Hello ,

 

 

As a Native New-Yorker, I cannot describe the eery feeling that came over the state 19 years ago today. I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news...my children were very small, and I was very concerned about what would happen to my family. 

 

It was just another "daily day." The sun was shining, people were going about their lives, and then we received the news. 

 

9/11 shockingly jerked us from our "every day was just like the last" slumber, and forced us to look at important things like bravery, cowardice, and shocked grief that tragedies can bring to good people when they are least expecting it. 

 

We were reminded that terrible things can happen to good folks, that the human spirit can stand up and fight during hard times, and that some of the things that we complain about just aren't THAT big of a deal. 

 

On that day, we didn't have to wonder whether we were proud to be Americans...we were. We cried, we stood in stunned silence, and we wondered how the world would ever return to normal. 

 

For some, it never did. 

 

If Bible prophecy is correct (and I believe that it is,) we're not finished with seeing pain, hurt, shock, and disbelief. 

 

Some recognize that it's coming. Others carry on as if nothing more could ever happen...willingly participating in a pervading ignorance that will one day shock them as never before. This pandemic has most certainly gotten our attention, and we need to remember that the bad things that happen in our world aren't over yet. Almost anything can happen at anytime. 

 

Sobering thoughts...especially when we remember that 19 years ago thousands of people woke up, went to work, laughed, drank their coffee, sat down at their desks, talked about last night's t.v. show, and thought that they had long futures ahead of them...but never returned to their homes. 

 

I was reminded, especially this morning, that TODAY is the day of salvation. TODAY is the day to embrace God's work in our lives. TODAY is the ONLY day that some people will ever have...to actually make that decision. 

 

Today, lets remember that we're not guaranteed tomorrow. Let's think about the eternal significance of that reality. It's sometimes a "needful" jolt back into the reality that contains a very real need for us to connect with a Savior.

 

Today I also spent time wondering how many people who perished that day 12 years ago actually had a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Sometimes we just get so busy with living our lives that we allow the blur of it all to blind us to our deepest need.  My heart aches for those who go down into Christ-less graves without the hope that we sometimes might take for granted. 

 

I've tried to make The Open Word Daily e-Devotionals something that will bless people on a regular basis, and have a spiritual impact on their lives. I still have the same goal with this daily e-mail as I did almost 4 years ago when it began:  To point people to Jesus Christ, and to remind them that a life with Him is worth pursuing.

 

I will continue to do my best to keep this tiny "lamp" burning everyday into the foreseeable future. We now have hundreds and hundreds of subscribers, and God has chosen to allow me to keep moving forward.  

 

If you have a burden on your heart to partner with me in helping to defray some of the costs incurred in keeping this ministry up and running, I've left a link at the bottom of this page. 

 

I covet your prayers as I endeavor to lift Jesus Christ high as THE ONLY ANSWER that makes sense in a world that seems to have spun out of control. 

 

Today, we remember. 

 

Let's pray for all families that were affected by this incredible tragedy in our nation's history. Their lives were affected in ways that still haunt them today. Only Jesus can bring the peace that passes all understanding into lives that have experienced such immense pain and suffering.

 

 

-- Pastor Mike / The Open Word