DAY 9 - DAILY QUESTION ABOUT GOD'S WORD - WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT ABORTION

June 2

Question: "What does the Bible say about abortion?"

Answer: The Bible never specifically addresses the issue of abortion. However, there are numerous teachings in Scripture that make it abundantly clear what God’s view of abortion is. Jeremiah 1:5 tells us that God knows us before He forms us in the womb. Psalm 139:13-16 speaks of God’s active role in our creation and formation in the womb. Exodus 21:22-25 prescribes the same penalty—death—for someone who causes the death of a baby in the womb as for someone who commits murder. This clearly indicates that God considers a baby in the womb to be as human as a full-grown adult. For the Christian, abortion is not a matter of a woman’s right to choose. It is a matter of the life or death of a human being made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27; 9:6).

The first argument that always arises against the Christian stance on abortion is “What about cases of rape and/or incest?” As horrible as it would be to become pregnant as a result of rape and/or incest, is the murder of a baby the answer? Two wrongs do not make a right. The child who is a result of rape/incest could be given in adoption to a loving family unable to have children on their own, or the child could be raised by its mother. Again, the baby is completely innocent and should not be punished for the evil acts of its father.

The second argument that usually arises against the Christian stance on abortion is “What about when the life of the mother is at risk?” Honestly, this is the most difficult question to answer on the issue of abortion. First, let’s remember that this situation is the reason behind less than one-tenth of one percent of the abortions done in the world today. Far more women have an abortion for convenience than women who have an abortion to save their own lives. Second, let’s remember that God is a God of miracles. He can preserve the life of a mother and a child despite all the medical odds being against it. Ultimately, though, this question can only be decided between a husband, wife, and God. Any couple facing this extremely difficult situation should pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) as to what He would have them to do.

Over 95 percent of the abortions performed today involve women who simply do not want to have a baby. Less than 5 percent of abortions are for the reasons of rape, incest, or the mother's health at risk. Even in the more difficult 5 percent of instances, abortion should never be the first option. The life of a human being in the womb is worth every effort to allow the child to be born.

For those who have had an abortion, remember that the sin of abortion is no less forgivable than any other sin. Through faith in Christ, all sins can be forgiven (John 3:16; Romans 8:1; Colossians 1:14). A woman who has had an abortion, a man who has encouraged an abortion, or even a doctor who has performed one—can all be forgiven by faith in Jesus Christ.

Recommended Resources: The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture by Scott Klusendorf and Logos Bible Software.

While he is not the author of every article on GotQuestions.org, for citation purposes, you may reference our CEO, S. Michael Houdmann.



Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/abortion-Bible.html#ixzz33Rt2VG3M

DAY 9 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JUNE 2, 2014

June 2

American Minute for June 2nd:


A wedding took place in the White House, JUNE 2, 1886.

One of three Presidents to marry in office and the only President to wed on White House grounds, Grover Cleveland married Frances Folsom and together they had five children.

Grover Cleveland was both the 22nd and 24th President - the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms.

In his 2nd Inaugural, March 4, 1893, Cleveland stated:

"Above all, I know there is a Supreme Being who rules the affairs of men and whose goodness and mercy have always followed the American people, and I know He will not turn from us now if we humbly and reverently seek His powerful aid."

The first Democrat elected President after the Civil War, Grover Cleveland sent in the army to stop union strikers during the Pullman Railroad Strike of 1894.

He supported having currency backed by gold and fought political corruption.

One of the international incidents which occurred during Grover Cleveland's time as President was the treatment of the Christians in Armenia by the Muslim Ottoman Turks.

In a Message to Congress, December 2, 1895, President Cleveland stated:

"Reported massacres of Christians in Armenia and the development there and in other districts of a spirit of fanatic hostility to Christian influences naturally excited apprehension for the safety of the devoted men and women who, as dependents of the foreign missionary societies in the United States, reside in Turkey."

President Cleveland continued:

"Several of the most powerful European powers have secured a right...not only in behalf of their own citizens...but as agents of the Christian world...to enforce such conduct of Turkish government as will refrain fanatical brutality."

The next year, President Cleveland stated, December 7, 1896:

"The rage of mad bigotry and cruel fanaticism...wanton destruction of homes and the bloody butchery of men, women, and children, made martyrs to their profession of Christian faith...The outbreaks of blind fury which lead to murder and pillage in Turkey occur suddenly and without notice..."

Grover Cleveland concluded:

"I do not believe that the present somber prospect in Turkey will be long permitted to offend the sight of Christendom.

It so mars the humane and enlightened civilization that belongs to the close of the 19th century that it seems hardly possible that the earnest demand of good people throughout the Christian world for its corrective treatment will remain unanswered."

Cleveland, Grover. March 4, 1893, Second Inaugural Address. James D. Richardson (U.S. Representative from Tennessee), ed., A Compilation of the Messages & Papers of the Presidents 1789-1897, 10 vols. (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, published by Authority of Congress, 1897, 1899; Washington, D.C.: Bureau of National Literature & Art, 1789-1902, 11 vols., 1907, 1910), Vol. IX, pp. 389, 393. Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States - From George Washington 1789 to Richard Milhous Nixon 1969 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office; 91 Congress, 1 Session, House Document 91-142, 1969), pp. 163-167. Charles E. Rice, The Supreme Court & Public Prayer (NY: Fordham University Press, 1964), p. 187. Benjamin Weiss, God in American History - A Documentation of America's Religious Heritage (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1966), p. 109. Willard Cantelon, Money Master of the World (Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1976), p. 120. J. Michael Sharman, J.D., Faith of the Fathers (Culpepper, Virginia: Victory Publishing, 1995), p. 77.


(Brought to you by AmericanMinute.com)

DAY 9 - STATE HISTORY - NEW HAMPSHIRE

June 2

New Hampshire, one of the original 13 colonies, was the first state to have its own state constitution. Its spirit of independence is epitomized in the state motto–“Live Free or Die.” New Hampshire was the 9th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution–the final state needed to put the document into effect. It plays an important role in national elections, as it is the first state to holdnational primaries, and its primary results are thought to influence those in the rest of the nation, giving rise to the saying “As New Hampshire goes, so goes the nation.” It is the site of the White Mountains and the famed Mount Washington, one of the windiest places in the nation.

