Charles Stanley –That All May Know Him

 

1 Timothy 2:1-7

A friend of mine recently told me about a cab driver who had religious symbols representing Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism displayed in his taxi. My friend asked why he had so many contrasting religions represented. The driver said they were for protection. When asked which one served that purpose, the man said, “I don’t know. But I want to be sure that one will work, so I have all of them.”

Here in America, it’s easy to think most people know about Jesus Christ, but there are men and women we see each day who have no knowledge of our Savior. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 says, “There is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all.” That truth is the foundation for the Christian faith. Through the Son, we are forgiven and reconciled to the Father.

Don’t assume that everyone in your life is familiar with the good news of Jesus Christ. Whether it’s a coworker, a new friend, or your long-time neighbor, you may be the only person they know who can tell them about the one true God and Savior.

Bible in One Year: Judges 1-3

 

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread — God’s Storybook

 

Bible in a Year:

God blessed them. . . . God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

Genesis 1:2831

Today’s Scripture & Insight: Genesis 1:26–31

Wanting to enjoy the beautiful day, I headed out for a walk and soon met a new neighbor. He stopped me and introduced himself: “My name is Genesis, and I’m six and a half years old.”

“Genesis is a great name! It’s a book in the Bible,” I replied.

“What’s the Bible?” he asked.

“It’s God’s storybook about how He made the world and people and how He loves us.”

His inquisitive response made me smile: “Why did He make the world and people and cars and houses? And is my picture in His book?”

While there isn’t a literal picture of my new friend Genesis or the rest of us in the Scriptures, we’re a big part of God’s storybook. We see in Genesis 1 that “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God He created them” (v. 27). God walked with them in the garden, and then warned about giving in to the temptation to be their own god (ch. 3). Later in His book, God told about how, in love, His Son, Jesus, came to walk with us again and brought about a plan for our forgiveness and the restoration of His creation.

As we look at the Bible, we learn that our Creator wants us to know Him, talk with Him, and even ask Him our questions. He cares for us more than we can imagine.

By:  Anne Cetas

Reflect & Pray

Where do you see yourself in God’s story? In what ways are you experiencing His fellowship?

Loving God, thank You for making me a part of Your story. May I love You and others as You love me.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Kids4Truth Clubs Daily Devotional – God Makes Each of Us Unique

 

https://equipu.kids4truth.com/podcast-player/3417/god-makes-us-unique.mp3

 

“And the LORD God formed man out of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7)

Mrs. Gillen watched her sixth-grade students go through a fingerprinting procedure at the school safety fair. A very tall police officer was helping the children place each fingertip in ink, and then carefully press their fingers, one by one, on their papers. As the students compared their fingerprints, they realized that none were alike, not even the fingerprints of the identical twin boys in the class!

Have you ever look closely at your own fingerprints? Have you ever compared them to the fingerprints of your friends or siblings? No one else has your fingerprints. They are uniquely your own. How can this be possible?

Genesis 2:7 shows that God is the One Who created human beings and gave them life. Psalm 139 is another passage that gives a picture of how closely God pays attention in His creative work. David, the writer of this Psalm, describes this kind of special attention to detail way in verses 13-16: “Thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb…. My substance was not hid from thee….thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect…and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.” God knows everyone this closely–each and every single person who has ever lived, who is living now, and who ever will live one day in the future. No wonder David declares in verse 14, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

Now, take a moment to think about this: As of the date you are reading this devotional, the world’s population is estimated to be 6,512,737,489. That means there are over six billion people alive today on Earth. And all of them have a unique set of fingerprints. If you multiplied over six billion times 10 fingers per person, then–wow! That is quite a number of unique, individual fingerprints! What an amazing Creator we serve, and what mercy and grace He shows to us when He pays attention to the tiny details of our lives and takes care of our special needs.

For His glory, God created everyone unique.

My Response:
» Why should I praise God for making me unique?
» How should I think about my looks and talents in light of the knowledge that God made me just the way I am?
» How should I treat others, knowing that God created them the way He did?

The post God Makes Each of Us Unique appeared first on EquipU Online Library.

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Denison Forum – What happened this week at Denison Forum?

 

If you’ve read any article on our website at DenisonForum.org, you’ve likely seen the feedback form at the end of each page. This allows readers to both rank their thoughts on the article via emojis and leave written feedback that our staff reviews.

For instance, in response to Dr. Denison’s one-year retrospective on COVID-19, one reader wrote that “it made me keenly aware of being ready to share my love for our Lord and Saviour”—a timely reminder for us all.

The reader’s feedback also echoed what Dr. Denison wrote just yesterday in response to the hope of a “historic” summer: “the most important lesson I believe we should learn from the pandemic is spiritual rather than medical, eternal rather than temporal. In short: we need faith in God on a level most of us do not experience each day.”

The somber COVID anniversary wasn’t the only event to make news this past week.

In his response to Oprah’s interview with Harry and Meghan, Dr. Denison wrote of three ways we can “respond biblically and redemptively to the vital issues we face”:

  1. Practice biblical discernment.
  2. Seek the constant guidance of the Spirit.
  3. Aspire to be redemptive rather than reactive.

These are appropriate steps to take every day given the world we live in, when issues such as the cancellation of Dr. Seuss and the legal ability of three gay men to parent two children bring our culture into stark relief against biblical truth.

Right now, consider your response to the issues of the day: Are you being reactive, or redemptive?

Let’s work against the current of culture and choose the latter over the former.

P.S. Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? Please consider doing so. We’re releasing The Daily Article as a video podcast every Monday through Friday morning. When you subscribe to our YouTube channel and click the notification bell, you’ll be the first to know when a new video is published.

Hear Dr. Denison

Dr. Denison is routinely interviewed on radio shows and podcasts. Here’s where you can hear him from this past week:

As always, you can find Dr. Denison’s archive of interviews here.

