-The Only Way Your Life Can Be Changed/ JESUS

"For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
--Romans 6:20-22

There's an epidemic I've noticed in the Church today--so many people are giving no real evidence of conversion and salvation. And I think the root cause of this is that so many are trying to turn from their idols before they turn to God. In other words, they hear the message of Jesus Christ, but they think that the way to come to Christ is to give up their sin first, and then give their lives to Jesus.

But that can't be the way that it works because you and I don't have the power to turn from our sins on our own! I've seen so many people who say, "I want to give my life to God now, but I've got to clean up my act first." But the reality is that this line of thinking is 180 degrees opposed to what the Bible tells us.

Today's passage couldn't be clearer: our bonded slavery to sin is too strong for us to release ourselves on our own. Rather, we must first come to Christ, let Him invade our lives, and then He'll transform us from the inside out. That is real conversion!

The grace of God through our saving faith in Jesus Christ is the only thing that can deliver us from the power of sin. So if there's anything holding you back from making that decision today, trust Christ first and then allow Him to change you from the inside out!
---
-YOU CAN'T OVERCOME YOUR SIN ON YOUR OWN. SO TRUST IN CHRIST FIRST AND FOREMOST AND HE WILL CHANGE YOU FROM THE INSIDE OUT!
---

-Transformation
--Judges 6:11-16;7:15-22

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is..." (Roms. 12:2)

When the Lord appeared to Gideon, proclaiming him a "mighty warrior," the young man reacted with excuses. He lacked confidence, power, and status. The Lord told him to go save His people from the Midianites--didn't He see Gideon hiding in the winepress in fear?

Yet the Lord promised to be with him, and Gideon made up his mind to believe and obey. It became a step-by-stey- process of God speaking and Gideon questioningly obeying. By the time Gideon actually led his army against Midian, he was expecting and received a miracle. But when the dust of the battle settled, the most astonishing miracle was the change in Gideon. The Holy Spirit had re-created him into a confident and powerful military leader and commander, a resourceful diplomat (Judges 8:1-2), and a respected, yet humble servant of God (Judges 8:22-23).

What kind of transformation is God seeking to perform in you, through His Spirit and your obedience? He does His greatest transforming work right in our hearts when we know Jesus as our Savior.
---
"Has God altered the thing that matters? The Spirit of God makes (it) manifest in your actual life...There is no imagining
that you did it." (Oswald Chambers)
---

-INITIAL POINT
-Psalm 119:97-104

It is written,"Man
shall not live by
bread alone, but
by every word that
proceeds from the
mouth of God."
--Matthew 4:4

We may read many books, but the Word of God is our "initial point," the fixed reference point. John Wesley read widely, but he always referred to himself as "a man of one book."

Nothing can compare to the Book of books, the Word of God. When we allow the Bible to be our guide in all of life, we can say with the psalmist, "How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Ps. 119:103).

'Dear Lord, we are grateful for Your Book. In it
we learn of You and find guidance and direction
for our lives. Help us to learn to love Your Word
and to eagerly dig into its pages. Amen' ~
---
-The Bible is a like a compass:
if followed, you're going in the right direction.
--DB/DR

-The Relief of Being a Witness for Christ~

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day." --John 6:44

I've been preaching now for more than 40 years. And throughout my days as a preacher and a minister, there have been times when I've tried so hard to inspire, challenge, and motivate people to follow Jesus Christ.

But every time I've come up with just the right words, I'm reminded that if I can talk them into doing something, someone else can talk them out of it. And if you just constantly pressure people to follow Chirst, pretty soon they'll just decide to stop listening.

Becoming a Christ follower isn't something anyone can be convinced to do. Sure, they can pray a prayer, put on the show, and blend in with all the people in church. But there's going to come a day when what they really believe is brought into the light and they'll fall back into their old patterns of living.

Following Christ is not something you just get up and decide to do one day. It's God who draws His children to His Son and supernaturally reveals who He is in thier hearts. So when you share the Gospel with others, remember that it's God, not your words, that saves them. What a relief!

When you share Christ with others, remember that your words don't save because only God can draw people to Himself!
--J Graham
-"LOVE SO HIGH"

-Quiet Strength
-Matthew 1:18-25; 2:13-15,19-23

"This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says: 'In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.'"(Isaiah 30:15)

Joseph, Mary's husband and Jesus' earthly father, was quiet. Scripture does not record one word that he spoke. Yet, today's readings along with Luke 2, give a strong profile of the kind of man Joseph was. Called righteous, he strictly observed the Jewish law and saw that his new family observed the sacrifices, feasts and rituals as well. He also did what the Roman law required, registering for the census in Bethlehem. He had a solid trade to support his family and pass on to his family. He was a good listener--when the angel of the Lord spoke to him, on four occasions, he listened and obeyed. He was a sensible and dependable man whose actions spoke louder than his words.

Though Joseph does not seem to have been a man of many words, he listened and obeyed. Isn't that what God desires from us?
How He longs for us to hear His Word and, in quiet confidence, trust Him!
---
"Beware of stopping your ears to the call of God..."
--(Oswald Chambers)

--Haven Today

-Living Your Life as God's Ambassadors ~

"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." -2 Corinthians 5:20

If you look back over the history of the United States, whenever the U.S. was in a tense situation with another country, the President would almost always send an ambassador to try and make peace with the other country. Sometimes it would be a close advisor or the Secretary of State, but someone had to go and represent the interests of the country.

Now, it is absolutely imperataive if the President is going to send representatives to Iraq or any other nation of the world, especially when there is a great amount of tension, that he choose the right ambassador. That ambassador must best represent our nation's interests when it comes to bringing reconciliation between the U.S. and its enemy.

When the Bible speaks in today's passage about you and I being ambassadors, it means we carry the authority of God when we seek to bring reconciliation in the world. We're God's representatives living in enemy-occupied territory. So Jesus gives you and me the privilege of helping make peace with the world on God's behalf by sharing the news of what Christ did on the cross.

We have a tremendous responsibility to represent our President (God), to the world. So as you live your life, remember Who you represent and your mission to bring His peace to those who are far from Him.

The Bible says that in Christ, you represent God on earth as His ambassador. So as you live your life, remember Who you represent and the work you should be about!

--Jack Graham/Daily Word

--How to Be an Engaging Witness for Christ ~

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." -Acts 1:8

I used to go to the aerobics center with a man named John. And everybody at that fitness club knew John. If they didn't, they met him within about five minutes! I remember watching John and how encouraged I was by his engaging witness for Christ. He just loved people!

And you know, there were so many people at that gym who didn't know Christ. They weren't interested in church if they'd even ever been to church at all! So it took someone like John who could go in with the joy of Jesus in his heart to share the Lord with those people.

I realize that not all of us have a personality like John's. But each of us can be engaging in our own way by simply being real with others. We can be thoughtful, kind, and authentic with our lives. In fact, one of my favorite things to do with nonbelievers is shatter their stereotype of what a Christian is just by being a genuine person.

Being an engaging witness means that you just flow from the inside out with an authentic witness of Christ in your life. It means that in everything you do, God is glorified. And in every situation you experience, you put others before you. If you live that way, your life will be a powerful witness for Christ!

-Live an authentic life with God as the center and you'll
be a powerful witness for Jesus Christ!

--Daily Word/JG

-A true follower of Christ will bear fruit for His kingdom.

-Abiding Fruit

"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." (John 15:16)

Every true Christian desires to be a fruit-bearing Christian, not one who is "barren" and "unfruitful" (2 Peter 1:8). He or she also earnestly desires that the fruit--whether that of a godly character (Galatians 5:22-23) or that of others won to Christ (Romans 1:13)--will not wither but remain strong and healthy before the Lord.

The promise of Christ in our text is that our fruit will remain, if He has chosen us and we go forth praying in His name and seeking sincerely to bear fruit for His name's sake. It is significant that the Greek word translated "remain" (that is, meno) is also commonly translated "abide," as well as "continue." In fact, it occurs no less than twelve times in John 15:4-16, the last being in our text verse above.

To "abide in Christ" does not mean to be continually aware of His presence or perpetually thinking only of Him, but it does mean to continue believing His Word and serving Him. "Continue ye in my love," He commands (v. 9). To do that, He says that, "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love" (v. 10).

He also has said, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed" (John 8:31). "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7).

Note the progression. He says, "Abide in me, and I in you" (v. 4). This means, He says that "my words abide in you," and also that we are to "continue in my love," which implies that "ye keep my commandments."

It follows then that, as we "continue" in His Word, we shall "bring forth fruit" which will "remain"!

--ICR/ HMM

-What Shall We Do?

"Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?" (John 6:28)

This question is often asked by people who try to work their way into heaven. It was also asked in various ways by men in the New Testament, and it is vitally important to get the correct answer to such questions there, and nowhere else.

For example, a rich young ruler once asked Jesus, "What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered, "Go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor . . . and come, take up the cross, and follow me" (Mark 10:17, 21). That is, there is nothing of his own that one can bring to Christ to earn salvation; one must simply be willing to yield himself fully to Christ.

A lawyer had asked Jesus the same question, "tempting Him." This time, His answer was, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself" (Luke 10:27). But this standard is humanly unattainable by any child of Adam, so in effect, the lawyer was told it was impossible for him to do anything himself to inherit eternal life.

When the crowd asked Peter on the day of Pentecost, "pricked in their heart" because they had crucified Christ, "What shall we do?" Peter answered, "Repent, and be baptized . . . in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:37-38). What they had to "do" was an inward act of repentance and faith toward Christ and an outward public testimony demonstrating the reality of that inward change of heart and mind.

Years later at Philippi, a jailer asked Paul the apostle one night, "What must I do to be saved?" The answer was simply, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (16:30-31). HMM

-THE BELIEVER'S PURPOSE ~
-READ/ Galatians 5:13

God has a purpose for your life. If that weren't true, He'd have taken you home to heaven at the moment of salvtion. Do you ever wonder why He left you here?

The Lord intends to influence others through you. Our purpose is to be a vessel through which Christ overflows to others--touching those who hurt and desperately need a Savior. Once we are saved, Scripture teaches, our involvement is threefold.


First, we love others. Jesus clearly stated that this was one of the two greatest commandments (Matt. 22:38-39).

