Lord Over the Flood

I was watching the CBN News coverage of the flooding in the and was stunned by the devastation. Like many of you, my heart grieves for our neighbors who have suffered such great losses.  The rising waters have submerged whole towns, and as the camera shows us the neighborhoods, it seems like only the mailboxes perched on posts have remained unscathed.

 

A disaster such as this affects people in different ways.  Most shall recover when the water recedes.  Some have only suffered a minor inconvenience, while others have lost everything they own, homes and business washed away.

 

But there’s another kind of flood going on in our nation.  People are living through disasters all around us.  A mother struggles to support and feed her children while her husband serves a jail sentence.  A devoted father and husband find himself in the hospital with cancer, and his wife struggles to pay the bills.  Ultimately, their home of forty years and all their retirement savings are washed away in their own personal flood. 

 

Good people are devastated and cry out to God.  “All the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and waves passed over me.  Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight, yet I will look again toward thy holy temple” (Jonah 2:3-4 KJV)

 

Don’t give up!  Whether you have experienced a flood of water, or a flood of bad circumstances, know that God cares.  Don’t blame Him.  Look again to His temple.

 

We live in a world of trouble and turmoil in which the righteous and the unrighteous are affected alike.  God is not singling out you or your community.  The world is a dangerous place.  Know that God cares, and He will help you.  “The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever” (Psalm 29:10 NIV)

 

He is our source in times of trouble.  He will give you strength to stand, wisdom to find a way, joy to sustain your soul, and peace to rest. 

 

As Operation Blessing rises to action, helping those most hurt by these floods, so we who are unaffected must do likewise.  But in addition to those whose only remaining possession is a mailbox on a post, we must aid the hurting neighbors all around us who are trying to survive a myriad of personal disasters, some who even lost the mailbox.  With God’s help we can make it. 

 

“When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall raise a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:19 KJV)

Become part of the standard that God raises for such a time as this.  You may ask what you can do.  Support disaster relief.  Look at the mailboxes sticking up all around you in your own neighborhood or church.  Many times your neighbor suffers silently and will not ask for help.  Show them you care.  Get involved.  And for those who are hurting, the Lord over the flood sees you.  Help is on the way!

 

 

Frost on the Pumpkin, Dust on the Bible.

I remember waking up to the radio alarm one day to the refrain “Hello country bumpkin, how’s the frost out on the pumpkin?” My wife and I laughed and laughed at such words to be awakened with. In this season of the fall harvest when pumpkins seem to spring up everywhere, I think about those days of innocence, those days when our biggest concern was the frost on the pumpkin.

 At this time of the year our nation celebrates Halloween’s many activities, which includes carving out pumpkins and sitting them on the front porch steps. It has become a family tradition for millions of people. Yet very few use the bounty of the pumpkin for food. 

 One year at this time we had so many real pumpkins on our porch, fake pumpkins in the flowerbeds, and even giant blow up plastic pumpkins in the front yard that we earned the title, “The Pumpkin house,” from the neighborhood kids. But we didn’t eat a single one! (Pumpkin, not kids).

 Now here we are again in the fall season when these orange spheres show up in front yards like dandelions on a summer day. We surround ourselves with this beautiful bounty as decoration but the food within we discard on newspaper.

 The Bible says, “Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee” (Psalm 116:7 KJV). Are we enjoying the bounty?

The poet John Greenleaf Whittier, who was born in Massachusetts in 1807, wrote:

“The Pumpkin” (1850)

Oh! Fruit loved of boyhood! The old days recalling.

When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling!

When wild, ugly faces we carved in it’s skin,

Glaring out through the dark with a candle within!

Back in the olden days, a carved pumpkin was placed on the family hearth to keep evil spirits from coming down the chimney and into the home to do their dastardly deeds.

Today, in homes across America many have replaced this use of the carved pumpkin with the Bible. Now bear with me a moment. We set the Bible out on the coffee table, enjoy its beauty, and yet rarely pick it up. We know that it holds a bounty within, yet we don’t feast on the rich food of the word when it’s sitting right here in front of us. We dust it, and display it with pride when visitors come, yet how many times, like the pumpkin, does it end up just sitting on a newspaper?