What you may have missed

Peeps—yes, that Peeps—has released Easter-themed makeup. But that has contributing writer Minni Elkins wondering about the other colors of Easter.

“Our world has more and more information, but less and less wisdom.” If you agree, you’ll want to read Steve Yount’s review of The Wisdom Pyramid by Brett McCracken.

Notable Quotables

  • “God’s word is ‘a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’ as much today as when it was first inspired (Psalm 119:105). This is because neither human nor divine nature change. What was true is still true. Thus, we need to view everything we experience through the prism of biblical revelation. Look for what God says about the issues you face, for that’s the truth you need.” — Jim Denison
  • “After a year of hiding everything on our faces but our eyes, it’s no wonder people are embracing new ways to accent them. As spring approaches, Easter is not far behind. Spring break has already begun for many students and parents. And for most, not a moment too soon! We all need ‘spring breaks.’ But so do our souls.”  —Minni Elkins
  • “We should live with such integrity, consistency, and compassion that others see the difference Jesus makes in our personal lives (Philippians 4:81 Peter 3:16). Our opponents are not our enemies but people who need the same grace we have experienced and are called to share.” — Jim Denison

Parting thought

Our next book releases in a few days. We hope you’ll be blessed by it!

 

Denison Forum

In Touch Ministries; Charles Stanley – Walking by the Spirit

 

Galatians 5:16-26

Learning to walk takes practice. The more steps a toddler takes, the more proficient he or she becomes, until walking is a normal part of life. This same principle is true spiritually. When we are first saved, our steps are small and uncertain, but as we practice and mature in Christ, walking by the Spirit becomes a normal and essential part of our life.

The first step in walking by the Spirit is to be fully persuaded that we can’t live the Christian life by human effort. Until we grasp this truth, we’ll rely on own strength, repeatedly fail, and find ourselves confessing the same old sins without ever mastering them.

The second step is to recognize that the Holy Spirit is the one who overcomes our sinful desires and gives us victory as we rely on His power. The way to do this is by asking the Spirit to help us understand God’s Word and will. We also pray that He’ll give us a sense of revulsion at sin in our life and infuse us with a desire to know, love, and obey Christ more each day. Our goal should be that when temptation comes our way, we surrender to the Spirit and do what He desires step-by-step.

Bible in One Year: Joshua 23-24

 

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread — Every Breath

 

Bible in a Year:

I will put breath in you.

Ezekiel 37:6

Today’s Scripture & Insight:Ezekiel 37:1–3, 7–10, 14

When Tee Unn came down with a rare autoimmune disease that weakened all his muscles and nearly killed him, he realized that being able to breathe was a gift. For more than a week, a machine had to pump air into his lungs every few seconds, which was a painful part of his treatment.

Tee Unn made a miraculous recovery, and today he reminds himself not to complain about life’s challenges. “I’ll just take a deep breath,” he says, “and thank God I can.”

How easy it is to focus on things we need or want, and forget that sometimes the smallest things in life can be the greatest miracles. In Ezekiel’s vision (Ezekiel 37:1–14), God showed the prophet that only He could give life to dry bones. Even after tendons, flesh, and skin had appeared, “there was no breath in them” (v. 8). It was only when God gave them breath that they could live again (v. 10).

This vision illustrated God’s promise to restore Israel from devastation. It also reminds me that anything I have, big or small, is useless unless God gives me breath.

How about thanking God for the simplest blessings in life today? Amid the daily struggle, let’s stop occasionally to take a deep breath, and “let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Psalm 150:6).

By:  Leslie Koh

Reflect & Pray

What will you thank God for right now? How can you remind yourself to thank Him more often today?

Thank You, God, for every breath You’ve given me. Thank You for the smallest things in life and the greatest miracles of life.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Grace to You; John MacArthur – Praying As Jesus Prayed

 

“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen'” (Matt. 6:9-15).

Jesus gave six elements that constitute true prayer.

Many people have memorized the Disciples’ Prayer so they can recite it often, but as beautiful as it is, it wasn’t given for that purpose. In fact, after Jesus gave it, no one in the New Testament recited it—not even Jesus Himself (cf. John 17)!

The disciples didn’t ask Jesus to teach them a prayer, but to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1). There is a significant difference. Jesus preceded His prayer by saying, “Pray, then, in this way” (v. 9), which literally means, “Pray along these lines.” His prayer was a general pattern for all prayer, and although it wasn’t recited, its principles are evident in all New Testament prayers.

Christ’s model prayer teaches us to ask God for six things: (1) that His name be honored, (2) that He brings His kingdom to earth, (3) that He does His will, (4) that He provides our daily needs, (5) that He pardons our sins, and (6) that He protects us from temptation. Each one contributes to the ultimate goal of all prayer, which is to bring glory to God. The last three are the means by which the first three are achieved. As God provides our daily bread, pardons our sins, and protects us when we are tempted, He is exalted in His name, kingdom, and will.

If you understand and follow Christ’s pattern for prayer, you can be assured that you are praying as He instructed, and that whatever you ask in His name, He will do, “that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13).

Suggestions for Prayer

Do your prayers reflect the six elements outlined in the Disciples’ Prayer? If not, work on making them a regular part of your prayers.

For Further Study

Read Matthew 6:1-8, where Jesus discusses some of the practices of the Jewish religious leaders.

  • What practices and motives did He mention?
  • How did He feel about their spiritual leadership?

 

 

http://www.gty.org/

 

Joyce Meyer – The Spirit vs. the Flesh

 

Walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh “of human nature without God.”

— Galatians 5:16 (AMPC)

Adapted from the resource Hearing from God Each Morning – by Joyce Meyer

Like a horse that’s been trained to keep its ear always tuned to the voice of its master, we need to be willing to follow all of God’s instructions, not just those we feel good about or happen to agree with.

