Daily Archives: November 18, 2024

News and Info

Cleanup on Aisle 7

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Greetings y’all. One thing I love about the Bible is Jesus’ use of parables to tell a story about faith and the Kingdom of God. It is critical to convey a message in terms, metaphors, and relevant references that enable the audience to grasp the meaning clearly. As I reflect on the 2024 election cycle, which resulted in Republicans winning the Presidency and Senate and holding the House of Representatives majority, I pondered how I could simply convey a message of what happened. Perhaps our dear delusional and misguided fellow Americans who are still reeling from such a massive electoral defeat will read this missive and gain an understanding as to why they were rejected.

How many of you have been in a grocery store and heard those infamous words over the intercom? We all know that something has happened, and there is a call for a grocery store employee to see what has gone awry on the aisle and clean up the issue. Just like with accidents on the roadways, people always want to see what has happened—it is just part of our human nature. One thing is for sure. As with accidents, no one interferes with the person called to clean up the issue on the aisle.

Now, consider that this grocery store is in America, and a certain group was managing it. The problem with this grocery store is not just that there was a cleanup needed on aisle 7; there was a mess on every aisle. The aisles represent different aspects of our Nation…the economy, taxes, inflation, energy, national security, foreign policy, border security, domestic security, education, government intrusion, and overreach. All those aisles were messy, and the grocery store patrons saw these accidents. Yet, the management tried to focus on something else. The messes on those aisles precluded the customers from having access to purchase the products that they wanted. Furthermore, when the customers reported messes on all these aisles, they were told there was no mess.

To complicate things even more, the customers who attempted to clean up the mess were obstructed and called names by the grocery store management and employees. The grocery store management called government officials to restrain the customers from cleaning up. Therefore, the customers had no other recourse than to ensure the management and employees of the grocery store were fired and replaced. The new management recognized the messes on all the aisles, promised to clean them up, and hired employees who would respond to calls for “cleanup on aisle 7.”

On top of that, due to the management’s policies, many of the commodities in that grocery store had become unaffordable for the customers. So, not only did the consumers have to deal with a messy store that was horribly kept, but they also had to contend with exorbitant prices. The management operated under a mindset that they had a monopoly, and the customers had no other recourse but to continue to shop with them.

America fired the Democratic grocery store management because they were tired of the mess that had been created. They knew that the store could be run better, so they decided to return to the previous management.

For a good understanding of who the leftists and Marxists are, think of the Chicago Mayor’s response to grocery stores closing down. He failed to understand that inner-city neighborhoods were becoming food deserts due to increased crime. His resolution was just to take over and have government-run grocery stores. Kamala Harris had a disturbing response to rising grocery prices, which elitist MSNBC host Joe Scarborough was unaware of (he thought butter was $3). Mika Brzezinski had to correct him that it was $7. Harris wanted to implement government price controls, which would only lead to scarcity on the grocery store shelves.

Democrats made a mess of America in every way. It is quite disturbing that they are angry and attacking those who reported that we needed a cleanup on aisle 7, all the aisles. Worse, they’ve gone into vicious attack mode on the people being called in to clean up. Instead, the former grocery store management should ask themselves why we were all fired.

None of us want to shop at a grocery store in disarray, where we cannot afford the commodities, and some are allowed to come right in and take whatever they want out of our shopping cart. I liken that to illegal immigrants. Oops, I am sorry, “newcomers.” This is why the Biden-Harris management team was sent packing, especially since we were told they had “no regrets” and could not think of anything to do differently in managing the grocery store. And who wants to be greeted at the store by an angry curmudgeon who calls you disparaging names?

Sure, there were some who liked the way the grocery store was run, but they didn’t have a strong enough voice to prevent the firing. Truthfully, they will reap the benefits of a well-run grocery store—and they don’t even have to patronize the meat section.

Steadfast and Loyal.

 

Allen West 

Source: Cleanup on Aisle 7

https://townhall.com/columnists/allenwest/2024/11/18/cleanup-on-aisle-7-n2647897

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Obedience Is a Choice

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Bible in a Year :

Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.

John 14:23

Today’s Scripture & Insight :

John 14:15-24

Winters in the Netherlands seldom bring a lot of snow, but it can get cold enough to freeze over the canals. When my husband, Tom, was growing up there, his parents had a family rule: “Stay off the ice until it is thick enough to hold the weight of a horse.” Because horses would leave evidence of their presence behind, Tom and his buddies decided to get some manure off the road. They threw it on the thin ice and ventured out onto the surface. No harm came to them, nor were they discovered, but they knew in their hearts they’d been disobedient.