Date of Statehood: June 21, 1788

Capital: Concord

Population: 1,316,470 (2010)

Size: 9,348 square miles

Nickname(s): Granite State; Mother of Rivers; White Mountain State; Switzerland of America

Motto: Live Free or Die

Tree: White Birch

Flower: Purple Lilac

Bird: Purple Finch

INTERESTING FACTS

The “Old Man in the Mountain,” depicted on the New Hampshire state quarter, was a rock formation in Franconia Notch made up of five distinct granite ledges that lined up perfectly into the shape of a man’s profile. Formed by a series of geologic events that occurred over millions of years, the profile extended nearly 40 feet from forehead to chin. On May 3, 2003, the Old Man in the Mountain collapsed from its perch 1,200 feet above Profile Lake.

The Scotch-Irish immigrants who settled in Nutfield in April 1719 planted the first potato crops in North America. The settlement, which was later renamed Londonderry, is now the town of Derry.

On December 13, 1774, four months before his famous “midnight ride” to Lexington, Massachusetts, Paul Revere embarked on a 55-mile ride from Boston to Portsmouth to warn of Fort William and Mary’s imminent seizure from British troops. One of the first acts of rebellion leading up to the revolution, a group of nearly 400 townspeople responded by raiding the garrison’s gunpowder to prevent the takeover, lowering the fort’s British flag upon their return to Portsmouth.

New Hampshire was home to the first American astronaut, Alan Shepard Jr., and first private civilian, Christa McAuliffe, to travel into space. Shepard’s 15-minute flight onboard Freedom 7 on May 5, 1961, launched him 116 miles into the atmosphere before landing safely. McAuliffe, a schoolteacher from Concord who applied to participate in the legendary mission, perished aboard the Challenger space shuttle on January 28, 1986, 73 seconds and 48,000 feet after liftoff.

In July 1944, financiers from 44 countries gathered at the luxurious Mount Washington Hotel for the Bretton Woods International Monetary Conference, during which the World Bank and International Monetary Fund were established and the American dollar was designated the standard of international exchange.

New Hampshire is one of only nine states that does not require its residents to pay state income tax.


New Hampshire is the only state to have hosted the formal conclusion of a foreign war. In 1905, the treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War was signed in Portsmouth.

DAY 8 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (THE LORD'S PRAYER) - JUNE 1, 2014

June 1

Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV)
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]

    but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’

DAY 8 - DAILY PRAYER (THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA) - JUNE 1, 2014

June 1

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name; may we keep it Holy and pure throughout all of South Carolina, and this great nation.

thy kingdom come; Father, we look forward to Your return, and ask that You would help prepare the hearts and minds of the people of South Carolina for Your coming.  That they would be ready, and prepared for an eternal life with You in Heaven.

thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Father, help the people of South Carolina lead the people's of this nation in keeping Your commandments, seeking Your will daily, and proclaiming Your goodness and authority with humble lips.

Give us this day our daily bread; Supply the most basic needs of the people of South Carolina (food, clothing, shelter, love, hope, and a relationship with Your Son).

and forgive us our trespasses, Father God, forgive the many sins of this state, and wash the people and this land in the saving blood of Jesus Christ.  Cleanse the stains of war and slavery from their past, and see no more the trespasses of their deeds.

as we forgive those who trespass against us; Create in the people of South Carolina a new heart for the people of the North.  Break the bonds of hatred that have been carried from the past, and establish a new peace from this day forward.  Let men and women work together for the good that You have established for us, and allow the works of your hands and feet to be pleasing in Your sight.

and lead us not into temptation, Lord, protect the thoughts and hearts of the people of South Carolina from the will of the Evil one.  Give to them wisdom of what is wrong in Your sight, and help them to flee from evil.


but deliver us from evil. Protect the people and land of South Carolina from calamity and disorder as planned by the Evil one.  Allow the people of South Carolina to live in peace, and to be freed from the strongholds that Satan wishes them to be enslaved to.  Place a hedge of protection upon those who love you, and release the lost to find relief in Your Son, Jesus Christ.   

"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever." (Matthew 6:13)

Amen 

- See more at: http://www.wf-f.org/OurFather.html#sthash.49aV2WdP.dpuf

Prayers specific to South Carolina added/amended by:

Wally Ziolo
Founder - 40DAYPRAYER4USA
Lancaster, Ohio 43130

DAY 8 - DAILY QUESTION ABOUT GOD'S WORD - WAS THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION A VIOLATION OF ROMANS 13:1-7?

June 1

Question: "Was the American Revolution a violation of Romans 13:1-7?"

Answer: The American Revolutionary War was a pivotal event in world history, and the constitutional republic that followed has produced the freest, most productive society ever. No one can deny that most of the Founding Fathers were religious men or that the liberty they fought for has benefited millions of people, but was their revolt against England biblically justified? Specifically, was the American Revolution a violation of Romans 13:1-7?

During the years before the Revolutionary War, the issue of justified rebellion was widely debated, with good men on both sides of the issue. Not surprisingly, most English preachers, such as John Wesley, urged restraint and pacifism on the part of the colonists; while most Colonial preachers, such as John Witherspoon and Jonathan Mayhew, fanned the flames of revolution.

Before we weigh the actions of the colonists, we must take a look at the Scripture they struggled with. Here’s a verse-by-verse summary of Romans 13:1-7:

The passage starts with a clear-cut command to submit to “the governing authorities” (v1a). Immediately following the command is the reason for it: namely, authorities are God-ordained (v1b). Therefore, resisting earthly authority is the same as resisting God (v2). Rulers are a deterrent to evil in society (v3); in fact, a ruler is “God’s servant,” bringing retribution to the wrongdoer (v4). Christians should submit to human authority not only to avoid punishment but also to maintain a clear conscience before God (v5). Specifically, Christians should pay their taxes (v6) and pay the proper respect and honor to “God’s servants” (v7).

