Happy, Happy Birthday!  We are so thankful you have found our website and looked up your birthday devotional.

     The Apostle Paul had lived a life full of service to his Lord Jesus Christ. Today’s verse is one of his last written recorded thoughts. He was in prison and ready to suffer for his Savior.

    Yet, look at how positive Paul seemed. He is eagerly anticipating the Lord’s rescue and his ultimate delivery to heaven. That is true faith. Paul understood that regardless of what the Romans did to his physical body, he was guaranteed a spot in Christ’s kingdom. Not because of anything he had done, but because of what Jesus had accomplished on the cross. (Eph 2:8-9)

     Another one of today’s Birthday Bible verses also sheds light on Paul’s mindset as he approached his last days on earth.  1 John 4:18 – “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear…”   As we celebrate a birthday, it is usual for us to contemplate the remaining number of birthdays we have yet to come. Unfortunately, we are not guaranteed another one. Can we confidently be assured like Paul that Christ “…will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom”?  I really, really hope that you have that confidence. (Phil 1:6)  

     If you are reading this and do not have 100% assurance that your sins are forgiven and you will spend eternity with Jesus, please reach out to us dave@birthdaybibleverses.com 

Please enjoy this story about how God rescued this soldier from every evil attack. 

During World War II, a US Marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific island. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire, he had lost touch with his comrades.

Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves. Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed. As he waited, he prayed, “Lord, if it is your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen.”

After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He thought, “Well, I guess the Lord isn’t going to help me out of this one.”

Just then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave. As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave.

“Hah” he thought, “what I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web. God does have a sense of humor.”

As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to him, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on.

Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered it for quite a while.

“Lord, forgive me,” prayed the young man, “I had forgotten that in you a spider’s web is stronger than a brick wall.”

We all face times of great trouble. When we do, it is so easy to forget the victories that God would work in our lives, sometimes in the most surprising ways.

Remember: Whatever is happening in your life, with God, a mere spider’s web can become a brick wall of protection. Trust and believe that He is with you always. Just ask for his help and you will see His great power and love for you.

———-

source: truthbook.com

Dave R

    ‘69 / ’83  Quarryville PA

(The following was published in the bulletin at St Charles Bible Church – October 14^th, 2018, St Charles MN)
Her sorrow ran down her cheeks and made muddy puddles on the dusty ground.  Her brother, Lazarus, had been in the tomb four days already; the mourners moved slowly to the tomb to pay their respects and comfort the sisters.  Then Jesus came, and the funeral was over!   

Until we come to the gates of heaven itself, God’s people shall know how to cry. We may forget how to laugh; we shall never forget how to cry. Until we come to the pearly gates that enter the New Jerusalem, it is not until then that God shall wipe away the tears out of our eyes. In the meantime, God has given us tears to drain the sorrows of the soul.  

Charles Spurgeon said, “If I had my choice between being raptured at the coming of the Lord and taken up into glory and changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump – if I had my choice between being raptured to the Lord and dying and resurrected, I would choose to die the agonies of death, for,” said the great preacher, “my Savior suffered, and my Savior died, and my Savior experienced the power of God in His resurrection.”

God says that heaven is a place where there are no more tears (Revelation 21:4):

“God shall wipe away our tears“: what would that mean to someone who had never wept?

“There shall be no more death”: what would that mean to someone who never stood by the side of an open grave, seen somebody you love like your own soul and heart, laid beneath the sod?

“Neither sorrow”: what would that mean to someone who had never bowed under the weight of care?

“Nor crying, nor pain”: it’s because we have known these things in this life that heaven is sweet!        

“For our light afflictions,” says Paul, “which is just for a moment, worketh for us a far more and exceeding weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17).   — Sermon Central

I observed my father crying only a few times—never for his physical pain, although he had his share.  Somehow, we boys concluded that tears were outcomes for being weak, immature, cowardly and sentimental.  Mothers cried, not men.  But tears were familiar friends for men and women of faith through the ages—Jeremiah, Jesus, Paul, and Mary, at the garden tomb.

Our church family this week has had a mixture of joys and sorrows. Some folks are determined to stay optimistic; but they cry in the dark.  I have been impressed with the thought: God isn’t simply wiping tears; He is removing the reasons for which we cry—pain, death, sorrow, sin, etc.  O Happy Day! 

Pastor Jim B

  ’47 / ’56 St Charles MN

Doris Jean H

’44 / ’55 Manheim PA

The truth is that you were born on this day and that is the truth, Happy Birthday.

There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.-Soren Kierkegaard

A famous quote from John F Kennedy when he was giving a commencement speech at Yale: For the great enemy of truth is very often not the lie–deliberate, contrived, and dishonest–but the myth–persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the cliches of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought. This would have been an interesting thought for the philosophers back in the first century.

