Lillie Ammann's Blog, page 32

In Memory of Ray Schaaf

One of my favorite editing projects was Time Flies: Memories of One of the Last Veterans of World War II.  The author, Raymond F. Schaaf, was a delightful ninety-three-old man who looked and acted thirty years younger. He was so excited for the chance to share his story with the world, and working with him and his friend Carolyn Stark was pure pleasure. Carolyn contributed countless hours of research, typing, and editing to help Ray bring his book to fruition. Holding the book in his hands was the achievement of one of his dearest life goals.

Ray added this statement at the end of his book:
“The World War II generation is dying off at the rate of about 487 a day nationwide.” On December 17, 2018, Ray became one of those statistics.  

In October, he had traveled to Montana, the only state he hadn’t previously visited. In early December, he had been one of four veterans on an Honor Flight, another goal accomplished.

On December 17, he was dressed and ready to take Carolyn out to celebrate her birthday but went out to get the mail before they left. She heard a thump and opened the door to find him lying dead on the concrete. It appears that he was dead before he hit the floor. He’d had no health problems and had achieved all his final goals.

He will be greatly missed by family and friends, but what a blessing that he ended his life without pain or suffering and that he had accomplished all he dreamed of.

Learn more about this remarkable man in his obituary or read Time Flies: Memories of One of the Last Veterans of World War II.

Devotion for the Ninth Day of Christmas

And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

“Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,
According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
A Light of revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

And His father and mother were amazed at the things
which were being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His
mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in
Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— and a sword will pierce even your own
soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. ~ Luke 2:25-38

Simeon was privileged to see Jesus when His parents
took Him to the temple on the eighth day. Simeon had been promised by God that
he would see the Messiah, and he immediately recognized Jesus as the Savior.
It’s interesting to note that Simeon knew that Jesus would be a light to the
Gentiles. Traditionally, the Jews expected Jesus to be the Savior of the
Jews—God’s people—only. With Jesus, God’s people expanded from only the people
of Israel to everyone who accepts Jesus. The prophetess Anna also recognized
Jesus. Both Simeon and Anna were faithful and righteous people. Anna had prayed
and fasted in the temple for many decades. I so admire that—sometimes I find it
difficult to pray for an hour.

Thank You, Lord, for the examples set by Simeon and Anna. They were faithful and righteous, and I want to be like them. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/maystra

Wishing You a Blessed New Year

May the coming year be filled with joy, love, and peace.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/letterstocker

Devotion for the Eighth Day of Christmas (The Circumcision of Christ)

And when eight days had passed, before His
circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel
before He was conceived in the womb.

And when the days for their purification according to
the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present
Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male
that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), and to offer a
sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of
turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

When they had performed everything according to the
Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. The
Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace
of God was upon Him. ~ Luke 2:21-24, 39-40

Even though Jesus is the Lord, His earthly parents followed everything that was required of them as faithful Jews. Jesus was named and circumcised on the eighth day, fully obedient. Circumcision to the Jews, like baptism for Christians, brings the person into the family of God. Jesus did not need to do anything—after all, He is God, but He did everything that was required on our behalf.

Thank You, Lord, that Jesus was obedient to the Law on my behalf and that He has given me eternal life. Make me obedient to Your will. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/jamesgroup

Devotion for the Seventh Day of Christmas

Now before faith came, we were held captive under the
law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So
then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that
we might be justified by faith.But now that faith has
come, we are no longer under a guardian,for in Christ
Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you
as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no
male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are
Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no
different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he
is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the
same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary
principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come,
God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the
law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might
receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has
sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba!
Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son,
then an heir through God. ~ Galatians 3:23-4:7

The coming of Jesus made it possible for us to be
heirs of God through adoption. We are redeemed when we proclaim our faith in
Jesus as our Savior. Recently, someone asked a question in Sunday School: Are
all the people who have never heard of Jesus going to Hell because they haven’t
accepted Him as their Savior? The answer was that we leave that to God’s grace
and can’t presume to make that decision. But what we must do is to share Jesus
with everyone so no one will go to Hell because we didn’t tell them how to be
saved. If we tell them and they reject Jesus, they have made a choice. But it
would be terrible if they never learned about Jesus because we didn’t share
with them. 

