--SECOND CHANCES~~ (THIRD? / MORE?)
--(John 21:1-11)

~~The most difficult journey is back to the place where you failed.
Peter is in the boat, on the lake. Once again he's fished all night. Once again the sea has surrendered nothing.

His thoughts are interrupted by a shout from the shore. "Catch any fish?" Peter and John look up. Probably a villager. "No!" they yell. "Try the other side!" So out sails the net. Peter wraps the rope around his wrist to wait.

But there is no wait. The rope pulls taut and the net catches. Peter begins to bring in the net; reaching down, pulling up, reaching down, pulling up. He's so intense with the task he misses the message.
John doesn't. "It's the Lord, Peter. It's the Lord!"

Peter plunges into the water, swims to the shore, and stumbles out wet and shivering and stands in front of the Friend he betrayed. Jesus has prepared a bed of coals. Both are aware of the last time Peter had stood near a fire. Peter had failed God, but God had come to him.

For one of the few times in life, Peter is silent. What words would suffice? The moment is too holy for words. God is offering breakfast to the friend who betrayed Him. And Peter is once again finding grace at Galilee.

Now, its' just you and God. You and God both know what you did. And neither one of you is proud of it. What do you do?

You might consider doing what Peter did. Stand in God's presence. Stand in His sight. Stand still and wait. Sometimes that's all a soul can do. Too repentant to speak, but too hopeful to leave--we just stand.

