James Webb Space Telescope
Spots a Question Mark in the Universe – WHAT???
“Great and marvelous are Your works,
O Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true are Your ways….”
Revelation 15
Hi Men:
I pray you had extended time this week reflecting on eternity. After all, that is where you are going to spend FOREVER. In the meantime, let’s reflect again on this most amazing verse:
“But you are a CHOSEN RACE, a royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9)
As I shared this verse with a few guys the other day, I asked them if they believe the 1st part of verse 9, then who are they going to proclaim the 2nd part to? You might want to read the verse a few more times. As a matter of fact, this profound verse should be one of your memory verses……… right? Jesus called us out of darkness into His marvelous light……. Men, those words should drop us to our knees. So who are you going to proclaim to? Right now, everyone wants to talk about the catastrophic fires in Maui. With your unbelieving friends you can even ask them, “By the way, why don’t we say a short prayer for those who have lost loved ones and those who have been displaced in this horrific event?” Trust me, no one will say no to that! Let the Spirit lead you as you pray. Then you can discuss so many things, like how we’re really not in control of anything. Possibly tell them how your life was spinning out of control and how Jesus rescued you. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have the right words….. just step out in faith.
While we’re at it , It might be appropriate to have a short review of God’s sovereignty. Here are just a few points:
The Bible affirms God’s power and authority over all things:
- Nations are under His control (Rev 15:3, Ps 2:1-4; 33:10)
- Nature (Mark 4:41; Ps 135:7; 147:18; 148:8) Who created the winds that hit Maui? God was absolutely in control of Hurricane Dora!
- Satan and evil spirits (Mark 4:10; 2 Cor 12:7-8; Mark 1:27)
- God uses the wicked for His plans (Job 12:6; John 19:11; Gen 45:8; Luke 22:22; Acts 4:27-28
- Hardens hearts (Ex 14-17; Josh 11:20; Rom 9:18)
- Sends trouble and calamity (Judges 9:23; 1 Sam 1:5; 16,14; 2 Sam 24:1; 1 Kings 22:20-23; Is 45:6-7; Is 53:10; Amos 3:6; Ruth 1:20; Eccl 7:14)
- Puts people to death (1 Sam 2:6,25; 2 Sam 12:15; 2 Chron 10:4, 14; Deut 32:39)
- Does what He pleases & His purposes cannot be thwarted (Is 46:9-10; Dan 4:34-35)
- Guides all and works all after the counsel of His will (Prov 16:33; 20:24; 21:2; Jer 10:23; Ps 130:16 Rom 8:28-29; Eph 1:11)
Back to the Maui devastation………. It doesn’t mean we don’t grieve or weep with those that weep, but at the same time, we can give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess 5:18). Only Christians can do this….. enabled by the Spirit that lives in us. Another amazing miracle!
Yesterday a few of us reflected on Revelation 15:1-4. I would encourage all of you to do the same. Do not let you hearts be troubled men…….
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JWST
It’s been a while since I posted a photo from the James Webb Space Telescope. Last month the JWST took the photo above of these two actively forming stars, known as Herbig-Haro 46/47. The most amazing thing about them is the fact that they are only a few thousand years old. Also, they are relatively close, only 1,470 light-years away in the Vela Constellation. By the way, the photo above by the JWST, each pixel = 100 AU (astronomical units). 1 AU = the distance from Earth to the Sun or about 93 million miles. How about that piece of info? HH 46/47 is about 3.1 light-years across (1 light-year is about 6 trillion miles). “Ok Dan, way too much information!.” Now look at the white arrow I put on the photo above………
The cool part…….. while looking at these 2 stars (HH 46/47), they spotted a question mark underneath it. They said it is mysterious and have little information about it. One reason for that, it’s 1.3 billion light-years away! So it’s not directly underneath HH 46/47……. Duh? I got a big kick out of this “Queston Mark Galaxy” because the more the JWST peers into God’s Universe, the more questions they are going to have. Let’s pray these scientists and astrophysicists come to the conclusion that there is an Intelligent Designer and His name is: GOD ALMIGHTY!
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IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD …… and down the street
Last Friday I had to go to Quest and get a blood draw. Before I left I asked God if He might put someone in my path that I can tell about Your Son, Jesus. I get to Quest, check in and sit down. I was about 5th in line. When the first phlebotomist came out to call the first in line, I said to myself, “I sure hope I don’t get that person.” I couldn’t tell if it was a she or a he, bi-sexual or what, thinking that person would be super resistant to the Gospel. Well when my turn came, guess what? THE SAME PERSON!
