Morning glory Lord! Father when we read Your Word, there is so much think about, meditate on and contemplate. Like learning from Jacob or meditating on Your goodness and kindness to mankind. But as a Christian, especially during these days there is nothing more comforting than to think about Christ’s return, of Him gathering up His church and the end of days. We do not know the day or hour of Christ’s return, yet we seeing signs that it’s closer with each passing. In these days where truth and justice is not upheld, help Your people to cling to Christ, Your Word and the surety that we have in the knowledge that You will fulfill Your promises. Help us to endure to the end, where we will be saved, delivered, preserved, safe from loss and destruction. May we proclaim the Gospel of Christ to those who don’t yet know You. May we pray boldly to the God who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, more than we can ask or imagine. May we pray for the salvation of those whose lives seem so lost. Because nothing is too hard for You. As we see churches and pastors and teachers abandoning Your Word for the wisdom and solutions of mankind, help us to remain steadfast in reading and studying the Bible. May it be the plumbline by which we evaluate everything else. We come to You in the name of the One who holds us safe and secure in His hands. The One whom You testified, “This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” The Way the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!
One of the YouTube channels that we regularly follow is Mark Hitchcock’s channel Marking the Times. We really enjoy the talks he has about Bible prophesy and what’s happening in our world currently.
The most recent episode is very sobering. I would encourage you to watch and pay close attention.
When I read the last half of Romans 1, I can’t help but see the downward spiral and progression of sin. As the chapter continues it says, “God gave them over…” That giving people over to their sin and depravity is called Divine Abandonment.
When you see our Country and around the world, you can’t help but see what’s listed in Romans 1:16-32 being played out.
The only hope we have is a merciful God who sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ to come and be born of a women, live His life perfectly without sin. As the Son of God and Son of Man, He alone was worthy and able to bear our sin debt. He bore the wrath of God that we deserve, He paid the price for our redemption from sin, so that we could be forgiven.
What is required of us? To repent of our sin (agree with God that we have sinned and turn to God and ask for His forgiveness) and believe in Jesus Christ, that He is who He said He is and that His death on our behalf paid the penalty for our sin.
I’m sure many of you have felt the heaviness of what we see going on in our Country. It’s much bigger than loosing an election. It’s seeing our Nation in a downward spiral. But we also have a confident hope and assurance of our salvation. Whether we die or are raptured one day, we know eternal life has been bought and paid for on our behalf by Jesus Christ. He holds us secure in His hand.
If you don’t yet know the Lord, I would ask you pray for God to reveal Himself to you. Watch this video, read the Scriptures, Romans 1 and read Revelation where we learn about the end days and what will happened when God’s wrath is unleashed upon a sinful world. Read the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and see who Jesus Christ was, who He said He was and what He came to do.
Don’t take my word for it, read the Bible for yourself. If you feel like you have led a horrible life of sin and can’t be forgiven, that is a lie straight from the pit of hell. A broken and repentant sinner, God will not cast away. If you choose to reject Jesus Christ and continue in sin, then you will bear the wrath of God for eternity.
Eternal life is not just for Christians. Those who reject God and the forgiveness He offers through His Son Jesus Christ, will also have eternal life. Instead of heaven, it will be hell and eternal punishment.
Please know that in no way do I look down on anyone and think I’m better. I’m not. The only reason I will have eternal life is because God had mercy and compassion on this sinner. He opened my spiritually blind eyes to see. He opened my ears which were deaf to Him. He took this heart of stone and made it a heart of flesh. He helped me to see my sin, repent and turn to Christ Jesus the Lord. And He can do the same for you.
None of us knows the day and hour when we will die. When we will have that last chance to repent of our sin and believe in Jesus Christ. Don’t delay…this literally the most important decision you will ever make.
I wanted to read The Crown in Crisis – Countdown to the Abdication by author Alexander Larman because I had heard about the King Edward VIII’s abdicating the throne for divorcee Mrs. Wallis Simpson. I didn’t know any of the details other than the fact that Mrs. Simpson was an American who was twice divorced. It all seemed very romantic and like true love that would bring a man to give up the throne of England to be with his beloved.