The commands in Romans 13 are quite broad, aimed at “everyone,” with no exceptions listed. In fact, when Paul wrote these words, Nero was on the throne. If Romans 13 applies to the cruel and capricious Nero, it applies to all kings. The early church followed the principles of Romans 13 even during the wicked and oppressive reigns of Claudius, Caligula, and Tacitus. No qualifications or “outs” are given in the passage. Paul does not say “be subject to the king UNLESS he is oppressive” or “you must obey all rulers EXCEPT usurpers.” The plain teaching of Romans 13 is that all governments in all places are to be honored and obeyed. Every ruler holds power by the sovereign will of God (Psalm 75:7; Daniel 2:21). New Testament examples of believers paying proper obedience and respect towards government authority include Luke 2:1-5; 20:22-25; and Acts 24:10 (see also 1 Peter 2:13-17).

This is not to say that God approves of everything governments do or that kings are always right. On the contrary, Scripture has many examples of kings being held to account by God (e.g., Daniel 4). Furthermore, Romans 13 does not teach that Christians must always obey the governing authorities, no matter what. The one exception to the general rule of obedience is when man’s laws are in direct conflict with the plainly revealed law of God. Examples of God’s people practicing civil disobedience include Peter and John defying the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:19; 5:29), the Hebrew midwives refusing to practice infanticide (Exodus 1:15-17), Daniel ignoring the Persian law concerning prayer (Daniel 6:10), and Daniel’s friends refusing to bow to the king’s image (Daniel 3:14-18).

So, as a general rule, we are to obey the government; the lone exception is when obeying man’s law would force us to directly disobey God’s law.

Now, what about Romans 13 as it pertains to the American Revolutionary War? Was the war justified? First, it is important to understand that many of those who supported the Revolutionary War were deeply religious men who felt that they were biblically justified in rebelling against England. Here are some of the reasons for their perspective:

1) The colonists saw themselves not as anti-government but as anti-tyranny. That is, they were not promoting anarchy or the casting off of all restraint. They believed Romans 13 taught honor for the institution of government, but not necessarily for the individuals who ruled government. Therefore, since they supported God’s institution of government, the colonists believed that their actions against a specific oppressive regime were not a violation of the general principle of Romans 13.

2) The colonists pointed out that it was the king of England himself who was in violation of Scripture. No king who behaved so wickedly, they said, could be considered “God’s servant.” Therefore, it was a Christian’s duty to resist him. As Mayhew said in 1750, “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.”

3) The colonists saw the war as a defensive action, not as an offensive war. And it is true that, in 1775 and 1776, the Americans had presented the king with formal appeals for reconciliation. These peaceful pleas were met with armed military force and several violations of British Common Law and the English Bill of Rights. In 1770, the British fired upon unarmed citizens in the Boston Massacre. At Lexington, the command was “Don’t fire unless fired upon.” The colonists, therefore, saw themselves as defending themselves after the conflict had been initiated by the British.

4) The colonists read 1 Peter 2:13, “Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority . . .,” and saw the phrase “for the Lord’s sake” as a condition for obedience. The reasoning ran thus: if the authority was unrighteous and passed unrighteous laws, then following them could not be a righteous thing. In other words, one cannot obey a wicked law “for the Lord’s sake.”

5) The colonists saw Hebrews 11 as justification for resisting tyrants. Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah are all listed as “heroes of faith,” and they were all involved in overthrowing oppressive governments.

It is safe to say that the American patriots who fought against England were fully convinced that they had biblical precedent and scriptural justification for their rebellion. Although their view of Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 is a faulty interpretation (there are no provisos concerning obedience in those passages), it was the popular preaching of the day. At the same time, the self-defense argument (number 3, above) is a convincing and substantial rationale for war.

Even if the American Revolution was a violation of Romans 13, we know that the patriots acted in good faith in the name of Christian freedom, and we know that, in the ensuing years, God has brought about much good from the freedom that was won as a result.

Recommended Resources: Christians in the American Revolution by Mark A. Noll and Logos Bible Software.

While he is not the author of every article on GotQuestions.org, for citation purposes, you may reference our CEO, S. Michael Houdmann.



Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/American-Revolution-Romans-13.html#ixzz33MXUVHfU

DAY 8 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR JUNE 1, 2014

June 1

American Minute for June 1st:

When Jefferson became President, the Muslim Pasha of Tripoli demanded $225,000 in tribute or else he would attack American ships.

When Jefferson refused and the Pasha declared war.

Jefferson stated in his First Annual Message, December 8, 1801:

"Tripoli...of the Barbary States...permitted itself to (announce) war on our failure to comply...

The style of the demand admitted but one answer. I sent a small squadron of frigates into the Mediterranean...

We are bound with peculiar gratitude to be thankful to Him that our own peace has been preserved through a perilous season."

Jefferson had previously met with Tripoli's ambassador in 1786 and asked what America had done to offend Muslims. Jefferson recorded his response:

"The ambassador answered us that it was written in their Koran, that all nations which had not acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, whom it was the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave; and every mussulman who was slain in this warfare was sure to go to paradise."

Jefferson arranged for John Paul Jones to fight for Catherine the Great of Russia against the Muslim Ottoman navy in 1788.

When the U.S.S. Philadelphia was captured by Tripoli in 1803, Jefferson sent in the Navy and the Marines, led by Commander Edward Preble, General William Eaton, Lieut. Stephen Decatur, and Lieut. Presley O'Bannon.

Captain James Lawrence fought Muslim Barbary pirates in 1804.

These victories are remembered in the Marine hymn "...to the shores of Tripoli."

Later, during the War of 1812, Captain James Lawrence commanded the U.S.S. Hornet and captured the privateer Dolphin and the H.M.S. Peacock.

President James Madison wrote May 25, 1813:

"The brilliant achievements of our infant Navy, a signal triumph has been gained by Captain Lawrence...in the Hornet sloop of war...

