Greetings family,
Today/Tonight/Tomorrow or whenever you get this message, I am truly excited, honored and blessed for the past two weeks God has allowed me to experience. I am not trying to bragg by any means, but God is awesome! Beginning with Mother's Day, as some of you may have seen my comments on my mom and my wife; I could not have asked for a better gift. To be able to begin that day with a sermon on the level of emphasis God places on mother's, grandmother and great grandmother's. Our Pastor Lon Solomon, from McLean Bible Church gave an awesome sermon, which I summarized below:
In Phillipians 2:19-22, he spoke on Timothy's character. He went on to explain how 2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15 - Showed how his direct influence derived from grandmother Lois and mother Eunice, who helped Timothy in Godly development. Furthermore, Pastor Lon stated Mother's must make a spiritual impact on their children and those they come in contact with . He followed with four key things mothers must do:
1. Cultivate a child's spiritual life - Isaiah 55:11, Psalm 119:9, 11 (Awana Programs)
2. Place children squarely in God's path
3. Be the most Christ like example you can be - 1Corinthians 11:1 Be committed in your faith
4. Be a prayer warrior James 5:16b - 18; Power of prayer is never greater than when a mother is praying for her children; Acts 6:4 - Apostles gave themselves to prayer.
My week continued with on Monday, May 11, I attended the 2015 RISE Christian Police Conference, in Haymarket, VA, in honor of 2015 Police Week. http://www.virginiaspositivehits.org/events/2015-national-police-week-rise-christian-police-conference/ (Event has passed - background)
I spent a full day of awesome fellowship and praise worship, with a host of brothers and sisters in Christ, who devote their lives everyday to Serve and Protect. With Christ as their priority, it was clear to see that Christ was in the midst of the event. I had never experienced something that amazing amidst my fellow colleagues. In our current society, it is truly difficult to share Christ with others, not only with the public, but your co-workers. Many agencies and departments, have all but outlawed public display of Christianity, but have made it their cause to ensure LGTB month is honored along side, Black and Hispanic American History month. Somehow sexual orientation and political correctness has become the flavor of the month.
Anyway, I learned that when in the midst of chaos, the devil finds a way to distract everyone. Who knew that God's grace would have spread to such a great group of people. Through these people and this event, we had a chance to hear the Word, and understand that each of us had a purpose. Not only to do our jobs as members of the law enforcement community, but to lead our families, co-workers, and those we come in contact with to Christ. We learned how to ask Christ for the ability to spot an opportunity to share and spread the Gospel. We learned that being a good LEO, doesn’t guarantee one a position in heaven.
Specifically we shared a prayer not only for the public servants of cities like, Baltimore, Chicago, New York, and Ferguson, but we prayed for the citizens of these cities. What we truly learned was that in spite of the media hype, social media marketing, and lack of knowledge on the part of the everyday citizens; the problem is and has not been race, sex, or political. The problem is sin, the lack of a relationship with Christ and the lack of families and moral development.
Finally, the final blessing I wanted to share, was during these last few days while dealing with a bout of the flu, my wife and I experienced two wonderful films called "The Ecounter". These are two films, describing different encounters, where several strangers end up together meeting Jesus Christ. I am not going to spoil it for you, but I guarantee that they were two awesome films.
I am sure you are wondering where this is going and how God’s message fits the above story line. What I learned in each of these events was the importance of placing Christ first in your family and that without Him history has shown that societies have fallen and the people have suffered. As example consider the following (Due to the length of these chapters I won't list them in their entirety):
Book: 2 Kings
Verses: Chapter 24 - 25
Author:The Book of 2 Kings does not name its author. The tradition is that the prophet Jeremiah was the author of both 1 and 2 Kings.
Date of Writing:The Book of 2 Kings, along with 1 Kings, was likely written between 560 and 540 B.C.
