Memorial Day 2021

Memorial Day is a holiday when Americans remember our war dead.  Hopefully, we can set aside our differences long enough to take a moment to think about their sacrifice and be grateful.  Their families, loved ones, and friends should be remembered, also.  We are grateful for their sacrifice as well.

On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered the following speech at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery:

Gettysburg Address

Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives, that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.[1] 

Gettysburg was just one of many bloody Civil War battles; brother against brother, father against son, friend against friend, and Americans against each other.

Today, once again, Americans are divided against one another.  Some have speculated that we are as divided as we were at the time of the Civil War.  A lot has been written and said about who is to blame.  I will not speculate about that here.

Reasonable people ask: Who in their right mind wants things to go that far?  Does anyone want to see more of our people die?

Maybe we all should take a deep breath and try to resolve our differences. George Santayana is credited to have originated the famous quote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."[2]

While we remember those who “gave the last full measure of devotion,” let us honor them by rededicating ourselves to being, “…one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” (emphasis added)

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[1]   https://rmc.library.cornell.edu/gettysburg/good_cause/transcript.htm

[2]   https://bigthink.com/the-proverbial-skeptic/those-who-do-not-learn-history-doomed-to-repeat-it-really

 

 

Marriage

We have all heard the old saw, “Be careful what you wish for, because you might get it.”  Nowhere else in human experience is that more pertinent than when it is applied to marriage.  Don’t get me wrong, I am all for marriage.  The Bible says:

The man who finds a wife finds a treasure,
and he receives favor from the LORD. (Proverbs 18:22 NLT) *

It is wise, however, for both men and women to use caution and to seek the Lord’s leading when they marry.  A friend once told me, “When marriage is good there ain’t nothing better, but when it goes bad it’s the pits.”

Traditionally, most cultures have regarded marriage as a life-long commitment.  An attorney friend once cautioned me that marriage was the only legal contract one makes for a lifetime.

Too many marriages end in divorce.  Sadly, the divorce rate among Christians is nearly the same as it is among other couples.  Historically, ending a marriage has sometimes been treated as a taboo in many societies, but at other times it has also been allowed in a cavalier fashion.  In my observation, divorce causes a lot of wreckage in the affected peoples’ lives.  A person very dear to me once told me, “With some mistakes, you just have to pay and pay and pay.”

The Bible provides only two conditions in which Christians may divorce.  It is permitted (but not mandatory) when one of the partners commits adultery (Matthew 19:9), or when an unbelieving spouse deserts a Christian (1Corinthians 7:15).  Jesus wants us to be forgiving.  Nevertheless, we are not asked to remain in a marriage where the offending spouse refuses to accept responsibility and change their behavior.  Further, men and women who are being subjected to physical abuse need to separate from the abusive spouse.  The Bible teaches that we have the right to self-defense.

What I am saying is not intended to be judgmental, nor is it intended to be antimarriage.  It is cautionary because we (myself included) enter into modern marriage with far too little caution.  Too few of us turn to God for guidance regarding marriage, divorce, or anything else.

The Word of God urges married couples to have an attitude of servanthood, one to the other.  If we do what God says things turn out better.  The Apostle Paul used the relationship between Christ and the church as an example for us in marriage:

And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church.  As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.

For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.  He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.  In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.  No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.  And we are members of his body.

As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” (Genesis 2:24) This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.  So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. (Ephesians 5:21-33 NLT, emphasis added) *

Men and women, please allow me to share a truth that I have learned from experience.  If you do not know the meaning of humility before you get married, you will learn it after.  If you do not learn to be humble, there is a good chance that your marriage will fail … or become a life-long contest for control.  A stanza from a popular song said, “It’s my belief pride is the chief cause of the decline in the numbers of husbands and wives.” **

The Book of First Peter is often misunderstood and misapplied.  One of its themes is humility, and it urges us to be humble in all things:

… Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters.  Be tender hearted, and keep a humble attitude.  Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing. (1Peter 3:8-9 NLT, emphasis added) *

And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for

  “God opposes the proud

   but gives grace to the humble.” (Proverbs3:34)

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.  Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (1Peter 5:5-7 NLT) *

 Marriage is no exception:

In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives. (1Peter 3:1-2 NLT) *

In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered. (1Peter 3:7 NLT) *

Now, before you object about submission and humility, it helps to remember that God is God, and we are not.  I am not saying this in my own authority.  It is God’s wisdom for a happy life.  Consider our Lord’s example:

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Though he was God,he did not think of equality with God

as something to cling to.

Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;

he took the humble position of a slave

and was born as a human being.

When he appeared in human form,

he humbled himself in obedience to God

and died a criminal’s death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8 NLT)

When God unites a Christian married couple, they become one, and that united person must be  dedicated to serving Christ.  If you turn your marriage over to Jesus, and try to honor Him in it, it will go better for you.  My wife and I have found that it helps if we read two chapters in the Bible and pray together (almost) every day.  It opens our hearts to what Jesus has for us in our life together.

I confess that I seem to need to learn the lesson of humility over and over.  I am stubborn, proud, opinionated, and more than a little domineering.  Praise God for his patience with me (and my wife's patience, too).  I give all the credit to the Lord for our long-lasting marriage. When we tried to do it ourselves, we always messed it up.

 

*  https://biblehub.com

** “Husbands and Wives” (1966) Written by: Roger Miller Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/2042776/Brooks+%26+Dunn/Husbands+and+Wives

 

 

Sweet Dreams

It is my fondest dream that the world will learn to live in peace.  No one wants peace more than I do.  In an age when the threat of a nuclear holocaust is a horror that, to preserve our sanity, we choose not to think about, peace is the dream of every sane person.  We pray for it, we wish for it, and we dream of it.  We yearn for a world where our children will not experience war.

In 1950, a singer and song writer named Ed McCurdy wrote and recorded a song that became an anthem for the peace movement a decade and a half later.  It has been recorded by a lot of people, including such diverse artists as Joan Baez and Johnny Cash.  In 1964, Simon and Garfunkel released an album called, Wednesday Morning 3 AM, and I bought the cassette tape at the PX in Stuttgart, West Germany in 1972.  The song was on that album, and that was how I learned of it.

It pulls at what we want in our hearts to be true.  The Germans would call it "Ein Wunschtraum" (a dream of a wish or a pipedream).  So far, it has only been a pipedream.

Last Night I had the Strangest Dream

 

Last night I had the strangest dream
I ever dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war

I dreamed I saw a mighty room
The room was filled with men
And the paper they were signing said
They'd never fight again

And when the papers all were signed
And a million copies made
They all joined hands and bowed their heads
And grateful prayers were prayed

And the people in the streets below
Were dancing round and round
And guns and swords and uniforms
Were scattered on the ground

Last night I had the strangest dream
I ever dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war

https://genius.com/Simon-and-garfunkel-last-night-i-had-the-strangest-dream-lyrics

You may ask, “When will war ever end?”  The Holy Bible says it will, and it tells us when.  Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6) There will be war until He establishes His Kingdom for 1,000 years after His Second Coming. (Matthew 24:3-14)  During that 1,000 years there will be peace.

War is a thing of Satan.  After the 1,000 years is finished, the Devil will be released from his prison, and he will cause the unsaved of those born during the 1,000 years to rebel against God one last time.  Jesus will defeat them all and throw them into hell.  Those that truly belong to Jesus will then live with Him forever. (Revelation Chapters 19-22)

There will be no more war after that, or death, or sickness, or pain, or tears. (Revelation7:15-17, Revelation 21:4) There will only be inexpressible joy in the Glory of God’s presence.

 

 

Evidence of Chinese Military at Wuhan Institute of Virology

In an Epoch Times* article, Nicole Hao reported that a project team from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) working at the Wuhan Institute of Virology from 2012 to 2018 included members of the Chinese military. The article reported that the leaders of the Communist government in China have denied any connection between the controversial lab and the Chinese military.

