Thought for August 22, 2024

  •  1485: Battle of Bosworth Field. Richard the III killed. Last British monarch killed in battle
  • 1865: First US patent for liquid soap
  • 1902: Teddy Roosevelt is first President to ride in a car while in office
  • 1906: First Victrola manufactured
  • 1945: Viet Nam conflict begins as HoChi Minh leads a coup
  • 1950: Althea Gibson is first black to compete in US national tennis competition
  • 1965: Juan Marachal hits John Roseboro with a bat
  • 2003: Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore suspended for refusing to remove 10 Commandments from the Supreme Court Building
  • 2022: Anthony Fauci announces he will step down as director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
  • Born: Dorothy Parker, Norman Schwarzkopf, James Corden, Claude Debussy, Carl Yastrzemski, Bill Parcells, 
  • Died: Huey Newton, Colleen Dewhurst, 
Thought:
Take a look at Mark 12:17 with me this morning. Another familiar saying of the Lord, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's." Think with me about the things that are God's. What are God's things that we need to render to Him?

My thoughts immediately go to Psalm 24, a psalm of the Sovereign. When you read Psalms 22-24, we spend most of our time on Psalm 23. These three psalms go together and each speaks of Jesus. Commentators have various ways of connecting these three psalms--Good shepherd in 22, Great Shepherd in 23, and Chief Shepherd in 24. Or maybe Cross in 22, Crook in 23, and Crown in 24. Or Savior in 22, Satisfier in 23 and Sovereign in 24. Some have said these psalms represent the Past in 22, the Present in 23 and the Future in 24. Or maybe they describe Jesus as dying in 22, living in 23 and coming in 24. Take a look back at Psalm 24 and maybe I can find what it is that is God's that I should render unto Him.

"The earth is the Lord's and all it contains, the world and those that dwell in it." Render unto God the things that are God's--everything that we see is His. But there is more. He is the King of glory--so I render all glory to him. He is strong and mighty--so I yield to His power and authority. He is the Lord of hosts and mighty in battle, so I render myself as a member of His army. I am in a war with the forces of darkness, so I joyfully enlist in His victorious army. And like a soldier--I follow His orders, His plan of battle, using His weapons and His plan. 

I think every day is a decision with this question--what will I render to the world and what will I render to Jesus? For some reason this made me think about the hymn, "Jesus is All the World to Me," written by Will Thompson, a member of the Lou Holtz/Upper Ohio Valley Hall of Fame. Will wrote many hymns including "Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling," "There's a Great Day Coming." When thinking about what to render to Jesus, the words of this hymn remind me that
He is my life, my joy, my all
He is my strength from day to day, without Him I would fall
No other One can cheer me so
He makes me glad
He's my friend
He gives me blessings o'er and o'er
He sends the sunshine and the rain
He's my friend
He watches o'er me day and night
Beautiful life that has no end
He's my friend!

Blessings

Larry 



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