Journey through life: Learning and Growing in God's Word.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
THE GLORIOUS HOPE
Draw Near – 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with God
Hebrews 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
THE GLORIOUS HOPE
During the Cold War, a famed scientist remarked, "The United States has 100,000 atomic weapons while Russia has 50,000. Yet, only four thousand such weapons can destroy the entire human race." Another scientist said, "I am not optimistic that the human race will survive another ten years." Bertrand Russell once bitterly said, "I wouldn't give a 50-50 chance that one person will be alive on this planet forty years from now."
Winds of despair often blow across our dying planet until we all live in an uneasy tension. We wonder what shattering blow will hit us next. Terrorism, pollution, and violence permeate our daily lives.
Man without God has absolutely no reason to hope. Without question, our scientific accomplishments have outstripped our moral strength. We recklessly rattle rockets and threaten ourselves with total extinction. Pitted against the blackness of the hour, however, is the promise of centuries ago: "I will return." Christ promised to return to our world and bring order out of chaos, joy out of despair. This is the glorious hope of the believer.
Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Thy kingdom come." What a remarkable petition this is. When Christ's Kingdom comes, there will be no more war and hatred. Babies will not die of starvation and neglect. When Christ comes, human suffering will cease. No wonder the believer should daily pray, "Thy kingdom come." The true believer longs for his Lord's return.
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RAT ON THE PLANE
Draw Near – 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with God.
Wed Apr 25
Day 66 of 365.
Colossians 3:1 in Reader .1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
RAT ON THE PLANE
Flying over heavily-wooded terrain, a pilot heard gnawing noises in the back of his small aircraft. Panic gripped him as he realized that a rat was chewing through wires vital to the plane's operation. By the time he could get to an airport, it might be too late. Then an idea struck him. He nosed his airplane as high as he could without losing consciousness and put on his oxygen mask. In just a few minutes, the gnawing stopped and the rat was dead.
Many shuffle through life with gnawing doubt, fears, guilt, and inferiorities until these things overcome them. They have tried many ways to get rid of these overwhelming naggings, but all have failed. One thing, however, has never failed. When we nose the craft of our lives upward, real relief is ours. Isaiah promised: But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31). Doubts, fears, guilt, and inferiorities cannot last in the pure presence of our Christ.
The psalmist added: You will show me the path of life; In Your Presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). When doubts return to gnaw at us, it is time to nose heavenward to bask again in His presence. These "rats" of doubt die as we soar higher and higher into the pure presence of Christ.
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Wed Apr 25
Day 66 of 365.
Colossians 3:1 in Reader .1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
RAT ON THE PLANE
Flying over heavily-wooded terrain, a pilot heard gnawing noises in the back of his small aircraft. Panic gripped him as he realized that a rat was chewing through wires vital to the plane's operation. By the time he could get to an airport, it might be too late. Then an idea struck him. He nosed his airplane as high as he could without losing consciousness and put on his oxygen mask. In just a few minutes, the gnawing stopped and the rat was dead.
Many shuffle through life with gnawing doubt, fears, guilt, and inferiorities until these things overcome them. They have tried many ways to get rid of these overwhelming naggings, but all have failed. One thing, however, has never failed. When we nose the craft of our lives upward, real relief is ours. Isaiah promised: But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31). Doubts, fears, guilt, and inferiorities cannot last in the pure presence of our Christ.
The psalmist added: You will show me the path of life; In Your Presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). When doubts return to gnaw at us, it is time to nose heavenward to bask again in His presence. These "rats" of doubt die as we soar higher and higher into the pure presence of Christ.
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Monday, April 16, 2012
HOLDING ON
Draw Near – 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with God
Tue Apr 17
Day 58 of 365.
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
HOLDING ON
During my first airplane ride, I held on. I looked out the window and the ground seemed so far away. Desperately clenching the strap by the window, I tensed every time the tiny plane hit an air pocket. How ridiculous I must have looked to those more accustomed to air travel. After all, clinging to that strap would not help if the plane plummeted to the earth.
While it amuses us to envision someone clinging tenaciously to a tiny strap in a moving plane, many are going through life just as frightened. They seem to wince at every turn and keep their hands on their pulse. Physicians estimate that 33,000 patients each week are not really sick, only afraid. Our generation is clinging to the strap and yet knows that it is not doing any good. Some, however, have learned to live more relaxed. They, too, feel the bumps and see the perils but are confident that everything will be okay. They have learned that our security is in the Christ we love: The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge (Psalm 46:7).
