Scripture
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
~Romans 16:20, NLT
Quote
Peace is more important than all justice; and peace was not made for the sake of justice, but justice for the sake of peace.
~Martin Luther
I reading the NT, Psalms and Proverbs from the Message. It is a paraphrase and not a translation but I love the way it stimulates my mind. I got a chuckle when I read Romans 16 the other day. In the final part of chapter 16, Paul is urging the Romans to be careful about false teachers. He told them to keep a sharp eye out for those who take bits and pieces of what he had taught and then use these fragments to undermine their faith in Christ. He told them not to give these false teachers an audience because they have no intention of living for Jesus. They’re only in this for what they can get out of it, and aren’t above using pious sweet talk to dupe unsuspecting people. Paul went on to say—I couldn’t be more proud of you!—I want you also to be smart, making sure every “good” thing is the real thing. Don’t be gullible in regard to smooth-talking evil. Stay alert like this, and before you know it the God of peace will come down on Satan with both feet, stomping him into the dirt. Enjoy the best of Jesus! {16:19-20, Message}
You would think the devil would give up: He can’t possibly win but the fact is–He is relentless. The false teachers stay busier than the true teachers. It is for sure and certain, they dominate TV. If they are preaching a Christ without a cross, they are false. If they are feathering their own nest; that is a good sign they cannot be trusted. Kenneth Copeland is worth 760 million dollars, T.D. Jakes 150 million, Pat Robertson 100 million and Joel Osteen 40 million dollars. Sorry folks, but if you have so little sense as to follow these false prophets, they should get your money. It is your fine for being stupid. There is no way a man of God can justify amassing wealth. A hundred million dollars would build a lot of houses in Guatemala. It could also put a lot of Missionaries on the field or translate a lot of bibles. They better enjoy their little hay day, its the only reward they will get.
Makes you wonder: are these guys enjoying their wealth or they enjoying Jesus? You can have the wealth of the entire world; just give me Jesus. Money will not be a comfort when you are dying.
Day 30 of the Covid-19 shut-down. Lawrence County is the place to be: they have only 8 reported cases and it has not changed in 2 weeks. Morgan County is up to 45 but that is not a significant increase. Limestone has 38 but that is only an increase of one over that last week. Hopefully, we will see some restriction lifted soon. A lot of folks are ready to resume life as normal but we have some that are not going to bounce back so quickly. I think they will be avoiding crowds for several months. To do risky or unsafe things is foolish but to live in fear is a form of slavery. I am ready to resume normal activities right now but I don’t speak for everyone.
Gorgeous day yesterday and 75 degrees but when I walked out this morning, I had to go back for a jacket. It is the first time I can remember wanting some heat and humidity. They say that will kill the virus. The sad thing for me, I’ve had all this time at home and I am still behind. I cannot get caught up. Caught up or not, LORD willing, Big Mama and I are headed for the mountains the first chance we get.