The Daily Blueprint ~ Wednesday ~ 11/19/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 18
Ecclesiastes 7:8
Better is the end of a thing then the beginning there of: and the patient in spirit is better then the proud in spirit.
Before we get into today's verse -I wanted to ask each of you to pray for this ministry - I have been doing this 10 years now - and ive been really praying about the direction God has for this ministry - part of this has been praying over what God wants for me to do - I was thinking about the name of the ministry as well - it began as Life in the Word - then became Livin in the Word - and now its Livin in the Word and Prayer -and then when I prayed about it - and thought about how God lead me to call each edition the daily blueprint -this is a name that I feel would better suit the ministry -but I wanted input before I go changing it - God uses all of us for His purpose -
The new proposed name is this: Building On The Word Ministries.
Please drop me a line to let me know what you think!
God bless, Daniel<><
Today's verse talks about the beginning and the end - one of the last CDs I got was from a band called Downhere -the title of the CD is - Ending is Beginning - this is so true - in light of yesterday's topic of death - our true beginning has not happened yet - the Word says that the ending is better then the beginning - what an odd statement -but since its in God's Word -we all know its true! The verse goes on to talk about a patient spirit - that is where I want to camp out today - We live in a world that is always in a rush - we rush to work - we rush to drop the kids off and pick them up - then we rush home - just to do it all over agian - we don't like to wait - any of you who have been out shopping know that sometimes checking out takes longer then the actually shopping - again we hate to wait for anything - many call this a microwave society - also we hate waiting for our computers to boot up and shut down - we are always in such a rush -God wants us to slow down - We should be patient because that is what God wants us to be - its in obedience to Him that we are to be patient and not only that -He gives us His Spirit and His fruit -we should be good waiters as Christ's children!
Sometimes the best thing to do is wait..lets wait on the Lord and trust HIM!
The Final Word:
Why are we in such a hurry? - Slow Down and smell the roses!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHRIST makes us patient!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 11/19/08-
Sometime God answers our prayers with, WAIT!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11/19/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Wednesday ~ 11/19/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 18
Ecclesiastes 7:8
Better is the end of a thing then the beginning there of: and the patient in spirit is better then the proud in spirit.
Before we get into today's verse -I wanted to ask each of you to pray for this ministry - I have been doing this 10 years now - and ive been really praying about the direction God has for this ministry - part of this has been praying over what God wants for me to do - I was thinking about the name of the ministry as well - it began as Life in the Word - then became Livin in the Word - and now its Livin in the Word and Prayer -and then when I prayed about it - and thought about how God lead me to call each edition the daily blueprint -this is a name that I feel would better suit the ministry -but I wanted input before I go changing it - God uses all of us for His purpose -
The new proposed name is this: Building On The Word Ministries.
Please drop me a line to let me know what you think!
God bless, Daniel<><
Today's verse talks about the beginning and the end - one of the last CDs I got was from a band called Downhere -the title of the CD is - Ending is Beginning - this is so true - in light of yesterday's topic of death - our true beginning has not happened yet - the Word says that the ending is better then the beginning - what an odd statement -but since its in God's Word -we all know its true! The verse goes on to talk about a patient spirit - that is where I want to camp out today - We live in a world that is always in a rush - we rush to work - we rush to drop the kids off and pick them up - then we rush home - just to do it all over agian - we don't like to wait - any of you who have been out shopping know that sometimes checking out takes longer then the actually shopping - again we hate to wait for anything - many call this a microwave society - also we hate waiting for our computers to boot up and shut down - we are always in such a rush -God wants us to slow down - We should be patient because that is what God wants us to be - its in obedience to Him that we are to be patient and not only that -He gives us His Spirit and His fruit -we should be good waiters as Christ's children!
Sometimes the best thing to do is wait..lets wait on the Lord and trust HIM!
The Final Word:
Why are we in such a hurry? - Slow Down and smell the roses!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHRIST makes us patient!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 11/19/08-
Sometime God answers our prayers with, WAIT!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 18
Ecclesiastes 7:8
Better is the end of a thing then the beginning there of: and the patient in spirit is better then the proud in spirit.
Before we get into today's verse -I wanted to ask each of you to pray for this ministry - I have been doing this 10 years now - and ive been really praying about the direction God has for this ministry - part of this has been praying over what God wants for me to do - I was thinking about the name of the ministry as well - it began as Life in the Word - then became Livin in the Word - and now its Livin in the Word and Prayer -and then when I prayed about it - and thought about how God lead me to call each edition the daily blueprint -this is a name that I feel would better suit the ministry -but I wanted input before I go changing it - God uses all of us for His purpose -
The new proposed name is this: Building On The Word Ministries.
Please drop me a line to let me know what you think!
God bless, Daniel<><
Today's verse talks about the beginning and the end - one of the last CDs I got was from a band called Downhere -the title of the CD is - Ending is Beginning - this is so true - in light of yesterday's topic of death - our true beginning has not happened yet - the Word says that the ending is better then the beginning - what an odd statement -but since its in God's Word -we all know its true! The verse goes on to talk about a patient spirit - that is where I want to camp out today - We live in a world that is always in a rush - we rush to work - we rush to drop the kids off and pick them up - then we rush home - just to do it all over agian - we don't like to wait - any of you who have been out shopping know that sometimes checking out takes longer then the actually shopping - again we hate to wait for anything - many call this a microwave society - also we hate waiting for our computers to boot up and shut down - we are always in such a rush -God wants us to slow down - We should be patient because that is what God wants us to be - its in obedience to Him that we are to be patient and not only that -He gives us His Spirit and His fruit -we should be good waiters as Christ's children!
Sometimes the best thing to do is wait..lets wait on the Lord and trust HIM!
The Final Word:
Why are we in such a hurry? - Slow Down and smell the roses!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHRIST makes us patient!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 11/19/08-
Sometime God answers our prayers with, WAIT!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11/18/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Tuesday ~ 11/18/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 17
Ecclesiastes 7:1
A good name is better then precious ointment; and the day of death better then the day of one's birth.
Today's verse is something that should make us think - one thing I take from this is that this world is upside down - what I mean by that is that this world has bought into the lie that having possessions and having fun is the reason we live -just to enjoy life without any real purpose -Jesus is our example - He said to be first you must be a servant of all - but this world says others should serve you - after all we deserve it - or do we? Jesus says our treasure is to be in heaven - but this world says he who dies with the most toys wins. In another vain - the Word says that the day of our earthly death is better then our earthly birth - the world as a whole does not see it this way at all - the world would say the day you die is the worst day of all - but to those who have been redeemed by the Lamb -its the day of our real birth - this world is not our home - but those of this world who are lost believe this is all there is - nothing else- they believe we close our eyes in this life -and that's it - but Paul said that to die is gain - we spend all our time here avoiding death at all costs but its still coming -so we better have reservations with Jesus so we can enter into His kingdom - He is right now preparing a place for us - in ending lets talk about the fact that a good name is better then riches -its better then anything -and as a believer in Christ -we now have a new name - We are His children now - He has redeemed us from certain death - and has brought to us life everlasting - Rejoice in this good news today - that JESUS paid it all in full -there is nothing else to add to what He has done for us - let's remember who we belong too!
The Final Word:
Sin causes death but JESUS brings us life!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHRIST conquered death once and for all
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 11/18/08-
One day we are born - One day we will die - but GOD rules it all!
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 17
Ecclesiastes 7:1
A good name is better then precious ointment; and the day of death better then the day of one's birth.
Today's verse is something that should make us think - one thing I take from this is that this world is upside down - what I mean by that is that this world has bought into the lie that having possessions and having fun is the reason we live -just to enjoy life without any real purpose -Jesus is our example - He said to be first you must be a servant of all - but this world says others should serve you - after all we deserve it - or do we? Jesus says our treasure is to be in heaven - but this world says he who dies with the most toys wins. In another vain - the Word says that the day of our earthly death is better then our earthly birth - the world as a whole does not see it this way at all - the world would say the day you die is the worst day of all - but to those who have been redeemed by the Lamb -its the day of our real birth - this world is not our home - but those of this world who are lost believe this is all there is - nothing else- they believe we close our eyes in this life -and that's it - but Paul said that to die is gain - we spend all our time here avoiding death at all costs but its still coming -so we better have reservations with Jesus so we can enter into His kingdom - He is right now preparing a place for us - in ending lets talk about the fact that a good name is better then riches -its better then anything -and as a believer in Christ -we now have a new name - We are His children now - He has redeemed us from certain death - and has brought to us life everlasting - Rejoice in this good news today - that JESUS paid it all in full -there is nothing else to add to what He has done for us - let's remember who we belong too!
The Final Word:
Sin causes death but JESUS brings us life!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHRIST conquered death once and for all
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 11/18/08-
One day we are born - One day we will die - but GOD rules it all!
11/17/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Monday ~ 11/17/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 16
Ecclesiastes 6:7
All the labor of man is for his mouth,
yet the appetite is not filled!
There is nothing wrong with working hard - its actually a good thing if used in the right way - if its only for selfish gain -then it is not good - but if it is to help others - then its a good investment - but its only a means to an end - we work to earn money to care for ourselves and our families - however many work for other reason -some reasons is to get away from a situation they don't want to be a part of, so they go and work to stay away - others work for the sole purpose of finding meaning in their lives -these people work not just for the money they gain but for the meaning it seems to bring to their lives- you have heard it said that when you earn more money - you just buy more things- you make more purchases when you know you are getting more then enough to cover it -we often depend on our employers more then we depend on God it seems - what does God want for our lives -do we listen for His voice or do we even care? These are tough questions and the answers will reveal much about our faith - what is your goal? Does it line up with what God has for your life? Do you want to please Him or yourself? If you whole purpose in life is to just earn money - you have missed the point of life -again there is nothing wrong with earning a wage -God commends it in His word - He says that if you don't work - you won't be able to eat - but its just a part of our lives -not the whole -JESUS should be our everything -not our jobs - lets remember to keep the main thing the main thing!Let JESUS rule in your life -that will always bring you meaning in life!
The Final Word:
God's plan for our lives will bring us meaning if we listen and obey!
CHRIST knows best!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 11/17/08-
What are you working for?
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 16
Ecclesiastes 6:7
All the labor of man is for his mouth,
yet the appetite is not filled!
There is nothing wrong with working hard - its actually a good thing if used in the right way - if its only for selfish gain -then it is not good - but if it is to help others - then its a good investment - but its only a means to an end - we work to earn money to care for ourselves and our families - however many work for other reason -some reasons is to get away from a situation they don't want to be a part of, so they go and work to stay away - others work for the sole purpose of finding meaning in their lives -these people work not just for the money they gain but for the meaning it seems to bring to their lives- you have heard it said that when you earn more money - you just buy more things- you make more purchases when you know you are getting more then enough to cover it -we often depend on our employers more then we depend on God it seems - what does God want for our lives -do we listen for His voice or do we even care? These are tough questions and the answers will reveal much about our faith - what is your goal? Does it line up with what God has for your life? Do you want to please Him or yourself? If you whole purpose in life is to just earn money - you have missed the point of life -again there is nothing wrong with earning a wage -God commends it in His word - He says that if you don't work - you won't be able to eat - but its just a part of our lives -not the whole -JESUS should be our everything -not our jobs - lets remember to keep the main thing the main thing!Let JESUS rule in your life -that will always bring you meaning in life!
The Final Word:
God's plan for our lives will bring us meaning if we listen and obey!
CHRIST knows best!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 11/17/08-
What are you working for?
The Daily Blueprint ~ Thursday ~ 10/24/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 15
Ecclesiastes 5:15
As he came forth from his Mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor, which he may carry away in his hand..
Today's verse mirrors what Job said - "Naked I came from my Mother's Womb and Naked I shall Return" this is the truth - we came into this world not owning anything and we shall leave the same way - you have heard it said time and time again that you cannot take it with you - I am reminded by the fact I celebrated another Birthday yesterday - each year that passes is one year closer to leaving this ol world - we must be ready at any time to be called home - life in the here and now is a gift from God although there are times that it does not seem like a good gift -lets face it - we live in a sin filled place - a place that is ruled not by God but the enemy - God is in control and the enemy cannot make a move without God's approval - the case for Job is just that -satan said Job would curse God if bad things happened to him - but this never happened and God won like He always does - and while we are just passing through this place -we must do all we can when its called today to love others Jesus calls us to love - we must be willing to give up our rights -our wants and our desires so that God can have His way in our lives - HE wants to mold us to be just like HIS SON - that is and remains God's goal for us - let's live with our eyes looking up to heaven - not down at what we may think we own - many times what we think we own actually begins to own us - lets learn to let go and allow GOD to move in our lives!
The Final Word:
You never see a hearse with a luggage rack....you cannot take it with you!
CHRIST gave us life - it all belongs to HIM!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/30/08-
GOD OWNS IT ALL - WE JUST BORROW IT FOR A LITTLE WHILE!
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 15
Ecclesiastes 5:15
As he came forth from his Mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor, which he may carry away in his hand..
