Daily Manna from Heaven

“Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.”  Psalm 71:17-18

In the book Medical Ethics cardiologist Dr. Jay Hollman writes, “Currently there are two predominating world views in the Western World. ‘The secular world view refers to the view that leaves human beings as the final judge of all things and Biblical revelation as largely irrelevant. A serious Biblical view of ethics regards the Bible as a revelation from God and an important component of every ethical decision.” As a cardiologist Dr. Hollman constantly faces the issue of “How far should we go in sustaining life?” If life is sacred, then our goal should be to preserve it, but if life is not sacred, then why should individuals who are genetically deformed, those born with brain injuries and who can never live outside an institution, receive care and support?

Frankly, that’s what Adolph Hitler had in mind. He sought to terminate the lives of those who were less than normal, thus producing the master race. But Hitler was not alone in moving in that direction. In the United States by the year 1930, twenty-four states had laws requiring the sterilization of “feeble minded” individuals. Yes, those laws have been repealed, but the issue confronts us. When should life be sustained? And how far should we go in keeping individuals alive?

David, some 3000 years ago, contended that life was not a matter of random chance or happenstance. He was convinced that even before someone was born, God had a plan for his life that included his birth, the duration of his life, and even his death. These thoughts were embodied in Psalm 139, which is well worth your time to study. In verse 13 he wrote, “your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Paul, living a thousand years later, agreed. He wrote the Philippians and said that he wanted to “lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus laid hold” of him (See Philippians 3:12, NKJV).

Luke, the physician who wrote more of the New Testament than even Paul, also agreed. He spoke of David, saying, “For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep” (Acts 13:36).

OK, here’s the question. Does God’s purpose end for you when you have to retire, or when your health begins to decline, or when the cartilage in your knees wears out, or your heart gets tired and weary? If life is not sacred, then euthanasia becomes a plausible, if not acceptable, solution to the problem of sustaining the elderly. This, of course, would make a hero out of the suicide doctor, Jack Kevorkian, and a fool out of every doctor and every nurse who sweats bullets saving and sustaining the lives of our elderly.

Science today has enabled us to sustain the lives of people almost indefinitely, and my plea is not to sustain the suffering of people who have heard God’s call to come home and they can’t because we have them on a ventilator, or a lung machine that keeps them alive—at least, clinically. There is a time to be born and a time to die, says the book of Ecclesiastes, and wise is the family who lets go when God calls.

That’s not the issue. Then what is? Today, we are facing a secularization which denies that you were made in the image of God, that sees life as void of spiritual ramifications and denies that there is moral accountability to God or anyone else, and when that happens the whole structure of society breaks down. We are seeing that collapse right now all around us, and a moral laryngitis seems to stifle the courage of those who are afraid to say, “Enough is enough!” and to stand where the courageous have stood for centuries.

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by Dr. David Jeremiah – Turning Point Ministries

“Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven.” -Proverbs 23:5

The worldwide economic meltdown that began in 2008 resulted in the greatest evaporation of wealth in history. By February 2009, tens of trillions of dollars in value had disappeared from markets around the world.

A month later, a prominent Wall Street money manager pled guilty to stealing upwards of $50 billion from investors.

It seems almost inconceivable that trillions of dollars can vanish without a trace–but they can. There is nothing wrong with saving and investing for the future, but money can never be the ultimate source of our security.

Our security must be in something eternal, not something temporal. Money is temporary; God is forever: “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27a).

Money is a foundation that can be washed away, but nothing can remove the “everlasting arms” of God from underneath our lives. He is an immovable foundation.

Save money? Yes. Trust in money? No. Put your faith in the only object worthy of your trust: God Himself.

“The real measure of our wealth is how much we’d be worth if we lost all our money.” -John Henry Jowett

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by Dr. Harold Sala

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” -Hebrews 12:2

No emotion is more connected to Christmas than joy—the universal language of an overflowing heart. Notice the gleam in the eyes of children as they open gifts, or stand on their tiptoes to see the display in the store window as they focus on dolls and sleds, on train and toys. But it shouldn’t simply be children whose hearts are filled with joy. To the contrary, joy should be every person’s response to God’s great gift.

For a moment, think about a special gift that you gave someone this season—possibly your sweetheart, or your husband, your mother, or the child who wouldn’t have had a Christmas gift but you heard about the need and saw that gifts were delivered. Made you feel good, right? What you felt was joy. But which was greater? The joy that you felt, or the joy which the person experienced who received the gift?