Stand amazed.
He has come back.
He invites you to try again. This time, with Him. ~~~
------------
-Study Guide---(for your personal study)
--Read John 21:1-11-
1)How do you imagine Peter felt when he saw Jesus for the first time after denying Him?
2)What keeps us from running to Jesus after we have failed?
3)How do you imagine this experience impacted Peter for the rest of his life?
~~~~~~~~~
--Second Chances/ML
----------
--SOMETIMES/By: David Crowder Band

'When we've given up, let your healing come.
'When there's nothing left, let your healing come.
-------
'Where You go we will follow,
'Where you go we will follow.
<http://youtu.be/VSFoRKnD6Ss>
----------

---Biblical Confession
--By: David Woetzel, B.S.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9).-

Although few matters are more important than renewing a right relationship with God, there is a great deal of confusion that abounds regarding the proper manner of confessing our sins. The Biblical model for confession is clearly given in Psalm 51 where David, under inspiration, deals with his sin of adultery. Note how the focus of this passage is on God, rather than upon any other man or even on David's own needs and desires.

First, the Psalm highlights the basis of proper forgiveness--God's mercy: "according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions" (v.1). Secondly, David underscores how his sin has offended God. "For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned" (vv.3-4). Then we note that David requests God's cleansing: "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. . . . Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" (vv.7,10).

Only after this process does David request: "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation" (v.12). Even this restoration of joy and fellowship of God's Spirit is requested that he might again use his life to glorify God. "Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. . . . my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. . . . Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness" (vv.13, 15, 19).

Biblical confession deals with our relationship with God on His terms. It is essentially agreeing with God about the specific spiritual failures in our life. After such a process we can claim God's promise found in our text to "forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

[We must never think that we can run around sinning and thinking, 'after all God said He will forgive us'. God knows our hearts. He requires "a broken spirit and a contrite spirit". To sin before a Holy and Righteous God will bring condemnation on us. We do reap what we sow. "Be sure your sins will find you out." We don't get away with anything with our powerful Jehovah, He knows out hearts. As soon as the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, we must confess it to God, Repent of it, and ask His forgiveness, from our heart.
Did David sin again? Yes, he was human, just as we are. He had Bathsheba's husband killed, and he also had Joab run a census on the people. Sadly, we reap what we sow, and their baby died. All of which he sincerely repented for. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."] ~~~

--ICR/DW / SECOND CHANCE / BY: HILLSONG
<http://youtu.be/QHlTzQlTLFE>
----------

--SECOND CHANCES? / THIRD? / MORE?

--God used (and uses) people to change the world.
--
People! Not saints or superhumans or geniuses, but people. Crooks, creeps, lovers, and liars--He uses them all. And what they may lack in perfection, God makes up for in love....

They aren't exactly what you'd call a list of "Who's Who in Purity and Sainthood." In fact, some of their antics and attitudes would make you think of the Saturday night crowd of the county jail. We must remember God's tolerance, forgiveness, and restoration to Himself, is of utmost importance. We must repent, and He accepts and uses us, ALL OF US, for His glory.

Think about these people, for example. What can you say about a fellow whose lust got so lusty that he got a woman pregnant, tried to blame it on her husband, had her husband killed, and then went on living like nothing ever happened? Well, you could say 'he was a man after God's own heart'. David's track record left little to be desired, but his repentant spirit was unquestionable.

Then comes Jonah. God's ambassador to Nineveh. Jonah, however, had other ideas. He had no desire to go to that heathen city. So he hopped on another boat while, (he thought), God wasn't looking. God put him in a whale's belly to bring him back to his senses. But even the whale couldn't stomach this missionary for too long. A good burp and Jonah went flying over the surf and landed big-eyed and repentant on the beach.

And on and on the stories go: Elijah, the prophet who pouted; Solomon, the king who knew too much; Jacob, the wheeler-dealer, Gomer, the prostitute; Sarah, the woman who giggled at God. One story after another of God using man's best and overcoming man's worst.

Even the genealogy of Jesus is salted with a dubious character or two--
Tamar, the adulteress,
Rahab the harlot, and
Bathsheba. .....

The reassuring lesson is clear. YES, God used (and uses!) people to change the world. He can even use you, if you'll let Him.

--'No Wonder They Call Him the Savior'/ Max Lucado
-----------

--A PERSON
-OF INFLUENCE~

-2 Kings 5:1-15
------
If only my master
were with the
prophet who is in
Samaria! For he
would heal him
of his leprosy.
--2 Kings 5:3-
-----
The story of Naaman, a high-ranking military commander, includes two kings and a prophet of God (2 Kings 5:1-15). Yet it was the servants in the background whose words led to Naaman being cured of leprosy, a career-ending, life-changing disease.

A young servant girl taken captive from Israel told Naaman's wife that a prophet in Samaria could heal him (vv2-3). When Elisha's instructions to bathe in the Jordan River angered Naaman, his servants urged him to follow the prophet's orders. He was NOT going to do as he was told. He was insulted by the 'dirty' water.

Second Chance: The result was Naaman's restoration to health and his declaration, "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel" (v.15).

What a beautiful picture of our role as followers of Jesus Christ! We are called to be people of influence--the Lord's servants who point others to the One whose touch can change their lives.
--------------
-CHRIST SENDS US OUT TO BRING OTHERS IN. BEWARE, HOWEVER, THERE ARE MANY FALSE TEACHERS ON THE TELEVISiON TODAY!

---ODB/DM

--LIVING BEYOND
-THE ODDS ~~~

-Acts 12:1-11
-------
Constant prayer was
offered to God for
[Peter] by the church.
--Acts 12:5
------
MANY of us make daily decisions based on the odds. If there's a 20 percent chance of rain, we may ignore it. If there's a 90 percent chance, we'll take an umbrella. The greater the odds, the more our behavior is affected because we want to choose wisely and be successful.

Acts 12:1-6 describes a situation in which Peter's odds of survival were very low. He was in prison, "bound with two chains between two soldiers" while others guarded the door (v.6). Herod had already executed James, one of Jesus' closest followers, and he had the same fate in mind for Peter (vv.1-3). A gambler would not have put any money on Peter getting out of this alive.

Yet God's plan for Peter included a miraculous deliverance that even those who were interceding for him found hard to believe (vv.13-16). They were astonished when he showed up at their prayer meeting!

God can operate outside the odds because He is all-powerful. Nothing is too hard for Him. The One who loves us and gave Himself for us is in charge of our lives. In ordinary circumstances and impossible situations, God can reveal His power. Whether we are showered with success or sustained in sorrow, He is with us.
----------
--God is always in control behind the scenes, always!

--ODB/DM

---Becoming More Like Jesus

--I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
----Romans 12:1–2-

There was a 7th grade Sunday school teacher who told me about a time when she was working with boys one Sunday morning. One in particular was really cutting up quite a bit. He wouldn’t stay in his seat, wasn’t listening to the teacher, and was disrupting the whole class.

So the teacher took the boy outside and asked him, “Who made you?” to which the boy replied “God did.”

The teacher responded, “That’s right. So why aren’t you acting like it?” The boy thought for a second and said, “Well, maybe He’s not done with me yet!”

You know, there’s a lot of truth in the words of that little boy. That’s because as long as we’re here on this earth, God is still working on us, conforming us to His image and making our hearts more and more like His!

So if you’re struggling today with any hurts or bad habits, keep moving forward. Remember that God isn’t finished with you. He’s taking the old and making it new day by day. Live with hope knowing you’re growing more and more like Christ as you obey Him daily! And soon you can say, "I'm gonna see Jesus!"

-SUBMIT YOURSELF TO CHRIST DAILY, AND GOD WILL MAKE YOU MORE AND MORE LIKE HIM!

--PP/JG-/I'M GONNA SEE JESUS/ B.J. Thomas
<http://youtu.be/kh8RFtWNYXo>
--------------

--Man's Grief and God's Compassion

-“For the LORD will not cast off for ever: But though he cause grief yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.” (Lamentations 3:31-33)

The five chapters of the unique book of Lamentations, written by Jeremiah in his grief over the destruction of Jerusalem, are all written as acrostics, with each verse of each chapter beginning with successive letters of the 22-letter Hebrew alphabet. That is, verse 1 of each chapter begins with the letter aleph, verse 2 with beth, etc. (like A, B, etc. in English). The middle chapter is written in acrostic triplets (the first three verses beginning with aleph, and so on). Thus, chapter 3 contains 66 verses instead of 22.

The three verses of our text are right at the midpoint of this middle chapter, comprising the final triplet of the first half of the book, and thus uniquely constituting its central theme. As such, it could well also be the heart cry of every saint in any age experiencing God’s chastening hand.

Although Jeremiah himself had not sinned, his nation had grievously sinned, and thus all Israel had finally come under the rod. Nevertheless, the prophet could assure his people that God still loved them and would renew His compassion even in the midst of their grief. God does not willingly send affliction, for He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

When we suffer, or our nation suffers (as it surely will if it continues its present rebellion against God), it is well to remember His promise.
“He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever” (Psalm 103:9). It is true that “no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Hebrews 12:11).

--ICR/HMM/ How Great is Your Faithfulness/ Matt Redman
<http://youtu.be/9siuU-X62OE>
-----------

--FAITH SEES THE SAVIOR~~~

"Be strong in the Lord and in his great power."
---Ephesians 6:10
-----
~~I stand a few feet from a mirror and see the face of a man who failed,....who failed his Maker. Again. I promised I wouldn't, but I did. I was quiet when I should have been bold. I took a seat when I should have taken a stand.

If this were the first time, it would be different. But it isn't. How many times can one fall and expect to be caught?....

Your eyes look in the mirror and see a sinner, a failure, a promise-breaker. But by faith you look in the mirror and see a robed prodigal bearing the ring of grace on your finger and the kiss of your Father on your face....

Your eyes see your faults. Your faith sees your Savior.

Your eyes see your guilt. Your faith sees His blood.

--When God Whispers Your Name/ML--[Your Love Never Fails!]
-------
<http://youtu.be/Zrc1xHEwtLY>

--GOD USES
THE GOOD AND
THE BAD ~~

-Jonah 4
----
The LORD God
prepared a plant
[for] shade...[and]
a worm, and it so
damaged the plant
that it withered. -
--Jonah 4:6-7
----
THE story of the rebellious prophet Jonah shows us how God desires to use both blessings and trials to challenge us and change us for the better. Five times in the book of Jonah it says that 'the Lord prepared' circumstances for him--both good and bad.

In Jonah 1:4 we read that the Lord sent a storm. It says, He "sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea." After the mariners discovered that Jonah was the reason for this storm they threw him overboard (1:15). Then God "prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah" to save him from drowning (1:17).

Later in the book we read that "the LORD God prepared a plant" to shade Jonah (4:6). Then we see that God prepared a worm to kill the vine as well as a scorching wind and sun to beat down upon him (4:7-9). These circumstances were used to reveal Jonah's rebellious attitude. Only after that revelation could God directly confront Jonah's heart problem

As we face different situations, we should remember that Gos is sovereign over both the blessings and the troubles that come our way. He desires to use everything to build our character (James 1:1-5). He uses both good and bad to transform us and guide us on our journey.
---------
