Aches and Praise Two Hundred & Thirty Eight

Dear friends,

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are a part of the family of God and can claim His wonderful promises, including looking forward to being with the Lord for eternity. If you have never repented of your sins, asked God’s forgiveness, and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you are headed for destruction.

In the 1960s, there was an explosion of popular musical bands, led by the Beatles and Rolling Stones. Growing up in that era, one of the songs that I heard on the radio the most was (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction. Mick Jagger probably sang this song thousands of times in his long career. Although many people liked the song for its beat, when you stop to consider the lyrics, you realize that they portray a pursuit of hedonistic pleasure.

After attending a lecture by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in London in the summer of 1967, Paul McCartney wrote a song called “Fool on the Hill.” A few months later, the Beatles went to India to explore transcendental meditation. According to Wikipedia, Paul McCartney said that the song relates to someone like Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The article also reveals that Alistair Taylor, in the book Yesterday, reports a mysterious incident involving a man who inexplicably appeared near him and McCartney during a walk and then disappeared again, soon after McCartney and Taylor had conversed about the existence of God; this allegedly prompted the writing of the song.
 
This morning is known as “April Fool’s Day” in North America. How this “celebration” originated is unclear. For a description of possible sources, please visit: http://time.com/4276140/april-fools-day-history/. What is clear is that a person who doesn’t believe in God is a fool, according to the Bible (Psalm 14:1). People may be rich in this world’s goods, but if they don’t have a personal relationship with the Lord, they are poor spiritually.
 
Scripture for the weekend: “For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:25-26 (NASB)  
 

Thought for the weekend: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” – Jim Elliot (martyred in Ecuador in 1956, along with four other missionaries)

 

In His grace,

 

Steve


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