First Corinthians 5:33 teach us that evil company corrupts good habits. It is not realistic to think that you will always be surrounded by other Christians. We are also supposed to be the light in a dark world. Be sure that when you are around evil or ungodly people that you affect them without being infected.
In 1962, four nervous young musicians played their first record audition for the executives of the Decca Recording company. The executives were not impressed. While turning down this group of musicians, one executive said, "We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out." The group was called The Beatles.
In 1944, Emmeline Snively, director of the Blue Book Modeling Agency, told modeling hopeful Norma Jean Baker, "You'd better learn secretarial work or else get married." She went on to become Marilyn Monroe. In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired a singer after one performance. He told him, "You ain't goin' nowhere son. You ought to go back to drivin' a truck." He went on to become the most popular singer in America, named Elvis Presley. When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, it did not ring off the hook with calls from potential backers. After making a demonstration call, President Rutherford Hayes said, "That's an amazing invention, but who would ever want to use one of them?" In the 1940's, another young inventor named Chester Carlson took his idea to 20 corporations, including some of the biggest in the country. They all turned him down. In 1947, after seven long years of rejections, he finally got a tiny company in Rochester, New York, the Haloid Company, to purchase the rights to his invention, an electrostatic paper-copying process. Haloid became the Xerox Corporation we know today. Wilma Rudolph was the 20th of 22 children. She was born prematurely and her survival was doubtful. When she was 4 years old, she contacted double pneumonia and scarlet fever, which left her with a paralyzed left leg. At age 9, she removed the metal leg brace she had been dependent on and began to walk without it. By 13, she had developed rhythmic walk, which doctors said was a miracle. That same year, she decided to become a runner. She entered a race and came in last. For the next few years, every race she entered she came in last. Everyone told her to quit, but she kept on running. One day, she actually won a race. And then another. From then on, she won every race she entered. Eventually this little girl, who was told she would never walk again, went on to win three Olympic gold medals. Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through the experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened. Remember, the finest steel gets sent through the hottest furnace. A REAL WINNER is not one who never fails, but one who NEVER QUITS! "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4) "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14) Three things in life that, once gone, never come back
Time : Words : Opportunity Three things in life that may never be lost Peace : Hope : Honesty Three things in life that are most valuable Love : Self-Confidence : Friends Three things in life that are never certain Dreams : Success : Fortune Three things that make a person Hardwork : Sincerity : Commitments Three things in life that can destroy a person Alcohol : Pride : Anger Three things in life that, once lost, hard to build-up Respect : Trust : Friends Three things in life that never fail True Love : Determination : Belief John 10:9
'I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Gate; if anyone will enter by Me, he shall live and shall go in and out and shall find the pasture.' - You and I have access to God. - We have a door that gives us access to Him. - We don't have to do it on our own. - He has pastures ready for us to enter and enjoy. PRAYER: Lord, I don't want to miss anything You have for me. Lead me in the right paths so that I can enjoy what You have prepared for me. Amen. Not everyone is willing to obey God and pay the price to be close to Him. Intimacy with God requires an investment of time and not everyone is willing to invest the same amount of it. God does not ask for all of our time but He does require us to be put in first place all the time. 1 John 5:21. This does not mean we need to do spiritual things all the time . god designed us with a body spirit and soul and each area need some attention. Do not be distracted by focusing your attention on the world seek Jesus always.
1 Corinthians 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
When you are faced with a big challenge, do you automatically look for the most powerful means to solve the problem? Well, my friend, that is not thinking the way God thinks. The Bible tells us that it pleases God to use what the world considers weak, foolish, base and despised to bring to nothing things which are mighty. “What is that in your hand?” God asked. “A rod,” Moses said. And with that rod, he performed miracles and confounded the might of Pharaoh. “Five loaves and two fish,” a little boy said. And with that little boy’s lunch, Jesus fed 5,000 men, and his disciples gathered 12 baskets full of leftovers. “The jawbone of an ass,” Samson said. And with that, he slew a thousand Philistines, who were the enemies of God’s people. “Five stones and a sling,” said David the shepherd boy. And with one of his stones and the sling, he brought down Goliath, the mighty Philistine champion. At a recent conference for Hokkien-speaking pastors, Pastor Mark, our Hokkien and Mandarin services pastor, realized how his spoken Hokkien pales in comparison to the refined and flawless Hokkien spoken by the other pastors there. Yet, it pleases God to use Pastor Mark’s colloquial Hokkien to lead many dialect-speaking folks, especially the elderly, to Christ. Many of these elderly folks are testifying that for the first time in their lives, they are set free completely from fears of debilitating diseases, loneliness, deep-rooted superstitions, generational curses, the ravages of old age and even death. My friend, don’t despise what seems weak and insignificant to the world. God can use them to bring down the giants in your life! “Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you…I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand…” (Isaiah 41:10, AMP) We all face situations in life that feel out of control. During times like these, it’s easy to get discouraged and allow fear to creep in. But instead, why don’t you focus on the fact that God is holding you in the palm of His hand. There is nothing too difficult for Him; nothing is impossible, nothing is beyond His ability. When God holds you in His hand, you are safe. You are cared for. In His hand, there is victory. In His hand, there is strength. In His hand, there is provision. In His hand is everything you need! No matter what you may be going through today, you can trust that God is for you. Instead of getting down and depressed over your circumstances, look up and get a vision of God turning that situation around. Let faith arise in your heart and focus on His favor, promotion and blessing. See yourself in the palm of His hand, and see the victory and blessing He has prepared for you! Father, thank You for helping me and holding me in Your victorious right hand. I choose to trust You even when things don’t make sense, even when things seem beyond my control. I release my cares to You knowing that You work all things together for my good in Jesus’ name. Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen Each year God gives millions of parents a gift, a brand new baby. Like
no one else, parents can unlock the door to a child’s uncommonness. As dads, we accelerate or stifle…release or repress, our children’s giftedness. They will spend much of life benefitting or recovering from our influence. But remember, our kids were God’s kids first. We tend to forget this fact, regarding our children as our children, as though we have the final say in their health and future. We don’t. Wise are the parents who regularly give their children back to God. God never dismisses a parent’s prayer. Keep giving your child to God, and in the right time and the right way, God will give your child back to you! |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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