To genuinely follow Him, we have to tell our flesh (the unrenewed, carnal part of us that isn’t like Jesus yet) no at times, and when that happens, the flesh suffers and doesn’t like it. There are times when we’re galloping full speed ahead in one direction when suddenly God tells us to stop and go in another direction. We won’t always like what He asks us to do, but His way of doing life always ultimately turns out better than our way.

In the verse for today, the apostle Paul writes about the constant fight between the Spirit and the flesh. If we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, we won’t satisfy the desires of the flesh that lead us away from God’s best. This verse doesn’t say that the desires of the flesh will disappear; we’ll always have to wrestle with them. But if we choose to be led by the Spirit, we won’t go after fleshly desires, and the devil won’t get his way in our lives.

As we grow closer to God, we can sense that a war in going on in us (see Romans 7:21-25). Our flesh and His Spirit in us usually disagree, and we’re often tempted to keep the flesh comfortable. But as we learn to submit to God’s Spirit, we’ll begin to overcome fleshly desires and temptations. Determine today that you will not let your flesh lead you, but that you’ll follow the Holy Spirit’s voice in all that you do. When you do, you position yourself to receive God’s best.

Prayer Starter: Lord, please help me follow Your voice and leading today instead of letting my flesh lead my decisions. Thank You for giving me the grace and strength to start overcoming any fleshly desires or temptations, and for guiding me toward Your best. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Truth for Life; Alistair Begg –Love Your Neighbor

 

You shall love your neighbor.

 Matthew 5:43

“Love your neighbor.” Perhaps he rolls in riches, and you are poor and living in your humble dwelling next-door to his mansion. Every day you see his estates, his fine clothes, and his extravagant parties. God has given him these gifts; covet not his wealth, and think no hard thoughts concerning him. Be content with what you have, if you cannot better it, but do not look upon your neighbor and wish that he was like you. Love him, and then you will not envy him.

Perhaps, on the other hand, you are rich, and the poor live nearby. Do not scorn to call them neighbors. Admit that you are bound to love them. The world calls them your inferiors. In what way are they inferior? They are far more your equals than your inferiors, for “He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth.”1 Your clothes are better than theirs, but you are in no way better than them. They are men, and what are you more than that? Pay attention that you love your neighbor even though he be in rags or sunken in the depths of poverty.

But perhaps you say, “I cannot love my neighbors because no matter what I do for them they respond with ingratitude and contempt.” All the more reason for the heroism of love. Would you be a featherbed warrior instead of bearing the rough fight of love? He who dares the most shall win the most; and if the path of love is rough, tread it boldly, still loving your neighbors through thick and thin. Heap coals of fire on their heads, and if they are hard to please, do not seek to please them, but to please your Master; and remember if they spurn your love, your Master has not spurned it, and your deed is as acceptable to Him as if it had been acceptable to them.

Love your neighbor, for in so doing you are following the footsteps of Christ.

1) Acts 17:26

One-Year Bible Reading Plan

 

 

http://www.truthforlife.org

Kids4Truth Clubs Daily Devotional – Jesus Made Room for Us

 

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2)

Before Jesus went to the cross, He spent an evening talking with His eleven closest followers, preparing them for what was about to happen. John 14 records part of what Jesus said that evening. A well-known part of that conversation is John 14:2: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).

There are two things that we need to understand about what Jesus said that night. First, the word “mansion” doesn’t mean “big house,” which is the way we use the word today. “Mansion” in John 14:2 means “room” or “place to live.” The point that Jesus was making is this: Don’t worry; there’s plenty of room for all my followers to live with the Father. I’m not going back to live there alone.

To understand the second important part, we have to remember what Jesus was about to do: He was about to go to the Father. His path to the Father was difficult: He had to die, be buried, and be raised from the dead. Then He would go up in the clouds. So when Jesus said, “I’m going to prepare a place for you,” He didn’t mean, I’m going to heaven to start a building project. He actually meant, I’m about to die. You’ll be upset, but you shouldn’t be. The reason I’m dying is to make a place for you where my Father lives.

Now why does Jesus say first, “There is plenty of room,” and then, I’m going to make a place for you?” Well, even though there is plenty of room for people like us to dwell with the Father, there would be no way that we could join Him, unless Jesus first made a place for each of us–by dying for us.

Jesus’ work is done now. When He died and was raised from the dead, He made a place for all of His disciples, for everyone in the past and the future who would ever believe in Him.

When Jesus died, He made room for us to dwell with the Father.

My Response:
» Am I one of Jesus’ followers?
» Have I said “no” to my sins and made Jesus my Master?

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Denison Forum – Is a “historic” summer coming? Redeeming a terrible year for a brighter future

 

“The summer of 2021 is shaping up to be historic.” This is the first sentence of an Atlantic article titled, “A Quite Possibly Wonderful Summer.”

The writer points to rising numbers of vaccinations and plummeting rates of coronavirus illness and death. He suggests that “pre-pandemic norms could return to schools, churches, and restaurants. Sports, theater, and cultural events could resume. People could travel and dance indoors and hug grandparents, their own or others’. In most of the US, the summer could feel . . . ‘normal.’”

We all look forward to that day.

However, as I noted yesterday, millions will forever grieve those we lost during the pandemic. Some survivors are still experiencing “long-haul” COVID-19 symptoms. The economy, schools, and much of our world have been altered in ways that will long persist into the future.

At the same time, we should mark what good we can find from a terrible year. Not only so that we do not “waste the hurt,” but so we can prepare for a better future today.

Preparing now for the next pandemic 

Scientists tell us that genetic vaccines developed in response to COVID-19 “surpassed health officials’ highest expectations.” Going forward, once scientists determine the genetic sequence of a new pathogen, they can design such vaccines in days and manufacture millions of doses within months.

