Saturday, November 21, 2009

Have a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving

When I was a child I always looked forward to Thanksgiving. The turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy and especially the black olives. Do you know how much fun it was to put those black olives on the tips of every finger and eat then off? And all the relatives showing up to visit, some you may not have seen all year. It truly was a wonderful and blessed day.
There was nothing open for business on that day, except for maybe the little corner market for a couple hours in the morning. I remember those Thanksgiving days as being peaceful, loving and a lot of fun. Those days are long gone and the true meaning of Thanksgiving has almost died along with them. Maybe not for everybody but for most. We have been caught up in a fast moving world and we are afraid that if we slow down we will be left behind.
I remember setting the table, sometimes for more or less people that were expected to come. But the thing that I remember the most was that it didn’t matter how many people were to show up for dinner, the head of the table was always set with a beautiful little wine glass, with the top portion of the glass red. This was always set into place by my father for the unseen guest that was to be present at our table. Grace was said before you could hear any utensil bang on a dish and of course that Grace was to give thanks to our unseen guest (God) for his Grace that was bestowed upon us throughout the year. Thanksgiving Days were absolutely beautiful and wonderful.
Times sure have changed in the past 45 years or so. When President Bush gave his official Thanksgiving address in 2007 at the Berkeley Plantation he said “Thanksgiving traditions have evolved”. Evolution as we call and know it is not necessarily for the better. I guess that if you do not believe in God and that his son Jesus was sacrificed for your sins then racing across the sand dunes, plowing through the mud bogs or flying over the waves with a cold turkey sandwich in one hand and a beer or soft drink in the other is for you, and I’m sorry.
In the Bible, from “Leviticus” to “Revelation”, we are to give thanks to our Lord and creator. A couple of my favorites are Psalms 69:30 “I will praise the name of God with song and magnify Him with thanksgiving.” Psalms 100:4 “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.” And Colossians 2:6,7,8 6 “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7 Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Have we forgotten what we have been taught as it states in Colossians 2:7 or have we ever been taught?
Evolution or just plain lazy excuses?

“For as much as it is the indispensable Duty of all Men to adore the superintending Providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with Gratitude their Obligation to him for Benefits received, and to implore such farther Blessings as they stand in Need of: And it having pleased him in his abundant Mercy, not only to continue to us the innumerable Bounties of his common Providence; but also to smile upon us in the Prosecution of a just and necessary War, for the Defense and Establishment of our unalienable Rights and Liberties; particularly in that he hath been pleased, in so great a Measure, to prosper the Means used for the Support of our Troops, and to crown our Arms with most signal success:

It is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive Powers of these UNITED STATES to set apart Thursday, the eighteenth Day of December next, for SOLEMN THANKSGIVING and PRAISE: That at one Time and with one Voice, the good People may express the grateful Feelings of their Hearts, and consecrate themselves to the Service of their Divine Benefactor; and that, together with their sincere Acknowledgments and Offerings, they may join the penitent Confessions of their manifold Sins, whereby they had forfeited every Favor; and their humble and earnest Supplication that it may please GOD through the Merits of JESUS CHRIST, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of Remembrance; That it may please him graciously to afford his Blessing on the Governments of these States respectively, and prosper the public Council of the whole: To inspire our Commanders, both by Land and Sea, and all under them, with that Wisdom and Fortitude which may render them fit Instruments, under the Providence of Almighty GOD, to secure for these United States, the greatest of all human Blessings, INDEPENDENCE and PEACE: That it may please him, to prosper the Trade and Manufactures of the People, and the Labor of the Husbandman, that our Land may yield is Increase: To take Schools and Seminaries of Education, so necessary for cultivating the Principles of true Liberty, Virtue and Piety, under his nurturing Hand; and to prosper the Means of Religion, for the promotion and enlargement of that Kingdom, which consisteth in Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost.

And it is further recommended, That servile Labor, and such Recreation, as, though at other Times innocent, may be unbecoming the Purpose of this Appointment, be omitted on so solemn an Occasion.”

What you have just read was The First National Proclamation of Thanksgiving, given 231 years ago as of this year, 2008, by the Continental Congress, 1777.

There has been Thanksgiving Proclamations sense that continues to acknowledge Almighty GOD. Two names out of the hat would be George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, giving glorious proclamations. And how many more wonderful devotions and inspirationals given by people we will never meet here on earth? Although we are to, and should give Thanks every day to our creator, this one day in November has been set aside for us as one nation for giving Thanks to Almighty GOD as ONE. But it is fast becoming something that it wasn’t meant to be. Yes, it is your choice. Given to you by your ancestors, called Freedom. Bought and paid for by the blood of those ancestors. The same ones that believed and trusted in GOD for all his power, mercy and grace.
I pray that we all have a peaceful, joyful and wonderful, Thanksgiving LIFE.