Today's verse mirrors what Job said - "Naked I came from my Mother's Womb and Naked I shall Return" this is the truth - we came into this world not owning anything and we shall leave the same way - you have heard it said time and time again that you cannot take it with you - I am reminded by the fact I celebrated another Birthday yesterday - each year that passes is one year closer to leaving this ol world - we must be ready at any time to be called home - life in the here and now is a gift from God although there are times that it does not seem like a good gift -lets face it - we live in a sin filled place - a place that is ruled not by God but the enemy - God is in control and the enemy cannot make a move without God's approval - the case for Job is just that -satan said Job would curse God if bad things happened to him - but this never happened and God won like He always does - and while we are just passing through this place -we must do all we can when its called today to love others Jesus calls us to love - we must be willing to give up our rights -our wants and our desires so that God can have His way in our lives - HE wants to mold us to be just like HIS SON - that is and remains God's goal for us - let's live with our eyes looking up to heaven - not down at what we may think we own - many times what we think we own actually begins to own us - lets learn to let go and allow GOD to move in our lives!
The Final Word:
You never see a hearse with a luggage rack....you cannot take it with you!
CHRIST gave us life - it all belongs to HIM!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/30/08-
GOD OWNS IT ALL - WE JUST BORROW IT FOR A LITTLE WHILE!
The Daily Blueprint ~ Thursday ~ 10/24/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 15
Ecclesiastes 5:15
As he came forth from his Mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor, which he may carry away in his hand..
Today's verse mirrors what Job said - "Naked I came from my Mother's Womb and Naked I shall Return" this is the truth - we came into this world not owning anything and we shall leave the same way - you have heard it said time and time again that you cannot take it with you - I am reminded by the fact I celebrated another Birthday yesterday - each year that passes is one year closer to leaving this ol world - we must be ready at any time to be called home - life in the here and now is a gift from God although there are times that it does not seem like a good gift -lets face it - we live in a sin filled place - a place that is ruled not by God but the enemy - God is in control and the enemy cannot make a move without God's approval - the case for Job is just that -satan said Job would curse God if bad things happened to him - but this never happened and God won like He always does - and while we are just passing through this place -we must do all we can when its called today to love others Jesus calls us to love - we must be willing to give up our rights -our wants and our desires so that God can have His way in our lives - HE wants to mold us to be just like HIS SON - that is and remains God's goal for us - let's live with our eyes looking up to heaven - not down at what we may think we own - many times what we think we own actually begins to own us - lets learn to let go and allow GOD to move in our lives!
The Final Word:
You never see a hearse with a luggage rack....you cannot take it with you!
CHRIST gave us life - it all belongs to HIM!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/30/08-
GOD OWNS IT ALL - WE JUST BORROW IT FOR A LITTLE WHILE!
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 15
Ecclesiastes 5:15
As he came forth from his Mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor, which he may carry away in his hand..
Today's verse mirrors what Job said - "Naked I came from my Mother's Womb and Naked I shall Return" this is the truth - we came into this world not owning anything and we shall leave the same way - you have heard it said time and time again that you cannot take it with you - I am reminded by the fact I celebrated another Birthday yesterday - each year that passes is one year closer to leaving this ol world - we must be ready at any time to be called home - life in the here and now is a gift from God although there are times that it does not seem like a good gift -lets face it - we live in a sin filled place - a place that is ruled not by God but the enemy - God is in control and the enemy cannot make a move without God's approval - the case for Job is just that -satan said Job would curse God if bad things happened to him - but this never happened and God won like He always does - and while we are just passing through this place -we must do all we can when its called today to love others Jesus calls us to love - we must be willing to give up our rights -our wants and our desires so that God can have His way in our lives - HE wants to mold us to be just like HIS SON - that is and remains God's goal for us - let's live with our eyes looking up to heaven - not down at what we may think we own - many times what we think we own actually begins to own us - lets learn to let go and allow GOD to move in our lives!
The Final Word:
You never see a hearse with a luggage rack....you cannot take it with you!
CHRIST gave us life - it all belongs to HIM!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/30/08-
GOD OWNS IT ALL - WE JUST BORROW IT FOR A LITTLE WHILE!
11/14/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Thursday ~ 11/13/08
The Word:
Rejoice!
Psalms 98:4
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise and rejoice, and sing praise!
Rejoice again I say Rejoice, says Paul! Is your life full of praise to God - Do you praise Him each day of your life? Do you make it a habit of making a loud noise of praise to the Lord!? We should be all about worship of our Savior King - we should praise Him with all we have - every moment of every day - this may seem like an odd thing but lets remember what the Lord has done for us -He has opened Heaven to us - He has given us a new name - we are now new creations in Him - our sins though many have all been paid - that should be enough to make us praise His Mighty Name! Rejoice! This is what this year's CHRISTmas series will be called - God brought this to my mind as I was praising on one of my many trips to the Atlanta area this year to help my Step Mom heal after major back surgery -as I read today's verse I was reminded of the children that I help at church on Wednesday nights -they have to be some of the loudest kids ive ever known - they give all they have and speak loudly - that's how our praise should be to God - Lets be so full of His grace and praise Him so fully that many will tell us to be quiet! Remember what Jesus said - that if the people kept quiet - the rocks would cry out -this shows the total power of God - We are all subject to Him -
Another thought I had was the children of Compassion that when they sing praises to the King - they don't hold back -its too bad that as we get older - we believe we must always be quiet before the Lord - now there is a time for that - I do a lot of quiet reflection where I don't say or do anything - but there are also times when we need to let it all out - Rejoice brothers and sisters - lets sing praises to the LORD our GOD! Lets praise Him with our lives! Rejoice!
The Final Word:
WE WILL NOT BE SILENT ANYMORE - WE WILL PRAISE THE LORD!
CHRIST sings over us with HIS Love!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 11/13/08-
Sing a song to the Lord with your life!
11/12/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Wednesday ~ 11/12/08
The Word:
WHERE IS THE LORD?
Jeremiah 2:8
The priests said not, Where is the Lord? and they that handle the law knew Me not: the pastors also transgressed against Me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit!
The Prophet Jeremiah had some harsh words to say to the people whom in the past God had delivered - how many times have we been like those Jeremiah was talking to? We have all asked the same question - where is the Lord? The people who were delivered by God didn't praise Him for long -they went back to their old ways - their pre-delievrance days - why go back? God is so good to us -Who else is like our Lord? How often does God save us from something that we forget and move along that same ol path - if we all took a good look at our lives -we could say we all need a change. The election is now over and the platform of the whole election could be summed up in one word- Change - both men who ran for the office of President, kept beating the drum called change - God longs to change our hearts - He no longer wants us to remain in our old ways - God sent His Son to deliver us from our sin but also to give us life! Abundant life - Those whom God has delivered had forgotten His goodness and His grace -they thought they knew better then God and fell back into their old ways - let that not be said of us - lets not ever go back to the time before we knew Christ -we can think back and then see the grace and hand of God on our lives- but let us not remain there -lets head to the promised land - God has a plan for each of us - we should no longer say where is the Lord? We should have faith that says even when we cannot see His hands or face -that He is still active -His goal remains the same - to see everyone come to know Him - lets praise our LORD JESUS in all we do - Lets remember the price He paid -
Where is the LORD? He is right there with you - right now!
The Final Word:
When you can no longer see God -that's when He is holding you so close you cannot see Him -that my child is why we need faith! Praise GOD!
CHRIST is close to His children!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 11/12/08-
GOD IS WHERE HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN, ON THE THRONE!
THANK YOU
The Daily Blueprint ~ Veteran's Day ~ 11/11/08
The Word:
FREEDOM IS NEVER FREE!
HOME OF THE FREE BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE
Remember the cost...
Proverbs 9:7
The memory of the just is blessed:
but the name of the wicked shall not!...
Finding a verse that fits for this day has been a bit of a problem - I know freedom is in the Word of God but my concordance in my Bible didn't direct me to it - but it does not matter as God is the One who leads this ministry - today is a great day - a day of remembrance - a day that we set aside each year to remember the sacrifice of those who came before us - our Nation continues to fight for what is right -even though many naysayers say the fighting is in vain and the new administration that is coming into power plans to take many of our men and women out of the fight - forgetting that freedom is not free- forgetting what it cost to free us from the bounds of dependance - the cost it took to bring freedom to us - I love a sign I saw the other day - it simply said this -
"Home of the free because of the brave!"
What a true saying - if it were not for those willing to put their very lives on the line - who knows what freedom if any we would have had-
now hear me out - I hate war -and I know GOD does -but just read the old testament - there is war all throughout it - and in the end there is gonna be a war of all wars - wars are a fact of life - American has fought not only for her freedom but of freedom around the world -We seek to bring some peace to the world - but also knowing that until Christ returns -there will be no real lasting peace in this world - there are those who hate the United States and everything we stand for - but we are thankful for those who stand in the gap -those on the front line -those who paid the price for our freedom we enjoy today - for some reason many these days feel that freedom is cheap -that it does not cost - lets remember those who laid their lives down for the freedom of America! And lets also not forget that JESUS CHRIST died to give us freedom from the penalty of our sins - Freedom always has a price -thankfully in both cases it has been paid for in blood - without those who have stood up and fought the good fight -we would not be free -
Lets remember - today is the day to thank a veteran!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY!
TRUE FREEDOM COMES FROM KNOWING CHRIST AS LORD
OUR NATION IS ONE NATION UNDER GOD AND WILL REMAIN SO AS LONG AS THERE ARE THOSE WHO TRUST CHRIST - CELEBRATE FREEDOM TODAY -
BOTH FROM THE OPPRESSION OF OUR ENEMIES AS A NATION AND OUR DELIVERANCE FROM THE ENEMY OF OUR SOULS
SPECIAL THANK YOU'S FOR TODAY
To My Dad - He fought for peace - Served in the US ARMY 20+ years
To My Grandfather -Hank - He served this nation proudly for many years
For Clinton M for serving this nation (My Grandfather in Law!)
To all veteran's of all wars - THANKS FOR DEFENDING OUR FREEDOM!
The Word:
FREEDOM IS NEVER FREE!
HOME OF THE FREE BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE
Remember the cost...
Proverbs 9:7
The memory of the just is blessed:
but the name of the wicked shall not!...
Finding a verse that fits for this day has been a bit of a problem - I know freedom is in the Word of God but my concordance in my Bible didn't direct me to it - but it does not matter as God is the One who leads this ministry - today is a great day - a day of remembrance - a day that we set aside each year to remember the sacrifice of those who came before us - our Nation continues to fight for what is right -even though many naysayers say the fighting is in vain and the new administration that is coming into power plans to take many of our men and women out of the fight - forgetting that freedom is not free- forgetting what it cost to free us from the bounds of dependance - the cost it took to bring freedom to us - I love a sign I saw the other day - it simply said this -
"Home of the free because of the brave!"
What a true saying - if it were not for those willing to put their very lives on the line - who knows what freedom if any we would have had-
now hear me out - I hate war -and I know GOD does -but just read the old testament - there is war all throughout it - and in the end there is gonna be a war of all wars - wars are a fact of life - American has fought not only for her freedom but of freedom around the world -We seek to bring some peace to the world - but also knowing that until Christ returns -there will be no real lasting peace in this world - there are those who hate the United States and everything we stand for - but we are thankful for those who stand in the gap -those on the front line -those who paid the price for our freedom we enjoy today - for some reason many these days feel that freedom is cheap -that it does not cost - lets remember those who laid their lives down for the freedom of America! And lets also not forget that JESUS CHRIST died to give us freedom from the penalty of our sins - Freedom always has a price -thankfully in both cases it has been paid for in blood - without those who have stood up and fought the good fight -we would not be free -
Lets remember - today is the day to thank a veteran!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY!
TRUE FREEDOM COMES FROM KNOWING CHRIST AS LORD
OUR NATION IS ONE NATION UNDER GOD AND WILL REMAIN SO AS LONG AS THERE ARE THOSE WHO TRUST CHRIST - CELEBRATE FREEDOM TODAY -
BOTH FROM THE OPPRESSION OF OUR ENEMIES AS A NATION AND OUR DELIVERANCE FROM THE ENEMY OF OUR SOULS
SPECIAL THANK YOU'S FOR TODAY
To My Dad - He fought for peace - Served in the US ARMY 20+ years
To My Grandfather -Hank - He served this nation proudly for many years
For Clinton M for serving this nation (My Grandfather in Law!)
To all veteran's of all wars - THANKS FOR DEFENDING OUR FREEDOM!
10/29/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Friday ~ 10/17/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 14
Ecclesiastes 5:10
Whoever loves money never has enough; whosoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income, this too is meaningless....
Here we go again- King Solomon once again gets on his this is meaningless kick! For several verse he didn't add this statement - until we get on the subject of money - how appropriate that we should read about money at a time like this when many people are losing their shirts - among other things - in the stock market- me I am not worried at all - its not that I have an unending flow of money - no that's not it - its that my trust is in JESUS not in the money I have - which by the way is not even mine - greed is what breed ed this stock market economy problem - Today's verse is right on the money (oh sorry - that's a pun!) Anyway - its so true that we (yes we) all depend on money far too much and too little on the ONE who owns it all - we are all human and can get caught up in this - hey I got my 401k statement the other day - ive had nothing but gain after gain - only to have it drop way down - I did get upset - but then God calmed me down - What are we living for? The wealth of this world that will soon pass away - or on JESUS CHRIST - the Author and finisher of our faith? Yes economic times seem bleak - but we must look pass all that we see now and look on to JESUS - He knows our needs - He has it covered - just trust Him!
We all have a mansion in heaven waiting on us!
The Final Word:
You may think you have nothing -
but if you have CHRIST you don't need anything else!
CHRIST will provide for us HIS children!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/17/08-
MONEY IS WORTHLESS UNLESS YOU SPEND IT
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 14
Ecclesiastes 5:10
Whoever loves money never has enough; whosoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income, this too is meaningless....
