THE LUIGI EFFECT!

And the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.  And they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their sexual immorality nor of their thefts. Revelation 9:20-21

I saw in the news recently Luigi Mangione in court for his murder of Brian Thompson, a United Health Care CEO back in 2024.  Even the news described him as smiling, happy and making jokes.  This is a man that I would say the authorities are about 95% sure that he is guilty.  He was not a bit remorseful, sorrowful, regretful, and not even serious.  He clearly is not repentant for what he has surely done.  Here he sits facing judgment and soon conviction for what he has done, and he has no conscience.  He doesn’t even plead for mercy.  I tell you this is typical of the unrepentant sinful people that will be caught up in the judgments of the Tribulation Period.  They will have the same attitude of Luigi - the “Luigi Effect” to put a name on it. 

They will not repent of worshiping false gods, nor murders (like Luigi).  They’re also unrepentant of “sorceries” (GK. Pharmakia – Drugs). A more prevalent sin is their immorality.  With all the world’s sinful adulteries, living-together, marriage abuses and the whole LGBTQ perversions, there will be a lot of unrepentant people like this. And then, there are thefts, a seeming minor thing in comparison. These are the people facing the judgments of the Tribulation.  We should be the exact opposite of the Luigis. 

Tom Johnson

OUT OF THE FRYING PAN…

…I have learned in whatever state I am in, to be content. 

Philippians 4:11

Mrs. Monroe of Darlington, Maryland had 8 children.  She came home one day with arms full of groceries and saw 5 of her children sitting in a circle on the floor being unusually quiet.  They were intensely interested in something.  It always concerns parents when children are very quiet and still.  She put the groceries down and went over to see what was going on.  As she peered into the circle, she saw 5 little skunks.  The children were playing with them.  Well, when she saw this, she yelled, "Children, run!"  Each child grabbed a skunk and ran!  She was frantic!  She scared each child so much that they squeezed the skunk they had.  You know what happened.  That was the beginning of a bad day for Mrs. Monroe.

Have you ever had a bad day? If we had asked Moses that question, he would probably have said, "Ah, you don’t know the half of it!"  Moses and Aaron, God’s dynamic duo, were standing before one of the legendary Pharaohs of Egypt, Amenhotep II (Exodus 5).  His military prowess and personal physical strength have been recorded on Egyptian obelisks which show him riding a stallion and shooting his bow striking the target with a bull’s eye.  He was a physically and mentally tough ruler.  His stubbornness is legendary, too, as we see from Exodus.  God did not choose some cream-puff, milk toast or Twinkie to demonstrate His power.  He chose the most powerful man on earth at the time.

In your life and mine, God brings what seems like insurmountable odds. How do you respond? Read Exodus 5-6 to see how Moses responded.

Ike Graham

BEING ROPE HOLDERS

In Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me. And I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands.

 2 Corinthians 11:32-33.

Paul recounted his dramatic escape to the Corinthians some twenty years later. Although he never named them, the rope-holders who helped him were never forgotten. His remarkable ministry would not have been possible without these unsung servants. Every soul brought to Christ, every church planted, and every worker trained through Paul’s ministry was credited, in part, to them — much like the promise that a cup of water given in God’s name shares in the reward.

The church is still filled with rope-holders. Some faithfully give or pray for missionaries. Praying mothers hold the rope for wandering children. Men and women of faith stand in the gap during threatening times, as Abraham did for Lot when Sodom and Gomorrah were caught up in conflict (Genesis 14:1–24).

During a summer 2014 week at Camp Christigan, two grade-school boys were preparing to leave for Papua New Guinea with their missionary parents, saying goodbye to everything familiar. On the final evening around the campfire, I shared the story of rope-holders and challenged the campers to commit to praying for these boys. I reached into my pocket for the rope I had brought so they could tug on it as a symbol of their promise — but it wasn’t there. I later realized I had left it on my desk. Thinking the idea was too gimmicky anyway, I looked down… and right by my foot lay a two-foot piece of rope. I picked it up, convinced God wanted us to continue.

One by one, campers stepped forward and tugged the rope in front of the boys. They never forgot that moment, and both they and their parents were deeply encouraged.

Let me encourage you to be a rope-holder — for missionaries, the wandering, the sick, the persecuted, and weary pastors. Your support matters more than you know. 

Russ Simpson

March-May Edition

The newest edition of Grace for Living will begin on March 1. Check back each day for the devotion of the day. Thank you and God bless.

Ethan