Anyone Need Superman?

This morning God brought Psalms 18 to my mind. A verse that has been a source of strength for many years is Psalm 18:29:

For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down. For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?-- (Psa 18:27-31 ESV)

Sometimes I can relate to David on the run, the one hiding in caves, the one whom all his friends and family have rejected and worse, forgotten. I can imagine those moments of wondering and wandering, not knowing what God is doing and perhaps not doing. We have those moments in our life when the path doesn't seem so clear, and may even seem to be lost.

Why was David the apple of God's eye? Because of his heart. David knew that God saves a humble people. Only when we continue to look upon God will He light our lamp. When the darkness overwhelms us, look to God and wait. Even though your candle is smoldering and appears to be out, still there is a flame waiting to burst forth.

God enables us all to be Superman! For by God we will run through any troop, for by God we will leap over any wall! God's way, no matter how dark it may seem, is always perfect! His truth will always ring true!

Do you want to be Superman? Then humble yourself before God and know Him as LORD! There is no other rock for your life than the LORD God! The only thing which kept David going through all those years of darkness and hiding, was his confidence in God being his ROCK! God was David's shield. God was there every step of the way.

Is your way darkened by trials and difficulties. Is this economy causing you to worry and fret? Humble your heart before Him, take refuge in God as the LORD of your life. He will light your way. He will make you like Superman. His way is perfect.

We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ God, We’re Celebrities and Rock Stars!

News Report of Bible Illuminated

I enjoy relaxing on Mondays, my supposed day off. I like to read the various news feeds I have, and one led me to look into a new Bible which has been recently published. It got my blood boiling just a bit, especially when I heard a lady in this video clip say something like “There is nothing wrong with using people in the media and entertainment world as role models. They do a lot of good!” Sad to say, most people think like her. Why else would we use celebrities and rock stars to sell God and His Word? "Bible Illuminated: The Book" is a new Bible that contains "striking, provocative, contemporary photographs" of world news as well as celebrities such as Angelina Jolie and Bono, according to illuminatedworld.com.

On top of this I was greeted by my favorite sliced and diced celebrity in the Kansas City Star this morning. In a little blurb in the FYI section, Joan Rivers is quoted as saying: “I wish I could say I was a religious person,” she said. “I believe in God, but I also think God dropped you on Earth and said, ‘I’m giving you brains, you can think. I’ve given you all these things now go and do it.’ I don’t believe that God’s looking down on each of us and saying, ‘Oh, Joan has gained 4 pounds, I’m going to let her lose weight today.’ No, he’s saying, ‘I gave you a brain, now get out of my face.’" (Clearly God had nothing to do with your face-that is now totally man-made)

So I wanted to find out, what do Celebrities and Rock Stars (our role models according to some) have to say about God? In fact, since Angelina is featured in “Bible Illuminated”, what does she believe?

When Angelina Jolie was asked “Is there a God?” by “The Onion”, she replied: “Hmm... For some people, I hope so, for them. For the people who believe in it, I hope so. There doesn't need to be a God for me. There's something in people that's spiritual, that's godlike. I don't feel like doing things just because people say things, but I also don't really know if it's better to just not believe in anything, either.”

So Angelina doesn’t need a God! Sounds like a great role model for selling God’s Word!

God According to Celebrities and Rock Stars

Here are just a few more samples of ‘God according to Celebrities and Rock Stars’:

When asked by the Onion “Is there a God?” Trey Anastasio (sings and plays guitar in rock band Phish): “[Pauses.] I should have had a quick, witty answer to that question, but I missed my window. I'll say... I don't know if there's a God.”

Onion: … People look for the solution to life's issues through celebrities and rock stars. (I know that is where I look!-mudpreacher)

Trey Anastasio: That's the most bizarre thing I've ever heard in my life, that anyone would... Did you ever see the episode of The Simpsons where Lisa becomes a vegetarian? She tells Homer about how she met Paul and Linda McCartney, and he says, "Rock stars. Is there anything they don't know?" I think that really sums it up. If there is a God, He's definitely a rock star. (Oh No! Now the Simpson's are the authorities! Are they our role models too?)

