1Chronicles 4:10c "and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain."A couple of years ago, I threw my back out. I wasn't even doing anything strenuous. I was holding a baby - I put the baby down and stood up, and there it went. I'm not one who might be considered an "old" person - I don't have other health issues that would have brought this on - why in the world would my back go out? The pain was intense. I have never felt pain like that 
before - I was immobilized. It took about two weeks before I could get back up and actually walk around normally - but even then, I was cautious for fear of re-injuring my back.
Jabez asks God to keep him from harm and free from pain. Obviously, physical pain can be such that you are not useful - that you become a burden to those around you - no one wants that. However, I think Jabez was asking for more than just that.
During a time in my life when I was not walking with Christ, sin had gotten a stronghold and I found myself in a very dark place, alone and defeated. This type of 'harm' caused, not only an immobility in daily life - just getting through the day - it also stopped and hurt any work the Lord could've wanted me to do during that time.
Jabez is praying for those things - protection from physical harm and spiritual harm - because the pain that both cause can be debilitating. God wants us to be free from pain, all we have to do is ask - Jabez figured that out.
1 Chronicles 4:10b Let your hand be with me.I hated school. Hated going to the bus stop. Hated walking into the building. Hated finding my classes. I hated leaving my mom. I knew my mom still loved me when I was at school
, I knew it wouldn't matter what I did or what I got on a test, my mom would be waiting for me at home, always happy to see me. But if I had a choice, I would've had her hold my hand all day long - from the time I got onto the bus until the walk home.Not too much has changed. I still don't like to do new things alone - it's always nice to have someone next to you, supporting you, loving you. Doesn't go over too well to have mommy sitting next to you during your job interview though. It's socially unacceptable to have your best friend come to your business meeting while you're speaking. I think Jabez had these same feelings.Jabez prays for God to be with him. I don't think he's actually asking God to be with him, because we know that He is always with us - I think Jabez is asking God to let him feel His presence. We all have the knowledge of understanding that God is omnipresent, but emotionally feeling Him beside us is another thing all together. Jabez wanted to feel God there with him.This is what having a relationship with God is all about. God knows we need a friend - He wants to be our friend. He wants to be the One that goes with us on that job interview, that first college class, that doctors visit - but if we don't ask Him to let us know He's there, we're putting Him in the corner. I want to know God is standing right there beside me and I want Him to know that I want Him to be there. It all happens through prayer.
1 Chronicles 4:10a Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!My two daughters were in the bathtub. They were probably 2 and 4 at the time. We had lots of fun splashing and washing hair and playing with bubbles. When I told them it was time to get out - they were fine with that. I had forgotten the towels. In the moment that I had said "sit still", to the time I had gone to the closet for the towels - there was a 'thud'. Then tears. I quickly checked what was going on because they were both crying (when one cried, it spurred the other) - my two year old seemed to be fine - my four year old had somehow punctured herself and had a bloody hole at the top of her nose in-between her eyes. I cried out for my husband, we quickly dressed the girls and gathered the rest of the children and headed to the emergency room.
What reminds me of this story is not the cute little scar that was left on my daughters' face, but the feeling of helplessness. The need to call out for someone (my husband) to come to the rescue.
I don't know what was going on with Jabez at that exact moment - but it says he "cried out to God". The Bible doesn't tell us his situation - we only know that he was a righteous man and something in his life had caused him to seek the immediate help of God. The odd thing is what he was asking of God. Bless me. Bring me happiness. Bring me pleasure. He wasn't dying of an illness and asking to be spared his life, his wife wasn't leaving him and he was going to be alone, his company wasn't being downsized and he was out of a job - his cry was for God to make him happy. THEN, he asked for more responsibility. Asking for enlarged territory was not a cry for more acreage to build his in-ground pool - it was for leadership over a larger group of people, and in essence - more power.
If Jabez can cry out to God for power and happiness and be heard - why are we so hesitant to talk to Him on a daily basis, won't He meet our needs as well?
