Templar Banner News (https://templarbanner.com/category/faith/page/5/)
Articles related to faith in God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and Christianity in general.
In December our thoughts turn to the birth of our dear Savior and bringing light and peace into our hurting world. Several of the sayings that we have come to know were made popular in Christmas stories. One of these was having one’s work cut out for them. We are living in a day of dread, division, disaster and disease. This common
saying has been linked to the tailoring business as far back as the early 17th
century.
This word conveys the notion that an idea or reflection
expressed was not a part of one’s original train of thought or plan. It has,
according to a major dictionary online, been in our vernacular since 1655-1665. The concept of an afterthought is found in the Greek word for repentance, which
is demonstrated by turning around and demonstrating the opposite point of view
and practice. In the Bible in Matthew 11:20–21,
the original Greek word here for repentance is μετάνοια
(metanoia), which translated literally is ‘thinking
after’ or ‘afterthought.’
The earliest verifiable printing of the actual word, in
the original text hyphenated from one line to the next, is in the English
translation by George Stanhope, D.D., of the French work by Pierre Charon, Of
Wisdom, Three Books, 1697:
“…and to all he conversed
with; nay, to stake his Reputation for the Truth of an Opinion and yet Time and AfterThought have demonstrated the direct Contrary;
This bold confiding Man, I say, will be taught from hence to distrust such
hasty Arrogance…”
As Christians and Templars God and His work and will should
never be an afterthought. God must come first in our lives.
So many of our
old proverbs and metaphoric expressions are not directly from the Bible but
have their roots there and or have a spiritual implication. Let sleeping
dogs lie means once a scenario has played out it is usually better to ‘let well
enough alone’ than to try to change it and possibly instigate trouble and make
matters worse for all concerned. It is a quote and favorite saying from first
BritishPrime Minister, Sir Robert
Walpole (1676 –1745). But
Sir Robert is not the originator of the saying. A form of it was used earlier
by Geoffrey Chaucer in Troilus and Criseyde, published in
1374.
One of the virtues of a Christian knight is patience. For many this is a difficult one to master.
The idea that patience is a virtue can be traced back to the Bible, as it is
listed as a ‘fruit of the Spirit’ in Galatians 5:22, 23:
“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is charity, joy, peace, patience, long abiding, benignity, goodness, mildness, faith, [benignity, or good will]
“23 temperance, continence, chastity;
against such things is no law.”
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
The first citation of this being used as a proverb comes from William Langland’s poem, Piers Plowman, 1377 and was expressed even earlier in Latin… Maxima enim…patientia virtus (patience is the greatest virtue). This means that the ability to wait for the fulfillment of a desire without complaining is important in the development of character.
Deus Vult
One of the fine
courses offered by the Templar Academy is titled The Gauntlet. I feel that it
is important for every Templar to complete it. Running the
gauntlet is defined as going through a series of harsh criticisms at the hands
of one’s detractors. In medieval
days, gauntlets or ‘gantelettes’ formed part of the suits of armor and were
usually covered with plates of steel and were for both attack and defense. When
a member of the British nobility would be attacked he would throw down the
gauntlet as a challenge.
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/7687528849¿¿Meeting ID: 768 752 8849
The Knights Templar invite anyone with a phone and or computer to join them on 12 April 2020 for an international Easter Sunday service. Grand Master General Ronald Mangum, Grand Chancellor Bryant Jones, and Grand Secretary General Daithi O’Brien extend a cordial invitation to one and all for an Easter Sunday service via Zoom. During this time of social distancing and sheltering in place we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ through a service that will be hosted by the Chaplain’s Corps of the OSMTJ International lead by Grand Chaplain Father Caesar Johnson. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20 (KJV)
Come and let us gather, two, three or more of us virtually to worship the risen Lord.
Don’t let judgment cloud your love
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Cookies, pastels, spring flowers, and God’s love
7 Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Genesis 2:7 (NASB)
“Spiced Chocolate Chip Cookies” by EvilShenanigans is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
For the New Year I would like to go to the beginning, the
lesson of Genesis, and children. My older brother, his age prompting a visit,
put me in a place to fly out and visit.
I had not seen my family in California in many years. Amongst those
would be my niece and nephews and now their families. Flying out my nephew Robert and Jenn invited me to stay at
their home.
Sunrise, dawn on a new day
Throw the old ways as far as the East is from the West
Everyone deserves a new start. The beginning of a new year brings
new hopes and dreams. It also affords us the opportunity to begin again. The book of Genesis in the Bible is a book meaning new beginnings. The book is full of stories of common people like us who made mistakes and
started anew. The scripture affirms its own realism by reminding us that even
the choicest of God’s servants sometimes fail.
Someone well said, “There is never an excuse for being unkind.” Truth is, we attract far more flies with honey than we do with salt.