Second, we share the Good News of salvation (Acts 1:8). Some travel across the world to spread the Gospel, while others teach neighbors across the street. The Holy Spirit will direct us to the right people if we are willing to obey.

Third, we serve in a variety of ways, like helping those in need, sharing our resources, and lifting others in prayer. Jesus is our perfect example of all three. His entire life was marked by caring for people--both those who loved Him and those who did not. In fact, the Bible teaches that He humbled Himself and became like us, willing to give up His life for our redemption. There is no greater love; there is no greater act of service.

Scripture clearly defines the believer's purpose. Aligning ourselves with God's intentions for His children--loving others, witnessing, and serving--will bring us great satisfaction. In fact, we're still on earth not merely to hear more teaching but to act on it and share with others what we learn.

--In Touch/ JESUS LOVES YOU!

-My Lord!

--Psalm 16
---
You are my Lord, my
goodness is nothing
apart from You.
--Psalm 16:2-

When the psalmist declares, "I said to the LORD, 'You are my Lord, apart from You I have no good thing'" (Ps. 16:2 NIV), I am intrigued. We all know that God is good. But when was the last time we embraced Him as the ultimate good in our life?

The psalmist explains just how good God really is: He is our preserver (v.1), our total goodness-giver (v.2), our counsel and instruction (v.7), and the One who makes known "the path of life" and fills us with with joy in His presence (vs.11). Now that's what I call good!

Unfortunately, too often we let lesser "goods" eclipse our acceptance of the everlasting goodness of God in our lives. The fleeting nature of lesser goods will untimately disappoint us--you can count on it. Only God is truly good! And there is plenty of Him for all we need.
----
-God alone is good. Don't settle for second best.

--ODB/JS

--Understanding the Gospel and Need for Forgiveness of Sin--

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
---Romans 6:23

I was talking with a seminary professor, and he was telling me about a seminar dialog he had with scholars from other faiths. He was asked to give a presentation on Evangelical Christianity, including the message of salvation, eternal life, and the person of Jesus Christ. So he emphatically said yes.

After he finished his presentation, others in the seminar began to ask him questions. A debate ensued on the need for atonement for our sins. Finally, this professor plainly told them, “The reason you don’t see a need for the atoning death of Christ is because you don’t have a concept of sin.”

He went on, “Until you have a concept of sin as offensive and utterly repulsive before God, then no, you won’t see a need for the death of Jesus Christ.”

One question I’m often asked is why I preach so much about the ugliness of sin. And the answer is that if we don’t have a right idea of what sin is, then we can never truly understand the Gospel and the grace of God.

Our sin is repulsive to God. Yet in Christ, we stand completely forgiven and free from condemnation. So thank God today that if you’re in Christ, you’ll never face judgment for your sin!

-SIN IS REPULSIVE TO GOD. SO THANK GOD THAT THROUGH FAITH IN THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST, YOU’LL NEVER BE JUDGED FOR IT!

-Find Us Faithful
--Revelation 2:8-11

"To the angel of the church in Smyrna...Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life."

On the seven churches of Revelation, Smyrna experienced suffering and persecution yet was faithful to God, trusting and relying on His promises. Faithfulness comes from keeping our focus on Jesus and realizing that Jesus declared, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" (John 20:21)

Having changed locations a number of times in ministry, we have passed on to believing friends the privilege of carrying the torch of faith. What greater honor and privilege could we have than this? Our role is to tell of the Good News concerning Jesus, to allow others to see Him and His joy in us. On our own we can't do this, but we have the power of the Holy Spirit within us. We're part of an ongoing missiion taking place throughout the entire world.

Until that day when we see Him again and our joy is made complete, we keep Christ at the center of ourlives.
"For what is our hope, our joy...in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy" (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20).
---
-"Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.
May the fire of our devotion light their way."
--(Jon Mohr, 1988)

--Haven Today

-From the Bottom Up ~
-Mark 5:1-20

"When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind... So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him." (Mark 5:15,20)

There was probably no more earthly person in those days than one possessed by a demon. The story takes us from this man whose dwelling was in a burial chamber carved out of rock on the hillside, to the freedom of his being healed of the devil's dominance in his life. We read that he was clothed and in his right mind and moving on to the center of the city to proclaim "how much Jesus had done for him." There is nothing more powerful than a personal story. I was blind, but now I see. I was demon-possessed, but now I am free. I was lost, but now am found! Great joy comes from God's transformational work of love and grace.

We may not have found ourselves in such dire straits as the demon-possed man. But still God takes each one of us from the pit of our sin to a living testimony of how He has and is creating a new person in us.

The stories of lives transformed bring joy, hope, courage and renewal. We can't help but find joy in being part of God's redemptive plan and in telling others about it!

God's desire for us, His children, is to push us into a fresh awareness of His presence.

--Haven Today

-STORM WARNING!
-Jonah 1;2:10-3:3;3:10-:4:4

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who...humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!" ( Philippians 2:5,6A)

Don't dismiss the book of Jonah as just a kids' story. It is still relevant to any age of 21st century believers.

Jonah was a prophet of God with a joyless attitude. When he received God's instructions to call Nineveh to repentance, he hopped on a boat--headed in the opposite direction. God sent a deadly storm. Jonah was thrown overboard to save the ship and crew. Rescued by a God-sent giant fish, Jonah spent three days in its belly--three days of reflection and three days that would point us ahead to Jesus who Himself was three days in the grave before His resurrection. Jonah prayed and vowed sacrifices to God, yet his attitude remained poor.

After the fish spit him out, God gave Jonah another chance. This time he did preach to the Ninevites who then repented. And Jonah was angry. He sulked and did not like God's agenda.

Sometimes we do God's work grudgingly, too. Or we ignore His call altogether. How is your journey going? Does your agenda align with God's map? Is your attitude like Jesus'?
---
"Always be in a state of expectancy, and see that you leave room for God to come in as He likes." (Oswald Chambers)
--Haven Today

-About Face!
-Acts 26:9-23

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10)

You've heard of an "aha!" moment, that instant when something stops a person and makes him reassess and possibly change directions.

Saul, following in his father's footsteps, was the quintessential Pharisee, describing himself as "a Hebrew of Hebrews," born into the tribe of Benjamin, circumcised on the eighth day, faultless in following the Law (Philippians 3:4-6)." With these credentials, he was passionate about trying to eradicate the new church of Jesus.

But God had other plans for Saul. From birth, God "set Saul apart" (Galatians 1:15) as His "chosen instrument" (Acts 9:15) to bring the message of salvation to the non-Jewish world. God literally stopped Saul in his tracks and turned him around, 180 degrees! About Face!

Just as with Saul, God intervenes in our self-directed lives today revealing the love of Jesus, and offering us new life. Then we, like Saul, become a new creation, on a new path, in a new direction, led by Him. The "aha!" moment becomes an "aha!" life which marvels at Jesus' hold on us.
---
-"One individual life may be of priceless value to God's purposes, and yours may be that life." (Oswald Chambers)
--Haven Today

-Living Above Negative
Circumstances ~~

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4-7)

-Back when I was playing ball, I was taught that we should always play our position. Our coaches drilled that into our heads! And really, that's what God wants us to do as well. He's telling us, "Play your position!" You and I are positioned now at the right hand of the Father. We're seated in the finished work of Christ and are lifted up with Him in the heavenly places. Not just when we go to heaven, but today!

But you know, every now and then, I'll ask someone, "How are you doing?" and they'll say, "Well, pretty good under the circumstances." And I wonder, "What are you doing under the circumstances? You're a Christian! You're seated with Christ! All things are under His feet and our feet!"

As a believer in Christ, your circumstances are never indicative of your position in Christ. And you and I are called to live above the world by viewing our circumstances in light of Christ's finished work on the cross.

Our circumstances are like a mattress. You ought to be on top of a mattress, not under it. And you're on top of your circumstances if you're in Christ. So whatever situation you face in life, remember that your position in Christ is far higher than any circumstance you will face!

--Daily Word/JG
"Thank you, Lord, that as your followers, we are in the heavenly places with You. Help us live our life above life's negative circumstances. In Jesus' name. amen"

-EYES TO SEE

-Joshua 3:1-11
---
I spread out my
hands to You; my
soul longs for You
like a thirsty land.
--Psalm 143:6 -
--
MY first glimpse of the Promised Land from the hills of Moab was disappointing. "Did this look a lot different when the Israelites got here?" I asked our guide as we looked toward Jericho. I was expecting a dramatic contrast from the east side of the Jordan. "No," she answered. "It has looked the same for thousands of years."

I rephrased the question. "What did the Israelites see when they got here?" "The biggest oasis on the face of the whole earth," she replied.

Then I understood. I had ridden across the barren desert in the luxury of an air-conditioned bus stocked with bottled water. To me, an oasis was nothing spectacular.

The Israelites had spent years wandering in a hot, dry desert. To them, the sprawling patch of green in the distance meant refreshing, life-sustaining water. They were parched; I was refreshed. They were exhausted; I was rested. They had spent 40 years getting there; I had spent 4 hours.

Like an oasis, God's goodness is found in dry and difficult places. How often, I wonder, do we fail to see His goodness because our spiritual senses have been dulled by comfort. Sometimes God's gifts are seen more clearly when we are tired and thirsty.
May we always thirst for Him (Psm. 143:6).
---
-JESUS IS THE ONLY FOUNTAIN WHO
CAN SATISFY THE THIRSTY SOUL. ~~
--ODB/JAL

The Only Way Your Life Can Be Changed.
Be a willing witness for Christ.
Proverbs 11:30
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

The only way to keep a revival going is to share it!

Praise Our God!
Out Loud!

-The Only Way Your Life Can Be Changed~~

-Letting God's Accomplished Work
Live through You ~~

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." --(Ephesians 2:10)

One of the former presidents of Princeton University once said, referring to the time in his life when he personally trusted Christ as his Lord and Savior, "Since that glorious day, every day of my life has been a 'P.S.' to say "Thank you, Lord, for what you have accomplished in my life!"

And in Christ, that's what our good works are. God has finished writing the letter on His own. He's signed it with the blood of Christ. The work is accomplished. And now, our role is to simply reiterate with our lives how important that work is.