Here we go again- King Solomon once again gets on his this is meaningless kick! For several verse he didn't add this statement - until we get on the subject of money - how appropriate that we should read about money at a time like this when many people are losing their shirts - among other things - in the stock market- me I am not worried at all - its not that I have an unending flow of money - no that's not it - its that my trust is in JESUS not in the money I have - which by the way is not even mine - greed is what breed ed this stock market economy problem - Today's verse is right on the money (oh sorry - that's a pun!) Anyway - its so true that we (yes we) all depend on money far too much and too little on the ONE who owns it all - we are all human and can get caught up in this - hey I got my 401k statement the other day - ive had nothing but gain after gain - only to have it drop way down - I did get upset - but then God calmed me down - What are we living for? The wealth of this world that will soon pass away - or on JESUS CHRIST - the Author and finisher of our faith? Yes economic times seem bleak - but we must look pass all that we see now and look on to JESUS - He knows our needs - He has it covered - just trust Him!
We all have a mansion in heaven waiting on us!
The Final Word:
You may think you have nothing -
but if you have CHRIST you don't need anything else!
CHRIST will provide for us HIS children!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/17/08-
MONEY IS WORTHLESS UNLESS YOU SPEND IT
10_16_08<><
The Daily Blueprint ~ Thursday ~ 10/16/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 13
Ecclesiastes 5:7
If you see the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for HE that is higher then the highest regards the matter; and there be higher than they.
Today's verse reminds us all that God sees everything -there is nothing hidden from His view - while some may feel they get by with what they do -they could not be more wrong -sure JESUS laid HIS life down paying for our way to heaven -but we are still watched from on High - God longs for us to live lives that honor HIM - this is the whole point of our lives once He transforms us - He must change us from our present condition and renew us by His Spirit - once we come to know CHRIST everything in our lives should change -He paid the price for this change to take place. Its hard at times to see people whom seem to be getting away with things we know are wrong and seeing them seem blessed without trouble or even with having to answer God - but the truth is nothing is hidden from God -those who oppose Him will once day suffer - but now He will allow it for HIS glory - Lets remember our actions are seen by God - this should make us want to please Him even when no one else is looking -remember God sees all and knows all!
There is no escaping our GOD! Praise HIS Mighty name!
The Final Word:
God's eyes are on the sparrow but also on us!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHRIST sees all.
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- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/16/08-
GOD NEVER LOOKS THE OTHER WAY
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 13
Ecclesiastes 5:7
If you see the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for HE that is higher then the highest regards the matter; and there be higher than they.
Today's verse reminds us all that God sees everything -there is nothing hidden from His view - while some may feel they get by with what they do -they could not be more wrong -sure JESUS laid HIS life down paying for our way to heaven -but we are still watched from on High - God longs for us to live lives that honor HIM - this is the whole point of our lives once He transforms us - He must change us from our present condition and renew us by His Spirit - once we come to know CHRIST everything in our lives should change -He paid the price for this change to take place. Its hard at times to see people whom seem to be getting away with things we know are wrong and seeing them seem blessed without trouble or even with having to answer God - but the truth is nothing is hidden from God -those who oppose Him will once day suffer - but now He will allow it for HIS glory - Lets remember our actions are seen by God - this should make us want to please Him even when no one else is looking -remember God sees all and knows all!
There is no escaping our GOD! Praise HIS Mighty name!
The Final Word:
God's eyes are on the sparrow but also on us!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHRIST sees all.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/16/08-
GOD NEVER LOOKS THE OTHER WAY
10/24/2008
The Word:
The Last First, The First, last
MARK 10:31
But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
Today's verse reminds us all that Jesus said to be greatest you must be the servant of all - serving is not natural to our human nature -the way our human nature is set up -its all about what's in it for us - many are willing to serve so long as they know they are getting something out of it - when Christ saves us - we should be so full of joy at what He did for us -we should be willing to serve - but sadly many times we choose not serve the Lord -we can find many reasons why we don't - but in the end all of us will have to answer for our actions - thankfully in CHRIST all is forgiven - We need to remember that these lives don't really belong to us - Jesus paid a great price for us and He also made us - Its all about Him - I have heard it said that this world is backwards from what Heaven is like - the rich here seem to be getting richer - and there seems to be more poor among us - the current culture of this world shows just how selfish humanity can be - everywhere you look you can see people looking out for #1 - lets change that always look to JESUS CHRIST - HE should be first in our lives -not ourselves - there is room on the throne for only one God - amen!
Lets remember to be first - you have to be last - give not expecting anything in return - live totally for JESUS and HIM alone!
Jesus is our example of what it means to serve - follow HIS example!
amen!
The Final Word:
We could never repay God - We could never out give God -
All we have to offer Him is our lives....
CHRIST shows us what it means to serve!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/23/08-
If you want to be like Christ- become a servant!
The Last First, The First, last
MARK 10:31
But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
Today's verse reminds us all that Jesus said to be greatest you must be the servant of all - serving is not natural to our human nature -the way our human nature is set up -its all about what's in it for us - many are willing to serve so long as they know they are getting something out of it - when Christ saves us - we should be so full of joy at what He did for us -we should be willing to serve - but sadly many times we choose not serve the Lord -we can find many reasons why we don't - but in the end all of us will have to answer for our actions - thankfully in CHRIST all is forgiven - We need to remember that these lives don't really belong to us - Jesus paid a great price for us and He also made us - Its all about Him - I have heard it said that this world is backwards from what Heaven is like - the rich here seem to be getting richer - and there seems to be more poor among us - the current culture of this world shows just how selfish humanity can be - everywhere you look you can see people looking out for #1 - lets change that always look to JESUS CHRIST - HE should be first in our lives -not ourselves - there is room on the throne for only one God - amen!
Lets remember to be first - you have to be last - give not expecting anything in return - live totally for JESUS and HIM alone!
Jesus is our example of what it means to serve - follow HIS example!
amen!
The Final Word:
We could never repay God - We could never out give God -
All we have to offer Him is our lives....
CHRIST shows us what it means to serve!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/23/08-
If you want to be like Christ- become a servant!
10/22/2008
10_22_08<><
The Daily Blueprint ~ Wednesday ~ 10/22/08
The Word:
Remember HIS works
PSALM 111:4
He has made His wonderful works to be remembered:
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion!
I am back after an extended break from the ministry - I spend four days helping my Dad while my Step Mom has been in the hospital - the time has been precious that I could spend with my Dad and Step Mom - getting back into the swing of things is sometimes hard - but when God does all the work and just calls me to write it out -its not that hard at all - Today's verse talks about the works of God - they are to be remembered - Great are HIS works - just take a look around you right now - what do you see? Whatever you see belongs to God and is of His works - He made us - so anything we make He made - its not all about Him - everything we do for God should bring Him glory -that should always be the top goal - I was thinking yesterday about some trials I have been going through and how sometimes it seems like I am on my own - but God reminded me that HE is there - and as I go through this storm - He is with me - how I go through it will show others what I really think about God - He made all of us for a purpose -some have found it - some are still looking - but through it all we should strive to bring God glory -its not that He needs us at all - He needs no one - but He has chosen to create us and He wants to use us - all of us - no one is without the ability to bring God glory in some way - Pray to God today and seek His face so He will put you where you will be used to greatest - seek the LORD and HE will reveal HIS will for your life - lets always remember HIS mighty works - and the fact He is gracious and compassionate to us as we live this life - Glory to GOD in the Highest!
The Final Word:
Without GOD there would be nothing
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHRIST is all we need!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/22/08-
LOOK AT WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE
The Word:
Remember HIS works
PSALM 111:4
He has made His wonderful works to be remembered:
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion!
I am back after an extended break from the ministry - I spend four days helping my Dad while my Step Mom has been in the hospital - the time has been precious that I could spend with my Dad and Step Mom - getting back into the swing of things is sometimes hard - but when God does all the work and just calls me to write it out -its not that hard at all - Today's verse talks about the works of God - they are to be remembered - Great are HIS works - just take a look around you right now - what do you see? Whatever you see belongs to God and is of His works - He made us - so anything we make He made - its not all about Him - everything we do for God should bring Him glory -that should always be the top goal - I was thinking yesterday about some trials I have been going through and how sometimes it seems like I am on my own - but God reminded me that HE is there - and as I go through this storm - He is with me - how I go through it will show others what I really think about God - He made all of us for a purpose -some have found it - some are still looking - but through it all we should strive to bring God glory -its not that He needs us at all - He needs no one - but He has chosen to create us and He wants to use us - all of us - no one is without the ability to bring God glory in some way - Pray to God today and seek His face so He will put you where you will be used to greatest - seek the LORD and HE will reveal HIS will for your life - lets always remember HIS mighty works - and the fact He is gracious and compassionate to us as we live this life - Glory to GOD in the Highest!
The Final Word:
Without GOD there would be nothing
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHRIST is all we need!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/22/08-
LOOK AT WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE
10/15/2008
10*12*08
The Daily Blueprint ~ Tuesday ~ 10/14/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 12
Ecclesiastes 5:6
Suffer not your mouth to cause your flesh to sin; neither say before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at your voice, and destroy the work of your hands?
The Word God has many things to say about the tongue - in one place the Word says that out of the heart the mouth speaks - in another the Word speaks of the tongue as untamable - What we say matters - we will have to give an account for every idle word - we may have just said something without thinking but its clear from the Word of God we will be accountable for what we say - now what I am not saying is that God cannot forgive us the sin of saying what we say - but what I am saying is that we should not be flippant about what we say - our words mean much - the spoken word is very powerful -God spoke all that is into existence just by saying the words! We can destroy relationships with what our mouth speaks - Gosip is spread through what people say - the old saying that sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me - is simply untrue - we can remember what people have said to us from way back when - those things stay with us - we need to watch our mouths - knowing that if we just think it and not speak its just as bad - the solution is surrender to Jesus Christ -allow Him to clean up what we say - our words are powerful - never underestimate their power - may we allow GOD to tame our tongues to only speak of His glory!
To speak to others about His grace and to use our mouths as an instrument of God! Lets be careful what we say and how we say it!
The Final Word:
What have you said today?
CHRIST will change our heart thus changing our speech!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/14/08-
WORD OF GOD SPEAK.............
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 12
Ecclesiastes 5:6
Suffer not your mouth to cause your flesh to sin; neither say before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at your voice, and destroy the work of your hands?
The Word God has many things to say about the tongue - in one place the Word says that out of the heart the mouth speaks - in another the Word speaks of the tongue as untamable - What we say matters - we will have to give an account for every idle word - we may have just said something without thinking but its clear from the Word of God we will be accountable for what we say - now what I am not saying is that God cannot forgive us the sin of saying what we say - but what I am saying is that we should not be flippant about what we say - our words mean much - the spoken word is very powerful -God spoke all that is into existence just by saying the words! We can destroy relationships with what our mouth speaks - Gosip is spread through what people say - the old saying that sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me - is simply untrue - we can remember what people have said to us from way back when - those things stay with us - we need to watch our mouths - knowing that if we just think it and not speak its just as bad - the solution is surrender to Jesus Christ -allow Him to clean up what we say - our words are powerful - never underestimate their power - may we allow GOD to tame our tongues to only speak of His glory!
To speak to others about His grace and to use our mouths as an instrument of God! Lets be careful what we say and how we say it!
The Final Word:
What have you said today?
CHRIST will change our heart thus changing our speech!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/14/08-
WORD OF GOD SPEAK.............
10/14/2008
The Review of CHURCHED - Matthew Paul Turner's Latest Book
THE REVIEW OF "CHURCHED" - Matthew Paul Turner's latest book....
I read this book in just over 2 days - it's about Matthew when He was a child growing up in a church that was full of rules instead of being full of JESUS. Matthew learned many things at this church - many have stuck with him through the years - enough for him to write about it - I recommend this book to everyone - its a good read and I don't read books very quickly - but this one I could not put down!
Matthew explores his fundlementalist upbringing and finishes with present day Matthew!
From the beginning to end you wil laugh- cry and cheer Matthew on - many of the stories will have you rolling - you can just see it in your head - Matthew writes in such a way that you are there in the gym when He recieves the reward for being most Christlike - and you will see what it means to grow up a in a church that is so bent on rules that it loses the focus of what a church is to be - Matthew in no way slams his old church -its what makes him who he is today - through it all Matthew falls in love with JESUS -
so take some time - get this book - read it and laugh , cry and get carried back in time!
I'm Daniel and I approve of this message.....
here is what others have said about "Churched":
Here's the complete list of people who endorsed churched and what they had to say...
