For “Scripture Sunday”:
Who do we pray to - Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit or God the Father?
When you pray, who should you pray to? Jesus Christ gives us the instructions in Matthew 6.
“A question came in from one of our Beyond Today viewers. He wrote, "Do I pray to Jesus and ask the Holy Spirit to deliver my prayer? Yes?" Well, the answer is no, not if you're going to follow what Jesus Christ taught in the Bible.
He tells us in Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
See All... very clearly He gave us the example, and He says, "In this manner therefore pray, 'Our Father in heaven hallowed be Thy name.'"
So here Christ maps it out very plainly. Some of the translations even say, "This is how you pray, 'Our Father'." And so Christ shows that our prayer needs to be directed to God. It's communication. It's talking to God, and it's part of our worship to Him.
So when we look at what the Bible says about prayer , our prayer should be directed to the Father realizing that Jesus Christ is our intermediary. He is there and intercedes for us right there at the throne of God. And so the Bible is clear. Our prayer should be directed to God.
In fact the Apostle Paul asked God's church in Rome that they would pray and have their prayers directed to God. That's over in Romans 15:30 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; See All.... In fact Romans also tells us we can come directly to God. We can come directly to Him and ask and petition and worship God the Father directly. And by doing that we're also worshiping Jesus Christ.
And so if we're going to follow the instructions that our Savior Jesus Christ gave, remember Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. See All... because the Holy Spirit is the power by which God works, and so direct your prayers to God the Father as Jesus Christ Himself gave us instructions.”
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An Amazing Fact: “In a poll of Americans, 39 percent of people aged 35 and over and 62 percent of people aged 18 to 34 admitted to swearing at least a few times a week. Three-quarters of the individuals polled said they frequently encounter profanity or swear words, and two-thirds said they are bothered when they hear other people swear in public (even if they swear themselves).
The words we speak are very important, more so than we usually realize. Whether our conversations are public or private, our words influence ourselves and others for good or for not-so-good. They can hurt or help, encourage or discourage, build up or tear down those around us.
Our words can affect our physical and emotional health or the health of others: “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4). “There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health” (Proverbs 12:18).
Words can calm or enrage others. “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). Words can kill; words can save. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21).
In casual conversation, it’s sometimes tempting to let our words run uncensored. But the Bible puts great importance on our speech. In Proverbs 21:23 we read, “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from trouble.” Next time you’re tempted to speak a rash or unkind word, remember the psalmist’s words: “For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether” (Psalm 139:4). The best use for our tongues is praising God.”
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. - Proverbs 15:1
The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness. The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit. - Proverbs 15:2-4
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Altruistic Folk
“An altruistic person is one who starts working for the good of others.
He seeks opportunities to do a good act—much like Boy Scouts are encouraged to do each day. When we focus on the true needs of others and seek ways to help, we also help ourselves. We can overcome our own feelings of defeat and failure because we gain the good will of those we have helped. It is a truism that a person who cheerfully helps others even under stressful and adverse circumstances often finds that those others respond with great appreciation and stand by us in our times of need.
Those who are critics are doomed to have very little sympathy or assistance when the path they walk on in life leaves them in need. Prophets of doom and grumblers usually walk alone. God makes a note of those who seek Him by continually doing good (Romans 2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
See All...). Perhaps the most altruistic person who ever lived was Christ. He gave Himself for the sake of others. He came to save mankind, and His work continues even today (1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.See All...). From: http://www.ucg.org/this-is-the-way/altruistic-folk/
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The program on WGN TV this morning:
The Rapture: Hope or Hoax?
“Many feel they will be taken secretly to heaven before a time of tribulation. Is this idea biblical? You need to know.”
Transcript at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-program/doctrinal-beliefs/rapture-hoax-or-hope
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On This Day:
Paris liberated, Aug 25, 1944:
“After more than four years of Nazi occupation, Paris is liberated by the French 2nd Armored Division and the U.S. 4th Infantry Division. German resistance was light, and General Dietrich von Choltitz, commander of the German garrison, defied an order by Adolf Hitler to blow up Paris' landmarks and burn the city to the ground before its liberation. Choltitz signed a formal surrender that afternoon, and on August 26, Free French General Charles de Gaulle led a joyous liberation march down Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
Paris fell to Nazi Germany on June 14, 1940, one month after the German Wehrmacht stormed into France. Eight days later, France signed an armistice with the Germans, and a puppet French state was set up with its capital at Vichy. Elsewhere, however, General Charles de Gaulle and the Free French kept fighting, and the Resistance sprang up in occupied France to resist Nazi and Vichy rule.
