PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION
(October 3, 1863)

It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.

We know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people?

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.

But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.

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Read Psalm 100 and then make a list of all you are thankful for. Then give thanks to the Lord!

(Psalm 100) A Psalm of Thanksgiving. Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! 2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. 3 Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5 For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

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FAMILY

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

FAMILY

(Gen 49:28) All these are the twelve tribes of Israel…And he (Jacob) blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.

Family. The source of our greatest joys and our deepest sorrows. That which fulfills us the most and that which drives us crazy. What we become poor for yet feel the richest with.

God created the family. He brought Adam and Eve together and gave them the commandment to be fruitful and multiply (Gen 1-2). Families would be part of clans and clans would be part of tribes and tribes would make up the nation. Tear down the family and you have removed the foundation of the nation. (Psa 11:3) If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?

Families provide love, nurture, and protection. Where else can you feel safe and just be yourself? Where else can you be encouraged and fortified against the harsh would outside? Learn unconditional love? Acquire the ability to fight and forgive? Where else can you develop your personality and bloom in your inherent giftedness? Grow in your social skills as you interact with family members in preparation for interpersonal relationships in the world? And more important have the context where you may receive Christ as your Savior and develop your moral/spiritual base for life?

Families are also a source of dysfunction. As much as we like to think about how we are related to someone important in history it is more accurate to conclude there are monkeys in our family tree. I am encouraged by a study of the book of Genesis that Abraham’s family was what we would call dysfunctional by today’s label and yet the will of God was still worked out through them even down to the Messiah! Think about how Abraham told Sarah to lie. Think about Jacob stealing his brother’s birthright. Think about Jacob’s twelve sons and what scoundrels some of them were…even selling Joseph to Egypt! Then on down to David who committed adultery and murder. Still the begots went right on down to Jesus the Messiah!

I am so glad the Lord can work through me and my family. I look at those family pictures and typically laugh. Why? Because number one I see the blessing of family and all that represents. And number two because I know that behind those smiles and poses is a fallen family just like Abraham’s of old. I then rest on the grace of God for my life and my family. We aren’t perfect. We have many flaws and failures. But God gets His will done through fallen people! (2 Cor 4:7)
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

So don’t give up on your family. Get mad but then get glad. Make room for error and have a little grace. Love them and pray for them. It all starts and ends with the family when all else fades away. From cradle to coffin there is one constant…FAMILY.

Louie

CONFUSION IS NOT OF GOD

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

CONFUSION IS NOT OF GOD

(1 Cor 14:33) For God is not the author of confusion but of peace…

Have you ever been confused, not knowing what direction to take in life? Do you lack options or are you on option overload? Is your brain weary trying to figure out what in the world God has planned for your future? Well, don’t despair, CONFUSION IS NOT OF GOD! It’s time to let the wind of the Holy Spirit blow away the clouds of confusion so you can see clearly the next step God has for you to take.

Mankind in early history thought they were so smart that they united in building a city and a tower that reached to heaven to worship the heavens. But God came down and saw what the people were doing against His rule of the earth. He then confused their language that no one would be able to understand each other. Could you imagine how as they were passing bricks to one another that all of a sudden they spoke another language? People got frustrated over the confusion. No one knew what was going on because they couldn’t communicate as before. Finally they ceased building the city and were scattered over the face of the earth (Gen 11:1-9). The name of the city was then called Babel which means confusion.

In the apostle Paul’s day the Corinthians were enjoying expressing their spiritual gifts in their services. They particularly enjoyed the gift of prophesy and speaking in tongues. But their services got out of control. People were prophesying at the same time and people didn’t know who to listen to. Others spoke in tongues without interpretation so no one would know what was being said. Everybody was left confused! Paul had to put them in order by saying that those who prophesied should speak one at a time. And those who speak in tongues should only do so if there was someone able to interpret that all may benefit and be edified.

God longs to blow away the confusion from people’s lives and replace it with His peace! If we are walking in a certain direction and it’s nothing but confusing then we must remind ourselves that CONFUSION IF NOT OF GOD. It might be time to slow down and reassess if this is the path God wants us on. It might be the right thing but we are going about it all wrong. Or it might be the wrong road altogether and God wants to redirect us because He has a better and more profitable plan for us. At any rate, I know the peace of God must rule in my heart (Col 3:15). If it doesn’t then I need to seek the Lord and really pray about the situation and be still and wait for His directing (Psa 32:8; 46:10).

This is a lesson I seem to have to relearn constantly. I can’t tell you how many times I have unwittingly landed in the country of confusion and the Lord has to redirect me to where He wants me. I might be all upset at first but that agitation I am feeling inside actually might be the nudging of the Lord. Let His peace reign and remember CONFUSION IS NOT OF GOD!

