Christian Reflection and Prayer

(From God's Daily Promises)

Scripture:

The Lord who created you says:
"Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed
you. I have called you by name; you
are mine. When you go through deep
waters and great trouble, I will be with
you."  Isaiah 43:1-2 NLT

Think about this when things get
tough for you.  God Bless You

Two Margarets

Margaret MacLachlan and
Margaret Wilson, Covenanters
in Wigtown, Scotland, were
tried for their faith on April 13,
1865, for refusing to take the
Oath of Abjuration, which
stated that the Church of God
is a department of the State.
Found guilty of rebellion,
attending field meetings, and
worshiping in places other than
a church, they were ordered to
receive their sentences on their
knees. When they refused to bow
before anyone but God, they were
forced down to their knees and then
were sentenced to death by drowning.

On May 11, 1685, the two faithful
Margarets were tied to posts and
staked in the sea as the tide was
rising. The older Margaret (MacLachlan)
was farther out. They were given many
chances to recant their beliefs, but they
stood firm and resolute.

Margaret MacLachlan remained silent,
her eyes closed throughout the ordeal,
communing with Christ until death. As
the tide rose eighteen-year-old Margaret
Wilson began to sing a Covenanter
rendition of Psalm 25:7. Then, she recited
from Romans 8: "We are more than
conquerors through him that loves us.…"

After the waves washed over her head,
the soldiers pulled her out, pleading with
her one last time to "pray for the king!"
She prayed, but her pray was, "Lord, give
him repentance, forgiveness, and salvation,
if it be Thy holy will." The angry soldiers
threw her back into the water, and she joined
Margaret MacLachlan before the throne.

We may never face the rising tide of the sea,
but the deep waters of trouble and loss can
be just as overwhelming. How do you react
when you feel you are about to drown in the
rising tide of your own troubles?

Adapted from The One Year® Book of
Christian History by E. Michael and Sharon
Rusten (Tyndale, 2003), entry for May 11.

Scripture:

15"Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed
is he who stays awake and keeps his
clothes with him, so that he may not go
naked and be shamefully exposed."
Revelation 16:15 (New International Version)

Reflection:

If you throw a frog in a pan of hot water
and it will quickly leap to safety. The
danger is quit obvious. But place the same
frog in a pan of cold water, and slowly raise
the temperature. The frog will not realize
the danger until he is on the verge of being
boiled alive.
It is the same way with the devil.
Christians easily recognize Satan's frontal
assaults, those are not hard to see. But
the devil doesn't usually use frontal assaults.
Satan has very subtle ways of attacking from
the blind side.
C.S. Lewis once said, "The safest road to hell
is the gradual one- gentle slope, without
sudden turnings, without milestones without
signposts."
The best way for Christians to safeguard
against evil is to abide in our Savior Jesus
Christ and remain alert! Please don't let
yourself be deceived, evil is there often
quietly working. The fire is hot and many are
in danger! Remember there is a reward
awaiting those who are alert. WAKE UP
BE ON GUARD!!!!!

Prayer:

Oh Father, when the works of the
devil surround me please make me aware.
Deepen my understanding of the victory
You won on the Cross. Help me to
experience the Cross so that I can face
evil and partake in Your victory. Give me
strength and confidence in You so that
I will overcome evil in my life. In Jesus
Name AMEN!

God was not created for man to enjoy,
but man was created for God to enjoy,
Man is God's richest treasure and must
be restored to Him-not for the sake of
the treasure, but for the sake of the
Owner.
We preach, not because me want God,
but because God wants men. We go
forth with the Gospel not because men
are godless, but because God is manless.
Salvation has not been provided simply that
man might rejoice in heaven, but that
heaven might rejoice in man.
Though the arms of the cross reach
around the world as an expression
of man's opportunity for deliverance from
sin, yet we do not fully understand
Calvary until we have seen it from above.
From that perspective we begin to
realize that missions is not a
response to man's desire for God, but
to God's desire for man.
The "Great Commission" was His
thought, not ours. It grew out of God's
desire to enjoy eternal fellowship with
mankind.
For His sake, let's get on with the job.

Don W. Hillis