Though we seldom think about it, there had to be joy in the heart of the Father when He gave heaven’s most precious gift: His Son. Angels sang joyfully, and those who heard the song rejoiced with exceeding great joy–the kind that goes to the depth of your soul.

He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, as Isaiah wrote long before His coming to Bethlehem; nonetheless, while He lived among us joy was the strength of Jesus’ life. Have you forgotten that Paul tells us the “kingdom of God is… joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). The writer of Hebrews says that “for the joy that was set before him Jesus endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). What joy? The joy which would be His when He again came through the door of heaven.

Now, for a moment let’s go back to the child who opens that very special gift that you gave him or her. The child’s eyes light up in a way that no painter could ever express, and then come the giggles of delight, the laughter of joy, and that touches your heart, too. Right? Of course. That’s the way God made us.

Twice Isaiah says that our response to God’s redemption should be to rejoice and even break forth in joyful singing. Here’s what he said: “Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the LORD has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel” (Isaiah 44:23).

One of the sad things about the busyness of the Christmas season is that by the time Christmas day arrives, we are often so weary physically that we find it difficult to have much joy. And I confess that today’s Guidelines may come too late for you to do much about it; but there is one thing you can do. From this moment on you can begin to catch the joy you have been missing in your life.

It begins by receiving the great gift which brought joy to the heart of the Father in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. “But to all who received him, he gave the right to become children of God. All they needed to do was to trust him to save them” says John 1:12 in The Living Bible. G. K. Chesterton at the close of one of his books says that “joy…is the gigantic secret of the Christian.” He isn’t suggesting that Christians hide it, as people put valuables in a safe deposit vault so others will not see or take them. He is saying that those who do not know the Christ who was born at Bethlehem just cannot experience the joy that is within, knowing that He will never leave you or forsake you.

Joy in your heart, in your personal life, is part of the gift of Christmas, the gift which difficulty, or pain, or even loneliness should never take from you. Christmas joy is the abiding presence of a living Christ. May it be yours today.

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by Dr. Harold Sala

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7, NKJV

Some 3000 years ago the wise man—perhaps Solomon himself—said it so well: “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Simply put, you become what you think—negatively or positively. Your thinking shapes your attitude, and your attitude is like the wood carver’s tool that molds you into the image you become.

A 27-year-long medical study documented what the writer of Proverbs observed a long time ago. Dr. John Barefoot of the Duke University Medical Center and author of the study says that people who are depressed, lack motivation, and generally feel hopeless, have far greater health problems than those who are positive and upbeat.

Furthermore, he says that individuals who think negatively of themselves and others have a 70 percent higher risk of heart attack and a 60 percent greater chance of premature death than those who are generally positive. (“Mood Affects Your Health” Family Circle, November 1996, p. 58).

He would agree with the words of Proverbs 23:7 in the Bible that says “as you think in your heart, so are you.” OK, what’s new? Solomon knew that 3,000 years ago, but now we’ve documented it. Dr. John Barefoot believes that you just can’t afford to worry, and if you find yourself feeling “blue” for more than a couple of weeks, you need professional help.

The study also revealed something important, something that the thousands of letters which have come to me over the years bear out. When you have a relationship with God—“religious involvement” is what the study called it—you have a more positive mental altitude, and your attitude determines your attitude: whether you get above your problems or sink lower and lower.

The study show that when people live with “bad feelings” their negative attitude tends to lead to excessive smoking, drinking, food binges, and dangerous activities which only feed the downward spiral.
What does a God-connection have to do with your attitude? Plenty.

Perhaps everything. Anyone who has read the Bible realizes that there are times when individuals who had great faith in God ended up in pretty negative situations. Joseph found himself in prison because he resisted the sexual advances of the wife of the man he worked for. Daniel refused to bow to the king’s image and ended up being fed to the lions (who weren’t hungry). Jonah got tired of being God’s spokesman and ended up being bait for a big fish.

Read the New Testament and you will see the same thing. Stephen was martyred. Paul was imprisoned more times than he could count. Scores of men and women found themselves badly out of sync with their society and felt rejection and scorn, but–and this is where the whole thing turns the corner—when God’s children found themselves in tough situations, they didn’t give up, they didn’t despair. They knew that God—not their enemies or their adverse situations—was going to triumph.

It was this confident assurance that made the difference. No matter how beleaguered they were, or how hopeless things looked, they knew that God was in control, and that kept them generally positive and upbeat.

OK, friend, on a scale of 1 to 10, where are you? If 10 on your scale is positive and upbeat, and 0 is negative, how would you rate yourself?

