"Not To Be Loved, But To Love" by Maltbie D. Babcock

O Lord, I pray
That for this day
   I may not swerve
By foot or hand
From Thy command
   Not to be served, but to serve.

This, too, I pray,
That from this day
   No love of ease
Nor pride prevent
My good intent
   Not to be pleased, but to please.

And if I may
I'd have this day
   Strength from above
To set my heart
In heavenly art
   Not to be loved, but to love.

--from The Family Album, 8th Edition, edited and published by Arthur and Nancy DeMoss, Valley Forge, PA, in the 1960's (I guess)

"Do Not Pray for Easy Lives" by Phillips Brooks

Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men!
Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.

"Two Prayers" by Andrew Gillies

Last night my little boy
   confessed to me
Some childish wrong;
And kneeling at my knee,
He prayed with tears--
"Dear God, make me a man
Like daddy--wise and strong;
I know You can."
Then while he slept
I knelt beside his bed,
Confessed my sins,
And prayed with a low-bowed head,
"Oh God, make me a child
Like my child here--
Pure, guileless,
Trusting Thee with faith
sincere."

--from Ideals Scrap Book, 1961

Reformed Baptist Fellowship: Prayer for the Country

Prayer for the Country, posted on Reformed Baptist Fellowship blog.

Almighty Creator God, you made the world and everything in it. You are the Lord of heaven and earth. You have given all people life and breath and everything else. You made every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth. You determined the exact place where each nation should live, and this you did that we might seek you, and perhaps reach out to you and find you, though you are not far from each one of us, for in you we live and move and have our being. We are all your offspring. So you have appointed us to live in this nation that we love and whose sins make us weep.

You have established every governing authority and commanded us to submit to them all. We know that if we rebel against the authority then we are rebelling against what you have instituted, and all those who do so will bring judgment on themselves, for rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. You have bid us to pray for all in authority, for presidents, and governors, and congressmen, and judges whether in the Supreme Court or those who make judgments in our smallest communities. You have bid us pray for the police, and for lawyers, for school teachers, for businessmen, for doctors, indeed for all those to whom we are in debt for any and every part of our daily living. You have bid us to pray for them and we regret our failure to have interceded for those who refuse to pray for themselves as we should. Have mercy on us.

Forgive us if we have thought only ill of our government and consigned Washington to the darkest light. Forgive us that we have grumbled more than prayed about the powers you ordained and have placed in positions of rule. Deliver us from thinking and speaking as though they were only our enemies, but deliver us too from dreaming that such powers as regenerating grace, and the cleansing of redemption, and the gift of divine wisdom could come to our land from any human power. These are your divine prerogatives to bestow, by the church, through your holy word, and in the daily living of those in whom Jesus Christ dwells. The honour of bestowing these graces is yours alone, and in that honour no man shall share. So while we pray for our rulers we do not do so as those who see in them the messengers of salvation. Rather we pray for them as those who are to rule justly, as people who must render an account to you for what they must do, always considering that to whom much has been given much will be required. So have mercy on our rulers; how great their tasks; what enormous problems they face; there are those who would destroy them and us. God protect and keep them. Bring evil men to justice. Arise O Lord and scatter your enemies. Remind our rulers day by day from whom their help alone can come. Teach them always to walk in a modest and humble manner.

We pray earnestly for our rulers because righteousness alone can exalt any person, any family, any congregation and any nation. How we long that those in power should be characterized by righteous thinking and living. So merciful God guide the people of our land in the days to come when they will in their millions choose those who shall enter into a high office and shape the future of the nation we love. God hear our prayer for each one. May they think prayerfully and vote wisely.

God save the President. God save his wife and children. God save the Cabinet and all who work in the White House. God save all who are appointed to office. Do not give us the leaders we deserve; pity us in your mercy and give us those rulers who will lead our nation into the ways of truth, purity, self control, love and righteousness. Save our nation from those who would destroy it. Prosper the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ in every part of the country and make your people the salt of the earth and the light of this land. Please hear our prayers. Please in your wrath toward us for our wickedness remember mercy. Please revive your work in these days and make the saving beauty of Jesus Christ be seen and desired by all men, because it is in his name we pray. Amen.

--Geoffrey Thomas serves as the pastor of Alfred Place Baptist Church of Aberyswyth, Wales

A Sweet First Grace

It is fun to prepare a meal together with a small child or children, in which they help to stir or add ingredients, etc. While cooking the meal together, explain to the child that God knows us and created us to be born in our family, that all our food and everything that sustains our lives is a gift from God. A gift we should be thankful and grateful for, every time we eat. (Note: allow extra time when cooking with children! It will help your patience levels :) )

A prayer to teach a small child to memorize and recite before a meal is this:

For what we are about to receive,
May the Lord make us truly thankful.

