The Love of Jesus

Lamentations 3:22-23 … Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassion never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Psalm 25:4-6 … Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.  Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.

Psalm 33:16-18 … No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.  A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

Proverbs 8:17 … I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.

John 3:16-17 … ”For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Titus 3:4-8a  … But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.  He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.  This is a trustworthy saying.

Ephesians 2:4-9  … But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Romans 5:3-8 … Not only so, but we  also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.  You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 8:38-39  … For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 John 4:7-9 … Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a  … Love (God) is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Colossians 3:13-15 … Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful.

Ephesians 5:1-2 … Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

1 Peter 1:8-9 … Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1 Peter 4:8 … Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Ephesians 3:16-21 … I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen!!!

For more “Wisdom” go to nuggetsofwisdom.us

A quick lesson on how to continue to be joyful even in the midst of your greatest trials…

HEBREWS 12

Hebrews 12:3 “For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”

This verse says it all to me.  Consider Him [Jesus]….. lest I be weary [worn and dull of mind] and faint [grow weak in my Faith].
In other words,  I need to keep my mind on Jesus ALL THROUGH THE DAY so that my Faith will be strong to accomplish what needs to be done.  What needs to be done?  I need to live for Christ and through obedience to Him [action Faith] do the work the Father has chosen me to do.  I will know when the time comes what that is in it’s totality.  In the meantime, obedience is the job.  The key I’m seeing with this verse is this:  Keep your mind on Him.

Chapter 12 of Hebrews starts with the word (KJV)  Wherefore.… that means that the verses leading up to it have led us to a point being made .. and so we need to know what led us up to this point:
Leading up is Heb 11 and a message about people of Faith and their accomplishments.. vs 33-40 in particular, is talking about the early Christian’s who where martyred for their Faith, mostly in the Roman Coliseum.  They were fed to lions, spitted on stakes and set afire, sawn in two, boiled alive in oil, and a hundred other obscenities.   These people, when they where being tortured in the Coliseum sang and Praised God in their martyrdom to the effect that Nero (Emperor of Rome) would plug his ears and cry out “Why are these Christians so eager to die?”

The early Christians were eager to follow Jesus.  They KNEW that with Jesus was the place to be!  I’m not talking suicidal…I’m talking of a total lack of fear of death.  Jesus had just given us power over the fear of death, remember?  These people lived such fear free lives that they went to the Coliseum singing and praising God!  Even some of the soldiers quit their posts and ran to take the place of those being martyred because these people had ‘something’ that others had never seen before.  Jesus!

Listen to this truth and reflect on it —within 30 yrs of this, the most powerful nation that had ever existed in the known world, fell.  It disintegrated  – imploded- because of the Christian Faith.  Oh how we have fallen away!  Today, we are scared to even mention His name in places!

This then all leads into Hebrews 12 and now we need to pay attention, for the point leads us to what we need to do:

1 Wherefore seeing [by the preceding verses] we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, [of bearing any sin] and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Paul is telling me to remember those that have gone before and how their walk with Jesus was.  To lay aside everything I am going through at present and to focus on Jesus.  By doing so, even during these afflictions [persecutions] my Faith will enable me to persevere with patience the trials before me.

How could Jesus, knowing and aware that the torture, brutality, and cruelty of the cross was directly before Him, possibly walk toward it in Joy?  did you ever wonder about that?
Joy?  ???

Jesus had joy because He kept His mind on the Father.  He had Joy because He knew He was doing what the Father wanted Him to do .  The assignment did not matter – obedience was the issue.  The fact that it was going to kill Him and cause him untold pain and undeserved horror and shame-did not steal His Joy!  He did not endure the trek to the cross with a sulky self-pitying attitude.  His mind was fixed on the prize He was to attain over his victory and he was flooded with joy because of it.  Even in the midst of His worst earthly moments, He had joy.

That sure takes away any excuse I have for my next pity party!  This teaches me that JOY is under our control. It is an emotion and so subject to our control.  Your emotions follow upon your actions.  Actions follow your thoughts.  You can stir yourself up to feel any emotion you desire to have. What are you focusing your mind on?  What emotions are your thoughts creating for you?

How then can we possibly allow ourselves to be depressed, discouraged, sad, etc…?  We can stir ourselves up through remembering what Jesus did and by doing the same.  He stayed focused on the joy of serving His Father.

