Do not forget all His benefits!

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and
do not forget all His benefits:
who forgives all your sins,
who heals all your diseases,
who saves your life from the pit,
who crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things!"
Psalm 103:2-5

What an enumeration of divine blessings is this!

Any one of them is worth more than all earth's treasures combined!

If we are not forgiven--we must lie forever under the burden of sin, a weight greater than all the Alps! But God forgives--and forgives all our sins--and forgives freely, fully and forever!

If we are not healed--we must be sick forever, sick with the plague and leprosy of sin! But God heals--and heals all our evils, and heals completely!

If we are not saved from the dangers of this ensnaring world--we never can reach heaven! But God keeps, rescues, and saves our life from all impending destructions!

Earth's crowns are made of thorns, and at the best are only what the children call, 'play-crowns', for they are but of leaves that wither, or of gold and gems that will not last. But God crowns His people with crowns of love and compassion, which are real and radiant, which shall never fade--but shall shine forever, becoming crowns of eternal life and glory in heaven!

This world cannot satisfy our heart's deepest cravings. Its possessions only make our hunger more intense! But God satisfies the souls of His people, and meets all their cravings and hungers with truly good and eternal realities!

J.R. Miller

Category: Are you kidding me?

Navy SEALs Face Assault Charges for Capturing Most-Wanted Terrorist

From Foxnews

Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com.

The three, all members of the Navy's elite commando unit, have refused non-judicial punishment — called an admiral's mast — and have requested a trial by court-martial.

Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named "Objective Amber," told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it.

Now, instead of being lauded for bringing to justice a high-value target, three of the SEAL commandos, all enlisted, face assault charges and have retained lawyers.

Matthew McCabe, a Special Operations Petty Officer Second Class (SO-2), is facing three charges: dereliction of performance of duty for willfully failing to safeguard a detainee, making a false official statement, and assault.

Petty Officer Jonathan Keefe, SO-2, is facing charges of dereliction of performance of duty and making a false official statement.

Petty Officer Julio Huertas, SO-1, faces those same charges and an additional charge of impediment of an investigation.

The three SEALs will be arraigned separately on Dec. 7. Another three SEALs — two officers and an enlisted sailor — have been identified by investigators as witnesses but have not been charged.

FoxNews.com obtained the official handwritten statement from one of the three witnesses given on Sept. 3, hours after Abed was captured and still being held at the SEAL base at Camp Baharia. He was later taken to a cell in the U.S.-operated Green Zone in Baghdad.

The SEAL told investigators he had showered after the mission, gone to the kitchen and then decided to look in on the detainee.

"I gave the detainee a glance over and then left," the SEAL wrote. "I did not notice anything wrong with the detainee and he appeared in good health."

Lt. Col. Holly Silkman, spokeswoman for the special operations component of U.S. Central Command, confirmed Tuesday to FoxNews.com that three SEALs have been charged in connection with the capture of a detainee. She said their court martial is scheduled for January.

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A bloody lip?



One of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq was captured and all he got was a bloody lip?



These Navy SEALs should be celebrated as heroes and instead are being treated as war criminals.



New strategy for terrorists who are caught: Punch yourself in the lip and watch your captors get a worse punishment than you!



Unbelievable -

Puritan moment

"Till men have faith in Christ, their best services are but glorious sins."

THOMAS BROOKS

Octopus in love (Something completely different today)

Dose of Ravenhill

I don't care how twisted and corrupt your life is at this moment -- it is not too late to ask for forgiveness. God can and will forgive you if you repent of your sin, plead for the blood of Christ, and ask for mercy! It is not too late to ask for mercy.

You may wonder, "Can God really forgive all the rottenness and corruption in my life?" He certainly can.

Why?

Because today Jesus is still on a throne of mercy. You can find His grace and His help. But when we see Him at the judgment, He's no longer on a throne of mercy. He is on a throne of justice.

There's nothing more beautiful than a little lamb and there's nothing more terrible than the wrath of the Lamb. One day God's mercy is going to be cut off and then we will have the wrath of the Lamb.

Leonard Ravenhill

The Gospel

Hat Tip to Ike -

Christians Launch Campaign against Global Warming Hype

From The Christian Post

WASHINGTON – While it may seem like everyone believes in global warming and the impending catastrophe it will bring, a group of conservative Christians countered that message Thursday by launching a national campaign to gather one million signatures for a statement that says Christians must not believe in all the hype about global warming.

Rest of story here

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Just wondering what would happen if we put this much effort in to reaching the lost?

Puritan Thought

“Do you mortify? Do you make it your daily work? Be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you”

John Owen -

God Sovereignly Initiates Affliction

From Soli Deo Gloria

Job 1:1, 5 (Josh Hicks emphasis and parentheses added):

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil...and when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them (that is, his children) all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

Earlier, I told you I wanted to address the subject of the sovereignty of God in the context of this book of Job, so let us begin. Here we read of this "blameless and upright" man of God. Not only do we see his personal holiness via its proclamation thereof in Scripture, we see the effects of his holiness making waves in his family dealings. As an aside, we see Job's actions here being a far cry from the ways in which the majority of fathers in this day and age have utterly failed to exercise headship, culpability, and responsibility for their families.