The attack on the Gospel fits this perfectly, a lie and myth of someone’s opinion without any personal critical thinking. Paul is now getting down to the nitty-gritty with his friends because he knows the joy of living your best life in the truth.

Apparently, everything had changed. The Judaizers had convinced the Galatians that Paul was not a legitimate apostle. They said that his gospel, by excluding the law, was deficient. Who is that person in your life that is pulling or pushing you away from God? Rather than embrace Paul like previously, they treated him like an enemy because he preached the truth of grace. They were influenced by others who rejected the truth. They had become an enemy of the truth. The Gospel is the truth, it compels us to yield to the Holy Spirit and to the authority of God. Jesus is the way, the only way, to have your sins forgiven, and to have a right relationship with God. Jesus is the truth, there is no compromise, and the truth will set you free from legalism and other religious things. Jesus is the life; He gives new life to those who by faith believe that His way is the only way to have your sins forgiven and secure a place in God’s Kingdom for all eternity. If you reject the truth, you are an enemy of truth.

The truth will set you free, be liberated on this special day, Happy Birthday!

Mike R

  ’67 / ’83 Jacksonville FL

Many people love to plan.  They plan for the next vacation or plan for the next life event.  Planning is a part of life and helps a person to be more organized.  It also helps those in leadership positions to track the many events, duties, and responsibilities that come with their job.  You might say that planning is essential.  But there is an old saying that goes like this: “Man plans, God laughs.”  I read these thoughts from a Psychology Today article: “Despite our most careful planning, the Road of Life is unpredictable…Our best-laid plans in life can be upended by unexpected changes, which could be either disappointing or exhilarating. Personal or other setbacks, losses of loved ones, illnesses or accidents, broken hearts, or tortured souls, are not uncommon occurrences in our lives.” (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/man-plans-and-god-laughs)  

     So regardless of how carefully we plan, details in our lives can change in an instant.

     But for a believer who is walking with God, there is an added dimension that is vitally important to this topic. The believer still plans, but he/she does not leave it there.  They continue with “if the Lord wills.”  A mature Christian has an understanding that nothing occurs in this universe without God’s say so.  He is the Controller of human history.  Brother and sisters, when we plan it should always be done in the light of “if the Lord wills.”  This brings up a favorite verse that I think works hand in hand with James 4:15. Proverbs 3:5-6 which says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”  We are to trust in the Lord with all our heart even when life throws us a curveball or when tragedy strikes.  We lean on our own understanding because we see only what is in front of us.  We have no idea what God is doing in the universe behind the scenes. Let’s not use only our eyes!  And here comes the payoff: “In all your ways acknowledge Him.”  Everything you do and everything you plan should be done by acknowledging God first.  I am going to work today, “if the Lord wills.”  I am going to visit a friend this weekend, “if the Lord wills.”  I am going on vacation at the end of the month, “if the Lord wills.”  We can even acknowledge Him by saying, I will take my next breath, “if the Lord wills.”  I am not suggesting that you do this for everything little thing, but I hope you can see what I am driving at.  How many of us take the time to just ask the Lord if something we plan or even pray about is in His will?  God loves you and has a divine plan that is perfect.  Everything He “wills” is without flaw. I challenge you to take the time daily, to say more and more as James exhorted us, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”

Dave F. 

     ‘69 / ‘76 / Egg Harbor Twp   NJ

Doris Jean H

’44 / ’55 Manheim PA

Today is your day, that day when God decided that it was time for you to be born. So, celebrate this day, it is your birthday. Be as excited about it as God was when He made you in your mother’s womb, and then when He gave you your first breath on April 14!

Never forget that you are one of a kind. No one else looks exactly like you, no one is precisely gifted like you, nor will anyone experience life quite like you will. When God made you, He threw the mold away, and that is something you can celebrate. You are the one and only!

You get to do things like no one else can, in a fashion that God only created for you. Paul writes to Timothy and says… Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you… 1 Timothy 4:14

When we accept Christ as our Savior, we receive spiritual gifting. Yet your gifts, your calling, are like no one else’s. God does not call you to serve Him like Billy Graham did, nor does He call you to sing like David Phelps, or become a Christian personality like Dave Ramsey. God has called you to be you, to be the person He designed you to be.

So do not try and be someone else. Do not set your goals or accomplishments based on someone else’s performance. God has given you a story to write, a story written with you in mind. Do not dream someone else’s dreams, work on God’s dream for your life, and I promise, you will never be disappointed.

You are not random. You are not a sample of humanity. You are you, by God’s creating and providential design. Now live like it, remember you are one of a kind, you are “The One and Only.”

Happy Birthday! Obviously, you are incredibly special, created by God, so embrace it. Now use that spiritual gift or gifts this next year as God intended and make sure that you use them for Him.