This is an incredible teaching.

Some tremendous messages in these verses.  There are some hard things coming in the near future.  I for one, and keeping my mind on Jesus. Otherwise, I will be too weak to endure my own race.

Shining Perspective

“that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lust and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” ~Ephesians 5:22-24

It’s 7am already? How does that happen so fast? I get up every day at 5am. Well, at least I wake up at that time. On some days it takes more prayer to get out of bed than other days. I have quite a routine. I pray and put my armor on. (Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ~Ephesians 6:11) I give Jesus the throne of my heart before my feet hit the floor every morning. Somehow there are still days when all of the steps I take, don’t quite seem to be enough to “put off” the old woman and “put on” the new woman.

Last week I had one of those days. You know, the days when every tiny detail seems to be irritating; one frustration after another. My son has been on a trend of not getting up, not following directions and just being five years old with no concept of time. On this day, the morning was full of whining, arguing, complaining about the T-shirt selection, and confrontation about the toys he wanted to bring for the car ride. You name it; he had a problem with it.

The stress has been mounting in my home as we are getting close to the deadline of moving. It is starting to affect us all. We haven’t moved in seven years which means, we didn’t have Isaiah the last time we moved. I find it quite challenging just to try and continue with the everyday routine of getting off to work and school, while everything is a disaster.

My son is not a morning person; at least not for the first half hour of his eyes being opened. I repeat myself a LOT and he gives my patience muscle a good workout. I’ve been more sleep deprived than usual (which is a scary thought, since I don’t get enough sleep anyway) add to that the stress of moving and I lost control.

I finally gave into the frustration of asking this child over and over again to do the same thing. I could hear myself yelling at him. I felt myself giving into the old way I used to deal with him; the way I chose not to deal with him now. By the time I got him into the car, and finally got us buckled in, I realized that God doesn’t yell at me when I make poor choices or when I make mistakes, not even when I disobey.

On the way to school our routine includes prayer for the day. I’m open with Isaiah. I pray whatever needs to be prayed for. On this day my son heard me repent, ask for forgiveness, lay down my stress and be renewed in the few minutes that I prayed. I surrendered it all to the Lord. I praise God for the opportunities as they arise, to show him where my strength comes from. God isn’t angry like I was on that morning, (…let every man be quick to listen but slow to use his tongue, and slow to lose his temper. For man’s temper is never the means of achieving God’s true goodness. James 1:19-20 Phillips)

The Lord gently calls and waits for me to come to the end of myself. (This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:15-16) His fountain of forgiveness and grace never runs dry.

By the time I dropped Isaiah off at school, we had both received our attitude adjustments, apologized and our day was set right. I got back into the car and the radio was singing: “…I don’t’ have to carry the weight of who I’ve been cause I’m forgiven…” I could only thank the Lord, I knew those words to be true and on that morning they were being sung just for me; I’ve been forgiven of all my past, present and future sins. (But if we freely admit that we have sinned, we find him utterly reliable and just—he forgives our sins and makes us thoroughly clean from all that is evil. 1 John 1:9 Phillips)

Have you come boldly to the throne of grace?

1 Samuel 17:45-47 (New International Version)
David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

David proclaimed victory in God’s name before he even defeated Goliath.

I remember hearing the words “I proclaim victory in God’s name and satan has no power over me(you).” from a born again friend of mine. She was the wife of my boss at the time. I was not saved at the time and did not understand these words. And sadly I have forgotten these words until reading my devotion today.

She told me all those years ago that she would continue to pray for our (myself and my husband at that time) salvation. We would giggle. We were so young and dumb. We thought these radical born agains were just too much. Well her prayers were heard. Myself and my ex-husband have both been saved and love the Lord. And now I know why she was so radical. I am proud to be so radical about God the Father. And I thank you, Father God, for bringing Darlene into my life to pray for me.

So remember no matter how big or small that problem seems to be. You already have the power to overcome it. You are one in Jesus Christ the Lord. Proclaim your victory over your Goliath today in the Lord’s name.

I pray for myself and all of you for your victory over your Goliath. Satan is a defeated foe and we have victory in Jesus Christ. Amen!

God Bless you.

Christ is in our hearts and souls.  Christ is also a part of our bodies.  These bodies about which we complain, abuse, neglect, and despise belong to our Lord and Savior.