Martha Plimpton's (remember Goonies?): God exists, and He lives in all the little salt particles in children's tears all over Africa. (That is so cute, and touching. Imagine, a God of salt! Remember Lot’s wife? Maybe she turned into Martha’s god.)

Two years later the Onion asked some more “stars” (The Onion in 2002):

John Leguizamo (actor): Yeah, but there's not just one God. There's a whole lot of gods, because one God couldn't have possibly made so many mistakes all by Himself. This had to be done by committee. (Now God makes mistakes, and with so many mistakes, he must be a whole bunch of gods.)

Steven Wright: Ahhh... You'll have to ask Jesus. (The mudpreacher actually likes this answer, because Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me)

Chris Matthews (hosts Hardball With Chris Matthews every weeknight on MSNBC) Yes. In 1978, I was in a plane situation, flying in a plane without air pressure. I'd never been in a situation where the air was disappearing from the cabin, where you had to put the mask on, and I was scared to death. I didn't know whether I could get air, and I remember putting on the oxygen mask—scared to death that it wouldn't work—and at that moment, I imagined God. He was a guy with a beard, Jewish probably, although not overly ethnic, from 2,000 years ago. I imagine Jesus as God. That's my only response to that question. (I am so glad to know that God revealed himself to Chris. I am disappointed that he didn’t see for sure that God is Jewish. It makes sense though, since Jesus was Jewish.)

Bill Maher (From a June 07, 2006 article titled Bill Maher takes on Religion in New Documentary in SlashFilm): "I'm not an atheist. There's a really big difference between an atheist and someone who just doesn't believe in religion. Religion to me is a bureaucracy between man and God that I don't need. But I'm not an atheist, no." I believe there's some force. If you want to call it God... I don't believe God is a single parent who writes books. I think that the people who think God wrote a book called The Bible are just childish. Religion is so childish. What they're fighting about in the Middle East, it's so childish. These myths, these silly little stories that they believe in fundamentally, that they take over this little space in Jerusalem where one guy flew up to heaven? No, no, this guy performed a sacrifice here a thousand million years ago. It's like, "Who cares? What does that have to do with spirituality, where you're really trying to get, as a human being and as a soul moving in the universe?" But I do believe in a God, yes." (Excuse me, but I need a translator to figure this comment out)

Jack Nicholson: (1992 interview in Vanity Fair) "I don't believe in God now," but he added that "I can still work up an envy for someone who has a faith. I can see how that could be a deeply soothing experience." (Jack has a soft side after all! Let's pray he softens further until he comes to Jesus!)

Woody Allen: "If it turns out that there is a God, I don't think that he's evil. But the worst that you can say about him is that basically he's an underachiever." (It would be a scary thing to see the world through this man’s eyes) "I do not believe in an afterlife, although I am bringing a change of underwear." (Cute, but a change of underwear won’t help where you are going)

Carrie Fisher: "I love the idea of God, but it's not stylistically in keeping with the way I function. I would describe myself as an enthusiastic agnostic who would be happy to be shown that there is a God. I can see that people who believe in God are happier. My brother is. My dad is, too. But I doubt." as recorded by Jon Winokur, editor, in The Portable Curmudgeon Redux, 1992, p. 302. (Does she mean that God does not go with her shoes?)