Confident living comes not by human resolution but by a relationship to Christ. As we are in Christ, we can be assured of His complete control of our lives. We can relax. Paul had learned to love Christ deeply: Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death (Philippians 1:20). May each of us learn to live more confidently in Christ by fully trusting Him.
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Tue Apr 17
Day 58 of 365.
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
HOLDING ON
During my first airplane ride, I held on. I looked out the window and the ground seemed so far away. Desperately clenching the strap by the window, I tensed every time the tiny plane hit an air pocket. How ridiculous I must have looked to those more accustomed to air travel. After all, clinging to that strap would not help if the plane plummeted to the earth.
While it amuses us to envision someone clinging tenaciously to a tiny strap in a moving plane, many are going through life just as frightened. They seem to wince at every turn and keep their hands on their pulse. Physicians estimate that 33,000 patients each week are not really sick, only afraid. Our generation is clinging to the strap and yet knows that it is not doing any good. Some, however, have learned to live more relaxed. They, too, feel the bumps and see the perils but are confident that everything will be okay. They have learned that our security is in the Christ we love: The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge (Psalm 46:7).
Confident living comes not by human resolution but by a relationship to Christ. As we are in Christ, we can be assured of His complete control of our lives. We can relax. Paul had learned to love Christ deeply: Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death (Philippians 1:20). May each of us learn to live more confidently in Christ by fully trusting Him.
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Friday, April 13, 2012
DESTINY
Draw Near – 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with God
Tue Apr 3 Day 44 of 365.
Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
We all are destine for good things, as Jeremiah states God knew us before we were formed, we may not be prophets, but in our own lives we are tho share the love of God with others.
God gives us the choice either to accept or reject our destiny. In Romans, Paul said that God desires us to be conformed to the image of His Son. This is our destiny. If we move with it, our world will be a warmer, finer place to live. If we balk, many may fail to hear of our Lord and, like the diabetics, will be merely a gathering of ghosts, bemoaning their fate.
Its a coice ; the question is who do we choose to serve.
As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.
Tue Apr 3 Day 44 of 365.
Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
We all are destine for good things, as Jeremiah states God knew us before we were formed, we may not be prophets, but in our own lives we are tho share the love of God with others.
God gives us the choice either to accept or reject our destiny. In Romans, Paul said that God desires us to be conformed to the image of His Son. This is our destiny. If we move with it, our world will be a warmer, finer place to live. If we balk, many may fail to hear of our Lord and, like the diabetics, will be merely a gathering of ghosts, bemoaning their fate.
Its a coice ; the question is who do we choose to serve.
As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Passion Of Christ
April 9 2012
Last Night while flipping through The TV channels, I stop at the passion of the Christ it was nearing the ending, Yet the most important part, when Jesus was being beaten and flogged. The clarity and vividness of that flogging was something that stirred my heart, down to the core, they used whips that tore parts of his flesh. The Pharisees, Scribes and Saducees cheered on the crowds to incite insults at Jesus while he was being flogged, for each stripe he took I cried and cried my heart hurt. At that moment I was reminded of the price jesus paid for (my) mankinds sin. After the flogging they paraded him through the streets of Jerusalem to Golgatha where he was nailed to the cross and crucified. Satan was defeated on that Day. It was Man that seperated us from God and It was Man who returned us back to God. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth him should not parrish, but have eternal life. John 14 :6 Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto the father except through me.
Last Night while flipping through The TV channels, I stop at the passion of the Christ it was nearing the ending, Yet the most important part, when Jesus was being beaten and flogged. The clarity and vividness of that flogging was something that stirred my heart, down to the core, they used whips that tore parts of his flesh. The Pharisees, Scribes and Saducees cheered on the crowds to incite insults at Jesus while he was being flogged, for each stripe he took I cried and cried my heart hurt. At that moment I was reminded of the price jesus paid for (my) mankinds sin. After the flogging they paraded him through the streets of Jerusalem to Golgatha where he was nailed to the cross and crucified. Satan was defeated on that Day. It was Man that seperated us from God and It was Man who returned us back to God. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth him should not parrish, but have eternal life. John 14 :6 Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto the father except through me.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
LOVE AT HOME
Draw Near; Day 37
Ephesian 5:33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
Looking at society today, marriages are looked on as temporary, or hollywood marriages, when the going gets tough the tough gets going. Marriages today is not forever anymore. More and more marriages seem to end in divorce. We as a nation have forgotten the foundation of marriages are built on God. and that men are the head of the family and wives are to be submissive, husband are to love their wives.