The contest in which the United States are engaged appeals...to the sacred obligation of transmitting...to future generations that...which is held...by the present from the goodness of Divine Providence."

On JUNE 1, 1813, 31-year-old Captain James Lawrence sailed his 38-gun frigate U.S.S. Chesapeake out of Boston's Harbor.

His ship was suddenly attacked by the British ship Shannon.

For over an hour, the 38-gun Chesapeake fired away, hitting the Shannon 158 times, but the Shannon hit the Chesapeake 362 times, killing nearly every American officer.

As Captain James Lawrence lay dying on the deck the Chesapeake, his last words were "Don't Give Up The Ship!"

Theodore Roosevelt wrote in Hero Tales from American History, 1895:

"Lawrence, dying with the words on his lips, 'Don't give up the ship' and Perry...with the same words blazoned on his banner...won glory in desperate conflicts and left a reputation hardly dimmed."

Captain Oliver Hazard Perry was so inspired by this display of courage that he named his flagship on Lake Erie U.S.S. Lawrence.

Perry, Oliver Hazard. Tucker, Poltroons, pp. 331-332. Peter Marshall & David Manuel, The Glory of America (Bloomington, MN: Garborg's Heart'N Home, Inc., 1991), 9.10. http://08016.com/lawrence.html http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/barb-war/burn-phl.htm http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-l/j-lawrnc.htm


(Brought to you by AmericanMinute.com)

DAY 8 - STATE HISTORY - SOUTH CAROLINA

June 1

Settled by the English in 1670, South Carolina became the eighth state to ratify the U.S. constitution in 1788.  It's early economy was largely agricultural, benefitting from the area’s fertile soil, and plantation farmers relied on the slave trade for cheap labor to maximize their profits. By 1730, people of African descent made up two thirds of the colony’s population  South Carolina became the first state to secede from the union in 1861, and was the site of the first shots of the Civil War – the shelling of the federally held Fort Sumter by Confederate troops on April 12, 1861. Today, South Carolina coastline near Myrtle Beach has developed into one of the premiere resort destinations on the East Coast, and has over 100 golf courses. Famous South Carolinians include musicians James Brown, Chubby Checker and Dizzy Gillespie, novelist Pat Conroy, boxer Joe Frazier, tennis champion Althea Gibson, politician Jesse Jackson and long-serving U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond.

Date of Statehood: May 23, 1788

Capital: Columbia

Population: 4,625,364 (2010)

Size: 32,021 square miles

Nickname(s): Palmetto State

Motto: Dum Spiro Spero (While I Breathe, I Hope)

Tree: Palmetto

Flower: Yellow Jessamine

Bird: Carolina Wren

INTERESTING FACTS

Charleston welcomed a shipment of golf balls and clubs from Scotland as early as 1743. On September 29, 1786, the South Carolina Golf Club was formed and, within the same year, America’s first golf course was established on Harleston Green. In 2011, there were more than 350 golf courses within the state of South Carolina.

After capturing Columbia on February 17, 1865, Union soldiers under General William Tecumseh Sherman burned and destroyed more than two-thirds of the city. Due to scarce funding following the war, the new State House was not rebuilt until 1903.

On November 2, 1954, former governor Strom Thurmond became the first person to be elected to the U.S. Senate as a write-in candidate, winning 63 percent of the vote. Thurmond served the state of South Carolina as senator for 47 years, five months and eight days.

In 2000, the Confederate flag was removed from the dome on top of the State House and placed on the grounds near the Confederate Soldier Monument in response to a NAACP boycott of the state and protests over its legacy. More than 10 years later, the flag’s location continues to be the subject of ongoing controversy.

The only commercial tea plantation in the contiguous 48 states is on Wadmalaw Island, near Charleston, South Carolina.


The palmetto tree has been an important icon of South Carolina since the American Revolutionary War. When the British attacked a fort on Sullivan’s Island, near Charleston, the cannonballs bounced off the spongy palmetto logs used to build the exterior wall.

DAY 7 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (PRAY FOR ALL PEOPLE) - MAY 31, 2014

May 31

1 Timothy 2:1-3 ESV / 31 


First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,

DAY 7 - DAILY PRAYER (THE STATE OF MARYLAND) - MAY 31, 2014

May 31

Almighty God and Father, hear our prayer today for the state of Maryland.  Through You God alone are we able to recognize the freedoms enjoyed across our nation, which flow from the US capital - located in Maryland.  Father, we seek a fresh and new move of Your Spirit in the government and people of Maryland.  May they experience the hope that You alone promise through Your Son.  May ever knee bow, and tongue confess in the state of Maryland that You alone are God.

Father, we ask for Your forgiveness of the many sins of this nation, sins that so often stem from our nation's political center.  Hear the cries of the righteous throughout the state of Maryland, and heed their requests for mercy and grace upon their land.  Listen intently to their specific requests, and grant Your favor upon them.

Together as a united nation, we humbly come before you with prayers and petitions for the US Government  which are seated in Washington D.C.  Lord, may the eyes of the unrighteous leaders see visions and signs that can only come from You.  May their eyes be unstopped, and their hearts turned towards Your will.  We pray for the President (Barack Obama), and the Vice President (Joe Biden), that they might follow Your will.  We pray for Congress, that they might operate in righteous and honor.  And for every branch of our government, that they operate in fear of the One True God.

We pray for every natural, physical, and spiritual need in the state of Maryland.  As we lift up the concerns of our 7th state, begin to heal and to minister to the people and land of Maryland.  Drive out the forces of the enemy, and establish Your order in all things across the land.  Free the oppressed, addicted, hungry and poor of Maryland, and allow them to be a beacon of hope to the nation.  Father God, we pray for a revival in the land, and a new song upon the hearts of the people of Maryland.

Thank you for hearing our petitions today, and we humbly submit ourselves to Your will.  In Jesus' Mighty Name we pray.  Amen

Anonymous 

DAY 7 - DAILY QUESTION ABOUT GOD'S WORD - WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT GOVERNMENT?

