Let your enemies bring out the best in you, not the worst." Matthew 5:44, The Message
Johnny is a very wise and funny young boy and a good listener too.
One day his teacher gave a class test like this: a) 7+5= b) 19-8= c) 8+8= And Johnny wrote his answers: a) 7+5= Jesus b) 19-8= Jesus c) 8+8= Jesus After marking the test, the teacher quite amused called Johnny and said: 'Can you please explain to the class how you got your answers' Johnny stood up, smiled and said: 'That's very simple. In Bible school we've learnt that Jesus is always the answer.' Have a lovely day always remember Johnny's answers !!! God Bless We all have different gifts, each of which came because of the grace God gave us. Rom 12:6
There are some things we want to do but simply aren't equipped to accomplish. I, for example, have the desire to sing. Singing for others would give me wonderful satisfaction. The problem is, it wouldn't give the same satisfaction to my audience… Paul gives good advice in Rom 12:3 : "Have a sane estimate of your capabilities" (PHILLIPS). In other words, be aware of your strengths. When you teach, do people listen? When you lead, do people follow? When you administer, do things improve? Where are you most productive? Identify your strengths, and then … major in them… Failing to focus on our strengths may prevent us from accomplishing the unique tasks God has called us to do. Just Like Jesus (by: Max Lucado) Is there something in your life that you know God is asking you to do, but you just haven’t done it yet? Maybe He’s asking you to reach out to someone or let go of an addiction in your life. Maybe He’s asking you to make a commitment that you just haven’t gotten around to yet or sow a special seed. You may not fully understand why He’s asking you to do it, but know this: God is for your good. He wants to give you the best of the land. He longs to pour out His blessing and favor upon you, but you have to do your part. You have to open your heart and choose to be willing and obedient because obedience opens the door for Him to move in your life.
Today, ask the Lord to give you an obedient heart. Ask Him to show you what adjustments you need to make in your life. As you submit your ways to Him and choose obedience, you will walk in His will. You will experience God's best and live the good life that He has prearranged for you! ~ Joel Osteen The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in the woman who had been caught committing adultery.They made her stand in front of the group. And said to Jesus, " Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery ..
When they kept on questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them," If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her "JOHN 8 : 3 - 4; 7 ARE YOU REALLY, REALLY, REALLY COMMITTED TO DOING " WHAT JESUS WOULD DO " ? .. We have got the " What Would Jesus Do " bracelets and necklaces .. We have got the T-Shirts and the caps .. We have even got the bumper stickers on our cars .. We have got the " What Would Jesus Do " question so well memorized and we make sure that we quote it as often as we can .. Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with wearing the bracelets and making the statement .. but we need to take it a little further than that .. Once we have asked the " What Would Jesus Do " question and we get the answer .. Are we totally willing and one-hundred percent committed to following in the Lord's footsteps and actually getting our hands dirty to " Do What Jesus Did " ? .. In the above Scripture we are told the story of an unfaithful woman, an adulteress .. the lady in the Scripture had been caught by the teachers of the law and the self-righteous, hypocritical Pharisees. After catching the woman, they dragged her up to the Temple where Jesus was, and because Jesus was there a large crowd had gathered to listen to Him. Once the scribes and the Pharisees arrived at the Temple with the woman, they made her stand up in front of everyone that was there .. and they turned to Jesus .. whom they did not like very much .. testing Him by saying " In his teachings, Moses ordered us to stone woman like this to death. What do you say ? " .. John 8 : 5 They wanted to put Jesus to the test so that they might have a reason to bring charges against Him .. So " What Did Jesus Do " ? .. He gently stood up and said to the scribes and the Pharisees .. If it is your goal to stone this woman to death, just make sure that the person who throws the first stone at her, is a person that has never before committed a sin of any kind. By the response that Jesus gave to the scribes and the Pharisees, we can clearly see that Jesus was able to see all the unwise, foolish, religious pride in their hearts. Now Jesus was in no way excusing or overlooking the woman's sin of adultery .. but what makes this story very special is that we are shown how Jesus simply understood the need to meet people where they are and to care for and minister to their needs. Jesus was able to see the pride in the hearts of the Pharisees and He ministered correction to their pride. Jesus was able to see the