When someone asks why we should exercise, one of the best answers would be because Christ needs the best of care.  Physical exercise is a must if we are to give our bodies the best of care.  The best we can give depends on our abilities.   Some of us are limited, but as long as there is any part of our bodies that can move we should move it.

Maybe the thought of exercise makes us cringe.  The hardest part is to just get started.  If all we could move is our hands, then we should move our hands.  Make it a point to use those television commercials.  Each commercial has a different musical background, find the beat and tap through them.

If exercise seems like too much pain, start slowly.  Stretching is exercise.  Use a timer and increase the movements you choose each day.  Start with one day a week, mark it on the calendar and make it two days the next week and three the next, etc.

As Christ’s children we should respect that He gave us each a body to use while we are on this earth.  Our bodies may not seem like the most beautiful, the most healthy, or the most capable, but they are ours.  One of our gifts to Jesus should be that we take care of our bodies the best we can.  We are the vessels through which He moves.

Why whine about what we are given?  To make the most out of what we have is the best gift we can give back to our Savior and to ourselves.   The physical Christ looks us in the face each day that we awaken, so awaken the Christ in your mirror!

AS a Man Thinketh in His Heart, so is He.

From Proverbs: 23:7

We are composed of a body soul and Spirit.

Body = anything physical about you.
Soul = emotion, ego, id, will, logic mind, subconscious mind….all that is not body.
Spirit – anything of you that is not of body and/or soul.

The subconscious mind is the way or path that our spirit speaks to God through.  This is where God ‘lives’ in us.
The aphorism “AS a man thinketh in his heart” is referring to:
heart= your ego id…your subconscious identity of yourself. the core of you. the part that drives you but from the background where you are not even aware of it. id ego whatever you personally call it.

The subconscious mind ‘pushes’ you according to how it is programmed.  It will be programmed by whatever prevalent thoughts it receives.  You can control those or not. your sub mind will still operate on what it is fed.  REGARDLESS of what your logical mind says.
“I do the things I do not want to do…..” that is because your sub mind is programming your actions and you may have let ‘weeds’ program it.
When you ‘dwell’ or ‘abide’ in God’s Word… you are programming His Truth into the control room of your heart…your subconscious mind.  You are now taking control of what you are putting into your sub mind and ordering it to follow God’s Word…not the junk from the world it has been receiving.  Seeds fall as the wind blows them and they grow where they can take root. Seeds of thought…even wrong thought…will grow in your sub mind just as quickly and easily as seeds of God’s truth.
This is why I say Guard your MIND. Turn off the TV. Cancel the newspaper.  Feed your mind God’s thoughts.  Let Him live in that mind and so control it… you could then say…”As a Man thinketh [through God] so is he.”

A lot of it is in a way semantics. but the old world definition of Heart…is really your subconscious mind…your radio channel to God.  It is from your sub mind that you hear God speak.  This is your control room. I think of it like Windows running in the background of your computer.  The computer represents your life and windows is your subconscious.  No matter what you logically tell your computer to do, it will ALWAYS do whatever windows is programmed to make it do.
So is your life.  AS a man thinketh in his heart (how your subconscious has been programmed), so is he [because your sub con mind is YOU. and that is what dictates how you act, what you say...what results you get...everything about you comes from here.)

The world [satan's system] wants to program your sub mind for you.  That rat knows as well as we do how we operate.  In fact, maybe even more than we do, because people will not study how they ‘work’.
To change who we serve, we must know this.  We have to ‘program’ ourselves with God instead of letting ‘satan’s weeds’ just grow willy-nilly.  Faith comes by Hearing…and hearing from the Word of God.  Words are seeds.  We have to plant the seeds to get the crop.  If you do not consciously PLANT a crop…any old crop will grow…. and guess who is planting those seeds?  The world…satan’s system.
You do not just WISH good things to happen here. You have to make them happen.  Making things happen takes effort……….and so people (generality I know) do not program their minds for righteousness.  And so, weeds grow.  This is why I will not listen to words that attack my self-esteem.  This is one of the most hateful things anyone person can do to another…attack their self-esteem the ego the id the core of who they are. Instruction and communication are one thing….attacks are another.
Jesus said “Be careful how you listen.”  I believe He was also saying “Be careful how you hear and allow into your guarded mind [sub conscious] because untruth will program you just as much as real truth will.