Now, the word workmanship here in today's passage is "poiema." And the real meaning of that word is that we are God's "masterpiece"...a workmanship that expresses the intent, purpose, design, and desire of the Artist!

And what's really amazing is that every good work that you accomplish in Christ has been prepared beforehand by God. So the real credit belongs to Him!

As a believer in Christ, you are God's masterpiece. And as His masterpiece, you have eternal value as you live out the work God has prepared for your life. So when it comes to living the Christian life, remember that it's God working through you, His workmanship, to do His perfect will.

Living the Christian life means letting God live through you, His masterpiece. So live out your 'P.S' to God's work by submitting your whole life to His will!

--Daily Word/JG

--JESUS IS THE TRUTH ~~

Dishonesty is absolutely contrary to the character of God. According to Hebrews 6:18, it is impossible for God to lie. It's not that God will not lie or that He has chosen not to lie--He cannot lie. For God to lie is for a dog to fly and a bird to bark. It simply cannot happen. The Book of Titus echoes the same three words as the Book of Hebrews:
"God...cannot lie" (Titus 1:2).

God always speaks truth. When He makes a convenant, He keeps it. When He makes a statement, He means it. And when He proclaims the truth, we can believe it. What He says is true. Even "if we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself" (2 Timothy 2:13).

Satan, on the other hand, finds it impossible to tell the truth. According to Jesus, the devil is "a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44). If you'll remember, deceit was the first tool out of the devil's bag. In the Garden of Eden, Satan didn't discourage Eve. He didn't seduce her. He didn't sneak up on her. He just lied to her. "God says you'll die if you eat the fruit? You will not die" (see Genesis 3:1-4).

Big Fat Liar! But Eve was suckered, and the fruit was plucked, and it's not more than a few paragraphs before husband and son are following suit and the honesty of Eden seems a distant memory.

It still does. Daniel Webster was right when he observed, "There is nothing as powerful as the truth and often nothing as strange."

--Just Like Jesus
-By Max Lucado

-TRUST JESUS!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
--Proverbs 3:5-6

Do you ever wonder if you can really know God's will for your life each and every day?

Well let me reassure you: You absolutely can! It really is possible to be in sync with the Spirit every single day.

But being in sync with the Holy Spirit is more than responding to a gut feeling or heeding your own human intuition. It comes about as you "abide" or stay connected to Christ every day.

Let me ask you an honest question: How often do you think about the Lord Jesus throughout your day?

I think one of the biggest problems in the Chruch today is that there are a lot of Christians who "do the God thing" on Sunday morning, and then live the rest of the week without giving Christ or His desires for their life a second thought!

But to live in step and in sync with God, and to know His will for our lives every day, you and I must learn to focus more on Him...every single day!

I know that life is busy, and that there are a thousand distractions each and every day. But I want to challenge you to start giving God more time throughout your week.

When your feet hit the floor in the morning, say a quick prayer, committing your day to Him. When you're about to walk into a meeting at work, ask God to guide your speech. When you lay your head down on your pillow at night, thank God for another day of life!

And, as you begin to focus more and more on God every day, you're going to see how He is leading you each step of the way!

-TO LIVE IN STEP AND IN SYNC WITH GOD, YOU MUST
LEARN TO FOCUS MORE ON HIM...EVERY SINGLE DAY! ~

--Encounter with God/ JG

-An Advocate

Not all guilt is bad. God uses appropriate doses of guilt to awaken us to sin!

God’s guilt brings enough regret to change us! Satan’s guilt brings enough regret to enslave us. Don’t let him lock his shackles on you.

Colossians 3:3 reminds us, “Your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

When God looks at you, he sees Jesus first. In the Chinese language the word for “righteousness” is a combination of two characters, the figure of a lamb and a person. The lamb is on top, covering the person. Whenever God looks down at you, this is what he sees: The perfect Lamb of God covering you.

It boils down to this choice: Do you trust your Advocate—God---, or your Accuser—Satan?

Give no heed to Satan’s voice.
You have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous!

-From: Grace
-By: Max Lucado

Oh Lynn! Sometimes you are just soooo funny!
Let's get serious on this one...
-------
---Blind Hearts

"Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." (Ephesians 4:18)

It is a tragedy for a person to have blinded eyes, but infinitely worse to have a blinded heart. No one ever willfully chooses to be sightless, but spiritual blindness is a product of the human will.

After Christ had given sight to the man born blind, the Pharisees still refused to believe, so Jesus said to them, "For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. . . . If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth" (John 9:39, 41).

Like these ancient intellectuals, it often seems that modern intellectuals are incurably blind. They profess to teach science and philosophy of the highest complexity, but their understanding is darkened and their hearts are blinded when it comes to the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. As Paul says: "If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

Even very religious people, people who believe in God as Creator, may blind themselves when confronted with the truth that the Creator must also become their Savior. "But their minds were blinded . . . even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart" (2 Corinthians 3:14-15).

Nevertheless, Christ came as "the light," and when anyone will simply in faith "turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away" (2 Corinthians 3:16), and the gospel will "shine unto them" (2 Corinthians 4:4).
--ICR/HMM/OPEN THE EYES OF MY HEART!
--
<http://youtu.be/idQ1n3cdgfo>

--Making the Personal Decision
--to Follow Christ ~~

-And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
--Acts 2:38

Billy Graham, in my estimation, is one of the greatest preachers in the history of the Christian faith. I once heard him talk about his son, Franklin, who grew up with a very godly mother and father. But when Franklin was about 25 years old, he realized that he didn't know Christ.

Here he had grown up in the home of Billy Graham, but didn't know the Lord! So Franklin personally received Christ and now he works in some of the most troubled spots in the world for the advancement of the Gospel. But first he had to realize that being a member of Billy Graham's family didn't get him into heaven. Only a personal faith could.

It doesn't matter if you're in Billy Graham's family or Charles Spurgeon's, you must personally receive Christ as your Lord and Savior to be saved. Salvation is a personal decision and each and every person is held to account for it!

Maybe you've gown up in a Christian home. Or, maybe you've been raised in a very un-Christian home. Either way, you have the choice today to personally follow Christ or not to do so. So no matter your background, step out in faith and receive forgiveness through Christ today!

--Whatever your family background, you have a personal decision to make when it comes to Jesus Christ. So trust in His death and resurrection for forgiveness today! Tomorrow may be too late. "Come, today is the day of salvation."

--Daily Word/JG / GIVE ME JESUS! He loves you so very much!
<http://youtu.be/z1oOYTjrxk0>

-Give God All
of Your Problems ~

-Psalm 46
---
-Be still, and know
that I am God. ~
--Psalm 46:10
---
-You'd think I would have my mother's fingerprints embedded in my knee from all the times she squeezed my leg in church and whispered in no uncertain terms, "Be still." Like any boy, I had a bad case of the wiggles in places like church. So for years, when I read, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10), I thought of it in terms of not being antsy.

But the Hebrew word for still means "to cease striving."
It's the concept of putting your hands down and letting God intervene in your situation without your interference. This word picture is interesting, since we often use our hands to push things out of our way, to protect ourselves, or to strike back. When we drop our hands, it makes us feel defenseless and vulnerable--unless we can trust that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (v.1), and that "the LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge" (v.7). In other words, stop struggling and wait on God to do His work!

In the face of all of life's circumstances, we can know the peace of trusting the presence and power of God in the midst of trouble as we wait patiently and prayerfully for His deliverance and guidance.
----
-WHEN WE PUT OUR PROBLEMS IN GOD'S HANDS,
HE PUTS HIS PEACE IN OUR HEARTS. ~~
--ODB/JS

-Christ Jesus is the only Way your life can be Changed!

--HOW TO RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO SIN

"It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful...So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her.--2 Samual 11:2,4

A number of years ago, a young man serving in ministry was in my office. He was talented, handsome,and he began to tell me the story about how he had committed adultery against his wife. He was a pastor at a very good church and had a very strong ministry. But because of his adultery and his immorality, he resigned from his position.

When I spoke to him about his sin he told me, "You know, the moment came when I pulled down the barriers. And in casual conversation there was friendship, there was attraction, and there was the lure. That eventually turned to the long look and then to lust."

He said, "So I finally told her how I felt about her. And when I told her, she told me that she felt the same about me." And he said, "The moment that happened, the moment we pulled the curtain open was the moment that the sin began."

The Bible says that pride comes before the fall (Proverbs 16:18). And there's no sin that a Christian could not commit if his or her eyes are taken off Jesus Christ. So when it comes to temptation in your life, keep your eyes on Christ and you'll be able to resist temptation at every turn.

As a believer, you are still susceptible to sin, so keep your eyes on Christ and He'll give you the power to resist any temptation.~~

--Daily Word/JG / MY DELIVERER IS COMING! Hold on, saints, Jesus is coming to get us soon. "Always be ready for we know not what hour He will come."
<http://youtu.be/Ac4GnpqXQAQ>

-Life in His Name
-Ecclesiastes 12:12-14, John 21

"But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:31)

This is the last place in his Gospel where John mentions "life." He tells his readers that his explicit purpose for writing was that they would believe. But notice how John does not simply say blind faith saves. He does not say that being saved comes from believing Jesus was a good man, a moral teacher,a prophet, or a worker of miracles. Life, John says, can be ours only by believing Jesus to be the Christ--the promised coming Savior.

Life comes by believing Jesus is the Christ and that He is God's Son (Romans 10:9-10). Many philosophies claim to have "the meaning of life." Many ideologies and religious cults deceive with empty promises of life. None of them has the truth that leads to eternal life.

Life--true life, changed life, eternal life--is ours only through Jesus. "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:11). Will you commit your heart to Him and experience true "life in His name"? May your life in Jesus bring glory to God.
---
Jesus is ever-ready to impart life to the weary, broken, and humble. Turn from sin and ask Him for life in His name today. He is the only way to spend eternity in heaven. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me."
--Haven Today

-Embracing God's Light by Faith

-BIBLE MEDITATION:
"The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up."
--- Matthew 4:16

-DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
There are two witnesses for the existence of God to all people:

One is the objective witness of creation.

The other is the subjective witness of conscience.

