May 18

Morning

“I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.”
Ecclesiastes 10:7

Upstarts frequently usurp the highest places, while the truly great pine in obscurity. This is a riddle in providence whose solution will one day gladden the hearts of the upright; but it is so common a fact, that none of us should murmur if it should fall to our own lot. When our Lord was upon earth, although he is the Prince of the kings of the earth, yet he walked the footpath of weariness and service as the Servant of servants: what wonder is it if his followers, who are princes of the blood, should also be looked down upon as inferior and contemptible persons? The world is upside down, and therefore, the first are last and the last first. See how the servile sons of Satan lord it in the earth! What a high horse they ride! How they lift up their horn on high! Haman is in the court, while Mordecai sits in the gate; David wanders on the mountains, while Saul reigns in state; Elijah is complaining in the cave while Jezebel is boasting in the palace; yet who would wish to take the places of the proud rebels? and who, on the other hand, might not envy the despised saints? When the wheel turns, those who are lowest rise, and the highest sink. Patience, then, believer, eternity will right the wrongs of time.

Let us not fall into the error of letting our passions and carnal appetites ride in triumph, while our nobler powers walk in the dust. Grace must reign as a prince, and make the members of the body instruments of righteousness. The Holy Spirit loves order, and he therefore sets our powers and faculties in due rank and place, giving the highest room to those spiritual faculties which link us with the great King; let us not disturb the divine arrangement, but ask for grace that we may keep under our body and bring it into subjection. We were not new created to allow our passions to rule over us, but that we, as kings, may reign in Christ Jesus over the triple kingdom of spirit, soul, and body, to the glory of God the Father.

Evening

“And he requested for himself that he might die.”
1 Kings 19:4

It was a remarkable thing that the man who was never to die, for whom God had ordained an infinitely better lot, the man who should be carried to heaven in a chariot of fire, and be translated, that he should not see death–should thus pray, “Let me die, I am no better than my fathers.” We have here a memorable proof that God does not always answer prayer in kind, though he always does in effect. He gave Elias something better than that which he asked for, and thus really heard and answered him. Strange was it that the lion-hearted Elijah should be so depressed by Jezebel’s threat as to ask to die, and blessedly kind was it on the part of our heavenly Father that he did not take his desponding servant at his word. There is a limit to the doctrine of the prayer of faith. We are not to expect that God will give us everything we choose to ask for. We know that we sometimes ask, and do not receive, because we ask amiss. If we ask for that which is not promised–if we run counter to the spirit which the Lord would have us cultivate–if we ask contrary to his will, or to the decrees of his providence–if we ask merely for the gratification of our own ease, and without an eye to his glory, we must not expect that we shall receive. Yet, when we ask in faith, nothing doubting, if we receive not the precise thing asked for, we shall receive an equivalent, and more than an equivalent, for it. As one remarks, “If the Lord does not pay in silver, he will in gold; and if he does not pay in gold, he will in diamonds.” If he does not give you precisely what you ask for, he will give you that which is tantamount to it, and that which you will greatly rejoice to receive in lieu thereof. Be then, dear reader, much in prayer, and make this evening a season of earnest intercession, but take heed what you ask.

- Bible Gateway.Com

Ahaziah [Āhazī'ah]—jehovah holds or possesses.

1. A son of Ahab, the Ahaziah of Israel—its eighth king who reigned for only two years. He followed the religious policy of his idolatrous father. He died as the result of a fall from the palace window (1 Kings 22:49, 51; 2 Kings 1:2; 1 Chron. 3:11; 2 Chron. 20:35, 37).

A son of Jehoram or Joram, the Ahaziah of Judah who was Judah’s fifth king, and who reigned for only one year. He is also known as Jehoahaz and Azariah. Since his wife was a daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, it is not to be wondered at that he was a Baal worshiper (2 Kings 8:24-29; 9:16-29; 10:13; 12:18; 13:1; 14:13; 2 Chron. 22).

- Bible Gateway.Com

Forgiveness

“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” Isaiah 43:25

Suggested Further Reading: Acts 8:26-40

There are some passages of scripture which have been more abundantly blessed to the conversion of souls than others. They may be called salvation texts. We may not be able to discover how it is, or why it is, but certainly it is the fact, that some chosen verses have been more used of God to bring men to the cross of Christ than any others in his Word. Certainly they are not more inspired, but I suppose they are more noticeable from their position, from their peculiar phraseology more adapted to catch the eye of the reader, and more suitable to a prevailing spiritual condition. All the stars in the heavens shine very brightly, but only a few attract the eye of the mariner, and direct his course; the reason is this, that those few stars from their peculiar grouping are more readily distinguished, and the eye easily fixes upon them. So I suppose it is with those passages of God’s Word which especially attract attention, and direct the sinner to the cross of Christ. It so happens that this text is one of the chief of them. I have found it, in my experience, to be a most useful one; for out of the hundreds of persons who have come to me to narrate their conversion and experience, I have found a very large proportion who have traced the divine change which has been wrought in their hearts to the hearing of this precious declaration of sovereign mercy read, and the application of it with power to their souls: “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”

For meditation: The texts often quoted by Spurgeon towards the end of his sermons—Mark 16:16; 1 Timothy 1:15. Has God used a particular text to bring you to himself?