"Matthew Paul Turner has written a book that is at once funny and full of humanity. The prose was so vivid that, after reading it, I felt like I'd grown up in a fundamentalist Baptist family – and I'm a Jewish guy from New York."--AJ Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically
“Churched is funny, poignant, and surprisingly moving. In this deft story of his fundamentalist upbringing Matthew Paul Turner proclaims the good news: that even church can't drown out the message of Jesus.”—Sara Miles, author of Take This Bread
“Turner’s churched lives in that elusive space between whimsical memories of an innocent youth and cringe-inducing flashbacks of life growing up in the church. Like a visit with long-lost relatives, churched reintroduced me to characters anyone who grew up in the church will find familiar, and I was surprised to find that I was glad to see them. Sweet-hearted, funny, and honest, churched had me reminiscing about the little boy searching for God that I once was and gently reminded me I still have some miles to travel.”—Dan Merchant, writer/director of Lord, Save Us From Your Followers
“Thanks to churched, Matthew Paul Turner’s vivid, often hilarious account of his childhood, I realized that not having grown up in evangelical culture is less of a handicap than I previously thought!” —Andrew Beaujon, author of Body Piercing Saved My Life and writer for the Washington Post“Turner crafts an amusing field guide to fundamentalism that’s both a gentle lampoon of hypocrisy and misplaced fervor, and a model of how to survive being ‘churched’ without cynically rejecting the good with the bad, the Founder with his followers.”—Anna Broadway, author of Sexless in the City
“Matthew Paul Turner’s memoir has the insight of Anne Lamott and the comic honesty of David Sedaris. His stories force us to wonder which of our Christian beliefs and practices come from scripture and which spring up out of our own preferences and fears.”—Rob Stennett, author of The Almost True Story Of Ryan Fisher
“Finally! A bona-fide humorist in the North American church! I might be tempted to say Matthew Paul Turner is Christendom’s answer to David Sedaris, but Matthew stands on his own without the comparison. A memoirist who doesn’t take himself or the world too seriously, but still manages to write profoundly and beautifully, Turner gave me a belly-laugh on almost every page. If you grew up believing ‘being conformed not to this world’ meant being the weirdest kid on the block, churched will be the funniest book you’ve read in years!” —Lisa Samson, award-winning author of Quaker Summer, Embrace Me and Justice in the Burbs
“With his homespun humor and eye for living detail, Matthew Paul Turner’s churched invites readers to rethink the quirks of Christian culture for the sake of uncovering that which is lastingly good and worth holding dear. Turner’s work is a refreshingly gentle discussion of faith and culture with the potential to spark meaningful conversations.”—Pete Gall, author of My Beautiful Idol
"If you didn't think Jesus-loving fundamentalist kids were very funny, Matthew Paul Turner proves you wrong."-- Jason Boyett, author of Pocket Guide to the Bible and Pocket Guide to the Apocalypse.“How can a book be so stinkin’ funny and yet so poignant at the same time? Matthew Paul Turner found his voice! After reading churched I wanted to hug him and then toss out all of my son’s clip-on ties.” —Jennifer Schuchmann, author of Six Prayers God Always Answers
“Who knew that a journey through faith and fundamentalism could be so painfully funny? I laughed out loud many a time while reading churched. Matthew Paul Turner manages to channel both boyhood innocence and wry retrospective through this fast-moving account of growing up with Jesus in late twentieth-century America.”—Mike Morrell, TheOoze.com“A funny, heartfelt portrayal of one man’s attempt to find true meaning despite his upbringing among fundamentalists who taught him that Azrael—the cat from The Smurfs—was an agent of Satan. The true miracle of this book is that its author never manages to lose his faith.”—Robert Lanham, author of Sinner's Guide To The Evangelical Right
Summary:
He spent his childhood trapped within the confines of countless bizarre, strict rules. And lived to tell about it.In this first-hand account, author Matthew Paul Turner shares amusing–sometimes cringe-worthy–and poignant stories about growing up in a fundamentalist household, where even well-intentioned contemporary Christian music was proclaimed to be “of the devil.” churched is a collection of stories that detail an American boy’s experiences growing up in a culture where men weren’t allowed let their hair grow to touch their ears (“an abomination!”), women wouldn’t have been caught dead in a pair of pants (unless swimming), and the pastor couldn’t preach a sermon without a healthy dose of hellfire and brimstone. Matthew grapples with the absurdity of a Sunday School Barbie burning, the passionate annual boxing match between the pastor and Satan, and the holiness of being baptized a fifth time–while growing into a young man who, amidst the chaotic mess of religion, falls in love with Jesus.
He spent his childhood trapped within the confines of countless bizarre, strict rules. And lived to tell about it.In this first-hand account, author Matthew Paul Turner shares amusing–sometimes cringe-worthy–and poignant stories about growing up in a fundamentalist household, where even well-intentioned contemporary Christian music was proclaimed to be “of the devil.” churched is a collection of stories that detail an American boy’s experiences growing up in a culture where men weren’t allowed let their hair grow to touch their ears (“an abomination!”), women wouldn’t have been caught dead in a pair of pants (unless swimming), and the pastor couldn’t preach a sermon without a healthy dose of hellfire and brimstone. Matthew grapples with the absurdity of a Sunday School Barbie burning, the passionate annual boxing match between the pastor and Satan, and the holiness of being baptized a fifth time–while growing into a young man who, amidst the chaotic mess of religion, falls in love with Jesus.
Author Bio:
Matthew Paul Turner is a blogger, speaker and author of The Coffeehouse Gospel, Provocative Faith, Beatitude: Relearning Jesus, the What You Didn’t Learn from Your Parents About… series, and several other popular books. He has written for Relevant, HomeLife, Christian Single magazines and was the former editor of CCM magazine. Matthew and his wife, Jessica, live in Nashville, Tennessee. He can be found online at www.matthewpaulturner.com.
Matthew Paul Turner is a blogger, speaker and author of The Coffeehouse Gospel, Provocative Faith, Beatitude: Relearning Jesus, the What You Didn’t Learn from Your Parents About… series, and several other popular books. He has written for Relevant, HomeLife, Christian Single magazines and was the former editor of CCM magazine. Matthew and his wife, Jessica, live in Nashville, Tennessee. He can be found online at www.matthewpaulturner.com.
To purchase "CHURCHED"
please visit the following sites:
I am personally giving away one copy of this book - please email me at INTHEWORD2004@aol.com
and the first person who responses will recieve one copy!
GOD BLESS YOU !
Daniel
Livin in the Word Ministries
10/13/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Thursday ~ 10/2/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 11
Ecclesiastes 5:2
Be not rash with your mouth and let not your heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven and you are upon the earth: therefore let my words be few!
One of my favorite music groups is three pastors that make up the band - Phillips, Craig and Dean - they have been around for years - one of their latest CDs was entitled Let My Words Be Few I always liked the title but until reading the above verse - did I know it comes right from the Bible - its not just some saying picked out of the air - its actually from God's word - to me the whole issue is being careful of what you say - God's Word says that out of the heart the mouth speaks - so its not so much just trying to control your tongue - its more about allowing God to change your heart - once your heart is changed - your language will no longer be an issue - but still we all need a lesson in being careful what you say before God - nothing we say is kept to ourselves - for God even knows our thoughts - and also knows what we will say -do - or think before we do! =-) God is everywhere at once - our minds cannot understand that - but anyway - we should let our words be few - many times during our "prayer time" we spend much of that time speaking out piece - we want God to hear us so we assume many words mean He will hear us better -but this is not the case -God would rather us speak 10 true words then 100 words that don't come from our hearts - He wants us to know Him personally -this means we must spend time with Him - I have many friends but sometimes they seem distant - or maybe I am distant - it takes a lot of work to keep friendships going - both parties must be willing to compromise and help the other -we must be willing to think more of others then ourselves - again all this flows from our heart - let our word be few so that people will see GOD and not us! We are just His servants anyway! Let God use you today - speak the truth in love - many forget that last part! Amen!
The Final Word:
We should only say what's profitable - let's not waste our words!
CHRIST speaks through the WORD - WORD OF GOD SPEAK!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/2/08-
May our words be few - and may they all praise the LORD!
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 11
Ecclesiastes 5:2
Be not rash with your mouth and let not your heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven and you are upon the earth: therefore let my words be few!
One of my favorite music groups is three pastors that make up the band - Phillips, Craig and Dean - they have been around for years - one of their latest CDs was entitled Let My Words Be Few I always liked the title but until reading the above verse - did I know it comes right from the Bible - its not just some saying picked out of the air - its actually from God's word - to me the whole issue is being careful of what you say - God's Word says that out of the heart the mouth speaks - so its not so much just trying to control your tongue - its more about allowing God to change your heart - once your heart is changed - your language will no longer be an issue - but still we all need a lesson in being careful what you say before God - nothing we say is kept to ourselves - for God even knows our thoughts - and also knows what we will say -do - or think before we do! =-) God is everywhere at once - our minds cannot understand that - but anyway - we should let our words be few - many times during our "prayer time" we spend much of that time speaking out piece - we want God to hear us so we assume many words mean He will hear us better -but this is not the case -God would rather us speak 10 true words then 100 words that don't come from our hearts - He wants us to know Him personally -this means we must spend time with Him - I have many friends but sometimes they seem distant - or maybe I am distant - it takes a lot of work to keep friendships going - both parties must be willing to compromise and help the other -we must be willing to think more of others then ourselves - again all this flows from our heart - let our word be few so that people will see GOD and not us! We are just His servants anyway! Let God use you today - speak the truth in love - many forget that last part! Amen!
The Final Word:
We should only say what's profitable - let's not waste our words!
CHRIST speaks through the WORD - WORD OF GOD SPEAK!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/2/08-
May our words be few - and may they all praise the LORD!
The Daily Blueprint ~ Friday ~ 10/10/08
The Word:
GOD'S BLINDING LIGHT
GOSPEL OF JOHN 3:19
And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather then the Light, because their deeds were evil.
Jesus called Himself the Light that had come into the world to save sinners. This light is blinding to those who don't believe in Jesus - and also those who commit deeds of evil - or some could call them deeds of darkness - another way of looking at this is that sin is darkness while holiness is light - we either love the darkness or the light - but cannot love both - we must choice who will we serve - if we follow Jesus and walk in the Light -our sins will come to light and God will begin to deal with our sinful ways - His objective is always to conform us to the image of His Son - Jesus Christ. This is the goal - truth be known there are many who refuse to follow Jesus because they are afraid their evil deeds would no longer be allowed to be done - basically human nature is selfish - it feeds its desires -and dose not want to follow Jesus at all - matter of fact the WORD says that men loved darkness more then the light and didn't want their sin to be revealed - many live in full fledged denial about their sins - when our lives are held up to the Light our sins will be shown - The Word also says all have fallen short -each and every day I realize how much I need God's grace -this grace is only found in the light - lets follow the Light of Christ and allow Him to transform our lives!
The Final Word:
Its impossible to hide your sin when the light is cast on your life.
CHRIST shines in the heart of those who believe!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/10/08-
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine....
The Word:
GOD'S BLINDING LIGHT
GOSPEL OF JOHN 3:19
And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather then the Light, because their deeds were evil.
Jesus called Himself the Light that had come into the world to save sinners. This light is blinding to those who don't believe in Jesus - and also those who commit deeds of evil - or some could call them deeds of darkness - another way of looking at this is that sin is darkness while holiness is light - we either love the darkness or the light - but cannot love both - we must choice who will we serve - if we follow Jesus and walk in the Light -our sins will come to light and God will begin to deal with our sinful ways - His objective is always to conform us to the image of His Son - Jesus Christ. This is the goal - truth be known there are many who refuse to follow Jesus because they are afraid their evil deeds would no longer be allowed to be done - basically human nature is selfish - it feeds its desires -and dose not want to follow Jesus at all - matter of fact the WORD says that men loved darkness more then the light and didn't want their sin to be revealed - many live in full fledged denial about their sins - when our lives are held up to the Light our sins will be shown - The Word also says all have fallen short -each and every day I realize how much I need God's grace -this grace is only found in the light - lets follow the Light of Christ and allow Him to transform our lives!
The Final Word:
Its impossible to hide your sin when the light is cast on your life.
CHRIST shines in the heart of those who believe!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/10/08-
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine....
10/09/2008
CHURCHED by Matthew Paul Turner
LOOK FOR INFO SOON ON MATTHEW'S LATEST BOOK -"CHURCHED"
I read this book in three days , that's how great it is - a little overview - this is about Matthew when he was growing up in a funalmentalist church - now in his 30's - Matthew looks back to a simpler? time -
STAY TUNED>........more about "CHURCHED" soon
I read this book in three days , that's how great it is - a little overview - this is about Matthew when he was growing up in a funalmentalist church - now in his 30's - Matthew looks back to a simpler? time -
STAY TUNED>........more about "CHURCHED" soon
The Daily Blueprint ~ Wednesday ~ 10/8/08
The Word:
WAIT'N
ISAIAH 30:18
...therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious to you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: For the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him!
Many times we hear of waiting on the Lord - but today's verse brings to mind that its God who waits! God is waiting to end this world so we can all go home and be with Jesus - but its not yet time - for God does not want any to parish but He wants and longs for all to come to Him and be saved- God is waiting till the time is right -as His people we also have been called to wait - many times in this life we don't like the circumstances of our lives and want to pass through the valley as quickly as we can - but this not always the case or the option we have - Moses was in the valley 40 years - many of us don't like a day of trial or an hour of trial - we must be willing to go through what God allows so that we can be more like Him! This is the whole point of living this life -its for God's glory! Its not about us getting our way - its about GOD being on the Throne - sovereign and in full control - He knows what is best all the time - in the meantime - we are waiting to see the King - one day my friends - Jesus will come back and take us home! What a glorious day that will be...Praise the LORD
Much of life is spent waiting - but the best thing is to wait on God!
The Final Word:
We should be thankful GOD is patient and that HE wants for us!
PRAISE GOD!
CHRIST waits so we can be more like Him!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/8/08-
As a farmer waits for his crop- we are to wait on the LORD!
The Word:
WAIT'N
ISAIAH 30:18
...therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious to you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: For the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him!
