Bishop’s Letter – Ascension Day 14 May 2015 Anno Domini

Ascensiontide Messsage from the Presiding Bishop 

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.  (Matt 28:19-20)

9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.(Acts 1:9-11)

            It is comforting to know the promises of God to be, and remain, with His people were fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. Prior to the Advent of Christ, the Holy Ghost was given discreetly to the prophets and other men of God for the purpose of transmitting God’s Word to the people and to utter words of prophecy, comfort, and counsel. However since the coming of Christ, the people of God have not been without the Presence of God among them – either through the bodily ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, or the comforter whom He sent after His Ascension. It is in that way that the Lord’s promise to be with us “always, even unto the end of the world” realizes fulfillment.

           As He counseled Peter, James, and John, we must watch and wait prayerfully during His nearness to us in the Garden. But we have the Holy Ghost as God with us at all times. The Holy Ghost is also the emissary of Jesus and, in that sense, the Lord, too, is with us at all times. Unlike Peter, when separated from Christ on the night of His betrayal, we have great courage because we are no longer separated – there is no longer a division of God’s people from God. It is for this reason that the Temple Veil was rent from top to bottom at the moment of Christ’s death – the moment that He paid the full price for our redemption. No longer was an intermediary needed for the people of God to approach the Mercy Seat. Christ is that Mercy Seat!

            In our waiting and watching, we are not to be idly sleeping, but rather searching the fields for the harvest. Our Church has missions all over the world some of which risk their lives daily to be called by the name of Christ. Knowing this, our hearts should be fervent to stand with them. If we will not stand upon God’s Word in a time of plenty and safety, how shall we stand at a time of grave danger and calamity!

            The sands of time fall constantly day by day. Each of us has an hour glass of our lives. We may see the grains at the bottom of the glass, but those at the top are hidden to our view. It is for this reason that we must be ready every day, every hour, and every minute for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in great glory! When the last grain falls in our hour-glass, the world may continue for a time before the Lord returns; but when that last grain falls in YOUR hour-glass, He has just come for you!

            Let us face these wicked times with renewed ardor and commitment. Even is the whole world rots, let us at least be the salt and light that heals and preserves.

In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, AMEN.

Jerry L. Ogles

Presiding Bishop

Anglican Orthodox Worldwide Communion

Devotion on Firsts of the Bible - First Child of Promise, 13 May 2015, Anno Domini

Everything in God's Time, not our time

2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. (Gen 15:2-6)

1 And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. 6 And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. 7 And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age. (Gen 21:1-7)

In old England, a child born illegitimately (legal term, bastard) held no civic rights to vote or hold public office. One such fellow was a man named James Smithson (1765- 1829). He was born to the Duke of Northumberland (but in France to cover the publicity of scandal). He became a noted chemist and mineralogist. Not deeming it expedient to leave his fortune to a country that denied him civic privileges, Smithson left his fortune to the United States as expressed in his will: “"I then bequeath the whole of my property, . . . to the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase & diffusion of knowledge among men.” His generosity to the United States certainly served his stated purpose. What has this to do with our text under study today? Everything!

            Abraham actually bore two sons – Ishmael (by a surrogate wife-servant girl), and Isaac (by his God-given wife, Sarah). God had promised Abraham offspring, but not through any scheme or connivance of human kind, but by His own Promise. You will recall that Sarah, beyond child-bearing age, tried to help the process along by allowing Abraham to have a child by her handmaiden, Hagar, and engendered a world of woe and trouble in the offspring of that child, Ishmael – the father of the Arab nations. God did not consider Ishmael to be the promised heir of Abraham. He had already informed him that he would have offspring so many of which would be as the “stars of heaven.” When God makes a promise, it is no laughing matter (excuse the pun, Sarah). He promised Adam and Eve a Seed that would bruise the head of the Serpent of the Garden. That Promised Seed was the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is pre-figured in Isaac.