You might beforehand tell them about the exciting time Paul was on a ship with soldiers and sailors, who all fasted and worked hard for two weeks to navigate the ship because they feared the ship was going to wreck in a storm! And Paul counseled them to eat for their health and well-being. Then he gave thanks to God in the presence of all before they all ate together with good cheer. And God saved them all, although the ship was lost (Acts 27).

P.S. Small children also like to clean up and wash dishes with you. Allow extra time. Make sure everyone has their apron on (or a tea towel tied around them) to hang up afterward to dry ;)

Burning Korans (Qurans) on 9/11/2010 ?

By now you've probably heard about the plans to build a mosque on the 9/11 Ground Zero site, and how pastor Terry Jones and his little church in Gainesville, FL, planned to burn Korans on 9/11 in protest of the mosque and the offensiveness of the planned building site.

Then after calls and visits from government officials, a televised speech by Mr. Obama, Muslim death threats for the pastor and for U.S. soldiers in Muslim countries; and after meeting with a Florida imam, during which the imam said they would relocate the planned mosque, the pastor called off the Koran-burning event.

Now it's come to light that the plans to build the mosque on the 9/11 site are continuing, despite Trump offering to buy the development site. I guess the imam lied.

AFA's OneNewsNow has reported on this news, and as always, has an interesting take on these developments. They have a story/commentary regarding the "hypocrisy" of the U.S. government in condemning the Koran burning, although the U.S. military burned Bibles last year in Afghanistan.

A few thoughts I have about this story, so I can wrap up this post and retire for the night:

1) Planning to build a mosque on the site of the Islamic terrorist attacks is offensive, deliberately provocative, and a gloatingly evil thing to do. What are they going to do? Have the grand opening September 11, 2011? Arrogant wickedness.

2) People are concerned that our U.S. military might be killed by Muslim terrorists if Christians burn Korans in Florida. Isn't the U.S. involved in a war in Muslim territory? Aren't our U.S. servicemen's lives in danger right now? Aren't Muslims out to kill U.S. servicemen right now? Aren't we at war, at least in part, because of the attacks of 9/11/2001? If you're so worried about their lives, Mr. Obama, then why don't you bring them home, like you campaign-promised you would two years ago? I guess Mr. Obama lied.

3) The Islamic Allah is a false god, and the Koran is not holy. It is unholy and demonically-inspired.It is good to destroy evil books, for they propogate evil ideas and evil acts (Matthew 15:19; Acts 19:18-20) Like all people who have not been regenerated by the Holy Spirit for the sake of Jesus Christ in the plan of the Father from all eternity, Muslims are under sin's dominion. They need the gospel, and it's Christians' duty to love their enemies by giving them the gospel. It is also Christians' duty to love their enemies and their brethren by restraining evil in the socio-political sphere. Extortion, such as threatening and plotting to kill people if copies of the Koran are burned, is evil in Jehovah's sight and, I think, still illegal (so far).

4) The U.S. government is not being hypocritical by condemning the Koran burning, while ordering the Bible burning. It's being ANTI-CHRISTIAN. They are anti-Christian, and they are acting in conformity with those anti-Christian beliefs; there's nothing hypocritical about it. Notice why the pietistic Christians think it's "hypocritical," though? Because the pietistic Christians believe in the myth of pluralism/neutrality. Are the AFA people saying they would be happy with anti-Christian practices, as long as anti-Islam practices are allowed, too? Is that their "principle" they want to stand for?

5) The myth of pluralism/neutrality is being exploded before our eyes (yet AGAIN). Oh Lord, please let the Christians understand that neutrality is a myth, the way the Muslims understand so well. They know how to manipulate the language of it, though; check out the WSJ article, "religious freedom and diversity." Hah! They know what the pietistic Christians and humanists will fall for!

(Note to Christians: Non-Christians are not morally opposed to bearing false witness. Another note to Christians: A person cannot lie about something and not lie about that same thing at the same time. Note 3 to Christians: Pluralism is a myth and breaks the law of non-contradiction. Note 4 to Christians: Wake up! And I say that with love, yet urgency.)

6) Appeasing insanely evil people is a mistake. Evil extortionist murderers do not get to control our actions. If we give into them, instead of restraining their evil, as best we can within our sphere of delegated biblical authority, we will become their servants and be abused by them, and they will become stronger and even bolder.