-THE LORD GIVES AND THE LORD TAKES AWAY. BLESSED BE THE LORD!

--ODB/DF =/ On My Knees / Jaci Velasquez
<http://youtu.be/fx10drNM3gc>

--WHO'S THAT HERO?

--Judges 3:7-11
----
Let your light so shine
before men, that they
may see your good
works and glorify
your Father in heaven.
---Matthew 5:16
-------
--READING the book of Judges, with its battles and mighty warriors, can sometimes feel like reading about comic book superheroes. We have Deborah, Barak, Gideon, and Samson. However, in the line of Judges (or deliverers), we also find Othniel.

The account of his life is brief and straightforward (Judg. 3:7-11). No drama. No display of prowess. But what we do see is what God did through Othniel: "The LORD raised up a deliverer" (v.9), "the Spirit of the LORD came upon him" (v.10), and "the LORD delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand" (v.10).

The Othniel account helps us focus on what is most important--the activity of God. Interesting stories and fascinating people can obscure that. We end up concentrating on those and fail to see what the Lord is doing.

When I was young, I wished I could be more talented so that I could point more people to Christ. But I was looking at the wrong thing. God often uses ordinary people for His extraordinary work. It's His light shining through our lives that glorifies God and draws others to Him. (Matt. 5:16)

When others look at our life, it is more important that they see God--not us.
----
--Our limited ability highlights God's limitless power.~~

--ODB/PFC = OUR GOD IS GREATER! --Chris Tomlin
<http://youtu.be/2AQ0Dv7kzoA>
------------

---Sinning Against the Lord

“And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.” (2 Samuel 12:13)

A basic truth is expressed in this confession of David’s: Every sin—not only the sin of blasphemy or of unbelief—is essentially a sin against the Lord and His nature of absolute righteousness.

This does not mean, of course, that sin hurts no one except God. In David’s case, his sin resulted in the murder of a faithful soldier, Uriah; the implication of Bathsheba in David’s adultery; and then the death of his infant son. It probably also contributed to the subsequent sins of two other sons of David, Amnon and Absalom. Furthermore, as Nathan said, it had “given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme” (v. 14).

Nevertheless, it was, above all else, a sin against God. God had chosen David as king and had blessed him abundantly, yet David was not content and elected to make his own decisions in rebellion against the will of God and the Word of God. But when he was made to realize, by Nathan, what he had done, he immediately repented of his sin, and thereby received forgiveness.

God, in His grace, has made a wonderful provision for forgiveness and restoration because “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Therefore, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7, 9).

Confession must be specific and sincere, of course, not general and superficial, to be effective. But if this is done, then we can exclaim joyfully with David: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered,” because he first, as he said, “acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid” (Psalm 32:1, 5).
--ICR/HMM =CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART=By: Keith Green
<http://youtu.be/vD847UcRbL4>
-------------

--GREAT EXPECTATIONS~~

--Philippians 1:12-21
----
With all boldness,
as always, so now
also Christ will
be magnified.
--Philippians 1:20
------
I ONCE asked a counselor what the major issues were that brought people to him. Without hesitation he said, "The root of many problems is broken expectations; if not dealt with, they mature into anger and bitterness."

In our best moments, it's easy to expect that we will find ourselves in a good place surrounded by good people who like and affirm us. But life has a way of breaking those expectations. What then?

Stuck in jail and beset by fellow believers in Rome who didn't like him (Phil 1:15-16), Paul remained surprisingly upbeat. As he saw it, God had given him a new mission field. While under house arrest, he witnessed to the guards about Christ, which sent the Gospel into Caesar's house. And even though those opposing him were preaching the Gospel from wrong motives, Christ was being preached, so Paul rejoiced (v.18).

Paul never expected to be in a great place or to be well liked. His only expectation was that "Christ will be magnified" through him (v.20). He wasn't disappointed.

If our expectation is to make Christ visible to those around us regardless of where we are or who we are with, we will find those expectations met and even exceeded. Christ will be magnified.
-----
--Make it your only expectation to magnify Christ
-wherever you are and whoever you are with.~~
--
--ODB/JS
<http://youtu.be/9X5_Wm3qF58>
-----------

---Let Him Decide

You’ve shared your disappointments with your neighbor, your relatives, your friends. But have you taken them to God? James 5:13 says, ‘Anyone who is having troubles should pray.”

Before you go anywhere else with your disappointments, go to God. Maybe you don’t want to trouble Him with your hurts. “He’s got famines and wars; He won’t care about my little struggles,” you think. Why don’t you let Him decide that?

He cared enough about a wedding to provide the wine. He cared enough about Peter’s tax payment to give him a coin. He cared enough about the woman at the well to give her answers. He cares about you! Your first step is to go to the right person. Go to God. Your second step is to assume the right posture. Bow before God. And—trust in Him!
-Go. Bow. Trust. Worth a try—don’t you think?
--Traveling Light/ML =/ TRUST IN YOU~~ HILLSONG~~
<http://youtu.be/CcBWOBUVdfY>
----------

--How You Can Start Today With a Clean Slate~~

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.”
--Isaiah 1:18

-Leon Lett was an outstanding defensive lineman who had some amazing statistics in his career with the Dallas Cowboys. Yet, as good as he was, his reputation was tarnished by some pretty egregious mistakes. His most notable came during an icy Thanksgiving Day game against the Miami Dolphins in 1993.

Miami was down by 1 point with just seconds on the clock. They attempted a field goal which was blocked, and all Dallas had to do was stay away from the ball and let the clock run out. But Leon Lett came barreling down the field, slid into the ball, and enabled Miami to recover it and kick another field goal for the win.

I’ll never forget listening to talk radio the next morning. You’d have thought Lett committed the unpardonable sin. Even to this day, when you mention his name to a Cowboys fan, they don’t immediately think about his amazing stats. They think about his notable blunders first.

Many people are like that. They don’t like to forget mistakes. But God is very different. When we bring our mistakes and mess-ups to Him in repentance and faith in Jesus, He wipes the slate clean. Thank God today that if you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, your mistakes are erased and you have a clean slate!-

-COME TO JESUS AND GOD WILL GIVE YOU A CLEAN SLATE FROM THE MISTAKES AND MISHAPS OF YOUR PAST.

--PP/JG

--It’s Confession

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - ---1 John 1:9

-Psychologists are always talking about getting rid of your guilt complexes. They say man has all of these desires within him, and he's been held in by blocked memories, and they squeeze him in. They say if he represses himself, he will come up with a neurosis and a psychosis. And so they say, “Express yourself. Live it up! Do your thing.”

They claim the opposite of repression is expression. No friend, let me tell you, it is not repression, and it is not expression — it is 'confession'.

The Bible says in 1 John 1:7, “… the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” And Romans 5:20 says, “… but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”

The Bible says that if you will confess with your mouth and Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9-10) Here is how the Amplified Bible explains it: “If you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms his salvation.”

--Adrian Rogers~~ "I'll Never Let Go of Your Hand"/ Don Francisco~
<http://youtu.be/HCx6MEdeli4>
----------

--God’s Not Finished With You

--Pick up a high school yearbook and read the “What I want to do” sentence under each picture. You’ll get dizzy breathing the thin air of mountaintop visions. Ivy league school. Write books and live in Switzerland. Physician in a Third World country. Teach inner-city kids.

Yet, take the yearbook to a twentieth-year reunion and read the next chapter. Some dreams have come true, but many haven’t. Changing direction in life is not tragic. Losing passion in life is. Convictions to change the world downgrade to commitments to pay the bills. Rather than make a difference, we make a salary. Rather than look outward, we look inward. And we don’t like what we see.

[Friends, when a person hears an altar call, and runs forward to make a decision 'to follow Christ', they are often mislead into believing 'this is an easy-believeism', and I can now get everything I pray for!' Many, yes, MANY internet and television Pastors are telling people, "Come to Jesus and you will have an abundant life! God will answer all of your prayers!"
And because that ministry shows the Pastor, (and wife) living in big beautiful million $$$ dollar homes, they think, "Oh great! I want to be rich, like they are!" That is a lie from the devil. His abundant life, is living with and for Him, (Jesus), and spending eternity with Jehovah. It's not about now and how [I] can be wealthy, It's all about JESUS. Don't be fooled. Yes, those scoffers, and deceiving Ministries will give an account on Judgment Day. Let's be more concerned 'With our own salvation!' Don't count on 'people', count on Jehovah God! He is the Judge. Beware!
When the Lord is truly accepted into a person's life, THEY CHANGE. Self gets off the throne of their life, and Jesus becomes the Master/Teacher/Leader. Sanctification is a life-long process.]~~

Philippians 1:6 says, “God began doing a good work in you, and he will continue it until it is finished.” May I spell out the message? God isn’t finished with you yet.
--M/L

--PRESS ON!
--KANGAROOS
--AND EMUS ~~
---Philippians 3:12-17
------
'Forgetting those
things which are
behind...I press
toward the goal.'
--Philippians 3:13-14
----
--TWO of Australia's indigenous creatures, kangaroos and emus, have something in common--they seldom move backward. Kangaroos, because of the shape of their body and the length of their strong tail, can bounce along with forward movement, but they cannot shift easily into reverse. Emus can run fast on their strong legs, but the joints in their knees seem to make backward movement difficult. Both animals appear on Australia's coat of arms as a symbol that the nation is to be ever moving forward and making progress.

The apostle Paul called for a similar approach in the life of faith in his letter to the Philippians: "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal fro the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (3:13-14).

While it is wise to learn from the past, we shouldn't live in the past. We cannot redo or undo the past, but by God's grace we can press forward and serve God faithfully today and in the future. The life of faith is a journey forward as we become like Christ.
------
--I WILL GO ANYWHERE--PROVIDED IT IS FORWARD.

--ODB/BC=/ <http://youtu.be/ElVC6rfX3Z8>

--What is a 'surrendered life' to Christ?

'Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.'
--James 4:10
--
-I once heard a pastor friend of mine speaking about what it means to be devoted to God. He made the point that many Christians get caught up in making commitments to Christ. Yet, even in the act of commitment, believers still have the element of control. They can uncommit and recommit again whenever they want.

When I heard this, it really opened my eyes to the very serious problem we’re facing today. Many Christians want to meet God on their terms. They’ll go here and do this or that for Jesus. But once you ask them to do something different than they had planned, well, God certainly wouldn’t call them to that!

The big question is this: Are we willing to completely give up control? Can we get to the point where we go beyond a simple commitment to God and can truly say, “Father… wherever, whatever, whenever… I’m all yours”?

That’s the kind of devotion God wants you to have toward Him. So instead of grasping onto whatever kind of control you can, trust God. Believe in His goodness and love for you and that He’ll never lead you astray. Surrender completely to Him by giving Him complete control over your life and He will lift you up!

--LIVE A LIFE OF SURRENDER, NOT JUST COMMITMENT, TO GOD AND -HE WILL LIFT YOU UP.
--PP/JG