           

Abraham was one hundred years of age when Isaac was born, and Sarah was ninety. Who would ever have suspected that these two old folks could have a baby – certainly, Sarah did not think so. She even laughed at God’s promise to give her conception. (Gen 18:12). Sarah was not the only one to laugh: Abraham, too, laughed when told that he and Sarah would have a son:  17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?  (Gen 17:17) God even named the son before he was born as He had done for Ishmael as well.  And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.  (Gen 17:19)

            Only a son born out of the Promise of God could satisfy the claims of the Almighty. So Isaac was considered the only begotten son of Abraham perhaps in the same way that fallen Adam was discounted as the son of God in favor of the Lord Jesus Christ.(Luke 3:38) To show that God looked upon Isaac as the only son of Abraham (according to the Promise), I submit the evidence of the following documentation: 2 And he (God) said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.  (Gen 22:2)

            There are so many ways in which Isaac qualifies as a type of Christ. Let us examine only a few of the many ways Isaac typified Christ:

1.     Christ, like Isaac, was born miraculously in conformance to the Promise of God. Isaac was born to a woman beyond child-bearing years and who could not have born a child without a miraculous intervention of God. Christ was born of the Virgin, but without the natural complicity of man.

2.     Jesus Christ, too, is often referred to as the son of Abraham (figuratively); yet, He was truly the only Begotten Son of God – the Father of all who say, in sincerity and faith, “Our Father, who art in Heaven…” Christ is both the Seed promised to Eve at Eden, and that real Seed promised to Abraham at Mamre.

3.     Ishmael (son of the bondwoman, Hagar) basely abused and mocked Isaac (son of the rightful spouse of Abraham) just as the Jews (the children of the bond-woman, that is of the Law) abused and abased Christ. (see Galatians 4:23-26)

4.     Both Isaac and the Lord Jesus Christ are considered only Begotten Sons of their Fathers. (Abraham & God)

5.     Both Isaac, and the Lord Jesus Christ, were led as lambs to the slaughter. In the case of Isaac, it was merely a test of his faith given by God. God would not demand the sacrifice of any man’s son for the redemption of sins – He would, instead, offer His own Only Begotten Son for that purpose. But the test was to be a lesson to us of the greatness of that sacrifice! (see Gen 22:7-8)

6.     Isaac was offered on the altar without sacrifice. Any sacrifice placed on the altar belongs to God, and God would use Isaac as the means by which His purpose would result in the coming Messiah. Abraham considered Isaac as good as dead during that three day journey to Mt. Moriah (the same upon which the Temple is built). Our Lord was dead in the Garden Tomb for three days – and rose again from that tomb! Both Isaac and our Lord were delivered from death on the THIRD DAY!

7.     Let us consider the spouse of Isaac and of Christ:

a.     The wife for Isaac was searched out by an emissary of his father, Abraham, from among their own kin. God the Father sought out a bride for His only Begotten Son from among those kin of Abraham – that is those who by faith are children of Abraham.

b.    Just as Rebekah abandoned her father and family for her spouse, so does the Christian forsake all to follow the Bridegroom of the Body of Christ (Church).

c.     Rebekah was decked out with precious jewels and embroidery for her bridegroom, Isaac. So will the Bride of Christ enjoy the same tokens and accoutrements? 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.  (Rev 19:6-8)

d.    Rebekah “came to meet Isaac.”  63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. 64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.  (Gen 24:63-64) And in what manner shall the Bride of Christ meet her Bridegroom?  16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thess 4:16-17)


 In my view, these parallels mentioned above are more than striking – they are simply more convincing proofs of the veracity of Holy Scripture. Such intricate nuances of the story line of the Bible could never have occurred over the written text of thousands of years, and by a variety of scribes. My love and admiration for God’s Word is buttressed by every reading of it. There is a first time for everything under the sun.  To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. 9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? (Eccl 3:1-9)


 There is a first time for EVERYTHING – even to acknowledge, without reservation, Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior, Redeemer, and King of your life. Have you done so?

13 May 2015 - Special Prayer Request

Thanksgiving and Continued Healing

Herb McCormick (1st Sergeant, USA Retired and dear friend of Bishop Jerry) had throat cancer surgery on 12 May 2015 at Emory Hospital, Atlanta.  At 86, it was major surgery on Tuesday with little hope of survival.  Herb survived the surgery, which apparently went.  Please give thanks for the medical team paying attention and doing their best and for the good outcome.  Pray also that Herb and her family will be able to let God help them as he recovers. Peggy and her family thank you for your prayers.  Herb, his wife and two daughters give thanks for your prayer and ask you pray for continued healing.

12 May 2015 - Special Prayer Request and Update

Herb McCormick (1st Sergeant, USA Retired and dear friend of Bishop Jerry), has been in intensive care in Emory Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia as a result of a metastasized throat cancer.  He began an extremely complex 12 hour surgical procedure with relatively bad odds.