1 Chronicles 4:9b His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain."There is nothing more painstaking in a mothers' life than to choose the name of the child. It is the first decision we make for our children that will directly affect them the rest of their lives. Should their name be one of the most common names of the day like Jacob or Emma (registered as most popular in 2008) or should you go with a family name like Grace or Charles? Could a nickname be derived from their name that might cause teasing or ridicule? What name might look good on a resume for a doctor or lawyer - certainly Patricia or Jonathan would look better than Breasia or Damontae on that diploma.
I was never thrilled with my name. Not that I didn't like it, I just wasn't thrilled with it. It was old-fashioned and no one else in my school had my name. I was named after my grandmother - whom I loved - but it was her generation that frequently bore the name "Dorothy". The meaning of my name is another matter indeed. Dorothy means - "Gift of God". It certainly does give weight to the feelings my mom held about having a little girl. I was certainly her gift from God. She loved me to pieces, and still does - I can't imagine a childhood in which one does not feel the unconditional love of their parents. I also realize, I am blessed.
Jabez grew up with a different interpretation to his name. The constant reminder of the sacrifice his mom had to make in order for him to be alive. The reminder that everyone with whom he was introduced would know the suffering his mom went through to give birth. Why would someone put that type of a burden on their child? Isn't it nice to know that we have a Father who has called us His own and who does not dwell on the past, but only offers us a better future? That the only reminder we need is that He loves us so much He sent His son to die on a cross - so that we could be with Him forever. No wonder they call Him - Saviour.
1 Chronicles 4:9a Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.
If you could choose one word to describe yourself - what would it be? If you could choose one word to compare yourself against other people - what would it be? Sounds like those awful job interview questions, doesn't it?
The first time Jabez is ever mentioned in the Bible - and let us take note that to even be mentioned in the Bible means we should 'take note' - he is described as "honorable". And not just plain 'honorable', comparatively MORE honorable than his brothers.
I did my Webster search to find out just exactly what this word entails, here it is: characterized by integrity : guided by a high sense of honor and duty.Today begins my look at Jabez and why God would give such high praise to Jabez - a man who is only shortly mentioned in an obscure area of the Bible amidst the tedious geneology verses.Final question, if God could choose one word to describe you, what would it be?
Luke 1:45 Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"Raising kids is a difficult task. Ask any parent (or grandparent) who has accepted the responsibility of teaching their child right from wrong. It's a long tedious process of discipline and reward that never seems to end. No loving parent enjoys discipline, but the long-term reward that it produces is beyond measure. And when your child actually comes to you for advice and follows it, the bond that is formed in that moment - one of love and respect, builds that relationship. I think the same is true of God and His children - if we choose to listen and learn, the reward is beyond measure.
When Elizabeth was told that she, a barren woman, would conceive - she could have spent that time doubting and worrying and fussing over what was to happen. When she actually did conceive, she could've spent the next nine months afraid of miscarriage, wondering if what God had promised would actually be fulfilled. But that's not what Elizabeth did - she praised God when she got news she would be pregnant - when she actually conceived, she spent months thanking God alone (wonder how Zechariah felt about this) and when she meets up with Mary she has a realization:
God had blessed them both because they heard and they believed and they never doubted.
Often times I second-guess the choices I make or the ones I'm about to make - but I truly believe it's because I didn't spend enough time in prayer before making it. When we make decisions after we've gone to the Lord and waited for His answer, those are the times to be confident - not only will you be blessed because God's answer will always have a better outcome, but you are blessed because you've been able to grow in your relationship with Him.
Luke 1:39-44 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
Never has a verse been used more by anti-abortionists to support the fact that life begins at conception. That John could hear and feel Jesus - a fetus - in Mary's voice through his own mothers ear canal. The way we are biologically formed to live as an undeveloped baby fully relying on our mothers for literal survival, is a miracle.