God speaks to a man and the man responds, "God, I want to know You and I need to know You. I do believe that You exist."

That's faith, and he goes from faith to faith as he steps in the light until he comes to the Lord Jesus Christ.

I believe with all my heart there's never been a man or woman who ever lived on the face of this earth who died without some opportunity to have received Christ, had they lived up to the light God gave them.

-ACTION POINT:
Is there someone in your life that claims to be an agnostic or an atheist? Try to engage them in a conversation about creation this week.
Jesus loves you very much. He is always speaking. Right now He is speaking to your heart, asking if you will invite Him into your life. You come just as you are, then He will help you to get right according to His standard the Bible, His Holy Word.

-The Only Way Your Life Can Be Changed is "REPENT", and ask the Lord to forgive you and help you live for HIM!

-The Sinner's Prayer

"And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner." (Luke 18:13)

Evangelists have often urged lost men and women to pray this "sinner's prayer" if they desired to be saved. The account does say that this publican, after praying thus, "went down to his house justified" (v. 14).

But there is more here than appears on the surface. It is not merely God's mercy that is needed for He has already been merciful to let us continue to live at all. The word translated "merciful" is used only one other time in the New Testament and is there translated "make reconciliation for." Speaking of the saving work of Christ, it says that He came "to make reconciliation for the sins of the people" (Hebrews 2:17). It is also closely related to the words for "propitiation" and "mercy seat."

This parable of the Pharisee and the publican is set in the context of the Jewish temple worship, where sinners would bring their sacrificial offerings to cover their sins, knowing that "it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul" (Leviticus 17:11). Such sacrifices were completely worthless, however, if offered in a spirit of religious pride and/or self-righteousness, like those of the Pharisee.
There must be repentance and faith in God's promise of forgiveness through the death of an innocent substitute, pre-figuring the true Lamb of God whose coming death would truly make eternal reconciliation for the sins of the people. The publican prayed in this vein, and he was saved.

In our day, on the other side of the cross, a sinner's saving prayer must say, in effect: "God, be propitiated to me on the basis of the death of Christ for my sins." Such a prayer, offered in sincere repentance and faith in God's promise, brings justification before God.
ICR/HMM -[COME TO JESUS! He is waiting for you....]
<http://youtu.be/kYjyYkIzgw0>

-An Acceptable Sacrifice

"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:5)

Our text instructs us that we, as a corporate church and as individuals, are designed for the purpose of offering up acceptable sacrifices to God. These are not animal sacrifices as before, but "spiritual" sacrifices, made "acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." What kinds of spiritual sacrifices are acceptable?

Prayer: An amazing scene is recorded for us in heaven, for an angel is seen at the altar offering up to God incense mingled with "the prayers of the saints" (Revelation 8:4, see also 5:8). Our prayers are precious to Him.

Giving: The use of our financial resources for the furtherance of His kingdom becomes "an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God" (Philippians 4:18).

Praise: In some way, not fully comprehended by us, we can "offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name" (Hebrews 13:15).

Good work and sharing: "But to do good and to communicate [share] forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased" (Hebrews 13:16). Remember, we are saved entirely by God's grace, but also created specifically unto good works (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Ourselves: We have a distinct privilege in that we may "present [our] bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is [our] reasonable service" (Romans 12:1).

God is a magnificent God! He can be trusted with our prayers, our resources, our praise, our works, and our lives. His perfect sacrifice has made it possible for our sacrifices to be meaningful.

--ICR/ JDM

-THE ONLY WAY YOUR LIFE CAN BE CHANGED...FAITH IN JESUS!

--In the School of Faith -
Recommended:Read | Matthew 16:6-12

Jesus spent much time developing His disciples’ faith because He knew it would be essential for the tasks ahead of them. For over three years, they attended a school of faith with Jesus as their instructor and the Scriptures as the textbook. Sometimes Christ used verbal instruction, but many of the lessons were taught through demonstrations. He healed the sick, cast out demons, fed thousands, and calmed the sea. Their training even included tests that revealed if they truly believed Jesus was the Messiah.

At times the disciples’ understanding was slow or faltering, but Christ never gave up on them. He reproved them when they exhibited a lack of trust (Mark 4:40) but also commended signs of progress (Matt. 16:15-17). His objective was to firmly establish their faith so He could accomplish His work in and through them. After His ascension, He commanded His men to spread the gospel of salvation to the remotest parts of the earth. Without faith, they would have failed.

The Lord has the same goal for us—to increase our faith so we can do the work He’s planned for us. If our faith is great, He will entrust us with challenges and achieve amazing things through us. But small faith limits God’s activity in a believer’s life. He uses us only to the degree that we trust Him.

Faith building is essential in a believer’s life, and God has two primary means of doing this. Scripture tells us what to believe about Him, and tests place us in difficult situations that stretch us to believe and rely on God instead of our own understanding. Each time we believe Him, our faith grows.
--In Touch

-"Where Your Treasure is, There Your Heart will be Also." [Expressing Thankfulness]
---Matthew 6:19-21

-I heard about a Christian man who lost everything that he had during the Great Depression. He had been a very wealthy man, and in the years preceding his great loss, he'd given away hundreds of thousands of dollars to his church and to Christian causes.

So someone asked that man after he'd lost everything, "Aren't you sorry that you gave away all that money before you lost everything?"

And that man said, "Not at all!" He said, "The only thing that I really kept was what I gave away."

It's been said that our treasures can't follow us to heaven, but they can precede us there. That's why the Lord tells us to "lay up" treasures in heaven. It's the most secure investment we could ever make!

When it comes to your treasures, where are they? Are they here on earth? Or are they making an eternal impact for God's Kingdom? I don't necessarily mean you have to give away every penny, but are you honoring God with everything you have?

Glorify God with your money and store up your tresures in heaven by honoring God with all you spend and all you give. That's the only investment that's guaranteed to reap tremendous rewards!

-Store up your treasures in heaven by glorifying God with every penny you give or spend!
"For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." (Psalm 50:10)~~
--Daily Word/JG

-God’s Remodeling Project
---
-Let God do His work in you! Let His grace trump your arrest record, critics, and guilty conscience. See yourself for what you are—God’s personal remodeling project. No longer defined by failures but refined by them. Trusting less in what you do and more in what Christ did. Convinced that God is just warming up in this overture called life, that hope has its reasons and death has its due date.

Grace. Let it, let Him, so seep into the crusty cracks of your life that everything softens. Then let it, let Him, bubble to the surface, like a spring in the Sahara, in words of kindness and deeds of generosity! Not perfect, but closer to perfection than you’ve ever been. This happens when Grace happens.

From: GRACE/ML

--Religious But Lost
--Read | John 3:1-6

[The New Birth/ explained to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews by Jesus, "Truly, Truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."]

-Nicodemus would probably be welcome at any church today. He seems like an ideal member—principled, knowledgeable, morally upstanding, courteous, and humble. However, Nicodemus had two big problems despite all of that outward religious appeal: first, he was blind to the truth, and second, he was spiritually dead.

The man was lost. That is, he did not have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. As a Pharisee, Nicodemus adhered to strict Jewish codes and laws, so he was certainly religious. But the problem of the lost person is not attitudes, conduct, or even character. We can change and control those things through sheer determination, and many folks do. What people really need is a change of their basic nature. We come into this world with a natural “bent” away from God.

Jesus explained to the observant rabbi that all his outward goodness couldn’t erase, replace, or change his nature. Instead, every person who desires to serve God must be born again. The Lord promised that if Nicodemus received Him as Savior, then he would enter into a brand-new life. His old sinful nature would be transformed so that he could have a real relationship with God. Instead of appearing to be a religious man, Nicodemus would be a true believer.

No one gets into heaven on the strength of good works and kind behavior. When we stand before God, the only thing that will matter is whether our old sin nature has been replaced. We want to show Him the living Spirit we received when Jesus came into our life.

--In Touch

-Pursing God's Presence~

-"Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." (ISAIAH 55:9)

"I know you seek understanding, but your normal ways of thinking won't work in My Presence and in My Kingdom. You have already noticed many paradoxes--that the first will be last, that you must serve in order to be great, that the humble will be exalted, that you must give in order to receive, that you must die in order to live. My people forget these often, even though they are specifically stated in My Word. But there are many more that are forgotten, sometimes even hardly noticed.

"One is that you must believe in order to see. Your world tells you the opposite: that you must see in order to believe. But that isn't faith. My ways always emphasize seeing the Kingdom with spiritual eyes before you see it with physical eyes. Take care what you believe; only then will you have the experience you seek.

"Another paradox is related. You expect to be delighted in Me when your desires are fulfilled--when I answer your prayers and satisfy your heart. But it works the other way around. Your desires will be fulfilled when you delight in Me. [see: Psalm 37:4]

In My Kingdom your internal reality shapes your outward experience. The world teaches you to move in the opposite direction, thinking that your outward experience shapes your internal fulfillment. Don't fall for that lie. Be fulfilled--in Me, in your delights, in your belief--and watch your outer life change. Come to Me on these terms--always in ways that are highter than yours."~~
----
"Father, help me change the way I think. I know this is the heart of repentance--a change of mind to be able to see with Your eyes. Please help me delight in You and believe what I don't yet see." amen

--Pursing God's Presence

--Look to Jesus and Live
--Read | John 3:7-15

Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus was packed with symbolism. He compared salvation to a second birth and likened the Holy Spirit’s work to the wind. But then the Lord used an Old Testament illustration that might seem odd to modern readers— He said the Son of Man must be lifted up, just as Moses lifted the bronze serpent (Num. 21:1-9).

Nicodemus would have been familiar with the story: en route to the Promised Land, the Israelites once complained about going the long way around enemy territory. God responded by sending poisonous snakes into their midst. A bite victim would die unless he or she looked at the bronze serpent hanging from a pole in the camp. The statue was a symbolic representation of God’s presence among the Israelites as well as a reminder that He was their deliverer.

While we might not mix spiritual birth and a snake on a pole in one testimony, Jesus did so for a good reason. These metaphors describe related events.

The Messiah was explaining that He must be lifted onto the cross as a sacrifice for all of mankind’s wrongs. A new birth is impossible unless somebody pays the price for our sinful condition. Those who look to Jesus and believe will be forgiven, saved, and born again.

