Reconciliation

December 16th in our country. To many in South Africa, Dec 16th is a day to remember their forefather's promise to keep this day holy. To others it is a day to relax and spend with family.
16 December in South Africa is a public holiday because of a major battle in our history. This year the Nobel Peace prize was awarded to Barack Obama.What he had to say in his acceptance speech about the issues around war and peace is worth considering.
PRESIDENT OBAMA TALKS WAR, PEACE - President Barack Obama evoked the concept of the ''just war'' on Thursday when he accepted his Nobel peace prize, nine days after sending 30000 more US troops into battle in Afghanistan. He promised to use the prize to "reach for the world that ought to be''. President Obama became the first sitting US president in 90 years, and the third ever, to win the prize - some say prematurely. He and his wife, Michelle, whirled through a day filled with Nobel pomp and ceremony. Mr Obama delivered a Nobel acceptance speech that he saw as a treatise on war's use and prevention. "I face the world as it is," he said, refusing to renounce war for his nation or under his leadership, saying that he is obliged to protect and defend the US. "A non-violent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations cannot convince al-Qaeda's leaders to lay down their arms," Mr Obama said. "To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism, it is a recognition of history." The President specified the circumstances in which war is justified: in self-defence, to come to the aid of an invaded nation, or on humanitarian grounds, such as when civilians are slaughtered by their own government, or when civil war threatens to engulf an entire region. "The belief that peace is desirable is rarely enough to achieve it." He also spoke bluntly of the cost of war, saying of the Afghanistan build-up he has just ordered that "some will kill, some will be killed". "No matter how justified, war promises human tragedy.'' Mr Obama emphasised the importance of alternatives to violence, such as diplomacy and tough sanctions, to confront nations such as Iran or North Korea, which defy international demands to halt their nuclear programmes, or those such as Sudan, Congo or Burma, which brutalise their citizens. The US President was in Oslo for only 24 hours and missed the traditional second day of festivities, including a banquet. This miffed some in Norway, but reflects a White House that sees little value in extra pictures of the President, while his poll numbers drop at home, taking an overseas victory lap while thousands of US troops prepare to go to war and millions of Americans remain jobless. In awarding the prize to Mr Obama, the Nobel panel cited his call for a world free of nuclear weapons, for a more engaged US role in combating global warming, for his support of the UN and Multilateral Diplomacy, and for capturing the attention of the world and giving people "hope''. But the Nobel committee made its announcement in October when he was not even nine months on the job, recognising his aspirations more than his achievements. "I am at the beginning, and not the end, of my labours on the world stage," Mr Obama said. "Compared to some of the giants of history who have received this prize, my accomplishments are slight."

Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.”

Read more!

What precious metal do we read about in Malachi? Malachi 3:3 says:
'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.'

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: 'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.' She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.
The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed..
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?'
He smiled at her and answered, 'Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it.'
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire , remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.
Submitted by Pastor Robert

Read more!