hurt, wounded woman and He ministered forgiveness to her sins. Justice demanded that the woman should be stoned to death .. BUT .. Mercy threw her case out of court. JESUS KNOWS THE POWER OF A SECOND CHANCE !! If you take a close look at the people that cross your path on a daily basis .. it will not take you too long before you will begin to notice that you are surrounded by many, many people who are exactly like the woman you have read about in the above Scriptures. People that have been stoned and ridiculed .. People that are lost and alone .. People that are desperate and frightened .. People that are hurting and broken .. People that are suffering physically .. People that are wounded within .. People that you know, love and cherish and People that you have never met before !! When these lost, hurting people cross your path .. Are you prepared to sit with them .. listen to them .. talk to them .. hold their hands .. share a hug .. care for them .. minister to their needs ? .. Are you really prepared to step out of your comfort zones and get your hands dirty ? .. Are you ready to put your own wants aside for a little while, so that you can meet others in their deepest, darkest hour of need, where you can begin to minister life, love, hope and healing to them in the precious name of Jesus Christ ?.. NOW IS THE TIME TO STOP ASKING .. " WHAT WOULD JESUS DO " NOW IS THE TIME TO START DOING .. " WHAT JESUS DID " - There's an expression that says, "It's as plain as the nose on your face." There's some truth to this as it pertains to how we live our lives within our marriages, as Christ-followers.
If both marriage partners truly applied the principles, which are outlined throughout the Word of God --the Bible, there wouldn't be all of the divorcing going on. Homes would be the places of peace rather than fighting grounds, and there wouldn't be children who cry themselves to sleep at night because their mommy and daddy fight so much and are abandoning their marital vows. Most importantly of all --God would be well pleased. What we've discovered is that the principles for loving each other in marriage are the same principles for living, as presented in the Bible. The problem is, these principles are often not lived out, as they should be, both within the home and outside of it. The Bible tells us, "Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word and does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it --he will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:23-25) How we pray you will be blessed in your marriage. But blessing comes by living in obedience to God's word consistently --living God's way, rather than man's. Like Noah, we're to live, as we should, even if everyone else around us lives otherwise. In Noah's day, everyone else lived contrary to God's ways, but everyone else was wrong. even if no one else approves or under- stands, we still need to follow God's pattern for living --without changing His instructions. This isn't easy, by any stretch of the imagination. But lets face it, there's nothing easy about living as a child of God. It never has been easy and it never will be. Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." (Luke 9:23-26) It's one thing to SAY we believe in God and we believe in His Word -- the Bible. But it's another to be authentic and LIVE what we say we believe. If we aren't living God's truth both within our home and marriages, as well as outside of it, we're no better than "white washed stones" --we look good on the outside for others to see, but there's rottenness within. To be a follower of Christ means we aren't to be distracted form LIVING Christ, no matter where we are no matter what. As Elisabeth Elliot says, "God has ordained that we participate." We're to participate in living out that which God expects, and not manipulate it to OUR way of thinking. When we look at what we're told in Luke 9:23, the question can be asked, "What type of 'denying' is involved in marriage? Essentially, it involves emptying ourselves of anything that stands in the way of living our lives, as God would have us. It's: -- "Speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15) --motivated by loving our spouse's ultimate good beyond even our own comfort. This involves speaking truth in a way that is respectful, and GOD honoring. If for no other reason, we're to speak respectfully to our spouse as if we are speaking it "as unto the Lord." -- Being "slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires" (James 1:19). -- Not letting "any unwholesome talk come from your mouth, but only according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" (Ephesians 4:29). We need to remember that not only is our spouse hearing what we say and how we say it, but so is God and others. Is what you're saying and how you're saying it benefiting those who hear your words? -- Getting "rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every other form of malice" (Ephesians 4:31) --that's what denying yourself involves. -- Being "kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32) is also what God expects