Louie

WIZARDS, WITCHES, AND THE WORD

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

WIZARDS, WITCHES, AND THE WORD

(Deu 18:10-12) There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD…

In our culture magic has always had its place and influence. Growing up I remember being exposed to magic through the media. Mickey Mouse in the Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Fantasia), The wizard in Wizard of Oz. Samantha in the TV series Bewitched. Nowadays there is the ever so popular Harry Potter series in books and movies. Why all this interest in magic? Is it benign and therefore no bother? Should Christians be concerned? What does the Word of God say?

When Israel was about to enter the Promised Land God warned them that they were not to dabble in magic in its various forms. He even laid out the specifics of what to avoid. He then stated that this is what the former inhabitants were into and that it was an abomination to Him. The law of Moses made sorcery a capital offense: (Exo 22:18) “You shall not permit a sorceress to live. During king Saul’s time mediums and spiritists had to operate under cover for threat of their life. Saul had to hunt one down because he needed guidance and God would not speak to Him because of his sin (1 Sam 28).
So why all the prohibitions about wizards and witches? It’s because God reserves the right to speak to and guide His people. And He does so by His Spirit and through His Word: (Isa 8:19-20) And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

It is interesting that right after God forbids His people from practicing witchcraft that there is a prophecy of Christ: (Deu 18:15) “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear. Then at the Mount of Transfiguration this verse was fulfilled: (Luke 9:35) And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” God was pointing to the fact that we are to look to His Son for the guidance we need. God has sent His Word (the written Word) and God has sent His Son (the living Word) who died and rose again. What more light or power do we need?

Power comes from three sources: God, the devil, and man. God has omnipotent power, Satan limited power, and man has finite power. Why tap into the inferior? (1 Tim 6:15) …He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords. God has all the power you need! (Acts 1:8) But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…

Louie

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HALLOWEEN OR HALLELUJAH - English & Spanish

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

HALLOWEEN OR HALLELUJAH?

(1 Th 5:5) You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

Many Christians have questions regarding Halloween. Should Christians decorate their houses in this theme? Should we send our kids out trick-or-treating? Wow, what a loaded question! But let me give you some things to think about:

- Each Christian must make their own decision on how to celebrate any festive day whether it be Halloween, Christmas, Easter, etc. And we shouldn’t judge each other on this decision. Listen to the apostle Paul on this: One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. (Rom 14:5)

- We must ask ourselves, “Does it glorify God?” Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.(1 Cor 10:31)

- In regards to Halloween, we must keep in mind the scriptural prohibition of any kind of practice (and I might add symbolism) of witchcraft. (Deuteronomy 18:9-14)

- The Bible says we are sons of the light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Jesus is the Light and we are to shine His glory. We are to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of the light. (Romans 13:12)

- Remember we have the Holy Spirit, not the unholy spirit represented in symbols of a devil, a witch, or a ghost. True power is from the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) and we don’t need to be tapping into or even flirting with the power of darkness.

- Christians are into the theme of life, not death. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 6:23)

I hope this helps you to think along the lines of a transformed mind (Romans 12:2). Be led by His Spirit in all you do for yourself and for your children. Ask God for wisdom in all your decisions in regards to your family celebrations and plans. And remember, you are a child of the light!

Louie

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Del Pastor a Las Ovejas

(1 Tess 5:5) porque todos vosotros sois hijos de luz e hijos del día. No somos de la noche ni de las tinieblas.

Muchos cristianos tienen dudas con relación al Halloween. ¿Pueden los cristianos decorar sus casas en esta época? ¿Pueden mandar a sus hijos a pedir dulces? Wow, ¡son preguntas difíciles! Pero dejame darte algunas cosas para meditar:

- Cada cristiano debe tomar sus propias decisiones sobre como celebrar cualquier día festivo, ya sea halloween, Navidad, Pascua, etc. Y no debemos juzgarnos unos a otros en esta decisión. Escucha lo que el apóstol Pablo dijo sobre esto: "Uno juzga que un día es superior a otro, otro juzga iguales todos los días. Cada cual esté plenamente convencido según su propio sentir." (Romanos 14:5)

- Debemos preguntarnos, “¿Glorifica esto a Dios?” Entonces, ya sea que comáis, que bebáis, o que hagáis cualquiera otra cosa, hacedlo todo para la gloria de Dios. (1 Corintios 10:31)

- En cuanto al Halloween, debemos tener en mente las prohibiciones bíblicas en la práctica de (y debo agregar símbolos) de la brujería. (Deuteronomio 18:9-14)

- La Biblia dice que somos hijos de la luz y del día. No somos de las tinieblas o de la noche. Jesús es la Luz y nosotros debemos brillar con Su gloria. Debemos dejar las obras de las tinieblas y ponernos la armadura de la luz. (Romanos 13:12)

- Recuerda tque tenemos al Espíritu Santo, no el espíritu impío representado en los símbolos del diablo, una bruja, o un fantasma. El verdadero poder viene del Espíritu Santo (Hechos 1:8) y no necesitamos estar jugando ni coqueteando con el poder de las tinieblas.