May 31

Question: "What does the Bible say about government?"

Answer: The Bible speaks very clearly about the relationship between the believer and the government. We are to obey governmental authorities, and the government is to treat us justly and fairly. Even when the government does not live up to its role, we are still to live up to ours. Finally, when the government asks us to do something that is in direct disobedience to God’s Word, we are to disobey the government in faithful confidence of the Lord’s power to protect us.

Whether the Bible uses the terms “master,” “ruler,” “government,” or any other name for an established authority, the instruction is always the same – obey. We must remember that God created the authorities ruling over us just as He created us. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves” (Romans 13:1-2). Peter wrote, “Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right” (1 Peter 2:13-14). Both Peter and Paul also remind slaves repeatedly to be obedient to their masters for the same reasons (Ephesians 6:5-8; Colossians 3:22-25; 1 Timothy 6:1-2; 1 Peter 2:18-20; Titus 2:9-11).

The instructions to government “masters” are just as clear and just as numerous. Jesus modeled the behavior and attitude every leader or authority should take. “Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’” (Matthew 20:25-28). A government or authority exists to serve those governed.

Many times, however, a government will stray from its purpose and become oppressive. When that happens, we are still to live in obedience. “Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God” (1 Peter 2:18-19). Both Jesus and Paul used taxes as a way to illustrate this. The Roman government taxed the Jews unjustly and many of the tax collectors were thieves. When asked about this dilemma, Jesus took a coin and said, “‘Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?’ ‘Caesar's,’ they replied. Then he said to them, ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's’” (Matthew 22:20-21). Evidently, the believers in Rome were still asking the same question because Paul instructed them on the matter. “This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing” (Romans 13:6).

In the Old Testament, Daniel is a model we should use when it comes to our relationship with government. The Babylonians were given authority over the Jews because of the Jews’ disobedience. Daniel worked himself into the highest levels of this pagan and unbelieving government. Although the rulers respected Daniel’s God, their lives and actions show they did not believe. Daniel served the king as a true servant when he requested the wise men not be executed for failing to interpret the king’s dream. Instead, he asked for the key to interpret the dream from God and saved those, including himself, who would have been executed. While Daniel was in the royal court, his three friends refused to bow to the idol erected by King Nebuchadnezzar and were sentenced to death in the furnace (Daniel 3:12-15). Their response was confident faith. They did not defend themselves, but instead told the king their God would save them, adding that even if He didn’t, they still would not worship or serve Nebuchadnezzar’s gods (Daniel 3:16-18).

After the Medes conquered Babylon, Daniel continued to serve faithfully and to rise in power within the government. Here, Daniel faced the same dilemma when the governors and satraps tricked the king into signing a decree “…that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions” (Daniel 6:7). Daniel responded by directly, and in full view of everyone, disobeying the order. “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days” (Daniel 6:10). Daniel was completely loyal to any ruler placed over him until that ruler ordered him to disobey God. At that moment, when a choice had to be made between the world and God, Daniel chose God. As should we all.

Recommended Resources: Hard Sayings of the Bible by Kaiser, Davids, & Brauch and Logos Bible Software.

While he is not the author of every article on GotQuestions.org, for citation purposes, you may reference our CEO, S. Michael Houdmann.



Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-government.html#ixzz33M03bS1C

DAY 7 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR MAY 31, 2014

May 31

American Minute for May 31st:

Just six weeks after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Harvard President Samuel Langdon, MAY 31, 1775, spoke to the Massachusetts Provincial Congress.

Samuel Langdon's address was titled "Government Corrupted By Vice":

"They...attempted, by a sudden march of a body of troops in the night, to seize and destroy one of our magazines, formed by the people merely for their own security...

The fire began first on the side of the king's troops...

But for what?

Because they have made a noble stand for their natural and constitutional rights, in opposition to the machinations of wicked men...aiming to enslave and ruin the whole nation..."

Samuel Langdon continued: 

"We must keep our eyes fixed on the supreme government of the ETERNAL KING, as directing all events, setting up or pulling down the kings of the earth at His pleasure...

That for the sins of a people God may suffer the best government to be corrupted, or entirely dissolved; and that nothing but a general reformation can give ground to hope that the public happiness will be restored..."

Harvard President Langdon spoke further:

"The kingdom of Israel was brought to destruction, because its iniquities were full...because there remained no hope of reformation...

Their government degenerated in proportion as their vices increased, till few faithful men were left in any public offices...

At length, when they were delivered up for seventy years into the hands of the king of Babylon, scarcely any remains of their original excellent civil polity appeared among them..."

Langdon added: 

"When a government is in its prime...virtue prevails--every thing is managed with justice, prudence, and frugality...

But vice will increase with the riches and glory of an empire; and this gradually tends to corrupt the constitution, and in time bring on its dissolution.

This may be considered not only as the natural effect of vice, but a righteous judgment of heaven, especially upon a nation which has been favored with the blessing of religion and liberty, and is guilty of undervaluing them; and eagerly going into the gratification of every lust..."

He went on: 

"They were a sinful nation...who had forsaken the Lord; and provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger...

Their princes were rebellious against God...seizing the property of the subjects...and robbing the public treasury.

Every one loved gifts...they were influenced in every thing by bribery...they even justified and encouraged the murder of innocent persons to support their lawless power...

And God, in righteous judgment, left them to run into all this excess of vice to their own destruction, because they had forsaken Him...

The public greatly suffered, and the people groaned, and wished for better rulers and better management.

But in vain they hoped for a change...when the spirit of religion was gone, and the infection of vice was become universal.

The whole body being so corrupted, there could be no rational prospect of any great reformation in the state, but rather of its ruin..."

Rev. Langdon continued his address to the Massachusetts Provincial Congress: 

"Yet if a general reformation of religion and morals had taken place, and they had turned to God from all their sins -- 

if they had again recovered the true spirit of their religion, God, by the gracious interpositions of His providence, would soon have found out methods to restore the former virtue of the state, and again have given them men of wisdom and integrity...