Bishop Jerry, Herb's wife and two daughters have been with him and were with him this morning at 0500 when he was taken to prepare for the surgery.  He is still in surgery at the 10 hour point, the most serious of the surgery has been completed. They are closing up those areas of the throat which had to be opened for the surgery. His tongue and voice box were completely removed due to metastasis of the cancer. The doctors believed all cancerous tissue was removed.  This is miraculous as Herb has not been able to swallow foods or drink for the past three weeks due to the size of cancer in his throat. Skin grafts are being made to cover the loss of tissue due to surgery.

Surgery is expected to be complete at 1730 CDT, an update will follow.

Herb and his family want to you feel their deepest and warmest gratitude and affection for all who have remembered Herb to the attention of the Lord in prayer. He was quite moved by the thought. He is a courageous Army veteran and was prepared for whatever outcome the Lord dictates.

Our Church is truly a praying church and we all appreciate your prayers of intercession on behalf of our friend and brother.

Bishop Jerry Ogles

Hymn 105 – Look ye Saints, the Sight is Glorious – 12 May 2015, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

 A Hymn for Ascension

9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. 

13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. (Rev 7:9-16)

I do not believe it necessary to point out the evangelical propensities of the author of this wonderful hymn of militant ardor and sentiment. This is another of the hymns, all of which are classical for their biblical meaning and beauty, of the 1940 Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church (a Church now fallen into sheer apostasy). It will be profitable to examine the life of the author of this hymn (pub 1809), the Rev. Thomas Kelly, 1769-1855. More than two hundred years ago, this young man aspired to the Bar of England. Having graduated Trinity College in Dublin, he was admitted to the Bar in London. Soon after, the Holy Ghost sank an anchor and a hook into the heart of Thomas Kelly and drew him into the calling in which God would have him walk. He was an earnest and ardent evangelistic minister having been received in Holy Orders in 1792. Because of his evangelistic preaching, he was inhibited from preaching in Dublin by Archbishop Robert Fowler (Archbishop of Dublin - even then a force at friends with the devil). Eventually, he planted churches in the Free Church.

            Rev. Kelly has been described in the following words by his publisher:

Mr. Kelly was a man of great and varied learning, skilled in the Oriental tongues, and an excellent Bible critic. He was possessed also of musical talent, and composed and published a work that was received with favour, consisting of music adapted to every form of metre in his hymn-book. Naturally of an amiable disposition and thorough in his Christian piety, Mr. Kelly became the friend of good men, and the advocate of every worthy, benevolent, and religious cause. He was admired alike for his zeal and his humility; and his liberality found ample scope in Ireland, especially during the year of famine.

            

It seems a bit amazing that men trained in other professions in former days were more fervent in preaching and demonstrated greater learning in the Bible than those ninety-day wonders we see in our modern pulpits parading as ‘doctors’ of theology or divinity

            The tune used in the 1940 Hymnal is Coronae by William H. Monk (1871).

Look, ye Saints! the Sight is Glorious

Look, ye saints! the sight is glorious:

see the Man of Sorrows now;

from the fight returned victorious,

every knee to him shall bow;

crown him, crown him,

crown him, crown him,

crowns become the Victor's brow.

Crown the Savior! angels, crown him;

rich the trophies Jesus brings;

in the seat of power enthrone him,

while the vault of heaven rings;

crown him, crown him,

crown him, crown him,

crown the Savior King of kings.

Sinners in derision scorned him,

mocking thus the Savior's claim;

saints and angels crowd around him,

own his title, praise his name;

crown him, crown him,

crown him, crown him,

spread abroad the Victor's fame.

Hark, those bursts of acclamation!

hark, those loud triumphant chords!

Jesus takes the highest station;

O what joy the sight affords!

crown him, crown him,

crown him, crown him,

King of kings and Lord of lords!

Our Bible text upon which this hymn is based bares the evangelistic principles of the Gospel. There are not any people, distinguished by racial considerations, that are the people of God; but it is those precious souls who possess, and profess, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who are the People of God and “the called according to His purpose.”