Many times we hear of waiting on the Lord - but today's verse brings to mind that its God who waits! God is waiting to end this world so we can all go home and be with Jesus - but its not yet time - for God does not want any to parish but He wants and longs for all to come to Him and be saved- God is waiting till the time is right -as His people we also have been called to wait - many times in this life we don't like the circumstances of our lives and want to pass through the valley as quickly as we can - but this not always the case or the option we have - Moses was in the valley 40 years - many of us don't like a day of trial or an hour of trial - we must be willing to go through what God allows so that we can be more like Him! This is the whole point of living this life -its for God's glory! Its not about us getting our way - its about GOD being on the Throne - sovereign and in full control - He knows what is best all the time - in the meantime - we are waiting to see the King - one day my friends - Jesus will come back and take us home! What a glorious day that will be...Praise the LORD
Much of life is spent waiting - but the best thing is to wait on God!
The Final Word:
We should be thankful GOD is patient and that HE wants for us!
PRAISE GOD!
CHRIST waits so we can be more like Him!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/8/08-
As a farmer waits for his crop- we are to wait on the LORD!
10/07/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Tuesday ~ 10/7/08
The Word:
OPEN EARS
2nd Chronicles 6:39
Then You hear from the heavens, even from Your dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications,
and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people which have sinned against You.
More often then not -Prayer is the subject of many of theses devotionals and with good reason - prayer is essential in the life of a Christ-follower - how can we know God without talking to Him daily? How can we know anything about Him without reading His Mighty Word? Prayer is simply our conversation with God - it should be a dialog - not a monolog - it should be both presenting our requests to God, and offering Him praise - in this we must be willing to come apart and listen - we are usually convinced we have to do something - that we must continue to talk or else the prayer ends - what God wants I believe is for prayer to be our lifestyle - many times we get far too formal and miss the point - often - well every morning I can - I pray on my way into work - the subject matters differs a little each time - but the main thing stays the same - I try and remember to Praise God before just coming before Him with supplications - He does care for what we have need of - God is closer then we think - He is just a prayer away. HE does listen but we need to understand that often His answers are not really what we thought we where looking for - we never know what today's prayer will do! God is always there and the line of communication is always open - often times we fail God or fall into some type of sin and think we can no longer come before God and prayer - at these times we need God the most -its when we need to be sure to keep our side of communication with God open!
The Final Word:
Prayer is never a one way street - its equal parts Praise - Request and Worship! Have you prayed lately?
CHRIST always got away from everything to pray!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/7/08-
GOD LONGS TO HERE FROM YOU
The Word:
OPEN EARS
2nd Chronicles 6:39
Then You hear from the heavens, even from Your dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications,
and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people which have sinned against You.
More often then not -Prayer is the subject of many of theses devotionals and with good reason - prayer is essential in the life of a Christ-follower - how can we know God without talking to Him daily? How can we know anything about Him without reading His Mighty Word? Prayer is simply our conversation with God - it should be a dialog - not a monolog - it should be both presenting our requests to God, and offering Him praise - in this we must be willing to come apart and listen - we are usually convinced we have to do something - that we must continue to talk or else the prayer ends - what God wants I believe is for prayer to be our lifestyle - many times we get far too formal and miss the point - often - well every morning I can - I pray on my way into work - the subject matters differs a little each time - but the main thing stays the same - I try and remember to Praise God before just coming before Him with supplications - He does care for what we have need of - God is closer then we think - He is just a prayer away. HE does listen but we need to understand that often His answers are not really what we thought we where looking for - we never know what today's prayer will do! God is always there and the line of communication is always open - often times we fail God or fall into some type of sin and think we can no longer come before God and prayer - at these times we need God the most -its when we need to be sure to keep our side of communication with God open!
The Final Word:
Prayer is never a one way street - its equal parts Praise - Request and Worship! Have you prayed lately?
CHRIST always got away from everything to pray!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 10/7/08-
GOD LONGS TO HERE FROM YOU
The Daily Blueprint
The Word:
He Is Over All
1st Corinthians 15:27
For HE has put all things under HIS feet. But when HE has said all things are put under HIM, it is manifest that HE is excepted, which did put all things under HIM.
Jesus Christ is over all, period - He who made all things and spoke all things into existence has the power to save us! He and He alone has this power - and there is no force in the universe that is stronger than Jesus Christ! We are saved by His blood that HE willingly poured out on the cross - He went there for you and for me - He went there to restore the broken relationship we had with God the Father through the sin of Adam and Eve - left to our own devises - we would be lost forever - but praise be to God that He has saved us - redeemed us - and made us into new creations that are now pleasing in His sight - one thing that is true is God loves everyone - He longs for all to come to Him with repentance in their hearts and a song of praise on their lips to God who is over all - Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega- the first and the last - and the everlasting Father - In Him there is no beginning and can be no end - He is from every lasting to every lasting and beyond - our minds cannot fathom what God has done nor what He can do - all HE asks of us is to trust Him -to admit that our sins separated us from God and His work on the cross saved us once and for all - He no longer has to die for our sins - all this shows us that Jesus is over all!
Lets praise our Risen Lord today and forever more-
know that HE is over all! Amen!
The Final Word:
There is none greater then our GOD!
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CHRIST only did what the Father did - that is to save!
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- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/26/08-
JESUS SAVES - THANK GOD - JESUS SAVES!
10/01/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Tuesday ~ 9/30/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 10
Ecclesiastes 3:14
I know that, whatsoever God does, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken away from it: and God does it, that men should fear before Him!
God has a plan - and while we don't have all the details - we know that whatever God does is right and never wrong - He always knows best- and for sure He knows more then any of us - we are just here for a short time -this is not our final resting place -this is not our home - and the things that God does -He does because He wants to do it that way - He has a purpose in everything He allows into our lives - nothing is beyond His care and control -He sees all - knows all and in Him all things exist - without God there would be nothing at all - This shows us that our lives do have meaning if we will view them from His perspective and not our own limited one - What God does cannot be stopped by any mere man - He does what HE does for an outcome He is looking for - the trials of this life are so that we can learn to be more like Jesus - nothing is wasted -all things that happen to us have meaning - nothing just happens - God allows what HE allows for HIS purpose - the sooner we learn this - the more joyful we will be - we don't have to carry the load of the world on our shoulders -they were never meant to carry such a load - give it all to JESUS - He desires an intimate close relationship with you -won't you just trust HIM!?
The Final Word:
Where we are today depends on where we came from and where we are going... we can choose either to draw closer to God or further away.
CHRIST causes all things to work for good for HIS purpose!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/30/08-
ONLY GOD HAS CONTROL - WE ARE ALL AT HIS MERCY
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 10
Ecclesiastes 3:14
I know that, whatsoever God does, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken away from it: and God does it, that men should fear before Him!
God has a plan - and while we don't have all the details - we know that whatever God does is right and never wrong - He always knows best- and for sure He knows more then any of us - we are just here for a short time -this is not our final resting place -this is not our home - and the things that God does -He does because He wants to do it that way - He has a purpose in everything He allows into our lives - nothing is beyond His care and control -He sees all - knows all and in Him all things exist - without God there would be nothing at all - This shows us that our lives do have meaning if we will view them from His perspective and not our own limited one - What God does cannot be stopped by any mere man - He does what HE does for an outcome He is looking for - the trials of this life are so that we can learn to be more like Jesus - nothing is wasted -all things that happen to us have meaning - nothing just happens - God allows what HE allows for HIS purpose - the sooner we learn this - the more joyful we will be - we don't have to carry the load of the world on our shoulders -they were never meant to carry such a load - give it all to JESUS - He desires an intimate close relationship with you -won't you just trust HIM!?
The Final Word:
Where we are today depends on where we came from and where we are going... we can choose either to draw closer to God or further away.
CHRIST causes all things to work for good for HIS purpose!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/30/08-
ONLY GOD HAS CONTROL - WE ARE ALL AT HIS MERCY
9/30/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Monday ~ 9/29/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 9
Ecclesiastes 3:3-4
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up, a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to morn and a time to dance....
Continuing on the theme of a time for everything under the sun -today's selection talks about a time to kill and heal - a time to weep and a time to laugh - the last part of this verse came alive to me this weekend -you see my great friend from years ago whom I have not spoken too for a least 4 years - its not that we don't enjoy each other - its the fact he has moved away and has a life of his own - we just no longer cross paths -that was until this weekend and I heard his Father had passed away - me and this family go back at least 20 years or so - and it was a joy to see many of them again -and yet it was also a time of sorrow - a mixture of the celebration of a life that was given to Jesus - and the sorrow of losing someone to death. There was weeping and there was laughter - remembering the old times brought that out even more - this life is but a cycle - if you are born- you will die - if you were lost - when JESUS saves you - you will be found - we don't find JESUS but He finds us - when you lose someone you love -its a mixture of sorrow because we miss them - but a time of rejoicing because we will see them again - as far as me and my friend are apart - we are closer then ever in the fact we are brothers in Christ - if you are in Christ -these cycles won't worry you- its all a part of this journey called life - we will lose some and win some - but in the end -we will rejoice in our lives that where lived for Christ! What time of life is this for you? Whatever time in the cycle - Jesus is still LORD of it all! Amen! Praise GOD!
The Final Word:
IF TODAY YOU WEEP - TOMORROW YOU WILL REJOICE!
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CHRIST is always with us - no matter what!
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- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/29/08-
Cry - Laugh - but in all worship GOD!
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 9
Ecclesiastes 3:3-4
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up, a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to morn and a time to dance....
Continuing on the theme of a time for everything under the sun -today's selection talks about a time to kill and heal - a time to weep and a time to laugh - the last part of this verse came alive to me this weekend -you see my great friend from years ago whom I have not spoken too for a least 4 years - its not that we don't enjoy each other - its the fact he has moved away and has a life of his own - we just no longer cross paths -that was until this weekend and I heard his Father had passed away - me and this family go back at least 20 years or so - and it was a joy to see many of them again -and yet it was also a time of sorrow - a mixture of the celebration of a life that was given to Jesus - and the sorrow of losing someone to death. There was weeping and there was laughter - remembering the old times brought that out even more - this life is but a cycle - if you are born- you will die - if you were lost - when JESUS saves you - you will be found - we don't find JESUS but He finds us - when you lose someone you love -its a mixture of sorrow because we miss them - but a time of rejoicing because we will see them again - as far as me and my friend are apart - we are closer then ever in the fact we are brothers in Christ - if you are in Christ -these cycles won't worry you- its all a part of this journey called life - we will lose some and win some - but in the end -we will rejoice in our lives that where lived for Christ! What time of life is this for you? Whatever time in the cycle - Jesus is still LORD of it all! Amen! Praise GOD!
The Final Word:
IF TODAY YOU WEEP - TOMORROW YOU WILL REJOICE!
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CHRIST is always with us - no matter what!
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- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/29/08-
Cry - Laugh - but in all worship GOD!
9/28/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Thursday ~ 9/18/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 8
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under of heaven: A time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which has been planted....
Today's verse talks about a time for everything - the truth is the truth - there is a time to be born and if you are born you will one day die to these physical bodies - but in Christ that will not be the end - only the beginning. This place is not our home and from the look of things in the headlines - that's a very good thing - This world is full of evil and sin - but it was not always that way - before the fall of man - Earth was paradise - there was no death - no pain - no fear and no sin- but in the midst of the garden the enemy of our souls was lurking - his goal was to undermine God and cause humanity to fall into sin - before this happened- Adam and Eve had little knowledge of what sin was - they knew God given them orders never to eat from the tree in the midst of the garden - but under the temptation of satan -Eve and then Adam gave in and things were never the same - the good news however is God sent Jesus to this world to restore our souls to Himself! We now have meaning in our lives - while this is all true - if we should die in the flesh before Jesus returns - we will be going home! Since we were born -we will die - and when you plant - one day you will harvest - for everything under heaven there is a reason - nothing happens haphazardly in this world -its all on course by God - Does your life have purpose and meaning? Or are you just spinning your wheels - this too shall pass -and pass quickly. Time here is short - lets make the most of it for the Glory of God!
The Final Word:
TO FIND MEANING IN LIFE - LET JESUS FIND YOU!
CHRIST gave us all we needed in HIMSELF!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/18/08-
WHEN THE SUN RISES IN THE EAST - IT WILL SOON SET IN THE WEST
9/26/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Thursday ~ 9/25/08
The Word:
His Mercy Endures
Romans 9:15-16
For He said to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy.
One thing we can be assured of - God is a God of mercy - He who sent His Only Son to die for our sins - is the same God who reigns right now - God is on His Throne as I type these words - He is in full control and He will show mercy on those He wants to show mercy too - God can do what HE wants because HE is never wrong -never caught off guard - He knows all - Sees all and can be all places at once - We are so much unlike Him as we are limited but He is unlimited. Some think God shows us mercy because of something we have done - its not what we have done that warrants mercy - its totally and completely about what Jesus did - His death and resurrection from the dead secures our future - heaven begins the moment you are saved - now I am not going to tell you that when you come to know Christ that everything will go well - it won't - this world is full of sin -its full of evil - and the enemy of our souls hates God - he wants nothing more then have many join him in hell for eternity - but because of CHRIST and HIS sacrifice - we now have heaven to look forward too - imagine it - Our minds cannot even dream up what it must be like - the fact is none of us deserves heaven -we cannot make it on our merit at all - we must put our whole eternity on the line by trusting Jesus as our Savior - God's mercy will endure - He is a loving Father - and through His Son - His mercy endures!