This is essentially what happened with the coronavirus pandemic. Such vaccines are also better able to respond to mutations. Now researchers hope that gene-based vaccines could provide a vaccine for malaria or HIV, cure cancer, and be ready to stop the next pandemic.

A second scientific response to the pandemic is the acceleration of wearable technology that can aid in early illness detection. Such devices can be predictive of a number of potential illnesses or other health changes.

A third response is the development of “protein networks” to develop new pharmaceutical responses to disease. One drug discovered in this way, currently being used to treat cancer, turns out to be 27.5 times more potent than remdesivir in treating COVID-19 and is now in phase three clinical trials for this application.

Experts warn that the current pandemic won’t be the last. Deforestation, our growing interactions with wildlife, and industrialized food production make more zoonotic (animals to humans) transmissions likely. Oral language broadcasts viruses that replicate in the upper respiratory tissues. Our propensity for social interaction and rising population densities make it easier than ever to spread contagious diseases.

As a result, strategies are being developed now to mark what we have learned from this pandemic in preparation for the next one. Yuval Noah Harari’s article in the Financial Times surveys cultural developments that led to the present pandemic and urges us to safeguard our digital infrastructure, invest more in our public health systems, and establish “a powerful global system to monitor and prevent pandemics.” In these ways, “the shock of COVID-19 might actually result in pandemics becoming less common.”

 

“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord“

Our lives have changed in dramatic ways over the last year. Work, exercise, shopping, schooling, childcare, and even our interactions with nature have been affected, sometimes for the better. But the most important lesson I believe we should learn from the pandemic is spiritual rather than medical, eternal rather than temporal.

In short: we need faith in God on a level most of us do not experience each day.

I recently heard Pastor Jack Graham wisely define faith as trusting God regardless of our circumstances or our consequences. The latter part of his definition especially struck me as countercultural. You and I live in a world built on actions and consequences: we work to receive payment and other rewards; we engage in entertainment to be entertained; we develop relationships for the benefits such relationships seem to offer.

Nearly every dimension of our lives is measured by its outcome. If reading my articles does not benefit you, you’ll stop reading them. If enough people stop reading them, I’ll stop writing them.

By contrast, biblical faith trusts in God even when the consequences of such faith do not seem to merit our continued trust. For example, remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego standing before the king of Babylon. When he threatened to throw them into a fiery furnace if they would not worship a golden image he had constructed, they responded: “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (Daniel 3:17–18, my emphasis).

Another example comes from one of my favorite texts: “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:17–18, my emphasis).

Choosing the faith that sustains us 

International evangelist Luis Palau died yesterday. As I wrote recently, he was one of the most joyful, vibrant, courageous Christians I have ever known. He once encouraged us: “Don’t pray for an easier life. Pray instead to be a stronger man or woman of God.”

Luis knew that it is not the strength of our faith but the object of our faith that counts. We can have faith in spoiled food and become sick after eating it. We can have faith in wrong directions and get lost as a result.

Here’s a fact: Whether another pandemic strikes or not, God is still God. Whether he answers our prayers for healing in this world or the next, he is still Lord. The faith that sustains us in the hardest places is faith in a sovereign King (Psalm 22:28) who is love (1 John 4:8). Circumstances and consequences cannot change his character (Malachi 3:6).

And all of our sovereign Lord there is, is in this moment.

How fully would he say you are depending on him today?

 

Denison Forum

Chesa Boudin to face richly deserved voter recall for turning San Francisco into a crime-plagued dump

Pricy, taxy San Francisco has become a crime hellhole, and apparently one person too many has been assaulted or murdered on Soros-financed district attorney Chesa Boudin’s watch with no consequences.  Boudin, see, son of leftist terrorists, is refusing to do his job as prosecutor and mostly taking to doing public relations for himself and “restorative justice” for victims, letting all but the most outrageous criminals off scot-free.

So, like California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom (and like his communist mentor, the late Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez), Boudin’s getting a voter recall referendum.  A judge in the city just gave the go-ahead for it.

According to KRON4:

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — The San Francisco Department of Elections cleared a campaign to recall San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, which will allow them to collect signatures for a recall vote.

This move comes just over a year after Boudin took office.

Organizers of the effort say 51,000 voter signatures are a lot but they believe it’s achievable. They say this effort all started as a petition on change.org where they got more than 10,000 signatures in just four days.

It’s a sign of a lot of voter discontent out there, given Boudin’s record, which is an ugly one, serving the criminal-American community first.  Here’s just one neighborhood, an important Asian-American one, which the news report does not mention:

San Francisco’s Richmond district has seen its number of burglaries surge 342.9% this year, according to the latest data from the city’s police department.

The San Francisco Police Department reported a total of 124 burglaries in Richmond as of Feb. 14, compared to 28 burglaries for the same period a year ago. Meanwhile overall burglaries in the city are up 62.5% with 1,123 burglaries reported as of Feb. 14 compared to 691 for the same period a year ago.

In addition, robberies, assaults, motor vehicle thefts, and arson in the Richmond district increased by 90.9%, 50%, 58.3%, and 25%, respectively, while rape and larceny theft decreased by 75% and 56.6%, respectively.

That’s not the only problem the Asian-Americans have in Chesa Boudin’s San Francisco.  Assault and murder are some others.  According to the New York Times:

SAN FRANCISCO — Weary of being cooped inside during the pandemic, Vicha Ratanapakdee was impatient for his regular morning walk. He washed his face, put on a baseball cap and face mask and told his wife he would have the coffee she had prepared for him when he returned. Then, on a brisk and misty Northern California winter morning last month, he stepped outside.