The French 2nd Armored Division was formed in London in late 1943 with the express purpose of leading the liberation of Paris during the Allied invasion of France. In August 1944, the division arrived at Normandy under the command of General Jacques-Philippe Leclerc and was attached to General George S. Patton's 3rd U.S. Army. By August 18, Allied forces were near Paris, and workers in the city went on strike as Resistance fighters emerged from hiding and began attacking German forces and fortifications.
At his headquarters two miles inland from the Normandy coast, Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower had a dilemma. Allied planners had concluded that the liberation of Paris should be delayed so as to not divert valuable resources away from important operations elsewhere. The city could be encircled and then liberated at a later date.
On August 21, Eisenhower met with de Gaulle and told him of his plans to bypass Paris. De Gaulle urged him to reconsider, assuring him that Paris could be reclaimed without difficulty. The French general also warned that the powerful communist faction of the Resistance might succeed in liberating Paris, thereby threatening the re-establishment of a democratic government. De Gaulle politely told Eisenhower that if his advance against Paris was not ordered, he would send Leclerc's 2nd Armored Division into the city himself.
On August 22, Eisenhower agreed to proceed with the liberation of Paris. The next day, the 2nd Armored Division advanced on the city from the north and the 4th Infantry Division from the south. Meanwhile, in Paris, the forces of German General Dietrich von Choltitz were fighting the Resistance and completing their defenses around the city. Hitler had ordered Paris defended to the last man, and demanded that the city not fall into Allied hands except as "a field of ruins." Choltitz dutifully began laying explosives under Paris' bridges and many of its landmarks, but disobeyed an order to commence the destruction. He did not want to go down in history as the man who had destroyed the "City of Light"--Europe's most celebrated city.
The 2nd Armored Division ran into heavy German artillery, taking heavy casualties, but on August 24 managed to cross the Seine and reach the Paris suburbs. There, they were greeted by enthusiastic civilians who besieged them with flowers, kisses, and wine. Later that day, Leclerc learned that the 4th Infantry Division was poised to beat him into Paris proper, and he ordered his exhausted men forward in a final burst of energy. Just before midnight on August 24, the 2nd Armored Division reached the Hótel de Ville in the heart of Paris.
German resistance melted away during the night. Most of the 20,000 troops surrendered or fled, and those that fought were quickly overcome. On the morning of August 25, the 2nd Armored Division swept clear the western half of Paris while the 4th Infantry Division cleared the eastern part. Paris was liberated.”
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Ted Kennedy, "liberal lion of the Senate," dies at 77, Aug 25, 2009:
“On this day in 2009, Edward "Ted" Kennedy, the youngest brother of President John F. Kennedy and a U.S. senator from Massachusetts from 1962 to 2009, dies of brain cancer at age 77 at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. Kennedy, one of the longest-serving senators in American history, was a leader of the Democratic Party and a spokesman for liberal causes who also was known for his ability to work with those on both sides of the political aisle.
Kennedy came from privileged background, but his family was no stranger to tragedy. His oldest brother, Joseph Kennedy Jr., a Navy pilot, died in World War II, while his second-eldest sister, Kathleen, was killed in a 1948 plane crash. President John Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. The following year, Ted Kennedy was seriously injured in a plane crash that left him hospitalized for six months. In 1968, U.S. Senator Robert Kennedy was also assassinated. With Robert’s death, Ted Kennedy became the family patriarch and a substitute father to his two slain brothers’ 13 children.
In 1980, Kennedy made a failed bid against President Jimmy Carter for the Democratic presidential nomination. He never again ran for the White House, instead focusing on his work on Capitol Hill, where he was dubbed the “liberal lion of the Senate.”"
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Yesterday:
After my daughter and I had our usual Saturday morning phone call, I bathed, washed my hair and was getting ready for church. But I just couldn’t go, I was in a blue funk and didn’t want to leave the house. I felt that I couldn’t drive, as I would burst into tears at any time.
I have been suffering from “Rescue Burnout”, http://www.examiner.com/article/animal-rescuers-burnout , more so lately since I have seen and heard about atrocious ways some people treat their animals, two of these were animals that I had rescued. It has made me very depressed, I am about ready to give up looking at my computer. One of my doggie rescue friends recently posted on FaceBook that she has had to give up rescuing, I know how she feels. When they show those ads on TV about the neglected and abused animals, I have to change the channel. Many little faces that I couldn’t help, still haunt me. Seeing animals suffer is terrible, when you can’t help them all.
Then I look around me and see how much I still have to do, and get rid of, before I can sell this house, it seems impossible. But, the Lord willing, I will keep on plowing on, taking it day by day.
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