7) Hey, good on Trump! New Yorkers with even an ounce of the work of God's law on their hearts (Rom. 2:14-16) must be sick about this thumb-nosing mosque at the site of their city's devastation at the hands of Muslim terrorists. It's obviously gone beyond mere economics for the Marxist Muslims, though; they're single-mindedly, and un-neutrally, committed to their ideology at all costs.

8) Christians should repent of our sins, including our national sins, including for promoting and preaching "neutrality" instead of the crown rights of King Jesus Christ, who is the risen and ascended King of kings, and pray for forgiveness that God would not bring judgment on our nation or "appoint terror" (Lev. 26:15-17) over us through wicked idolators (Dan. 9:13-15).

9) We shouldn't feel sorry for or pity (Deut. 19:13; Deut. 19:21) the Muslims for the "threat" of having some copies of the Koran burned in protest of their murder and approval of murderers and then flaunting the murder with the building of a mosque on the scene of the atrocity. I think it was the WSJ that sympathetically murmured about how "vulnerable" the Muslims feel because of the possibility of a Koran-burning event. Which would make someone really feel vulnerable in reality--a "threat" of your "holy" book being burned in a distant state, or death threats from insane jihadists who know where you live and go to church?

10) This is probably the most courage I've seen U.S. Christians display in quite awhile. I'll be praying for this pastor and congregation in Florida. That God will be with them and give them strength and the wisdom to do the right thing.

Thou shalt not kill. (Ex. 20:13; Deut. 5:17)

My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart. God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors. Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood. He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate. I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high. (Psalm 7:10-17)

For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The LORD shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. (Psalm 37:10-15)

The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. (Prov. 8:13)

They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.(Prov. 28:4)

He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. (Matt. 12:30)

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor. 6:9-11)

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:9-11)

For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. (1 Pet. 3:12-16)

But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. (1 Tim. 1:8-11)

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. (1 Jn. 4:1-3)

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. (Jude 1:3-4)

What I Require in a Gospel Tract in Order to Buy and Distribute It

1. It must be attractive, good design, visually pleasing

"Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;" (Phillipians 1:27)

2. It must give a clear exposition of the gospel, including a discussion of SIN.

All who would be Christians need to hear the bad news before we can be grateful for the good news.

"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." (Romans 3:19)

"The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them."(Matthew 11:5)

"And [Jesus was] saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." (Mark 1:15)

3. It must quote directly from the Bible. No paraphrase "bibles" (The Message, New Living Translation).

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17).

"What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." (Deuteronomy 12:32)

4. It must be God-honoring, portraying God as His word does: as sovereign, good, holy, mighty, faithful, merciful, just and as Creator, Savior, Lord and Judge of all men.

In the modern "church," there is an almost blasphemous portrayal of God as a buddy, someone we are equal terms with. He is portrayed as being made in our image. This is evil, and I would never buy or give out a "gospel tract" that portrayed God that way.

We must be reverent, worshipful, humble and grateful before God, and we must never lie about Who He Is! It is only because of the gracious condescension, mercy and love of God that He allows us to have a relationship with Him in Christ.

God does not fit our (sinful) idea of love and friendship, rather He teaches us what true love and friendship is. He is the Judge of us; we are not the judges of Him!

"I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.

Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him." (Proverbs 30:3-5)

"Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.

Then Job answered the LORD, and said, Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further." (Job 40:1-5)

"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

These things I command you, that ye love one another." (John 15:12-17)

5. It must not say "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life," tell the reader to insert their name into John 3:16, or some similar gimmick.

How do you know? How do you know that if they hear the true gospel, they will believe? It's presumptuous at best and a falsehood at worst.

"For many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14).

6. It must not tell the person how special they are, and that's why God loves them and offers them salvation, or a similar false "self-esteem gospel."

While it's true that every person is made in the image of God and is therefore valuable beyond measure, it's also true that each person is also a depraved, despicable sinner (since the fall, except for Jesus Christ), who is in desperate need of the way the truth and the life, Jesus Christ.

"They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one." (Psalm 14:3)

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinithians 5:21)

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

7. It must not emphasize the person "choosing" or "deciding" to believe in Jesus or "commit his life" to Jesus. Or "choosing" to go to heaven instead of hell.

Faith is neither an intellectual decision nor existential (of an act of the will in the flesh to “create” a reality).

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

8. It must not lead the reader in a "sinner's prayer."

We have enough lost people who think they are Christians because they were: led in a prayer, prayed for, walked down an aisle, baptized, raised in a church, raised in a Christian family, raised in the "Bible Belt," sent to Vacation Bible School (VBS), and all the other ways people are not saved.

"Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." (2 Timothy 2:10)

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)