Sermon no. 24  -  Charles Spurgeon
19 May (Preached 20 May 1855)

- Bible Gateway.Com

The church—conservative and aggressive

‘The church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.’ 1 Timothy 3:15

Suggested Further Reading: 1 Corinthians 5:9–6:11

I remember a somewhat ludicrous incident which occurred to a church in which there were great quarrellings and bickerings. The minister and the deacons, and the people, were all at arm’s length, and daggers drawn. It was determined at last that the matter should come to a settlement, and it was by mutual consent given up to the judgment of a good Christian farmer, who lived in the neighbourhood. He was to hear the case, and write an answer to be read at the next church meeting. Our friend, the farmer, sat down to write his letter; at the same time he had a letter from a steward or tenant asking advice about his farm, and by a mistake, or rather by a blessed providence as God would have it, he put the wrong letters into the envelopes, so that the letter which was intended for the church went to the steward, and that which was intended for the steward went to the church. At the church meeting, when they were all assembled, this letter was read to the church; it ran thus: ‘Dear friend, mind you see to the hedges well. Keep them up as best you can, and take special care of the old black bull.’ Now that was a most extraordinary letter to write to a church. It had been sent by mistake, but the minister, thinking it was a bona fide piece of advice, said he could not comprehend it. Some brother got up and said it was plain enough; it was meant that they must be very watchful as to whom they should receive into the church. They must keep their hedges up and see there were no gaps. ‘And,’ said he, ‘by ‘the old black bull’ I have no doubt he means that spirit of Satan that would get in and trouble and divide us.’ So understanding it in that sense they made up their difference, repaired their hedges, and were careful of ‘the old black bull.’ Every church must do the same.

For meditation: A church that is badly divided (1 Corinthians 1:10–12; 3:3–4; 6:1,6–8; 11:18–19) is a church that is ignorant of the ways of Satan and badly in need of appropriate instruction about him and his followers ( 1 Corinthians 7:5; 10:20–21; 2 Corinthians 2:11; 11:3–4,14–15).

Sermon no. 393  -  Charles Spurgeon
19 May (1861)

- Bible Gateway.Com

From KHouse.Org

In The News

Multiple Generations Inspired By Nat’l Day of Prayer - May 09, 2012 (The Madisonville Meteor)

Better than 400 people in Madison County turned out for the National Day of Prayer on May 3, and they ranged in age from those just starting out their school careers to some who could likely teach us all a thing or two about faith. More than 30 churches in all gave testament to importance of the day in Madison County with attendance at one of the major events. That feeling of unity provided a blessing that was surely felt by young and old around the area. “As organized as it was, there was a lot of spontaneity and fellowship that is difficult to describe,” Joe Williams, committee chair for the National Day of Prayer event at Bedias Baptist Church, said. “I look forward to it next year, and pray that the Spirit we left it with will continue on until next year.” The theme for the National Day of Prayer this year was “One Nation Under God,” and Madison County represents just one of thousands of communities across America where the faithful gathered May 3 to seek God on behalf of their families, towns, counties, states and nation.

French Economists Unhappy About Hollande - May 09, 2012 (The Wall Street Journal)

The following was signed by 21 French economists ahead of last Sunday’s presidential elections, in which Francois Gerard Georges Hollande beat incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy. The authors attest that they belong to no political party, and the views expressed here are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their institutions. “Francois Hollande and his Socialist friends are a particularly mendacious and destructive sort of demagogue: They are purporting to help us by increasing our minimum wages rather than liberating our energies; they will punish the rich rather than encourage all of us to engage in productive efforts; they say they will spend more to stimulate ‘growth’ - effectively, to buy more consumers - instead of letting us choose the best uses for our own resources. Socialism has never succeeded in its extreme form, communism. As the past several years in Europe have shown, it does not work in its milder form of social democracy either. If European history teaches us anything, it is that prosperity is closely correlated to economic freedom…” [To read the rest, see Title link.]