Without a relationship with God, there is little hope in some situations, but if you are fully persuaded that God is sovereign and that nothing can happen to you apart from His knowledge, you can remain confident and positive no matter how dark the day.

If you question what I’m saying, I suggest that you read Paul’s letter to the Philippians, written from prison, and see how your relationship with the Lord determines your attitude, and your attitude determines your future. It’s still true today.

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by Dr. Harold Sala

Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?’ they asked. ‘And who gave you this authority?” Matthew 21:23

Authority is an issue today in science, in business, in government, and even in religion. By whose authority do you do this? And what backs up this authority? At no point is this issue more pronounced than when it comes to the Bible. Is this book simply a collection of religious writings? Or is the Bible different because of irrefutable evidence demanding that its authority be recognized?

To pronounce the Bible authoritative simply because it says it is an authority is circular reasoning. I can say that I am an elephant, but that doesn’t give me a long trunk and tusks of ivory. So there has to be a demonstration of credibility which gives authority to this book, the Bible, outside of the Bible itself. I contend that five disciplines give it that ring of authority: 1. The correlation of prophecies found in the Bible with secular history; 2. The verification of scientific statements with scientific facts; 3.The modern science of archaeology confirming names and geographic places mentioned in the Bible; 4. Manuscript evidence; and 5. The testimonies of men and women whose lives have been powerfully changed by this Book.

Let’s start with a definition. Archaeology is the scientific study of the remains of a past civilization. It’s far more than just digging up relics from the past. There’s no second chance for the archaeologist, and it is a scientific discipline which has added repeated confirmation that what the Bible says is true. “Like what?” you may be thinking. Well, for a starter, take the book of Genesis. Until archaeologists unearthed the extensive finds at Mari, in Syria, some contended that writing hadn’t even been developed by the time of Moses; but the thousands of tablets at Mari demonstrated that names such as Abraham, and Sarah, and David were common 1400 years before Christ. The Mari tablets not only demonstrated conclusively that people could write, but that there were libraries full of tablets containing highly developed language skills. Score one for archaeology.

If the Bible were only a collection of myths and fables, it would be only a matter of time until archaeologists should prove the inaccuracies of its references to geography and culture, but the main findings of archaeologists have only confirmed the statements of Scripture. I can’t help but think of the Hittites whom Moses talked about, whose existence was denied by many because there were no records of them apart from the Bible. Then archaeologists came up with documents proving their existence. “Ah, I guess they existed after all,” they concluded. The person who denies the accurate history of the Bible, considering it only literature, is neither an historian nor a literary critic; he or she, a priori, is prosecutor, jury, and hangman.

Relating to archaeology is the discovery of manuscripts thousands of years old, which can be compared to the biblical texts of our day, and what they reveal only adds to the credibility and authority of the Bible. For almost 2000 years scrolls were buried at Masada in Israel, where the Romans destroyed that last fortress of first century Israel, and then they were unearthed following the establishment of the modern state of Israel. Moshe Perlman says of this, “The Psalms of David as recited in today’s synagogues are the same as those uttered by the Zealots in their synagogue the same Hebrew words, the same sentence structure, the same beginning and end of each chapter.”

Should you be one who has never considered the evidence for the authority of this unique book, don’t depend on what others say with sweeping, categorical statements. Find out for yourself. It is well worth your time to discover that the evidence demands a verdict. Yes, you owe it to yourself to find out what this book is all about.

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by Dr. Harold Sala

“The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot besides women and children. Many other people went up with them, as well as large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.” -Exodus 12:37-38

When LANDSAT began sending back pictures from satellites in space, scientists began seeing the faces of the earth in a new light. It was almost as if someone had switched on the light and enabled them to see ancient trade routes in the middle east which archaeologists knew were somewhere out there but now precisely became “down there.”

Satellite imagery, which was first developed with military objectives in mind, became a new tool for archaeologists who want to pin down the locations of long-since forgotten cities–at least, forgotten to the thousands of people who thumb through the pages of their Old Testament and stumble over words like Beersheba, Hebron, Abel Beth Maacah, Napthali and Tirzah. But some 4,000 years ago, these were as meaningful to people as Manila, Frankfurt, Tokyo or New York.

In ancient days when a city was destroyed in warfare, the survivors were usually taken away as slaves and the city was sacked and burned. Unlike the cities of World War 2 which were rebuilt with a monotonous uniformity, the wind and sand began to drift over these ancient cities and they were soon lost to history. Napoleon and his army passed by the ancient city of Babylon and never knew it was there.