We have rebelled against God. We have lost the true spirit of Christianity, though we retain the outward profession and form of it. We have neglected...the glorious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and His holy commands and institutions...

Their hearts are far from Him. By many, the Gospel is corrupted into a superficial system of moral philosophy, little better than ancient Platonism..."

Rev. Samuel Langdon concluded:

"Let us repent and implore the divine mercy. Let us amend our ways and our doings, reform everything that has been provoking the Most High and thus endeavor to obtain the gracious interpositions of Providence for our deliverance...

May the Lord hear us in this day of trouble...We will rejoice in His salvation, and in the name of our God, we will set up our banners!...

Wherefore is all this evil upon us? Is it not because we have forsaken the Lord? Can we say we are innocent of crimes against God? No, surely it becomes us to humble ourselves under His mighty hand, that He may exalt us in due time...

If God be for us, who can be against us? The enemy has reproached us for calling on His name and professing our trust in Him. They have made a mock of our solemn fasts and every appearance of serious Christianity in the land...

May our land be purged from all its sins! Then the Lord will be our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble, and we will have no reason to be afraid, though thousands of enemies set themselves against us round about."

Hide Endnotes

Coolidge, (John) Calvin. May 31, 1923, Memorial Day, as Vice-President under President Harding, speaking on the motives of the Puritan forefathers in his message titled "The Destiny of America." Calvin Coolidge, The Price of Freedom - Speeches & Addresses (NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1924), pp. 331-353. The Annals of America, 20 vols. (Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1968, 1977), Vol. XIV, pp. 410-414. Peter Marshall & David Manuel, From Sea to Shining Sea (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1986) and The Glory of America (Bloomington, MN: Garborg's Heart'N Home, Inc., 1991), 1.5, 5.30. D.P. Diffine, Ph.D., One Nation Under God - How Close a Separation? (Searcy, AR: Harding Univ., Belden Center for Private Enterprise Education, 6 ed., 1992), p. 17. Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation, Plymouth Notch, Vermont, an educational nonprofit organization with the mission to open the eyes of the world to Calvin Coolidge. http://www.calvin-coolidge.org/ William F. Brooks, Jr. Development Director, Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation, bbrooks@calvin-coolidge.org (802) 672-3389, Ext. 4

(Brought to you by AmericanMinute.com)

DAY 7 - STATE HISTORY - MARYLAND

May 31

One of the original 13 colonies, Maryland lies at the center of the Eastern Seaboard, amid the great commercial and population complex that stretches from Maine to Virginia. Its small size belies the great diversity of its landscapes and ways of life that they foster, from the low-lying and water-oriented Eastern Shore and Chesapeake Bay area, through the metropolitan Baltimore, its largest city, to the forested Appalachian foothills and mountains of its western reaches. Annapolis, the state capital, is also home to the United States Naval Academy. Maryland is the leading producer of blue crabs and is renowned for its crab cakes.

Date of Statehood: April 28, 1788

Did You Know?
Although Maryland was a slave state below the Mason-Dixon Line, the state did not join the Confederacy during the American Civil War.

Capital: Annapolis

Population: 5,773,552 (2010)

Size: 12,406 square miles

Nickname(s): Old Line State; Free State; Cockade State; Oyster State; Monumental State

Motto: Fatti Maschii Parole Femine (“Strong Deeds, Gentle Words”)

Tree: White Oak

Flower: Black-Eyed Susan

Bird: Baltimore Oriole

INTERESTING FACTS

In April 1649, colonists voted into law An Act Concerning Religion (later known as the Maryland Toleration Act), which granted freedom of worship for all Christians. Although permanently repealed in 1692, the act was one of the first statutes granting religious liberty of any kind and was an important step toward true freedom of religion in the United States.

In 1763, astronomer Charles Mason and surveyor Jeremiah Dixon were asked to resolve an 80-year land dispute between the Calvert family of Maryland and the Penn family of Pennsylvania by marking the correct boundary. The resulting Mason-Dixon Line took five years to complete and later became the demarcation between the free North and slave-holding South.

On September 14, 1814, while witnessing the British bombard Fort McHenry in an attempt to capture Baltimore during the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner.” In 1931, the United States adopted the song as its national anthem.

Branded “The town that fooled the British,” St. Michaels avoided destruction by British invasion on August 10, 1813, when residents—forewarned of an imminent attack—turned off all their lights and attached lanterns to the masts of ships and the tops of trees, causing cannons to overshoot the town. The only house to be struck became known as the “Cannonball House.”


The Battle of Antietam in Sharpsburg on September 17, 1862, was the first attack on Union soil during the Civil War and the bloodiest one-day battle in U.S. history with more than 23,000 soldiers killed. Although it ended in a draw, President Abraham Lincoln used General Robert E. Lee’s retreat to Virginia as an opportunity to issue his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, warning seceded states to return to the Union before the end of the year or their slaves would be declared free.

DAY 6 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (WITCHCRAFT) - MAY 30, 2014

May 30

Deuteronomy 18:9-12 ESV 


“When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you.

DAY 6 - DAILY PRAYER (THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS) - MAY 30, 2014

May 30

A PRAYER FOR MASSACHUSETTS

Our Heavenly Father,
We thank you for our State of Massachusetts and its unique purpose and role as the birth place of our great nation.  We thank You that our state serves as a strategic power base of politics, education, medicine and business within America and the World.  We have blindly surrendered our children, families, schools, churches, communities, cities and state to the forces of evil.  As the Body of Christ in Massachusetts, we ask that you forgive us for forsaking our God-given territory and authority as Your ambassadors within this region.

We now come boldly as David stood before Goliath to reclaim all that we have surrendered and what was stolen by the evil one.  We are confident that we shall pursue and recover all by the power of the Holy Spirit!  It is not by power, nor by might, but by My Spirit says the Lord!  We come against every opposition in the spirit or by human will. 

Father, we pray the prayer of Jesus,  "that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me."- John 17:21  We tear down the walls of division and separation within Your body and speak that this generation of believers will stand together in unity upon the earth.  