-Los cristianos representan la vida, no la muerte. "Porque la paga del pecado es muerte, pero la dádiva de Dios es vida eterna en Cristo Jesús Señor Nuestro" (Romanos 6:23)

Espero que esto te ayude a pensar como debe hacerlo una mente transformada (Romanos 12:2). Se guiado por Su Espíritu, por bien tuyo y el de tus hijos. Pide sabiduría a Dios en todas tus decisiones en cuanto a las celebraciones y planes de familia. y recuerda, ¡eres un hijo de a luz!

Luis

Translation by Maura Cathey (Gracias Maura!)

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THE GIFT OF HELPS

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

THE GIFT OF HELPS

(1 Cor 12:28) And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.

Have you ever wondered what you spiritual gift was and just never could figure it out? Not one thing came to your mind so you finally resigned yourself to just loving Jesus and helping out wherever you could. Others seemed to know what their gifts were but that was never a luxury for you. You just said the prayer, “Use me, Lord” and went on with your life. Guess what? You probably have the gift of helps!

The gift of helps in the Bible means to lay hold of something and to provide relief or aid. Those with this gift love to serve behind the scenes and become nervous when put out in front of people. They prefer to assist instead of being in charge. They enjoy freeing up others to do what God has called them to do. They would rather take orders than to give orders. They love to give credit and never take credit. This gift is usually accompanied with an attitude of humility and sacrifice and going the extra mile. These people tend to demonstrate a servant attitude, loyalty, attention to detail, and responsiveness to the initiatives of others.

Behind every leader are those with the gift of helps. Leaders are usually overwhelmed by their workload and are very grateful for assistants in the work. They are an answer to prayer! (Mat 9:37-38) Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

In Romans 16 the apostle Paul mentions thirty-five persons by name. Most of these individuals are not named anywhere else in the New Testament. They are the nobodies of this world and they represent the vast majority of the population. But the humble are very important to God. The world’s zeros are in reality God’s heroes! Many of these mentioned by Paul quietly served in the background. Here’s just two: (Rom 16:12) Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, who have labored in the Lord… Have you ever heard of Tryphena and Tryphosa? Sounds like they liked to TRY anything in serving the Lord! Just think of it…they silently assisted behind the scenes but God recorded their names for all of eternity!

I can’t tell you how many times someone has come up to me and said, “Pastor Louie, I don’t really know what my spiritual gift is or what needs to be done around the church. But if you need any help at any time, I am here for you so please let me know.” I just chuckle inside because I recognize the gift of helps in this person! And then I thank God because I know I could not do what I do if it wasn’t for many with this beautiful gift.
“Lord, thank You for those with the gift of helps. Let them know how appreciated they are!”

Louie

SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISM

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISM

In 1844 an itinerant preacher named William Miller predicted the world was to end with the Second Coming (advent) of Christ. Soon the “adventist” movement was born and grew rapidly. But Christ did not appear in 1844 and this resulted in what was called the “Great Disappointment.” But one group insisted the date of their original prediction had been correct and that what had really happened was Christ at that time entered into the Holy of Holies in the Heavenly Sanctuary and began His “Investigative Judgment.” By 1846 the group had adopted the view that the Saturday Sabbath must be observed by Christians.

Seventh Day Adventist early leaders were Joseph Bates, James White, and Ellen G. White. Ellen White came to occupy a particularly central role as her many visions and spiritual leadership convinced her fellow Adventists that she possessed the gift of prophecy. Today the church has a worldwide baptized membership of over 16 million people. It has a missionary presence in over 200 countries and operates numerous schools, hospitals and publishing houses worldwide.

In the past evangelicalism has had a hard time defining Seventh Day Adventism (SDA) because they appear to be both orthodox and heterodox (departure from accepted beliefs) in doctrine. Their orthodoxy includes: Inspiration of the Bible; The Trinity; Deity of Christ; Jesus' sacrifice was vicarious; Jesus rose physically; the literal, visible return of Christ. Some of their main heterodoxy teachings includes:

THE SABBATH: The SDA’s teach that the Sabbath should be observed on the seventh day of the week, specifically, from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. Refutation: Jesus fulfilled the law and our rest is now in the finished work of Christ on the cross. (Mat 11:28) Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (See also Heb 3-4)

HEALTH LAWS: Adventists recommend vegetarianism and expect adherence to the kosher laws in Leviticus 11. Refutation: (Col 2:16-17) So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. (See also Acts 10-11; Romans 14)

SOUL SLEEP: Soul sleep is the teaching that when a person dies, his soul "sleeps" in an unconscious state until the time of the future resurrection. Refutation: (2 Cor 5:8)…to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. (See also Luke 23:43; Phil 1:23)

On a personal note I have had wonderful fellowship with some SDA’s. For five years our church rented from a local SDA church and I had cherished times in Christ with the pastor. My only concern is that each SDA member realize we are under the grace of Christ and not the law! (John 1:17) …the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Louie