Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

Who else protects the poor and needy
from those who want to rob them?
Psalm 35:10 NLT

As for me, I am poor and needy, but
the Lord is thinking of me right now.
Psalm 40:17 NLT

He will rescue the poor when they
cry to him; he will help the oppressed,
who have no one to defend them.
Psalm 72:12 NLT

Reflection:

"I'll just have to go blind"

A man was having a lot of trouble
with his eyes. His doctor examined
him and recommended the name of
another doctor he should visit, saying,
"I would advise you to go at once and
take plenty of money with you, for it's
going to cost a lot."

The man had eighty dollars in the bank,
so he got his money and went to see
the other doctor. After examining him,
the doctor said, "I never accept less than
five hundred dollars for this particular operation."

"Well, then," said the man, "I guess I'll
just have to go blind, because I have only
eighty dollars."

But the good doctor said, "There is one
other way to solve our trouble. You don't
have enough to pay the bill, and I can't
charge you as little as eighty dollars,
but there is another way open to us—
I will do the operation for nothing."
And that is just what he did.

adapted from a story by Kenneth N. Taylor,
quoted in 1001 Great Stories and Quotes by
R. Kent Hughes (Tyndale House) p 180

Prayer:

Father, in your wisdom you have made
us dependent on one another, and so
we pray for the starving millions in our
world. Give us true repentance for our
greed and selfishness. Empower us to
make amends as best we can. Help us
to find the ways to share so that no one
hungers at the table of life. We ask this t
hrough Christ our Lord. Amen.

(from Our Daily Bread)

Reflection:

Every Memorial Day, we remember those
who have died in the service of their country.
In the United States, a place where such
remembrances carry a deep and emotional
significance is Arlington National Cemetery,
near Washington, DC. Arlington is a serious
place where, due to the passing of aging war
veterans and the ongoing conflicts around
the world, there are currently about 25
military funerals every day.

This is particularly difficult for The Old Guard—
members of the 3rd US Infantry Regiment
who serve at Arlington. It is their task to
bear the bodies of the fallen and honor their
sacrifice. The members of The Old Guard
never forget the price of liberty—for they
are reminded of it every day.

Believers in Christ have been given the
Lord’s Supper as a reminder of what our
freedom from sin cost the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we partake of the bread and the cup,
we fulfill His command to “do this in
remembrance of Me” (1 Cor. 11:24). But in
the sober celebration of the sacrifice of
Christ there is joy. For we need not leave
our remembrances at the Lord’s Table.
Living our lives for the Savior can show the
world that we will never forget the sacrifice
He has made for us.

Prayer:

Thank You, Lord, for dying for me
On the cross of Calvary;
Help me always to remember
What You did to set me free. —Sper

Remembering Christ’s death for us should
cause us to live for Him.

(I have one question to ask on this Memorial
Day.  I ask this question with respect and
with a sense of Hope

How many more people need to die, how
many more children deprived of a father or
mother, before our conflicts are settled and
people can live in peace and security,
while devoting their energy to building better
lives?}
THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO
LIVE AND HAVE DIED SO I CAN
ASK THAT QUESTION.

DEDICATED TO THOSE WHOSE LIVES
FOR THIS COUNTRY

Bible, Isaiah

They shall beat their swords
into plowshares, and their spears
into pruninghooks: nation shall
not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any
more.

John Lennon said:

When we say "War is over if you
want it," we mean that if everyone
demanded peace instead of another
TV set, we'd have peace.

Frederick Moore Vinson (1890-1953) said:

Wars are not acts of God. They are
caused by man, by man-made institutions,
by the way in which man has organized
his society. What man has made, man
can change.
Speech at Arlington National Cemetery
(Memorial Day, 1945) 

LET US CHANGE AND MAKE THIS THE
LAST MEMORIAL DAY