I could list statistics on people who were almost aborted and now have great testimonies. I could tell stories from mother's who live a life of grief because they chose to kill their child and still struggle to get through life. However, there is something different I'd like to pull from these verses.
John knew that he was in the presence of his Savior and he let his mother know by doing the only thing he could - wiggle. Elizabeth didn't pass off John's actions by saying it was indigestion or the baby was just moving around. John let her know she was in the presence of God and she acknowledged it! If we seek God and come into His presence - we need to let people know He's there. Whether it's wiggling or stating that the only way you got through your struggle was because God gave you peace and patience to get through it - we need to let others know God is here. And if it's someone else doing the wiggling - don't excuse it away. Realize that God is in our presence and it's something to be jumping about, just like John did over 2000 years ago.
Luke 1:23-25 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. "The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people."I must say, that while driving on the road, there is one thing that irritates me to no end: the lack of the appreciative hand wave. If I have taken the time to slow down
to let someone in, or moved over to another lane to allow room to merge - is it so much to ask for a simple hand gesture of thanks? A wave of the hand to acknowledge the fact that I had done something nice? Not a parade in my honor, not a rolled down window and shout of thanks, not even a gracious horn honk - just a wave in my general direction. And yet, I rarely get it. It certainly makes me think twice whenever I decide to show generosity on the pavement - yet I still do.
In these verses, we are told that Elizabeth up and disappears for the first 5 months of her pregnancy. Now this is not exactly the right way to understand it. As soon as Zechariah was 'with' her, and she found out she was pregnant -she didn't run away - she secluded herself to spend these days in prayer to God. She was thanking Him for the awesome miracle that He had blessed her with. A woman in these days had a lot of weight placed on the fact that they could give their husbands a child. Not only did God bless Elizabeth with a baby, but this baby would be great in the sight of the Lord. She took the next five months to spend time with the Lord giving Him all the thanks for this miracle.
Today, thank yous seem so far and few between with one another, I can't imagine how few 'thank you's actually make it to God. Our Biblical examples show that not only was the length of the thank you inspiring - but the immediacy as well. Elizabeth didn't wait until John was born - she began praising God and thanking Him as soon as she found out she was pregnant. Is there anything - simple or miraculous - that we should be thanking God for right now?
Luke 1:21-22 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
There are 1,596,270,108 people in the world using the internet, in America - internet usage reaches 74% of the population. (http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm) For every 100 people in America, 97 have a cell phone. There are 219,000,000 televisions in the homes of Americans, with the average person watching 28 hours per week. We are only beat out by China. Newspaper circulation in the world today is 157,326,359 - who knew people still read the newspaper?? Communication is the key to keeping up with our way of life. It is considered business suicide to not have a website promoting your company. So, why, when we know how communication spreads information - did Zechariah get shut off from the world when he just witnessed this huge miracle.
When a miracle happened in the Bible - eye witnesses would spread the information. Even churches and missionaries today use communication so that the rest of the world can see how God is still moving amongst His people. Why then, when something so wonderful as the answer to the prayer of a barren couple, would He choose to stifle this information.
My thoughts: This miracle was not about everybody else. This was not about gathering the masses and sharing the gospel with them. This was about Zechariah and his relationship with God. Even though God had punished Zechariah, he was learning a valuable lesson. His whole life he had done what was required of him. He had lived a righteous life and followed the laws - yet, when he came face to face with a situation that required complete faith - he faltered. God was letting Zechariah know that He cared enough to teach Him. Through this experience Zechariah would grow and learn in his relationship with God. God cared enough about Zechariah that He was willing to let this miracle go unseen at the time so that he could see how you cannot contain God.
God will let the word of His miracles get out - He will decide when the news of what He has done should be revealed. But His main focus - what He wants us to understand - is that He loves us. It's all about our relationship with Him.