Well, I was in for an awakening. As I write my thoughts about King Edward VIII, I need to divorce my feels about him from what I think about this book.
As the man was portrayed in this book, I found King Edward VIII to be an arrogant, rude, immature, vapid, insufferable, selfish, boring jerk who focused on himself instead of others. He put himself over and above the Country he had been entrusted with. Mrs. Wallis Simpson wasn’t much better. She seemed to be on a quest for power and money and used sex or whatever she had to entrap men, including King Edward VIII. Wallis was not twice divorced, but once when she started committing adultery with King Edward. As part of their weird relationship, a plan was implemented for Wallis to divorce her current husband so the two could marry. But they made it look like Wallis’ husband was the one who was committing adultery and she was the innocent one. Their adultery was blatant and it fractured Edward’s relationship with his father, King George V.
Not sure if the book accurately portrayed Kind Edward VIII and Wallace Simpson? It may have been accurate. Obviously, when a man is ready to toss the crown away for a woman who uses people, they will make a few enemies along the way. It was hard to tell if the author had a negative viewpoint of the King and Mrs. Simpson, or if the preponderance of information about them was negative from the people who surrounded them during this timeframe.
Regarding the book, apart from two very dislikable people, it had some negatives. The book came across as very gossipy, and you know gossips are not always the most reliable source. At times, I found the story and scenes confusing in how they were written. It has long sentences that made the point hard to follow. There were volumes of people in this book, too many to really tell the story in a straight, interesting understandable manner. Some of the accounts were very confusing and skipped from one person to another. There didn’t seem to be a logical order, especially about to the attempted assassination of King Edward VIII. At times, the author went into too much detail and pursued rabbit trails that took away from the story instead of making it richer. It seemed like the author had so much information about King Edward VIII and Mrs. Simpson from the many, many people that surrounded them that he included it all in the book. I’m sure he left a lot out, but I found this book was not written in a fashion that made drew the reader in and unveiled what happened during this crisis in an interesting, logical, and organized way.
I hated the first chapter, it was gross and vile in what was said and seemed to be rumors, innuendo, and speculation as opposed to facts. Throughout this book, I noted many times that it seemed gossipy. If I hadn’t agreed to read the book and give a review, I would have closed the book and not finished it.
I did find that the last third of the book interesting. You would think if someone wanted to walk away from the throne, they could hand over the reins to the next one in line. Not so. It was a huge crisis for England and there were a lot of politics and power plays that were happening and of course, family relationships that were impacted. This was the part of the book that was most interesting.
King Edward VIII was a man who should have never been king. From the beginning, I thought it was God’s providence that spared England from a weak self-absorbed king, as the nation would soon be in a war for the survival of their nation and the free world.
Would I recommend this book? Probably not. Take into account the good and bad information and make a decision if you would like to read it.
I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the TheCrown in Crisis by Alexander Larman. I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book and not under any obligation to give a favorable review.
Morning glory Lord! I thank You for the clarity of Scripture, it is the plumbline by which we should measure all other things. It is the mirror by which we should examine ourselves. It is truth and that which varies from Scripture I should disregarded. You have commanded Your people to love You with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. Help me to not have a divided heart. May my soul find joy and peace in You alone. Help me to love You with my mind, read Your Word and know what You have revealed about Yourself. Let me know You and Your Word for myself, not solely through secondhand teaching. Let me be a Berean and search the Scriptures so that I know if a teacher or pastor is accurately teaching Your Word. May my heart and mind be captivated by Christ Jesus with a holy devotion. May my strength and effort be devoted to You. You have told us that if we love You we will keep Your commandments. You have commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Lord, we are able to do that when we love others with the love Christ has shown us. Help us to walk one day at a time with our focus on You. Thank You for Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank You for His sinless and holy life. Thank You for the truth He boldly proclaimed. Thank You that He was fully God and full Man, that He our compassionate, merciful, gracious Great High Priest, Savior and Sacrifice. Thank You that by His death the sin debt of all who repent and believe was paid. Help us to walk through the power of the Holy Spirit in wisdom and truth. It is in the name of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world that we come to You. Amen and amen!