The Final Word:
Sin's penalty has been taken away by the blood of JESUS!
CHRIST took our sin and brought us mercy!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/25/08-
GOD'S MERCY ALLOWED US TO LIVE THIS DAY!
The Word:
His Mercy Endures
Romans 9:15-16
For He said to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy.
One thing we can be assured of - God is a God of mercy - He who sent His Only Son to die for our sins - is the same God who reigns right now - God is on His Throne as I type these words - He is in full control and He will show mercy on those He wants to show mercy too - God can do what HE wants because HE is never wrong -never caught off guard - He knows all - Sees all and can be all places at once - We are so much unlike Him as we are limited but He is unlimited. Some think God shows us mercy because of something we have done - its not what we have done that warrants mercy - its totally and completely about what Jesus did - His death and resurrection from the dead secures our future - heaven begins the moment you are saved - now I am not going to tell you that when you come to know Christ that everything will go well - it won't - this world is full of sin -its full of evil - and the enemy of our souls hates God - he wants nothing more then have many join him in hell for eternity - but because of CHRIST and HIS sacrifice - we now have heaven to look forward too - imagine it - Our minds cannot even dream up what it must be like - the fact is none of us deserves heaven -we cannot make it on our merit at all - we must put our whole eternity on the line by trusting Jesus as our Savior - God's mercy will endure - He is a loving Father - and through His Son - His mercy endures!
The Final Word:
Sin's penalty has been taken away by the blood of JESUS!
CHRIST took our sin and brought us mercy!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/25/08-
GOD'S MERCY ALLOWED US TO LIVE THIS DAY!
9/24/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Wednesday ~ 9/24/08
The Word:
Turning Away
Acts 3:25-26
You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham,
And in your seed all the kindreds of the earth shall be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up His Son Jesus,
sent Him to bless you, in turning away
everyone of us from his iniquities.
God wants us to turn away from our sin and turn to Him - The only way this can happen is through His Son Jesus! His blood is what allows us to come into His presence at all - remember that God cannot look upon sin - The Father had to turn His back on the His Son for the first time ever while He suffered on the cross - as our sins where placed on Him. Through Abraham the Earth has been blessed that's for sure - even though the nation of Israel was being persecuted - she continued to grow in numbers - God made a promise that Abraham's family would number more then all the stars - and today its evident by the size of this nation today. God sent His Son to take the sins that entangle us and set us free so that we could have a personal and intimate relationship with Himself! Jesus takes over and our sins are forgiven because He poured out HIS blood on Calvary for us. Once we come to know Christ- there is a turning away from our old life - we are now new creations - in some people the changes can be overnight -but others its over an entire lifetime - the goal for God is to cause us to be like His Son. The closer we get to Jesus the further from sin we should be - I don't believe in this life we will ever get to a sin free period - Jesus paid the price and He was the only perfect one without sin -the rest of us have sinned and will sin - the difference is we have Jesus as our Savior and He took our sins upon Himself - When we come closer to Jesus - we should be turning away from our sins - lets leave them in the past where they belong. Life free today! Allow God to change your heart so that you won't sin against Him!
The Final Word:
As you turn toward Jesus you should begin to turn away from sin
CHRIST wants us to turn away from sin and to Himself
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/24/08-
Sin will keep us away from Jesus , His Blood will bring us back to Him
The Word:
Turning Away
Acts 3:25-26
You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham,
And in your seed all the kindreds of the earth shall be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up His Son Jesus,
sent Him to bless you, in turning away
everyone of us from his iniquities.
God wants us to turn away from our sin and turn to Him - The only way this can happen is through His Son Jesus! His blood is what allows us to come into His presence at all - remember that God cannot look upon sin - The Father had to turn His back on the His Son for the first time ever while He suffered on the cross - as our sins where placed on Him. Through Abraham the Earth has been blessed that's for sure - even though the nation of Israel was being persecuted - she continued to grow in numbers - God made a promise that Abraham's family would number more then all the stars - and today its evident by the size of this nation today. God sent His Son to take the sins that entangle us and set us free so that we could have a personal and intimate relationship with Himself! Jesus takes over and our sins are forgiven because He poured out HIS blood on Calvary for us. Once we come to know Christ- there is a turning away from our old life - we are now new creations - in some people the changes can be overnight -but others its over an entire lifetime - the goal for God is to cause us to be like His Son. The closer we get to Jesus the further from sin we should be - I don't believe in this life we will ever get to a sin free period - Jesus paid the price and He was the only perfect one without sin -the rest of us have sinned and will sin - the difference is we have Jesus as our Savior and He took our sins upon Himself - When we come closer to Jesus - we should be turning away from our sins - lets leave them in the past where they belong. Life free today! Allow God to change your heart so that you won't sin against Him!
The Final Word:
As you turn toward Jesus you should begin to turn away from sin
CHRIST wants us to turn away from sin and to Himself
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/24/08-
Sin will keep us away from Jesus , His Blood will bring us back to Him
9/23/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Tuesday ~ 9/23/08
The Word:
What To Boast Of...
Proverbs 27:1
Boast not yourself of tomorrow; for you don't know what I day may bring forth...
I was went to God's word this verse was on the page I turned too - and its a good one to think about - What should we boast of? The Words says not to boast about tomorrow because only God knows what's gonna happen- for it has not happened yet - so who are we to boast of what is not yet here - the same goes with all we have - it all comes from God and He owns it all - we just use it - this includes our very bodies - What then shall we boast of?
The simple answer is that we have been redeemed from our sins by the blood of the Lamb - we can boast that the righteousness we have in Christ didn't come from us - but all from Him - the Word says our goodness is like soiled rags - the spotless garments we now have come from Christ alone!
We all make plans and there is nothing wrong with that - but many times we just assume tomorrow will come - we always think that we have another chance to do whatever -but the truth is we have no idea -only God knows - the point to me is not to waste you life on things that don't matter - its easy to get caught up in our own little world and miss the bigger picture.
Lets boast in CHRIST and HIM crucified as Paul has said - lets be willing to lay our will at God's feet - and then we can boast about His goodness and grace -praise the LORD GOD!
The Final Word:
GOD IS GOOD AND BECAUSE HE IS GOOD - HE GAVE US HIS GRACE
CHRIST is who we can boast about!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/23/08-
Today is the present - yesterday is gone - tomorrow not yet here!
The Word:
What To Boast Of...
Proverbs 27:1
Boast not yourself of tomorrow; for you don't know what I day may bring forth...
I was went to God's word this verse was on the page I turned too - and its a good one to think about - What should we boast of? The Words says not to boast about tomorrow because only God knows what's gonna happen- for it has not happened yet - so who are we to boast of what is not yet here - the same goes with all we have - it all comes from God and He owns it all - we just use it - this includes our very bodies - What then shall we boast of?
The simple answer is that we have been redeemed from our sins by the blood of the Lamb - we can boast that the righteousness we have in Christ didn't come from us - but all from Him - the Word says our goodness is like soiled rags - the spotless garments we now have come from Christ alone!
We all make plans and there is nothing wrong with that - but many times we just assume tomorrow will come - we always think that we have another chance to do whatever -but the truth is we have no idea -only God knows - the point to me is not to waste you life on things that don't matter - its easy to get caught up in our own little world and miss the bigger picture.
Lets boast in CHRIST and HIM crucified as Paul has said - lets be willing to lay our will at God's feet - and then we can boast about His goodness and grace -praise the LORD GOD!
The Final Word:
GOD IS GOOD AND BECAUSE HE IS GOOD - HE GAVE US HIS GRACE
CHRIST is who we can boast about!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/23/08-
Today is the present - yesterday is gone - tomorrow not yet here!
9/22/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Monday ~ 9/22/08
The Word:
He Desires Us
ISAIAH 53:2
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, & as a root out of dry ground; He has no form or comeliness; & when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.
Left to our own devises we would never seek after Jesus Christ - we would have never thought about His great love for us without the leading of the Holy Spirit of the Living God - He draws all men to Himself - We would never have picked Jesus - there is nothing about what we see of His physical appearance that would draw you to Him - and our flesh is an enemy of God -all because of sin - we were not made to die -we were not made to disobey God but He made us unlike robots who function without choice -God has given us a choice - which is hard to understand when the truth of the matter is God desires us -God first loved us - God made us - He did all this before we came to be - and He loves all of us with an undying love -we are all family if we know Christ - He desires us so much He was willing to die for sins He never once committed - He choose us -we didn't choose Him - I may never completely understand this - this side of Heaven - but its none the less true - His Spirit had to draw us - His Spirit had to reveal the truth to us - for apart from God's Spirit -there is no liberty! But in Christ there is forgiveness of sin -and eternal life - Praise HIS name!
That He caused us to follow Him - by being so good to us!Thank YOU Jesus our LORD!
The Final Word:
I enjoy music and have written some lyrics to a possible song -the name of this song is "It's not fair" what's not fair is God died for us -what's not fair is JESUS paid the price we owed! Its not fair and I praise GOD for it!
CHRIST desires us!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/22/08-
FIRST HE LOVED US SO WE COULD LOVE HIM!
The Word:
He Desires Us
ISAIAH 53:2
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, & as a root out of dry ground; He has no form or comeliness; & when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.
Left to our own devises we would never seek after Jesus Christ - we would have never thought about His great love for us without the leading of the Holy Spirit of the Living God - He draws all men to Himself - We would never have picked Jesus - there is nothing about what we see of His physical appearance that would draw you to Him - and our flesh is an enemy of God -all because of sin - we were not made to die -we were not made to disobey God but He made us unlike robots who function without choice -God has given us a choice - which is hard to understand when the truth of the matter is God desires us -God first loved us - God made us - He did all this before we came to be - and He loves all of us with an undying love -we are all family if we know Christ - He desires us so much He was willing to die for sins He never once committed - He choose us -we didn't choose Him - I may never completely understand this - this side of Heaven - but its none the less true - His Spirit had to draw us - His Spirit had to reveal the truth to us - for apart from God's Spirit -there is no liberty! But in Christ there is forgiveness of sin -and eternal life - Praise HIS name!
That He caused us to follow Him - by being so good to us!Thank YOU Jesus our LORD!
The Final Word:
I enjoy music and have written some lyrics to a possible song -the name of this song is "It's not fair" what's not fair is God died for us -what's not fair is JESUS paid the price we owed! Its not fair and I praise GOD for it!
CHRIST desires us!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/22/08-
FIRST HE LOVED US SO WE COULD LOVE HIM!
9/21/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Friday ~ 9/12/08
The Word:
Love The Word
Psalm 119:140
Your Word is very pure, therefore Your servant loves it!
God's Word is His love letter to His children - in it we have the words of Life - the Words of truth and the Words that should direct our lives -Ive heard the bible called Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth and that is exactly what is - and above that - the Word is alive -its breathing and it can change your heart if you allow the Holy Spirit to work through it - The Word is cohesive even though there are many human authors - but the real author is God Himself -the Word is God-breathed - its only His Authority - in it we see the character of God - thought it many come to know Christ as Lord and in it we can be discipled to follow our Lord Jesus - the Word must be consumed daily - we should never miss one helping if we can help it - When you dwell in God's Word and it gets in your heart - you cannot help but live it - Its not about reading but understanding - I always pray before reading because without the Holy Spirit - the Bible is just a book - but the power is in God's unveiling though His Spirit - The Word is a live -dwell in it - consume it - allow it to light the truth - and bring you closer to Jesus!
Love the Word!
The Final Word:
If You Want To Know What God Thinks - Read the Word!
CHRIST is the WORD made flesh!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/12/08-
THE WORD IS OUR BREAD - FEED ON IT - ALLOW IT TO FILL YOU
The Word:
Love The Word
Psalm 119:140
Your Word is very pure, therefore Your servant loves it!
God's Word is His love letter to His children - in it we have the words of Life - the Words of truth and the Words that should direct our lives -Ive heard the bible called Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth and that is exactly what is - and above that - the Word is alive -its breathing and it can change your heart if you allow the Holy Spirit to work through it - The Word is cohesive even though there are many human authors - but the real author is God Himself -the Word is God-breathed - its only His Authority - in it we see the character of God - thought it many come to know Christ as Lord and in it we can be discipled to follow our Lord Jesus - the Word must be consumed daily - we should never miss one helping if we can help it - When you dwell in God's Word and it gets in your heart - you cannot help but live it - Its not about reading but understanding - I always pray before reading because without the Holy Spirit - the Bible is just a book - but the power is in God's unveiling though His Spirit - The Word is a live -dwell in it - consume it - allow it to light the truth - and bring you closer to Jesus!
Love the Word!
The Final Word:
If You Want To Know What God Thinks - Read the Word!
CHRIST is the WORD made flesh!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/12/08-
THE WORD IS OUR BREAD - FEED ON IT - ALLOW IT TO FILL YOU
9/17/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Wednesday ~ 9/17/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 7
Ecclesiastes 2:18
Yea, I hated all my labor which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
There is one big problem with having so many things in this life- you cannot take it with you - now there is nothing wrong with leaving something for those who come after you - but if all your effort is just gaining possessions and status in this life -then you will have nothing to show for it when you leave. Everything we do today will one day be enjoyed by someone else. We should do our part to conserve what we have so that those that come after us will have something - we should all share this planet that God has given us- after all it all belong to Him, its just on loan to us - we all must face the reality that we won't be here forever -for we are going home one day - our goal should always bring glory to God - we are to be wise stewards of everything God has entrusted us with - none of us live in a bubble - we are not an island unto ourselves - but instead we must share what God has given us with others! This is what it means to help others in their time of need!