About an hour later, Mr. Vicha, an 84-year-old retired auditor from Thailand, was violently slammed to the ground by a man who charged into him at full speed. It was the type of forceful body blow that might have knocked unconscious a young football player in full protective pads. For Mr. Vicha, who stood 5 feet 6 inches and weighed 113 pounds, the attack was fatal. He died of a brain hemorrhage in a San Francisco hospital two days later.

Captured on a neighbor’s security camera, the video of the attack was watched with horror around the world. Among Asian-Americans, many of whom have endured racist taunts, rants and worse during the coronavirus pandemic, the killing of a defenseless older man became a rallying cry.

Boudin explained to the New York Times that there was “no evidence” the murder was “racially motivated,” so you see, Asian-Americans should rest easy and not be concerned.  Since it wasn’t racist, nothing to see here, move along…

There was also this charmer, who killed a 28-year-old Asian-American woman crossing the street on New Year’s Eve.  According to ABC7:

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The case of a double fatal hit-and-run that happened on New Year’s Eve in San Francisco is igniting a firestorm among critics, who say this tragedy could have been prevented.

That’s because the suspected driver, Troy McAlister, was out on parole at the time of the crash.

…and…

McAlister has a long rap sheet and has been arrested numerous times in San Francisco since April 10, 2020, when he finished a sentence for robbery.

Boudin has a history of referring cases involving repeat offenders to parole instead of prosecuting.

In Sunday’s live interview, Lim asked: “They (the CDCA) provided you all the details to revoke bail but yet you chose to do nothing… why are you blaming the parole office instead of taking direct accountability here?”

“This is not about blaming parole,” Boudin responded. “This about recognizing there are numerous law enforcement agencies… and we all have to depend on each other for doing their job properly.”

Boudin has also told the press that the thug was not prosecuted because his crimes were “non-violent,” so nothing to worry about — don’t blame him.

Here’s another Asian-American who got the shaft from Boudin.  Remember him?

According to KGO, he was an elderly Chinese man with limited English skills who was collecting cans for a living in the nasty slum of Bayview, got a slew of racial slurs hurled at him, got assaulted, got his day’s work stolen, and cried as the thugs danced around and cheered with glee, sharing the video they made of it.  Here’s what his attackers got, as reported in the San Francisco Chronicle on March 2:

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin withdrew charges on Monday against one of two suspects in a disturbing attack on an Asian man in San Francisco’s Bayview that was captured on video and prompted outrage from city leaders, officials said.

The district attorney’s office will pursue a “restorative justice” model against 20-year-old Dwayne Grayson, who was booked last week on suspicion of robbery, elder abuse, a hate crime charge and probation violation following the Feb. 22 incident.

Boudin claimed that the victim, who speaks limited English “expressed interest” in restorative justice, but there’s plenty of reason to doubt it.  Restorative justice, an atrocious idea that lets criminals completely off the hook, is something Boudin’s been charged with coercing in victims in order to let criminals walk free to commit crimes again, and let him claim that his crime stats are down, so we all feel assured that nothing is happening.  It’s a complete gaslight, which he does a lot.

Boudin, recall, started out disregarding all of the lessons of James Q. Wilson and his research around the “broken windows theory,” which was that tolerance for small crimes inevitably leads to the prevalence of big ones.

In his first move as San Francisco district attorney, in early 2020, Boudin decided to declare public urination and prostitution crimes that he would not prosecute, revealing what he thinks about.  The message sent to criminals was to pee away, or ply your trade and pay your pimp, and never mind if it’s in someone’s doorway.

Now there’s that 300% crime spike in the Richmond, and more spikes all through the city, and it’s not just Asian-Americans feeling it.  The tony, wealthy neighborhood of the Marina district has been inundated with burglaries, seeing them skyrocket 81%.  Assaults, too.  According to the little local paper, the Marina Times, which Chesa seems to consider a thorn in his side, tweeting ugly about this tiny paper, hot prowls are now popular, with editor Lou Barberini acidly charging that Boudin “boosts” the burglary business.  He writes:

But then the Covid-19 storm hit and altered the criminal strategy. With a lack of tourist victims, instead of breaking into cars, thieves started stealing entire cars. Instead of robbing the weak, robbers transitioned to burglaries. From the St. Patrick’s Day shutdown until now, car thefts are up 37 percent and burglaries are up an incredible 57 percent over last year. But it is the nature of the burglaries that should have residents concerned.

Unlike the movies, traditional burglars operate during daytime hours. A burglar might wait until a resident drives off to work. Ring the doorbell to verify no one is home. Peer into the garage mailbox to ensure no other residents’ cars are present. Then quietly as possible, break a widow or pry open a door. A traditional burglar is like a mouse. He wants to nibble on things to steal and disappear at the first sign of a human.

The new work-from-home environment has made it tougher on the mouse-like burglars to survive. But just as the shrinking Tahoe wilderness is forcing audacious bears into raiding cabin pantries, less street prey is driving violent criminals into brazen burglaries — even if someone is home — referred to as a “hot prowl.”

Don’t even think about what’s going on in the Mission district or the South of Market district on the assault and burglary front.  The Mission district’s burglaries shot up “only” 80%, but remember: that percentage is from a very high base.  I lived in the Mission District in the 1990s and was constantly victimized by violent crime, from car break-ins to sex assault to regular assault to strong-arm robberies, averaging about a police report a month, making me a regular at the cop station, never mind the muzzle flashes from gangster gunfire that missed me as I hid around corners of warehouses.  Whatever it was, the crime in the Mission didn’t change; it just spiked 80%.

Meanwhile, Chesa’s office also got word out earlier that shoplifting would no longer be prosecuted unless the take was more than $950.  For shoplifters, the first $950 was “free.”  Professional thieves are now openly stepping into San Francisco retail establishments and loading their bags up, knowing that so long as Chesa’s around, the goodies are free.

