Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News
Newspaper covering Franklin County, Illinois
President Trump continued his criticism of NATO Tuesday before he headed to Europe for a meeting of leaders of the 29-nation alliance Wednesday, trading barbed tweets with European Council President Donald Tusk. The testy exchange was further evidence that the president is right when he says that NATO – created in 1949 – has become obsolete.
Here’s a link to the editorial at FOX News.
Nicknames are nothing new—especially in the city of Antioch during Roman rule. Antioch was known for giving nicknames to people groups. For example, they coined the name Herodians for the followers of Herod and Vitellians for the followers of Vitellius. The people of Antioch used nicknames to mock and show disrespect. The followers of Christ shared their new faith at every opportunity, so they were given the nickname Christians.
For a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch (Acts 11:26).
Being identified with Christ was an honor for the new believers. These new Christians worked hard to be positive reflections of the Christ they served. As modern Christians, we too need to be conscious of how we reflect Christ. A poor representation of Christ can be eternally damaging to those seeking God’s love.
Prayer Suggestion: Lord, help me to properly reflect Your love to the world around me.
By Rick Warren
“God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8 NLT).
Do you want to be one of those people? We don’t talk a lot these days about being pure in heart, but we do use the word integrity. To have integrity does not mean you are perfect, because if it did, none of us would have it!
So, what does it mean to have integrity?
Integrity is wholeness.
A lot of people think of their life like a pie, and the different parts of their life are the pieces of the pie. This slice of the pie is my career. This is my work life. This is my spiritual life. Then this is my family life. That one is my social life. Then over here is my secret life — my compulsions, addictions, and the things nobody else knows about.
If you segment your life like that, you lack integrity, because your life is not a whole. Integrity means you’re the same person with everybody, in your speech, actions, and motives, no matter which part of life you’re dealing with.
Integrity is authenticity.
In ancient Greek culture, actors were referred to as hypocrites because they pretended to be someone else. It’s where we get the word hypocrite.
When you wear masks so that you appear one way in front of some people and another way for others, it shows a lack of authenticity. God wants you to be exactly who he made you to be, no matter who is watching.
Integrity is uncorrupted motivation.
It means you do the right thing, and you do it for the right reason. You have unmixed motivation and pure motives. You’re sincere and straightforward in every area of your life and with all people. You pray to talk to God and not to impress other people.
We’re interested in image, but God is interested in integrity. We’re interested in reputation, but God is interested in character. Reputation is what everybody thinks you are. Integrity is what you really are. Reputation is what you are in public. Integrity is what you are when you’re all alone with God.
“The Lord detests people with crooked hearts, but he delights in those with integrity” (Proverbs 11:20 NLT).
Monday night, President Trump announced Brett Kavanaugh as his nominee to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, who announced his retirement late last month.
Here’s a link to the editorial at FOX News.
By Rick Warren
“If you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you” (1 Peter 4:19 NLT).
The Bible says, “If you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you” (1 Peter 4:19 NLT). The most important thing you can remember when you’ve been treated unfairly is that Jesus is on your side. There is no sin that God judges more harshly, except maybe pride, than that of injustice.
Throughout Scripture, God shows special care for people who are treated unfairly. He is a God of justice. He hears your cry, sees your pain, and knows you were hurt. You didn’t get what you thought you deserved. But God has a plan for your pain.
When you shine the light of God’s love through your circumstances, he can turn your pain into a beautiful picture. He develops your character through it. He makes you stronger. Most importantly, he uses your pain.
You’ll never get an explanation for much of the pain you endure in this life. When you get to heaven, you may understand more about why bad things happened to you. But God does not owe you an explanation for it.
But here’s the good news: You don’t need an explanation. You just need to know that God loves you. He has a plan for you. God will settle the score with whoever hurt you.
