Tuesday’s Blog – The pain, Oh help me… the pain hurts

Tuesday’s Blog – The pain, Oh help me… the pain hurts

Bible Challenges and Comments

Here we are back at that First Class Mess on the destroyer, the USS Gearing DD710 somewhere around 1969. We were in Italy and waiting for the next group of Reservist to arrive for a two week training exercise in the Mediterranean Sea. As I have said in the past, those were days of unbelief and the things I am writing about are out of darkness; but do not fear, these are the very things that eventually helped to bring me to the cross of Jesus Christ.

The Frist Class Mess was at one time an amour stowage compartment where rounds of 5” shells were kept. The locker was on the main deck and part of the main superstructure just under the bridge. Now for you land-lubbers you have no idea of what I am talking about so the location of this room was near the front of the ship on the main floor. The locker was moved because if one of the enemy’s shells landed in that spot it would have totally destroyed the entire ship.

Thus the empty space was converted to entertain us Petty Officers. We had coffee, food, movies and long benches that were comfortable. What more could a sailor ask for! The long benches did provide a problem as some folks like to sleep on these and this took up the room that others needed. We adopted a no sleeping policy for the room. Then and because there were tables (about four) along the bench way, men would place their legs on the table and sleep. We stopped this practice too.

Except for one sailor all was well, but whenever he was off duty we could always find him with his legs thrown across his favorite table and (snoring) fast asleep. We kept the First Class Mess locked, we all had a key, one day I open the door and a plume of smoke hit me in the face. I stepped in and hit the lights, to my surprise the sleeping sailor was on fire. Someone had wrapped a paper bag around his shoes and fired it up! I took the hot water available from the coffee maker and doused the man’s shoes that were now blazing on their own.

The man woke up, from no pain asleep; to extreme pain awake. What a noise from the man’s mouth; one that you and I should never hear. It was a good three months before the man could walk normally again. Since no one owned up to the event no one was convicted of this crime but all of us were reprimanded by the Captain of the ship. How serious, very; since the door into the space was locked from the outside, our sleeping sailor could have died trying to escape the fire as it was about to get worse when I walked in.

Whether the thought or plot was to kill or just get our sleeping sailor to stop using the space for his own personal pleasures; who knows but for the one who did what he did… he knows! Now this little plot to do harm is not anything that would go “viral” on any of the sites that feed off of stories like this; I can only think of twitter, the others I do not know. But let me just say that these sources of information are not as good as we might claim. Actually the stories found on these sites; like the one I just told is nothing more than “filthy rags” Isaiah 64:6.

Luke 2:8-14 - Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

The greatest event in history is still being told today; just as it is recorded in Luke, the VIRGIN birth of JESUS CHRIST the Son of the LIVING GOD. But there is more.

John 19:25-30 – Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Now don’t go away… there is more: you have heard that Jesus, my Savior is RISEN FROM THE DEAD, He can be your Savior too, this is the message that the whole wide world is hearing. Not from a story book, a web site or blog and not by ANY means of communication known to the natural man. The truth of the Virgin Birth, the Life of Christ, His Death and Resurrection is TRUE and can be yours by FAITH, notice what the apostle Paul says about this: 1 Timothy 3:16 – And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the WORLD, Received up in glory.

Now if you feel that the sailor who lit up the feet of his companion, peer and friend is guilty of a crime, why should you my friend feel that you are not guilty, when you willingly lock the door to this TRUTH just received and walk away? Hebrews 9:27 explains that it is appointed for men to die once (no argument there) but after this (death) the judgment.

One final thought! “O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure – the Saints’ and angels’ song. This song began on the day of HIS BIRTH, it is getting louder and louder and one day a similar song will be heard throughout out the UNIVERSE. Notice Revelation 5:8-14

Revelation 5:8-13 – Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth." Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!" And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"

Have a great day! Put God in your day and it will be greater still. Imagine that! The joy of having Jesus in my day overwhelms my soul and truly I hope your soul is likewise… OVERWHELMED with Him!