MGBYAKY
B.C.B. Disciple of God

Monday, November 9, 2009

To my son, Scott

Hi Everybody ....... :)
I happen to be thinking of another inspiration for you all to read and this one immediately jumped out at me. I did not understand why until I read it. Some of these I post for you I haven't read for awhile so I like to read them before I make the post. Anyway, even though I have posted this inspiration for all of you, my heart really goes out to my son Scott at this time because he has shown some wise choices lately on his life with his walk with Jesus and our Father God and I'm sure their chests are puffed out with pride a lot farther than mine could ever reach.
I Love Scott!



Through my mind’s Eye
Inspired by the Holy Spirit
Edited by Jesus Christ

Wisdom

What is Wisdom? The dictionary defines it as; “1. The power of true and right discernment; also, conformity to the course of action dictated by such discernment. 2. Good practical judgment; common sense. 3. A high degree of knowledge.”
Do we really know what Wisdom is and how we obtain it? Some say it comes with age; the older we get the wiser we become. Or a young child, teen or adult that we describe as; wise beyond their years. My father once called me wise when the words I chose to help him over a hump with his #1 son hit home. He is now climbing a mountain trying to understand why I turned down his calling me wise and giving all the credit to the Holy Spirit. At the time I didn’t understand the wisdom I spoke to him, I just knew that the Holy Spirit, on request through prayer, was with me as I wrote.
As I thought about Wisdom the more I wanted to know about it and if I am truly a wise person. I think I fit the definition the dictionary has to offer pretty well. But I still wasn’t satisfied and I started looking in the Bible to see if I fit in the Wisdom Category of our Lord. As I read I learned how our Wisdom is obtained.
When the Lord spoke to Moses in Exodus 31:3 “And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship”, 2 Chronicles 1:11&12 “ Then God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life – but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king – (12) wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like””. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: (8) for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, (9) to another faith by the same Spirit , to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, (10) to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. (11) But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” Colossians 2:1-3 “for I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, (2) that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, (3) in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 4:5&6 “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. (6) Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”
These are just 4 books, 13 verses out of 28 books, 214 verses from the Bible that talk about Wisdom. I have not read them all but the ones that I have read have given me my answer to the definition of Wisdom. It is not something we earn or acquire with age. There is no worldly price for it so we can’t go to the corner market and buy it. It is a GIFT FROM GOD!
So why then don’t we have this Gift of Wisdom 24/7? I think very few people do. I am not one of them, but I know that God will give it to me when I ask, uncertain as to how this fleshly form is going to act or react. When I write I ask the Holy Spirit for help and guide me in the words that I want to put to paper. I now know that the help that I am asking for is in fact, God’s Gift of Wisdom to express my thoughts, my feelings in a manner to honor His Glory, His Wisdom, not mine.
Is it wise to know the ways of the world we live in? Yes! There are far too many things and people out there that would like nothing better to do than take advantage of us. We should take our time and think things through. Clear our heads of what we want to do and ask the Lord for the Wisdom to make the right choice. All too often we jump in with both feet only to sink in up to our necks because we only see what we want to see. It would be more pleasant to walk on the water, hand in hand with Jesus than to drown in a mud puddle.
Thank you Father God for all that you have done, all that you are doing and all that is yet to come. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen

JLU & MGBYAKY
Love to All

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Delayed thought to last post

Hi Everybody again ....... :)
Right as I posted that last blog this came to mind that I believe goes very well with it. Please read them together for a better outlook on a positive concept. Thank you.

What Color is your Blood?

What color is your blood? Is it brown, tan, white, yellow, black or green? I think not! It is RED, just like mine. Just like the blood that Jesus shed for all of us to save us from OUR sins. Then why is it so hard for some of us to see past the surface? If you are green and I am purple, does it matter? What should really matter to us all is that our blood is the same color as the Son of Man. When we get a cut we wash it off and put a band aid on it to stop the bleeding and keep the dirt and germs out of it so it does not ge infected. Did you know that Jesus is the band aid for our souls, a gift of unselfish love and forgiveness from his father and our creator, Lord God Almighty? Jesus was sacrificed to keep all the worldly infectious impurities from infecting our souls but it is up to us to keep that band aid in place.
You ask me why I compare Jesus to a band aid? Because of the principle of the protection that is offered to us. Just as we use a band aid to shield and protect our cut, Jesus is the shield to protect our souls. All that need be done is make sure that he is applied 24/7.

Friday, 21 Sep. 2007 Thank You Lord Jesus. Amen.

Are you Equal or Better??