It’s safe to say that about a foot of silt and debris accumulates for every century, yet where there was an ancient site–called a “tell” by archaeologists–there are tell-tale signs today. Satellite imaging makes these stand out vividly and enables scientists to chart transportation routes and identify undiscovered landmarks.

Archaeologists are making some remarkable discoveries which should only enhance our trust in the historical accuracy of the Bible. Like what? For a start, the exodus of some 2.5 million slaves from Egypt to the promised land of Canaan was one of the greatest migrations ever undertaken by a nation. Can archaeologists help document this move?

According to the Bible, Moses led the group in a rather circuitous path, avoiding the immediate and direct route to Canaan from the Nile River Delta where they were living. Some explain that by saying that he was lost for 40 years because he didn’t want to stop and ask directions. Don’t you believe that for a moment.

Jeffrey Sheler explains, “Recent archaeological data, scholars note, also are consistent with the Bible’s explanation, in Exodus 13:17, about why Moses and the Israelites took the long way to Canaan through the desolate Sinai wilderness rather than following the shorter coastal route: Enemy military posts lay on that path. Egyptian hieroglyphics from about 1300 B.C. at the temple of Amun in Karnak depict a series of Egyptian installations along the coastal route. And modern excavations have uncovered a string of Egyptian citadels strikingly similar to those in the Karnak relief, stretching from the Nile delta to Gaza.”

Archaeologists from Hebrew University agree. The presence of the forts “is perfectly compatible with the Exodus” says Professor Trude Dothan. At the same time archaeologists don’t expect to find parking meters and left over parts from their wagons. These who came out of Egypt were slaves and traveled light. Much like the Bedouins who still trek across the Negev, their tracks being erased by the wind and sand, not much was left behind.

Does archaeology prove the Bible? You can’t prove anything to anyone who doesn’t want to accept the evidence, but for those who openly and honestly evaluate the evidence recently unearthed by archaeology there is a tremendous amount of new discoveries which affirm the historical accuracy of this grand old book. The Bible is history–not a collection of myths or stories added centuries after the event, and history which is valid only confirms other historical data regardless of who wrote it or where. History speaks for itself.

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by Dr. Harold Sala

“Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord…. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” -Ephesians 5:22-25

Nearly three centuries ago the Welsh-born English minister Matthew Henry wrote that when God made woman, he did not take a bone from man’s foot so he could trample a woman under his feet. Nor did he take a bone from Adam’s head so he could dominate her. Instead he took a rib from under his arm so he could protect her, and close to his heart so he could love her. How could it be better said?

That men often don’t know how to treat women is obvious! It is not only a cultural issue; it’s a genetic issue as well. While God gave to men the instinct to lead, He never gave them license to dominate or abuse.

“Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church,” admonished Paul. And Peter, the fisherman turned preacher, wrote, “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Peter 3:7).

It is not only in physical strength that men and women differ. What drives them is different. How they communicate is different. How they approach their work or relate to their families is different. Even how they express themselves is different. Failing to understand those differences produces arguments, abuse, and layers of misunderstanding, centuries deep.

The feminist or women’s rights movement has been making an attempt to put an end to the lopsided abuse which some women have received; yet the very attempt to put an end to injustice has robbed some women of motherhood, companionship, and marriage.

When sexual differences are respected, three things happen: First, individual needs can be met in marriage. Ambrose Bierce wrote, “Marriage consists of a master, a mistress, and two slaves, making in all just two.” God never intended sexual differences to pit men and women against each other in an unending battle of the sexes.

It was His intention to let those differences meet each other’s needs– for each one’s strength to play upon the other’s weaknesses, to allow each to complement the other in such a way that a couple forms a bond in marriage which allows each to meet the needs of a mate in such a manner that each derives a satisfaction and happiness which can come no other way.

The second result of recognizing sexual differences is that an interdependence in marriage produces harmony and happiness. This concept of absolute independence just doesn’t work. A plus and a minus produce a whole, but two minuses only produce negative feelings and emotions. When each person learns what part he or she plays in a marriage, a team spirit develops.

The third result is that there is an intimacy which touches every part of a person’s life. This is far more than sexual, but an emotional union which includes the spiritual as well as the emotional and physical.

A final thought: Have you ever had your arm in a cast? Do you remember how awkward it was when you tried to scratch your ear but found that your arm was pointed out somewhere in space? What normally would be a pretty simple thing becomes awkward and difficult.

That’s the way it is when we interfere with God’s order. Following God’s orders in relation to our differences is not only good for a marriage, but is also good for the individuals involved. You just can’t improve on some things, and that’s for sure.

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