Julianne Moore (Actor's Studio December 22, 2002): The host asked (paraphrased) "What would you say to God at the pearly gates?" Moore answered (not paraphrased) "Wow, I was wrong, you really do exist." (Sorry Julianne, but you will never even get close to the pearly gates)

Mira Sorvino: According to an interview in the August 15-17, 1997 issue of USA Weekend, when Sorvino was little girl, she was horrified after learning about the genocide perpetrated by Idi Amin in Uganda in the 1970s. When USA Weekend asked about her reaction to these horrors, Sorvino said, "I couldn't believe a conscientious God would let so many people get killed. These things blew my mind. In a way, I couldn't understand the world." (Boo-Hoo, God gets blamed for so many things that we don’t understand)

Robert Redford (Playboy magazine, November 2007): Problems can't be solved with one way of thinking. If anything is my guide, nature is. That's where my spirituality is. I don't believe in organized religion, because I don't believe people should be organized in how they think, in what they believe. That has never been driven home as hard as with this administration. When somebody thinks God speaks to him, you've got trouble. If God is speaking to the president, he's speaking with a forked tongue, because the behavior of this administration doesn't seem very godlike or spiritual. (Nature speaks the truth and God speaks with a forked tongue…Have you ever read about the serpent and Adam and Eve? I think you have it backward!)

Phyllis Diller (Nov 2001) How does she {Phyllis Diller} visualize the hereafter? "There isn't any, you dingbat!" she replies as she lets out that legendary, raucous laugh: Ahhha... Ha... Ha... Ha... Haaah. This is it, baby! Enjoy, carefully! Religion is such a medieval idea. Don't get me started. I have thought about every facet of religion and I can't buy any of it." She pauses and with a subtle smile continues; "So God made man in His own image? It's just the other way around. Man made God in his own image." (Sad but true, most people make a god that fits their ‘style’, one who goes with their own way of living!)

Cyndi Lauper: God has more important things to worry about than who I sleep with. (I don’t even know how to respond to this)

Ellen DeGeneres: In the beginning there was nothing. God said, 'Let there be light!' And there was light. There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better. (Ellen, is everything a joke to you? Better get all your laughs now, because there will be no stand-up comedy in Hell!)

Jennifer Aniston: I don't have a religion. I believe in a God. I don't know what it looks like but it's MY god. My own interpretation of the supernatural. (Finally an honest celebrity that admits she has made her own god!)

And then there are those who think they are God: Voice Of God Revealed To Be Cheney On Intercom “In a transcript of an intercom exchange recorded in March 2002, a voice positively identified as the vice president's identifies himself as "the Lord thy God" and promotes the invasion of Iraq, as well as the use of torture in prisoner interrogations.” (I believe this was a spoof, but it is very funny. It could explain some things)

I find all of these comments amusing, but unsettling, because so many people do indeed look up to these people as role models. Our society is heavily influenced by the entertainment world. I laugh when I think of what the True Creator God is thinking. He reveals His thoughts to us in Psalms 2. The Message Translation is quite descriptive:

Why the big noise, nations? Why the mean plots, peoples? Earth-leaders push for position, Demagogues and delegates meet for summit talks, The God-deniers, the Messiah-defiers: "Let's get free of God! Cast loose from Messiah!" Heaven-throned God breaks out laughing. At first he's amused at their presumption; Then he gets good and angry. Furiously, he shuts them up: "Don't you know there's a King in Zion? A coronation banquet Is spread for him on the holy summit." Psalms 2:1-6 (MSG)

One day (soon I believe) all the gossip rags will be kindling for those who denied Jesus Christ, and calloused their heart to the truth of their Creator God. They worshipped a god of their own making, and experienced the truth of Romans 1:25-26 (MSG):

“And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us. Oh, yes! Worse followed. Refusing to know God, they soon didn't know how to be human either—women didn't know how to be women, men didn't know how to be men.”

God reveals in Romans 1 the result of making and worshipping your own god-depravity, lack of shame, loss of moral values. Isn’t that everything Hollywood and Rock and Roll stands for? Anything goes-without apology, without shame.

Well, at least I kind of like Bono being pictured in the Bible. In Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas (Riverhead Books), he mentioned his belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Assayas questions that:

Assayas: That's a great idea, no denying it. Such great hope is wonderful, even though it's close to lunacy, in my view. Christ has his rank among the world's great thinkers. But Son of God, isn't that farfetched?