Look, ye saints! the sight is glorious: see the Man of Sorrows now; from the fight returned victorious,
every knee to him shall bow; crown him, crown him, crown him, crown him, crowns become the Victor's brow.  The saints to which this first verse makes reference is not those before whom the Roman Church kneels and begs intercession and indulgent – it is those saints who take up their crosses daily in following the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 4:12, et al.) Truly, if there is any glory to behold, it is that of seeing our Lord beaten, mocked, crucified, and buried; and then, on the third day, burst forth from the tomb with blinding and resplendent light! It is to know that He has conquered death and Hell, and Hell’s favored mentor – the Devil! It is glorious, and WILL be glorious, to behold Him at the Right Hand of the Father soon to return leading the armies of Heaven on a great white Charger. Every knee shall bow at that day, and every tongue shall confess Him as Lord of all - many in jubilance and many more in utter despair! He is not truly given a Crown, but has earned MANY crowns, being King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

Crown the Savior! angels, crown him; rich the trophies Jesus brings; in the seat of power enthrone him, while the vault of heaven rings; crown him, crown him, crown him, crown him, crown the Savior King of kings. We have no power to crown Christ except in our own hearts. He will either be our King and Sovereign, or He shall be our stern Judge and Avenger. The Revelator describes our Savior best with reference to this stanza:  11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. (Rev 19:11-16)

Sinners in derision scorned him, mocking thus the Savior's claim; saints and angels crowd around him,
own his title, praise his name; crown him, crown him, crown him, crown him, spread abroad the Victor's fame. Even those scornful Pharisees and Scribes, the Roman Cohorts, Governor Pontius Pilate, and all such as bear unrepented sin; and all who stood about the cross then, as now, mocking the Lord of Glory, shall KNOW Him as Lord. The saints “own” His title by claiming Him as their Lord, Savior, and King. Those who have rejected Christ either by stubborn disregard of the Holy Ghost, or through willful sinning after knowing Him, shall be relegated to the other lot:  26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.  (Heb 10:26-27) When I was a very small lad of 2 years age during the last days of World War II, I remember the jubilant victory celebration at the announcement of surrender of the German Reich to the Allied Forces. I did not understand what all of that meant, but I remember my mother and older sister dancing, shouting, and singing that “Dad is coming home!” That is the reaction to VICTORY. It is not something that we keep hushed about, but shout and proclaim that victory which all that belong to Christ have in His VICTORY!

Hark, those bursts of acclamation! hark, those loud triumphant chords! Jesus takes the highest station;
 O what joy the sight affords! crown him, crown him, crown him, crown him, King of kings and Lord of lords!  If there are any reading this devotion that remember the victory parades and celebrations of our returning, heroic armies at the conclusion of hostilities and victory in Europe and the Pacific; or the hero’s welcome given General Douglas MacArthur when recalled from Korea by a man half his worth; you will understand that we not only proclaim victory, but we honor and celebrate that victory by whom it comes. In the case of the Christian, that is not less than the Lord Jesus Christ! Our victory celebration in Christ is unlike that victory over an enemy at war. It is a CONTINUAL and CONSTANT celebration. At dawn’s early light, and at the twilight’s last gleaming, we hail and herald that victory we share in Christ as His Church and people. One day soon, it will be in dramatic and awe-inspiring fervor that we shall behold the skies rolled back as a scroll, and the Victorious Christ descending to judge both the quick and the dead.

Have you done so proclaimed your King and Lord, friends?

Fifth Sunday after Easter, commonly called Rogation Sunday, and Mothers Day

The entire AOC Sunday Report is RIGHT HERE!

On Mothers

On this Mother’s Day, it is very easy for us to look back at our mother’s life and think of all the   We like, it is all about our mother and what she did for us.  The pivotal thought seems to be us.  It is not about us, our / us is merely an adjective to describe a particular mother.  For motherhood is about self-sacrifice.  Putting the child’s welfare above that of the mother.

things we like about our mother.

The love of the mother for her children comes with a price; yet the price paid is not without return.   The last words of almost all soldiers who die in battle are either “Mom” or “Jesus.”  There is a lesson all in of itself.

What did your mom chose?  An extra child or an extra home or trailer?  Your schooling, or her vacation without you?  Dental work for you or a new car for her?  Shoes for you or a fancy dress for her?

Jesus commanded us to follow Him, He who put our lives before His.  Who on this earth does this more consistently than mothers?

Saint James tells us in his Epistle, “Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only.” Who on this earth does this more consistently than mothers?

As Christians we need to uphold and recognize the example of sacrifice in motherhood so that we might understand the sacrifice made by God on our behalf in Jesus’ death for our sin.

Bishop Ogles’ Sermon

Bishop Jerry is on travel today visiting a very very sick dear friend Herb McCormick; pray for safe travel for him and God to work through him in Herb.