Blind Chinese Dissident to Study in US - May 09, 2012 (The New York Times)

Hillary Clinton’s intervention ultimately resulted in an arrangement to allow blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng to study at New York University but not to seek asylum, which the Chinese considered an affront. Under terms that have not been disclosed, Mr. Chen is expected to leave the US Embassy in Beijing in days. The outcome, said several officials who recounted the story, reflected a maturing relationship now able to weather a fraught diplomatic entanglement. The officials would discuss diplomatic talks only on the condition of anonymity.

Pro-Life Measures Dropped Chile’s Maternal Mortality Rate - May 09, 2012 (Life News)

A new study conducted on behalf of the Chilean Maternal Mortality Research Initiative (CMMRI) reaffirms that legalized abortion does not reduce the rate of maternal mortality. To the contrary, since Chile enacted a law protecting unborn children in 1989, the maternal mortality rate has dropped significantly. The study included analysis covering 50 years of maternal mortality data (1957-2007) from Chile’s National Institute of Statistics. The analysis found that the most important factor in reducing maternal mortality is the educational level of women. “Educating women enhances women’s ability to access existing health care resources, including skilled attendants for childbirth, and directly leads to a reduction in her risk of dying during pregnancy and childbirth,” according to Dr Elard Koch, epidemiologist and leading author of the study.

Magnetic Bacteria May Build Hard Drives - May 07, 2012 (BBC News)

Magnet-making bacteria may be building biological computers of the future, researchers have said. A team from the UK’s University of Leeds and Japan’s Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology have used microbes that eat iron. As they ingest the iron, the microbes create tiny magnets inside themselves, similar to those in PC hard drives. The research may lead to the creation of much faster hard drives, the team of scientists say. The study appears in the journal Small. As technology progresses and computer components get smaller and smaller, it becomes harder to produce electronics on a nano-scale. So researchers are now turning to nature - and getting microbes involved

Day Protests - May 01, 2012 (Fox News)

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn says he’s making an emergency declaration allowing police to confiscate items that can be used as weapons following violent May Day protests that left storefronts and car windows shattered. Police said officers made at least three arrests after hundreds of people marched through downtown Tuesday afternoon. A 23-year-old man was arrested for vandalism and a 19-year-old man with a knife was also arrested. Protestors dressed in black clothing smashed windows of retail stores and banks, and spray-painted parked cars, reported Q13 FOX News. NikeTown, American Apparel, HSBC, and Wells Fargo were among the businesses protesters vandalized.

Pro-Abortion Groups Mum On China’s Forced Abortions - May 02, 2012 (Life News)

Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng was reportedly pressured to leave the US Embassy in China where he had been seeking refuge and accept a deal struck by the United States and the Chinese government. Chen became a target of Chinese government after repeatedly exposing the forced abortions and forced sterilizations taking place under the One Child Policy. The Chinese government had threatened to kill Chen’s wife and family members if Chen did not vacate the embassy and accept the deal. The case of Chen Guangcheng has sparked international outcry. However, there are some groups in the United States that remain conspicuously silent on the issue. Groups like Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America and NOW, which purport to support women’s rights have remained silent on Chen and his activism on behalf of the women of China faced with the forced abortions of their children.

Father of Benjamin Netanyahu Dead at 102 - April 30, 2012 (Haaretz)

The father of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Benzion Netanyahu, died Monday morning in his Jerusalem home at the age of 102. Benzion Netanyahu was an Israeli historian and professor emeritus at Cornell University and was a Revisionist leader in the Zionist Movement in the United States. He will most likely be remembered for his great influence on the worldview of his son, Benjamin. He believed that the extermination of Jews had not ended and long warned against the threat of Islamic extremism. Please pray for the peace of the Netanyahu family and for the peace of Jerusalem.

China Launches Two Satellites With One Rocket - April 30, 2012 (Ria Novosti)

China successfully launched two satellites into space for its Beidou global navigation and positioning network, Xinhua news agency reported on Monday. The Beidou-2 satellites were lifted into space by a Long March-3B carrier rocket and have entered the scheduled orbit. It is the first time China has launched two navigation satellites, the 12th and 13th of its indigenous global navigation and positioning network, with one rocket.

From Watergate To Redemption: Remembering Chuck Colson - April 24, 2012 (The Washington Post)

After Chuck Colson passed away on Saturday, obituaries naturally remembered him first and foremost as the lawyer and Watergate conspirator who went to jail for obstructing justice. They also noted that, while in prison, he found Christ and dedicated himself to prison ministries. Colson took literally Christ’s command to visit and comfort those in prison, a ministry that middle-class congregations had previously ignored. He got prisons to set aside wings or buildings for inmates who wanted to live in a structured, faith-based environment. He got congregations to see it as part of their mission to partner with prisons and individual inmates, leading prison programming aimed at turning men’s lives around. Most of all, he got law-abiding citizens on the outside to encounter inmates, face to face, not as nameless, faceless threats but as their brothers to be redeemed. And, in doing so, Colson changed the terms of debate.