Obedience doesn’t always come naturally. The choice to obey or not to obey can spring from a sense of duty or fear of punishment. But we can also choose to obey out of love and respect for those in authority over us.

In John 14, Jesus challenged His disciples by saying, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. . . . Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching” (vv. 23-24). It’s not always an easy choice to obey, but the power of the Spirit living within us gives us the desire and ability to obey Him (vv. 15-17). With His enablement, we can continue to follow the commands of the one who loves us most—not out of fear of punishment, but out of love.

By:  Cindy Hess Kasper

Reflect & Pray

In what ways have you been willfully disobedient? Why is it important for you to obey God even when it’s difficult or inconvenient?

Loving God, please soften my stubborn heart to listen to Your instructions. Help me to set aside my own agenda and to faithfully obey You.

For further study, read The (Impossible) Task of Following Jesus.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Sin and Grace

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But then Law came in, [only] to expand and increase the trespass [making it more apparent and exciting opposition]. But where sin increased and abounded, grace (God’s unmerited favor) has sur- passed it and increased the more and superabounded.

Romans 5:20 (AMPC)

It is interesting to note that the only reason God gave the Law was to show us that we couldn’t keep it and needed a Savior. All the Law does is increase sin. But the good news is that where sin abounds, grace superabounds because grace is greater than sin.

If we love God, we will always do our best not to sin, but it is good to know that when we do sin, His grace is greater than our sin. Grace is undeserved favor, and I like to describe it also as God’s power to enable us to do what we need to do. It is not an excuse to sin and get away with that sin. It is the power to overcome sin and say no to it.

God’s grace is wonderful beyond comprehension. It is what changes us into the image of Christ as we learn to rely on it instead of relying on ourselves. Max Lucado said it well: “Grace is the voice that calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off.” And Saint Augustine said, “For grace is given, not because we have done good works, but in order that we may be able to do them.”

Prayer of the Day: Father God, Lord, thank You for Your grace that empowers me to overcome sin. Help me rely on Your strength and grow into the image of Christ every day, amen.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – What are recess appointments, and why does Trump want them?

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With the election finished and the Republicans in control of both the presidency and Congress, much of the national attention has shifted to what the government will look like going forward. To that end, President-elect Donald Trump’s picks to fill out his administration have led the news in recent days.

Most of his early picks garnered praise—or at least acceptance—by the bulk of his fellow Republicans. However, more recent selections like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the US Health and Human Services leader, Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, and Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense have been a bit more controversial. Yet each of their paths to office looks simple when compared with Matt Gaetz—Trump’s choice for attorney general.

Shortly after news broke that Gaetz would be Trump’s pick for AG, he resigned from the House, where he’d served as the representative for Florida’s 1st congressional district since 2017, which some have seen as a sign of confidence that he will be approved for the position. Yet, Gaetz’s resignation also means that he’s no longer under the jurisdiction of the House Ethics Committee, which was mere days away from releasing the report of their investigation into Gaetz on allegations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, and a number of other accusations.

Republican Sen. John Cornyn—one of the party’s leading figures and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee—has since spoken for many in arguing that the report should be part of the deliberations into whether Gaetz will be approved for the post of attorney general.

Concerns that his preferred choices will not be approved could be part of why, earlier this week, Trump urged Senate leaders to be willing to agree to recess appointments in order to expedite the process.

But what are recess appointments, and why has the notion proved so controversial in recent days?

What are recess appointments?

Recess appointments are a constitutional provision that allows the president to appoint officials without Senate approval while the congressional body is not in session. In the nation’s early days, it could take senators weeks to travel to Congress, and the legislature would only meet for a short period of time before going into recess. In that environment, it made sense to give the president the authority to make appointments on his own when the situation warranted a quick decision.

But despite the circumstances being drastically different in modern times than in the late 1700s, recess appointments continued to be a tool used by both Republican and Democratic presidents to circumvent the Senate. That began to change, however, in 2014 when the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that President Obama had stepped beyond his authority in recess-appointing four members of the National Labor Relations Board. Justice Antonin Scalia went so far as to say the practice’s “only remaining use is the ignoble one of enabling the President to circumvent the Senate’s role.”

The Court also set a ten-day minimum for how long the Senate would need to be in recess before any such appointments could be made without their approval. Ever since, the Senate has routinely scheduled “pro forma” sessions every few days during recess periods. Pro forma sessions are where a single representative will show up for a few minutes to start a session before then closing it without doing anything.