[The Lord Jesus gave His entire life for us. He did not even have a place to lie His head. He surrendered His life to save us from our sins. "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." The requirement was to be made by a completely sinless, perfect blood sacrifice. Only Jesus Christ could measure up to the requirement. And He did all of that just for 'YOU'. Take the Bible as a personal 'Love Letter' to 'YOU". Do not wait another day, we are not promised tomorrow. Please, Come to Jesus, surrender your entire life for serving Him, and helping to spread the Gospel around this earth. THEN He will come back. He told us, "I will return when the Gospel has been preached to the uttermost parts of the world." Everyone will have the chance. MOST will deny and not accept this glorious, sacrifice Jesus paid for 'OUR' sins'. Please come to the Savior, don't wait 'until you get your life cleaned-up', because no matter how you try , 'apart from Jesus we can do nothing'. Take Him now. He loves you with an everlasting life. You will spend eternity with all those who have accepted this 'free gift'. It surely was not free for Jesus. HE DIED A TERRIBLE DEATH on that Cross. He did it just for YOU, my friend.// 'Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus' ~~] ~~
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO4uIyz_d90>

--GOOD ENOUGH?
--Please read: Matthew 15:22-28 =

--ONE would think that the Creator would not be easily impressed. But something about this woman brought a sparkle to His eyes and most likely, a smile to His face. The woman is desperate. Her daughter is demon possessed.

The Canaanite woman has no right to ask anything of Jesus. She is not a Jew. She is not a disciple. She offers no money...But that doesn't slow her down. She persists in her plea.

"Have mercy on me!"

Matthew notes that Jesus says nothing at first. Nothing. He doesn't open His mouth. Why?
I think that He was admiring her. I think that it did His heart good to see some spunky faith for a change. I think that it refreshed Him to see someone asking Him to do the very thing He came to do--give great gifts to unworthy children.

How strange that we don't allow Him to do it more often for us.
Perhaps the most amazing response to God's gift is our reluctance to accept it. We want it. But on our terms. For some odd reason, we feel better if we earn it. So we create religious hoops and hop through them--making God a trainer, us His pets, and religion a Circus.

The Canaanite woman knew better. She had no resume. She claimed no heritage. She had no earned degrees. She knew only two things: Her daughter was weak and Jesus was strong.

We prefer to get salvation the old-fashioned way: We earn it. To accept grace is to admit failure, a step we are hesitant to take. We opt to impress God with how good we are rather than confession how great He is. We dizzy ourselves with doctrine. Burden ourselves with rules. Think that God will smile on our efforts.
He doesn't.

God's smile is not for the healthy hiker who boasts that he made the journey alone. It is instead, for the crippled leper who begs God for a back on which to ride.~~
-- Life Lessons Study Bible/Max L.
**Why do you think "helplessness" is a repulsive concept to our culture?
**What are the worst things about feeling inadequate?
**Why is it sometimes easier to reach out on behalf of someone else who is helpless than for ourselves when we are helpless?
<http://youtu.be/mAtmP26p3jg>

---Where Are You?
--Read | Genesis 3:7-13

-After not listening to God, Adam and Eve found themselves in a terrible predicament. Their first reaction was to cover up rather than “fess up.” Fig leaves can never hide the root problem of sin (Gen. 3:7), but even today, we still try this approach. Instead of acknowledging and confessing sin, we frequently look for a quick fix to the situation.

Adam and Eve’s second response was to avoid God. They knew they were guilty of disobeying, but instead of coming to Him to reestablish their relationship, they hid from Him in fear (v. 8). We often do the same thing when sin breaks our fellowship with the Lord. Have you ever found yourself avoiding prayer and time in the Scriptures because you were struggling with sin and feelings of guilt?

A third reaction was to try and avoid personal responsibility by blaming others (vv. 12-13). Shifting guilt to another person can’t remove it. We are each responsible before God for our actions, regardless of the circumstances or who else is involved.

Despite Adam and Eve’s sin and their evasive ways of handling it, the Lord came to them (v. 9). Our sin is never large enough to keep Him away; God still calls to us and asks, “Where are you?” He knows what we have done and why, but He questions us so that we can come to realize our desperate state.

Never let guilt or shame keep you from the Lord. He seeks those who have made a mess of their life and speaks to them through His Word, His Spirit, and His people. Forgiveness and a restored relationship await all who are willing to listen, confess, and repent.
---IN TOUCH =/ I WILL RUN TO YOU~~ Hillsong
<http://youtu.be/RZGqKqciv8E>
-----------

---Consequences

--Are there any consequences for a godless pursuit of pleasure? Is there a price for living for today? The hedonist says, “Who cares? I may be bad, but so what? What I do is my business.” He is more concerned about satisfying his passions than in knowing the Father.

His life [the unbeliever], is so desperate for pleasure that he has no time or room for God. He believes there is no truth beyond this room. No divine factor. Is he right? Is it okay to spend our days thumbing our noses at God and living it up? Paul says, “Absolutely not!”

According to Romans 1, we lose more than stained-glass windows when we dismiss God. We lose our standard, our purpose, and our worship.
The apostle says “their thinking became useless. Their foolish minds were filled with darkness. They said they were wise, but they become fools.”

Friends, we must be more like Jesus in order to win souls for Him. Ask Him to allow you to be His vessel of honor for His glory. =/ Let Them See You / Colton Dixon~~
<http://youtu.be/b8cmkfHWMrc?list=UUEJCcmlXpYNzWA0fKVMezUw>
---------

--Keeping Short Accounts/
When sin finds it way into your life, immediately confess it to the Lord. He will forgive you, if you come to Him with sincere acknowledgement of His Sovereignty, and forgiveness.

'But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.'
-- 1 Corinthians 15:57

Any sin in our lives defeats us. That is the nature of sin. Yet God never intended for his children to be defeated. His desire is that you walk in spiritual victory each day.

Yet one of the greatest barriers to experiencing that daily spiritual victory is hidden sin in our lives. Because not only will hidden sin wound you spiritually, it will drain you physically and emotionally as well. Not only will it diminish your witness, but it will also impact your relationships with those you love.

The Scripture even says that before God can hear our prayers, we must deal with the sin in our lives. In Psalm 66:18 David wrote, “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”

The only way to deal with sin in your life is to strike at it immediately before it gets you in its grip. You must treat sin as ruthlessly as it will treat you. The moment you are aware that there is an unclean desire in your heart or evil thought in your mind, strike back at it through the power of prayer to the Almighty God.

Remember, there is no sin that God can’t forgive! No matter what you have done, God always forgives when we come to Him in true repentance. First John 1:9 (ESV) says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

If there is something in your life that you are clinging to… be it a sinful habit or an ungodly attitude… my prayer is that you will deal with it and ask for true forgiveness. God is waiting with open arms to bring about a new beginning… a new hope in your life today!
"Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner in need of Your forgiveness. Please come into my life and help me to live for You. I love you, Jesus, and apart from You, I can do nothing. Thank you for saving me, in Jesus Name."

--UNCONFESSED SIN IS A DESTROYER,
-DEFEAT IT THROUGH THE POWER OF PRAYER
--PP/JG =/ I GIVE YOU MY HEART~ HILLSONG
<http://youtu.be/wpYAU_P9MA4>
-------

--ON BEING
-KNOWN ~~


'I acknowledged my
sins to You...I said,
"I will confess my
transgressions to the
Lord," and You forgave
the iniquity of my sin.'
-------
--Psalm 32:5
------
ONE of the most difficult inner conflicts we have is our desire to be known versus our fear of 'being' known. As beings created in the image of God we are made to be known--known by God and also by others. Yet due to our fallen nature, all of us have sins and weaknesses that we don't want others to know about. We use the phrase "dark side" to refer to aspects of our lives tht we keep hidden. And we use slogans like "put your best foot forward" to encourage others to show their best side.

One reason we are unwilling to risk being known is that we fear rejection and ridicule. But when we discover that God knows us, loves us, and is willing to forgive even the worst thing we have done, our fear of being known by God begins to fade away.

The life of faith is not about showing only our good side. It's about exposing our dark side to the light of Christ through confession to God and also to others. (James 5:16).
In this way we can receive healing and live in the freedom of forgiveness.~~
---------
--The voice of sin may be loud,
but the voice of forgivenss is louder.

--ODB/JAL

--SECOND CHANCES? THIRD? MORE?


-Some people wonder, 'Will God forgive me?' I have committed adultery, stolen, been a drunkard, taken the hardest illegal drugs, and have not done anything right, that would be deserving of going to Heaven.' Does God forgive people like me?
----------------
--No One is Too far Gone from Jesus, NO ONE! Yes, friend, Jesus loves you and wants to save you and take you to Heaven. He wants to be your 'Best Friend'.

'Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.'
-Isaiah 45:22


--It doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done, or where you’ve been, no one is too far gone for Jesus.

I think that statement’s important enough that it’s worth repeating: No one is too far gone for Jesus. No one! And there’s no better evidence of this than the woman that Jesus met at the well.

When Jesus meets this woman she has been used and abused. She has been divorced five times and was living with her boyfriend. She was a mess! At least, she was a mess to the people around her. Even so, Christ reached out to her with the living water of eternal life. And her life was transformed instantly and eternally!

This woman…a woman who had been ravaged by regrets and failures and brokenness…this wasted, burned out woman…was made brand new because of the power of Jesus Christ which began to change her! She wasn’t too far gone for the Lord Jesus!

And the application in your life and my life is clear. No one around us…no matter how wasted, burned out, or strung out they may seem…is too far gone for Jesus Christ.

And you know what else? Neither are you!

In John 4:13, Jesus says, “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Jesus says whoever drinks of the water that He gives will have eternal life! Like I said before, it doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done, or where you’ve been. None of us is ever too far gone for Jesus Christ.

It’s my prayer that no matter what your past may hold, you will turn to God today!

--NO ONE ON THIS EARTH IS TOO FAR GONE FOR JESUS! YOU ARE LOVED WITH AN EVERLASTING LOVE AND UNDERNEATH ARE HIS EVERLASTING ARMS! OH, HOW HE LOVES US ALL! ~~
--PP/JG-/ Call Upon the Name of the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved!
<http://youtu.be/GzfPHnoT0-0>
-------------

--God's Grace is Better Than Good!

"And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace."
-John 1:16

--As human beings, you and I sin. We mess up. In fact, you’ve probably already messed up today!

But the Scripture contains an amazing promise for you and me. It’s found in today’s verse.

Do you know what “grace upon grace” means? It means that as believers, God’s grace keeps flowing into our lives like the waves of the sea that just keep coming again and again and again. It’s grace upon grace upon grace upon grace upon grace upon grace!

It’s not as though we received God’s grace five years ago and we’re still trying to hang on to that grace. No. We keep receiving grace, grace, grace, grace and more grace… His marvelous grace. We never run out of the grace of God because His grace is infinite!

God gives us His grace the moment we’re saved… and He continues to give us His grace each day… for daily strength and endurance to face the trials and temptations of life.

Lamentations 3:21-23 promise us, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

God’s grace is new every morning! And it’s my prayer today that you’d be encouraged to know you have this daily grace as a follower of Jesus Christ. Walk in this light today… and every day… as you faithfully follow Him!

-GOD’S GRACE IS SO GOOD. IT'S BETTER THAN THE BEST!

--PP/JG =/ Your Grace Still Amazes Me/ By: PC&D
<http://youtu.be/fXVUYC_ykwE>

--A PRAYER OF CONFESSION ~~

--Confession isn’t a punishment for sin; it’s an isolation of sin so it can be exposed and extracted. Exactly what is it that you need forgiveness for? For being a bad person? That’s too general. For losing your patience in the business meeting and calling your coworker a creep? There, you can confess that.