Sermon – Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action

Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California

Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above. 

We are in the Easter Season which consists of Easter and the following four Sundays, until we get to Rogation Sunday.  This is a time we should work on centering our lives on the central figure in our religion, Jesus Christ.

Consider these words from the Collect:

… by thy holy inspiration we may think those things that are good, and by thy merciful guiding may perform the same …

As we near the Ascension and thus Pentecost and the arrival of the Holy Ghost, we ask for God’s “holy inspiration we may think those things that are good”, that is to say help from the Holy Ghost so we might direct our souls to the things we cannot see as good without His Help.   Once we see them, we need His “merciful guiding may perform the same…”.  After all, what good is it to know what we should do, if we won’t, can’t or don’t do it?

That brings us right to Saint James’ point, we gain our salvation through the freely given gift of Grace by our Lord Jesus Christ.   Once given, it must be accepted.  If we truly accept the gift, it will be evident in our actions.  Our actions should reflect that we are a hearer and a doer of the Word, and not just a hearer only. If you are going to be a Christian, the key is right there – BE.  Being requires action, not just diction.  Many can talk the talk, but will they walk the walk too? Being a Christian requires doing both, which may be very difficult sometimes, but it must be done. It is the only way that we will have salvation, through Christ, but yet we must be with Him, by acting for Him. If you are going to be a Christian, what you say is of little import to what you DO.  Do your actions reflect God’s image or that of the other guy?  Who do you put first?  Pretty basic questions that often we don’t like the answer to. But they must be answered nevertheless, all the same.

We must align our lives to be able to show people that we do follow Christ. There are too many people that claim to be Christians, that are not, because their lives do not reflect their stated belief. We must not let this happen. We must show the truth of John 14:6  “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Without Christs’ guiding light, we are not on the path to holiness and righteousness. We must show this in our lives, by living and breathing His Word, and using His Word to guide us throughout our lives. This is important to our souls for our spiritual health, and as well as our physical health too. We need all the Help of the Holy Ghost to keep us on this path. How do we keep on this path?

We find a lot of help in John’s words, he give us insight into things that none of the other disciples do.  We need help.  We pray for help. Pray for help that we might act, and that is how we keep on the straight, narrow and uphill path.  So, what about prayer?  Let’s start with who do we pray to?

Jesus is pretty clear.  Don’t pray to Him, pray to God.  Feel free to use His Name.  Pray to God in His Name.  In effect, we are CC’ing (Carbon copying, to use an electronic mail (email) term.) Jesus in our prayers. We are not to put Him in the To: line, but the CC line. Not addressing Him directly, but to address God directly with Jesus copied, as it were. He tells us God loves us because we love Jesus.   But, pray to God. I think that not many people have ever understood this part of scripture, as I have heard people pray to Jesus when he is not the correct person to address your prayers to. He specifically tells us to direct the prayers to His Father, who can better help us.

If that is the case, seems like it pretty much rules out praying to Saint Bob, does it not? If we can’t pray to Jesus, why would we be praying to a Saint,, we be praying to a  human, who we may or may not put any trust in. But if we pray to God, we can be certain that he will answer us, and even if we don’t like the answer, we know that is the course we will have to take. It doesn’t matter if we like God’s answer or not, we still have to listen to it, and do it anyway, knowing it will be the right path in the end. We will always have some sort of a struggle with this in our lives, but if we turn to God, He will help us win our struggle.

We have to realize what we truly need and ask that He will open our hearts, minds and souls to His answer, that we might act upon His answer. The critical portion is that we act upon the answer that we are given, to do our best for Him and that our friends, family and coworkers and neighbors might see the light we shine for Him. We must show others not just through our words, but through our actions that we truly belong to Christs’ flock. We must show great love for our fellow man, even to the point of death, through our actions, to reflect Christs’ love for us, that He too loved us even to the point of death.

So, pray to God, ask for what you want in Jesus Name.  He always listens and He always delivers.  The problem for us is that what He delivers is what we need, not necessarily what we want. Our wants and our needs are different, they are almost always never the same. But we should want what we need, and God will help us understand that, if we be a doer and a hearer of His Word. He will always give us what we need, but will we listen to what He wants us to do?

Need and want, they are both four letter words, oft used interchangeably, which do not mean the same thing.

God’s Will is always done, we just don’t understand.  Accept what happens as acceptable, so long as you have done all you can.  In the end, all that counts is where you go when you leave here.  That depends on your actions in following Jesus’ instructions.  If you believe, you are safe.  Now and forever.