Bono: No, it's not farfetched to me. Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says: No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: "I'm the Messiah." I'm saying: "I am God incarnate." And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet, we can take. You're a bit eccentric. We've had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey, we can handle that. But don't mention the "M" word! Because, you know, we're gonna have to crucify you. And he goes: No, no. I know you're expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah. At this point, everyone starts staring at their shoes, and says: Oh, my God, he's gonna keep saying this. So what you're left with is: either Christ was who He said He was—the Messiah—or a complete nutcase. I mean, we're talking nutcase on the level of Charles Manson. This man was like some of the people we've been talking about earlier. This man was strapping himself to a bomb, and had "King of the Jews" on his head, and, as they were putting him up on the Cross, was going: OK, martyrdom, here we go. Bring on the pain! I can take it. I'm not joking here. The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me, that's farfetched …

Bono, you hit it right on the head. This world is hurtling through space toward a head-on collision with the truth of God Word. That’s why the time has come to heed the warning from God’s Word:

Psalms 2:10-12 (MSG) “So, rebel-kings, use your heads; Upstart-judges, learn your lesson: Worship God in adoring embrace, Celebrate in trembling awe. Kiss Messiah! Your very lives are in danger, you know; His anger is about to explode, But if you make a run for God—you won't regret it!”

Do You Speak "Right" of God?

We have such a “media” view of God!

We see God as this caring, loving merciful God who loves us in spite of our failings (or suings).

I am sure that is not the God of the Bible. One experience bears this out. In Job’s experience is a lesson for all of us ‘Evangelical’ Christians.

As most of us know Job had experienced more loss, more pain and suffering than most of us could imagine. The amazing thing about Job is that even God called him an “upright” man. Still, in a classic game of Heavenly chess, God offered up Job as a pawn to the wily Satan. Satan did everything he could to get Job to turn away from God. He stripped him of his wealth and his beloved family. He sent painful boils to cover his body so that he would be in constant pain and torment. All those people that used to envy and admire Job suddenly abandoned him as “cursed”. God old Satan left him his
bitter wife to torment him with “Why don’t you just curse God and die!” He also left him with three of the worst friends a man could have. Instead of their Bible names I think we should rename them to Doubter, Downer and Drowner. With friends like these we would all commit suicide.

As his friends rattled on and on about what Job should do, someone was listening, someone whom they had no knowledge of, even though they presumed to know Him. After Job makes his astonishing confession which I’ll mention in a moment, God breaks forth with this astonishing warning:

After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer. (Job 42:7-9 ESV)

All the while as they were prattling on and on about God and what Job should do to re-gain His favor, God’s wrath was building and simmering until it was about to reach the boiling point. He warned them that He was about to reward them according to their folly and advised them to offer sacrifices and have Job pray for them. The reason?-They had not spoken RIGHT of God! Why would God accept Job’s prayer and not theirs?-Because Job HAD SPOKEN RIGHT of GOD!

What did Job say that was so ‘right’ of God?

I believe that what Job said immediately before God’s pronouncement was the thing that pleased God’s ears:

Then Job answered the Lord and said: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:1-6 ESV)

Job revealed a couple things that we need to heed and embrace if we are to speak “RIGHT” of God.

First, we should not seek relief from our problems, but should seek to See God through them!

In this fast-paced world the spoils go to the victor. The weak get trampled upon. So most of us want immediate relief from our problems, lest we get left behind. We never want to appear weak. We try to hide our disease, our past. We want immediate medical attention, we want a fast cure, a pill that will fix everything. But God has a different plan. His will is supreme. His work is supreme. He desires that we not just talk about Him, but that WE SEE HIM!