Be firm in a prayer of confession. Satan traffics in guilt and will not give up an addict without a fight. Exercise your authority as a child of God. Tell guilt where to get off. “I left you at the Cross, you evil spirit. Stay there!”

Then for heaven’s sake, stop tormenting yourself. Jesus is strong enough to carry your sin. Psalm 103:12 says, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”

Before you say amen—comes the power of a simple prayer.
-- 1 John 1:9 tells us, "If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." If you feel convicted, from your heart say, 'Lord Jesus, I know all my sins have been paid for at the Cross. Once again I bring this confession to You and thank you that I am forgiven! AMEN!
<http://youtu.be/mz3V8IH6xUE>

--Release from the Ghosts of Guilt - Satan is the Accuser of the Brethren (Revelation 12:10)

--BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Jude 1:21

--DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Guilt dogs the footsteps of mankind. It gnaws. It growls. It eats away at the joy God intends for us. Is there no peace from guilt? Will the ghosts of our guilt always lurk nearby? Not with the convicting work of the Holy Spirit and the healing power of our Lord in us! The devil is the prosecuting attorney who is going to point his bony finger of accusation at you.
But the Holy Spirit is not the accuser. He is the Convictor. In love, He convicts to lead us to confession. Then we can confidently come to God and ask for cleansing. No psychologist or psychiatrist can take away guilt. Only Christ Jesus can.

--ACTION POINT:
-Read the story of the adulterous woman in John 8:1-11. Praise God for His lovingkindness and generous mercy!
--Adrian Rogers~~ / How Deep the Father's Love For Us / Selah~
<http://youtu.be/SKDujmtyAVk>
---------

---THE GOD OF SECOND CHANCES...Third...More.... ~~

--BIBLE MEDITATION:
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”
---- (Hebrews 8:12)

--DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
--Have you ever felt like you have used up God’s reservoir of forgiveness? Perhaps you’ve thought, “I don’t have a right to come and ask Him to forgive me again.” Friend, it doesn’t matter how many times we have sinned.

Suppose you came back to God the 5,000th time with the same sin. Will He forgive you? Yes indeed, He will. As far as He is concerned, it is the first time you have come to Him. Why? Because He has forgotten all the other times.

Our God doesn’t hold grudges. He does punish sin, but He doesn’t hold grudges. The God of Jonah, David, Mark, Peter, and Jacob is your God and my God. I have come to Him so many times and asked Him for a second chance. And guess what? He has given it.

--ACTION POINT:
-If He can give Jonah, David, Jacob, etc., a second chance, He will certainly give you another chance. Failure is not final with our Lord Jesus.
["If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify (cleanse), us from all unrighteousness." (1 JN. 1:9)]
--Adrian Rogers~~

--GOD'S HOLINESS, LOVE AND MERCY ~~

---“For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”
--- 2 Corinthians 5:21

--God will never overlook sin. He cannot. God is holy, and by His holiness He has sworn that sin will be punished. If God were to let one half of one sin go unpunished, God would no longer be holy.

-The chief attribute of God is not love — it is Holiness.

-The Cross is God’s way to punish sin and forgive the sinner at the same time. “He who knew no sin,” God has made to be sin for us.. The price that Jesus paid, only the damned in hell can begin to know. Jesus paid for all the sin of all of the people for all time. If you will accept Jesus' 'free gift' of salvation, acknowledge that you are a sinner in need of His as your Savior, and you will be saved. Jesus already paid the price when He died on that Cross. (Romans 10:9-10)= But the offer of His 'free gift', is not a gift until it is received.
You must confess your sins, repent, and turn from them. Jesus will help you to live for Him. Come, confess, repent,....and WORSHIP JESUS CHRIST!

Read Revelation 4:8. Let your anthem throughout the day be, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”
--Adrian Rogers~~ / COME, NOW IS THE TIME TO WORSHIP =Brian Doereksen and Wendy Whitehead~~ (What does the Lord require of thee? A broken spirit and a contrite heart.)
<https://youtu.be/-jU1q33K6yQ>
-----------

--WORDS FOR MISFITS/ GOD CAN USE ANYONE~~

--(1 Samuel 16:7 says), “. . .man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

-Those words were written for misfits and outcasts. God uses them all. Moses ran from justice, but God used him. Jonah ran from God, but God used him. Rahab ran a brothel; Sarah ran out of hope; Lot ran with the wrong crowd; but God used them all. And David? Human eyes saw a gangly teenager, smelling like sheep. Yet the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is the one!” (1 Samuel 16:12).

-God saw what no one else saw— a God-seeking heart. David took after God’s heart, because he stayed after God’s heart.
In the end, that is all God wants or needs. Others measure your waist size or wallet. Not God. He examines hearts. When He finds one set on Him, He calls it and claims it.
--Second Changes/ML~~
--"He who covers his sins will not prosper,
But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy."
--(Proverbs 28:13)~
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
---(1 John 1:9)~~
"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)~~

--Are You Looking for an Easy Way to Serve God?

--BIBLE MEDITATION:
“…and run with patience the race that is set before us.” --Hebrews 12:1c

--DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
The word “patience” here doesn’t mean the ability to thread a needle, but literally means “endurance.” It means bearing up under some load, some challenge.

Are you looking for an easy way, a cheap way, a lazy way to serve God? All honey and no bees? A life of ease? You just want to say, “O, I’m so happy in Jesus.” Listen, this business of running this race means that you’re going to be at it with all of your heart.

You may be on a sick bed or in a wheelchair. But none is excluded. We are to run with endurance. When you watch someone running, do you notice how intense he is? If you’re in this race, you need to pray over it, you need to weep over it, you need to study over it, you need to work over it.

--ACTION POINT:
--This matter of being saved and running the race is a full-time occupation. God does business with those who mean business.

--Adrian Rogers~~<https://youtu.be/UXoh-SBDLp4>

--NOT I, BUT CHRIST/-- I HAVE DIED TO SELF

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
---(Galatians 2:20)

WHEN WE GIVE OUR LIVES TO CHRIST, WE DIE TO SELF, AND LIVE FOR HIM

We worship Him for who He is and what He has done, and is doing on our behalf. His death makes all the difference to us. Christ Jesus died to set us free from sin, self, Satan and the world. ~~

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

--We know that “being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). What happened there? “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10).

Today we no longer have an obligation to render animal sacrifices to God for our sin, but we do need to offer something better than even our best. Scripture asks us to “present [our] bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God” (Romans 12:1).
--Christ Jesus died and paid our sin debt. "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin." Jesus died and set us free to serve Him. "Now go and sin no more." / Crucified With Christ/ Phillips, Craig and Dean ~
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=10&v=_0_1jazh454>

--CASTING OUR BURDENS AT HIS FEET~~

-“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
---- Psalm 55:22 --

-I read about a man who had a very fine dog who loved the water. One day the dog was playing in the lake and the man decided to leave. He called the dog, but the dog wouldn’t come. He called him several times; he wouldn’t come. It was a well-trained dog, but he just would not come. The man finally threw a stick out in the water. When the dog saw it, he swam over, got the stick, and came back and laid it at his master’s feet.

It just may be that God has given you a burden because He can’t get your attention. He wants you to come and lay it at your Master’s feet.

Is your heart aching today? Cast your burden at His feet and allow His peace to fill your heart.
--Adrian Rogers~~
-----
"Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.
For you have need of endurance, so that after you have
done the will of God, you may receive the promise."
--(Hebrews 10:35,36)
------
-"Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the Lord."
--(Psalm 31:24) ~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
--Waiting on the Lord requires faith. Just because we can't see what He is doing does not mean that He is inactive. Our heavenly Father works outside of our visible realm, arranging and orchestrating events to bring about his plan for our lives. His work is like a seed planted deep in a garden--we cannot see the underground process. But just as a budding plant eventually appears, we can trust that in time, the Lord's ordained outcome will become evident.
Let's wait in faith, knowing our Father is in control, and leave the results to Him. He said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." TRUST HIM! Light the Fire Again= Brian Doerksen ~~
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pD2O3FarRM>
---------------

--GENUINE REPENTANCE ~~
---2 Corinthians 7:8-10
-----
--Because we desire to be more like Jesus, we make resolutions, ask Him to help us, and try to behave differently. Yet despite our best efforts to do things God's way, we slide back into old habits. Frustrated, we may ask Him, "Why can't I change?" The reason is, overcoming sinful attitudes and behaviors starts with genuine repentance, which has three aspects.

-Conviction. The Holy Spirit will reveal the areas in which we've sinned and convict us of wrongdoing. Through Scripture, the Spirit shows us God's standard and what needs to change. Repentance begins with understanding where we have gone astray.

--Contrition. The next step--grieving over our iniquity--is followed by confession to the Lord. Genuine sorrow arises from the knowledge that we've sinned against Him. In contrast, human unhappiness often comes from being caught misbehaving. Other times we are miserable because of where our choices led us, or feel shame that people know about our sin. True contrition is followed by humble confession.

-Commitment to act. Real repentance is complete when we wholeheartedly pledge to turn from our old behavior and move toward righteous ways. God knows we won't live perfectly, but He looks for a surrendered heart that diligently seeks to obey Him.

Paul used strong language when telling us to turn from iniquity: "Put to death... whatever belongs to your earthly nature" (Col. 3:5 niv).. What sin are you struggling to overcome? Have you genuinely repented, committing to turn from it permanently? Let the Holy Spirit empower you to change.
--IN TOUCH~~ / Call to the Lord, "Open the Eyes of My Heart, I Want to See You" / Brian Doerksen~
<https://youtu.be/Ry6bzm7K8K4>

--LEAVE THE PAST BEHIND ~~

--Remember the story of the prodigal son? He squandered his inheritance on wild living and bad choices. He lost every penny. His trail dead-ended in a pigpen. One day he was so hungry he leaned over the pig trough, took a sniff, and drooled. He was just about to dig in when something within him awoke. Wait a second. What am I doing wallowing in the mud? Then he made a decision that changed his life forever. “I will arise and go to my father.”

You can do that. You can’t undo all the damage you’ve done. But you can arise and go to your Father. Even the apostle Paul had to make this choice. He said, “I leave the past behind and with hands outstretched to whatever lies ahead, I go straight for the goal” (Philippians 3:13-14).

Landing in a pigpen stinks. But staying there…is just plain stupid. ~~~
--Glory Days/Max Lucado (Great New Book= 2015)
-------
[Please do not feel like failure is final with our Lord Jesus. "We all have sinned and fall of the short of God." ALL OF US. "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) ~~ Confess, repent, and accept His forgiveness. He knew you were going to fall (sin), before you did. God knows all things. But He loves us so much that He is a forgiving, loving, and restoring Savior. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Come on, beloved ones, get up, repent and let's move on carrying the Good News of the Gospel to a lost and dying world.~~]// 'Your Love Never Fails' ~ Don Moen
<https://youtu.be/AU3hT5aGljE>
---------

--THE CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS~

We are frail creatures. We are not made of steel, we’re made from dust. And this life is not crowned with life, it is crowned with death. The next life, however, is different!

In Revelation 2:10, Jesus urged the Christians in Smyrna to “be faithful, even if you have to die, and I will give you the crown of life.” You will also receive the crown of righteousness.

Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have done my best in the race, I have run the full distance, and I have kept the faith. And now there is waiting for me, the victory prize of being put right with God, which the Lord. . .will give me on that Day and not only to me, but to all those who wait with love for him to appear.”

Set your heart on that day. Crowned with life. Crowned with righteousness. Forever!
--When Christ Comes/ML
[Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. As a result, every person has just two choices: Believe Him or reject Him. Rejection will result in Judgment and eternal separation from Jehovah God, but eternal life is promised to whoever trust in Him.' Who do you choose? Please do not let another day pass, IF you have not yet accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, do it now. --
"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (Romans 10:9-10)]

-We Can't Even Imagine a Sinless World!

---Heaven Will Be Sin Free

--What prevents us from being rightly related to God? It is sin! And since heaven promises a right relationship with God, what’s missing in heaven? You got it—Sin. Heaven will be sin-free. Both death and sin will be things of the past.

Can you imagine a world minus sin? Have you done anything recently because of sin? At the very least, you’ve complained. You’ve worried. You’ve grumbled. Hoarded when you should have shared. Second-guessed and covered up. But you won’t do that in heaven. Sin has sired a thousand heartaches and broken a million promises. Your addiction can be traced back to sin. Your mistrust can be traced back to sin. Bigotry, robbery, adultery—all because of sin.

But in heaven, all of this will end. So. . .can you imagine a world without sin? If so, you can imagine heaven!

--When Christ Comes/ML--<https://youtu.be/7XaYXEPfGFs>

--Almost Too Good to Be True= JESUS IS PRAYING FOR YOU!

---Jesus is Praying for You

While we wait for Christ’s return, we can be encouraged because Jesus is praying for us! As recorded in Luke 22:31, Jesus says, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to test all of you as a farmer sifts his wheat.” Loose translation– 'Satan is gonna slap your faith like a farmer slaps wheat on the threshing floor!'

You would expect Jesus’ next words to be, So get out of town! But Jesus shows no panic. In verse 32, He says, “I have prayed that you will not lose your faith. Help your brothers be stronger when you come back to me.”

Everything changes when Jesus prays for us. The devil may land a punch or two, but he never wins the fight. Jesus protected Peter, and Jesus is protecting you.
We can always count on Jesus. Hold on to His nail-pierced hands. He has already paid our sin-debt on the Cross.
"Whom the Son sets free is free indeed."
--When Christ Comes/ML --/ You Never Let Go! -Matt Redman
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM14VZVu0og>
----------

--NEED A SECOND CHANCE?

--Is there really a second chance?
And is it in this life...or after this life?

One of the top magazines featured an article on the word "if"...all the speculation of man about his own life. I read it with fascination. If I hadn't blown that opportunity...if I weren't married...if there weren't children...if I didn't have a mortgage I couldn't handle...if I had just chosen a different career...if I had started out a lot younger..if..if there's such a thing as a second chance.

And then, believe it or not, I found the other Name for Jesus is 'second chance'. It's at the Cross that the past is washed away...that we're forgiven...that a whole new life becomes available with opportunities we never dreamed of. That's what I found.

So it wasn't really shocking to me when the man came and pleaded with God, "I've committed adultery. I've committed murder. I've made you, God, the laughing stock of the entire nation. Is there such a thing as a second chance for me?"

His name was David. He was the King of Israel, and God had put him on the throne. And believe it or not, God described that same man as--a man after My own heart. He gave him a second chance. He gave me a second chance. And friend, no matter what wrongs you have committed in this life, if you ask Him, ...Jesus will give you a second chance.
"Jesus came to save sinners, of whom I am chief," said Paul.

Jesus is our Redeemer. He paid our sin-debt by dying on that Cross. 'Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin." He did it for you. And He did it for 'all' that will come to Him, and confess their need of him as their Savior, Lord, and Redeemer. Come, come today...we are not promised a tomorrow.
--ONE on ONE/BH--/ I Will Sing of My Redeemer/ Selah and Barlow Girl
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOkiyz7vlHg>

--GOD IS OUR PROTECTOR- / Lead Me Lord~~
--(Please Read / Psalm 121:1-3)

--In Psalm 121, David describes the safety that he found in the Lord. Let’s look closely at some verses to better understand our security.

•** “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Ps. 121:1-2).
When this was written, robbers dwelled in the mountains, waiting for innocent travelers to become their unsuspecting victims. Needless to say, journeying through these hilly roads must have caused anxiety. David’s work as a shepherd took him into dangerous areas, where not only thieves but also wild animals posed a threat.

Our lives can be like mountainous territory. Do you look into the future and wonder what dangers lurk? The Lord is our helper; He is the only one able to protect us. Friends and relatives can offer limited assistance, but God knows everything and has all the power necessary to rescue us.

•** “He will not allow your foot to slip” (Ps. 121:3). God has provided everything we need in order to avoid sin. The Holy Spirit directs and empowers us; the Word lights our path so we do not slip. Yet at times, we choose to sin. Almighty God could stop us from disobeying, but He doesn’t interfere with our free will. Instead, He upholds us, enabling us to walk in His way.

These opening verses of the psalm focus on the Lord’s ability to protect us in treacherous times. Whether trouble originates with others, external circumstances, or our own sin, we can find ourselves in danger and afraid. Thankfully, we have a loving God who leads us to safety.
--IN TOUCH~~--
Lead Me Lord/ Gary Valenciano
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAk0uN3LnI4>

--A SECOND CHANCE~~ SALVATION IS A GIFT OF GOD, NOT OF WORKS~

---- --(Please read: Ephesians 2:8,9)

--Out in a fishing boat, empty and exhausted, Peter discovered the wonder of God’s second chance. The crowd on the beach was so great that Jesus needed a buffer. So he preached from Peter’s boat. Then he told Peter to take him fishing. The apostle-to-be was tired; he had fished all night. He’d caught nothing. He was dubious. What did Jesus know about catching fish? And maybe Peter was self-conscious. People packed the beach. Who wants to fail in public? But Jesus insisted. And Peter relented. “At Your word I will let down the net” (Luke 5:5).

This was a moment of truth for Peter. He was saying, 'I will try again– your way.' When he did, the catch of fish was so great the boat nearly sank. Sometimes we just need to try again with Jesus in the boat. Failures are fatal only if we fail to learn from them.

['Call on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.' --'For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God;
Not of works lest any man should boast." -(Ephesians 2:8-9)]

*God is With You Every Day/ML*~~--/Mighty to Save/ Hillsong~
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ60enIBNq0>
-----------

----CHOSEN VESSELS ~~

--God’s chosen vessels aren’t always gleaming and golden. They may be tarnished or cracked, broken or even discarded. They may be a Saul driven by anger, motivated to hurt. Saul was eager to root out and persecute the early Christians. But God saw possibilities in Saul and sent Ananias to teach and minister to him. What will you do when God shows you your Saul? 'He’s gone too far.' 'She’s too hard.' 'Too addicted.' 'Too old.' No one gives your Saul a prayer.

But you’re beginning to realize that maybe God is at work behind the scenes. You begin to believe. Don’t resist these thoughts. No one believes in people more than Jesus does. Don’t give up. Tell your Saul about Jesus, and pray. And remember this: God never sends you where he hasn’t already been. By the time you reach your Saul, who knows what you’ll find.

--From/ 'God is With You Every Day'/ML~
------ / 'Think About His Love' by: Don Moen ~~
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzTHAJ-DxWo>
--------

--WHENEVER YOU FEEL TEMPTED~~

--BIBLE MEDITATION:
“O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.”
----(Psalm 63:1)

--DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
The devil tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread. I have been to Palestine and seen stones that looked amazingly like little loaves of bread. I can just see the devil looking on the ground, knowing that Jesus had been fasting for 40 days, and saying, “Well, look here. Just turn this into bread!”

Now, there’s nothing wrong with eating bread. In fact, Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread. Yet Jesus had been led into the wilderness to fast and pray and seek the face of God. The devil was trying to put the bread above the will of God, saying “Pamper your flesh.” But what he was really saying was, “Commit spiritual suicide.” Jesus refused.

--ACTION POINT:
Jesus overcame the flesh, and you can, too. He overcame by the Word of God. Take this verse and make every effort to commit it to your memory this week:
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
**--Adrian Rogers~~**/ 'HE WILL COME AND SAVE YOU'/ Don Moen & Paul Wilbur ~~
<https://youtube.com/watch?v=qAjPL8bB7m8>
-----------

--THE GOD OF THE SECOND CHANCE, AND MORE!

--BIBLE MEDITATION:
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”
---(Hebrews 8:12)

--DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Have you ever felt like you have used up God’s reservoir of forgiveness? Perhaps you’ve thought, “I don’t have a right to come and ask Him to forgive me again.” Friend, it doesn’t matter how many times we have sinned.

Suppose you came back to God the 5,000th time with the same sin. Will He forgive you? Yes indeed, He will. As far as He is concerned, it is the first time you have come to Him. Why? Because He has forgotten all the other times.

Our God doesn’t hold grudges. He does punish sin, but He doesn’t hold grudges. The God of Jonah, David, Mark, Peter, and Jacob is your God and my God. I have come to Him so many times and asked Him for a second chance. And guess what? He has given it.

--ACTION POINT:
-If He can give Jonah, David, Jacob, etc., a second chance, He will certainly give you another chance. --Failure is not final with Jehovah God.
--(1 John 1:9) "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
"We are saved by grace through faith and that not of our own, it is a gift of God, not of works so that no one may boast." -/ Your Grace Still Amazes Me/ Phillips, Craig, and Dean~
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXVUYC_ykwE&feature=youtu.be>
--------

---SLIP OF THE TONGUE ~~

“I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.”
--(Matthew 12:36 NIV) --

--My chainsaw is a wonderful tool, and I appreciate how quickly it can help me finish a task. But I’m always conscious that as much potential as it has for speed and efficiency, it also has enormous potential for harm and destruction. In a careless moment I can do something that can’t be reversed, something that could change my future or someone else’s. Words are tools that are even more powerful than a chainsaw, and sometimes we are reckless with them.

In an unthinking moment we can say something that we can’t unsay. We can say something that can change our future or someone else’s. It is a sobering reality that our careless words are being duly noted and we will have to give an account for them on the day of judgment. Let’s be careful that our words are not careless ones we will be reminded of on that day.

**THINK ABOUT IT
Are you sometimes careless with your words? How can you use your words to build up rather than destroy?

**PRAYER
--"Heavenly Father, keep my mouth from speaking worthless, harmful words carelessly with no regard for consequences. Give me prayers and conversations that will build up and not tear down. Give me an awareness of the spiritual consequences before I speak. Let the words of my mouth bring glory to Your name. In Jesus’ name, amen."

**Blessings,
***Pastor Allen Jackson
**Intend - Allen Jackson Ministries
[-Most of us have trouble with our tongues. I know I do. The Bible tells us "The tongue is an unruly evil." We must constantly watch our words. (1 John 1 verse 9) "If we confess our sins , He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Let's try to keep short accounts, repent, and move on.]
---"Let My Words Be Few" / Matt Redman ~~ <https://youtu.be/CqIA_l2ypkE>
-----

--HOLINESS AMONG US~~

"Shout and be glad, Jerusalem,
I am coming, and I will live among you,
says the LORD. "
---(Zecharaiah 2:10)