More over, we see that the text immediately notes the godliness of Job, and his concern for his family. Mixed in amongst these mentions is that of his great wealth. It's funny, though, how his wealth does not give Job the security to live in sin and licentiousness. No, he is "blameless" and is much concerned with the holiness of not only himself, but his family. Thus, it is established...Job's a man of God, not harboring sin, or pride, or greed, or envy, etc. Now we read this (Job 1:6-12, my emphasis added):

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

We may deduce several thoughts from this passage. I will consider a few. Number 1, this book, as shown in this passage, is not primarily about suffering, or even Job's suffering. This book is about God's sovereignty over all things. Secondly, Satan is not equal in power, stature, or grandeur with God Almighty. There are folks in this world who go for the idea of a balance between good and evil that is in perpetual warfare against one another. I believe it's the ying yang that tries to symbolize this foolish concept. No, it is plain that Satan is subject to God just like any other creature. Consider the fact that Satan does not address the Lord, until he himself is called to do so. You will also note that Satan doesn't ignore God's spoken word, nor does he lie (for he knows the futility therein) to him as to treat the Lord's question with indignity. So it is as it has always been...God-Almighty, Satan-not even close.

Thirdly, though Satan is the accuser of the brethren, in this particular case, it is not Satan who brings up God's loyal subject, Job. Rather, it is the Lord Himself who initiates the conversation and its subject matter. Next, Satan acknowledges God's goodness by proclaiming what God has done for and given to Job. Herein we see that demons and devils do not deny God or Jesus' existence, they do not even deny is goodness, holiness, sovereignty, etc. They believe these things about God (as they should), but they do not care. This would be why James notes that mere faith that God is true is not necessarily saving faith.

Lastly, Satan shows his absolute powerlessness apart from God's granting. In somewhat understanding the natural heart of man, he says that Job doesn't fear God for no reason. He then, as I have already noted, talks about the kindness God has shown Job, and implies that this is why he serves so faithfully. But Satan has failed to recognize the reborn heart of man, one regenerated by the Holy Spirit, so he continues with his foolishness and asserts that if God takes all these materialistic things, and family, away, that Job will surely curse Him. But it's important to note that Satan, by saying "stretch out your hand", is admitting that God is the One Who ordains, has power over, and permits affliction in Job's life. This is further recognized when God gives Satan the authority to take away Job's things, but limits it when it comes to Job's life.

And so, we see that God is sovereign in not only the giving of gifts, riches, and family, but he's also sovereign in the initiation, planning, and execution of affliction in the lives of men. In light of this, we ought to remember the first chapter of James' epistle. James spends the first several verses speaking of trials, afflictions, and temptations. Then, in verse 17 he notes that every good and perfect gift is given by our Father in heaven. The sentence before that starts with "Do not be deceived, brethren", noting that these folks, because of their current trials and hardships, begin to question the goodness of God. But he reminds them that these afflictions, though they don't appear to be so, are really perfect and good gifts from God above, he is molding us according to the good pleasure of His will.

So, then, let us echo Job while facing trial, hardship, temptation, or affliction and proclaim that the Lord gives and He takes away, BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD!

Josh Hicks

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Praise God that He is sovereign in all things...great and small.

Off for a few days -

“Any cross but the one I have,” cried one. Surely it would not be a cross if you had the choosing of it, for it is the essence of a cross that it should run counter to our likings."

C. H. Spurgeon

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Taking a few days off as I have yet another lithotripsy procedure tomorrow to bust up the remaining stubborn stones in the left kidney.

Peace!

Quote of the day -

In the bonds of Death He lay Who for our offense was slain; But the Lord is risen today, Christ hath brought us life again, Wherefore let us all rejoice, Singing loud, with cheerful voice, Hallelujah!

Martin Luther -

Alleged Killer of Late-Term Abortionist Has No Regrets

From The Christian Post

The man accused of killing George Tiller plans to tell the court that he was justified in shooting the prominent abortionist and says he has no regrets.

"Defending innocent life – that is what prompted me. It is pretty simple," 51-year-old Scott Roeder told The Associated Press in 30-minute phone interview.

And having heard that at least four women who had sought abortions changed their minds and chose to have their babies, Roeder made it clear that he would do it again.

"[E]ven if one changed her mind it would be worth it,” he told AP from jail. “No, I don't have any regrets."

Roeder is currently awaiting trial for the murder of Tiller, who was shot at point-blank during a church service in May. The Kansas City native has also been charged with two counts of aggravated assault for allegedly threatening two ushers who tried to stop him during the May 31 incident at Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita.

Rest of story here

Can You Be a Christian and Deny the Trinity?

From Pulpit Magazine, a question asked to John MacArthur:

Question: A Mormon asked me this question a number of years ago, and through the years here at church, I’ve asked a number of people this question, and I wanted to get your opinion. Can you become a Christian if you deny the Trinity?