Because our minds work this way, and because of the power of whatever seeds you are planting in your subconscious mind, you can begin to see the power that your associations have on you.  Are you letting the television set and its negative messages into your mind?  Are the books you read positive and edifying to you?  Are your friends loving and supporting of you, or do they try and knock you and are sarcastic and critical of you?
Remember, your subconscious will feed on whatever it is given.  It does not evaluate what is true and what was said in ‘fun’.  It just acts on whatever seeds are allows to be sown there.

Guard your mind if you want to control your future.

…Successful People Build Relationships

with the Right People

As Christians, we have the power to touch the lives of others every single day. It is essential to be a champion of success in the lives of others to help inspire them to their own successes in life.

Charles C. Manz explains one of his theories in his book, The Power of Failure: 27 Ways to Turn Life’s Setbacks into Success: “It can be satisfying to help someone else win, even when it means we have less time for our own immediate success. If we help others get what they want, we usually get much of value ourselves.”

Proverbs 11:25 (NIV) A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

As we do the work of Christ, God does not expect us to “go it alone.” The Holy Spirit will sometimes lead us into partnerships to insure the success of our mission.

Jeffrey J. Mayer agrees with this premise in Success is a Journey: 7 Steps to Achieving Success in the Business of Life, he writes, “Spend your time and energy with the right people. People who offer you help, support, and encouragement… people who want to see you succeed. People who will help you achieve your goals and help you make your dreams come true…look for ways in which you can help each other.”

Try this exercise:

Make a list of 5 people who will support you as you strive to make your dreamks come true. Make it a point to speak with these people on a regualar basis. Keep them abreast of everything that is going on in your life.

“An irony, by focusing on helping others get what they want, and not on our own personal gain, we stand to gain a great deal.”

– from The Power of Failure by Charles C. Manz

Who gets into Heaven?  How well do you know your Bible?  Get the answer here!

Do you really know what it means to be a Christian and what the bible takes to get into heaven?

Person A…
…has a heart for serving.  She even goes to India and all her life serves the poor.  She heard about Jesus and believes that he was a good man but does not believe that he is her savior.  Will person A get into heaven?

See the answer on the next page... 

Person B…
…was raised in a Christian home, and was baptized as a baby.  He tries to live a good life to be worthy of getting into heaven.  Will person B get into heaven?

See the answer on the next page... 

Person C…
… believes that there are many ways to get into heaven.  Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed will all get him into heaven.  Will person C get into heaven?

See the answer on the next page... 

Person D…
…was a Nazi responsible for killing 500,000 people in one of the concentration camps.  At the end of his life he repents for his many sins and accepts Jesus as his personal savior.  Will person D get into heaven?

See the answer on the next page... 

Person E…
…is a dedicated Muslim.  He prays five times per day and follows all the laws and traditions of his faith.  Will person E get into heaven?

See the answer on the next page...

Person F…
…believes that Jesus died for all of mankind.  He goes to Church frequently and loves to sing worship songs.  He does not see the need to personally accept Jesus since he died for all of mankind.  Will person F get into heaven?

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Person G…
…believes that all of us will go to heaven because God is a merciful God.  Will person G get into heaven?

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Person H…
…followed all the 600+ laws and commandments of the Bible that are humanly possible. Will person H get into heaven?

See the answer on the next page...

Person I…
…said the sinners prayer and accepted Jesus Christ as his savior many years ago.  However, his life never Changed.  He does not read the Bible and has not been to church since the day he accepted Jesus.  Will person I get into heaven?

See the answer on the next page...

Person J…
…had classmates in grade school tell him about Jesus, but he thought those messengers were narrow minded and angry.  Later in his life others invited him to Jesus but he the other messengers were flawed too.  Will he be able to say he never heard the Gospel?  Will person J get into heaven?

See the answer on the next page...

Person K…
…accepted Jesus has his personal savior.  He still makes mistakes, however, one can see a real difference in his life.  He has a personal relationship with Jesus, reads the bible, is involved in Church.  He realizes that his good deeds will never get him into heaven, but Jesus’ did for him so that he can.  Will person K get into heaven?

See the answer on the next page...

Person L…
…he died many years ago but is trying to work it out in purgatory.  Will person L get into heaven?

See the answer on the next page...

Person M…
…made some mistakes in this life but hopes to get another chance and be better in the next life.  Will person M get into heaven?

