Rock of Ages
From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. (Psalm 61:2-3)
WE ARE APPROACHING EASTER and a diminishing number of people know what it’s about. It’s not about the bunny rabbit that “lays eggs” like a chicken. Children need to be taught about the Cross and the resurrection of Christ from the dead. They can take it.
PEOPLE NEED THE LORD! CHILDREN NEED THE LORD! You may think you have everything by the tail without the Christ of Easter. But we are NOT the captain of our fate. It is appointed unto men once to die and after that, the judgement.” (Hebrews 9:27) When you stand there alone with no one to help you, what are you going to tell the Judge of all the Earth? Your bank account will not help you. Your educational degree will not help you.
I HAVE FOUND A STORY AND A SONG that I think will do very well for the occasion, and I’d like to share it with you. Augustus Toplady was traveling along the gorge of Burrington Combe in the Mendip Hills in England. He was a preacher in a nearby village of Blagdon. He was caught in a storm and had no place to go. He found shelter in a gap of the stone wall of the gorge. See the stone above.
AS HE WAITED FOR THE STORM TO PASS, he was struck by the thought of his being safe in the cleft of the massive stone wall. He scribbled down the initial lyrics of the song there, in 1763. The stone is now marked as the “Rock of Ages” and on some maps and is the name of a nearby tea shop. Millions of people have embraced the song for facing God in eternity.
“ROCK OF AGES, CLEFT FOR ME; Let me hide myself in Thee. Let the water and the blood, from thy wounded side which flowed; be of sin the double cure; saved from wrath and make me pure.
"COULD MY TEARS FOREVER FLOW; Could my zeal no languor know.
These for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone.
In my hand no price I bring; Simply to Thy cross I cling.
“WHILE I DRAW THIS FLEETING BREATH; When my eyes shall close in death; When I rise to worlds unknown and behold Thee on Thy throne; Rock of Ages, cleft for me; Let me hide myself in thee. Ω
Read Through the Bible in a Year
APRIL 9, 2019 – TUESDAY
A.M. 1Samuel 1-3 P.M. Luke: 12:1-34
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
Good Verse to Memorize:
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:36)
Song for Today:
Rock of Ages (4:03) – (Gaither Group.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2W7Elmao3c
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Health Tip:
Antibiotics. “Penicillin antibiotics were among the first (1942) medications to be effective against many bacterial infections caused by staphylococci and streptococci. They are still widely used today, though many types of bacteria have developed resistance following extensive use. (Wikipedia)
Penicillin is thick, uses fat needle, hurts, but somewhat effective. About 10% of the population showed some allergic reaction but that figure is not substantial. There is also a by-mouth version. We now have a rather large family of antibiotics and most of them are given by mouth. Antibiotics work only on bacteria and not on virus—not effective on colds and flu. Some “super anti-biotics” have been developed that are given as an IV.
By comparison, a virus is the size of a baby chicken and goes inside our body cells. A bacterium is the size of a Clydesdale horse and cannot enter a cell. Bacteria can, therefore, be accessed by antibiotics but virus cannot. Antibiotics given as shots, do not seem to interfere with gut bacteria as do the antibiotics given by mouth. Some doctors are sensitive to this problem and some are not.
Talk to your doctor about it. If you take antibiotics by mouth, you may want to consider taking a strong, wide-spectrum pro-biotic for a month or so to reestablish a strong friendly bacterial colony in the gut. Active yogurt can help but must be fed milk products afterward to stay alive. Some probiotic capsules contain bacteria not dependent on milk sugar for survival.
New research is establishing a strong connection between gut bacteria and general health, mood, mental stability and brain function. Read more: https://www.psycom.net/the-gut-brain-connection There are several links on Google for good reads on gut bacteria and the mood/brain connection. Ω