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Hello everyone!!!
As you may have noticed, Peregrin Took is my favorite charachter in movies or anywhere "." i think that he is very cute!!! I love the quote,
"what about breakfast?" - Pippin
"we've already had it" -Aragorn
"we've had onbe yes, what about second breakfast" -Pippin
Aragorn walks away in disgust
"I dont think he knows about them pip" - Merry
"but... what about elevensies, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, supper, he knows about them... doesnt he?" - Pippin
:I wouldnt count on it" - Merry
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Hello everyone!!!
As you may have noticed, Peregrin Took is my favorite charachter in movies or anywhere "." i think that he is very cute!!! I love the quote,
"what about breakfast?" - Pippin
"we've already had it" -Aragorn
"we've had onbe yes, what about second breakfast" -Pippin
Aragorn walks away in disgust
"I dont think he knows about them pip" - Merry
"but... what about elevensies, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, supper, he knows about them... doesnt he?" - Pippin
:I wouldnt count on it" - Merry
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“Once there lived another man within me, Child of earth and slave of Satan he; But I nailed him to the cross of Jesus And that man is nothing now to me Now another Man is living in me, And I count His blessed life as mine, I have died to all my own life, I have risen to all His life Divine.” J. Oswald Sanders Part 3. The victorious Christian There was a young man who had reserved a cabin retreat for his wedding night. It came highly recommended by several people, and so with great enthusiasm he rented a room for his new bride and himself to kick off their new life together. Because they would be arriving late, the cabin keeper assured him that the door to their room would be unlocked and they could go right in, but when they arrived, they found the room to be nothing like it had been described. It was a small room about two hundred square feet with a solitary couch and bathroom at the end. He looked closer at the couch and sure enough it was a hide-a-bed so, exhausted, they pulled out the bed and slept uncomfortably the entire night. In the morning the frustrated honeymooners went to the front desk. With a bright smile the man at the front desk said, “So, you’re the honeymooners! How did you like the room?” Disgusted, the young man replied, “It was horrible and inadequate, the hide-a-bed was uncomfortable, the room was tiny and we want a refund”. Horrified at this news, the man replied, “ Oh no, you poor children spent the night in the entry!” He took them back to the room and opened a door; a door that they assumed was the closet. It opened up into a beautiful and expansive room; fully equipped with a hot tub, a king sized bed, and beautiful fireplace. Several candles had burn down to nothing and the fire had long since gone out. In the last 2 articles I have dealt with the death and burial of the old man, in this third article, I want to deal with the resurrected life. It is true that most Christians excited about their betrothal to Jesus Christ never make it past the entry way of their Christian experience. In fact, instead of enjoying all that God has for them in Christ, they find restlessness, and discomfort in their Christianity. Wondering, with disappointment, what happened to the abundant life Jesus talked about? Is an enjoyable Christian experience even possible? I guess the first thing that I must address is the reason for our failure to enter into the “rest” that He intends for us. The bible warns us of this possibility in Hebrews 4:1, “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.” What is this wonderful rest that is promised to us as believers? It is nothing short of yielding your life to Christ that He might accomplish His work through you. Hebrews 4:10 says, “ For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works.” Is it possible that we can find rest in this life, that we can cease striving to please God, or trying to be good enough, and allow Christ to do all that is necessary, to live a life fully pleasing to God, in and through us? Paul in addressing the Galatians said, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Gal 2:20. The reason that we fail is that we believe that the Christian life is something that we can do. That, somehow, we must try to muster up the power to live righteously, and live a life that proves our worthiness. The truth is that we are unworthy, in fact, so unworthy and deserving of death, that God had to manifest Himself in the flesh, took upon himself our punishment, and died, in order to redeem us from our unworthiness. To believe that somehow there is enough good within me to live a life that is acceptable to God, is complete folly. I suppose it is human nature to think we should do our best to please God, but the Bible is clear that we are not capable of pleasing Him outside of faith in Him. Isaiah the prophet said, “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isaiah 64:6. The word Isaiah used for filthy rags here, describes the rags that have been taken from a leper’s body, filled with blood and ooze. It is important that we realize that, at our best, we are like a pile of nasty rags in the sight of God. It is only the righteousness of Christ that is acceptable before the Father, and only through Him can we live a life pleasing to the Father. If we try to establish our own righteousness through good works, believing that through good works we can please the Father, we have rejected the grace of God. Looking again at Galatians chapter 2:21 Paul said, “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." Paul jumps from there directly into Chapter 3 with a strong rebuke, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain; if indeed it was in vain? Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” Gal 3:1-5. It is strange, that those of us who are believers, so readily accept Jesus Christ as Savior of our eternal soul, but neglect to allow Him to transform our lives from corruption by His Spirit of grace. We search the scriptures to find the right way do things, the next law to follow an ordinance here and requirements there, seemingly without any realization that we are incapable of pleasing God by our efforts or practice. The gospel of Jesus Christ is that He has completed it, and now I can rest in Him! Gospel means literally in the Greek, good news! And last time I checked, it still is good news, not “what must I do” but what he has done. By now we understand that our old nature was crucified with Christ, but did you know that if you have put your trust in Him for salvation that you are currently also raised with Him in His resurrection. We are resurrected into newness of life by the Spirit. Paul said to the Colossians, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1-3. How do we experience this “life hid with Christ in God?” How do we “walk in the Spirit” or “enter into His rest?” The only thing difficult about the answer is how simple it really is. First, if you haven’t already, you must believe on Jesus Christ for your salvation, acknowledging that you are a sinner, and believing that He died on the cross in your place to pay for your sins, was buried, and then on the third day rose from the dead. After you have trusted Him for your salvation, trust Him with your life. Surrender your life to Him, whether you feel like it or not, acknowledging that His plans for your life are better than yours. Develop a relationship with Him by reading His word (the Bible), and talking to Him about everything (prayer) just as you would talk to your most intimate friend. Learn to trust Him (faith) and obey what He tells you to do. When you fail, quickly turn to Him (repentance) and confess your failure to Him and He promises to forgive and cleanse you (1 John 1:9). I have found in my walk with Him, that I find my greatest victories when I realize that I am helpless and I need Him to intervene. With that, He forgives, restores, and accomplishes His will in and through me. John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” ~ Jesus All biblical references are from the NKJV of the Bible.
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I thought you might be blessed by This: Thanks Khouse.org!
By Dr Chuck Missler
The early settlers of America, who braved the privations of those incredibly difficult years, were a fabulous lot, indeed. We can hardly imagine the burdens they endured to make a new life for themselves in a new land. Their turning point began one Friday in the middle of March,1621. Samoset An Indian, wearing nothing but a leather loincloth, strode up their main street to the common house, and to their startled faces boomed in flawless English, "Welcome." His name was Samoset, a sagamore (or chief) of the Algonquins. He had been visiting the area for the previous eight months, having learned his English from various fishing captains who had put in to the Maine shore over the years. He returned the following Thursday with another Indian who also spoke English, and who was to prove "a special instrument of God for their good, beyond their expectation." His story was to prove no less extraordinary than the saga of Joseph being sold into slavery to Egypt. His name was Tisquantum, also called Squanto. Squanto His story began in 1605 when Squanto and four other Indians were taken captive, sent to England,and taught English to provide intelligence background on the most favorable places to establish colonies. After nine years in England, Squanto was able to return to Plymouth on Capt. John Smith's voyage in 1614. Lured and captured by a notorious Capt. Thomas Hunt, he, with 27 others, were taken to Málaga, Spain, a major slave-trading port. Squanto, with a few others, were bought and rescued by local friars and introduced to the Christian faith. Thus, it appears that God was preparing him for the role he would ultimately play at Plymouth. He was able to attach himself to an Englishman bound for London, then he joined the family of a wealthy merchant, and ultimately embarked for New England in 1619. He stepped ashore six months before the Pilgrims landed in 1620.1 When he stepped ashore he received the most tragic blow of his life. Not a man, woman, or child of his own tribe was left alive! During the previous four years, a mysterious plague had broken out among them, killing every last one.2 So complete was the devastation that the neighboring tribes had shunned the area ever since. The Pilgrims had settled in a cleared area that belonged to no one. Their nearest neighbors, the Wampanoags, were about 50 miles to the southwest. Stripped of his identity and his reason for living, Squanto wandered aimlessly until he joined the Wampanoags, having nowhere else to go. But God had other plans. God's Provision Massasoit, the sachem (or chief) of the Wapanoags, entered into a peace treaty of mutual aid with the Plymouth colony that was to last as a model for forty years. When Massasoit and his entourage left, Squanto stayed. He had found his reason for living: these English were helpless in the ways of the wilderness. Squanto taught them how to catch eels, stalk deer, plant pumpkins, refine maple syrup, discern both edible herbs and those good for medicine, etc. Perhaps the most important thing he taught them was the Indian way to plant corn. They hoed six-foot squares in toward the center, putting down four or five kernels, and then fertilizing the corn with fish: three fish in each square, pointing to the center, spokelike. Guarding the field against the wolves (who would try to steal the fish), by summer they had 20 full acres of corn that would save every one of their lives. Squanto also taught them to exploit the pelts of the beaver, which was in plentiful supply and in great demand throughout Europe. He even guided the trading to insure they got full prices for top-quality pelts. The corn was their physical deliverance; the beaver pelts would be their economic deliverance. The First Thanksgiving The Pilgrims were a grateful people-grateful to God, grateful to the Wamp-anoags, and grateful also to Squanto. Governor Bradford declared a day of public Thanksgiving, to be held in October. Massasoit was invited and unexpectedly arrived a day early-with an additional ninety Indians! To feed such a crowd would cut deeply into their stores for the winter, but they had learned through all their travails that God could be trusted implicitly. And it turned out that the Indians did not come empty handed: they brought five dressed deer and more than a dozen fat wild turkeys. They helped with the preparations, teaching the Pilgrim women how to make hoecakes and a tasty pudding out of cornmeal and maple syrup. In fact, they also showed them how to make one of their Indian favorites: white, fluffy popcorn! (Each time you go to a movie theatre, you should remember the source of this popular treat!) The Pilgrims, in turn, provided many vegetables from their gardens: carrots, onions, turnips, parsnips, cucumbers, radishes, beets, and cabbages. Also, using some of their precious flour with some of the summer fruits which the Indians had dried, the Pilgrims introduced them to blueberry, apple, and cherry pie. Along with sweet wine made from wild grapes, it was, indeed, a joyous occasion for all concerned. The Pilgrims and Indians happily competed in shooting contests, foot races, and wrestling. Things went so well (and Massasoit showed no inclination to leave) that this first Thanksgiving was extended for three days. The moment that stood out the most in the Pilgrims' memories was William Brewster's prayer as they began the festival. They had so much for which to thank God: for providing all their needs-and His provision of Squanto, their teacher, guide, and friend that was to see them through those critical early winters. A National Institution By the end of the 19th century, Thanksgiving Day had become an institution throughout New England. It was officially proclaimed as a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Traditionally celebrated on the last Thursday in November, it was changed by an act of Congress in 1941 to the fourth Thursday of that month.3 Originally observed to acknowledge the provision of God, let us also make this national holiday a very special time to thank Him for our own provision-our families, our sustenance, and, above all, our redemption in His Son! Let's also pray that He might restore the religious freedom that those early Pilgrims cherished so dearly-and that the current enforced paganism that has invaded our land be curtailed. This country is now becoming what the Pilgrims had risked their very lives to flee from. Much of this article was excerpted from The Light and the Glory, Peter Marshall and David Manuel, Fleming H. Revell Co., Old Tappan, NJ, 1977. For a thrilling and inspiring account of the incredible measures God provided for in the founding of our once-great country, this book is a "must read."
**NOTES**
- The Pilgrims lived that first winter aboard ship and suffered the loss of 47 colonists.
- This epidemic, from 1615 to 1617, is believed to have killed 95,000 Indians, leaving only about 5,000 along the coast.
- Canada first adopted Thanksgiving as a national holiday in November 1879, and it is now celebrated there annually on the second Monday in October.
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I love Thanksgiving because it is a truly Christian Holiday. As we know, a celebration was called by pilgrims, who found out through miraculous circumstances that God had not only guided them to America to start a new life of religious freedom, but also had prepared the place and even a Christian, Squanto, who spoke their language to help them live in this new place. God is so good!
I am so thankful for all that God has done for us! Sending His only Son Jesus Christ to die for us and give us eternal life, but also that He has given us a window of opportunity to preach the gospel in freedom.
I am thankful for tools like MyChurch to help us to sharpen one another.
I am thankful for the friends and brother's and sisters I have met here!
God bless you MyChurch and may you have a fabulous Thanksgiving!
In His grace,
Mike
What are you thankful for?
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