God never wastes a hurt. Welcome the light of the Gospel into it and God will use your hurt — the very real injustice that has happened to you — to create a beautiful picture through your life.
| Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. |
| Ephesians 4:29 (Read all of Ephesians 4:29) New International Version |
Travel in space is measured in light years—the time it takes light to travel from one area of the universe to another. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second. There are 31,536,000 seconds in a year. That means light can travel 5,865,696,000,000 miles in one earth year. Scientists estimate the visible universe to be about 28 billion light years across. And that’s just the part we can see.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is mankind that You are mindful of them, human beings that You care for them? (Psalm 8:3-4).
The next time you feel insignificant or small, remember that you are important to God. The One who created the infinite universe knows your name. The One who crafted the planets and stars hears your prayers and cares for you. That makes you special.
Prayer Suggestion: Lord, thank You for being a God who cares about all people, even me.
W I S D O M
http://devotions4competitors.blogspot.com/2012/07/w-i-s-d-o-m-proverbs-17-as-we-all-know.html
Proverbs 1:7
As we all know, the fundamentals of your sport are the beginning of success. How foolish would it look to compete at your level without knowledge of techniques and training?
In Proverbs chapter 1 and verse 7, the King writes, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Just like the fundamentals of your sport lead to success, the fear of the Lord leads surely to knowledge. Not only knowledge of one’s sport, but knowledge in the larger matters of life.
Fools despise wisdom and discipline, says the proverb. A fool is one who has the ability to learn, but refuses to do so. Fools turn up their noses at understanding and a well-ordered lifestyle. A life under control seems, to them, to be unthinkable.
In today’s competition and through the rest of the season, apply every bit of knowledge you have concerning your sport. Be careful not to despise the coaching staff’s wisdom and discipline, we don’t want to be fools. Most of all pray and ask God’s blessing on your life… a healthy respect for Him is the beginning of real knowledge for all of your life.
In Peter’s day, it was taboo for Jewish people to eat with Gentiles (non-Jewish people). Gentiles ate foods Jewish people were not supposed to eat and took part in activities they weren’t allowed to do. So Jews avoided contact with them whenever possible. They didn’t want to be associated with what might be “unclean.”
He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean” (Acts 10:28).
Peter realized that God offers His love and forgiveness to all people, even people Peter would not have expected.
Christians are often quick to judge people who don’t fit the traditional Christian ideal. As forgiven people ourselves, we should offer the same grace and mercy to others that God has given us. If God doesn’t show favoritism or prejudice, neither should we.
Prayer Suggestion: Lord, help me see past the differences and love others with Your love.
By Rick Warren
“I’m a mess. I’m nothing and have nothing; make something of me. You [God] can do it; you’ve got what it takes” (Psalm 40:17 The Message).
Human injustice throughout the world and in our own communities also shatters any misconception we have that we humans are all basically good. Left to our own devices, we oppress other people, hoard our food, and generally think about ourselves much more than anyone else. It’s as if God looks at the humanity he created and says, “OK, you think you’re basically good. You think human nature is basically unselfish? I’ll step back and let human nature take its course in the world. We’ll show you what happens when God isn’t in the picture.” Want to know what that looks like? Just pick up a newspaper.
What’s true in children and society in general is also true in our lives today. You and I are treated unfairly all the time. But here’s a secret you may not have considered: You treat people unfairly from time to time as well.
Our propensity to treat one another unfairly doesn’t surprise God. In fact, it shows why we need Jesus.
The Bible says, “God is letting the world go on its sinful way so that he can test mankind, and so that men themselves will see that they are no better than beasts” (Ecclesiastes 3:18 TLB).
The reality is, without God in the situation, people are very inhumane to each other. That’s the heart of all the injustice and unfairness in our world — from despotic dictators to crushing poverty to simple injustices in our neighborhoods.
One day God will judge every person on the planet for the injustices they commit against others. Because God is just, there must be consequences for how we treat others.
That means we need mercy. All of us have been unfair with others from time to time. We’re not just the victims of injustice. We’re perpetrators, too.
This unfairness shows us we need Jesus. God wouldn’t have needed to send his Son to die on the cross if people were generally good. The vast injustices in our world make it clear that humans can’t live moral lives on their own.
Next time you’re treated unfairly, let it be a reminder: Every person on this planet, including you, needs Jesus.