The article cites the U.S. State Department as the source of information that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was engaged in research for the Chinese military since 2017, and that workers inside the lab became sick in 2019, prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, with symptoms that may have been caused by the Coronavirus or other common seasonal illnesses. Ms. Hao’s article says that, according to the State Department, a virologist at the lab named Shi Zhengli has denied any connection to the military and that any lab workers got sick.  Dr. Shi is the director of the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. [1]

If possible, the information in Ms. Hao’s article should be corroborated by other sources before it is used in decision making.  However, it adds to the mounting evidence that may persuade one to believe that the government in China sponsored cooperative research between its military and the Wuhan Institute of Virology to develop biological weapons, and that the Novel Coronavirus spread from the lab to the surrounding population.

Regardless, the Chinese Communist Party is directly responsible for allowing COVID-19 to develop into a world-wide pandemic.  The best way to prevent this from happening again is for the United States and the world to sever all commerce with China, and to severely limit diplomatic and cultural interaction with China, until the Communist government of China turns from the aggressive path they are on and becomes a responsible citizen of the community of nations.

*By way of full disclosure, the Epoch Times is opposed to the Chinese Communist Party and is backed by a religious group that has been persecuted in Communist China (Falun Gong).  With that said, I have found the articles in the newspaper to be factually accurate, and I believe it is a valuable resource for information that is not being reported by the “mainstream media.”

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[1] Hao, Nicole. “Evidence Reveals That Military Team Collaborated With Lab in City Where COVID-19 Pandemic Originated.” Epoch Times, 3 May 2021 Updated: 7 May 2021.

 

It's All God

God’s grace (unmerited favor or mercy) and holy living (good works) are a “one - two punch.”  They go together.  We cannot be good enough in our own strength to earn salvation.  In our old sinful nature, everyone sins and falls short of God’s righteous standards. (Romans 3:23)

When we accept the gift of salvation, however, God will cause us to want to live holy lives, and He will give us the strength to do it. (Philippians 2:13, 2Corinthians 5:17-21) Good works are not the cause of salvation, they are the result of it.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, eager for good deeds.

(Titus 2:11-14 NASB) * 

… to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to slander no one, not to be contentious, to be gentle, showing every consideration for all people.  For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.  But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

(Titus 3:1-7 NASB) * 

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

(Ephesians 2:8-10 NASB) *

 Please, ask Jesus to save you today.

  

*  https://biblehub.com/nasb

 

 

Then, Now, and Soon

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.

 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.” (Ezekiel 34:1-10 NIV)

It seems that some things never change. These passages from the Book of Ezekiel date from the 6th Century B.C. (about 2,550 years ago, give or take a few). Today, leaders still use their positions for personal benefit, at the expense of those they have been given to care for. Ultimately, their misdeeds will lead to their destruction. 

 

“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.” (Ezekiel 34:11-16 NIV)

As in the years following the Babylonian Exile, God has again gathered the Israelis back to the land He promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (a.k.a. Israel).  Many believe that this is a sign that the Day of the Lord will soon begin.  Jesus thought of Himself as The Good Shepherd, and of His people as His sheep. (John 10:1-18) The Book of Revelation (Chapter 20) promises that, at His Second Coming, Jesus will rule the world as Messiah for 1,000 years.

Do you want to be part of His Kingdom, a kingdom of justice and peace?  Would you like to rule and reign with Him?  You can bask in the Glory of God’s presence forever in a heavenly bliss that we are not now able to comprehend.

A righteous life is the result of salvation, not the cause of it.  Eternal life in heaven cannot be earned.  We are not able to be good enough to earn our salvation.  Jesus paid the price of your admission to His Kingdom.  You just need to believe that what He did was sufficient, repent of your old sinful way of life, and ask Jesus to be your Savior.  He will live in you, and you will be in Him.

After that, find a good church that believes and teaches the Holy Bible and only the Bible.  Learn His ways.  Then, take up your cross daily and follow Jesus.

Standing Strong

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.  For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.  Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.  For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.  In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.  Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.  (Ephesians 6:10-18 NLT)

 

*  https://biblehub.com/nlt/ephesians/6.htm