Hi Everybody ....... :)
I pray that you all are doing well. Here is something I started some time back that I needed to finish and I thought it would be something of interest for you to read and ponder over. It's a subject that still bounces off the inner walls of my head bone every day due to one reason or another. Maybe that's my problem, too many things bouncing around turning the gray matter into jell-o!

What is Equal or Equality?

This is something that has bothered me probably most of my adult life. Is there a true meaning to the term Equal or Equality? Not according to anything I’ve read in the encyclopedias or dictionaries. Equal: “a state of equality.” And under Equality you have: egalitarianism: “the belief that all/some people ought to be treated equally”, equal outcome, equal opportunity, equal treatment, equal before the law, racial equality, sexual equality and social equality. None of which makes anybody equal to another!
Our government says we are entitled to equal opportunity, but because of our social, sexual and or racial equality there is no equal treatment, which does not put us equal before the law, which in turn does not give us an equal outcome!
Where is the overall equality that we seek? It is hard to understand this when we see our own government taking advantage of the position it is in by thinking they are better than the everyday John or Jane Doe on the street. There’s the key word that shames us all, BETTER! There will never be any equality as long as people believe they are better than everyone else. And the government is the worst offender! Why? How? Here are a few examples. 1. Any high ranking official in the government cannot me arrested for a misdemeanor. You and I would be incarcerated on the spot. Equal? 2. The president, after his 4 year term in office is over, still gets his yearly salary and full medical benefits (least we forget about the senators and congressmen/women). The armed services Veteran that puts in their four year term, especially during an armed conflict/war, has to fight for everything they Deserve! Equal? Wasn’t it 90 billion dollars that was approved on for fighting this war on terrorism? And the Army is real proud about this new troop carrier thing that only cost $900K, each! How many billions of dollars were approved on to compensate the families for a lost loved one or to take care of our veterans that have sworn to protect us? Equal?
The only thing that comes close for us being equal to one another is the blood that gives us life. But yet even that does not make us equal because my 0+ can be given to just about anyone else, I cannot receive A, B, AB, (+) or (-), or just about any other type there is. The color of our blood, red, is the only physical thing that makes us equal to one another.
We separate, segregate and categorize according to our social, sexual, racial, moral, political and religious beliefs. We have beaten the 1st and 2nd Amendments to death trying to figure out what would be equal for all, forgetting why they were written in the first place. Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s outdated and should be changed!!
From the beginning of time there has been no equality. We have all been blessed with different talents and that’s the way it should be in order for this world to survive. But we have this crazy idea that we are better than others just because of the knowledge and skills we may poses. The knowledge and skills that I have, are in most cases, different than yours but that doesn’t make me any better than you or you better than me. And yes, that even applies to someone flipping burgers to the President of the United States. Neither one is better than the other. But because society dictates certain guidelines, and the law makers make unfavorable laws between the two positions, it makes equality non-existent. If a government official makes an error in judgment he or she is given the opportunity to resign (depending on how high up they are on the ladder). Why? If we, as the government calls citizens, make the same error in judgment, we are fired on the spot! Equal? Are not all government officials citizens?
What makes anyone better than anyone else? Nothing! It doesn’t matter if you’re black, brown, white, yellow, purple, pink or green – Catholic, Baptist, Protestant, Christian, Jewish, Mormon or even Muslim or Atheist – Republican, Democrat, Independent, or Whatever.
This may be hard for some of you to believe or understand, but we are all Equal in the eyes of God through his mercy and grace, whether you believe or not. What we say and do, act and react while we are here on the face of this earth, will, only in the end be determined if we are finally Equal to one another in Heaven or Hell.
So now, who are you Equal to? And are you really looking for Equality? Or does your ego make you think you’re better than others? We are never as good as we think we are and only half as good as others make us out to be. We are blinded by our own sense of worth to a point of not being respectful of/to others. Just because we don’t have the same beliefs, live in the same neighborhood or watch the same type of JUNK on the TV does not give us the right to be disrespectful to one another. People, by their words and actions have lost my respect for most, but I am NOT disrespectful towards them. Try treating others as you wish to be treated and understand that just because you live in your own little world, so do others live in theirs. Show some respect and treat them as an Equal, even though you like steak and they like hotdogs.
I am I guess, what they call, a practicing Christian. My life falls under the best moral and everyday life standards of laws that have been written and I’m proud to say as much too! My God is your God, even if you don’t believe. And his Son Jesus was sacrificed for all sinners not just a certain few. Every single one of us are equal in God’s eyes, why is it so hard for us to be equal in each others?

Thank you Father God for everything you have done, everything you are doing and everything that is yet to come. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Remember – JLY + MGBYAKY
Love to All
ME