Jesus’ message to Nicodemus becomes clear when we understand how the pieces fit together. The Savior is saying that He must die on the cross so that sinful human beings can be born again. Have you looked to Jesus Christ for salvation? He is the only way to new life.

--In Touch

-Christ's Priority for His Church
-Read | John 17:1-26

-Sin is a divider. That’s what separated mankind from the Lord in the garden, and it has been fracturing relationships ever since. It’s also the reason that God considers reconciliation so important. He wants to re-establish an intimate relationship with fallen humanity. But His desires for His children don’t end with their salvation experience. He also wants His church to be a shining example of unity for all to see.

The last time Christ prayed for His followers before going to the cross, He asked “that they may all be one” as the Father and Son are one (v. 21). Despite the fact that we cannot attain perfect unity with God until we reach heaven, we do have the capacity to walk in harmony with Him by living in obedience to His Holy Spirit within us.

The other aspect of oneness that God desires for us is unity with one another within His church. We will always have differences in what we prefer and how we interpret certain Bible passages, but our common identity as Christians is based on the essential truths of the faith as revealed in God’s Word. The unity Christ advocates is possible only when each member of His body walks in submission to the Spirit so that together they can achieve the purposes of God and reflect Christ’s character in their behavior.

Ask the Lord to produce a desire for unity within your heart. When you’re tempted to demand your own way, remember what’s at stake. Accord in a local church allows God to do His work effectively through that congregation, but it’s also an attractive witness that draws the lost world to Christ.

--In Touch

--NEW EYES!

-Ephesians 1:15-21
---
The eyes of your
understanding being
enlightened; that you
may know...the
riches of the glory
of His inheritance.
--Ephesians 1:18
----

A College student I met had recently placed her faith in Christ. She described her initial life-change this way: "When I trusted Christ for salvation, it felt like God reached down from heaven and placed a new set of eyes in my eye sockets. I could understand spiritual truth!"

It was moving to hear how her encounter with the Savior brought new spiritual perception. But her experience is not unique. Everyone is endowed with spiritual sight when they trust Christ as their Savior. Yet, at times a "fog" rolls in and our spiritual vision becomes cloudy and unclear. That happens when we neglect our relationship with Him.

In Paul's fervent prayer for believers' spiritual sight, we see how important it is to fully appreciate all that God has done and will do for us through Christ. He prayed that the eyes of our understanding would be enlightened that we "may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" (Eph. 1:18).

Each believer has been given new eyes to discern spiritual truth. As we keep our hearts tuned to God, He will help us see with our spiritual eyes all that He has given to us in Christ.
---
--I ONCE WAS BLIND BUT NOW I SEE!- PRAISE JESUS!

--ODB/DF

--The Only Way Your Life Can Be Changed-JESUS!-

--BY OUR DEEDS

--Matthew 23:23-31
------
Even a child is
known by his
deeds, whether
what he does is
pure and right.
--Proverbs 20:11-
-----
-ONE NIGHT a clergyman was walking to church when a thief pulled a gun on him and demanded his money or his life. When he reached in his pocket to hand over his wallet, the robber saw his clerical collar and said: "I see you are a Priest. Never mind, you can go." The clergyman, surprised by the robber's unexpected act of piety, offered him a candy bar. The robber said, "No thank you. I don't eat candy during Lent."

The man had given up candy as a supposed sacrifice for Lent, but his lifestyle of stealing showed his real character! According to the writer of Proverbs, conduct is the best indicator of chararcter. If someone says he is a godly person, his words can only be proven by consistent actions (20:11). This was true of the religious leaders in Jesus' day as well. He condemned the Pharisees and exposed their sham for professing godliness but denying that profession with sin in their lives (Matt. 23:13-36). Appearances and words are deceiving; behavior is the best judge of character. This applies to all of us.

As followers of Jesus, we demonstrate our love for Him by what we do, not just by what we say. May our devotion to God, because of His love for us, be revealed in our actions today.
---
--CONDUCT IS THE BEST PROOF OF CHARACTER.~~
--ODB/MW

--Holiness

John the Baptist would never get hired today. No church would touch him. He was a public relations disaster.

Mark 1:6 says he “wore clothes of camel’s hair and ate locusts and wild honey.”

His message was as rough as his dress. A no-nonsense, bare-fisted challenge to repent because God was on His way. No, John’s style wasn’t smooth. He made few friends and lots of enemies, but what do you know? He made hundreds of converts. How do you explain it? It certainly wasn’t his charisma, nor his money or position—for he had neither. Then what did he have? One word: Holiness.

Holiness seeks to be like God. You want to make a difference in your world? Live a holy life. Be faithful to your spouse. Pay your bills. Be the employee who does the work and doesn’t complain. Don’t speak one message and live another! Just be God in your world.

“…as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (I Peter 1:15-16)

From: A Gentle Thunder/ML
[This is by no means easy to do in this lifetime. This world lies in the hands of the 'evil one'. To be HOLY, as our LORD is and always has been, is a daily choice. Stay close to Jesus. Never let go of His hand. We all need each other. Let's edify one another up in the faith. Let's tell the world about JESUS. Is the worldly news (secular), important? To those who live FOR the world it is. We must set the example, "speak the word, be instant in and out of season." We, Christians are being watched. What does your lifestyle say about our Lord Jesus? We are called to be HOLY! Keep Pressing On, folks, we're almost home. "Even so, Come Lord Jesus."]

--Jesus, our Shepherd

-BIBLE MEDITATION:
"The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want." Psalm 23:1

-DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
The Lord Jesus Christ is described as a Shepherd three times in the New Testament. He is called the Good Shepherd in John 10:11: "I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep." That's the past -- Mount Calvary.

-He is called the Chief Shepherd in 1 Peter 5:4: "And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." In the future He will return.

Finally, He is called the Great Shepherd in Hebrews 13:20-21: "... our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do His will..." That's the present. He perfects us.

The Good Shepherd--He died for me. The Chief Shepherd--He's coming for me. The Great Shepherd--He lives for me.

-ACTION POINT:
The Good Shepherd cares for you, past, present and future. Praise Him today--thank Him for making provision for you...before you were even born. "Call upon the Name of the Lord Jesus and be saved!"

--Adrian Rogers
-"Even so, Come Lord Jesus!" AMEN!

-When We Feel Inferior
-Read | Ephesians 2:10

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them" (We Are Made Alive in Christ!)

Many Christians wrestle their whole life with a crippling sense of inferiority. Such feelings, which can be devastating, are a barrier to good relationships and genuine contentment. There is, however, a way out for the believer. Feelings of inferiority can be healed.

After salvation, the first step toward healing is to get God’s viewpoint of yourself. Ephesians 2:10 spells that out clearly: it says you are His workmanship—He is at work in you, and He doesn’t turn out shoddy products. In fact, the word workmanship here means “masterpiece.” Would He allow His masterpiece to end up inferior? Absolutely not! His work in you is perfect. If you doubt that, you might be looking at others and thinking that you don’t measure up to them. Of course you don’t. God has designed something different for them. Because you are unique, there’s no one with whom you can compare yourself. God is fitting you for a purpose like no one else’s.

Another step in the healing process involves understanding what God expects of you. Too many believers set higher standards than God does, and they count on instant maturity. Of course, God wants us to become full-grown and reflect His image, but He doesn’t expect it overnight.

Our Creator knows the weakness of our human frame, and He is supremely patient with us. When we fall, He expects us to come to Him for cleansing and then to keep on moving ahead. Each of us is “a work in progress,” and in due time, God will complete His masterpiece.

--In Touch

--GOD'S PRESENCE WHEN WE GRIEVE
--By: Greg Laurie

-'Trusting God's promises in the wake of the Newtown shootings.'

--JUST DAYS BEFORE Christmas, in Newtown, Conn., parents bundled up their children for another day of school. There was shopping to be done and errands to run before they had to pick up their children later that afternoon.

But at 9:30a.m., the worst imaginable scenario took place. A young man walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School and began shooting. When the horror finally stopped, 20 children and six adults had been shot and killed at the school--12 little girls and 8 little boys had their lives cut short.

Unimaginable heartlessness and unspeakable wickedness.

I beleive all of these children are in Heaven right now, resting in the arms of Jesus. Jesus said in Matthew 19:14: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (NIV).

Tragedies have wracked this planet since Adam and Eve were pushed out of the Garden of Eden, and they will continue until Jesus Christ returns to earth to set up His rule of righteousness. We will continue to experience pain, grief, sickness, and the death of loved ones. It's depresseing but true.

When we're younger, we don't necessarily understand this. As we get older, however, we typically experience the death of our grandparents. Time passes, and our parents die. As we continue to age, we know that day will eventually come for us, too, and our children will bury us.

AS hard as those realities might be, the unexpected deaths are even more difficult. None of us ever wants to bury our children. When this happens, our world seems to crash down around us, and we cry aloud to God.

I know from personal experience that the pain of losing a child is a fate worse than death for a parent. July 24, 2008, was the hardest day of my life. That was the day our first-born son, Christopher, died in a traffic accident on his way to work at 9:05 in the morning. He was 33 years old.

When you have a loved one die, especially a child, all of those times that used to be happy suddenly become sad--birthdays, anniversaries, Thanksgiving, Christmas. Instead of enjoying them, your mission becomes getting through them.

But here's the beauty of the birth of Jesus Christ. "Immanuel, God with us" is not just a message for Christmas. His presence can be enjoyed and relied upon every day of the year.

So, no matter how dark the day can seem, no matter how heavy the burden can become, no matter how lonely you may feel, God is always there. For you. For me.

Let me say something that might surprise you. Jesus Christ was the loneliest man who ever lived. You say, "What?" It's true. Isaiah 53 says that He was "despised and rejected by men" and He was a "Man of sorrows and acquanited with grief." Jesus was betrayed by one of His closest friends and was abandoned by His own disciples. And God Himself turned His back on Jesus as He hung on Calvary and bore the sin of the world, causing Him to say, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

Therefore, when you talk about loneliness, you have a God who knows what you're going through, and He is there for you. He has promised to never leave you or forsake you.