Morning glory and evening grace Lord! What was it like, the day of Jesus Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem? People spread their garments on the road before Him and cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” The prophesied day had arrived. Those who knew the Scripture should have anticipated His arrival. As jubilant as the crowd was celebrating King David’s descendant, a few days later they would cry, “Crucify Him!, when Pilate asked what he should do with the King of the Jews. As horrifying as it is to think about, that’s what Christ Jesus came to do. The sinless Son of God would be put to death on a cross like a common criminal. Not for anything He did wrong, but because that was the plan from before the foundations of the world were laid. Before the first sin was committed Jesus knew He would be born of a woman. The One who is fully God would be fully Man. He would die on a cross bearing the punishment for all who would repent and believe in His substitutionary sacrifice on our behalf. Lord, never let me forget the price that was paid for my redemption by my Kinsman Redeemer. Let me not take my sin lightly or turn a blind eye when others sin. Let me daily wage my battle with sin. Let me meditate on Your Word, be washed by the Water of the Word. Let me eagerly tell others of the One who loves their soul. It’s in the precious name of Jesus Christ Lord, God and Savior I come to You. Amen!
Evening grace Lord! When we read Your Word Lord, we are amazed because there is so much to see. So much that is going on. We see that You are a faithful God, a covenant keeping God. You made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants. Abraham was 100 years old when the son You promised was born to him and Sarah. You promised that they would have descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. When Isaac is 40, Abraham send his faithful servant off to find a bride for Isaac from among his people. Abraham is confident that You will lead his servant to the right place and people. When he arrives in Nahor, he prayed a prayer to his master’s God. You answered his prayer down to the finest detail and showed lovingkindness to his master Abraham. I can’t help but see not only were You at work to find a bride for Isaac, but You also revealed Yourself to Abraham’s faithful servant. He bowed down and worshiped You. Lord , You are a God who cares and You desire that all would come to repentance and salvation through Abraham’s descendant Jesus Christ. Not just a Man, but God incarnate. You are the One and Only God who saves. We come to You in the name of Your Beloved Son, the One who was a Suffering Servant who bore our sin on the cross. Hallelujah, what a Savior. Amen!
Morning glory and evening grace Lord! May I never forget that the Bible is history, filled with real people and real circumstances. When I read the story of Abraham taking his son, his only son Isaac, up to the mountain to offer him as a sacrifice as You commanded, I can’t imagine what Abraham must have felt. You had told him the day before what he was to do. He didn’t drag his feet or delay but got up early. He split the wood that for the fire and walked with son Isaac up the mountain. What did they talk about? Was Abraham’s heart heavy, or did he remind himself what we read in Hebrews 11:17-19, that God who had promised descendants through Isaac was able to raise him from the dead? Abraham bound Isaac and was ready to slay him when he heard, “Abraham, Abraham!” You knew that Abraham feared You and held back nothing. In reading this account, I can’t help but think of Christ Jesus, Your only begotten Son. Unlike Isaac, Jesus knew what would happen and He was the willing sacrifice. Jesus carried the wood for His sacrifice on the cross. Not a pile of firewood, but huge heavy cross. This time there would no voice from heaven stopping His sacrifice. Jesus’ dead body would be removed from the cross. He would be placed in a borrowed grave where He would rise three days later. Your beloved Son in whom You are well pleased. This was Your plan from before the foundations of the world. Can I confess, doing good to my enemies doesn’t come naturally. But that’s what You did. While we were still Your enemies Christ died for us. Thank You Lord for the greatest gift we could ever receive. Thank You Jesus for being the sacrifice in our place. Thank You Holy Spirit convicting us of sin and bringing us repentance. We come to You in the name of Your Beloved Son Jesus Christ…Amen!
Susan's Blog 