We pray "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven".  


In the name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.  

Prayer taken from: http://www.praymassachusetts.org

DAY 6 - DAILY QUESTION ABOUT GOD'S WORD - WERE THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS BIBLICAL?

May 30

Question: "Were the Salem Witch Trials biblical?"

Answer: A very dark period in the history of the United States, the Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex, Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693. Hundreds of people were arrested, imprisoned and tried for the crime of witchcraft and nineteen of them were hanged. One was crushed under heavy stones and at least five more died in prison. Numerous social, religious, psychological, and political reasons have been put forth as contributing factors to the bizarre events, but one thing is certain: the Salem Witch Trials were not biblical from a number of perspectives.

Some proponents of this kind of action have pointed to Old Testament commands like Exodus 22:18, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" or Leviticus 20:27, "A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or is a wizard, shall surely be put to death" as justification for the trials. They would say that since God commanded death for anyone found guilty, then we are obligated to carry out those commands today. If that were the case, then we would have difficulty understanding what happened in Acts 19:19. As Paul ministered in Ephesus, many who had practiced witchcraft brought their books and burned them, confessing their sinful deeds. Instead of stoning these people, Paul welcomed them when they confessed and repented of their sins. Likewise, Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8:9 was not stoned, but was rebuked by Peter.

Why didn't Peter and Paul obey God's commands from the Old Testament? First of all, the Law was given to the nation of Israel as the basis of a theocracy. Israel was the only nation in all of history to legally and politically come under the direct authority of God. He did not originally establish a king to rule over them, but declared Himself to be their only true king (1 Samuel 10:19). By the time of Jesus and the apostles, Israel was no longer a sovereign nation, and could no longer carry out all of the laws God had given them. When Jesus was presented for crucifixion before Pilate, the Jewish leaders had to get permission from the Roman governor to carry out their plans. Secondly, in this church age, we are no longer under the law, but under grace (Romans 6:14). This doesn't give an excuse to sin, but does open the door of mercy to anyone who will confess and forsake their sin, no matter how grievous that sin is.

Another reason the witch trials were unbiblical was the manner in which they were carried out. The historical accounts of the trials make it pretty clear that most of the accused were really the victims of mass hysteria, petty jealousy, or gossip. Little evidence was produced to verify the charges leveled, and that which was produced was hearsay or circumstantial. In most cases it was one person's word against another, and once the charge was made, the victim's word was rejected. Those responsible for the trials were in most cases probably guiltier of sin than those who were accused. Lies, gossip, and slander were the rule of the day, and God was certainly not honored in anything that was done there. First Corinthians 13:4-7 stands as an indictment on those who carried out the witch trials, showing that they did not have the love of God within them.

Recommended Resources: Christianity Through the Centuries by Earle Cairns and Logos Bible Software.

While he is not the author of every article on GotQuestions.org, for citation purposes, you may reference our CEO, S. Michael Houdmann.



Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/Salem-Witch-Trials.html#ixzz33A54PE5N

DAY 6 - DAILY HISTORY - AMERICAN MINUTE FOR MAY 30, 2014

May 30

American Minute for May 30th:

On MAY 30, 1774, the members of the Virginia House of Burgesses met at the home of Speaker of the House, Peyton Randolph, the older cousin of Thomas Jefferson.

They had all just been fired and sent home by Virginia's Royal Governor Lord Dunmore, because they proclaimed a Day of Fasting and Prayer to be observed the same day the British navy was to block Boston's harbor as punishment for the Tea Party.

At Peyton's home, they decided to invite delegates from all of Virginia's counties to a Convention.

Citizens of Fairfax County met in Alexandria's court house July 18, 1774, where they approved George Mason's Fairfax Resolves which identified American rights and stood against abusive British oppression.

George Washington was chosen to carry the Fairfax Resolves to the First Virginia Convention in Williamsburg, Virginia, August 1, 1774.

The Fairfax Resolves stated:

"'People's being governed by no laws to which they have not given their consent'...if this part of the Constitution was taken away...the Government must degenerate...into an absolute and despotic monarchy...and the freedom of the people be annihilated..."

"The British...extort from us our money without our consent...diametrically contrary to the first principles of the Constitution...totally incompatible with the privileges of a free people and the natural rights of mankind...calculated to reduce us...to slavery and misery..."

"We will use every means which Heaven hath given us to prevent our becoming its slaves..."

The Virginia Convention sent delegates to Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress, including Peyton Randolph, Patrick Henry and George Washington.

Carrying the Fairfax Resolves, they met at Carpenter's Hall, beginning September 6, 1774.

Payton Randolph was chosen as the first President of the First Continental Congress, making him the first to have the title "Father of our Country."

The Fairfax Resolves were revised and approved as the Continental Association of October 20th, 1774.

The next year, Peyton Randolph was President of the Second Continental Congress in Richmond, Virginia.

This is where Patrick Henry gave his speech, March 23, 1775:

"...Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston!

The war is inevitable - and let it come!...

Gentlemen may cry, 'Peace! Peace!' - but there is no peace. The war is actually begun!..

Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!

I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!"

Hide Endnotes

On MAY 30, 1774, the members of the Virginia House of Burgesses met at the home of Speaker of the House, Peyton Randolph, the older cousin of Thomas Jefferson.

They had all just been fired and sent home by Virginia's Royal Governor Lord Dunmore, because they proclaimed a Day of Fasting and Prayer to be observed the same day the British navy was to block Boston's harbor as punishment for the Tea Party.

At Peyton's home, they decided to invite delegates from all of Virginia's counties to a Convention.

Citizens of Fairfax County met in Alexandria's court house July 18, 1774, where they approved George Mason's Fairfax Resolves which identified American rights and stood against abusive British oppression.

George Washington was chosen to carry the Fairfax Resolves to the First Virginia Convention in Williamsburg, Virginia, August 1, 1774.

The Fairfax Resolves stated:

"'People's being governed by no laws to which they have not given their consent'...if this part of the Constitution was taken away...the Government must degenerate...into an absolute and despotic monarchy...and the freedom of the people be annihilated..."

