Post by Daniel on Dec 18, 2015 9:15:51 GMT -5
THESE ARE THE DAYS THAT TRY MEN'S SOULS
by Pastor Mike Taylor
12/16/2015
“THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated” Thomas Paine
The opening paragraph was written by Thomas Paine during the beginning of the Revolutionary War. He was calling to arms those who loved freedom and hated tyranny. We have reached a similar junction in the road we now are faced with in this age of technology and the upheaval that it has caused to allow our government to intrude on every portion of our lives,. The problem will only strengthen as the days grow more treacherous and dangerous as we continue this journey to the end of the days of man's rule upon this earth.
We live in a world in which many people if not most, are engulfed with fear and anxiety. Some fear the future; and they’re anxious about what’s going to happen in that future. Others fear the past and they’re anxious about what has happened. And still others fear even the present as anxiety has gripped their souls and they cannot imagine how they can cope with the ugliness of present circumstances in their lives. Thousands of people each day wake up with untold burdens to bear and anxiety with which they must deal with. Are you one of these? Are you bearing secretly a heavy burden? Are you worried about the future? Are you worried about your finances? Do you see your way of life slipping away, your families future, or the present world around you? Do you worry about the world stage with ongoing terrorism, the failing world economy (at home and abroad) and life in general with all its trials? The world is fearful of the rise of Islam with it's indiscriminate attacks on a peaceful people. The world has been rocked lately and are fearful with the latest terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California, or the attack in Paris, France of armed Muslim thugs who kill “infidels” for their false god, Allah and submit to a god that is the antithesis of a loving God found in Christianity. We fear the loss of freedom and the life we have enjoyed up to this point, as our government appears to be stripping away our basic freedoms.
How can a person cope with what's around them, if they are only relying on themselves feeling so vulnerable to an evil ideology, or for that matter, the evil that resides in our own halls of government and enslave us to the concept of a “new world order”? Many would take up arms and create civil unrest, or break away entirely from the USA, as Texas has threatened, but is that the path any of us should take?
Please understand, I feel your pain, as many of those who read this are doing what is required of them in this society. There are those who will not assimilate to the culture of the USA or the rest of the free world. They live in another parallel “dimension” that is governed by hateful beliefs of superiority to other religions and only wish to enslave those who only wish to remain free.
Now look at yourself and what are you trying to do? You may have gone through school, some college, got married, working hard, following what is required to make a living in a peaceful world, but you still are anxious about the future and life in general. You have good reason. How should we respond? The most important question then becomes, “how does God want me to respond to the anxiety in my life?” Thomas Paine wrote the above passage calling on the citizen's physical response to a world ruled by tyranny. I wish to look at how we should respond today, in our time to our world and look at the source of our strength in these troubling times.
Like all the great questions of life, scripture affords us an answer. I've been dealing with Roman's chapter 8 in the last few messages, and now let us go to a promise found in the Old Testament of how we can cope with this world from the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ. I'm talking about the promises found in a most beloved passage found in the Psalms. In Psalm 23, David gives us the example of how we’re supposed to trust in God. Most Christians have put to memory this “pearl” of the Psalms, but never take time to ponder its deep meaning and how it applies to our everyday life. Let us jump back in time, to another time period that was fraught with evil and men that shed blood quite easily. Let us look at the time period from shepherd boy that grew to be a king.
KING DAVID WROTE OF HIS “GOOD SHEPHERD”.
There is a lot of commentary on when David actually wrote this Psalm. This was a time when written that David may have been running from Saul, who was trying to kill him, as most people feel this was the history behind this Psalm. Psalm 23 then provides a model for us. It is one of the many paradigms of truth to be followed though-out our lives that is found in your Bible as we respond to all the difficulties and worries that come our way.