One of the most remarkable teachings in all of the Bible is that when a person believes in Jesus, God takes up residence in his or her heart. That's not true of any other belief system or religion--that God comes and lives inside of us. Jesus said in John 14:23: "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him and We will come to him and make Our home with him" (NKJV).

Remember, Jesus is always there, Immanuel. Lean on Him and He will bring His comfort to you as you trust in Him.~~

--THE BEST LIFE!

-John 1:35-42
---
-[Andrew] first found
his own brother
Simon, and said
to him, "We have
found the Messiah."
--John 1:41
---
-A FEW MONTHS AGO, I had to travel to Florida and back on business. On my flight home, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had a seat with lots of leg room. It felt so good not to be scrunched into a small area. Plus, I had an empty seat beside me! The makings of a good nap.

Then I remembered those around me in their not-as-comfortable seats. I invited several others I knew to join me in a better spot but was surprised they all wanted to stay in their own seats for various reasons.

As believers in Christ, we have a much more significant invitation to extend: We've received a new life of faith in Jesus and want others to experience it too. Some will want to do so and others won't. In John 1:40 we read that Andrew had begun to follow Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and invite him to meet Jesus, the Messiah, too (v.41). Jesus offered them a wonderful new way of life of knowing Him and enjoying His promises: His forgiveness (Rom. 15:13), peace (John 14:27), and a forever future in His presence (1 Thess. 4:17).

Won't you join in? Jesus gives the best life. Jesus give Eternal Life in Heaven! ----
-If you want someone to know what Christ will do for him, let him see what Christ has done for you.

--ODB/AC

--The Pearl -JESUS IS THE BREAD OF LIFE!

--"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
--(John 6:35)

-The gospel of Christ is a blessing that all may possess. The poorest are as well able as the richest to purchase salvation; for no amount of worldly wealth can secure it. It is obtained by willing obedience, by giving ourselves to Christ as His own purchased possession. Education, even of the highest class, cannot of itself bring a man nearer to God. The Pharisees were favored with every temporal and every spiritual advantage, and they said with boastful pride, We are "rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing"; yet they were "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Rev. 3:17. Christ offered them the pearl of great price; but they disdained to accept it, and He said to them, "The publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you." Matt. 21:31.

We cannot earn salvation, but we are to seek for it with as much interest and perseverance as though we would abandon everything in the world for it.

We are to seek for the pearl of great price, but not in worldly marts or in worldly ways. The price we are required to pay is not gold or silver, for this belongs to God. Abandon the idea that temporal or spiritual advantages will win for you salvation. God calls for your willing obedience. He asks you to give up your sins. "To him that overcometh," Christ declares, "will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne." Rev. 3:21.

-THE ONLY WAY TO BECOME HOLY
-By: David Wilkerson
[May 19, 1931 - April 27, 2011]

It is impossible for any of us to achieve holiness in God's sight by our own strength or willpower. We must come to Him saying, "Lord, I have nothing to give You. You have to do it all."

Yet we remain convinced, "If I could just get victory over this one last, remaining sin, I'd be able to live holy." So we take in hand the sword of willpower, promises, and good intentions and set out to kill the enemy in our hearts. But we can never be holy while standing on the ground of self-righteousness.

You and I face the same burning bush Moses did. And that bush is a type of God's fiery zeal against all flesh brought into His presence masquerading as holiness. He says to us, "You cannot stand before Me on that kind of fleshly ground. There is only one holy ground and that is faith in My Son and His work on the cross."

This is the only way God ever could have saved and reconciled a whole world. If our works merited our salvation, only a select number would be candidates for salvation—but I believe Christ died for all.

We can behold the worst thief, rapist, murderer, drug addict or
alcoholic—people who have no good works at all—and testify, "By repentance and faith, they can be presented righteous in Christ Jesus."

That is the true, saving power of God. Yet many Christians live as if their works are sufficient. On judgment day, they will stand before God in their flesh, saying, "Look at everything I've done for you, Lord. I've worked to stay
clean and holy. I've prophesied, fed the poor, healed the sick, cast out demons. And I've done it all to please You!"

But God will answer, "You did none of those things through the power of My Spirit. You did them all in your own strength. I accept the righteousness of only one Man—My Son. And I do not see My Son in you."

"Of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).~~~

--LOOKING UNTO JESUS
--By: Gary Wilkerson

-I have been burdened for those of you presently going through trials, struggles or turmoil of soul. I want you to know that God sees you exactly where you are and He has not forgotten you; in fact, He has been walking beside you through your situation. He wants you to be aware of His great love for you and then He wants this knowledge to dispel any fear gripping your heart.

We do not need to be afraid to face the valleys in our lives, for God is with us. In the midst of these situations, He asks us to do only one thing: look to Him. He is our rock, our strong tower and our salvation. It is only in Him that we can hope—all other things will fail, but He is sure for all eternity.

Recently at a prison in Louisiana, I was privileged to minister alongside Pastor Jim Cymbala of Brooklyn Tabernacle. While those prisoners are not in an ideal situation, we heard testimony after testimony of lives that have been redeemed. Despite their outward bonds, they are truly living in the knowledge and hope of Christ’s love. Some are even asking to transfer to other prisons where they can share the Gospel. What an encouraging testimony of victorious, faith-filled living!

So, while you face your trial, know that Jesus is your answer. We will have difficulties in this life, but our great hope is in the completed work of Christ on the cross. He has taken all sin, sickness and sorrow upon Himself. He bears it all for us so that we may live a life of victory and hope. This ultimate act of love was made for you in your situation; the Lord wants to show His love and power in your life.

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross”
----(Hebrews 12:2).

--The Master's Feet

-BIBLE MEDITATION:
"Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you."
---1 Peter 5:7

-DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
I read about a man whose dog was swimming. The man called the dog to go home. The dog was having such a great time, he wouldn't come. So the man picked up a stick and threw it in the water. When the dog saw the stick, he instinctively swam to the stick, put it in his mouth, came back, and laid it at his master's feet.

I wonder if the burden you have has been given to you by God to cause you to come to His feet. Maybe He's called you other ways, but you wouldn't come. Maybe the burden is what God is using to bring you to your Master's feet. But thank God we can cast all our cares upon Him, for He cares for us.

-ACTION POINT:
What burden weighs upon your heart today? Did you know that we have a high priest, the Lord Jesus, who, the Bible says, is not high and mighty and aloof, but one who can relate to our sufferings and understand them, for He Himself knew the greatest pain, suffering--and loss. Read Hebrews 4:15, then cast your cares upon Him today.

-RICHES OF
THE SOUL ~

-Proverbs 30:1-9
---
Give me neither
poverty nor riches--
feed me with the
food allotted to me.
--Proverbs 30:8
---
A man identified in the Bible as Agur had a unique perspective on riches when he asked God to grant him two requests before he died.

First, he said, "Remove falsehood and lies far from me" (Prov. 30:8). Integrity is a key to living without anxiety. When we have nothing to hide, we have nothing to fear. Deceit enslaves; honesty liberates. Then he said, "Give me neither poverty nor riches--feed me with the food allotted to me" (v.8).

Contentment springs from trusting God as our supplier and gratefully accepting what He provides. Agur said of the Creator that He "established all the ends of the earth...He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him" (vv.4-5).

Integrity and contentment are riches of the soul that are available to all. Our Lord is pleased to give these treasures to everyone who asks.

Contentment does not come from wealth--
It's not something you can buy;
Contentment comes to give you peace
When you depend on God's supply.
---
-Discontentment makes us poor
while contentment makes us rich!

--ODB/DM

--A GOOD MAN

-Romans 3:10-18
---
By grace you have
been saved through
faith, and that not
of yourselves, it is
the gift of God.
--Ephesians 2:8 -
----
JERRY was a good man," the Pastor said at Jerald Steven's memorial service. "He loved his family. He was faithful to his wife. He served his country in the armed services. He was an excellent dad and grandfather. He was a great friend."

But then the Pastor went on to tell the friends and family gathered that Jerry's good life and good deeds were not enough to assure him a place in heaven. And that Jerry himself would have been the first to tell them that!

Jerry believed these words from the Bible: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23) and "the wages of sin is death" (6:23). Jerry's final and eternal destination in life's journey was not determined by whether he lived a really good life but entirely by Jesus dying in his place to pay sin's penalty. He believed that each of us must personally accept the 'free gift' of God, which is "eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (6:23).

Jerry was a good man, but he could never be "good enough." And neither can we. It is only by grace that we can be saved through faith. And that has nothing to do with our human efforts. "It is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8).

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2 Cor. 9:15).

-Christ's work for my salvation is complete!
No work of mine can add to what He's done;
I bow to worship at the Master's feet,
And honor God the Father's only Son.
---
-We are not saved by good works, but by God's work!

--ODB/CHK

--Listening to God
--Read | 2 Samuel 7:8-22
-[David's Prayer vs.18-29]

Of all the heroes in Scripture, few are spoken of as respectfully as King David. What made him so special? David himself wondered the same thing(2 Sam. 7:18) The best answer is simply that he was a man who listened to God.

Righteousness is impossible unless we listen to the Father. When we do, we gain divine guidance, direction, discipline, and encouragement. This was certainly true of the shepherd-king (Ps. 63:1-8).

In the Psalms, we get a beautiful picture of David’s prayer life. Note four things he did when meditating on God:

1. He reviewed the past. Though David had made some serious mistakes, those hard times produced a necessary humility. Looking back helped him remember God’s faithfulness.

2. He reflected upon the Lord’s character. When we focus on His attributes, we grow in our understanding of who He is. This results in a more personal, interactive relationship.

3. David recalled God’s promises. He knew the Lord had always directed his steps—and with great success.

4. He made requests of his heavenly Father. God never intended for us to go through life alone. He is always ready to act on our behalf.

Stop for a minute and think about how you typically interact with God. If prayer time is dominated by your own talking, some adjustments may be in order. Just as the Lord spoke to David, God also has many things to say to you, if you’ll simply let Him speak.~~~

--The Finger of God

-"This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not." (John 8:6)

During His earthly ministry Jesus never wrote a book or any other document, so far as we know, but it is recorded that He wrote with His own finger in the sand, and that what He wrote turned away those who had sought to stone a woman caught breaking one of God's Ten Commandments.

