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...the Bible tells me so:
Blessing Rising from Tragedy
One half of a
billion dollars has been donated already on behalf of the victims of September 11.
This is a tremendous outpouring of generosity on the part of the American
people. Much of this has been given by businesses, large and small. Much of
this has been given through legitimate relief agencies, such as, the American
Red Cross, the
There are many
victims of the tragedy. The obvious ones are the plane passengers and crew, the
office personnel, and the rescue workers. We all seek to assist the families of
the dead, the injured and their families, and those rescue workers who are
laboring very hard at recovery. There is one group of people who are forgotten
oftentimes in this. They are those displaced families who lived in the shadows
of the
We live in nervous times. We are nervous about working in high rises. Our children are nervous about us going into tall buildings. We never thought twice about the jetliner in the sky. Now, when we hear the engine roar, we look up and worry.
Last Saturday I
was at Kyle Field in
Unfortunately, times have changed. Security personnel searched every bag and examined every fan in the stadium. The Confederate Air Force was scheduled to perform a fly-over before the game and at the half-time festivities. That was canceled. Eighty-two thousand fans could become a huge target for wicked men.
However, there
are blessings that have risen out of this tragedy. We have a renewed sense of
patriotism. We are giving to charities in greater amounts.
In my opinion, the greatest blessing is found in many Americans returning to God. Many more people are praying to God than ever before. Many more people are worshipping God than ever before. This says only one thing: We need God.
I am reminded of three separate incidents in the life of Jesus. First, early in His ministry, after Jesus reached out to a Samaritan woman with the message of salvation, He said to His disciples,
“My food… is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor” (John 4:34-38 NIV).
Before Jesus
sent His apostles out to the lost sheep of
Before Jesus
sent the seventy disciples out to
When I lived in
Then, as if the switch was turned on, the tops of the wheat plants lit up—they turned white—seemingly overnight. Harvest time had come. There was no time to delay, lest the harvest be lost.
Indeed, harvest time has come. People are ready to listen to and to obey God. Let’s not fail to reach out to them with comforting message that Jesus forgives sins and that God protects His own.
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2nd &
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