Thought for March 9, 2024

•  1509: Martin Luther receives Bachelor of Bible degree
• 1582: Kissing in public banned in Naples---punishable by death
• 1776: Adam Smith publishes "The Wealth of Nations"
• 1862: Battle between the Monitor and Merrimack
• 1864: Grant appointed commander of the Union Army
• 1916: Pancho Villa invades the U.S. killing 18
• 1945: 333 B-29's fire bomb Tokyo
• 1959: Barbie premiers at the NY Toy Fair
• 1964: First Ford Mustang produced
• 1974: Last Japanese soldier surrenders--29 years after the war
• 1989: Eastern Airlines files for bakruptcy
• Born: Amerigo Vespucci, George Hayward [1st to use ether in surgery], Leland Sanford, Will Geer, Mickey Spillane, Lloyd Price, Yuri Gargarin, Mickey Gilley, Raul Julia, Bobby Fischer, Andy North, 
• Died: Johann Pachelbel [Canon in D], Arnold Toynbee [historian], Bobby Locke, Menachem Begin, George Burns, Glenn Davis [Heisman], Bill Wade

On this day in 320, the Governor of Armenia sentenced 40 soldiers to die on the ice for refusing to renounce Christ and offer sacrifices to the Roman Emperor. The soldiers' response--"Nothing you can offer us would replace what we would lose in the next world---we have learned to deny our bodies where the welfare of our souls is at stake." They stripped off their clothes saying, "what is death for us but an entrance into eternal life." After sitting on the ice, one crawled away lured by a warm bath, but when he entered the bath, his system failed and he died. A soldier guarding the men saw angels and a crown over the suffering men--he stripped off his clothes and joined them. 

Thought:

The story of the Armenian soldiers always hits me:

• Lord, help me remember every moment that nothing this world can offer can match what You have for us in the world to come.
• Lord, help me not fear death because it is the way to life eternal.
• Lord, help me remember that the world is looking at Your children and how we face adversity and trials may draw others to You.

And I think this story relates to Colossians. Today I am finishing Paul's teaching that if you have been raised with Christ, there should be fruit to prove it. Looking at Colossians 4:2-6.

If you have been raised with Christ:

• Devote yourself to prayer. Prayer will give you the wisdom, direction, and power to put off the old self and put on the new self. Living in a state of prayer--always listening for His voice and the Spirit's nudges--will give you peace and help you recall the word that dwells in you. Prayer will allow you to maintain relationships that please Him. I love how it says to be alert in my prayers--alert to His voice, alert to His call, alert to the light He places on attitudes and actions that need attention.
• Conduct yourself wisely with outsiders. Make every opportunity count. God is going to place you with outsiders today--take advantage of the opportunity to speak grace, to share truth, to demonstrate compassion, to minister in His name.  And let my walk reflect Jesus so that I am light and salt before the world. Have a mindset that understands we are His witnesses--we witness to the world and the world witnesses how we live.
• Speak with grace. We speak in love, but seasoned with salt. Salt preserves, sterilizes. Grace allows us to speak the right words at the right time. Grace places us in the right place to share the gospel. Grace allows us to love the sinner and hate the sin--just like Jesus. Jesus said He did not come into the world to condemn but to save. We speak in grace to lead the person to salvation, not to condemn that person. 

Lord, help me live in constant communication with You so that I will seize every opportunity you present and say exactly the right gracious words that You provide.

Blessings

Larry