That’s led to severe quality of life consequences, often in San Francisco’s poorest neighborhoods.  Merchants from large retailers, such as Walgreens, are pulling out.  According to this report in the Washington Examiner, Walgreens is closing ten stores in San Francisco, with the apparent reason being the quantity of shoplifting.  Imagine being a poor elderly person who needs a drug dispensary such as Walgreens for blood pressure or COVID medication and not being able to get it locally.  Maybe a three-hour bus ride to Marin or a crime-plagued BART trip to crime-plagued Oakland will get the meds.  There will be casualties on that one, too, and Chesa’s the one to thank for it.

Boudin has done nothing but evade questions from reporters who do their jobs, such as ABC7’s Dion Lim, who, like the Marina Times, is a thorn in Chesa’s side.

The recall petition seems to have caught his attention, based on the sob-story Meghan Markle–style “I’m a victim” claptrap he’s putting out, the latest his “personal story” that went onto the cover of the far-left Nation.  He told public-radio KQED, a likely ally, that he’s “working as hard as I can.”

He seems to understand that the gaslighting is no longer working, so he’s going for the Markle strategy, and the Sorosian buildup campaign has begun.  There are those who say San Franciscans voted for this garbage, so they deserve it, and a recall can’t win, given the city’s leftist proclivities, but I am going to argue no.

One, the recall campaign’s beginnings drew meteoric signature activity in a short period of time.

Two, Chesa was not elected to his high office the way normal people are — he was listed as a second choice on a lot of ranked voting, which is a new form of leftist rigging, which left voters confused and worked to his advantage.  He certainly wasn’t most voters’ first choice in the slightest.  That person got the boot for not getting enough of these ranked choices, as a San Francisco Chronicle column explains here.

A recall vote is an up-or-down thing, and it was originally put in place by progressives a hundred years ago to show how progressive they were.  Boudin’s vile failure to do his job as the most beautiful city in America goes to hell (I can hardly call it “his” city, given the little time he’s spent there) is a crime of top-down Hugo Chávez–style socialism with zero regard for the rule of law imposed on an otherwise free city.  It’s ironic that there’s a bottom-up reaction from the people to put a stop to him.

Boudin knows that Chávez, when he got put on the recall spit, survived by cheating.  It’s not known if Boudin has the power to imitate Hugo and do the same, but rest assured: with him (and another former San Francisco mayor, Newsom), we will see attempts and efforts.  But the extent of frustration from this fraud is sky-high, and it might just not work.

By Monica Showalter

Source: Chesa Boudin to face richly deserved voter recall for turning San Francisco into a crime-plagued dump – American Thinker

Upwords; Max Lucado –God Is Doing a Good Work

 

Listen to Today’s Devotion

Changing direction in life is not tragic, but losing passion in life is. Something happens along the way. Convictions to change the world downgrade to commitments to pay the bills. Rather than make a difference, we make a salary. Rather than look outward, we look inward. And we don’t like what we see.

 

But God is not finished with you yet. Oh you may think he is. You may think you’ve peaked. You may think he’s got someone else to do the job. If so, think again! The Bible says that “God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again” (Philippians 1:6). Did you see what God is doing? A good work in you. Did you see when he’ll be finished? When Jesus Christ comes again. May I spell out the message? God ain’t finished with you yet!

 

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In Touch Ministries; Charles Stanley – Put on the Lord Jesus

 

Romans 13:11-14

Modern culture encourages doing whatever comes naturally, but that approach leads only to self-centered, sinful living. In contrast, we as believers are told to make no provision for our natural or fleshly desires. This means we don’t place ourselves in the path of temptation or consider going back to the old sinful longings, attitudes, and habits that were ours before we knew the Lord.

When I was a young Christian, I heard talk about sanctification and “doing away with sin.” I mistakenly thought that when I was older, I’d have some kind of spiritual experience that would rid my life of wrong desires and thoughts. But that’s not how sanctification works. Instead, it’s a lifelong process in which God’s Spirit progressively transforms us into Christ’s image.

Even after three years in Jesus’ company, the disciples couldn’t live the Christian life on their own. They had to wait for the indwelling Holy Spirit, who gave them strength, guidance, and wisdom. That has not changed—it remains true that apart from Christ’s Spirit, we cannot overcome fleshly desires and live in obedience to God’s will.  But when we rely on Him instead of ourselves, He produces godly desires within us, empowers obedience, and transforms our character into Christ’s likeness.

Bible in One Year: Joshua 20-22

 

 

http://www.intouch.org/

Our Daily Bread — Out of Our Poverty

 

Bible in a Year:

They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.

Mark 12:44

Today’s Scripture & Insight:Mark 12:38–44

Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates made history when they launched the Giving Pledge, promising to donate half of their money. As of 2018, this meant giving away 92 billion dollars. The pledge made psychologist Paul Piff curious to study giving patterns. Through a research test, he discovered that the poor were inclined to give 44 percent more of what they had than wealthy people. Those who’ve felt their own poverty are often moved to greater generosity.

Jesus knew this. Visiting the temple, He watched the crowds drop gifts into the treasury (Mark 12:41). The rich tossed in wads of cash, but a poor widow pulled out her last two copper coins, worth maybe a penny, and placed them into the basket. I picture Jesus standing up, delighted and astounded. Immediately, He gathered His disciples, making sure they didn’t miss this dazzling act. “This poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others,” Jesus exclaimed (v. 43). The disciples looked at each other, bewildered, hoping someone could explain what Jesus was talking about. So, He made it plain: those bringing huge gifts “gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything” (v. 44).

We may have little to give, but Jesus invites us to give out of our poverty. Though it may seem meager to others, we give what we have, and God finds great joy in our lavish gifts.

By:  Winn Collier

Reflect & Pray

What does it mean for you to give out of your poverty? How can you give “everything” for Jesus today?

God, I don’t feel like I have much to offer. My gifts feel puny and worthless. But I’m here. All of me. Will You receive me in my poverty?

