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10-04-2008, 10:00 PM
Grab The Initiative
"Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them." Matthew 7:12 (The Message)
What a simple and truly Christ-like way to live this is! If all Christians took this kind of initiative, what a joy-filled body of believers we would be! Think of the impact we would make on the world. By nature we are very self-centered. Sin is synonymous with self-centeredness. The one thing I note in the gospels is how selfless Jesus was. He sacrificed his energy to heal others. When he was tired and the people came, he laid aside his fatigue to serve. There were times when he knew he needed to refuel and spend time with His Father. He never neglected that, for that is what gave him the strength and determination to continue on in his selfless acts. When no one took the initiative to wash the feet of those who entered the upper room, Jesus took on the role of servant and washed the disciples' feet, even the feet of the one who would betray him just hours later. Jesus indeed was the very image of selflessness. If we would be like him, we must set aside our desires, our wants, and even our needs at times in order to serve others. So take the time today and ask yourself, "What is it that I would like to have someone do for me today?" and then take the initiative and do it for others. It may warm their heart, but it will surely change yours. Take a step towards selflessness today.
Father, help me to focus on what I can do for others this day and set aside my own wants and needs. Help me to be more like Christ and rid myself of the self-centeredness that rules in my heart. I long to be selfless. Make me more and more like Jesus. Amen Quiet Waters
-----
BURST OUT IN SONGS!
Praise the Lord!
For he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength,
my shield from every danger.
I trust in him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
Psalm 28:6-7
Go ahead, say it out loud: Praise the Lord! He has heard your cry for mercy. He is your strength and your shield from every danger! He wants you to trust Him with all your heart � all your heart!
Is your relationship with God a matter of your heart or is He still just a relationship of the mind? Well, go ahead and make Him a heart thing today and you will be filled with joy and you might even lose control enough to burst out in songs of thanksgiving!
Father, forgive us for not getting excited about what You are doing in our lives. I am tired of just living a "good" life. I want a life filled with Your joy! As I go to the house of worship today I commit myself to respond to Your movement with joy! I give You permission to give me a Holy nudge to remind me to let go and burst out with songs of thanksgiving! The Well
-----
The Next Phase
Joshua 7:8
Pastor Carl H Stevens
It has been said, "Defeat is only defeat if you live in it." How a person handles defeat will determine his greatness in the Kingdom of God. Joshua exemplifies this in the defeat that the children of Israel suffered at Ai. It caused the hearts of the people to "melt, " and become "as water." This was a crippling blow to Joshua, who had just won a great victory at Jericho. Sometimes it is after the greatest victories that we suffer the worst setbacks.
Then, the real test came for Joshua. What would he do? How do you behave after you lose a game, or make a crucial mistake? We need to revenge disobedience with obedience and submission to God (2).
First, we must not live in condemnation, but respond to God's promises. Then, take all the people who were affected by the defeat and view it from God's viewpoint. Joshua dealt with the sin of Achan, but he also responded well to the plan that the Lord gave him. It is not enough to just deal with sin. We must go on to the next phase of the plan. This is the key to our growth.
Natural viewpoint will always creep in, but an instant response to God's promises will put us on the road to reclaiming the lost "Ai's" of our lives.
O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!
Joshua 7:8
And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
2 Corinthians 10:6
-----
Let Go
"AND WE KNOW THAT IN ALL THINGS GOD WORKS FOR THE GOOD OF THOSE WHO LOVE HIM."
ROMANS 8:28
A mum was stunned when her little boy ran crying into the house clutching his hand that was covered in blood. 'Let me see' she said. Backing away he cried, 'No, you'll hurt me.' When he finally opened his hand, instead of a major injury she saw a tiny scrape that bled a lot. Later she laughed to herself at how dramatic he'd been over something so small. Then she realised she'd done the same to God. When her marriage ran into difficulties, she refused to pray. God kept saying, 'Let me help you,' but she just backed away to hide her pain and nurse her wounds. Because she was hurting she panicked thinking that God would do the same to her too. She clenched her fists and said, 'No, you'll hurt me.' Once she realised that this is what she'd done, she gave her pain to God and her healing began.
