First Thoughts -- First Words - Eric Metaxas - From The Moon

From Eric Metaxas...

It's interesting to think that some of the first words ever spoken on the surface of the moon were those of Jesus.

"I am the vine, you are the branches. [Whoever] abides in Me...will bring forth much fruit...(John 15:5)

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin said that he'd intended to read this communion passage in his transmission back to earth, but at the same time, NASA was embroiled in a legal battle with Madalyn O'Hair, the outspoken atheist who was suing NASA because the Apollo 8 crew had read a few scriptures rom Genesis when they orbited the moon on Christmas of 1968.

Aldrin had been asked not to read the scriptures over the radio, and he reluctantly complied, reading them quietly as he gave thanks to God.

"It was interesting for me think," he said some years later, "the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements."

And interesting for us to think that the first symbolic act on the moon was a remembrance of a self-sacrificial act of grace made 2000 years earlier by the One who made the moon and the Earth and the stars.

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Buzz Aldrin had communion on the moon on July 20, 1969, before he and Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon's surface during the Apollo 11 landing. The chalice he used is on display at Webster Presbyterian Church in Webster, Texas.

I am a Christian - What does it mean?

When I say "I am a Christian," I am not shouting that
I live a godly life.

I'm whispering "I was lost, but now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say "I am a Christian," I don't speak of this with pride.

I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not trying to be strong.

I am professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not bragging of success.

I am admitting that I have failed and need God to daily clean my messes.

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not claiming to be perfect.

My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say, "I am a Christian" I still feel the sting of pain. I have my share of heartaches.

So I call upon His Name to comfort me and walk the journey with me.

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not being 'holier than thou.'

I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace and am eternally filled with gratitude and praise.

We do have a choice!

 

If we feel we are being bombarded daily with messages contrary to God's Word (and we are) -- we can choose to bombard ourselves with messages from God's Word -- words that bring us closer to Him!

We can focus on words that fill our minds and hearts with His specific messages for us.

Philippians 4:8 tells us how to do that: "Whatever is true...noble...right...pure...admirable...excellent...praiseworthy...think about those things."

So just as we carefully choose to eat to nourish our bodies, we must also be intentional about what we consume spiritually and mentally.

It's all about our free choice! We must seek out what is noble and right and pure and praiseworthy. We must align our actions with God's righteous standard.

It is our choice. Let's choose to dwell on things that bring us closer to God and experience the abundant life that Christ offers us.

It's our choice -- good choices become good habits!

A sample -- Lamentations 3

"Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning -- great is Your faithfulness."

There are hundreds more -- why not start a journal and write one down every day? Therefore we have hope....

How do I Best Show My Love for My Friends?

 

                                               How Do I Best Show My Love for My Friends?

From John Calvin --

            "Our prayer must not be self-centered.

            It must arise not only because we feel our own need as a burden which we must lay upon God, but also because we are so bound up in love for our fellow men that we feel their need as acutely as our own.

            To make intercession for others is the most powerful and practical way in  which we can express our love for them."

From Alfred Lord Tennyson -- 

(Words from King Arthur as he said goodbye to his friends - from Idylls of the King)

        "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.

        Wherefore, let thy voice rise like a fountain for me night and day.

        For what men are better than sheep and goats that nourish a blind life within                the brain,

        If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer, both for themselves and those                who all them friend?

        For so the whole round earth is every way bound by gold chains about the feet             of God."

      

The Promise of "Remember No More"

What does 'Remember no More' mean?

From Jerry Bridges --

"To remember no more is God's way of expressing absolute forgiveness.

In Hebrews 8:12 (which quotes Jeremiah 31:34) God says, 'For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.'

And again in Hebrews 10:17-18, He says, 'Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.'

Psalm 130:3-4 states the same in a somewhat different way -- "If You, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O LORD, who should stand? But with You there is forgiveness."

It is a rhetorical question -- God does not keep a record, instead, He forgives."

     __ From The Gospel for Real Life

If God did keep a record in His memory, we'd all be in trouble. The really good news is that He doesn't! All our sins -- past,  present, and future are paid for by Jesus --paid in full -- no balance left due -- forever!

And Jesus tells us we should also forgive each other, 'just as God in Christ has forgiven us' (Ephesians 4:32)

....and that raises the bar pretty high!