These problems that we face are not opportunities to grow strong or prove how great we are at overcoming obstacles. They should be first and foremost opportunities to SEE GOD! Problems, sickness, disease, loss are NEVER about us, but totally about God! His desire and delight is for us to SEE HIM and therefore KNOW HIM as He really is! We don’t learn about God through TV or Movies. We Don’t even learn about God even through dramatic presentations or wonderful musical presentations. We learn who God is through our PROBLEMS!

Second, When Job Saw God through His problems, He saw a Correct View of Himself!

Job confessed that he had HEARD OF GOD before, but now He SAW God! And when he saw God, he despised himself and all that he was, and repented in dust and ashes. This was righteous Job, the one God boasted of, the one whom no one would think needed to repent. The truth is that when we see God as He really is, not framed by media, we will see ourselves as we really are. Only when we see ourselves as we really are can we speak RIGHTLY of GOD! It doesn’t matter who we think we are. When we really SEE God, we will know what we are. We are nothing compared to Him. We are everything He is not – unrighteous, unholy, unloving. And when we see who we really are…

Third, When We Learn to See God through our Problems, we can speak RIGHT of Him!

Job saw God. Not a media version of a kind, loving deity. He saw Him as totally Holy, Just and Rightoues in all that He does. Even when it brings disaster, loss and pain.“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”[Quoting God's very words (Job 42:3-4), Job humbled himself before the Lord and acknowledged His power and justice in executing His plans (v. 2). Then Job admitted that his words had been wrong and that he had spoken about things he didn't understand (v. 3). Job withdrew his accusations that God was unjust and not treating him fairly. He realized that whatever God does is right and man must accept it by faith.

Job told God, "I can't answer Your questions! All I can do is confess my pride, humble myself, and repent." Until now, Job's knowledge of God had been indirect and impersonal; but that was changed. Job had met God personally and seen himself to be but "dust and ashes" (Job 42:6, Job 2:8,12, Gen 18:27) "The door of repentance opens into the hall of joy," said Charles Spurgeon; and it was true for Job.] (From Bible Exposition Commentary)

Fourth, When we speak RIGHT of God, Our Prayers for Others are Accepted!

One amazing revelation from the testing of Job is the Power of Intercessory Prayer.

Intercessory Prayer is when we take up the burden or plight of another and plead before God for that person. It is what Doubter, Downer and Drowner SHOULD have been doing for Job. It would have been a waste of time, because God would not have accepted their prayers. They had not learned to speak RIGHT of God! And if we can not speak RIGHT of God, how can we speak to God? That is why God told them to hurry up and request Job to pray for them. And the amazing truth revealed is that Intercessory Prayer frees us to be provided for by God.

"And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before." (Job 42:10 ESV)

When life has you beat and things look disastrous, Look to God, See Him, and then Look around at the needs of others. Present them before God, stand in the gap. Be as one who takes their needs into your bosom and carry them before this awesome yet loving God. Plead on their behalf. God will hear your prayers and mete out His justice. At the same time, you will find your needs provided for. In fact, you will be blessed beyond every conceivable imagination. When you have seen the Lord in your problems, you will see His Glory. In fact, the Bible promises “His Glory will be upon you!”

And now dear friends of mine. I beg you not to be unduly alarmed at the fiery ordeals which come to test your faith, as though this were some abnormal experience. You should be glad, because it means that you are called to share Christ's sufferings. One day, when he shows himself in full splendor to men, you will be filled with the most tremendous joy. If you are reproached for being Christ's followers, that is a great privilege, for you can be sure that God's Spirit of glory is resting upon you. But take care that none of your number suffers as a murderer, or a thief, a rogue or a spy! If he suffers as a Christian he has nothing to be ashamed of and may glorify God in Christ's name. (1 Peter 4:12-15 Phillips)

State of the People, not State of the Union

America is Truly a Great Nation

Our President may not be very popular, but he certainly sticks to his guns. He doesn't put his finger to the wind to see which way popular opinion is blowing.