Ø  Talk the Talk;

       AND

Ø  Walk the Walk.

It is an uphill trail.  The easy downhill trail does not lead to the summit.

The time is now, not tomorrow.  The time has come, indeed.  How will you ACT?

It is by our actions we are known.

Be of God - Live of God - Act of God

Devotion on Firsts of the Bible - First Mothers, 10 May 2015, Anno Domini

… from God with Love …

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.  (Eph 6:1-3)

"What's past is prologue" according to William Shakespeare from his play The Tempest. The phrase was originally used in The Tempest, Act 2, Scene I. Well, if the past is prologue, then it is parent to the present, and this proves true in the case of parents – fathers and mothers. None of us would be reading this if we did not have parents and, especially, mothers. Throughout history, mothers have had a greater influence on the character, manners, respect, and religious life of the man or woman than any other. Each of us has lessons learned from our mothers hidden away in our memory banks which surface when the need arises – either consciously, or subconsciously. I am no exception to that rule though I would have become a better man if I had heeded my mother’s advice earlier and more conscientiously.

I am thankful to God that I had something growing up that many children in America do not have – a two-parent home in which I, and my siblings, were dearly and sacrificially loved. My father was calm and devoted, and my mother was temperamental and sentimental. Though I owe much of my early religious education to my father, it was my mother who demonstrated her love in so many ways daily as she went about her duties as house-keeper and parent. She taught me about Christian faith by her life. She loved to garden, and she loved to travel and see the mountains and wild flowers. Above all, she loved to sing. She was no professional vocalist, but she knew more hymns and Irish folk songs than I can remember. Sometimes in surprising moments of pleasure, I will recall a line from one of those songs she used to sing merrily about the house: “Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior;” “I Come to the Garden Alone;” “Jesus Keep me Near the Cross;” “Amazing Grace;” and on and on. I also recalled just this morning some of her favorite Irish selections: “O Danny Boy;” “My Wild Irish Rose;” “I’ll Take you Home Again Kathleen;” “I wandered Today by the Mill, Maggie;” and of the “Mountains of the Mourne Sweeping down to the Sea.” I suppose that my own love of the older classics, and dislike of most all forms of modern music, were inherited from my mother’s singing.

Music is just one example of how my mother, and perhaps YOUR mother, has influenced our attitudes and even character. In my early days of military service, we were reminded that “If God wanted us to have a girl friend; He would have issued us one!” But that did not hold true for mothers. Her position is sacrosanct to each of us – even when facing an enemy on the battlefield.

The human baby is different from every other creature known to man. Colts, lambs, chicks, etc. are immediately able, at birth, to get upon their feet and walk, but not so with the baby boy or girl. The human baby is born, not only helpless, but bearing grief and trouble for its caretaker – the mother. It knows no concept of love – only greed. If it realizes a want (in the midst of its being fondled, bathed, dressed, etc), it has no patience to wait. It proclaims its dissatisfaction with wails and screams that will awaken a neighborhood. It cannot lift a finger to help itself, and demands immediate gratification for its every desire.

Where can we find a devoted creature to care for such an unlovely creature? Who will rush to change the dirty and putrid diapers of a screaming little brat? Who will run to its side at every peep? Who will go without meals and sleep in order to care for such a creature? Where will we find a caretaker that will love the child without limits, and never receive a token of love in response? The salary of such a one would be astronomical! But, as often is the case in the nature of our God, there is an exception of grace – mothers. Her love is not unlike the love of God. He first loved us so that we may love Him. He loves with an unconditional love, and so do mothers.

A mother does not fret and worry over a screaming baby believing that she will be rewarded with some great fortune in future years. She does so as an investment of love. Even if the child never returns the mother’s love – God forbid – she will nonetheless love the child as long as her heart continues to beat.

My mother passed away many years ago (on, of all things, Mother’s Day). For several years after, I would often have the urge to pick up the phone and call my mother, but then realize: “That is no longer possible.” But perhaps some who read this devotion still have mother’s that are alive in this life. If so, why not call often enough today that you will have no regrets tomorrow?

Pray often for mothers (and fathers, too) everywhere. It is the mother and father that are the nucleus of the city, state, and nation; and more importantly, the Church itself. By raising God-fearing children, they (and especially mothers) are building the kingdom of Heaven:  Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.  (Mark 10:14-15)

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY and God bless mothers everywhere!