Luke 1:18-20 Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years." The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."There is an old story that has been told. It's about a father and his son - perhaps you've heard your own version of this. The boy was out playing by the tree, laughing and running about when the father suddenly goes out into the yard and tells the boy - "STOP. Don't move another muscle." The boy immediately stops and the father grabs a baseball bat and slowly moves toward the boy. He raises the bat above his head and just as he reaches the boy, he brings the bat down hard on the ground. The boy is a bit stunned, but realization begins to show in his eyes as he sees his father reach down and pick up the now-dead snake in front of the boys' feet that was getting ready to bite his son.
It's a story of obedience. I can tell you right now that my kids - all four of them - would've been rushed to the hospital for venom removal. The minute I hollered to stop, I would've gotten a "why do I have to stop?" or a "but I wasn't done playing yet." Obedience is an importan
t trait - one that has apparently been a struggle for some time.
The angel appeared before Zechariah and told him what was to be done. Did Zechariah just listen and follow instruction? Noooo, he had to ask questions and insinuate the angel was lying. I don't think that was a very smart idea - especially since the angel pulled an Ursula and took away Zechariah's voice.
I wonder if God gets tired of us saying "Why?" I wonder how important it is for God to hear us say - "yes, Lord - I will" - no matter how crazy it sounds. If that son had not listened to his father - surely he would have been bitten. Sometimes the same is true of us - if we do not listen to God's Word and obey (Just Do It) - we are surely bitten.
Luke 1:13-17 But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."Scofield, Spurgeon, Whitefield, Rice, Graham - all men who have recently gone forth and shared the gospel. Many lives were changed because of these men and others. Did their fathers know they were chosen for this? As parents, we all want our children to aspire to be great. We want them to be brought up being kind and polite with all the knowledge they can gain. But what if God chose to tell you the great things your child would do? What if he said "Joey" was going to become a missionary in the deepest parts of Indonesia and many people will be saved. Would you train him differently?
God has a purpose for every child - a different purpose - yet the same training is required for all of us. The Bible is our text book. If we are to be skilled in whatever task God will call us to do - we must be familiar with His Word. If we are willing to go where He calls us, to be a servant for Him - our training comes from knowing the scriptures and knowing Jesus Christ.
So the question is - are we ready if He calls?
Luke 1:8-12 Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.The last verse we looked at was a testimony to the righteousness of John The Baptists' parents. Parents that boldly followed God. There are many who cannot relate to this. I was blessed with Christian parents who did their best to raise us in a Godly home. To equip us with what we would need, not only here on earth, but in preparation for what was to come - and that the latter was more important than the former. I remember seeing my dad in the morning reading his Bible at the table, but I don't remember ever seeing him afraid of anything. I'm sure he is afraid of some things, but when I was growing up, he was fearless.
I think it is a good thing to know that we do not need to be afraid when Jesus is in control. However, it is human nature to succumb to the emotion of fear - especially in today's world. Zechariah was an upright man of God - following the laws that were set for him in their entirety - and yet, he knew the power of fear. Zechariah was following his duty as a man of God. Something as routine as 
filling the communion plate or setting up the Sunday School classroom, or sitting down to do a devotional. Yet on this day, smack dab in the middle of his duties, an angel appeared. Can you imagine? Carrying on about your daily business, maybe cleaning up the nursery for the Sunday morning service, and a man suddenly appears before you - one that is not supposed to be there?
Zechariah was gripped with fear. This highly praised, law-following, faith believing man of God was afraid of the angel before him. Fear is a powerful emotion - one that in high doses can paralyze us. As we can see from the example of Zechariah - even the best and righteous do not handle situations correctly. It is in these moments, we MUST fall back on God and rely on His strength alone to get us through.
