God had to remove Jacob from all that was of comfort to him in order to reveal Himself to Jacob. What began as a crisis that forced him to be removed from his family and friends led to an encounter with the living God and a fresh vision of God’s purposes for his life.
How often we go about our daily routine and fail to recognize that God is in the place where we are. God had to bring Jacob to a place of separation from his old life and remove all his worldly possessions. He was alone with God at Bethel; nothing else could distract him from an encounter that would change his life.
God often must do radical things in the lives of His servants in whom He has special plans: separation from family, removal of physical and emotional resources, an encounter with God. These are often the hallmarks of ownership by God that build a vision into a life. Are you aware of God’s presence?
Quote of the Day
Often the only thing a child can remember about an adult in later years, when he or she is grown, is whether or not that person was kind.
Billy Graham
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REV. ELDER G E STERRETT
FOUNDER
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James H. Taylor Sr. – Kankakee City News has published my Daily meal message for a decade.