See the answer on the next page...

Click Here For The Answers

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Also, check out some of these resources I found…like Desiring God, that talk about how to teach our children.

This should wake us up.

One day, a man went to visit a church. He got there early, parked his car and got out. Another car pulled up near the driver got out and said, ‘I always park there!  You took my place!’  The visitor went inside for Sunday school, found an empty seat and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and stated, ‘That’s my seat!  You took my place!’  The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing.

After Sunday school, the visitor went into the sanctuary and sat down.  Another member walked up to him and said, ‘That’s where I always sit!  You took my place!’  The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still he said nothing.

Later as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood up, and his appearance began to change.  Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet.  Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, ‘What happened to you?’  The visitor replied, as his hat became a crown of thorns, and a tear fell from his eye, ‘I took your place.’

Don’t you want your legacy to be that you made the world a better place?

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

– Mahatma Gandhi, Indian political and spiritual leader

** Click here to see more about Samuel Rodriguez on pbs’ Bill Moyers Journal

Shining Perspective

“Mommmmmyyyyy!!!” That is the unmistakable screeching, panicked voice of my five year old son; accompanied by what sounds like a herd of elephants stampeding toward me as he flies around the corner panting, eyes wide he says, “Why did you leave me?” I responded, “Honey, I’m right here, did I leave you?” His disappointed pouty little voice replied, “Yes you did!” Now obviously I hadn’t left him. In his little world he went back into the apartment to grab a toy. As he did, I went outside to load all of our gear for the day into the car. (As usual we were running late.) I am sure with his acute hearing that he heard the screen door shut and that threw him into a panic. To him, I was leaving him.

For the moment, (we are in the process of moving) my car is parked two feet from our front door. However, it is around a blind corner and you cannot see the car from the front door or the front door from the car. The reason he panicked, he couldn’t see me. I thought to myself, don’t you trust me? Have I ever left you before? It became clear to me in that moment; this must be how God feels. Every time I say I am lonely or every time I think no one cares, every time I think I have been forgotten. God must think don’t you trust me child? Have I ever left you before?

I cannot imagine leaving my son. I cannot dream of forgetting him. I cannot fathom not caring about him. God loves us so much more than we can even comprehend. He has never left me. Even before I knew Him, He was involved in my life; I just didn’t know it then. “And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”~Deuteronomy 31:8

In the same way I want my son to feel secure, and want him to know I wouldn’t dream of leaving him, God wants the same for us. God wants us to be secure in Him “…so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.”~Joshua 1:5. When He says: “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20. You can count on Him to be there.

Today I cling to these specific promises with more passion than ever before. “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?”~Numbers 23:19. I know even when I can’t see God, even when I can’t feel Him, even when I have doubts, even when I have questions: I know His word is true. God is faithful and will not leave me or forsake me; He is evermore the same for you.

We all go through these times in which we wake up and have other things on our mind except that which we should be thinking about.

I know just as well as the next person that the first and only thing on my mind should be the Lord. Not just a passing thought of His greatness but totally and emphatically the Lord and His almightiness.

So why do we cast aside our Heavenly Father when we know how unhealthy it is for us? Why do we say Father can I get to that later? Or Father God won’t mind if I just skip one day of reading His Holy Word as long as I pray?

Wrong! It is just like excercising physically or watching what we eat. What happens when we say well I excerised so intense yesterday what is one day to miss. Or that little piece of chocolate cake did not hurt my calories yesterday so what if I have one more piece. Well we skip one day then the next…we eat one more piece then another….we skip one day of devotion then another…

We do this because we are human and think we can get away with it without anyone knowing our downfalls.  We do this because we are human and believe we are immortal.  We do this because we believe our last efforts will give us everlasting effects.

Then we realize that not everything lasts forever and we start to feel the need to go back to our rightful ways of living, exercising, eating.

Staying in sync with the Lord is an everyday exercise. It is a commitment not to be taken lightly. It takes time, effort, and devotion. It is the biggest and best commitment to make in our lives.

We need to wake up knowing that we need Him.  That in light of our best efforts we will never have as successful of a day if we skip Him.  That the few moments of our day that it takes to devote to Father God are little in comparison to what we receive back from Him.