Luke 1:5-7 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.Cancer, AIDS, abortion, abuse, poverty, obesity - the list goes on of the things that plague America today. The question is often asked, "Why does God let bad things happen to good people?" While that question is very common today - the truth is - it's been a common question for a long time.Our first insight into John the Baptist is a look at how he came to be. The first chapter in Luke shares a little about the life of his parents before he was born. Both of his parents were "upright in the sight of God". Now there is something to have written on your resume. If I could have one person stand up on my behalf and be able to truthfully announce - "She is upright in the sight of God" - I would count myself blessed. There is no greater compliment. The Bible further states that they followed God's law - blamelessly. WOW. These were some good people.However, Elizabeth could not have children. We all know the importance of bearing children during this time in history - and yet, they, these upright people, were barren. Why does God choose to let these things happen? We know the outcome of this story, but the outcome can be true in all of our lives. If we just trust God and step out in faith - there is a greater purpose and one day, we will know Gods plan.
The best made intentions are nothing without execution. I could make five different lists for every day of the week of the different things I needed to do to keep my time managed, I could make a totally separate stack of lists for the different meals I needed to eat during the week to keep my weight managed, And yet another set of lists of incoming monies and outgoing
fees so as to keep my finances managed, lastly, a completely different list of scriptures for the things I would be encountering throughout the week to help keep my spiritual life managed, however, if I set my lists aside on the kitchen counter and never bother to look at them - I've simply wasted a lot of time list-making.
When do we get a break? When does the opportunity come that we can let things slide for a little while and still be able to stay on track? Even if we are following our lists play by play - an unannounced, spur of the moment, going away party can throw every aspect of our lives into a tizzy. We'd then have to rearrange our already scheduled time management list to squeeze in this party. We'd have to adjust our meal list so as to not disrupt our weight management plan. We'd have to buy a gift for this party, which means a refiguring of our finance management. A new set of people and circumstances would certainly be cause for a change in prayer and scriptures for that day - meaning doubling up on devotional time for our spiritual management, causing another time management change. Life is always throwing a curveball.
These past few weeks, for me, have been nothing but curveballs and fastballs and changeups and any other baseball metaphor I can think of. I may have had a few bunts here and there, possibly got to first base on one or two - but am quite certain, by the lack in execution of my lists, that there were no home runs to be had.
How does one stay on track in all aspects of their life when Satan keeps attacking? I believe I will come across some of those answers studying the next person on my list (my OTHER list) - John The Baptist.
Daniel 3:26- 27 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire,and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
Rev. Austin W. Mann of Cleveland, devoted his life to missions work. Born i
n 1841, he grew up like most kids seeking an education and graduating in Indiana at the age of 17. He continued his education and after began teaching at the Michigan School for 8 years. After this time, he continued private study on his own, but his true labor was missions work. He began preaching in the Episcopal Church and traveled quite a bit. He had written over three hundred journals for other bishops but his real calling was the publishing of over a hundred prayer books and getting them into the hands of the deaf and mute population of the world. At the time of his death, he had helped open over ninety schools for the deaf and mute (close to 10,000 people) and minister to these people. The amazing fact in all this? Rev. Mann was deaf and mute himself. He did all this without ever speaking a word.
When King Nebuchadnezzar called Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego out of the furnace, they didn't utter a word. The king was able to look at them and see how truly Almighty was their God. They didn't throw a "we told you so" in his face or a "what now - big king" - they simply let the Glory of God shine through.
I have actually been struggling with this lately myself. I have been bogged down with so many things going on around me, that my Light might seem hard to see. So the question I have to ask myself is this: If I never spoke a word, would people be able to see Jesus standing beside me? Would His glory shine out of me only through my actions?
Daniel 3:23-25 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?" They replied, "Certainly, O king." He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."
I didn't want to go back to work. It had been six years since my last baby was born and I hadn't been in the work force since I'd been pregnant with her. The time had come where, financially, it would be much less stressful if I started working again. It couldn't be a "career" job - my important time would still be with my family. I was still homeschooling and my husband worked full-time, so it couldn't be a day job. Before getting pregnant, I was in management at UPS, the graveyard shift. It looked like, once again, this was the only option for me. I prayed about this and asked God to guide me in this because I really did not enjoy working at UPS - it was physically hard and not a very friendly work environment. Then I saw the ad for FedEx. I reluctantly decided to go in for the 'group' interview. Many people showed up for this job. I thought I'd be hired on the spot - but this was a large group of people. We went through the training videos and paperwork sessions. In the end, they basically told the entire group they were only hiring as needed and they would keep everyone on file as an "on-call" person. I went home a little deflated, it was not what I expected. That evening, I received a call from Fed-Ex. After reading my file, because of my management experience with UPS, they wanted me to start the next evening. Jesus was there, it was all in His hands.