The food within the Bible nourishes our spiritual man within, yet we are starving ourselves and allowing the spirits to enter our homes through the modern day chimney, the television. Now that’s scary.  Wouldn’t our fore-bearers be aghast if they could see us today. We might call them superstitious for trying to ward off evil spirits with a carved pumpkin, but what would they say about us for not even trying.

The wonderful bounty of the pumpkin awaits the pies, while the life giving food in the Bible awaits our eyes.  This season, when you see the pumpkin carved so ingeniously and sitting on the porch, remind yourself of the Bible written so divinely and sitting on your table. It has a candle within which will never go out, and will keep every evil spirit at bay.

Inside the Bible it says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105 KJV).

So hello County Bumpkin! How’s the frost out on the pumpkin? Hello modern rival! How’s the dust out on the Bible? Happy Feasting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Daily Scroll

 Love one another with a pure heart fervently.

I Peter 1:22

 

 

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God is good. All the time.

Happy Saturday Eve!

The Daily Scroll

Well praise the Lord anyhow!

 



Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord!



Elephant String

I remember reading about how they train young elephants in India. The trainer would tie one of their hind legs to a tree with a thick rope. Naturally the elephant, feeling bound by the rope, would try to break free. Eventually he realizes that his attempts are useless and gradually gets accustomed to being held captive.

As the elephant ages, his restriction of movement will modify his behavior until even a simple string will be sufficient to keep him captive without resistance. The elephant could easily break the string but has convinced himself that the restraining force of the rope is greater than his own strength. So he gives up in defeat.

For many people, past events are like elephant strings. Mistakes, failures, sin, or tragedy which once bound us like thick rope, still holds us captive to the past. If we would only look again, try again, we would find that it is only string that binds us. We have the power, through Christ Jesus, to easily break free.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13 NLT).

When you find yourself in one of life’s ruts, stop, look down at the string that holds you, and break free. Even when we receive forgiveness for past sin in our life, often we are not so quick to forgive our self. The sin is forgiven but we allow the guilt to remain.

That string of guilt will hold us back from a deeper relationship with God. So forgive yourself, break the string of guilt and shame for God has removed the rope long ago!

We all have failures and make mistakes in our lives. Learn from them yes, but don’t allow a string of failures or a string of mistakes to hold you. Break free! Try again! You can do it!

Sin can become an old habit. If you lose the struggle to fight it, you can feel hopelessly bound. This is no way to live, so break free from the string of habitual sin. The Bible says, “Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up” (Hebrews 12:1 NLT).

Rip off those strings and be free in Christ! Freedom from guilt is yours.

There are times in every life when we experience tragedy. The loss of a loved one, or a relationship, even the loss of a job can have a debilitating effect on us. We can become so bound by the triple threaded rope of grief, sorrow, and regret that, like the elephant, we become accustomed to being held captive. Efforts to break free may seem fruitless and pointless.

But remember that there is hope in Christ Jesus. The Apostle Paul wrote,

“I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us” (Philippians 3:13-14).

 

So try again! Press forward! Move ahead with your hopes and dreams. Break that elephant string!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CBN.Com Daily Devotion

Check out my Devotion today on cbn.com. Here's the link.
http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/devotions/markland-elephant-string.aspx

The Daily Scroll

His mercies are new every morning.

Every day,

a new start!

 

All they that go down to the dust

shall bow before him.

Psalm 22:29

 

The Daily Scroll

Give the Lord a hug today.

Pray.

He hugs back.

 

Good day

The long healing process on my foot surgery is over.

So, off to the golf course.

God is so good!

The Daily Scroll

God's love,

in our heart as a tiny acorn,

grows into a mighty oak,

filled with His glory.

 

 

The Daily Scroll

 

Paul said be instant in season and out of season.

But... I enjoy brewed.

Enjoy your day!

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Send us your prayer requests.

Simply go to

http://event.cbn.com/weekofprayer/2012-fall/landing.aspx

 

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In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,

everything will change,

as Christ returns...

The Daily Scroll

O sing unto the LORD a new song:

sing unto the LORD,

all the earth.

Psalm 96:1

 

Tears and Salvation

Tumbuka is a typical 13-year-old African American boy from a middle class home. One day while riding his bike in their suburban neighborhood, he found himself approaching the lake at the edge of their local park. Back yards of houses circled one side of the lake while the other side was open to the park.