So while it is within Trump’s authority to ask the Senate to go on recess, actually taking that route seems unlikely.

To start, it would mean essentially shutting down the legislature for at least eleven days at the start of his presidency, thereby limiting how much he could accomplish in his first weeks back in office. Moreover, at least fifty senators would have to agree to go into an extended recess in order to clear the way for him to be able to make recess appointments. Considering that’s the same number needed to simply approve his recommended candidates, the most likely scenario is that his call for recess appointments was more of an attempt to set the tone for the next four years.

While there is some merit to establishing that precedent early, if Trump attempts to proceed with his insistence on recess appointments, he may also learn that what can be done and what should be done are not always the same. And that’s a lesson that each of us would do well to remember, particularly when it comes to our relationship with God.

Pursuing a life God can bless

The difference between “Can I do this?” and “Should I do this?” may seem subtle, but what it reveals about our focus and frame of mind is often quite telling. For example, if I finish dinner and see ice cream in the freezer, I’m far more likely to ask, “Can I have some?” than “Should I have some?” In that circumstance, whether or not it’s best for me to have a delicious dessert matters far less than if I can get away with eating one.

While that’s a relatively minor example, the principle is important to recognize. And that’s particularly the case when we’re asking the question of God, as it reveals whether our focus is more on what we want or what he wants for us.

You see, in most circumstances, there are multiple choices we could make that will not necessarily put us outside of God’s will or lead us into sin. However, just because God doesn’t punish us for the choice doesn’t mean that he will bless it.

One of the primary temptations we face as Christians is to settle for living in God’s permissive will rather than striving for a life he can actively bless.

It’s easy to think that, so long as I’m not sinning, I must be doing the right thing. But God wants far more for us. He wants us to live a life that he can bless, but that means asking him what we should do rather than what we can do. It means prioritizing what he wants for us over what we want for ourselves. And it means learning to rely upon his guidance in every facet of our lives rather than just those we’re comfortable surrendering to him.

So which question will you ask of God today? Will you settle for what you can do, or pursue what the Lord says you should do?

The decision is yours. Choose wisely.

Friday news to know:

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote of the day:

“God never gave a man a thing to do, concerning which it were irreverent to ponder how the Son of God would have done it.” —George Macdonald

 

Denison Forum

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – Clothing

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by John D. Morris, Ph.D.

“And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.” (Revelation 1:13)

In the beginning, at the creation of Eve from Adam’s side, “they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:25). There was no need for shame at their lack of clothing for neither had any consciousness of sin or moral guilt. They were truly “one flesh” (v. 24), aware that their physiological differences had been divinely created to bring about God’s purposes for His creation. Any embarrassment would have been quite unnatural.

But soon sin entered; they rejected God’s purposes and plan for their lives. Satan promised they would acquire wisdom, but what was their first taste of wisdom? “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons” (Genesis 3:7). Their shame must have been multiplied many times over as they heard God pronounce the dreadful Curse on all of creation as a result of their sin. And then two animals (probably sheep) were slain, sacrificed to “make coats of skins” (v. 21) for their covering.

Many years later, another Lamb was slain for sin, stripped of His clothing and hanged on a cruel cross, bearing unthinkable shame. “I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture” (Psalm 22:17-18). Today, having conquered sin and death, He reigns in heaven, “clothed with a garment down to the foot” (text verse). In His death, He arranged for us some day to be “arrayed in fine linen, clean and white” (Revelation 19:8), having “washed [our] robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14). JDM

 

 

https://www.icr.org/articles/type/6

My Utmost for His Highest

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers – Free Indeed

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If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. —John 8:36

After we are born again, any selfish individuality remaining inside us will always say “I can’t” when God calls. We have to leave off our individuality and develop our personality instead. The full meaning of the word personality is a being, created by God, who has lived on this earth and formed a godly character. The majority of us are not personalities yet. We are beginning to be, but we haven’t yet rid ourselves of our individuality.

Personality never says, “I can’t.” When it comes into contact with God, it absorbs and absorbs and always wants more. This is the way we are built. We are designed with a great capacity for God, but sin and individuality keep us from him. God delivers us from sin, but we have to deliver ourselves from individuality. We do this by offering our natural life to him and by sacrificing that life, through obedience, until it’s transformed into a spiritual life.

