Jesus asked that of Saul; and we ask today,
why oppose Christians who just want to pray?

And why should a book as greatly hailed
as the Bible oftentimes be assailed?

How have the ten commandments done harm
to people from any town, city, or farm?

And why does it cause some to be on edge
simply because “under God” is in a pledge?

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”
A nation is sound when faith in Him is restored.

Why balk at the belief of intelligent design?
The right scientific research and the Bible do align.

Surely, all should see the need to refrain
from torturing the unborn with brutal pain.

Why does abortion become a cause
some fight for–can’t they see its harmful flaws?

The fruit of the womb is God’s “reward;”
that person in the womb is designed by the Lord.

He asked of Saul, and believers ask today…
why keep God’s amazing grace and love away?

Why do some resist a Name so renowned
and One who is coming back, rightly crowned?

The world has heard of His virgin birth–
He is Christ, the King, of incalculable worth.

P. A. Oltrogge

“Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

“As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’

“And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’

“Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'” Acts 9:1-5 NKJV

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” Psalm 33:12 KJV

“The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” Psalm 24:1 KJV

“Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” Psalm 127:3 KJV

“Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.” Revelation 14:14 NKJV

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.

Revelation 19:11-16 NKJV

Reminder: Thanks for remembering to review and declare the archived post of the Prayer Declaration from the Georgia “Flashpoint Live” Meeting

…grateful for God’s gifts…

Father…
Thank you for your merciful grace to your children in every situation…
in our individual lives and over our families, over our own and every nation.  

By grace, anyone can receive the wonderful assurance from you
of eternal life through Jesus Christ and grace for this life, too.

By grace, through faith, we receive, as well, of your promised peace.
From anxious thoughts and from our sins, you’ve given us release.

Where sin has abounded, there abounds your grace to us much more.
Because of the depth of your love, unmerited blessings for us are in store.

P. A. Oltrogge

“But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

“Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

“Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 5:15-21 NKJV

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22-23 RSV

Be blessed to hear encouraging messages and read praise reports at http://www.josephprince.org

Visit http://www.moorelife.org for “101 Things God Said About Healing” and “Thanksgiving Victory.” To hear Keith Moore’s songs, click on “Word Supply,” then, “Music.” Be blessed by any and all of them. If you feel in need of peace, listen to his beautiful songs on the peace of God….

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

I’m so glad to have been born in the wonderful United States–
a country from which came so very many “greats.”

Inventors, teachers, ministers, and those of every profession
found in this blessed country great freedom of expression.

Great national leaders were strategic in guiding the nation
and military “greats” led in many a wartime situation.

And diligent mothers and fathers, who were never well-known,
supported the lives of young Americans until they were grown.

Great farmers have cultivated bountiful crops in America’s fertile soil,
while many people have been blessed by their important toil.

And with scenic lands of “fruited plains” to mountains very high…
the United States is blessed with beauty from rivers to the sky.

But what has made it greatest has been its foundation in the Lord…
and our fervent prayer is that its faith in Him will be fully restored.

May all of America find in the Bible its truth that sets men free…
Jesus Christ is our needed Savior and Lord…and true source of liberty!

P. A. Oltrogge

“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
2 Corinthians 3:17 NKJV

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” words of Jesus in John 10:10 NKJV

“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’” John 8:31-32 NKJV

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36 NKJV

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” spoken by Jesus in Luke 4:18-19 KJV

“This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.” 1 John 3:23 NKJV

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!” Psalm 133:1
NASB

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” …From the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee…
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

…written of Joseph and Mary, and of Jesus, after His birth:

“So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” Luke 2:39-40 NKJV

Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover every year. Jesus went with them–this was an observance to which the entire family would adhere.

At the time of this account, Jesus was just twelve years of age–very young. But His growth in the knowledge of the scriptures had already greatly begun.

Therefore, when they had finished the days there, Jesus lingered, though his parents began to make their return. In fact, they went an entire day’s journey before realizing He was missing, which they were shocked to learn.

They had assumed He was with the company; but among their relatives and acquaintances, they couldn’t find Him anywhere. This situation caused them to head back to Jerusalem to search further for Him there.

They must have been terribly concerned about this son, over whom angelic proclamations had been made. It was after three days that they finally found Him in the temple, which was where He’d stayed.

There, Jesus was seated among the teachers–listening to them and asking them questions on His own.  All who’d heard young Jesus were astonished at the understanding and answers that He had shown.

Mary and Joseph’s first reaction was amazement at this scenario involving their son.  But then Mary asked Jesus how he could have put them through such anxiety by what He had done.

Jesus asked why they had even sought Him, for being about His Father’s business was prime to Him–didn’t they know?  But they didn’t understand or fully perceive yet of His destiny and how it would grow.

Jesus was subject to them, however, and went with them for the return back to Nazareth, then.  Mary “kept all these things in her heart”…deeply there, she must have remembered that Jesus would be special among men.

After that, Jesus’ wisdom and stature and favor with God and men only increased….but His being the Son of Man and Son of God had visibly arisen…and was seen at the time of that Passover Feast.

P. A. Oltrogge

(…from Luke 2:41-52)

“And in the sixth month, the angel, Gabriel, was sent from God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, ‘Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.’ And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, ‘Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.’ Then said Mary unto the angel, ‘How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?’ And the angel answered and said unto her, ‘The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ And Mary said, ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.’ And the angel departed from her.” Luke 1:26-38 KJV

“…behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.’ Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us.’ And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife, and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.” Matthew 1:20-25 NASB, Ryrie

“…for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10 NKJV

“Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James, and his brother John, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter responded and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good that we are here. If You want, I will make three tabernacles here: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!'” Matthew 17:1-5 NASB

A butterfly on a flower or a beautiful blue bay…
Can you really see those exquisite things and then not say–
“There has to be a Creator to fashion things so fair,
For all the evidence needed is seen in each of them there!”

P. A. Oltrogge

“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities–His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” Romans 1:20 NLT

“For (God does not overlook sin and) the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who in their wickedness suppress and stifle the truth, because that which is known about God is evident within them (in their inner consciousness), for God made it evident to them. For ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through His workmanship (all His creation, the wonderful things that He has made), so that they (who fail to believe and trust in Him) are without excuse and without defense. For even though they knew God (as the Creator), they did not honor Him as God or give thanks (for His wondrous creation).” Romans 1:18-21 AMP

“And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.” written by the apostle Paul….1 Timothy 1:14-16 NKJV

“…who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all….” 1 Timothy 2:4-6 NKJV

“But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior towards man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” Titus 3:4-6 NKJV

Genesis 1:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

³ Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. ⁴ And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

⁶ Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” ⁷ Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. ⁸ And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.

⁹ Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. ¹⁰ And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

¹¹ Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. ¹² And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ So the evening and the morning were the third day.

¹⁴ Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; ¹⁵ and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. ¹⁶ Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. ¹⁷ God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

²⁰ Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” ²¹ So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” ²³ So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

²⁴ Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. ²⁵ And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

²⁶ Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. ²⁸ Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

²⁹ And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. ³⁰ Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. ³¹ Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

(New King James Version)

And God saw you–His very good creation….

“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.  I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.  My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.  Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.  And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.”  Psalm 139:13-16 NKJV