The woman was repentant, however, and Jesus forgave her, evidently indicating this by what He wrote with His finger on the ground. This He could do because He, as God, had written this very commandment Himself with His own finger long before. "And he gave unto Moses . . . two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God" (Exodus 31:18).

Moses testified: "And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly" (Deuteronomy 9:10).

There are only two other references to the "finger of God" in the Bible. When the Lord through Moses brought the great plagues upon Egypt, Pharaoh's magicians were able to imitate Moses' first few miracles, but soon their deceptive "magic" could no longer compare, and they had to confess, "This is the finger of God" (Exodus 8:19).

There is one final mention of God's finger in the New Testament. When the Pharisees charged that His power to cast evil spirits out of demon-possessed people had been given to Him by Satan, He affirmed rather, "I with the finger of God cast out devils" (Luke 11:20). Jesus is able both to forgive sins and to defeat Satan, because He is the Creator of the universe and all its laws.

--ICR/ HMM

--Living Waters

"A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon." (Song of Solomon 4:15)

There are eight verses in the Bible with the phrase "living water": four in the Old Testament, four in the New. All beautifully describe a spiritual truth under the figure of a flowing stream of refreshing water.

The first of these (in our text above) is a portion of the description of the lovely character of a bride as seen by her coming bridegroom, almost certainly symbolic of the Lord and His people. But then, through the prophet, God laments that "my people . . . have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13). "They have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters" (Jeremiah 17:13). One day they shall return, however, and Zechariah prophesies that "living waters shall go out from Jerusalem. . . . And the Lord shall be king over all the earth" (Zechariah 14:8-9).

In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus appropriated this metaphor to Himself as He spoke to a woman of Samaria: "If thou knewest the gift of God . . . he would have given thee living water" (John 4:10; see also v. 11). "The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14).

Later in Jerusalem He cried out to all, saying, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said [referring, no doubt, to the above Old Testament passages], out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:37-38). Then, in the last book of the Bible is found a special promise for those who die for the Lord's sake. "[He] shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" (Revelation 7:17).

--ICR/HMM

-The Solution to the World's Problems~~

~~So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." -1 Corinthians 13:13 ~~
---
--Karl Menninger, the noted Psychologist, once said, "Love cures people, both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it."
Yet, so often in our materialistic, faithless world today, people only think of healing in terms of what they can see. But science has proven that there is a very immaterial, even spiritual, aspect to healing that takes place when love is given and received.

Now, you may be thinking, "Pastor, are you trying to tell me that love will fix all the world's problems?" Well, I don't think everything becomes perfect when we love one another. But I do believe that many of the problems we face in our world today would go away if we simply loved more.

But if that's going to happen, it's going to take real love--God's love--because that's the only kind of love that endures. You see, the world's love runs out when it becomes difficult. But God's love never lets go, no matter what.

Do you want to be happy? Love others. Do you want to make a difference in the world? Love others. While it may not fix every problem, it's a great place to start!

--Show the world the solution to all of its problems by loving others with God's love--a love that never fails!

--Daily Word/JG /
POWER OF YOUR LOVE--Hillsong

----

--He Brought the Word, JESUS ~

-"He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30)-

The Indian Christian, the Sadhu Sundar Singh, was once asked if he was influenced by the honor his friends gave him.

He said, "When Jesus entered Jerusalem, many people spread their clothing and palm branches on the street to honor the Lord.

"Jesus was riding, as the prophets foretold, on a donkey. In this way the feet of Jesus did not touch the street adorned with clothes and branches, but instead the donkey walked over them.

"It would have been very stupid of the donkey if she had imagined that she was very important. It was not for her that the people threw their clothes on the streets."

Stupid are those who spread the good news of Jesus and expect to receive glory themselves. The glory should go to Jesus.

The more people came to this godly man after his meetings, the more the Sadhu Sundar Singh withdrew from the crowd, to be in the silence where God spoke to him.

-No sensation. No show
-He brought them the living Word, JESUS.~~

--Clippings From My Notebook
--Corrie ten Boom

--The Word and the Spirit

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." (1 Corinthians 2:12)

How is it that some people can read a biblical passage and find it either tedious, confusing, or even foolish, whereas others will receive great understanding and blessing from the very same passage? The answer is that the first group are animated only by the spirit of the world, "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2), whereas the others are indwelled by the Spirit of God, having received the Holy Spirit when they trusted Christ for forgiveness and salvation.

It was, after all, the Holy Spirit who inspired the Scriptures to begin with. "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Peter 1:21). "All scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Timothy 3:16), that is, "God-breathed," where the "breath of God" is none other than the "Spirit of God." Concerning his own divinely inspired writings, Paul said: "We speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth" (1 Corinthians 2:13).

Likewise it is the same Spirit indwelling each believer who illumines, and confirms, and applies His own Scriptures to the individual Christian who reads or hears them. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14). On the other hand, Jesus promised His disciples that "when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13).

This He does through the Scriptures He inspired, with blessings abundant as we study them prayerfully and with believing and obedient hearts.
Scripture tells us "God is Love". If we are His followers, then He lives inside of us by the Holy Spirit and the Word.

--ICR/ HMM
-YOU ARE LOVE/ Sung By: Darlene Zschech
<http://youtu.be/zeHk7u3Fx-c>

-The Sacrifice God Made For You~

"Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
----Isaiah 53:10

A man took a job in the South operating a drawbridge over a river. One day, he brought his young son with him to work so he could see what his daddy did for a living. The two were talking when the man looked down at his watch and saw the 3:00 pm train from Memphis was nearly due to arrive.

He was about to pull the lever when he saw something that horrified him. His son had wandered off and became caught in the gears that lowered the bridge. He could go help him, but the train was too close and would derail if the bridge didn’t go down right then. So with tears in his eyes, he lowered the bridge and crushed his boy.

With a tearstained face, that man watched as the trainload of passengers went safely over the bridge, not one of them knowing what had transpired and the sacrifice that father made to save their lives.

Our Father in heaven made a very similar sacrifice, crushing His own Son so that we may have life. Don’t go today without stopping to thank Him for that amazing act of love for you. Praise God that through the death of His Son, you can have eternal life!

--PRAISE GOD FOR THE AMAZING SACRIFICE OF HIS SON SO THAT YOU CAN HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.

--Jack Graham

-
[Jesus often spoke in parables in order that the people could understand. He compared things we can relate to, such as food, the oceans (water), land, trees, birds, etc. It would be somewhat like 'word-pictures' we tell little children. Spiritual things were beyond their comprehension. Later, they could understand what was happening during Jesus's 33 years on earth.]

--Like Unto Leaven

"Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened."
(Matthew 13:33)

Many educated and influential men had come to hear the Prophet of Galilee. Some of these looked with curious interest upon the multitude that had gathered about Christ as He taught by the sea. In this great throng all classes of society were represented. There were the poor, the illiterate, the ragged beggar, the robber with the seal of guilt upon his face, the maimed, the dissipated, the merchant and the man of leisure, high and low, rich and poor, all crowding upon one another for a place to stand and hear the words of Christ. As these cultured men gazed upon the strange assembly, they asked themselves, Is the kingdom of God composed of such material as this? Again the Saviour replied by a parable:

"The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." Among the Jews leaven was sometimes used as an emblem of sin. At the time of the Passover the people were directed to remove all the leaven from their houses as they were to put away sin from their hearts. Christ warned His disciples, "Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." Luke 12:1.
And the apostle Paul speaks of the "leaven of malice and wickedness." 1 Corinthians 5:8. But in the Saviour's parable, leaven is used to represent the kingdom of heaven. It illustrates the quickening, assimilating power of the grace of God.

None are so vile, none have fallen so low, as to be beyond the working of this power. In all who will submit themselves to the Holy Spirit a new principle of life is to be implanted; the lost image of God is to be restored in humanity.

---GOD STILL CHOOSES THE WEAK
--By: David Wilkerson
[May 19, 1931 – April 27, 2011]

“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” (1 Corinthians 1:27).

God still chooses the weak to show forth His strength. Have you ever grieved over weakness? Have you felt insignificant, frail and useless to God? Have you looked upon others who seem so strong, so perfect, and thought of yourself in comparison as too sinful, too dull to be used of God? God is not looking for spiritual giants, but rather for ordinary saints with childlike faith who have lost all confidence in the flesh.

God will confound the strong and wise by anointing as His instruments those who are considered weak and foolish. The Lord will bypass those who lean on the arm of flesh, who trust in their talents, their knowledge, their background, their family reputation. Instead, He will raise up the brokenhearted, the weak and the weary. He will pour on them a spirit of praise and a baptism of love. He will show them His greatness, His faithfulness, His covenants, and they will become strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Is there a spirit in you that urges you on to new and higher places in the Lord? Is there a fire for God ignited within? Do you feel a drawing to a renewed faith and trust in God? Be thankful! That is the call of Jesus Christ the Lord!

His promises to us are great and precious. “Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou has wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues” (Psalm 31:19-20).

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

-How to Share Christ in a Post-Christian Era~

"Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life…" (Philippians 2:14-16)

As we look around the globe at what is happening to the Church, it’s abundantly clear that North America is slowly moving into what’s being called the “post-Christian” era. This shift was predicted over 50 years ago, and is now becoming reality as Christian thinking is no longer guiding our culture.

In addition to a lessening of Christian thought in the public forum, we’re also seeing a watering down of the faith in many churches that are becoming indifferent toward issues like premarital sex, abortion, homosexuality, and the exclusiveness of Christ as the way to heaven.

This is happening. So we as the Church can either shake our heads and turn our backs on culture, or we can find new ways to engage people in this post-Christian era with the Gospel. But doing that will take getting outside of our comfort zones and investing more time and energy into connecting with people who know nothing of Christ.

The reward will be worth it, but we have to do the work first. Spend time getting to know the non-Christians around you. Engage them as friends, live out the love of Christ, and let the Gospel flow from there!

-SHARE CHRIST IN A POST-CHRISTIAN ERA BY ENGAGING OTHERS AS FRIENDS AND SHOWING THEM THE LOVE OF CHRIST.