When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell into that furnace, they had to be scared. Wondering what it would feel like, to be burned. But once the initial shock wore off, and they stood up, and they realized they weren't burning to death and that there handcuffs had burned off - what an awesome realization - Jesus was with them. It has been said that the reason the king looked back into the furnace, was because he heard singing. These boys were singing praises to God. The king never would've looked back, the reality was, the minute those boys fell into the furnace they would be dead - the king had no reason to continue hanging around - until he heard the singing. It also says that the king could see Jesus, it doesn't say that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego could.
So here's another realization: Jesus is always with us, whether we can see Him or not - we must know that He's always there. BUT, to be truly effective, we must rejoice in having this knowledge so that, like the king, others will look back and be able to see Him standing there with us.
I ended up loving my job at FedEx. They were nice people there and I hope I had an effect on some of them. A year later when I gave my two -weeks notice, they offered me a management position. Hopefully, they were able to see Jesus standing beside me.
Daniel 1:3-4 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility- young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.
We spend way too much time in front of the TV. I think our family has a show for every n
ight of the week that is a "must see". Certainly not one of our more "Godly" pursuits. But then again, where would I get all these great analogies for my blog . . . Anyway. One of our favorites is a show called "Burn Notice". It's about a spy who's been kicked out of the spy field - but spends the whole season trying to get back into it, along the way helping those in need. Here's what I noticed. All the spies in this movie, good and bad, are all attractive, very intelligent, multi-lingual, strong and agile - everything one needs for a hostile take-over. This seems to be the same for most spies we see in Hollywood: James Bond, Mission Impossible, The Bourne Supremecy, etc.
The king is looking for spies, so to speak. The men he wants his chief to bring should be young. They would have no family (he took care of that - since he stole them from their country). They should be handsome. They need to be smart. They need to be physically fit. See. . . spies.
We look at this occupation as glamorous. Being able to sneak around and listen in on conversations, use a weapon, learn how to connive and persuade people, using beauty and brawn to manipulate.
The king gathered these 'men' together because he believed they had all the qualities that he thought one needed to possess to be successful on his team. He did not know that these young men possessed one extra quality: supernatural power. . .
Daniel 1:1-2 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god.According to iraqbodycount.com, to date, nearly 100,000 innocent Iraqi citizens have been killed. The following statistics are staggering:Who was killed?
24,865 civilians were reported killed in the first two years.
Women and children accounted for almost 20% of all civilian deaths.
Baghdad alone recorded almost half of all deaths.
When did they die?
30% of civilian deaths occurred during the invasion phase before 1 May 2003.
Post-invasion, the number of civilians killed was almost twice as high in year two (11,351) as in year one (6,215).
Who did the killing?
US-led forces killed 37% of civilian victims.
Anti-occupation forces/insurgents killed 9% of civilian victims.
Post-invasion criminal violence accounted for 36% of all deaths.
Killings by anti-occupation forces, crime and unknown agents have shown a steady rise over the entire period.
What was the most lethal weaponry?
Over half (53%) of all civilian deaths involved explosive devices.
Air strikes caused most (64%) of the explosives deaths.
Children were disproportionately affected by all explosive devices but most severely by air strikes and unexploded ordinance (including cluster bomblets).
How many were injured?
At least 42,500 civilians were reported wounded.
The invasion phase caused 41% of all reported injuries.
Explosive weaponry caused a higher ratio of injuries to deaths than small arms.