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Grace to You; John MacArthur – Understanding Who We Are

 

“Walk . . . with all humility” (Ephesians 4:1-2).

The first step to humility is understanding our sinfulness.

I’ll never forget a meeting I had at my house with some seminary students. One student asked me, very seriously, “John, how did you finally overcome pride?” I said jokingly, “Well, it was two years ago when I finally licked it, and it’s never been a problem since then. It’s so wonderful to be constantly humble.” Of course, I have not completely overcome pride; it’s a battle I face every day. Satan makes sure we always struggle with it.

Overcoming pride in even one area is difficult, but Ephesians 4:2 requires “all humility.” Having some humility isn’t enough. We must have total, complete humility in every relationship, every attitude, and every act.

So we all have a lot of work to do. But where do we start? How can we become humble?

Humility begins with self-awareness. We need to look at ourselves honestly. We can mask who we really are and convince ourselves that we’re something wonderful. But we are sinners and need to confess our sins daily before God (cf. 1 John 1:9). Even Paul called himself the foremost of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15) and realized he had not yet reached the goal of Christlikeness (Phil. 3:12-14). Whenever you’re tempted to be proud, remember you haven’t arrived yet spiritually.

And don’t fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others. Paul said, “We are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding” (2 Cor. 10:12). If we’re to be honest with ourselves and with God, we need to evaluate ourselves by an outside standard—God’s standard. Humility starts when we take off the rose-colored glasses of self-love so we can see ourselves as unworthy sinners. We must recognize our faults and confess our sins daily.

Suggestions for Prayer

  • Confess any known sins to God, and ask for help in overcoming them.
  • Ask God to keep you from comparing yourself to others instead of to His perfect standard.

For Further Study

  • Many consider Paul to be the greatest Christian who ever lived, but he viewed himself very differently. Read 1 Timothy 1:12-17. How did he see himself?

As he saw his sinfulness, what was his response to God?

 

http://www.gty.org/

Joyce Meyer – No Looking Back

 

Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

— Luke 9:62 (ESV)

Adapted from the resource Healing the Soul of a Woman – by Joyce Meyer

Part of the beauty of what happens when God heals your soul is that He offers you a fresh start—a whole new beginning. But embracing the new life He has for you will be very difficult if you’re still holding on to the past. Think of it like this: If you’re walking through the grocery store with your hands full of oranges and someone tries to give you several apples to carry, you can’t hold them. In order to take the apples, you have to put down the oranges. In the same way, you have to let go of the past to pick up the new beginning God offers you.

Part of freeing yourself from the load of your past means refusing to look back and not replaying certain scenarios in your mind. Refusing to look back means resisting regret, turning away from past relationships that aren’t good for you, and letting go of mistakes and feelings like guilt and shame. Paul writes in Philippians 3:13 that he forgets what lies behind and strains “forward to what lies ahead.” It’s interesting that Paul says he strains forward. This tells us that moving ahead requires effort, which isn’t always easy. Letting go of the past can be hard to do, but it’s much better than remaining stuck in it.

When God asks us to let go of the past and look toward a better future, He also gives us the grace to do it. We need to be very careful about thinking or saying that what He asks of us is too hard. Nothing is too difficult for Him (see Jeremiah 32:17), and His Spirit in us empowers us to do everything He’s called us to do (see 1 Corinthians 3:16).

In Genesis 19, a man named Lot and his family lived in a city so filled with sin and perversion that God destroyed it completely. But before He did, God sent angels to warn Lot ahead of time, telling him to get out of the city with his wife and daughters. When the angels took them by the hand and led them away, they said, Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop . . .(Genesis 19:17 ESV). But Lot’s wife looked back anyway—and turned into a pillar of salt (see Genesis 19:26). Her decision to look back not only kept her from escaping, but robbed her of the better life she could have had—it cost her everything.

I want to encourage you to keep looking ahead and keep moving forward, so you can enjoy the beautiful life God has waiting for you!

Prayer Starter: Father, please show me where I’m stuck in the past, and give me the grace to let go of any unhealthy ties I may be holding onto. Thank You for the gift of a new beginning. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Truth for Life; Alistair Begg –Sinful beyond Measure

 

. . . Sin . . . Sinful beyond measure.

 Romans 7:13

Beware of thinking lightly of sin. At the time of conversion, the conscience is so tender that we are afraid of the slightest sin. Young converts have a holy timidity, a godly fear of offending God. But sadly very soon the fine bloom upon these first ripe fruits is removed by the rough handling of the surrounding world: The sensitive plant of young piety turns into a willow in later life, too pliable, too easily yielding.

It is sadly true that even a Christian may grow by degrees so callous that the sin that once startled him does not alarm him in the least. By degrees men get familiar with sin. The ear in which the cannon has been booming will not notice slight sounds. At first a little sin startles us; but soon we say, “Is it not a little one?” Then there comes another, larger, and then another, until by degrees we begin to regard sin as but a small matter; and this is followed by an unholy presumption: “We have not fallen into open sin. True, we tripped a little, but we stood upright for the most part. We may have uttered one unholy word, but as for most of our conversation, it has been consistent.” So we toy with sin; we throw a cloak over it; we call it by dainty names.

Christian, beware of thinking lightly of sin. Take heed in case you fall little by little. Sin a little thing? Is it not a poison? Who knows its deadliness? Sin a little thing? Do not the little foxes spoil the grapes? Doesn’t the tiny coral insect build a rock that wrecks a navy? Do not little strokes fell lofty oaks? Will not continual drippings wear away stones? Sin a little thing? It put a crown of thorns on Jesus’ head and pierced His heart! It made Him suffer anguish, bitterness, and woe. If you could weigh the least sin in the scales of eternity, you would run from it as from a serpent and abhor the slightest appearance of evil.