Riding through the grassy field to the edge of the lake he noticed people gathered at the lakes' edge behind the Jewish Synagogue. People of all ages were standing there waving their arms up and down. Some were throwing pieces of bread into the water as you do when you feed the ducks, however, there were no ducks around. The bread was just floating on the water.

As Tumbuka got a little closer, he could hear crying and talking as they faced the lake. Several old women were wiping tears from their cheeks as they prayed. One little boy picked up a small stone and drew back to skip it across the lake when his father grabbed and held him by the wrist until he dropped it. Then his mother grabbed him by the ear and told him to stand still with respect.

It was quite a scene in this normally quiet neighborhood. Tumbuka sat on his bike with his arms draped across the handlebars taking it all in when suddenly he was surprised with a slap on is back. He quickly turned around to see the smiling face of his school classmate Yeshaya.

"Sup Yesh?" Tumbuka said.

"Not much Tum." He replied.

"What's going down here?" Tum asked. "These people ok?"

"Sure. They are saying their Tashlikh prayers." Yesh answered.

"Their what?" Asked Tum.

"Their Tashlikh prayers." Said Yesh. "We are Jewish, and over there is our Synagogue. Every year at this time we celebrate Rosh Hashanah. Part of the celebration is to come to the lake, pray and say as many psalms as we can. Sometimes the whole book."

"You mean from the Bible?" Tum asked.

"Yes." He answered. "We pray from a prayer book, worship God, and ask forgiveness for our sins from this last year. This is the beginning of our new year. See the old woman shaking the corners of her skirt toward the lake?"

"Yes." Tum replied.

"Well, she's dumping her sins into the water." Yesh said.

"She's doing what?" Tum asked.

Yesh explained. "There was this prophet Micah. He wrote in the book, "and you shall throw into the depth of the sea all their sins" (Micah 7:19).

"Oh yeah." Tum said. "I heard Pastor say that when God saves you, He casts your sins into the sea of forgetfulness. And yo, that old lady over there reminds me of my Grandmother Ellie. She would get up in church and shake her dress, praise God, do a little side dance, and wave her hands before the Lord. But just a little higher. Ha. Ha. Are they going to have a baptism service now?"

Tum continued, "I was baptized last year at youth camp and I felt so good when I came up out of the water. Ha. Good times."

"No baptisms here today Bro." Yesh chuckled. But as we finish and leave, after Tashlikh, we feel lighter. It's like a heavy backpack is taken off us and thrown into that lake, and we have a new fresh start for the New Year. That's what Rosh Hashanah is all about, starting fresh with God. We all want our names in God's book."

"Me too man." Tum said. "Pastor preached about hell. It made me straighten up. You know, hell is…well hell! Yo Yesh, seeing the people throwing bread into the lake and casting off their sins reminds me of when I came to God and cast my sins on Jesus. It made me think about my life, and how my backpack of sin left me forever, not just for a year."

Then looking around like someone might be listening, Tum said, "But I do it again every year at youth camp. You know…just in case."

"Right! Right! Laughed Yesh. "Yo Tum, I'd like to tell you about the other stuff that goes down during Rosh Hashanah. We're not all that different I think. And by the way, what kind of name is

Tumbuka anyway. What's it mean?"

Tum answered, "Grandmother Ellie told me it was African for tears. Says I was her tears of joy. And yo, what does Yeshaya mean?

Yesh said, "My Grandpa over there, the Rabbi, he told me Yeshaya means God is salvation. Anyway, come on Tumbuka, let's go to the building. It's time to eat, and you won't believe the food!"

Tombuka and Yeshaya learned that when tears and salvation come together, there is fellowship, peace, and a new start.

On the first night of Rosh Hashanah after the evening prayer, it is the custom to wish "May you be inscribed and sealed for a Good Year and for a Good and Peaceful Life."

The Daily Scoll

 

Obedience is better than sacrifice.

 

We trust in your unfailing love, oh Lord.

Always there.

Always strong.

The Daily Scroll

Attempt something so big,

that if God doesn't intervene,

it's bound to fail.

 

 

The Daily Scroll

Pray for the broken hearts suffering loss

and the brave hearts who stand and say

never again!

 

The Daily Scroll

One Nation under God

with Liberty

and Justice

for all.

 

The Daily Scroll

We shall never forget.

"Oh Lord, thank you for your healing and love.

The Daily Scroll

Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles

Isaiah 40:30

 

 

The Daily Scroll

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.