Miracle ‘Baby Sam’ Found Abandoned On Anthill Now Graduating - April 23, 2012 (The Palm Beach Post)

What look like little more than chickenpox pockmarks on Young’s face are the physical reminders of the way his life began. It was the story that spread across the country: A newborn baby, umbilical cord still attached, left to die in a Martin County orange grove, near an anthill. But his story took an unexpected turn. Found covered in ant bites by a passerby, raised by a Riviera Beach foster family desperate to raise a child, Nick Young - named only Sam when he was rushed to Martin Memorial Medical Center - will walk across the stage as a graduate of Florida A&M on Saturday. Born at 6 pounds, 5 ounces, Baby Sam was six weeks old when he came to live with Carl and Dorothy Young. Dorothy Young looked at the baby with the eyes of a mother. When he was 2, the family adopted him. When it was time to choose a name, the Youngs, practicing Christians, decided on a biblical name. They chose Nicholas Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”

Three West Bank Communities To Be Legalized - April 24, 2012 (Arutz Sheva)

A ministerial team that had been appointed by the government on Sunday announced on Monday that three communities in Judea and Samaria will be legalized. The three communities are Sansana, Rechelim and Bruchin. All three communities were built in the 1990s based on decisions of previous governments. The announcement means the communities will receive a legal status which hadn’t been given to them until now. Some were cautious about the announcement, though. “There is a fear that today’s message regarding the legalization came to prepare the ground to destroy Migron, the Ulpana neighborhood in Beit El and Givat Assaf. Netanyahu must know that no one among those who are faithful to the Land of Israel will buy more of these tricks,” said MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union)

From Jihad Watch.Org

Indonesia: Muslim mob throws stones and bags of urine at Christians at Ascension Day service

May 17, 2012 07:21 pm | Robert

Will the Islamophobia never end? Islamic Tolerance Alert from modern, moderate Indonesia: “Hardliners in Bekasi Throw Stones at Ascension Day Service,” by Camelia Pasandaran for the Jakarta Globe, May 17 (thanks to Twostellas): A mob of Islamic hard-liners threw stones and bags of urine at the HKBP Filadelphia congreagation of…

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Iranian official calls for “Islamic awakening” to destroy Israel

May 17, 2012 07:12 pm | Robert

But of course he doesn’t mean it — we all know that. We know the Israel/Palestinian conflict has nothing to do with Islam. It has to do with land, and a negotiated settlement will soon save the day. Everyone in Washington tells us so, so it must be true, right?…

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UK: Sikhs and Hindus complain about media use of “Asian” to describe Muslims

May 17, 2012 07:00 pm | Robert

These crimes are not race-based, as Hindu and Sikh girls were victimized along with “white” girls. They were religion-based: preying on non-Muslim girls as sex slaves is in accord with Islamic law. But the British press, like the American press completely unwilling to examine the root causes of this kind…

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Israel becomes a target in Egypt’s presidential vote

May 17, 2012 06:54 pm | Robert

I tried to tell you. More Arab Spring Democracy On the March in Egypt: “Israel becomes a target in Egypt’s presidential vote,” by Edmund Blair for Reuters, May 17 (thanks to Voice of the Copts): (Reuters) - Israel has become a punchbag for politicians vying for votes in Egypt’s presidential…

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Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch: “Foreign elements have entered the country and have even started beating the Christians”

May 17, 2012 06:30 pm | Robert

The Melkite Greek Patriarch Gregory III denounces the silence of the Western press on the escalating persecution of Christians in Syria. “Christians are under pressure in Syria, the patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church Gregorios III denounces the silence of the Western Press,” from MFS - The Other News,…

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A turbulent Ascension

May 17, 2012 06:29 pm | Robert

A turbulent ascension Wishing all the Christians around the world who are celebrating the Ascension today a moment of peace in these times of strife and persecution….

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Egypt: Parliament to Discuss Toys that ‘Humiliate Islam’

May 17, 2012 04:36 pm | Raymond

First there was a push to legalize “death-sex,” now there is a push to ban offensive children’s toys, including a toy gun that reportedly “when you shoot, it says ‘shoot Sayyida Aisha,’ wife of Islam’s prophet Muhammad.” Egypt’s new Islamist-dominated parliament continues exposing its priorities for the world to see….