Today, give your situation to God, take your hands off it completely, refuse to discuss it any further, and trust the One who makes 'all things work together for good' (Romans 8:28). That's how prayer makes it possible for you to stop struggling with the situation and have peace about it; once you've handed it over to God it's no longer your problem. You can leave it with Him and trust that He'll work the situation out for your good. Word4U2Day
-----
Come Home to God
Let us gather at the River of Life, the source of all truth and virtue, the Lover of our souls, our Precious Heavenly Father who welcomes us with arms wide open.
My Brethren, come home to God, draw nigh unto Him and He will restore and refresh your inner self which men call the soul.
The Spirit and the Bride say come and let all who hear come!
Come Home to God!
God our Father is the Source of all good things and all good things come from Him.
Goodness is a fruit of the Father's Spirit and is the very essence of righteousness.
When we enter into His Presence we sit down at His Banqueting table, the feast of love, and the goodness of God flows into us and imputes to us the righteousness of God making us Holy.
©10/05/2001 Jim Welch
-----
FROM SKEPTIC TO BELIEVER
“For we are now on a different basis of trusting and relying upon God.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 68
“They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.” Psalm 22:5
For what it's worth: As my alcoholism progressed, I gradually lost trust in everything. When I arrived at the doors of Alcoholics Anonymous, I did not believe AA could help me, but I had tried everything else without success, so AA was the only possibility remaining. As I attended AA meetings, I personally witnessed the sobriety of other once hopeless drunks, the softening of hardened hearts, the opening of closed minds, and the conversion of staunch agnostics. Although I tried, I could not deny the power of AA. I gradually began to trust that I could recover in AA, and with God’s grace, I am. Today, I am thrilled when I think about how far I have grown in trust issues, thanks to AA. I trust our Principles, our Program, our Fellowship, and our God. I attended as a skeptic and quickly grew to be a believer.
God bless you!
Joe W.
"Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them." Matthew 7:12 (The Message)
What a simple and truly Christ-like way to live this is! If all Christians took this kind of initiative, what a joy-filled body of believers we would be! Think of the impact we would make on the world. By nature we are very self-centered. Sin is synonymous with self-centeredness. The one thing I note in the gospels is how selfless Jesus was. He sacrificed his energy to heal others. When he was tired and the people came, he laid aside his fatigue to serve. There were times when he knew he needed to refuel and spend time with His Father. He never neglected that, for that is what gave him the strength and determination to continue on in his selfless acts. When no one took the initiative to wash the feet of those who entered the upper room, Jesus took on the role of servant and washed the disciples' feet, even the feet of the one who would betray him just hours later. Jesus indeed was the very image of selflessness. If we would be like him, we must set aside our desires, our wants, and even our needs at times in order to serve others. So take the time today and ask yourself, "What is it that I would like to have someone do for me today?" and then take the initiative and do it for others. It may warm their heart, but it will surely change yours. Take a step towards selflessness today.
Father, help me to focus on what I can do for others this day and set aside my own wants and needs. Help me to be more like Christ and rid myself of the self-centeredness that rules in my heart. I long to be selfless. Make me more and more like Jesus. Amen Quiet Waters
-----
BURST OUT IN SONGS!
Praise the Lord!
For he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength,
my shield from every danger.
I trust in him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
Psalm 28:6-7
Go ahead, say it out loud: Praise the Lord! He has heard your cry for mercy. He is your strength and your shield from every danger! He wants you to trust Him with all your heart � all your heart!
Is your relationship with God a matter of your heart or is He still just a relationship of the mind? Well, go ahead and make Him a heart thing today and you will be filled with joy and you might even lose control enough to burst out in songs of thanksgiving!