According to his State of the Union Speech, he should be listening to the people, for multiple times he expressed his faith in our ability to govern ourselves and to make the right decision.

"In the work ahead, we must be guided by the philosophy that made our nation great. As Americans, we believe in the power of individuals to determine their destiny and shape the course of history. We believe that the most reliable guide for our country is the collective wisdom of ordinary citizens. And so in all we do, we must trust in the ability of free peoples to make wise decisions, and empower them to improve their lives for their futures."

Does our Government really believe in the ability of free peoples to make wise decisions? If we do, why do we need government to tell us what to do? Why do we need laws? In another excerpt he states:

"Our foreign policy is based on a clear premise: We trust that people, when given the chance, will choose a future of freedom and peace. In the last seven years, we have witnessed stirring moments in the history of liberty. We've seen citizens in Georgia and Ukraine stand up for their right to free and fair elections. We've seen people in Lebanon take to the streets to demand their independence. We've seen Afghans emerge from the tyranny of the Taliban and choose a new president and a new parliament. We've seen jubilant Iraqis holding up ink-stained fingers and celebrating their freedom. These images of liberty have inspired us.

I believe that people prefer freedom and peace, but peace can not be defined by "cessation of hostilities". And freedom for one man may not mean the same as for another man. Witness the 'religion' based conflicts between Sunni's and Shiites. Witness the Taliban in Afghanistan. Witness Muslim activities against Christians around the globe. Our President Continues:

"The strength -- the secret of our strength, the miracle of America, is that our greatness lies not in our government, but in the spirit and determination of our people. When the Federal Convention met in Philadelphia in 1787, our nation was bound by the Articles of Confederation, which began with the words, "We the undersigned delegates." When Governor Morris was asked to draft a preamble to our new Constitution, he offered an important revision and opened with words that changed the course of our nation and the history of the world: "We the people."

By trusting the people, our Founders wagered that a great and noble nation could be built on the liberty that resides in the hearts of all men and women. By trusting the people, succeeding generations transformed our fragile young democracy into the most powerful nation on Earth and a beacon of hope for millions. And so long as we continue to trust the people, our nation will prosper, our liberty will be secure, and the state of our Union will remain strong.

So tonight, with confidence in freedom's power, and trust in the people, let us set forth to do their business. God bless America."

Our Founding fathers had a strong sense of the Divine and His expectations for mankind. They were well acquainted with God's Law and His Word. They held God (Jehovah Elohim) in reverence and respect. The Bible was read in classrooms. Public Prayer was commonplace and even expected. I'm not saying that people were perfect, but I am saying there was a different attitude toward the God of the Bible when this Nation was young.

Today we live in an America wher God is an after thought. Our children are taught to question and to accept all thinking (religious included) as plausible. Standards of righteousness and behavior are being lowered each and every day. Justice no longer reigns in our land. Our courts are centered upon the subjective concept of 'fairness'.

God exclaimed in Psalms 2:

Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Psalms 2:10-12 (ESV)

We should not boast in our people, in our wealth, in our generosity, in our military might. We should boast only in that we know our Creator God. If we trust in man, we will surely be disappointed. There will be no Peace without God. There will be no Freedom until we are freed from our sins through Jesus Christ. Of course, our President could never say that. But returning this Great Nation to a 'Nation Under God' would be a great step.

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23-24 (ESV)

Do You Have an Ebenezer?

God led me to read about the early days of Samuel's ministry in I Samuel (of course). It was a time of transition, from the Judges to the more organized system of Kings. The final nail in the Judges coffin was when the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant. Granted to 21st century man it would seem like a game of 'Capture the Flag', but to Israel it was as though God had been captured and taken from Israel. In fact Eli didn't keel over and break his neck when he learned his sons Hophni and Phineas had been killed. No, he fell over when he heard the Ark had been captured.
Phineas' wife gave birth when she heard the news, and named her boy Ichabod; for she said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured."