"The British...extort from us our money without our consent...diametrically contrary to the first principles of the Constitution...totally incompatible with the privileges of a free people and the natural rights of mankind...calculated to reduce us...to slavery and misery..."

"We will use every means which Heaven hath given us to prevent our becoming its slaves..."

The Virginia Convention sent delegates to Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress, including Peyton Randolph, Patrick Henry and George Washington.

Carrying the Fairfax Resolves, they met at Carpenter's Hall, beginning September 6, 1774.

Payton Randolph was chosen as the first President of the First Continental Congress, making him the first to have the title "Father of our Country."

The Fairfax Resolves were revised and approved as the Continental Association of October 20th, 1774.

The next year, Peyton Randolph was President of the Second Continental Congress in Richmond, Virginia.

This is where Patrick Henry gave his speech, March 23, 1775:

"...Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston!

The war is inevitable - and let it come!...

Gentlemen may cry, 'Peace! Peace!' - but there is no peace. The war is actually begun!..

Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!

I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!"


Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. November 11, 1932, inscription on back panel. Thomas Vorwerk, The Unknown Soldier (Springfield, MO: Pentecostal Evangel, June 28, 1992), p. 12. Vice-President Calvin Coolidge, May 31, 1923, Memorial Day Address, "The Destiny of America," The Price of Freedom - Speeches and Addresses (NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1924), pp. 331-353. Dear Bill Federer, Many thanks for your reference to VP Coolidge May 1923 Memorial Day address...I am with the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, an educational nonprofit organization with the mission to open the eyes of the world to Calvin Coolidge. I invite you to visit us in Vermont and to review our website http://www.calvin-coolidge.org/ William F. Brooks, Jr. Development Director, Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation, bbrooks@calvin-coolidge.org (802) 672-3389, Ext. 4


(Brought to you by AmericanMinute.com)

DAY 6 - STATE HISTORY - MASSACHUSETTS

May 30

One of the original 13 colonies and one of the six New England states, Massachusetts (officially called a commonwealth) is known for being the landing place of the Mayflower and the Pilgrims. English explorer and colonist John Smith named the state for the Massachuset tribe. Boston, the state capital, was a hotbed of activity, including the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party, during the American Revolution. In addition to its revolutionary spirit, the state is known for sparking the American Industrial Revolution with the growth of textile mills in Lowell, and for its large Irish-American population.

Date of Statehood: February 6, 1788

Did You Know?
The chocolate chip cookie was reportedly invented in 1930 at the Toll House Restaurant in Whitman, Massachusetts. In 1997 it was designated the official cookie of the commonwealth.

Capital: Boston

Population: 6,547,629 (2010)

Size: 10,554 square miles

Nickname(s): Bay State

Motto: Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem (“By the sword we seek peace, but peace only underliberty”)

Tree: American Elm

Flower: Mayflower

Bird: Chickadee

INTERESTING FACTS

After a harsh winter that claimed the lives of half of the Mayflower’s original immigrants from England in 1620, the Pilgrims were taught to plant corn and survive in the wilderness by Native American Indians. In November of the following year, the Pilgrims organized a harvest feast in Plymouth to celebrate their new crop—an event widely regarded as America’s “first Thanksgiving.”

Established in Cambridge in 1636 by vote of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Harvard University was the first institution of higher education in the United States.

Nineteen people were hanged at Gallows Hill in 1692 for worshipping the devil and practicing witchcraft, and close to 200 others were similarly accused. In 1711, after judge Samuel Sewall and others involved in the Salem witch trials had admitted wrongdoing, the colony restored the good names of all accused and granted restitution to their heirs.

Massachusetts observes a legal holiday called Patriots’ Day on the third Monday of April each year, commemorating the first battles of the American Revolution at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775.

Following the American Revolutionary War, many people struggled to support their families under the heavy tax burdens levied to pay off war debt. Faced with losing their property, a group of insurgents led by Daniel Shays—a farmer and veteran of the war—forced the closure of several debtors’ courts and attempted to occupy a federal arsenal in Springfield on January 25, 1787. Although repelled, Shays’ Rebellion highlighted the need for a stronger national government and influenced the creation of the U.S. Constitution.


Dr. James Naismith, a physical education teacher at the International YMCA in Springfield, invented the game of basketball in December 1891 as a way to occupy his students indoors during the cold winter months. The first game was played with a soccer ball and two peach baskets nailed to railings 10 feet above the floor.

DAY 5 - DAILY BIBLE VERSE (RESTORE) - MAY 29, 2014

May 29

Psalm 51:12   English Standard Version (ESV)
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.

DAY 5 - DAILY PRAYER (THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT) - MAY 29, 2014

May 29

Jehovah Rophi, as I look out over the land of Connecticut in pictures and on maps, I see the blood of innocent victims.  From the early witch trials to the senseless murders of innocent school children, the land has been stained with human blood.  As Jeremiah states in 17:14; Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.  Let the people of Connecticut praise Your Holy Name, that the curse of bloodshed be removed from their land, and that life would blossom out of tragedy.

We pray for the livelihood of Connecticut's inhabitants, businesses, and churches.  Prosper them Oh God, that they may have enough to meet their daily need with extra to share.  Bless the laborers, and equip those who are without work.  Bring freedom to those on assistance programs, and humble the mega rich.  

Father, calm the stormy seas, and harness the destructive winds of the sky.  Hold back Your wrath from the people and land of Connecticut,  and protect them from the devils schemes for great disorder.

We say a special prayer for Connecticut's Governor Dannel Malloy, and for all those who serve the people of Connecticut.  May they follow the most basic laws of Your word, and put behind them any laws that go against righteousness.  May they overturn the law allowing gay marriage in their state, and protect the rights of the righteous.   Protect Connecticut's elect from the temptations of corruption and conspiracy, and allow them to be worthy of honor and praise.

Bless the land of Connecticut, Oh Father...and return her roots as a Christian lead state.

In Jesus' Mighty Name we prayer. Amen!