Brian G

   ’54 / ’66 Columbia SC

Doris Jean H

’44 / ’55 Manheim PA

(The following was published in the bulletin at St Charles Bible Church – August 19^th, 2018, St Charles MN)

     The devil made me do it!  (A phrase popularized by television comedian, Flip Wilson.)  The reality is that just isn’t true.  The devil, Satan, cannot “make” us do anything. 

     “Alexander was trying to save all the pennies that he could in order to buy a baseball bat.  But he had a hard struggle.  One night when he was saying his prayers, his mother heard him say fervently, ‘O Lord, please help me save my money for a baseball bat.  And, God, don’t let the ice cream man come down this street anymore’!” 

     Puritan author, John Owen, writes, “Secret lusts lie lurking in your own heart which will never give up until they are either destroyed or satisfied.”  The flesh—although it feels comfortable and natural at times—is not a friend to be trusted: “The carnal mind is enmity against God”  (Romans 8:7).  Enmity is not just an enemy; an enemy can be reconciled.  Enmity is in direct opposition to the will of God.  Putting it another way, the flesh says, “Feed me so I can destroy you … destroy your health, your relationships, your soul.”  C.H. Spurgeon warned, “Beware of no man more than of yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us.”

     Although the enemy will come against our family and our finances, we cannot blame him…we must take responsibility for our own poor choices when warranted.  According to 1 John 2:16, the devil entices through the lust of the flesh (unbridled passions), the lust of the eyes (covetousness), and the pride of life (boasting of what we have and/or do).  Another step toward victory is to take responsibility for our actions, submit them to God, and resist the devil:  “Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

     Be aware of “opportune times.”  Recall Luke 4:13: “And when the devil had ended everytemptation, he departed from Him [Jesus] until an opportune time.”  In battle, the enemy attacks at opportune times.  “Opportune times” in the Greek language denotes a favorable wind blowing a ship toward its destination.  Again, 1 John 2:16 reminds us that the world entices through cravings for physical pleasure and through covetousness, and through pride in our achievements and possessions.  These are the three areas where the enemy will concentrate his focus.  Be aware of these “opportune times.”

     Last week while I was preaching about the devil, my lapel microphone began really crackling (to your annoyance, I know!).  After borrowing Dee’s mic, my throat began to tighten so I fought the need to cough.  Then, Dee’s mic would not stay in place.  Someone suggested it was “spiritual warfare”, and maybe it was. I am beginning to understand that the devil is more active in our lives than we realize.  I know that the devil would like to make us believe that we are powerless to say “No!” to sin, and “Yes!” to God, but we obey the devil because we want to!  This bears repeating–“…Resist the devil”, the Apostle James says!  “and he will flee from you.”  (James 4:7) 

Pastor Jim B

  ’47 / ’56 St Charles MN

Doris Jean H

’44 / ’55 Manheim PA

In today’s times some people say that the Bible was written so long ago; how can it apply to us today? The things we are dealing with today are very similar to life situations when God’s words were written long ago. This is a testament that his Word is living because his Words live inside of us with the Holy Spirit. His words are active when we follow what He has told us to do with spreading the Good news. We also testify to this truth following God’s will for our lives. 

I am thankful that God even though he knows my thoughts and intentions, He still chooses me every day to be His child and calls me to do work for His good. 

Leanne R

   ’95 / ’02 Jacksonville FL

Doris Jean H

’44 / ’55 Manheim PA

(The following was published in the bulletin at St Charles Bible Church – April 23rd, 2017, St Charles MN)

     I am not very good at deciphering and identifying plants. I do fairly well with trees, but telling the difference between weeds and grain is not my thing. (My mother’s concern with her boys doing the gardening was that we might pull out all the carrots but leave weeds like Queen Anne’s Lace!) Foragers must take care not to mistake poison hemlock or water hemlock for carrot during its early stages of growth. Daucus carota, the wild ancestor of the domesticated carrot, thrives in many areas of the U.S. and may grow as a look-alike weed in gardens.

     Jesus described a similar problem in His parable of the wheat and tares (weeds). His concern was that “good plants” would also be uprooted while the weeds were being pulled. So, He says, “Leave them be, until harvest.” Angels (not people) were given the final authority to discern the difference between wheat and tares and cast tares into the fire to be burned. (Matthew 13). Harvest time would reveal what ‘kind’ of plant they were.