of us. -- Being "imitators of God, therefore as dearly loved children" and "living a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:1-2) is something else God expects of His children. -- To "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ" --a command for both the wife AND the husband as outlined in the Bible in Ephesians 5:21-23, is important in a Christian marriage. As you live out these principles in your marriage, not only will you, your spouse and your household be blessed, but others will be given the opportunity to better see the heart of Christ reflected in your lives together. To view, and possibly discuss other love-reflecting, God principles, as laid out in the Bible, we put together a long list of scriptures, which we link to, in this Marriage Message, posted on our web site at www.marriagemissions.com. (If you don't have access to the Internet, perhaps you can find someone else who does, who will copy them and send them to you.) If you think you're too busy to read God's Word together, author/speaker Zig Ziglar gives the following tip: "Even though my travels take me out of town a great deal, I call my wife each evening at an appointed time and we discuss what the day's Scriptures have meant to each of us." Great idea, huh? If that won't work for you, then ask God to help you think outside outside the box and FIND a way. It's amazing how resourceful we can be, if we really determine to do something. This can be a challenge for us all! (Steve and I are doing this too.) And if you don't have a spouse that will do this with you, ask God to partner all the more in speaking to YOU through His Word to help you to be the spouse He wants you to be -- one He can minister to and through. May God bless you as you in your efforts to reflect the heart of Christ in your marriage. Cindy and Steve Wright Smile More.
Do more than is expected of you. Make time for people. Be kinder. Don't settle for mediocrity. Earn people's trust. If something is wrong, make it right. Be a better friend. Listen more. Stand up for what is right. Be enthusiatic. Go the extra mile. Be sincere. Be honest. Laugh. Welcome challenges. Crack a joke. Look people in the eye. Never look down on people. Look for the best in people. Be patient. Be courteous. Be the first to say hello. Compliment people. Be optimistic. Don't make excuses. Be happy. Make other people happy. Improve your life. Improve someone else's life. Never give up. Respect people. Don't be a grouch. Aim High. Look for opportunities. Meet other people's needs first. All your children will be taught by the LORD, and they will have much peace. Isa 54:13
Never underestimate the ponderings of a Christian parent. Never underestimate the power that comes when a parent pleads with God on behalf of a child. Who knows how many prayers are being answered right now because of the faithful ponderings of a parent ten or twenty years ago? God listens to thoughtful parents. Praying for our children is a noble task. If what we are doing, in this fast-paced society, is taking us away from prayer time for our children, we're doing too much. There is nothing more special, more precious than time that a parent spends struggling and pondering with God on behalf of a child. Walking with the Savior (by: Max Lucado) Sooner or later we each will have to face the moment of truth — when our lives are measured in the light of eternity. There is an abiding reality within the depths of our souls that stirs us to pursue that which is good and true, that which is virtuous and noble. By divine instinct we shun death, disease, and destruction — for we were not made for these things.
And though this fallen world is marred with the ever-encroaching presence of evil, our hearts are up-linked to more heavenly pursuits. We were not made for failure, but success. We were not designed to malfunction, but to excel. We are not at ease settling for that which we know is less than our best. But, then, why do so many seem so ready to surrender to mediocrity? Maybe we've lost our vision — our view of nobler things. Maybe our leaders have failed us, and thereby granted us license to sell our own selves short. Or maybe the friends with which we converse have inadvertently coaxed us into joining them in living a somewhat diminished life. After all, one of the easiest things in life to do is go along with the crowd. Maybe we've become content to yawn our way to our journey's end. Still, this doesn't change the sobering reality that one day we will stand in the Presence of Love Himself to answer for the loveless choices we have made along the way. "If you knew that I was after the best, then why did you do less than the least?" Perhaps you are not in a place where you can give your best just yet — but can't you at least do more than the least? It's a place to start. And after all is said and done, you might end up not only surprising yourself with just how far and how high you go — but, who knows, along the way you just also inspire someone else. |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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