Politics and Religion

A Prayer of Blessing

English: Don Moen

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Scripture say there is a time for everything under heaven (see Ecclesiastes 3:1-8), that is the reason I am dedicating this prayer to all the good people who read this blog. Thanks a lot for your support.

“The Lord bless thee, and comfort thee: the Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).

May God‘s richest blessings be yours today. May His grace abound toward you, may His love cascade over you, and may the rivers of His goodness flow abundantly through you.

May He bless you with health in your body, joy in your soul, and peace in your heart. May He grant you strength for your daily tasks, wisdom in your decisions, favor in your labors and provision for your daily needs.

May God’s great outstretched hand of protection be over you and each family member. May He keep you throughout the day and bring you home safely from every journey.

Above all, may He bless you with His presence, keep your faith strong, cause your hope to remain steadfast, and keep your heart forever faithful.

My prayer to walk in God’s ways in 2012

Lord, take control of my heart, that my heart may control my feet; my thoughts, my will and my ways. May my feet bring the word of good news, and the message of comfort to those who are broken and confused. And also to those who have lost hope in our political system, and our society as a whole–and to those who have lost their jobs and are going through tough times.

May my feet walk upon the imprint of your footsteps, May they move at the pace and in the direction that you are moving, Lord, I pray that my eyes will focus upon the things that your eyes are fixed upon. Heavenly father, lift me when I fall, cleanse me when I am soiled, and heal my every wound.

Lord, be the wings that cover me, the hiding place I need for shelter, the shield I need for defense, the sword I need for battle, and the banner I need for victory.

Let me be a light to those who are in darkness. Use me as a billow to those whose fire is cooling, and as a flint to those who need your fire.

Thank you Lord for granting my request.

Do you have oil in your lamp?

Winter is officially here, but Northeasters have been experiencing winter like weather for close to two months now. It all started in late October, when an unexpected nor’easter dumped several inches of wet heavy snow on the New England states, knocking out power everywhere; causing millions of dollars worth of damage. In Connecticut alone, it costs Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P), well over three hundred million dollars to restore power and do cleanup work.

Everything is back to normal now; just in time for Christmas, thank God, but we all dread what might happen in the coming months. Last winter was the worst in many years and there is no way to tell what this one might bring. Nevertheless, life goes on–one must prepare for the unexpected.

An unexpected snow storm that caught everyone off guard, reminds me of what the Bible says about Jesus’ return. “For you know quite well that the day of the Lord‘s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2). And in Matthew 24:36, referring to His return, Jesus told His disciples: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” The scripture is clearly telling us to prepare and be at the ready at all times because Jesus could return at any moment. If we failed to do so, we are likened to the 5 foolish virgins who had no oil in their lamps.

Believers, now is the time to trim our lamps and fill them up with oil. There won’t be time to do so when the bridegroom comes. He will only receive those who are ready to meet him. Luke 21:34, admonishes us to “take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.” That’s exactly what happened to the 5 foolish virgins. They knew the bridegroom cometh but they failed to prepare.

We should make sure that we do not make the mistake the 5 foolish virgins made. They went out to get oil for their lamps when the bridegroom arrived but when they returned the door was closed. No doubt those virgins put their salvation on the back burner because they thought they had time. But they were wrong and so could you and I.

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Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year

Everybody seems to get excited about Christmas, even those who are going through rough times—Religious or Secular.  It is the most wonderful time of the year— shopping malls buzzing with shoppers; the lights, the decorations, the greetings, the music, the foods, and most of all the smiles. It seems people smile more during the Christmas season.

But amid all the excitement and fun, Christmas does not mean the same to all people and culture. It is a mixture of religious and secular traditions, and depending on where you live and to which culture you belong, the season could take on a different meaning.

From a Christian perspective, “Christmas is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated on December 25 as a religious and cultural holiday by billions of people around the world.”

Kids love Christmas, it seems the tradition got started specifically for them. When I was a young child, I got excited about Christmas too, but when Santa did not show up at my house for about 3 years in a row, I became sad and abandoned Christmas, and subsequently developed a hatred for Santa Claus.

However, as I grew older I understood what Santa Claus was all about: He brings happiness to sad faces. But most often than not, the parents have to take the place of Santa. Unfortunately many parents do not have the wherewithal to do so; therefore, they have to depend on relatives, friends and neighbors and sometimes you.

Won’t you make a sad face happy this Christmas? It doesn’t have to be a child. Maybe you know somebody who has been out of work for a long time. More than likely such a person is going through rough times. You could be Santa Claus to that person’s kids or to the entire family. The Bible says: ”  Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Do you give God your all?

The world wants your best, but God wants your all. So what is preventing you from giving God your all?…Self…It’s hardly a secret that conquering self is the biggest problem Christians all over the world face daily. It was true for Jesus’ disciples— and it is true for modern-day Christians.

Somebody once said: “Learn to conquer self before you try to conquer the world.”Learning to conquer self is an ongoing struggle I am face with daily. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I understand that unless I overcome self I will not reach those higher heights and deeper depths, which the apostle Paul referred to in (Philippians 3:14), “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Most Christians, I would imagine, will not admit openly that they struggle with self, but I am not ashamed to admit that I do. As a matter of fact, one of the greatest Christians the world had ever known struggled with self and he was not ashamed to admit it.  The apostle Paul, a stalwart of the early and modern-day Church struggled with self. In (1 Corinthians 9:27), he writes: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

The apostle Peter himself, struggled with self. When the soldiers took hold of Jesus, after Judas pointed Him out–the Bible says: “Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchu” (John 18:10).

The truth is we all struggle with self, whether you admit it or not.  It is the single biggest impediment that prevents many of us from giving God our all. Each of us has that 1 or 2 things that we cannot shake. We have been working on them for years or maybe months, but every time we thought we had them under control, they raise their ugly heads again.

The only solution for the problem of sin is to stay close to God. Feed on His words, walk in His footsteps and obey His commandments (Exodus 20), for “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24)