Thought for October 31, 2023

  •  445 BC: According to This Day in History, Ezra reads the Law in Jerusalem [Nehemiah 8]; my own research says the date was October 8, 444 BC
  • 1517: Martin Luther sends his 95 Theses to the Archbishop of Mainz
  • 1541: Michelangelo completes "The Last Judgment" in the Sistine Chapel
  • 1731: All Lutherans are expelled from Salzburg--20,000 leave and many die during the winter. 
  • 1922: Mussolini becomes Premier of Italy
  • 1941: Mt. Rushmore monument completed
  • 1968: LBJ halts bombing of North Vietnam
  • 1984: Indira Gandhi assassinated
  • 2003: Bethany Hamilton loses her arm to a shark while surfing--"Soul Surfer"
  • 2010: Al Qaida massacres 120 worshippers in a Baghdad church
  • Born: John Keats, Juliette Low, Chiang-Kai-shek, Dale Evans, Dan Rather, Michael Landon, Jane Pauley, John Candy, Nick Saban, 
  • Died: Charles Taze Russell [founder of Jehovah's Witnesses], Harry Houdini, George Halas, John Houseman, River Phoenix, Willie McCovey
Thought:
Chapter 3 of Second Peter contains some final thoughts. My Bible labels it "Purpose of This Letter." What are Peter's last instructions:
  • Remember God's words. [3:2] Sometimes I forget or ignore the words of the Lord that I know. The Holy Spirit brings to my memory the things Jesus said. Perhaps this is the most important thing Peter says here--remember what the Lord said--it was said for your good and it is truth. Those of you in worship Sunday heard Jay's message on this subject.
  • Why do we have to be careful to remember--mocker's will come. [3:3] They will ask where is this coming Lion of Judah. They will question His promises. They will doubt His word. So we are called to remember His words and believe His promises.
  • The day of the Lord is coming. [3:7] Noah waited 100 years for the flood and God destroyed the world by water. Now, God has said the day will come when the world and its stuff will be destroyed by Holy Fire. Be prepared for that day and help as many as you can be ready.
  • Don't try and figure out when the Lord will return [3:3]. First, He doesn't use a calendar or watch. A day or a thousand years are all the same to the eternal One. Instead, praise God for His patience and kindness--loving kindness. He holds back His wrath so that many can come to a knowledge of Christ. Recall when as a parent you played games with your children. You said, 'I'll count to ten." Then when you got close to ten--9 and a half, nine and three quarters. You were being patient with the child. God is patient beyond measure.
  • The question--if this is the future, what kind of person should I be? [3:11] That is the issue for today. If I believe God's word, if I know He is coming, if I believe there will be judgment with unspeakable joy for those in Christ and unthinkable torment for those without Christ--how should I live today? 
Lord, help us today to live worthy of Your calling--holy conduct and godliness [3:11]. Then help us present Christ to others.
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