LOVE AT HOME
Legend tells of an attractive young couple who boarded a train for the traditional honeymoon at Niagara Falls. That they were very much in love was apparent to all who saw them. Suddenly, the bride found herself hurling insults at her husband, and his rejoinders matched hers in bitterness and venom. Then she discovered a stranger sitting next to her whose presence had caused the transformation. "How did you get in here?" she gasped. "And who are you?" The stranger softly answered, "I'm Ten-years-from-now."
Many marriages are under stresses that threaten to destroy them. The sweetness of the honeymoon has worn off, and the business of living has caused some abrasions. Paul understood these problems, and he spent much time admonishing husbands and wives. Here is his formula for a happy home and a lasting marriage.
There must be one leader in the home, and God ordained the man to be that. But the man has a spiritual obligation to deeply love his wife as his own body. Both are to cling to each other rather than side against each other with relatives. The admonition to love is so strong that Paul repeated it again and likened the husband-wife relationship to that of Christ and His church. In today's prayer period, let us pray for a deeper love in our homes.
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Ephesian 5:33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
Looking at society today, marriages are looked on as temporary, or hollywood marriages, when the going gets tough the tough gets going. Marriages today is not forever anymore. More and more marriages seem to end in divorce. We as a nation have forgotten the foundation of marriages are built on God. and that men are the head of the family and wives are to be submissive, husband are to love their wives.
LOVE AT HOME
Legend tells of an attractive young couple who boarded a train for the traditional honeymoon at Niagara Falls. That they were very much in love was apparent to all who saw them. Suddenly, the bride found herself hurling insults at her husband, and his rejoinders matched hers in bitterness and venom. Then she discovered a stranger sitting next to her whose presence had caused the transformation. "How did you get in here?" she gasped. "And who are you?" The stranger softly answered, "I'm Ten-years-from-now."
Many marriages are under stresses that threaten to destroy them. The sweetness of the honeymoon has worn off, and the business of living has caused some abrasions. Paul understood these problems, and he spent much time admonishing husbands and wives. Here is his formula for a happy home and a lasting marriage.
There must be one leader in the home, and God ordained the man to be that. But the man has a spiritual obligation to deeply love his wife as his own body. Both are to cling to each other rather than side against each other with relatives. The admonition to love is so strong that Paul repeated it again and likened the husband-wife relationship to that of Christ and His church. In today's prayer period, let us pray for a deeper love in our homes.
.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Making a Life not a living
Draw Near – 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with God.
Day 24 of 365.
James 1:9-10 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
DIED A GROCER
Asked to explain the meaning of an epitaph he had written for his tombstone--"Born, a Human Being; Died, a Wholesale Grocer"--the businessman replied, "I was so busy selling groceries, I did not have to get married and have a family. I was successful. But I was so busy making a living, I never had time to live." Many today have a similar problem.
James points out that life is just a vapor and we must spend our time doing important things. He reminds us the man born in low circumstances can be exalted through Christ, and those born in riches should rejoice because they can enter the door of eternal salvation. The door is open to all men without preference. The only key is faith in Christ.
We often need to be reminded that we are creatures of eternity, not of time. We must consider our actions, not in terms of our few short years on this globe, but of that day when we will stand before our Creator and account for the deeds of the flesh. May we constantly remember that we were born human beings and that we need not die in despair. Through Christ we can, and will, live forever. Let us not be so busy making a living that we forget to make a life.
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Day 24 of 365.
James 1:9-10 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
DIED A GROCER
Asked to explain the meaning of an epitaph he had written for his tombstone--"Born, a Human Being; Died, a Wholesale Grocer"--the businessman replied, "I was so busy selling groceries, I did not have to get married and have a family. I was successful. But I was so busy making a living, I never had time to live." Many today have a similar problem.
James points out that life is just a vapor and we must spend our time doing important things. He reminds us the man born in low circumstances can be exalted through Christ, and those born in riches should rejoice because they can enter the door of eternal salvation. The door is open to all men without preference. The only key is faith in Christ.
We often need to be reminded that we are creatures of eternity, not of time. We must consider our actions, not in terms of our few short years on this globe, but of that day when we will stand before our Creator and account for the deeds of the flesh. May we constantly remember that we were born human beings and that we need not die in despair. Through Christ we can, and will, live forever. Let us not be so busy making a living that we forget to make a life.
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