We know that God can't be kept in a box covered with gold. God is much greater than even our wildest imaginings. However, we need reminders of God's Power and Glory in our lives. That is why, when the Ark was miraculously returned by God's single-handed dealing with the Philistines, Samuel erected a large stone, probably a pillar, and called it "Ebenezer" - the Stone of Help. The stone was a symbol for God's miraculous help. For Samuel had assembled the Israelites for a time of confession and forsaking false gods. It was a time of returning to God as their God, just as the Ark had been returned. Even while they were offering a sacrifice and crying out before God, the Philistine army advanced upon their assembly. "But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were routed before Israel."
And so an Ebenezer Stone was placed in honor of the occasion.
Do you have an Ebenezer in your home? Do you have an Ebenezer at your place of work?

Is there something you have that when someone asks 'what is it', you can point back to something miraculous or amazing that God did for you?

It may seem overdone, but certainly we should have a cross in our homes. For the cross is a Christian's sign of miraculous help. For on the cross Jesus Christ worked the most powerful miracle this world has ever witnessed.

I believe we should also have a personal 'Ebenezer'. For me it is the letter 'P' from my 1971 Plymouth Duster. It is all I have left from a head on collision with a Semi-Truck and Trailer rig on January 19, 1972. I should have died in the wreck, for my car was demolished in the front and in the back as well when another car rammed into the rear. I can still hear the highway patrolman shaking his head and saying, "Son, I don't know how you can be alive!" I know, God spared me so that I could live for Him! This 'P' is my personal 'Ebenezer' of God's miraculous help.

Do you think it is 'corny' to have objects that remind us of what God has done? Next time you gaze at an American Flag and recite the "Pledge of Allegiance", remember our young men and women who have given their lives so that we can continue to gaze upon that Flag. Next time you sing the "Star Spangled Banner" try to feel the emotions of those soldiers as they saw that the Flag was still waving after a horrible night of warfare. In a very moving movie, "The Last Castle", Robert Redford as General Irwin, gives his life trying to raise that Glorious Flag for the benefit of fellow prisoners in a seemingly God-forsaken military prison.

What symbol did we hurriedly erect after the Twin Towers fell on 9/11? It was the American Flag, followed by a Cross formed from the twisted 'I'-Beams! We need our "Ebenezer's" as a reminder of God's help when we needed it most. So ask yourself again:

"Do I have an Ebenezer in my home?"

A God Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is the one holiday that really isn't spoiled by commercialism, unless you count parades and football games. So far the stores are still closed and the sales don't start till Friday morning at 4:00 am (Kohl's). I suspect that will change in the years ahead. I expect the sales to start at 10 pm Thanksgiving night at some point in the near future. Midnight specials will be the feature soon.

The one thing that most families find hard to do is to make God the central aspect of Thanksgiving.

For the most part He is relegated to a little prayer at the beginning and a "Johnny, what are you thankful for this year?" Maybe someone will thank God, but usually He is forgotten. How do we make Thanksgiving a God Event? I think the key is to follow Nehemiah 8:10.

Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength (stronghold)."

First: Make the day Holy by giving it to Him. Pray with your family at breakfast or when everyone arrives and dedicate the day to God. Address Him as Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides.

Second: Give some food to someone who is less fortunate. Check with the community welfare office to see if there are some families needing assistance. Perhaps there is a local food bank that needs provisions. Check with friends. There are many who need and would appreciate help.

Third: Instead of thanking God for the past, look to Him for the future. Let the JOY of the Lord be your stronghold! Have each of your family commit themselves to bringing pleasure to the Lord this next year. Commit to doing what brings God Joy!

When we bring Joy to God we are in His Stronghold!

Is this how your family has a God Thanksgiving? Watch This Video:

http://www.powerpointbiblelessons.com/ThanksGiving/Thankful_controller.swf