~~~~ God became a baby. He entered a world...of problems and heartaches.

"The Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness" (John 1:14/ NLT).

The operative word of the verse is among. He lived among us. He donned the costliest of robes: a human body. He made a throne out of a manger and a royal court out of some cows. He took a common name---Jesus--and made it holy. He took common people and made them the same. He could have lived over us or away from us. But He didn't. He lived among us.

He became a friend of the sinner and brother of the poor. Jesus wants to be your friend as well. Have you asked Him to come into your life? "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" [1 John 1:9] ~~
Go ahead, get right with the Creator of the Universe. He wants to welcome you Home to Heaven one day. "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

--"When Christ Comes"/ML~
--"Endless Hallelujah"/ Matt Redman// <https://youtu.be/gtzAciGlgKE>
~~~~~~~~~~

--GUARD YOUR ATTITUDE~~

"May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father
encourage you and strengthen you in every good thing
you do and say."
---(2 Thessalonians 2:16)

~~~"Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me alone to do all the work?" (Luke 11:40).....

Martha's life was cluttered. She needed a break. "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things," the Master explained to her. "Only one thing is important. Mary has chosen [it]" (Luke 11:41-42).

What had Mary chosen? She had chosen to sit at the feet of Christ. God is more pleased with the quiet attention of a sincere servant than the noisy service of a sour one......

What matters more than the type of service is the heart behind the service. A bad attitude spoils the gift we leave on the altar for God.
--Grace For the Moment/ML~~
[If we have sin in our lives, let's get that out of the way firstly, then come to Jesus. "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us." --[1 JOHN 1:9-10] ]"Only Jesus"/ Casting Crowns ~ <https://youtu.be/TAtx1y58jS0>
~~~~~~~

~~SEEKING TO KNOW GOD ~~

~~'The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, “When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.'
---(Matthew 16:1-3 /NIV)

~~~Jesus had performed many public miracles, but these religious leaders were intent on discrediting Him and maintaining the status quo. Jesus said, “You’re more knowledgeable about the weather than you are the Kingdom of God.” Are we that different? I think some of us truly are more concerned about the weather than we are the things of God. We need to get on our knees and ask Him to show us who He is and what He is doing. We need to learn to recognize the voice of His Spirit. We go to church, we follow the rules. We learn what “good people” do and don’t do in public. But we need to become more in tune with Him and earnestly seek the things of God.

THINK ABOUT IT
~~These men were invested in their influence and their power, but they were clueless about the Kingdom of God. What is your heart tuned to? What are you looking for? Revival is when we begin to say, “God, show me Yourself. Lord, I want to be in Your presence. I would like to participate in what You are doing in the earth.”

PRAYER
~~"Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word, its truth, and how it points us to Your heart. I want to know You, and I want to begin making decisions rooted in love for You. My hope is in You. Lord, help me to never be ashamed of You and your Word. Thank You, my LORD, Savior, and Redeemer. In Jesus’ name, amen."
Blessings,
Pastor Allen Jackson--"In Your Presence" // Paul Wilbur // <https://youtu.be/KkfczjtUASo>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

---A Leap Into the Unknown~~

--"For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."
---(1 Corinthians 13:12) -

--I partially buried a tub in the pasture to water the geese I had purchased. The brim was about six inches above ground level. One morning I found two toads swimming in the tub. They were trapped; the water level was too low for them to escape. They had taken a leap into the tub with no thought of how they would get out. Don't we humans sometimes do the same, and then call on God to rescue us? With a water hose I soon filled the tub to overflowing and the toads hopped to safety.

We do not know what the future has in store for us. The path may seem untraveled and very rugged. We stumble and our feet get sore; the muscles ache and the body grows weary; but the faithful hand of God continues to guide us if we reach for it.

