Thought for April 21

History:

  • 1600: First date in the novel "Shogun"
  • 1649: Toleration Act in Maryland--freedom of worship for Christians; death penalty for anyone rejecting the divinity of Christ
  • 1836: Battle of San Jacinto--Texas independence from Mexico
  • 1855: Sunday School teacher Edward Kimball visits the Holton Shoe Store in Boston, tells Dwight Moody about Jesus. Moody converted shortly thereafter
  • 1862: Denver Mint established
  • 1889: Thomas Huxley first publically uses the word "agnostic" to describe intellectuals who cannot decide about the existence of God
  • 1878: First egg rolling on the White House Lawn
  • 1952: First Secretaries Day 
  • 1956: "Heartbreak Hotel" hits #1
  • 1984: "Footlose" pushes "Thriller" from the top of the albums chart after 37 weeks
  • 1986: Geraldo opens Capone's safe on live TV--nothing
  • 2020: President Trump announces 60-day ban on most green cards
  • Born: Catherine the Great, Charlotte Bronte, John Muir, Anthony Quinn, Elizabeth II, Don Tyson [Tyson Foods], Charles Grodin, James Dobson, Tony Danza, Andie MacDowell, Tony Romo
  • Died: Mark Twain, The Red Baron, John Maynard Keynes, Gummo Marx, Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder, Nina Simone, Parry O'Brien [Gold in the Olympic Games-1952, 1956, 1960], Prince
Thought:
Looking at John 8:31-32 this morning. Notice the connection between abiding, being a disciple, knowing the truth and freedom. All of us want to be free. One of the most famous speeches by an American President was the State of the Union message of Franklin Roosevelt on January 6, 1941. The war raged in Europe and within the year, the US would be fully involved. Hitler was on the march and freedom was under attack. FDR delivered what is known as the Four Freedoms Address---every person wants and deserves freedom of speech, freedom to worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. Today there is much debate, especially on college campuses and on the internet about the freedom of speech. Speakers are shouted down by angry mobs. Civil debate and discourse is difficult to achieve because of anger, ignorance, bad manners, and evil. 

Freedom of worship is challenged around the world. And in our country freedom of religion is under attack by laws purportedly seeking to increase diversity and inclusiveness. Freedom from want--having the basic necessities of life is not available to everyone as people struggle for food, water, healthcare. People spend more money on pets than on basic needs. And freedom from fear is lost to a generation of children who live with gunfire.  

Jesus addresses freedom in John 8. Notice in reverse order:
  • Freedom comes from knowing the truth and the Truth. In Christ we are free--free from the penalty of sin, free from separation from God, free to live a joyous and triumphant life. But knowing the truth is also liberating--this life is not the end. There is an eternity before us. Understanding that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord is freeing. Paul learned it--nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ. So knowing who I am and whose I am gives freedom.
  • I get truth by being a disciple. The world could not understand Jesus. It is only by His revealing Himself to me, a disciple, that I get truth. As we study His word, His thoughts become our thoughts and His ways our ways--as we are discipled, we gain truth. And having the truth gives us freedom. So if I want to be free, I need to be a good disciple of Jesus--listening, following, learning, obeying.
  • A disciple abides in His word. His word is where I live and exist. His word tells me about the beginning, about His plan, about my sin, about His purpose, about the end of the story. Drawing from His word, I live the abundant life--filled with joy, peace, and love. 
So want to be free--abide in His word, follow Him as a devoted disciple, learn the truth and trust it with your life. He said, I am the way, the truth and the life. Looking for freedom from want and fear, looking for freedom to speak and freedom to worship Him---abide in His word. 

Blessings
Larry


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thought for July 19

History: 1553: Lady Jane Gray deposed after 9 days 1692: 5 people hung during Salem Witch Trials 1848: First women's rights convention -Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Wesleyan Chapel at Seneca Falls NY 1910: Cy Young wins his 500th game 1941: US Army flying school at Tuskegee AL dedicated 1945: USS Cod saves 51 sailors from Dutch sub--only sub-to-sub rescue 1957: Firing of first rocket with nuclear warhead-Nevada 1984: Geraldine Ferraro is first major party female VP candidate 1996: Olympics open in Atlanta 2007: Madmen debuts 2018: Duck Boat sinks in Table Rock Lake killing 17 Born: Samuel Colt, Edgar Degas [painter], Lizzie Borden, Charles Mayo [Mayo Clinic], George McGovern, Al Haig, George Hamilton IV, Vikki Carr, Ilie Nastase, Stuart Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch,  Died: Syngman Rhee [President South Korea], Clyde Beatty [circus animal trainer], Mary Jo Kopechne [passenger with Ted Kennedy], Jack Warden, Frank McCourt [Angela's Ashes], James Garner, Garry Marshall
Read more

Thought for November 23, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving!  1664: Blaise Pascal is converted following a vision. He wrote the date and time of his conversion and said, "Fire. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. Not of philosophers and intellectuals. Certitude, certitude, joy, peace. The God of Jesus Christ." Laid the foundation for the law of probabilities; genius in hydrodynamics and hydrostatics developing Pascal's principle of pressure; taught the experience of God through the heart rather than reason; mathematician and philosopher. 1783: Annapolis Maryland becomes U.S. Capitol until June 1784 1863: Patent for making color photographs granted 1889: First jukebox debuts in Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco 1897: Pencil sharpener patented 1904: Summer Olympics in St. Louis close [1st Olymics in U.S.] 1921: President Harding signs an Act prohibiting doctors from prescribing beer or liquor for medicinal purposes 1923: Cecil B. DeMille's first "The Ten Commandments" premiers
Read more

Thought for April 5, 2024

1722: Easter Island discovered 1792: First Presidential veto 1815: Mt. Tambora erupts. Largest eruption ever witnessed. Created year without summer in 1816--frost and snow in North America in June and July. Largest part of eruption on April 10th. Killed 10,000 in initial blast.  1906: Mt. Vesuvius erupts killing 100 1923: Firestone begins producing inflatable tires 1936: Tupelo almost completely destroyed by a tornado--216 die 1972: Baseball strike costs 86 games 2063: On "Star Trek", earth has its first contact with the Vulcan species Born: Thomas Hobbes, Joseph Lister, Booker T Washington, Spencer Tracy, Bette Davis, Gregory Peck, Arthur Hailey. Gale Storm, Frank Gorshin, Colin Powell, Pharrell Williams Died: Robert Raikes [Sunday School], Douglas MacArthur, Howard Hughes, Abe Fortas, Sam Walton, Allen Ginsberg, Saul Bellow, Charlton Heston, Honor Blackman Thought: Reading Daniel 1:5-7 this morning. Continuing with the thoughts about Nebuchadnezzar's plan. Having brough
Read more