The Final Word:
What we consider ours actually belongs to God and is just on loan to us!
Let's pass it on down!
CHRIST holds all things together!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/17/08-
GIVE UP YOUR RIGHTS FOR SOMEONE ELSE
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 7
Ecclesiastes 2:18
Yea, I hated all my labor which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
There is one big problem with having so many things in this life- you cannot take it with you - now there is nothing wrong with leaving something for those who come after you - but if all your effort is just gaining possessions and status in this life -then you will have nothing to show for it when you leave. Everything we do today will one day be enjoyed by someone else. We should do our part to conserve what we have so that those that come after us will have something - we should all share this planet that God has given us- after all it all belong to Him, its just on loan to us - we all must face the reality that we won't be here forever -for we are going home one day - our goal should always bring glory to God - we are to be wise stewards of everything God has entrusted us with - none of us live in a bubble - we are not an island unto ourselves - but instead we must share what God has given us with others! This is what it means to help others in their time of need!
The Final Word:
What we consider ours actually belongs to God and is just on loan to us!
Let's pass it on down!
CHRIST holds all things together!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/17/08-
GIVE UP YOUR RIGHTS FOR SOMEONE ELSE
9/16/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Tuesday ~ 9/16/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 6
Ecclesiastes 2:17
Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous to me:
For all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Some days we may wonder what is the purpose of this - why are here? Many times that answer is not too clear to our mortal minds - but the truth is we are here for one purpose -To the Glory of God - He made us for His purpose - not our own - He made us to serve Him -to Worship Him - we have a higher calling then just living for our selves - there is a whole world out there in need- we have been called to help the least of these! Many times we cannot see the forest for the trees - we miss the whole point of life so often - some think we are here to get comfortable - to earn a wage and pay our bills - but there is so much more God had in mind for us - if you are not doing anything for the Lord - why not pray and ask Him to show you what to do - your main aim is to please Him and not man - many times we allow man to dictate what we will or won't do for Jesus - bear in mind truth be known - Jesus does not need us - God did well forever in the past without man - HE does not need us - this should be humbling to us - all that we do here under the sun is meaningless unless its done to bring glory to God!
The Final Word:
Is God calling you to do something that you have not yet done? Listen closely to what HE has to say - you never know what HE might say!
CHRIST is our purpose!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/16/08-
JESUS - the only answer!
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 6
Ecclesiastes 2:17
Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous to me:
For all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Some days we may wonder what is the purpose of this - why are here? Many times that answer is not too clear to our mortal minds - but the truth is we are here for one purpose -To the Glory of God - He made us for His purpose - not our own - He made us to serve Him -to Worship Him - we have a higher calling then just living for our selves - there is a whole world out there in need- we have been called to help the least of these! Many times we cannot see the forest for the trees - we miss the whole point of life so often - some think we are here to get comfortable - to earn a wage and pay our bills - but there is so much more God had in mind for us - if you are not doing anything for the Lord - why not pray and ask Him to show you what to do - your main aim is to please Him and not man - many times we allow man to dictate what we will or won't do for Jesus - bear in mind truth be known - Jesus does not need us - God did well forever in the past without man - HE does not need us - this should be humbling to us - all that we do here under the sun is meaningless unless its done to bring glory to God!
The Final Word:
Is God calling you to do something that you have not yet done? Listen closely to what HE has to say - you never know what HE might say!
CHRIST is our purpose!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/16/08-
JESUS - the only answer!
The Daily Blueprint ~ Monday ~ 9/15/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 5
Ecclesiastes 1:18
...for in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increases in knowledge increases in sorrow...
Having great knowledge alone does not alone make someone great - The Word today says that in much wisdom there is much grief - sometimes I heard it said - the more you think you know -the less you really know -
Just knowing about something is not the same thing as actually knowing something - many people know about the Lord Jesus Christ - but that does not mean they know Him at all - with much wisdom can come much grief - if your whole goal is just to gain wisdom -you will be let down - and you will not find much meaning in life - this series is dedicated to showing you how to have meaning in your life - it all boils down to a personal intimate relationship with God the Father though Jesus the Son - its all about allowing God's Spirit to move you and mold you - its about letting go of what you want and following what God wants for your life - if we strive to find meaning apart from Jesus - we will be let down - many have tried to find true happiness in other places -some in great wealth - some in degree after degree or with a dream job - maybe its a relationship with someone that means the most to you - if you put anything above your relationship with Jesus - you will be let down - this is not to say when you follow Jesus that everything will go as planned - it will go as planned but not as we may have planned - wisdom alone is not enough to save anyone - it takes a relationship that will forever change your status in life - you will go from a slave to this world and its sin to a child of righteousness!
The Final Word:
To find meaning in life -LOOK TO JESUS~!
CHRIST should be our reason for living this life!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/15/08-
APART FROM JESUS THERE IS NO HOPE
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 5
Ecclesiastes 1:18
...for in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increases in knowledge increases in sorrow...
Having great knowledge alone does not alone make someone great - The Word today says that in much wisdom there is much grief - sometimes I heard it said - the more you think you know -the less you really know -
Just knowing about something is not the same thing as actually knowing something - many people know about the Lord Jesus Christ - but that does not mean they know Him at all - with much wisdom can come much grief - if your whole goal is just to gain wisdom -you will be let down - and you will not find much meaning in life - this series is dedicated to showing you how to have meaning in your life - it all boils down to a personal intimate relationship with God the Father though Jesus the Son - its all about allowing God's Spirit to move you and mold you - its about letting go of what you want and following what God wants for your life - if we strive to find meaning apart from Jesus - we will be let down - many have tried to find true happiness in other places -some in great wealth - some in degree after degree or with a dream job - maybe its a relationship with someone that means the most to you - if you put anything above your relationship with Jesus - you will be let down - this is not to say when you follow Jesus that everything will go as planned - it will go as planned but not as we may have planned - wisdom alone is not enough to save anyone - it takes a relationship that will forever change your status in life - you will go from a slave to this world and its sin to a child of righteousness!
The Final Word:
To find meaning in life -LOOK TO JESUS~!
CHRIST should be our reason for living this life!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/15/08-
APART FROM JESUS THERE IS NO HOPE
9/10/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Wednesday ~ 9/10/08
The Word:
Proud vs Humble
James 4:6
...But HE gives more grace, wherefore HE said, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Our current world and the world to come are polar opposites - to become rich here you must gain the more -but to become rich in the world that is to come is to give it all away - to be first JESUS says - you must be servant to all - these are hard words on the ears of those in 2008. God has not changed what is right - and His ways are still not our ways - and sadly one look around the world will show you some things never change! The things in this world we hold on to - won't be coming with us - we may try and keep it up here but one day we all leave this place for our true home - here we are just passing though -there are many people who are so comfortable here that the thought of a place called heaven seems foreign to them - while others who have struggled from one thing or another all their lives - really do look forward to eternity with Jesus - I am afraid many of us in this great land have gotten too much - we have bought into the line that more means more while ignoring the treasures in Heaven JESUS wants us to build - we are all in the same boat - its a wrestle between being Proud like the world and Humble like Jesus - we have to pick sides because we cannot be both - no more of this one foot in this world and one in the next -we either belong to JESUS CHRIST or we don't - God has called us to be humble -Jesus says that He will give grace to the humble - to come to be a child of God you must begin humbly - pride comes before a fall says Proverbs - and its true - we all must come to God the same way -the same narrow path - we all have to come to JESUS at the foot of the cross where He paid the price for our sin - we must be willing to esteem others over ourselves -this does not jive well with the world in which we live- its your choice -either be humble with God or go away into the world and be full of self - we must make room for God in our hearts! We must not fill it up with this world but with JESUS Himself!
The Final Word:
The Word says that God resists the proud - what a bad place to be!
CHRIST became a servant for us - the Ruler become part of His creation! Talk about changing positions!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/10/08-
CHRIST CAME TO THIS WORLD TO SHOW US WHAT GOD LOOKS LIKE!
The Word:
Proud vs Humble
James 4:6
...But HE gives more grace, wherefore HE said, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Our current world and the world to come are polar opposites - to become rich here you must gain the more -but to become rich in the world that is to come is to give it all away - to be first JESUS says - you must be servant to all - these are hard words on the ears of those in 2008. God has not changed what is right - and His ways are still not our ways - and sadly one look around the world will show you some things never change! The things in this world we hold on to - won't be coming with us - we may try and keep it up here but one day we all leave this place for our true home - here we are just passing though -there are many people who are so comfortable here that the thought of a place called heaven seems foreign to them - while others who have struggled from one thing or another all their lives - really do look forward to eternity with Jesus - I am afraid many of us in this great land have gotten too much - we have bought into the line that more means more while ignoring the treasures in Heaven JESUS wants us to build - we are all in the same boat - its a wrestle between being Proud like the world and Humble like Jesus - we have to pick sides because we cannot be both - no more of this one foot in this world and one in the next -we either belong to JESUS CHRIST or we don't - God has called us to be humble -Jesus says that He will give grace to the humble - to come to be a child of God you must begin humbly - pride comes before a fall says Proverbs - and its true - we all must come to God the same way -the same narrow path - we all have to come to JESUS at the foot of the cross where He paid the price for our sin - we must be willing to esteem others over ourselves -this does not jive well with the world in which we live- its your choice -either be humble with God or go away into the world and be full of self - we must make room for God in our hearts! We must not fill it up with this world but with JESUS Himself!
The Final Word:
The Word says that God resists the proud - what a bad place to be!
CHRIST became a servant for us - the Ruler become part of His creation! Talk about changing positions!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/10/08-
CHRIST CAME TO THIS WORLD TO SHOW US WHAT GOD LOOKS LIKE!
The Daily Blueprint ~ Tuesday ~ 9/9/08
The Word:
BLESSED
Proverbs 10:22
The blessing of the LORD, it makes rich,
and He adds no sorrow with it!
Today I want to talk about blessings -this is a controversial subject -there are those who want to say whatever you claim will be yours and it does not become yours its because you lack faith - I don't believe this to be true at all - many times God will bless us in a way that the world around us does not understand - sometimes the best blessings come warped in a severe trial - we sometime get caught up in our "problems" and miss the blessing right before our eyes -in my life as many of you know I am going through a very hard time but in this time God has produced blessings all around -if I just stop and see them - its amazing what God will do for you if you just let HIM! amen! One blessing is that my desire to help children has now been realized and while I don't have any physical children- God has called me to help those around me -those whom He places in my life - this blessing came out of hard times as a child - and I noticed there was a need that needed filled -this to me is a blessing - No I didn't get Earthly riches from this and many times I won't get even a thank you - but its for God's glory not mine - so much of the time the focus of those who say claim - name it is themselves - seems to me God wants us to work behind the scenes so that God will get the glory - we are not to be put on display so the world see us - but that the world will see JESUS! I have had many other blessings during this time of trying - I have seen so many people step up to the plate and help me when I needed it - there are many who I know pray for me every day - I know there are many who have become my friends in the last couple of months -all this a blessing - a blessing I may never had known had I not being going through this trial -
God will bless you just because HE loves you -that's why He made all this for you and me to enjoy - but this is not our home - so long as you remember that we are just passing though and keep your eyes focused on what's to come - you will bring honor to your Lord and He in turn will use you as a blessing! So be a blessing today and then you shall be blessed!
The Final Word:
GOD HAS BLESSED US MORE THEN WE CAN UNDERSTAND
CHRIST gives us the great example of being a blessing!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/8/08-
WHEN GOD BLESSES YOU - BLESS OTHERS
The Word:
BLESSED
Proverbs 10:22
The blessing of the LORD, it makes rich,
and He adds no sorrow with it!
Today I want to talk about blessings -this is a controversial subject -there are those who want to say whatever you claim will be yours and it does not become yours its because you lack faith - I don't believe this to be true at all - many times God will bless us in a way that the world around us does not understand - sometimes the best blessings come warped in a severe trial - we sometime get caught up in our "problems" and miss the blessing right before our eyes -in my life as many of you know I am going through a very hard time but in this time God has produced blessings all around -if I just stop and see them - its amazing what God will do for you if you just let HIM! amen! One blessing is that my desire to help children has now been realized and while I don't have any physical children- God has called me to help those around me -those whom He places in my life - this blessing came out of hard times as a child - and I noticed there was a need that needed filled -this to me is a blessing - No I didn't get Earthly riches from this and many times I won't get even a thank you - but its for God's glory not mine - so much of the time the focus of those who say claim - name it is themselves - seems to me God wants us to work behind the scenes so that God will get the glory - we are not to be put on display so the world see us - but that the world will see JESUS! I have had many other blessings during this time of trying - I have seen so many people step up to the plate and help me when I needed it - there are many who I know pray for me every day - I know there are many who have become my friends in the last couple of months -all this a blessing - a blessing I may never had known had I not being going through this trial -
God will bless you just because HE loves you -that's why He made all this for you and me to enjoy - but this is not our home - so long as you remember that we are just passing though and keep your eyes focused on what's to come - you will bring honor to your Lord and He in turn will use you as a blessing! So be a blessing today and then you shall be blessed!