Father, forgive us for not getting excited about what You are doing in our lives. I am tired of just living a "good" life. I want a life filled with Your joy! As I go to the house of worship today I commit myself to respond to Your movement with joy! I give You permission to give me a Holy nudge to remind me to let go and burst out with songs of thanksgiving! The Well
-----
The Next Phase
Joshua 7:8
Pastor Carl H Stevens
It has been said, "Defeat is only defeat if you live in it." How a person handles defeat will determine his greatness in the Kingdom of God. Joshua exemplifies this in the defeat that the children of Israel suffered at Ai. It caused the hearts of the people to "melt, " and become "as water." This was a crippling blow to Joshua, who had just won a great victory at Jericho. Sometimes it is after the greatest victories that we suffer the worst setbacks.
Then, the real test came for Joshua. What would he do? How do you behave after you lose a game, or make a crucial mistake? We need to revenge disobedience with obedience and submission to God (2).
First, we must not live in condemnation, but respond to God's promises. Then, take all the people who were affected by the defeat and view it from God's viewpoint. Joshua dealt with the sin of Achan, but he also responded well to the plan that the Lord gave him. It is not enough to just deal with sin. We must go on to the next phase of the plan. This is the key to our growth.
Natural viewpoint will always creep in, but an instant response to God's promises will put us on the road to reclaiming the lost "Ai's" of our lives.
O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!
Joshua 7:8
And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
2 Corinthians 10:6
-----
Let Go
"AND WE KNOW THAT IN ALL THINGS GOD WORKS FOR THE GOOD OF THOSE WHO LOVE HIM."
ROMANS 8:28
A mum was stunned when her little boy ran crying into the house clutching his hand that was covered in blood. 'Let me see' she said. Backing away he cried, 'No, you'll hurt me.' When he finally opened his hand, instead of a major injury she saw a tiny scrape that bled a lot. Later she laughed to herself at how dramatic he'd been over something so small. Then she realised she'd done the same to God. When her marriage ran into difficulties, she refused to pray. God kept saying, 'Let me help you,' but she just backed away to hide her pain and nurse her wounds. Because she was hurting she panicked thinking that God would do the same to her too. She clenched her fists and said, 'No, you'll hurt me.' Once she realised that this is what she'd done, she gave her pain to God and her healing began.
Today, give your situation to God, take your hands off it completely, refuse to discuss it any further, and trust the One who makes 'all things work together for good' (Romans 8:28). That's how prayer makes it possible for you to stop struggling with the situation and have peace about it; once you've handed it over to God it's no longer your problem. You can leave it with Him and trust that He'll work the situation out for your good. Word4U2Day
-----
Come Home to God
Let us gather at the River of Life, the source of all truth and virtue, the Lover of our souls, our Precious Heavenly Father who welcomes us with arms wide open.
My Brethren, come home to God, draw nigh unto Him and He will restore and refresh your inner self which men call the soul.
The Spirit and the Bride say come and let all who hear come!
Come Home to God!
God our Father is the Source of all good things and all good things come from Him.
Goodness is a fruit of the Father's Spirit and is the very essence of righteousness.
When we enter into His Presence we sit down at His Banqueting table, the feast of love, and the goodness of God flows into us and imputes to us the righteousness of God making us Holy.
©10/05/2001 Jim Welch
-----
FROM SKEPTIC TO BELIEVER
“For we are now on a different basis of trusting and relying upon God.” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 68
“They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.” Psalm 22:5
For what it's worth: As my alcoholism progressed, I gradually lost trust in everything. When I arrived at the doors of Alcoholics Anonymous, I did not believe AA could help me, but I had tried everything else without success, so AA was the only possibility remaining. As I attended AA meetings, I personally witnessed the sobriety of other once hopeless drunks, the softening of hardened hearts, the opening of closed minds, and the conversion of staunch agnostics. Although I tried, I could not deny the power of AA. I gradually began to trust that I could recover in AA, and with God’s grace, I am. Today, I am thrilled when I think about how far I have grown in trust issues, thanks to AA. I trust our Principles, our Program, our Fellowship, and our God. I attended as a skeptic and quickly grew to be a believer.
God bless you!
Joe W.