The highest wounded-to-death ratio incidents occurred during the invasion phase.War and casualties of war have been going on for a long time. We see this in the opening of the book of Daniel. A man with his own agenda in mind defeats an innocent nation and the spoils that went with it.
I'm excited about studying the lives of three young men who even through a gruesome circumstance like war made a difference for Christ. We are going through an age now where all may seem hopeless - a waging war that results in pointless loss of life. Do not give up hope, do not lose faith, let's get on our knees and become a nation that prays once again.
Luke 17:19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."Bill Gates makes roughly $7.8 billion a year. This Microsoft Cofounder and CEO, was interviewed November 1995 on PBS by David Frost. Below is the transcript with minor edits...
Frost: Do you believe in the Sermon on the Mount?
Gates: I don't. I'm not somebody who goes to church on a regular basis. The specific elements of Christianity are not something I'm a huge believer in. There's a lot of merit in the moral aspects of religion. I think it can have a very, very positive impact.
Frost: I sometimes say to people, do you believe there is a god, or do you know there is a god? And, you'd say you don't know?
Gates: In terms of doing things I take a fairly scientific approach to why things happen and how they happen. I don't know if there's a god or not, but I think religious principles are quite valid.
Gates was profiled by Walter Isaacson in a January 13, 1996 TIME MAGAZINE cover story. Here are some excerpts compiled by the Drudge Report:
Isaacson: Isn't there something special, perhaps even divine, about the human soul?
Gates: I don't have any evidence on that. Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There's a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning.
Jesus said to the leper who came back to thank Him - Go, your faith has healed you. Does that mean that for all the other lepers, their disease returned to them? I thought about this and studied it - because, to me - it seemed like that was what they deserved because they didn't say "thank you". But, that's not how Jesus works. What He meant was that the leper's soul was healed. He had faith in Jesus, trusted His word and now He would be in heaven with Jesus one day.
People often wonder why Bill Gates and other wealthy men in the world who are not Christians are blessed with so much money. I think the story of the ten lepers answers that questions. You may receive many things here on this earth - but let it be known that they are all blessings from God and if you choose to ignore that and not acknowledge that it was Him who sent His only son to die for you - you will not get the greatest reward there is to obtain. . .
Luke 17:15-16 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.It was April 26th and Johnny had just been invited to a teen party at Terry's house. Apparently a party at Terry's house was a monthly event, and this one was the fourth one this year. Terry's parents often threw these parties so that they could ge
t to know all of Terry's friends and make sure he was hanging out with good people. This was a first for Johnny since he had just recently moved into town and had just gotten to know Terry and some of the other kids he hung out with in school. On the evening of the party, there was loud music, lots of food and sodas and plenty of people. Johnny was served his food by Terry's parents and after he thanked them he went into the living room and mingled a bit. Johnny enjoyed getting to know new people and was glad Terry invited him. As he left that evening, he thanked Terry and his parents for inviting him to come and what a wonderful time he had while he was there. Later on when the party had died down and everyone had gone - Terry's mom asked about Johnny. Terry wondered what made Johnny stand out. Terry's mom told him that of all the kids at the party - even the ones who came frequently, that he was the only one who thanked them - including their own son.
Thankfulness is something we are required to have as Christians. Yet many of us lack the ability to do so. The Bible is very specific in mentioning that it was the Samaritan who came back to thank Jesus for healing him of the leprosy. Samaritans were the outcasts, the strangers in this town - they didn't mingle with the Jews, and yet - it was a Samaritan that came back to thank Jesus. He came back loud and quick.
Johnny stood out because he was thankful when nobody else had been. The Samaritan stood out because he was thankful when nobody else would be. Do we stand out because we are thankful even when no one else is willing to say it? Are we quick with our appreciation or do we tend to wait until it's convenient for us? Are we truly thankful in all things? Can we see what Jesus is doing in our lives and show Him our gratitude by saying a prayer of thanks? It's so much nicer when we personally talk to Jesus and tell Him, "Thank you".