Purpose of Writing:The Book of 2 Kings is a sequel to the Book of 1 Kings. It continues the story of the kings over the divided kingdom (Israel and Judah.) The Book of 2 Kings concludes with the final overthrow and deportation of the people of Israel and Judah to Assyria and Babylon, respectively.
Key Verses:2 Kings 17:7-8: "All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods and followed the practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced."
Jehoiakims Reign over Judah
1 During Jehoiakims reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked. Jehoiakim was his subject for three years, but then he rebelled against him. 2 The Lord sent against him Babylonian, Syrian, Moabite, and Ammonite raiding bands; he sent them to destroy Judah, as he had warned he would do through his servants the prophets. 3 Just as the Lord had announced, he rejected Judah because of all the sins which Manasseh had committed. 4 Because he killed innocent people and stained Jerusalem with their blood, the Lord was unwilling to forgive them. 5 The rest of the events of Jehoiakims reign and all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 6 He passed away and his son Jehoiachin replaced him as king. 7 The king of Egypt did not march out from his land again, for the king of Babylon conquered all the territory that the king of Egypt had formerly controlled between the Brook of Egypt and the Euphrates River.
Jehoiachins Reign over Judah
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan, from Jerusalem. 9 He did evil in the sight of the Lord as his ancestors had done.
Matthew Henry Commentary: 2 Kings 24: Vs. 1- 7. If Jehoiakim had served the Lord, he had not been servant to Nebuchadnezzar. If he had been content with his servitude, and true to his word, his condition had been no worse; but, rebelling against Babylon, he plunged himself into more trouble. See what need nations have to lament the sins of their fathers, lest they smart for them. Threatenings will be fulfilled as certainly as promises, if the sinner's repentance prevent not. Vs. 8- 20. Jehoiachin reigned but three months, yet long enough to show that he justly smarted for his fathers 'sins, for he trod in their steps. His uncle was entrusted with the government. This Zedekiah was the last of the kings of Judah. Though the judgments of God upon the three kings before him might have warned him, he did that which was evil, like them. When those entrusted with the counsels of a nation act unwisely, and against their true interest, we ought to notice the displeasure of God in it. It is for the sins of a people that God hides from them the things that belong to the public peace. And in fulfilling the secret purposes of his justice, the Lord needs only leave men to the blindness of their own minds, or to the lusts of their own hearts. The gradual approach of Divine judgments affords sinners space for repentance, and believers leisure to prepare for meeting the calamity, while it shows the obstinacy of those who will not forsake their sins.
There are several ways we could approach theses scriptures, from parallels to the current state of the Middle East, the current economic times in Africa, or the current social decay of America. However, I mainly want to focus on the human race as a whole. For centuries we have encountered one failure after another when it comes to maintaining a stable and prosperous society. Since the "Fall of Man", we have been in a rut. Many people disagree with scripture and they feel the Bible is to rigid and has no room for tolerance. I believe tolerance is the wrong word. Based on my understanding of the Word, the Bible emphasizes love, forgiveness, turning away from sin, repentance, Christ's sacrifice on the cross, God’s mercy, and so much more. But, tolerance is not one of them, at least in the worldly sense. This behavior is not new, we continue to repeat our behavior and God is so tired of our mess. If you desire to have a changed life and eternal life with joy, you must accept Christ as your personal Savior. You will have to recognize that people will scoff at you for your decision and persecution is automatically included. But know that you will be changed and your life will be guided by someone who loves you dearly.
Our society has gone through a series of changes. But, if you consider each culture and compare it to the Israelites of the Old Testament. We continue to repeat the same sinful patterns. Even today, we have a vast majority of people who idolize one thing or another, many refuse to believe in God, many boldly express their hatred of God and refusal to believe Christ rose from the dead. Finally, although we have freewill, we have taken it to a degree that is beyond comprehension. We have no respect for authority and education is not part of the planet's future. We must place Christ first, we must acknowledge His grace and mercy.
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