Answer:

I would answer, "No." If you don’t believe in the Trinity, then you don’t understand who God is. You may say the word “God” but you don’t understand His nature. Second, you couldn’t possibly understand who Christ is--that He is God in human flesh. The Incarnation of Christ is an essential component of the biblical gospel, as John 1:1-14 and many other biblical passages make clear.

To deny the Trinity is to deny the Incarnation. And to deny the Incarnation is to wrongly understand the true gospel.

In saying that, I realize that such an answer is going to not only impact people that you may have witnessed to (like Mormons), but it also applies to some in the broader Pentecostal movement, called United Pentecostals or "Jesus-Only" Pentecostals. Such individuals hold to a kind of modalism, where God is sometimes in the mode of the Father or the mode of the Son or the mode of the Spirit, but He’s never all three at the same time. That too is a deficient and heretical view of the Trinity. It denies the distinct Personhood of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The same question sometimes arises about the Virgin Birth.

I think it is possible for a person to become a Christian before learning about the details of the Virgin Birth, though that person would certainly assume that Jesus Christ must have had a unique birth since He is both God and man. But, if someone knows about the Virgin Birth and says, “I deny the Virgin Birth,” then he is simultaneously denying the deity of Christ, and also the Trinity. Such a person betrays the fact that they do not understand the gospel, and therefore cannot have truly been saved.

Effectual Power of Grace

Men are brought to God by the effectual power of grace, but grace never violates, though it subdues, the human will. They make a great mistake who think that God treats men as if they were logs: God knows they are not logs, and never treats them so. He has made them in his own image, to be free, intelligent agents, and he acts upon them as free agents.

It is difficult for some men to understand how grace can be effectual and almighty, and yet man can still be a free agent. Now, if persons do not see this, we are not bound to give them understandings, but the two things are consistent enough: prejudice creates the difficulty, there is none really. A man may be free enough, and yet he may be so overwhelmingly persuaded to a certain course,that he cannot do otherwise; such moral power does not at all interfere with true liberty.

If we taught that men were saved against their wills, and that physical force was put upon them to make them Christians, we should deserve to be denounced as talking nonsense, or worse; but the power which we speak of is moral, spiritual, persuasive, and operates in strict accordance with the usual laws of mind.

The grace of God does no violence to the will, but sweetly overcomes its obstinacy, making it a willing captive.

C. H. Spurgeon

In the beginning was the Word....

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1-3,14

Jesus, the Word, God Himself, became flesh and dwelt among us.

John magnificently, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, pens the words that most of the world does not want to hear, refuses to believe and will kill those who propagate it.

If this was all the New Testament had to say about the Deity of Jesus, it would be completely sufficient.

But Jesus Himself makes the extraordinary claim in John 14:7 when speaking to the disciples:

“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

Jesus spoke these words right after telling the disciples that He was the way, the truth, and the life. No one, according to Jesus, comes to the Father except through Him.

But Philip, not in full belief of what Jesus just said, shows his ignorance of the Truth standing before him:

“Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” John 14:8

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? John 14:9

Jesus almost seems heartbroken over Philip’s request to see the Father. “Have I been with you so long,…..” After all the things Jesus has said…after all the miracles He performed.

One can almost hear the disappointment in Jesus’ voice as He says, “….and yet you have not known me, Philip?

Philip had the very words of Jesus’ claim of Deity and that should have been enough for him.

Had Philip heard Jesus' claim of deity before, could that be one reason for the way Jesus spoke to him here in chapter 14?

Let's go back to chapter 8 where Jesus is speaking to the Jews.

Jesus, proclaiming He was before all things, made a scandalous statement. Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” John 8:58

This is a statement of eternity past!

John MacArthur says of this statement;

"If we were to translate the Greek literally in verse 58 it would read like this, "Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham became..." What it means is there was a definite point in time when Abraham began, a point in past history when the man who did not exist came into existence. Jesus says, "Before that, I AM." That's the eternal present that indicates no beginning. To become is to pass from nothingness and non-existence to existence.

But "I AM" denotes a mode of existence which is not due to any such transition. It is a statement about eternity. It is a statement about ever-lasting life, no beginning, no end. And thus does Jesus attribute to Himself eternal existence in the absolutely divine sense. And even the word "before" is symbolic, it is a concession to human comprehension of time, for in the life of God there is no before and there is no after. Jesus says, "Then I Am the eternal existing one who eternally existed whereas Abraham at some point in time began."

And thus is Jesus claiming to be the eternal God.

This is what angered the Jews to pick up stones and stone Him. They knew exactly what Jesus was claiming; Deity.

Jesus is God.

Because all have sinned (humans), only God could come to the Earth and live a perfect life. Only a perfect God could offer Himself up for the atonement for those he created. Only a perfect God could reconcile man back to Himself from the sin that separates perfection from imperfection.

Will you repent today?

Will you put your trust in Him today?

A perfect God from eternity past has given Himself for you. Jesus Christ, fully man and fully God, took your punishment and placed it on Himself. He died on a cross to reconcile you back to Himself. He rose on the third day conquering death. He paid for your sins in His life's blood.

Repent and trust Him today and He will save you from the wrath to come.