I want to stop taking my relationship with Him for granted.  I want to continue to devote my time to Him everyday not just some days.  I pray to you, Oh Heavenly Father, that I will stop taking you for granted.  That I will remember you need for me to be prepared as much as I need for you to be here with me.  Thank you, Father God, for your forgiveness and understanding to my human tendencies.  I love you always and forever.  Mary

A year ago, the only things people knew about Ben Roethlisberger were that he’d won 2 Super Bowls, and that his name was hard to spell; “Ben Rothlisberger” is one of many possible spellings people have made. Today, it’s much different. It’s a story that shows just why people need to think about their actions before they take them.

For those who don’t know, Roethlisberger has been involved in two situations involving women; one resulting in a civil suit, and the more result assault allegation. No criminal charges were filed in either. However, they show the importance of making wise choices when out in public, and even hint at why courtship is recommended by many, even for older people.

The latest one is the only one in which a District Attorney looked at evidence. The D.A.’s statement showed that something happened, but it’s too difficult to tell what it was. Even without criminal charges, though, evidence is so strong that something happened that there was talk that Commissioner Roger Goodell would suspend him.

Some have decried the fact he was at the place in question, but with a number of friends around him, that shouldn’t have been a huge problem. Why?

Obviously, people must act responsibly. But, we’re all human. We should have codes that tell us to be responsible for ourselves, but when we fail, we need friends there for us.

True friends – the kind that look out for you and don’t pressure you into things – provide accountability. That means, if the star QB wanted to drink more, at least one should have been responsible and made sure that, first, all the drinkers got rides, and second, that nobody did anything which might look bad in the morning. In other words, there should always be at least one who can have fun without losing control. One can have a lot of fun and even act silly quite well on one’s own, without causing trouble.

True friends help you because they love you – Proverbs 17:17 says that, “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” This means a true friend shows true concern for their friend’s welfare – that includes looking ahead – and won’t try to hurt his or her friend. A brother – one who is closer than a friend, even – is the kind who will always be there when rough times hit. However, there is a friend who will stick closer to you than a brother. (Prov. 18:24) A friend will tell the truth, even when it hurts (Prov. 27:6: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend”), because he or she knows that sometimes, that person will turn the wrong way, and need help finding their way back. That proverb goes on to state that the “kisses” of an enemy will be destructive.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that Roethlisberger’s friends aren’t true friends. For all we know, one may have stayed sober, and Roethlisberger refused to listen. But, if all of the had, they could have prevented him – physically, if need be – from going into a restroom and causing whatever to happen. So, at least some didn’t do their duty in helping him that night. But, they might be great guys normally. It does, however, show something important that we’ll get to in a minute.

First, however, the D.A. said drinking was involved. Statements say it led to something happening in a restroom. The young lady also needed friends helping her. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” What that means is that a man or a woman who is a true friend will sharpen – that is, make better and help with things, such as one’s perspective on a situation – their friend just as iron sharpens iron; and, iron does the best job of sharpening another piece of iron. Too many people drink because they fall for the lies of our culture. It’s a lie that make them think they’re missing something, when they’re not. It’s much better to be able to remember what you did for one thing.

These people should not have had to rely on friends to begin with, of course. Roethlisberger was older, and should have known better. However, when temptation came, they should have been able to rely on friends who were with them. (Edit: It appears that the young lady did have a couple friends who tried to intervene, but becasue they waited, they couldn’t.)

Human friends aren’t the best to rely on. Human friends let us down at times. However, there is – as noted above – a friend that sticks closer than a brother at all times. That friend that always sticks closer than a brother is Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is God in flesh – He was God and man. (John 1:1, 14; John 10:30, etc.) He knows everything we’ve been through, because He has been through it Himself. Yet, He never sinned. He lived a perfect life. He died on the cross to take the punishment for each of our sins, and then rose victoriously from the dead.

He can live inside anyone if they just trust Him by simple faith to forgive them of their sins and come into their heart to change them, believing He took the punishment for them, personally. He lives in each believer through the Holy Spirit. When the veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom, the Glory of God was free to move about the earth, because the curse of sin had been lifted. God is free to indwell every believer now.

First Corinthians 10:13 promises that no matter what we are tempted with, God will provide a means of escape that is how we rely on that friend – Jesus Christ – that sticks closer than a brother. We listen to Him in our hearts, through that still small voice, through Scripture that we’ve read, and so on.