I enter the room and start talking. I find out she’s a she and quite pleasant. I ask her what brought her to Vegas, how long she has been here, etc, etc. She came from a large family in Ohio, so I figured she might be Catholic. Her name was Cheyenne like in Cheyenne, Wyoming. When she was finishing up, I said I have something for you. I pulled out the Million Dollar Book of John and thumbed through it. She was super receptive. Then I pulled Steps to Peace With God from the back of it and told her it was the Gospel. I gave her a condensed version of my testimony (by the way, she WAS raised Catholic) and asked her if she had heard the term “Born Again.” She had and I said I hated that term until it happened to me! Because of Jesus, my life was completely changed. I gave her a few other items and she was SO EXCITED! She said, “I’m going to read these tonight!” I asked her if I could give her a hug……. And she walked over to me…… it was like a dad hugging his long lost daughter. It was a touching moment.
As I walked out of Quest, I was burdened because of my lack of faith. I repented before the Lord for pre-judging that whole situation. God knew exactly who He wanted me to talk to…….
Broken before the Cross,
Dan
(Galatians 2:20)
Men:
“….. remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(1 Thessalonians 1:3)
Key Points:
- Disciple making is a work of faith
- Disciple making is a labor of love
- Disciple making involves the patience of hope
The Cost of Investing in Others – Part 1 & 2 – Red Book Day 227-228
The purpose of these devotionals is to help you think Biblically
Solomon said, “As a man thinks, so is he”
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)
Please be praying that more men will take charge and not only make new disciples, but disciple his family.
The Most Distorted Verse in the Bible
John 3:16
Men: This is great message from R.C. Sproul
Watch on YouTube (8 minutes)
TOTAL DEPENDENCE ON GOD
Men:
One of Walt’s monthly letters from 2013
Living Waters
“As Ray Comfort is riding through the local college, one of the professors, a Jewish man, stops him to talk with him about Jesus. What happens next is truly moving.”
Men: This exchange between Ray Comfort and this Jewish professor is so tender and encouraging. You will definitely want to watch this 9 minute video. Pass it to your buddies!
Watch on YouTube (9:26 minutes)
REST
Grant me most sweet and loving Jesus, to rest in You:
Above every other creature,
above all health and beauty,
above all glory and honor,
above all power and dignity,
above all knowledge and precise thought,
above all wealth and talent, all joy and exultation,
above all fame and praise,
above all sweetness and consolation,
above all hope and promise,
above all merit and desire,
above all gifts and favors You give and shower upon me,
above all happiness and joy that the mind can understand and feel, and finally,
above all angels and archangels,
above all the hosts of heaven,
above all things visible and invisible and………
above all that is not You, my God.”
—Thomas à Kempis, in The Imitation of Christ
This short 3 minute video by Leonard Ravenhill was profound. Listen to what the Chinese scholar says…….. he had read the Quran and the Vedas and all the sacred books and then he comments on the Scriptures…….
Watch on YouTube (3 minutes)
Will the Cause of Righteousness Be Overthrown?
Sometimes it seems as if the cause of righteousness must be overthrown, as if the cause of evil must triumph in the end. Sometimes we look at the darkness of the world and wonder if and when the light will really break through. This was on the mind of De Witt Talmage in a sermon he preached many years ago and with a powerful image he shows how we need not fear.
Oh, how many good people are affrighted by unbelieving iniquity in our day, and think the Church of Jesus Christ and the cause of righteousness are going to be overthrown.
Do not worry, do not fret, as though iniquity were going to triumph over righteousness.
A lion goes into a cavern to sleep. He lies down, with his shaggy mane covering the paws. Meanwhile the spiders spin a web across the mouth of the cavern, and say, “We have captured him.” Gossamer thread after gossamer thread is spun until the whole front of the cavern is covered with the spiders’ web, and the spiders say, “The lion is done; the lion is fast.”
After a while the lion has got through sleeping; he rouses himself, he shakes his mane, he walks out into the sunlight; he does not even know the spiders’ web is spun, and with his voice he shakes the mountain.
So men come, spinning their sophistries and skepticism about Jesus Christ; he seems to be sleeping. They say, “We have shut up the Lord; he will never come forth again before the nations; Christ is captured, and captured forever.”
But after a while the Lion of the tribe of Judah will rouse himself and come forth to shake mightily the nations. What is a spider’s web to the aroused lion? Give truth and error a fair grapple, and truth will come off victor.
Amazing, Thomas De Witt Talmage wrote this in the mid 1800’s. Men, we don’t have to be too concerned with all the nonsense going on around us. From an eternal standpoint, anything other than the Gospel is a waste of time.
Link to Article: Challies.com/Quotes/Will-The-Cause-Of-Righteousness-Be-Overthrown