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Saudi Arabia: Child Flogged and ‘Severely Beaten’ by Koran Teacher

May 17, 2012 03:21 pm | Raymond

In Saudi Arabia, it was recently revealed that a 5-year-old boy was “severely beaten” and whipped by his teacher, with “wounds appearing on various parts of his body.” According to Garaa News, it is unknown why the teacher scourged the child, and the teacher’s identity has been withheld to protect…

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AFDI/SIOA, FMU to Host “Summer Night for Human Rights” in Defense of Iranian Pastor Sentenced to Death for Leaving Islam

May 17, 2012 11:01 am | Robert

From Yahoo News: NEW YORK, May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The prominent human rights organization American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) and its Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) program, along with Former Muslims United (FMU) will be hosting the first-ever “Summer Night for Human Rights” Town Hall dedicated to defending…

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Mayo Clinic fires doctor who said female genital mutilation is an “honor” for women

May 17, 2012 10:48 am | Robert

Dr. Hatem Elhagaly, aka Dr. Hatem al-Haj, is a Muslim jurist who has stated this: The ruling on circumcision: Scholars have differed on the ruling on circumcision. They have agreed on its legitimacy for both sexes, but beyond that they have differed. Some–most famously the Shafi’ites–believe that it is obligatory…

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From PJ Media.Com

From Debka.Com

A series of apparently unconnected military movements observed in Middle East seas and skies in the last ten days have a common factor: introduction of the new US Air Sea Battle (ASB) doctrine, which is designed to make the most of tightly coordinated operations by air, land, sea, undersea, space and cyberspace capabilities for defeating those of the enemy.

Monday, May 14, the day that Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal warned Iran not to meddle in the evolving Saudi-Bahraini union, large US Navy and Marine forces put into Jeddah port for first time in 11 years.

Last week, Israel’s Navy and Air Force and their special operations units - Shaldag, Shayetet 13 and 960 Task Force - carried out their largest combined exercise ever in the Mediterranean. It ended with Israeli surface ships and submarines arrayed in a dense defensive line against enemy vessels armed with unconventional weapons approaching the Israeli coast.

The Israeli exercise, which ended May 13, practiced the new American ABS doctrine of simultaneously massing large-scale sea and air strength against Iran on two seas, in this case, the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf. It also drilled operating in unison with their American counterparts under the same doctrine.

DEBKAfile’s military sources report that Washington timed the unveiling of the new battle strategy for May 10, two weeks before the Six Power nuclear talks with Iran resume in Baghdad.

US Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jon Greenert explained that the ASB concept was developed “to defeat A2AD (Anti-Access/Area Denial) strategies such as the closure of the (Hormuz) strait, cyber attack, mines, cruise and ballistic missiles and air defense systems, threats enhanced by technological advancements.”

Our military sources add: The concept is also closely applicable to American tactics for defending the Persian Gulf nations against possible Iranian aggression as the GCC takes its first unification steps to shore up its defenses against that threat.

Adm. Greenert wrote: “There’s been attention recently about closing an international strait using, among other means, mines, fast boats, cruise missiles and mini-subs.”

DEBKAfile: Those are precisely the systems Iran’s Revolutionary Guards hold ready for a decision to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz to international oil traffic.

ABS concepts include “submarines hitting air defense and cruise missiles in support of Air Force bombers: F-22 Air Force stealth fighters taking out enemy cruise missile threats to Navy ships.”

Adm. Greenert was the first senior American commander to put on public record the measures for repelling Iranian cruise missile attacks on US aircraft carriers deployed in the Persian Gulf. He also spelled out the mission for which a squadron of F-22 jets was stationed at the Al Dhafra air base in late April.

DEBKA-Net-Weekly 539 revealed on May 4 that a second squadron was due to land soon in the Gulf region.

On May 16, Adm. Greenert and US Air Force chief Gen. Norton Schwartz are to discuss the ABS in a public event at the Brookings Institute in Washington.

US and Israeli air, sea and special forces have meanwhile begun operating under the new doctrine in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. Monday, the US Amphibious Ready Group, 24th MEU, led by the USS Iwo Jima put into Jeddah, the Saudi Navy’s Red Sea command port, with 2,200 Marines aboard.

It was the first time since the 2001 Gulf War that the Saudis had permitted US naval and air units of this size to anchor in one of their ports and, moreover, allowed American military personnel to show themselves in its streets.

The GCC summit which began in Riyadh on the same day had three key items on its agenda: Iran’s military, political and covert threat to the region’s stability; the Syrian crisis; and unification steps between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to ward off Iranian interference in the Shiite-led unrest.

- Prophecy News Watch