Roethlisberger and/or that young woman might have Christ in them, of course. I’m not saying they don’t. If they do, however, they didn’t listen to Him. There is no temptation that any of us will face that many others haven’t faced before. However, God is faithful, and will always provide a means of escape.

He won’t be like a fireman pulling a person from a burning home, though. He gives us free will. He doesn’t want us to be mindless robots. And, sometimes, the only way we’ll listen, is if we’ve learned a painful lesson beforehand. Other people will listen without having to learn the hard way. Every person is different, and the Lord knows each one of us, and how to reach us.

What really happened in the Ben Roethlisberger case? We don’t know all the facts, and might never know. But, we know these general things:

1. There was a breakdown in behavior, either because Roethlisberger didn’t listen to that part of him saying not to do certain things, or he never learned that lesson. Whichever it is, that was sin; not just because he hurt someone, but because he turned away from doing what was right.

2. That act of turning away from what was right was made worse because human friends let him down. Isaiah 53:6 is among many verses that note that this happens, because we’re human. “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned each one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

3. Because human friends fail us, we need to rely on the one True Friend, the one who called His disciples friends.

4. Jesus loveth at all times, but whereas human friends can’t love with an agape love, He can. That means unconditional love – He will never leave you, nor forsake you. So, if you mess up, he won’t leave you stranded. He’ll always be there, waiting with open arms for you to turn back to Him. When one receives Him, that person is sealed with the Holy Spirit, which is the earnest of our redemption – it’s the down payment which says that we’ll have eternal life with Him someday. Because, we don’t just get eternal life someday with Him, He gives eternal life with Him right here on Earth.

For you to do that, though, you need to have Him in your heart to begin with. God restored the fellowship that was broken when sin entered the world, by reconciling us to Him. He wants to be your friend. And, each of us is only a single, sincere prayer of repentance away from having Him as a friend inside you, guiding and helping through everything in life.

The King of GLORY

“Who among the gods is like you, O LORD?  Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” (Glory is the physical representation of the character and presence of God—it’s all that he is; our minds cannot fathom the fullness of God’s Glory)   Exodus 15:11

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.  Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things.  In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.   1 Chronicles 29:11-12

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.   Psalm 19:1-2

He who is the Glory of Israel (God) does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.   1 Samuel 15:29

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”  And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence.  I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But, he said, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”  Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.  When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.  Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” Exodus 33:18-23

Spread out above the heads of the living creatures (angels) was what looked like an expanse, sparkling like ice, and awesome.  Under the expanse their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body.  When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army.  When they stood still, they lowered their wings.  Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings.  Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. (Jesus)  I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him (human words can’t describe the indescribable).  This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.  When I saw it, I fell face down, and I heard the voice of one speaking.   Ezekiel 1:22-28

In the past, God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days(now) he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.  After he had provided purification for sins (died and rose again for our justification), he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven (God).   Hebrews 1:1-3

Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.  Who is he, this King of glory?  The LORD Almighty—he is the King of glory. Psalm 24:9-10  AMEN!!!

For more “Wisdom” go to nuggetsofwisdom.us

…   Successful People Get Results

If you ask me, many people are successful in their lives today because they know how to get things done. Not only do tasks get completed, they get done efficiently and on time.  To be successful in any endeavor, you must accomplish your assigned task, do it well, and get it done by the deadline that was given.  If you make the most of the talents that God has given you,  you will be greatly rewarded.

Successful people are also the ones who know how to solve problems, not create new ones. You should always strive to be the person that solves problems.  According to Jeffrey J. Mayer, in his book, Success is a Journey:  7 Steps to Achieving Success in the Business of Life, “It is your ability to overcome and find solutions to problems that will make you a huge success.”  Mayer goes on to explain two points you should keep in mind concerning problem solving:

a)  People who don’t  solve problems,  never get anything done.  Instead of spending time solving the problem, they waste time complaining about them.

b)   When a problem isn’t getting solved, that means something is not getting done, someone isn’t happy, and that leads to complaining and someone leaving to go somewhere else where it can be solved.

Follow these Three Steps whenever  Solving a Problem:

1) take the time to analyze and identify the problem

2) create a plan of action to solve the problem

3) execute your plan

Keep this in mind:  unsolved problems are a drain on your mental, intellectual, and physical strength;  problems don’t just go away by themselves. They must be dealt with, worked through and brought to a final resolution or else they remain a problem forever.