In today's Bible reading, Jesus showed the importance of thinking seriously before we leap. What will be the cost? Do we have enough faith and commitment to take us through to the end? Elsewhere Jesus spoke of those who gladly receive the Word but endure only for a time, because "when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended" (Mark 4:17). Indeed we do not know what is coming or even what we ourselves will do in the future. But if we trust God and remain faithful one day at a time, we need not fear the unknown before us. Our faith is letting down our nets into nontransparent depths at the divine command, not knowing what we shall take. "If we sin we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins." [1 John 2:1] Our faith is in Him, the all-knowing YHWH, YAHWEH. Keep your eyes on the Cross. "Even so, Come Lord Jesus."
--"Beside Still Waters"/HZ~
--"Faithful One"//(lyrics/Brian Doerksen) <https://youtu.be/7PjSO5Ihl0M>
~~~~~~~

~~Unimaginable Promises
--"He has given us his very great and precious promises.
--[2 Peter 1:4] --

--In our moments of greatest failure, it can be easy to believe it’s too late for us, that we’ve lost our chance at a life of purpose and worth. That’s how Elias, a former inmate at a maximum-security prison in New York, described feeling as a prisoner. “I had broken . . . promises, the promise of my own future, the promise of what I could be.”

It was Bard College’s “Prison Initiative” college degree program that began to transform Elias’ life. While in the program, he participated on a debate team, which in 2015 debated a team from Harvard—and won. For Elias, being “part of the team . . . [was] a way of proving that these promises weren’t completely lost.”

A similar transformation happens in our hearts when we begin to understand that the good news of God’s love in Jesus is good news for us too. It’s not too late, we begin to realize with wonder. God still has a future for me.

And it’s a future that can neither be earned nor forfeited, dependent only on God’s extravagant grace and power (2 Peter 1:2-3). A future where we’re set free from the despair in the world and in our hearts into one filled with His “glory and goodness” (v. 3). A future secure in Christ’s unimaginable promises (v. 4); and a future transformed into the “freedom and glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).~~

--" LORD Jesus, some days all I can see is the ways I’ve disappointed myself and others, the ways I’ve broken the future I’ve dreamed of. Help me to see the unchanging beauty of the future I find in You.

--[Friend, no matter what sin, iniquity you have committed, Jesus will forgive you. Nothing is impossible with our Lord. [1 John 1:9 / "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." ]~~
--ODB/MLR~
~~~~~~~~~~

---GOD MADE YOU FOR MORE ~~

---The scripture says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

Could you use some calm? God is ready to give it. It will require some work on your part. In fact, for some of you, God’s healing will include the help of therapy and/or medication. If that is the case, do not for a moment think that you are a second-class citizen of heaven.

This much is sure: It is not God’s will that you lead a life of perpetual anxiety. He made you for more than a life of breath-stealing angst and mind-splitting worry. He has a new chapter for your life, and Jesus is ready to write it.
--ML~

--Why are we on this earth? We are here to give glory to our Sovereign One. Please read Philippians Chapter 3-- THE GOAL OF LIFE ~~We are here to lead others to our Savior Jesus Christ. Let's be sure to tell others of Eternal Life, with Christ Jesus. .

[Philippians 3: vss. 7-11 /NASB ] " But whatever things were gain to me, [Paul] those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God of the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection form the dead." ~~

---LOVING YOUR ENEMY ~~

---"You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria."
---[ Acts 1:8]

----[READ Acts 1:1–8] --

---I ducked into a room before she saw me. I was ashamed of hiding, but I didn’t want to deal with her right then—or ever. I longed to tell her off, to put her in her place. Though I’d been annoyed by her past behavior, it’s likely I had irritated her even more!

The Jews and Samaritans also shared a mutually irritating relationship.. Being a people of mixed origin and worshiping their own gods, the Samaritans—in the eyes of the Jews—had spoiled the Jewish bloodline and faith, erecting a rival religion on Mount Gerizim (John 4:20). In fact, the Jews so despised Samaritans they would walk the long way around rather than take the direct route through their country.

Jesus revealed a better way. He brought salvation for all people, including Samaritans. So He ventured into the heart of Samaria to bring living water to a sinful woman and her town (vv. 4–42). His last words to His disciples were to follow His example. They must share His good news with everyone, beginning in Jerusalem and dispersing through Samaria until they reached “the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Samaria was more than the next geographical sequence. It was the most painful part of the mission. The disciples had to overcome lifetimes of prejudice to love people they didn’t like.

Does Jesus matter more to us than our grievances? There’s only one way to be sure. Love your “Samaritan.”

--"Father, may the waves of Your love crash over me, producing a torrent that streams to others through me."
--ODB/MW
~~~~~~~~
--"And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." This is the first commandment.
And the second, like it is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these.
And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding , with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."
---[Mark 12:30, 31, 33]

~~~~~~~~~~~

---We All Are Sinners ~~

--"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through
the redemption which is in Christ Jesus." --[Romans 3 23-24]

--"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my
rock and my redeemer." --[Psalm 19:14]

--"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
---[1 John 1:9] --

---I was rushing across the lobby of my apartment building, lugging a bunch of groceries and hoping to make it into the waiting elevator when the sole occupant of said elevator allowed the door to close in my face. And out of my mouth came a word I don't like to say and won't repeat here.

Sooner or later most of us give in to the occasional swear word, even it its under our breath. I'm never happy about it. God gave us the gift of language and we shouldn't debase it by cursing.

Experts says swearing is a part of every culture and remarkably consistence in its content. Even stroke patients who have lost the capacity for speech have been known to let fly with a volley of obscenities. My own mother--in the final stages of Alzheimer's -- let loose with a few choice words. I never even dreamed she knew.

Linguists speculate that this is because the area of the brain that controls swearing is different and more primitive than the part that controls normal speech. It is connected to emotions like anger and fear, a kind of verbal safety valve, supporting the theory that swearing was a way to circumvent more violent responses in early humans. Still, we hear so much of it these days that searing has become offensively commonplace. Common curses in the eighteenth century included "Gazooks" (for God's eyes) and "zounds" (God's wounds).

Like most bad habits I struggle to break, the only solution is to humbly ask God for help. He hears all, even the whispers of our hearts. ~~

"Father, our tongues are meant to praise You. Pleas help me keep mine pure, in Jesus Name. amen. "

--Guideposts/EG~

--WE ALL STUMBLE ~~

--"For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well."
---[James 3;2] --

--The Tongue is a Fire ~~

~~~THE BOOK OF JAMES is my least favorite book in the Bible. I know, I know--since I'm a pastor's wife, I should like them all. I do read James -- occasionally. But I cringe every time I see passages about finding joy in adversity, taming my tongue, and not grumbling with others. Ouch! That's stepping on too many of my toes.

This morning, however, I cam across on e tiny phrase tucked in among all the reprimands and instructions. A phrase I never noticed before. One I was shocked to hear from James, the servant of God--"We all stumble in many ways." Really? You, the brother of Jesus and leader of the first century church in Jerusalem, stumbled in many ways? Ah, now I feel better about you, James.

I have a hard time forgiving myself when I lost my temper with my husband, think mean thoughts, or gossip. If I don't catch those dark thoughts when they first sneak up on me, I quickly get depressed. I end up thinking I'm the worst hypocrite in Jesus's family.

Then James comes along with his kind reminder that we [i]all [/i ]stumble in many ways. I'm not the only one who wrestles with sin and bad habits. Even pillars in the church grapple with this problem. No one is exempt from stumbling. Yet Jesus is willing to use us--flawed as we are--to heal the broken, encourage the downtrodden, or even change the world by writing a book that ends up in the Bible. Now that is His amazing grace. We repent, give it to Jesus, and move on. He does not want us wallowing around in self pity. Hallelujah for the Cross, that paid my (and your sin-debt). ~

--Guideposts/JL~
---"Father, thank You for the price you paid by sending your Son and him dying so that I can live eternally with You. Help me, Lord to keep short accounts. In Jesus Name."

--Guideposts/JL~

----Would You Share the Word of God?

----A Fair Trade ~

--"I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil." --[Psalm 119:162] --

---Scott and Mary Crickmore poured fifteen years of their lives into helping translate the New Testament in the Maasina dialect. It was for the Fulani tribe to the West African nation of Mali.

Some people would think that the Crickmores was too great--giving up their comfortable lifestyle, changing their diet to to mush and rice, and living in less-than-ideal circumstances for those fifteen years. But the Crickmores say it was "a fair trade, because now the Fulani people have the Word of God in a language they can read.

The psalmist delighted in God's Word. He stood in awe of it, rejoiced over it, loved it, and obeyed it (Psalm 119:161-168). He found great peace and hope in the Word.

The Fulani people are now able to discover the "great treasure" (Psalm 162) of God's Word. Would you agree with the Crickmores that any effort and sacrifice to get the Bible to others is a "fait trade"?

--ODB/AC~