--Power Point/Jack Graham

-Perhaps watch the short video of "Jesus and the Woman at the Well", before reading the Devotional.
<http://youtu.be/sma4o3mCPwA>

--A MISSED LUNCH
-John 4:27-38
---
Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work." --John 4:34~~

I imagine that the disciples were hungry for lunch when they returned to the 'Well' where Jesus was interacting with the Samaritan woman. They urged Him, "Rabbi, eat" (John 4:31) His response? "I have food to eat of which you do not know" (v.32), which made them wonder if someone had already brought Him something to eat.

I wonder if the disciples were so consumed with thinking about food that they couldn't see past their lunch. They didn't understand the significance of what was going on at the Well. The most important thing to Jesus was "to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work" (v.34). He was focused on the spiritual needs of this woman who desperately needed what only He could give.

It's easy to become preoccupied with needs of the moment. But Jesus invites us to get beyond our own interests--our own little "lunch"--to open our eyes to the souls who are searching for answers to their deepest needs.

So, join Jesus at the Well, and let him use you to tell others about the spiritual food only He can give.
----
-BE HUNGRY TO SATISFY THE NEEDS OF OTHERS AROUND YOU.~-ODB/JS

--At Once, Man and God

Christ—at once, man and God. Colossians 2:9 says, “For in Christ there is all of God in a human body.” Jesus was not a godlike man, nor a manlike God. He was God-man. What do we do with such a person? One thing is certain, we can’t ignore Him. He is the single most significant person who ever lived. Forget MVP; He is the entire league. The head of the parade? Hardly. No one else shares the street.

Dismiss Him? We can’t. Resist Him? Equally difficult.

Don’t we need a God-man Savior? A just-God Jesus could make us but not understand us. A just-man Jesus could love us but never save us. But a God-man Jesus? Near enough to touch. Strong enough to trust. A Savior found by millions to be irresistible.

As the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:8, nothing compares to “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
-From: Next Door Savior/ML/ YOU ARE GOD ALONE!
<http://youtu.be/INKpqoxxWjA>

-HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!
<http://youtu.be/xi0yLRX4d2M>

-Would You Prefer Justice or Mercy?

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
--Romans 8:1

By all accounts, General Robert E. Lee was a model soldier. He was a West Point graduate, and never once received a demerit throughout his time there. So they called him the “marble man,” so straight and precise that he was nearly flawless.

One day, a private in the Confederate Army was summoned before the General because of an infraction. He stood there, so frightened and shaken he was visibly trembling before General Lee. So Robert broke the silence, “Son, you don’t have to be afraid. You’ll only get justice here.”

That young soldier looked up at the General and said, “Sir, that’s just why I’m shaking. I know what I did was wrong. I don’t need justice… I need mercy!”

When we stand before God on the Day of Judgment, our lives will be laid bare. But for those of us who are in Christ, we’ll humbly stand before God and say, “We need mercy.” And while God will deal out justice to many, for us, we’ll bask in the wonderful gift of His mercy.

Thank God for His mercy today. Be grateful that if you’re in Christ, you’ll escape God’s judgment and inherit eternal life!

-GOD’S MERCY ONLY COMES THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. BE THANKFUL THAT IF YOU’RE IN HIM, YOU’LL NEVER EXPERIENCE JUDGMENT!

--Repentance is Required~
-Luke 23:13-49

-"Then some soldiers asked him, 'And what should we do?' He replied, 'Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely--be content with your pay." (Luke 3:13)

There had not been a true prophet in Israel for more than 400 years. An unlikely group of soldiers joined the crowds to hear the message of John the Baptist. Repent! The Messiah is near.

Almost everyone responded with the question, "What must I do?" When the soldiers asked, John's reply cut deep. Don't extort money, don't accuse falsely, be content with your pay. Soldiers led a hard life with poor pay. Did they not deserve fair compensation?

Self-justifying one's sin is not difficult. Typically optimistic in our self-assessment, we see only the tip of the iceberg, unaware of the vast majority beneath the surface, a hidden and deadly reality keeping us from fellowship with God. No one finds salvation without becoming broken over the depth of their sin and realizing their helplessness against it. Repentance is needed.

Forgiveness is also needed. This is why the Son of God came. Jesus' death and resurrection atoned for sin completely. And His righteousness is freely given to those who believe. "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin." Jesus paid the sin-debt they we owe. Be sure to thank Him often.
---
The Gospel is not only for unbelievers. Every day of the Christian life must be lived in light of the Cross and focused on Jesus.~~
--Haven Ministries
~"The Only Thing I Need I Already Have!"<http://youtu.be/eAoO_XfA_Cs>

---Your Middle C

-When author Lloyd Douglas attended college, he lived in a boardinghouse with a retired music professor who lived on the first floor. Douglas would stick his head in the door and ask, “Well, what’s the good news?” The old man would pick up his tuning fork, tap it on the side of his chair and say, “That’s middle C. It was middle C yesterday; it will be middle C tomorrow; it will be middle C a thousand years from now. The tenor upstairs sings flat. The piano across the hall is out of tune, but, my friend, that is middle C!”

You and I need a middle a middle 'C'. A still point in a turning world. An unchanging Shepherd. A God who can still the storm. A Lord who can declare the meaning of life. And according to David in Psalm 23—you have one. The Lord is your Shepherd! He is your middle 'C'!
CHRIST!

--From: Traveling Light/ML
[To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27~]

-- Think About These Things~
-Galatians 5:16-26

"...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable...think about such things."
--(Philippians 4:8)

It's been said that what goes into a mind comes out in a life. In other words, the things that we see and hear, and the thoughts we allow to occupy our attention in the privacy of our minds, will eventually make their presence known. They will become evident in our words and in our deeds.

This is true on both ends of the spectrum for believers. When we give sinful thoughts safe harbor in our minds, our fellowship with Christ is disrupted and sin begins to abound. Conversely, when we meditate on God's Word and fill our minds with things that are excellent and praiseworthy, we enjoy the presence of the God of peace.

This is not merely the power of positive thinking, popular though that may be. This is the benefit of obedience to Jesus Christ! When we fill our minds with His truth, we deepen our relationship with the One who says, "I am tne Truth." When we dwell on noble things,our thoughts are acceptable to the King of kings. In time, by the power of His Spirit, our lives are conformed to His image.
---
'We demolish arguments and pretensions against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.'--Haven
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLNL49TFC_8&feature=share&list=PL56ABED3C2B338DA6>
[If you have problems with this website, go to youtube and type in "Draw Me Close".

--THE BEST SEASON YET

-Ephesians 5:15-21--
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LIFE is a lot like the weather...it's seasonal. It has a way of pushing us into the next season whether we like it or not. And when pushed into the next season, we are often uncertain and even fearful of what it might hold for us.

This is especially true of later seasons of life, when we are haunted by thoughts such as Will I be left all alone? Will my health hold up? Will my money last? Will my mind stay fresh? As with every season of life, we have to make a choice--to waste the season in fearful thoughts or, as Paul says, make "the best use of the time, because the days are evil" (Eph. 5:16 ESV).

Regardless of your season, you can count on God's faithfulness. He says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we may boldly say: 'The LORD is my helper; I will not fear'" (Heb. 13:5-6).

Because you have God's presence and provision, you can make the most of your time in every season by following Jesus closely, spending time in His Word and in prayer, loving and forgiving more freely than ever before, and serving others with joy and generosity.

-God has blessed us with our present season--make the most of it!
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-LIFE MATTERS--MAKE THE MOST OF IT!

--ODB/JS

--God Hates Arrogance

--Proverbs 16:18 reminds us as humility goes before honor, “pride goes before a fall.”

Ever wonder why churches are powerful in one generation but empty the next? The Bible says, the Lord will tear down the house of the proud. God hates arrogance. He hates it because we haven’t done anything to be arrogant about. Is there a Pulitzer for ink? Can you imagine a scalpel growing smug after a successful heart transplant? Of course not. They are only tools. So are we. We may be the canvas, the paper, or the scalpel, but we are not the one who deserve the applause.

David declares who does in Psalm 23, “He makes me, He leads me, He restores my soul…for His name’s sake.” For His name’s sake! No other name. This is all done for God’s glory. He takes the credit, not because He needs it, but because He knows we cannot handle it!

---From Traveling Light/ML

--THE GREATEST SECURITY~

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." (Psalm 91:1)

Someone has said that the only certainty in life is uncertainty--and it is true. Governments collapse, stock markets plummet, wars destroy, disasters strike, relationships end. As the writer of Hebrews put it, "Here we have no continuing city" (13:14)

Yet deep in the human heart is a yearning for security--a yearning that will not go away. We know we need a solid foundation to life, a foundation that cannot be shaken. Where will it be found?

Only God never changes. His love does not change, and neither do His promises. That is why we can look to Him for the security and stability we all seek. King David knew the secret: "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."

Salvation is not an occasional, vague feeling of God's presence. It is actually dwelling with God, secure in His presence forever. Is your security in Christ? ~~

--HOPE/BG

---Loved but Lost
--John 3:15-17

-Many people assume that since God is loving, He will make a place for everyone in heaven. They do not grasp the basic truths about “lost” and “saved”:
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1. All people start life as “lost” beings. Since he was the first man, Adam served as representative of the human race. When he sinned against God (Gen. 3), his spirit became one of rebellion and sinfulness (Rom. 5:12). That “sin nature,” which is passed along to each generation, results in our being “lost.” Neither our deeds nor the fact of God’s love are the determining factors.

2. Mankind is dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1). When Adam sinned, his intimate relationship with God died. We, his descendants, are born into that state. Although we are physically alive at birth, our spirit—the only part of us that can relate to God—is dead.

3. We are eternal beings. Because we are made in God’s image, our souls are eternal. Yet Scripture tells us that those who reject Christ as Savior will perish. (John 3:16). This does not mean annihilation; rather, the “lost” will experience consciousness after physical death but will be separated eternally from God.

4. New birth is required (1 Peter 1:3). To have a relationship with our heavenly Father requires that the part of us that has been dead to God now be made alive. When we trust in Jesus, the very life of God is born in us, and we move from being spiritually dead and lost to being alive and saved.

Our heavenly Father, out of love for us, provided just what we needed—a Savior. Start spreading the truth!

--In Touch