Does God hear our prayers for mercy on behalf of others?

Abraham approached him and said, "Will you destroy both innocent and guilty alike? Suppose you find fifty innocent people there within the city—will you still destroy it, and not spare it for their sakes? Surely you wouldn't do such a thing, destroying the innocent with the guilty. Why, you would be treating the innocent and the guilty exactly the same! Surely you wouldn't do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?" [The Lord responds that he will not destroy the city. Abraham persists, reducing the number to 45, then 40, 30, 20 and finally ten]. And the Lord said, "Then, for the sake of the ten, I will not destroy it."

Genesis 18:23-31 NLT

In the days before their fiery judgment, the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah probably had no idea that their neighbor Abraham was agonizing with God over their fate. Abraham saw the need for justice, but he also begged God to show them his mercy. He asked God to spare the city for just a handful of righteous people, and God agreed. In addition, God sent his angels to protect Lot's innocent family and get them out of harm's way. But as Sodom and Gomorrah's destruction illustrates, there's a limit to his mercy, for the God of justice will not let sin go unpunished forever. Just as he listened to righteous Abraham long ago, God will listen to your cries for justice and your pleas for mercy. In the end, God will do what is right.
From The One Year Book of Bible Prayers (Tyndale House), entry for March 25

The Lily of the Valley

Christianity flourished during England's Victorian Era. As a result concern for the orphans, the poor, the homeless and those beaten by the rise of the Industrial Revolution were on the rise. One man was determined to help as many of them as he could.

William Booth became a Christian when he was a teenager. He began witnessing to others and winning them to Christ. He moved to London to be come a pawnbroker but changed careers and became a Methodist evangelist. By 1865 his ministry was mainly dealing with the poor on the east side of London. Many nights he came home beaten, battered and bleeding.

In 1878 Mr. Booth started the Salvation Army. Many men, women and children left their old lives behind and enlisted in the army of the Lord. The movement spread through England and eventually the entire world.

That same year a group from the Salvation Army tried to set up a ministry in Salisbury, England. They were treated very badly. Every time they tried to preach they were hit with eggs and bricks.

Charles Fry, an amateur musician and layman in the Methodist church, lived in Salisbury. He saw how badly the people of the town treated the Salvation Army workers. He took himself and his three strong sons, who were also musicians, to the streets and acted as bodyguards for the Salvation Army workers. They showed up with their weapons of two cornets, a trombone and a tuba. Not only did they fight off the more unruly members of the town but their music drew a crowd for the preachers. And so was born the Salvation Army Brass Band.

In 1881 Charles Fry wrote the hymn "Lily of the Valley". It was published on December 29th 1881 in the Salvation Army magazine The War Cry. In August of the following year Charles Fry died. On his grave was inscribed another verse that he had written.

The former things are past, and ended is the strife,

I'm save home at last! I live an endless life!

Charles Fry is pictured with his family in the photo above.

Have you refused to follow God?

Only acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord.
Jeremiah 3:13 KJV

Jesus paid a high price—his life—in order to remove our guilt before a holy God. While Jesus paid the price only he could pay, freedom from guilt is costly for us in other ways. The high price for us is the difficult task of admitting to God (and often others) that we were wrong and that we need forgiveness. This is called confession. As costly as confession is, the rewards are even greater: peace with ourselves and others, restored relationships, the removal of sin, and a renewed relationship with God. But pride is a powerful force in our lives. Pride tells us, "All is well! You're OK!" Pride denies the reality of sin; in contrast, guilt warns us that all is not well. Guilt acknowledges the presence of sin and urges us to confess it. So these two—guilt and pride—battle it out in our souls. When guilt wins, a sin that separated us from God is removed. When pride wins, we remain isolated from God's grace, love, and care. There may be a high cost to removing guilt, but there is a higher cost to keeping it.

Daddy's Poem

Her hair was up in a pony tail,

her favorite dress tied with a bow.

Today was Daddy's Day at school,

and she couldn't wait to go.

But her mommy tried to tell her,

that she probably should stay home.

Why the kids might not understand,

if she went to school alone.

But she was not afraid;

she knew just what to say.

What to tell her classmates

of why he wasn't there today.

But still her mother worried,

for her to face this day alone.

And that was why once again,

she tried to keep her daughter home.

But the little girl went to school

eager to tell them all.

About a dad she never sees

a dad who never calls.

There were daddies along the wall in back,

for everyone to meet.

Children squirming impatiently,

anxious in their seats

One by one the teacher called

a student from the class.

To introduce their daddy,

as seconds slowly passed.

At last the teacher called her name,

every child turned to stare.

Each of them was searching,

a man who wasn't there.

"Where's her daddy at?"

She heard a boy call out.

"She probably doesn't have one,"

another student dared to shout.

And from somewhere near the back,

she heard a daddy say,

"Looks like another deadbeat dad,

too busy to waste his day."

The words did not offend her,

as she smiled up at her Mom.

And looked back at her teacher,

who told her to go on.

And with hands behind her back,

slowly she began to speak.

And out from the mouth of a child,

came words incredibly unique.

"My Daddy couldn't be here,

because he lives so far away.

But I know he wishes he could be,

since this is such a special day.

And though you cannot meet him,

I wanted you to know.

All about my daddy,

and how much he loves me so.

He loved to tell me stories

he taught me to ride my bike.

He surprised me with pink roses,

and taught me to fly a kite.

We used to share fudge sundaes,

and ice cream in a cone.

And though you cannot see him.

I'm not standing here alone.

"Cause my daddy's always with me,

even though we are apart

I know because he told me,

he'll forever be in my heart"

With that, her little hand reached up,

and lay across her chest.

Feeling her own heartbeat,

beneath her favorite dress.

And from somewhere here in the crowd of dads,

her mother stood in tears.

Proudly watching her daughter,

who was wise beyond her years.

For she stood up for the love

of a man not in her life.

Doing what was best for her,

doing what was right.

And when she dropped her hand back down,

staring straight into the crowd.

She finished with a voice so soft,

but its message clear and loud.

"I love my daddy very much,

he's my shining star.

And if he could, he'd be here,

but heaven's just too far.

You see he is a Marine

and died just this past year

When a roadside bomb hit his convoy

and taught Americans to fear.

But sometimes when I close my eyes,

it's like he never went away."

And then she closed her eyes,

and saw him there that day.

And to her mothers amazement,

she witnessed with surprise.

A room full of daddies and children,

all starting to close their eyes.

Who knows what they saw before them,

who knows what they felt inside.

Perhaps for merely a second,

they saw him at her side.

"I know you're with me Daddy,"

to the silence she called out.

And what happened next made believers,

of those once filled with doubt.

Not one in that room could explain it,

for each of their eyes had been closed.

But there on the desk beside her,

was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.

And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,

by the love of her shining star.

And given the gift of believing,

that heaven is never too far.

They say it takes a minute to find a special

person, an hour to appreciate them,

a day to love them, but then an entire

life to forget them.

Time Off

Well it is really fun to do these bolgs but I have to take some time off for a project that I am involved in. I don't know any exact date that I will be back on but I will be checking in from time to time and when I have something worthy to post I will. If you have anything that you want to have me add to this blog or promote on this blog then please e-mail me and I will do my best to do so. If you ever see the book posted above then you can be assured that I am taking some time off. So as long as you see this book above then you know I am still busy on my project. Why am I showing this book cover for It's That Time Again? Well for those who don't know I have a short story in here and it is my first published story. It also has a story in there that my cousin Steve wrote. You can buy the book below if you so wish.

How can I defend myself against Satan's attacks?

Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be to stand firm against all the strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:10-12 NLT

Happy 4th of July America