Psalm 37:22-24

The Daily Scroll

Weeping may last through the night but joy comes with the morning.

Psalm 30:5

 

The Daily Scroll 9-3-12

  American workers:

We dreamed it, we built it, we keep improving it.

All bystanders welcomed to help.

Forgive, How Much?

Guest Post By Richard Spangler

 

People ask, “How many times must I forgive this person?” Or, “I can’t forgive what they did to me.”And, “I want God to judge this person.” These same people have financial and other troubles, wondering why God is not blessing them. Some also have relationship issues with their family and others.

I have personally dealt with people that were hard to forgive. Once I was given the responsibility of running a shop and yard crew for the water department. I worked with men, most of whom were much older than myself.

There was this guy I will call Frank, who would ride my case from the time I walked in the gate until I left. Frank would curse constantly, put open men’s magazines on my desk, and relocate my Bible and my lunch.

There were times I felt like getting revenge on him, but I didn’t. I continued to pray for him, asking God to save him, and to help me forgive him. This situation continued for months.

Then one day, Frank came into my office. I feared the worse, but to my surprise, he broke down. Frank’s life was a mess and he needed someone to talk to. He asked me to forgive him. I told him I already had and was willing to listen and help.

After that, a good working relationship developed. Frank would still slip up with the language, but would quickly ask my forgiveness. This was my first lesson in forgiving someone who continually sinned against me, so I understand how difficult forgiving can be. The question arises, how much to forgive someone? We can thank the Apostle Peter for the answer.

“Then Peter came to Him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21-22 NKJV).

If we analyze these figures, it is amazing. Jesus says to forgive 70 times 7, which is 490 times a day! Then when you divide 490 by 24 hours in a day it means 20.4 times an hour. Then you divide 60 minutes in hour by 20.4 and you get 2.9 minutes. So we are to forgive someone who sins against us every 2.9 minutes!

This is a lifestyle of forgiveness. It does not matter what someone does to you or how many times they may sin against you, you are to forgive. It is almost impossible for someone to reach this volume of sinning against another. If you’re counting, are you really forgiving?

But, what about if they are breaking the law, you may ask? If they break a law of man they still have to pay the consequences and if they haven’t accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord, then they are under the judgment of God’s law, so we must leave the judging to Him.

Forgiveness is for you, not them. Unforgiveness blocks our relationship with God and leads to bitterness. Both unforgiveness and bitterness not only take their toll on you spiritually but also physically, opening the door to sickness and death. They also poison every relationship you have.

Unforgiveness also affects the blessings you receive from God.

“Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful^. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:32-38 NKJV).

What caught my attention is that most of this scripture deals with our relationship with others, then comes this one statement by Jesus on giving at the end. We are to love our enemies. We are to forgive unconditionally. We are to show mercy as God has shown mercy to us. Don’t condemn or judge and finally, forgive. Forgiveness jumps out as the key to the other blessings.

So forgive, for your own sake. Then, you will have an open, unhindered relationship with God and others. When you pray for the blessings of God, they will flow to you in a far greater way than you can imagine.

Richard blogs at http://lionsvoiceministries.blogspot.com/

His latest book "Adventures in the Spirit" is also available at his blog.

The Daily Scroll: The Forest of God

 

In the realm of God, in Heaven, are places prepared for you. Places of wonder, peace and adventure. Don't miss it. It's gonna be great!

The Daily Scroll: 8-28-12

The Daily Scroll:

Through many dangers toils and snares, I have already come...and grace will lead me home.

 

 

The Daily Scroll

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells. Psalm 46:4



 

 

 

The Blessing

Mr. Spock, of Star Trek fame, would raise his hand and say “Live long and prosper.”

This "Vulcan salute, " as it has come to be called, was invented on the set of Star Trek by actor Leonard Nimoy during the filming of the second-season opener, "Amok Time." What the people didn’t know was that the Vulcan greeting came from Leonard Nimoy’s real life Jewish heritage.

He took it from the ancient blessing the Jewish Priests would bestow upon the Israelites. The Bible says, “Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing:

“May the Lord bless you and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.”                                                                 “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them” (Numbers 6:23-27 NLT).

The actual blessing is done with both arms held horizontally in front, at shoulder level, with hands touching, to form the Hebrew letter "shin." This stands for the Hebrew word for "Shaddai", meaning "Almighty [God]."