Lord God, help me to tell everyone I know about Jesus and to support missionaries who tell people far away about Him. You are giving the world lots of time for Christians to go into all the world telling people about Jesus and baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Help me to do my part. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

The Seventh Day of Christmas

Now before faith came, we were held captive under the
law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So
then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that
we might be justified by faith.But now that faith has
come, we are no longer under a guardian,for in Christ
Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you
as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no
male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are
Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no
different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he
is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the
same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary
principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come,
God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the
law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might
receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has
sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba!
Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son,
then an heir through God. ~ Galatians 3:23-4:7

The coming of Jesus made it possible for us to be
heirs of God through adoption. We are redeemed when we proclaim our faith in
Jesus as our Savior. Recently, someone asked a question in Sunday School: Are
all the people who have never heard of Jesus going to Hell because they haven’t
accepted Him as their Savior? The answer was that we leave that to God’s grace
and can’t presume to make that decision. But what we must do is to share Jesus
with everyone so no one will go to Hell because we didn’t tell them how to be
saved. If we tell them and they reject Jesus, they have made a choice. But it
would be terrible if they never learned about Jesus because we didn’t share
with them. 

Lord God, help me to tell everyone I know about Jesus and to support missionaries who tell people far away about Him. You are giving the world lots of time for Christians to go into all the world telling people about Jesus and baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Help me to do my part. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Devotion for the Sixth Day of Christmas

After this I looked, and behold, a great
multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and
peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the
Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their
hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our
God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”And all
the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the
four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and
worshiped God,saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and
wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and
ever! Amen.”

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are
these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?”I
said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out
of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb.

“Therefore they are before the throne of God,
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
    and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
    the sun shall not strike them,
    nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
    and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” ~ Revelation 7:9-17

Christmas ultimately leads to the saints gathered in
Heaven in white robes washed in the Blood of the Lamb. Jesus was born to become
a sacrifice so we can have eternal life. We will stand before the throne of
God, and we will never again hunger or thirst or be burned by the sun. God
Himself will wipe away our tears, and Jesus Himself will shepherd us and lead
us to springs of living water. Caught up in the celebrations of the newborn
Babe, let us not forget the culmination of Jesus’ birth—His death and
resurrection and our salvation and eternal life.

Thank You, Lord, that one day I will be in Heaven with You, free of all pain and sorrow and anxiety and the cares of this world. Give me endurance for this life and gratitude for the one to come. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Sixth Day of Christmas

After this I looked, and behold, a great
multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and
peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the
Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their
hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our
God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”And all
the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the
four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and
worshiped God,saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and
wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and
ever! Amen.”

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are
these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?”I
said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out
of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb.

“Therefore they are before the throne of God,
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
    and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
    the sun shall not strike them,
    nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
    and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” ~ Revelation 7:9-17

Christmas ultimately leads to the saints gathered in
Heaven in white robes washed in the Blood of the Lamb. Jesus was born to become
a sacrifice so we can have eternal life. We will stand before the throne of
God, and we will never again hunger or thirst or be burned by the sun. God
Himself will wipe away our tears, and Jesus Himself will shepherd us and lead
us to springs of living water. Caught up in the celebrations of the newborn
Babe, let us not forget the culmination of Jesus’ birth—His death and
resurrection and our salvation and eternal life.

Thank You, Lord, that one day I will be in Heaven with You, free of all pain and sorrow and anxiety and the cares of this world. Give me endurance for this life and gratitude for the one to come. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Devotion for the Fifth Day of Christmas

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth(John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. ~ John 1:14-18

Jesus is the Word, filled with grace and glory. Yet
He gave up His glory and power in Heaven to come to earth as a tiny baby. Even
as a tiny human baby, He was filled with grace and glory because He was still
fully God, still the deity. From Him, we have received grace. He has forgiven
our sins and given us eternal life.

Lord Jesus, even as a tiny infant lying in a manger, You were the Son of the Father, filled with glory and grace. The angels glorified You. The shepherds worshiped You. I glorify You and worship You. Lead me to live my life for You. In Your name. Amen.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/adrenalina

Devotion for the Fourth Day of Christmas (Holy Innocents)

Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked
by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male
children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and
under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.  Then what had been spoken
through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

“A voice was heard in Ramah,
Weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children;
And she refused to be comforted,
Because they were no more.” ~ Luke 2:16-18

Herod was so threatened by the idea of another King
of the Jews that he had innocent babies killed. Every boy two years old and
younger was viciously murdered to eliminate any competition to Herod. It’s hard
to imagine evil of that magnitude born of selfishness and pride. Yet something
similar happens thousands of times a day today—mothers and fathers and
grandparents kill unborn babies for the crime of being inconvenient. We may not
participate in the killing ourselves, but as part of this country, we allow it
to happen. And we allow other children to die from abuse or starvation because
it’s more important to us to satisfy our own fleshly desires. We see terrible
pictures of children in need and turn away, whether from lack of caring or from
feeling overwhelmed.

Father, forgive me! I put my own desires above the lives of Your innocent children—individuals created by You in Your image. Open my eyes and heart to see the needs and put others first. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Image: © Depositphotos.com/shalunx13