God doesn’t pay attention to our natural individuality in the development of our spiritual lives, but he does expect us to pay attention to it. His order is present in every facet of our natural lives, and we have to make sure that we help that order along, not stand against it, saying, “I can’t.” God won’t discipline us; he won’t bring our thoughts into captivity. We have to do it.

Don’t go to God and say, “Oh, Lord, I suffer from wandering thoughts.” Don’t suffer from wandering thoughts. Stop listening to the tyranny of your individuality and get emancipated into personality.

“If the Son sets you free . . .” Don’t substitute “Savior” for “Son.” The Savior sets us free from sin; the Son sets us free from individuality. It is what Paul means in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Paul’s individuality has been broken, and his personality is united with his Lord’s. He is “free indeed”—free from the inside out, free in the very essence of his being.

Ezekiel 8-10; Hebrews 13

Wisdom from Oswald

It is perilously possible to make our conceptions of God like molten lead poured into a specially designed mould, and when it is cold and hard we fling it at the heads of the religious people who don’t agree with us.Disciples Indeed, 388 R

 

 

https://utmost.org/

Billy Graham

Billy Graham – Pure Hearts

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Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
—Philippians 2:5

It is impossible to live pure lives until we have pure hearts. Many people today are trying to put the cart before the horse. They are teaching purity of motives, desires, and actions to old, deceitful hearts! No wonder we have ended up such moral failures, in spite of our vaunted knowledge and psychological approaches.

Pure motives, desires, and actions stem from pure hearts. Pure hearts will be Christlike. It is God’s desire that we be conformed to the image of His Son. If Christ lives within us and our bodies become the abode of the Holy Spirit, is it any wonder that we should be like Him?

Read: How to Shine Your Light for Christ

Lea este devocional en español en es.billygraham.org.

Prayer for the day

Cleanse my heart and make it the home of Your Spirit, Lord.

 

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GuidePosts

Guideposts – Devotions for Women – Write the Vision

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And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.”—Habakkuk 2:2 (ESV)

Do you write down your visions, goals and dreams to make them clear and specific? Reflect on this verse and clearly define your desires so that you can pursue them with your heart. Then ask God to help you have the discipline and focus to persevere despite difficult or discouraging times.

Faithful Lord, I know You are committed to Your promises. May my vision bring glory to You and serve Your kingdom

 

 

https://guideposts.org/daily-devotions/devotions-for-women/devotions-for-faith-prayer-devotions-for-women/

Every Man Ministry

Every Man Ministry – Kenny Luck – The Method and the Message

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I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.  ––John 17:14-15

When I was in college my friends and I were part of Campus Crusade for Christ (now CRU). We’d go on campus 2×2 and use a small booklet called “The Four Spiritual Laws” to evangelize (i.e., ambush) unsuspecting students and in the course of a 10- to 15-minute conversation, try to convince them to pray the Sinner’s Prayer.

It was terrifying to walk up to complete strangers and ask them the question, “If you died tonight, do you know for sure that you would go to heaven?” From there, we would walk them through the booklet, which was basically the Gospel message in an illustrated, compact tract. Usually we’d politely be told to go take a long walk on a short pier. One time, however, much to my great surprise, a male student said, “I’ve been praying for God to show me a sign that He’s real—and then you show up.” That young man ended up committing His life to Christ.

I once heard Christian marketing researcher and culture guru George Barna say, when it comes to reaching a specific generation for Christ, that “the methods change, but the message never does.” For example, what worked for me and my friends on the campus of UCLA a few decades ago may not necessarily work today.

As God’s men, we are to be students of the culture—wise to trends and belief systems—while remaining submitted and committed to the unchanging Message. Easy to do? No. As our CRU leader used to say, “It’s easier to be pulled down off a chair than it is to pull someone up onto one.” Translated: When we interact with the goats (people who have not yet committed their lives to Christ), it can be dangerous, risky, and messy. But over and over in the Word, Jesus tells us to be salt in an unsalty world—to be His sheep in the world but not of it.

Don’t remove yourself from the world—we aren’t called to bunker down, lock out the world, and wait for our “beam me up, Jesus” moment. Pray, study, research, and learn as much as you can about the culture God has placed you in. It’s not by accident that you are drawing breath in a certain corner of the world at this specific moment in time. Seize the opportunity to share the eternal Message with ever-changing and adapting methods. Then step out of your comfort zone and share God’s truth with someone—you may be just the person they’ve been waiting for to tell them about Jesus.

Lord, thank You that You never change, and that the beautiful news of the Gospel never changes. Use me by any means You see fit to share Your redemption story with those around me.

 

 

Every Man Ministries