In the parable of the vine and the branches, the harvest is also the determining factor between ‘good vines’ and ‘bad ones’. The bottom line? No matter what the profession of the ‘vine’, their fruit would confirm or deny their authenticity. The fruit doesn’t make the vine anything; it only reveals what kind of vine (or crop) that it is. Jesus said, “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?” Matthew 7:16 NIV

     We are not called to be ‘fruit inspectors.’ (Unless it is our own!) We are admonished to ‘examine ourselves’ (II Cor 13:50), and let Christ examine others. Disciples were very critical of people sometimes–even to the point that Jesus rebuked them, “Leave her alone.” (Mark 14:6) And still, they seemed to miss the true nature of their close friend, Judas. No one immediately said, “Judas” when Jesus said, “One of you will betray me…”

However, wouldn’t it be wonderful if others could contemplate our conduct and conclude that we were connected to the Vine? The community that observed Peter and John, concluded: “These men had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:10-13). Now that would be cool! —Pastor Jim B

    ’47 / ’56 St Charles MN

Doris Jean H

’44 / ’55 Manheim PA

As we look at the previous verses we are taught to pray with the right motives. How many times do we pray and tell God what we want or think that we need? I’m often guilty of this myself! I think my motives are good but am I truly asking in humility before God? He knows all things, obviously, so who am I to assume I know better than the All-Knowing God?? I grew up hearing requests being followed up by “your will be done”. Am I willing to accept His will if it’s not what I want it to be? Or am I saying that in a form of trying to manipulate God to give me what I want? As I learn to pray in true humility it allows God to lift me up and He gets the glory instead of me. I don’t know the Big Picture and sometimes I really don’t know the result. What I want can end in disaster. It’s so much better and more fun to see God move and to show Himself in amazing ways. Today I pray we can all humble ourselves and pray for His will. Then we can sit back and watch the fun.

Denise R

’67/ ’81 Quarryville, PA

Doris Jean H

’44 / ’55 Manheim PA

(Taken from Monday Morning Musings – St Stephen Reformed Church – New Holland PA)

This week I have been thinking about some words I should have included in the ‘missing words’ list.  But maybe they belong in another category.  Words like Mother and Father may soon be missing words. The words that replace them probably belong in an ‘empty words’ list.  Google’s definition of empty words includes words that seem to contain meaningful content but do not.  Synonyms include hot air, palaver, and rhetoric.

Sennacherib, king of Assyria, had demanded tribute from Hezekiah, who was a good king of Judah.  At first Hezekiah rebelled and refused to pay him.  Then he changed his mind and paid the required tribute.  But of course, Sennacherib, the king, was not satisfied.  You will find these events in 2 Kings 18.  King Sennacherib sent a huge army against Jerusalem.  The commanders of the army had words for the men who were under Hezekiah.  “Say to Hezekiah, ‘what is this confidence that you have?  You say (but they are only empty words) I have counsel and strength for the war. On whom do you rely?”

Sennacherib, the king, told him it was useless to rely on Egypt.  Which it was.  But he also told him it was useless to rely on the Lord his God.  Sennacherib thought that because Hezekiah had removed the high places where people worshiped idols that God was not with him. He accused Hezekiah of using empty words when he was telling his people to trust the Lord to defeat their enemy. 

The commander stood where all the people could hear him and said “don’t let Hezekiah deceive you into thinking that the Lord will deliver you from the king of Assyria.  That’s only empty words.” 

So, was it nonsense for Hezekiah to trust the Lord for deliverance?  His response was to go before the Lord and beg for help.  He sent for the prophet, Isaiah.  “Perhaps God has heard the words of reproach and will rebuke the words which the Lord God has heard.  Isaiah’s words from God. ”Do not be afraid of the words you have heard.”  I will take care of the king and his army. 

There is more to this story, but the end result was that the angel of the Lord during the night killed 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp.  So, Hezekiah’s words were not just empty talk.  His faith in his Lord was real and God was faithful.  Hezekiah did rely on the right person. 

Today there seems to be many words that are just empty words.  Palaver.  Certainly not words that you can rely on.  I have heard the phrase ‘you just don’t know who you can trust’ many times over the past year.  The only words we know are absolutely true of course, are God’s words.  On those we can rely.

But we need to make sure that our words are real words, too. Not meaningless.  We need to mean what we say.  If I tell someone I will pray for them, then I should pray for them.  It is easy to say words and harder sometimes to fulfill those words.  People can sense when your words are empty, full of hot air. 

Sennacherib’s question was a good question.  On whom do you rely?  In our culture today the only safe words upon which to rely are words we know to be true.  God’s words are never empty.  We need to take all His words seriously.  Calling good evil and evil good is all empty talk.  But because God is just, He will one day, perhaps soon, set everything aright.  On that we can rely.  It is a done deal. We need not be afraid of empty words.  And then we can agree with David – Psalms 4:8 – In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, Yahweh alone, make me live in safety.

Edie R

  ’43 / ’55 New Holland

 Listen for the Trumpet !

Doris Jean H

’44 / ’55 Manheim PA