 With the hand symbol, the priest was putting the name of God on the people, sealing it upon them.

This is a special blessing God wants all of us to receive. This blessing is so important because it covers us completely in every area of our life, spiritually and materially.

This blessing is so specific that God commanded the Priests to bless the people not using their own words, but rather using and exact formulation for the blessing, prefacing the instruction with the words: “Thus shall you bless.”

This reveals that the blessing comes from the LORD Himself; the priests were a means for transmitting His gracious will. Now that we have Jesus, our Messiah, our Savior, we know that He is The High Priest, and that His sacrifice has made it possible for us to enter boldly before God.

So today we can pray, petition, and speak blessings knowing that our voice will be heard, and our words will be fruitful before the Lord our Creator, because of Jesus.

As we continue to study the Priestly Blessing we learn that the people accepted the blessing and responded. So how do we receive and respond to a blessing from our Heavenly Father? We anticipate His blessing with a thankful heart, and declare that His Word is so. Here is the blessing that the priests recited, along with the response of the people.

PRIEST: May the LORD bless you and protect you.

PEOPLE: Yes, may it be His will.

PRIEST: May the LORD shine His face to you and be gracious to you.

PEOPLE: Yes, may it be His will.

PRIEST: May the LORD turn (or lift up) His face to you and give to you peace.

PEOPLE: Yes, may it be His will.

You may ask, what does a Jewish blessing have to do with me?

The Bible says, “And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you” (Galatians 3:29 NLT).

So that means that all of God’s blessings are for us to obtain, because Jesus paid the ultimate price. Everything he promised pertains to all of His children.

So let us expect the blessings God, and enjoy His goodness. Be thankful for the gift of His Son Jesus, which is His greatest blessing to us each day of our lives.

Mother

 

Mother.  Just the name evokes a flood of thoughts and memories. Childhood memories of a loving hand to bandage a skinned knee, and a magical kiss upon that bandage that made the pain fade away. The big smile and wild applause from the third row in the audience of a second grade school play, acknowledging my dramatic interpretation of a tree, a tree that spoke not a word. The bedtime stories and prayers where I learned that the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 

Sometimes I look at her blood stained Bible, which she took with her to dialysis treatments in her latter days. There she shared her faith and testimony with the other patients, being a blessing in her time of sickness. Though she is with the Lord, her life and love remains in my heart.

Mother.  I am doubly blessed that my child has the best one, a Mother whose child is the center of her world. She’s a Mother who loves, teaches, corrects shares, prays, plays, and focuses herself completely on the health, welfare and happiness of her child. She’s a Mother who cries every year on the first day of school after we put our daughter on the school bus. So to cheer her up and get her mind off of it, I take her to breakfast at IHOP. It’s hard to cry in your pancakes.  She’s a role model our daughter will be hard pressed to duplicate, though I know she will. 

Mother.  There are many wonderful Mothers in all our lives and though we honor them every year, it seems inadequate considering what they really deserve.  

Mother. There once was a Mother so unique, so precious, that our heavenly Father chose her to be the Mother of His only begotten Son. She was so trusted that even though she was young, inexperienced, and poor, she was chosen to Mother our Lord Jesus. Difficult circumstances was her lot in life, and yet through unspeakable adversity, such as the death threat against her son by the King, she poured herself into her son, who became the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. 

It makes one wonder, what part of His determination; compassion, patience, longsuffering, and love came from her influence on Him. We assume that He received all of His attributes from His heavenly Father because He is the Son of God. But He is also the Son of man, so we must not forget to honor His Mother for being used of God the Father to instill many of those attributes.

Mother.  She’s the one who pushed Jesus into His public ministry by making Him do His first public miracle. John 2:1-11 describes how He wasn’t prepared to turn the water into wine because He said that His time had not yet come. 

“This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him” (John 2:11 NLT). 

Like us, He experienced that wonderful force of nature, a Mama who knows best!

He acknowledged her and provided for her even during His torture on the cross. 

“When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.”  And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home” (John 19:26-27 NLT).  

Their love and devotion for each other didn’t end there.  As she prayed with the others in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, He filled her with the Holy Spirit, and their relationship continues to this day. She is an example to Mothers, as He is an example to Sons and daughters.

Mother.  Love her. Cherish her. Honor her. She deserves it!

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