The Psalm has two basic divisions, each one providing part of the answer to our question about worry. The first four verses focus on God as the faithful and good Shepherd of His people. It calls us to trust Him as such. The second section made up of the last two verses, focuses our attention on God as a gracious host, preparing a splendid meal for a guest, and results in our rejoicing over His grace toward us.
continue reading
www.churchofgod-usa.org/1/post/2015/12/these-are-the-days-that-try-mens-souls-part-1.html
by Pastor Mike Taylor
12/16/2015
“THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated” Thomas Paine
The opening paragraph was written by Thomas Paine during the beginning of the Revolutionary War. He was calling to arms those who loved freedom and hated tyranny. We have reached a similar junction in the road we now are faced with in this age of technology and the upheaval that it has caused to allow our government to intrude on every portion of our lives,. The problem will only strengthen as the days grow more treacherous and dangerous as we continue this journey to the end of the days of man's rule upon this earth.
We live in a world in which many people if not most, are engulfed with fear and anxiety. Some fear the future; and they’re anxious about what’s going to happen in that future. Others fear the past and they’re anxious about what has happened. And still others fear even the present as anxiety has gripped their souls and they cannot imagine how they can cope with the ugliness of present circumstances in their lives. Thousands of people each day wake up with untold burdens to bear and anxiety with which they must deal with. Are you one of these? Are you bearing secretly a heavy burden? Are you worried about the future? Are you worried about your finances? Do you see your way of life slipping away, your families future, or the present world around you? Do you worry about the world stage with ongoing terrorism, the failing world economy (at home and abroad) and life in general with all its trials? The world is fearful of the rise of Islam with it's indiscriminate attacks on a peaceful people. The world has been rocked lately and are fearful with the latest terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California, or the attack in Paris, France of armed Muslim thugs who kill “infidels” for their false god, Allah and submit to a god that is the antithesis of a loving God found in Christianity. We fear the loss of freedom and the life we have enjoyed up to this point, as our government appears to be stripping away our basic freedoms.
How can a person cope with what's around them, if they are only relying on themselves feeling so vulnerable to an evil ideology, or for that matter, the evil that resides in our own halls of government and enslave us to the concept of a “new world order”? Many would take up arms and create civil unrest, or break away entirely from the USA, as Texas has threatened, but is that the path any of us should take?
Please understand, I feel your pain, as many of those who read this are doing what is required of them in this society. There are those who will not assimilate to the culture of the USA or the rest of the free world. They live in another parallel “dimension” that is governed by hateful beliefs of superiority to other religions and only wish to enslave those who only wish to remain free.
Now look at yourself and what are you trying to do? You may have gone through school, some college, got married, working hard, following what is required to make a living in a peaceful world, but you still are anxious about the future and life in general. You have good reason. How should we respond? The most important question then becomes, “how does God want me to respond to the anxiety in my life?” Thomas Paine wrote the above passage calling on the citizen's physical response to a world ruled by tyranny. I wish to look at how we should respond today, in our time to our world and look at the source of our strength in these troubling times.
Like all the great questions of life, scripture affords us an answer. I've been dealing with Roman's chapter 8 in the last few messages, and now let us go to a promise found in the Old Testament of how we can cope with this world from the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ. I'm talking about the promises found in a most beloved passage found in the Psalms. In Psalm 23, David gives us the example of how we’re supposed to trust in God. Most Christians have put to memory this “pearl” of the Psalms, but never take time to ponder its deep meaning and how it applies to our everyday life. Let us jump back in time, to another time period that was fraught with evil and men that shed blood quite easily. Let us look at the time period from shepherd boy that grew to be a king.
KING DAVID WROTE OF HIS “GOOD SHEPHERD”.
There is a lot of commentary on when David actually wrote this Psalm. This was a time when written that David may have been running from Saul, who was trying to kill him, as most people feel this was the history behind this Psalm. Psalm 23 then provides a model for us. It is one of the many paradigms of truth to be followed though-out our lives that is found in your Bible as we respond to all the difficulties and worries that come our way.
The Psalm has two basic divisions, each one providing part of the answer to our question about worry. The first four verses focus on God as the faithful and good Shepherd of His people. It calls us to trust Him as such. The second section made up of the last two verses, focuses our attention on God as a gracious host, preparing a splendid meal for a guest, and results in our rejoicing over His grace toward us.
continue reading
www.churchofgod-usa.org/1/post/2015/12/these-are-the-days-that-try-mens-souls-part-1.html