BETTER THAN MY BEST

 

BETTER THAN MY BEST I prayed for strength, and then I lost awhile All sense of nearness, human and divine; The love I leaned on failed and pierced my heart, The hands I clung to loosed themselves from mine; But while I swayed, weak, trembling, and alone, The everlasting arms upheld my own. I prayed for light; the sun went down in clouds, The moon was darkened by a misty doubt, The stars of heaven were dimmed by earthly fears, And all my little candle flames burned out; But while I sat in shadow, wrapped in night, The face of Christ made all the darkness bright. I prayed for peace, and dreamed of restful ease, A slumber drugged from pain, a hushed repose; Above my head the skies were black with storm, And fiercer grew the onslaught of my foes; But while the battle raged, and wild winds blew, I heard His voice and Perfect peace I knew. I thank Thee, Lord, who were too wise to heed My feeble prayers, and answer as I sought, Since these rich gifts Thy bounty has bestowed Have brought me more than all I asked or thought; Giver of good, so answer each request With Thine own giving, better than my best. By Annie Johnson Flint

 

THE INFLUENCE OF MOTHERS WHO PRAY

 

THE INFLUENCE OF MOTHERS WHO PRAY Monica of Hippo (332–387 AD) was the mother of St. Augustine, one of the most influential Christian leaders of the early Christian church. But Augustine didn't become a Christian until 387, shortly before his mother died. Monica had made it her life's work to pray for Augustine to be saved. She was devastated by her son’s early wayward lifestyle and his adherence to the Manichaean religion. Monica wept for her son and was encouraged by a bishop who told her that "a son of so many tears could not perish." When we think of the influence that St. Augustine has had on the Christian Church ever since, it is impossible to calculate what Monica's prayers have accomplished in this world. St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD) was a foundational theologian and philosopher, renowned for shaping Western Christianity through his writings on original sin, grace, and free will. As the Bishop of Hippo, he authored influential works like Confessions and The City of God.

 

QUOTES BY BILLY GRAHAM

 

QUOTES BY BILLY GRAHAM God’s business now is to mold you into the image of Christ so that you will love like He loves, have peace like He has, joy like He has, gentleness like He has. The regeneration of the individual is much more needed than the revolution of society. Every time I read the Bible, any part of the Bible, I don’t care where I open up, it speaks to me. It’s a living book. God has promised to supply all of our needs, but He’s never promised to supply all of our greeds. If Christianity is important at all, it is all-important. If it is anything at all, it is everything. It is either the most vital thing in your life, or it isn’t worth bothering with. The whole Bible is a love story. It’s a love story between God and man. God loves you! God welcomes our prayers. He is much more concerned about our hearts than our eloquence. Quotes by Billy Graham

 

MARK OF THE BEAST

 

MARK OF THE BEAST Study of Revelation continued REVELATION 13.11 I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke like a dragon. 13.12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. He makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. 13.13 He performs great signs, even making fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the sight of people. 13.14 He deceives my own people who dwell on the earth because of the signs he was granted to do in front of the beast; saying to those who dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast who had the head wound and lived. 13.15 It was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that it should both speak, and cause as many as wouldn’t worship the image of the beast to be killed. 13.16 He causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, to be given marks on their right hands, or on their foreheads; 13.17 and that no one would be able to buy or to sell, unless he has that mark, the name of the beast or the number of his name. 13.18 Here is wisdom. He who has understanding, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is six hundred sixty-six. -WEB Bible The False Prophet will deceive all the inhabitants of earth. He will put up an image of the Antichrist, which everyone will be required to worship. If anyone refuses to worship the image, they will be killed. Also, everyone will be required to get a mark on their right hand or their forehead. The number of this mark is 666, which is the number of the Antichrist. People will not be able to buy or sell unless they have the mark of the beast. All those who take the mark of the Beast and worship him will be destroyed when Christ returns. The “Mark of the Beast” is a well-known phrase, even in secular society. People don’t know what it means, but there’s a certain apprehension whenever that phrase is mentioned. We don’t know what the mark will be, but it’s possible it will be some kind of digital chip implant. The technology already exists, and is even in use in companies that promote it. This study of Revelation continues on Thursdays. IMAGE CREDIT: Worship of the image of the Antichrist, AI image by ChatGPT and Dall-E3.