Thoughts From The Pastor’s Study
Tell Me Again! I am Thankful For What?
Have you ever ask that question, or let me rephrase that, Have you ever known someone else that ask that question? I was setting here thinking of a couple of mission trips I made to Honduras. One of them we went to a prison for boys up to 18 years of age, and in that prison we seen a six year old (yes I said a six year old) boy that was in prison for stealing food, he looked like he should have been on some momma’s lap, but he probably did not have one. That was where my wife Rena seen her first street children and was told, no you cannot take them home, some of them very young. We also went to a men’s prison where they were fed twice a day a bowl of black beans and rice, and if your family brought you food they had to bring twice as much because the guards would eat most of it first. We then went to a prison for women. Now the first thing we noticed upon entering was, this prison has kids in it and some of them very young. They have found when the woman goes to prison, the men will not take care of the children, so the children go with mama. In town you could see two policemen outside many businesses one with a shotgun and the other with a machine gun, dead bodies lying in the street, and gun shots at night. So let’s start with the nation we live in when we think of thankfulness, stop complaining because everything is not going our way, or things are not being given to us for free. While we are on this free kick let me give you a quote, hang it on your wall and send it to everyone you know.
“You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that, my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.”
--Dr. Adrian Rogers
I could not find the year of this quote but Dr. Rogers passed away in 2005.
1Timothy 2:1-4 says “Therefore I exhort first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth”.
This says we should be praying for all men (and women) especially for those in
authority, isn’t that odd He did not mention politics. But you might be saying I did not vote for him why should I pray for him, I will give you one real good reason. Because it is God’s word you don’t like it talk to Him about it. We probably should all talking to Him a little more than we do anyway.
Have a great week and remember Jesus Is Lord. You are welcome to email me your thoughts, comments, or send me emails of someone who would like to receive these devotions. Pastor Duane, Labor Of Love Church lolminis@frontier.com