Look upon all sin as that which crucified the Savior, and you will see it to be “sinful beyond measure.”

One-Year Bible Reading Plan

 

 

http://www.truthforlife.org

Kids4Truth Clubs Daily Devotional – God Is Our Stronghold

 

“Blessed be the LORD my strength…my goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust.” (Psalm 144:1-2)

There is a place in Israel near the Dead Sea called Masada (muh-SAH-duh). It looks like a mountain with a flat, square top. Masada was once a huge getaway palace for Herod the Great. In the first century after the time of Christ, Jewish people used it as a fortress. Men, women, and children lived there for three years, hiding from the Romans who had attacked and destroyed their cities. “The Romans cannot get to us here,” they thought. “We are safe in Masada.”

But they were not safe. The Roman army built a siege ramp all the way up the side of the mountain. Day after day, the Jews saw the Romans working on the ramp, and they knew that they had only a little time.

When the Romans finally stormed up the siege ramp to take the fortress, they found all of the Jewish people dead. The Jews had decided to kill themselves rather than lose their freedom. Their Masada had not protected them after all.

The word “Masada” comes from a Hebrew word that is often translated “fortress,” “defence,” or “stronghold.” This word is used in the Psalms to describe God. God is a stronghold for people who put their trust in Him. Because believers belong to God, they have a natural enemy, Satan, who is the enemy of God. Satan would like us to turn away from God and live in sin, doubt, and defeat.

But when Satan and his forces attack our minds and hearts, God is a safe fortress where we can hide. When we believe God’s Word and depend on His help to obey it, He will keep us from sin. God is stronger than Masada. He will never fail or be taken by the enemy. Satan can never defeat us when we make God our stronghold.

God is a stronghold for us when Satan tempts us to sin.

My Response:
» Am I abiding in God as my stronghold?
» Is there something or someone less than God that I’ve been trusting to take care of me?
» Am I struggling with something right now that I could ask God to help me with?

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Denison Forum – Marking a COVID-19 “turning point” in history: Hope on a hard day and promises that empower

 

You may not remember the name of Sandra Lindsay, but future generations will. The intensive care nurse received America’s first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine last December 14 in Queens, New York. As Smithsonian Magazine reports, this event “marked a turning point in fighting the pandemic that has killed more than 535,000 Americans. And it made history.”

Now that history will be preserved for generations to come. The first (now empty) tiny Pfizer-BioNTech vial has been acquired by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. It will be displayed along with Lindsay’s vaccination card, her scrubs, and her hospital ID.

This announcement comes as we mark the one-year anniversary of the pandemic today.

Nearly a fourth of Americans have lost a friend or family member 

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak to be a “pandemic.” On that day, confirmed worldwide coronavirus cases stood at 125,000, with reported deaths at fewer than five thousand. A poll conducted at the time found that 44 percent of Americans considered the threat of the virus to be “exaggerated.” Nearly everyone (88 percent) predicted that fewer than ten thousand Americans would ultimately die from the disease.

This morning, Johns Hopkins confirms that more than 118 million people have been infected, more than 29 million of them in the US. More than 2.6 million people have died, including more than 529,000 Americans.

And nearly a quarter of all Americans (23 percent) say a close friend or family member has died of the disease.

Of America’s 19,502 towns and cities, only thirty-seven have a population exceeding the number of Americans who have died of COVID-19. On a tragic anniversary unlike any other in our nation’s history, where can we turn for hope in heartache and strength in suffering?

Hope for those who have died 

God’s word offers hope beyond human comprehension for those who have died in Christ.

At the grave of Lazarus, Jesus assured his dead friend’s grieving sister, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25–26).

When a Christian dies, they don’t. When they take their last breath here, they take their first breath there. They close their eyes in this fallen world and open them in God’s perfect paradise. They are well and they are home.

This is because, “If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8). Now and forever.

 

Hope for those who are hurting 

While millions have died of this horrible disease, many millions more are grieving their deaths. In addition, a third of COVID-19 survivors have “long-haul” symptoms. Fever, cognitive confusion, debilitating exhaustion and fatigue, difficulty sleeping, heart rhythm abnormalities, breathing issues, and other symptoms can arise, sometimes weeks or months after the initial diagnosis. Some “long-haul” patients are still struggling with such symptoms months later.

In addition, economic trauma persists for millions who have lost their jobs or otherwise experienced financial setbacks because of the pandemic. The negative effects of school closures are expected to be “profound and generational.” “Pandemic trauma” is afflicting millions of Americans. Survivor’s guilt is a growing issue for many. And more than thirty million frontline workers continue to risk their lives to serve us with sacrificial courage.

To all who suffer, God promises his presence and empathy (cf. John 11:35). Jesus feels all we feel and suffers as we suffer. Theologian Jürgen Moltmann famously described our Savior as the “crucified God.”

In addition, to “those who love God” he promises that “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28). We can know that “the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18) and that “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

 

“The Lord delivered me out of deep waters” 

Tomorrow we’ll focus on some ways God is redeeming this tragic pandemic. For today, let’s claim the promise that he is.

If you have suffered loss due to COVID-19, I invite you to claim the promises we’ve discussed. If you have not, I encourage you to share them with those who have. It may be that claiming these promises will lead to a different kind of anniversary—one that marks not our crisis but our transforming encounter with God’s grace.

Yesterday was one such day for the author of “Amazing Grace.”

I will never forget visiting John Newton’s grave in England and reading the epitaph he wrote: “John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long laboured to destroy.”

Newton was converted to Christianity during a huge storm at sea and later testified: “That 10th of March is a day much to be remembered by me; and I have never allowed it to pass unnoticed since the year 1748. For on that day the Lord came from on high and delivered me out of deep waters.”

Are you in “deep waters” today?

If not, how will you help someone who is?

 

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