The Final Word:
GOD HAS BLESSED US MORE THEN WE CAN UNDERSTAND
CHRIST gives us the great example of being a blessing!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/8/08-
WHEN GOD BLESSES YOU - BLESS OTHERS
9/08/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Monday ~ 9/8/08
The Word:
WHAT MORE COULD HE GIVE?
ROMANS 9:32
He who spared not His Own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give all things?
God gave us His Son - He allow His only Son to become sin - sin that He never once committed -sin that God the Father had to pour out all His wrath upon - How would He then with hold anything else from His children?! God gave us all we ever needed in HIS SON - that alone shows the love GOD has for HIS creation -that He would go to such extremes to save us - and to open the door to His kingdom - God sent JESUS for our sin condition - to take away the penalty of death that we all deserve- What more could HE give? If God never did another thing for any of us HE has already done enough! He already took our sins and cast them as far as the East is from the West- He alone is worthy of our Praise - He alone is worthy of our lives laid down for His glory - He has given us the best thing of all - JESUS! The One whom came to die - His whole purpose was to die for our sins - and everything HE did was for God the Father's glory! So if you feel like God may be with holding something from you - HE is! He is worth holding His wrath from falling on you - Jesus already paid the price in full! Nothing more is left to pay - God sent HIS SON - lets rejoice in this today - What more could God give to us then HIS SON?
The Final Word:
God has given us life - but not only that - in Christ we have abundant life - just take a look around yourself today - what has God done in your life -dwell on that a bit today - you will be blessed when you see what God has done in your life- and when you do - you will want to tell others!
CHRIST came to this world to make a way for us to be with HIM
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/8/08-
WHAT MORE CAN WE ASK GOD FOR?
The Word:
WHAT MORE COULD HE GIVE?
ROMANS 9:32
He who spared not His Own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give all things?
God gave us His Son - He allow His only Son to become sin - sin that He never once committed -sin that God the Father had to pour out all His wrath upon - How would He then with hold anything else from His children?! God gave us all we ever needed in HIS SON - that alone shows the love GOD has for HIS creation -that He would go to such extremes to save us - and to open the door to His kingdom - God sent JESUS for our sin condition - to take away the penalty of death that we all deserve- What more could HE give? If God never did another thing for any of us HE has already done enough! He already took our sins and cast them as far as the East is from the West- He alone is worthy of our Praise - He alone is worthy of our lives laid down for His glory - He has given us the best thing of all - JESUS! The One whom came to die - His whole purpose was to die for our sins - and everything HE did was for God the Father's glory! So if you feel like God may be with holding something from you - HE is! He is worth holding His wrath from falling on you - Jesus already paid the price in full! Nothing more is left to pay - God sent HIS SON - lets rejoice in this today - What more could God give to us then HIS SON?
The Final Word:
God has given us life - but not only that - in Christ we have abundant life - just take a look around yourself today - what has God done in your life -dwell on that a bit today - you will be blessed when you see what God has done in your life- and when you do - you will want to tell others!
CHRIST came to this world to make a way for us to be with HIM
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/8/08-
WHAT MORE CAN WE ASK GOD FOR?
The Daily Blueprint ~ Monday ~ 9/8/08
The Word:
WHAT MORE COULD HE GIVE?
ROMANS 9:32
He who spared not His Own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give all things?
God gave us His Son - He allow His only Son to become sin - sin that He never once committed -sin that God the Father had to pour out all His wrath upon - How would He then with hold anything else from His children?! God gave us all we ever needed in HIS SON - that alone shows the love GOD has for HIS creation -that He would go to such extremes to save us - and to open the door to His kingdom - God sent JESUS for our sin condition - to take away the penalty of death that we all deserve- What more could HE give? If God never did another thing for any of us HE has already done enough! He already took our sins and cast them as far as the East is from the West- He alone is worthy of our Praise - He alone is worthy of our lives laid down for His glory - He has given us the best thing of all - JESUS! The One whom came to die - His whole purpose was to die for our sins - and everything HE did was for God the Father's glory! So if you feel like God may be with holding something from you - HE is! He is worth holding His wrath from falling on you - Jesus already paid the price in full! Nothing more is left to pay - God sent HIS SON - lets rejoice in this today - What more could God give to us then HIS SON?
The Final Word:
God has given us life - but not only that - in Christ we have abundant life - just take a look around yourself today - what has God done in your life -dwell on that a bit today - you will be blessed when you see what God has done in your life- and when you do - you will want to tell others!
CHRIST came to this world to make a way for us to be with HIM
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/8/08-
WHAT MORE CAN WE ASK GOD FOR?
The Word:
WHAT MORE COULD HE GIVE?
ROMANS 9:32
He who spared not His Own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give all things?
God gave us His Son - He allow His only Son to become sin - sin that He never once committed -sin that God the Father had to pour out all His wrath upon - How would He then with hold anything else from His children?! God gave us all we ever needed in HIS SON - that alone shows the love GOD has for HIS creation -that He would go to such extremes to save us - and to open the door to His kingdom - God sent JESUS for our sin condition - to take away the penalty of death that we all deserve- What more could HE give? If God never did another thing for any of us HE has already done enough! He already took our sins and cast them as far as the East is from the West- He alone is worthy of our Praise - He alone is worthy of our lives laid down for His glory - He has given us the best thing of all - JESUS! The One whom came to die - His whole purpose was to die for our sins - and everything HE did was for God the Father's glory! So if you feel like God may be with holding something from you - HE is! He is worth holding His wrath from falling on you - Jesus already paid the price in full! Nothing more is left to pay - God sent HIS SON - lets rejoice in this today - What more could God give to us then HIS SON?
The Final Word:
God has given us life - but not only that - in Christ we have abundant life - just take a look around yourself today - what has God done in your life -dwell on that a bit today - you will be blessed when you see what God has done in your life- and when you do - you will want to tell others!
CHRIST came to this world to make a way for us to be with HIM
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/8/08-
WHAT MORE CAN WE ASK GOD FOR?
The Daily Blueprint ~ Friday ~ 9/5/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 4
Ecclesiastes 1:14
...I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit...
If you want meaning in your life- you must be willing to get involved with something that is bigger then yourself - we must be willing to whatever God ask of us at any given time - life with meaning is a life lived following hard after God - we must put ourselves in a place in which God can use us - He will always lead the way - we just have to be willing to follow HIM at all costs - often however we do things that we think are important only later to find out they were not important at all - all this labor and all we do for ourselves is vain and it is fleeting -I am not saying we should not take care of ourselves - but God has so much more He wants us to do - This life is not about us - about our needs or wants - its all about JESUS CHRIST - He brought us at a high price and also made us for HIS purpose - us just being for Him brings Himself glory - He made us in His image -we carry that with us wherever we go - are you living a meaningful life? Or is the day to day drudgery of life getting you down? Are you in a rut? Surrender it all to JESUS and allow HIM to live through you - this is the only life that has real lasting meaning - a life sold out to JESUS - a life that is lived fully focused on our Savior -
Life that brings glory to GOD! Remember faith is an action word!
The Final Word:
A LIFE WITHOUT MEANING IS NOT FULLY LIVED!
CHRIST gave HIS life so we could have life!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/5/08-
ONE LIFE - ONE GOD - ONE WAY
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 4
Ecclesiastes 1:14
...I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit...
If you want meaning in your life- you must be willing to get involved with something that is bigger then yourself - we must be willing to whatever God ask of us at any given time - life with meaning is a life lived following hard after God - we must put ourselves in a place in which God can use us - He will always lead the way - we just have to be willing to follow HIM at all costs - often however we do things that we think are important only later to find out they were not important at all - all this labor and all we do for ourselves is vain and it is fleeting -I am not saying we should not take care of ourselves - but God has so much more He wants us to do - This life is not about us - about our needs or wants - its all about JESUS CHRIST - He brought us at a high price and also made us for HIS purpose - us just being for Him brings Himself glory - He made us in His image -we carry that with us wherever we go - are you living a meaningful life? Or is the day to day drudgery of life getting you down? Are you in a rut? Surrender it all to JESUS and allow HIM to live through you - this is the only life that has real lasting meaning - a life sold out to JESUS - a life that is lived fully focused on our Savior -
Life that brings glory to GOD! Remember faith is an action word!
The Final Word:
A LIFE WITHOUT MEANING IS NOT FULLY LIVED!
CHRIST gave HIS life so we could have life!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/5/08-
ONE LIFE - ONE GOD - ONE WAY
9/04/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Thursday ~ 9/4/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 3
Ecclesiastes 1:9-10
The thing that has been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything that there is that it may be said, See, this is new? it has been already of old time, which was before us.
The world of Fashion is one place where you can see there is nothing new under the sun - if you don't like the current styles -wait a little while and what was once old will come back as new again - from Bell Bottom Jeans to mini skirts - to faux mink coats - its all been done before - retro is the key word these days - there are several cars now that have a retro look from the Vw Beetle to the new Mustang and new Camaro - as well as the new Dodge Challenger - these looks have been around before -just look at the latest movies -most a remakes of what came before -in these examples even things that seem new - are not really new - and the trial you may be going through now is nothing new to humanity - the Word says that God makes all things new - when He saves us - we become New Creations - so there is something new in the world if you are His! Politics -racism - hate has been around forever - at least as long as human beings have been around - again in God says that HE will do a new thing - He will put HIS Spirit in the saved the redeemed! HE will take something old as rags and make it brand new -in this world there really is nothing new under the sun - when we leave this place one day - the struggle will continue - we need to look to God to have newness in our lives- nothing on Earth will last - it won't stay so called new for long - but if you want something new -ask GOD for a new heart! HE will give you one - all you must do is ask and trust HIM as your LORD and SAVIOR! amen!
The Final Word:
Nothing here will last forever - It was meant to - but then the fall took all that away - JESUS thankfully has given us HIS blood to bring us into HIS Kingdom! PRAISE BE TO GOD!
CHRIST will take an old heart of sin and make it brand new!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/4/08-
WHAT YOU DEAL WITH IS NOTHING NEW
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 3
Ecclesiastes 1:9-10
The thing that has been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything that there is that it may be said, See, this is new? it has been already of old time, which was before us.
The world of Fashion is one place where you can see there is nothing new under the sun - if you don't like the current styles -wait a little while and what was once old will come back as new again - from Bell Bottom Jeans to mini skirts - to faux mink coats - its all been done before - retro is the key word these days - there are several cars now that have a retro look from the Vw Beetle to the new Mustang and new Camaro - as well as the new Dodge Challenger - these looks have been around before -just look at the latest movies -most a remakes of what came before -in these examples even things that seem new - are not really new - and the trial you may be going through now is nothing new to humanity - the Word says that God makes all things new - when He saves us - we become New Creations - so there is something new in the world if you are His! Politics -racism - hate has been around forever - at least as long as human beings have been around - again in God says that HE will do a new thing - He will put HIS Spirit in the saved the redeemed! HE will take something old as rags and make it brand new -in this world there really is nothing new under the sun - when we leave this place one day - the struggle will continue - we need to look to God to have newness in our lives- nothing on Earth will last - it won't stay so called new for long - but if you want something new -ask GOD for a new heart! HE will give you one - all you must do is ask and trust HIM as your LORD and SAVIOR! amen!
The Final Word:
Nothing here will last forever - It was meant to - but then the fall took all that away - JESUS thankfully has given us HIS blood to bring us into HIS Kingdom! PRAISE BE TO GOD!
CHRIST will take an old heart of sin and make it brand new!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/4/08-
WHAT YOU DEAL WITH IS NOTHING NEW
The Daily Blueprint ~ Wednesday ~ 9/3/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 2
Ecclesiastes 1:8
All things are full of labor; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing...
Let me ask everyone a question - are you satisfied with your life? Are you full of the joy of the Lord or has the enemy come in and stolen the joy of your salvation - the Word of God says that all things done for our own glory is vain - worthless -like chasing after the wind - if our focus is ourselves and not God - we will not be able to walk the walk in Christ - we must be willing to lay down our lives for the cause of Christ -this will bring meaning to your life - but it must come out of a relationship with Christ- we must have that figured out before we can help anyone else- we must live the gospel before we can preach it - and our lives will be the loudest witness either for Jesus or against Him - many out in the world are chasing after the fleeting things - not those which last - many of us without knowing -are following our way instead of God's way - its easy to do - especially in this day and age where relativity is now the accepted belief system - the truth is you will never find true and lasting joy apart from Jesus Christ - you can look many places and do many things -but they will all leave you empty and never satisfied -we must drink of the Living Water - to be filled and never thirst again -
What does you life mean? Where do you get your meaning from? Who are you trying to please? If the answer to these questions is anything other then Jesus - then its time to take a good look at your life and see why you do what you - God wants to use you today - trust in the LORD and lean on HIS understanding and not your own - HE is mighty to save! Amen!
The Final Word:
When you leave this world -what will you leave behind?
This life is not ours to live - but it belongs to CHRIST who bought us at a very high price -His very life!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHRIST brings us true and lasting joy that lasts forever!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/3/08-
RESTORE TO US THE JOY OF OUR SALVATION, LORD!
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 2
Ecclesiastes 1:8
All things are full of labor; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing...
Let me ask everyone a question - are you satisfied with your life? Are you full of the joy of the Lord or has the enemy come in and stolen the joy of your salvation - the Word of God says that all things done for our own glory is vain - worthless -like chasing after the wind - if our focus is ourselves and not God - we will not be able to walk the walk in Christ - we must be willing to lay down our lives for the cause of Christ -this will bring meaning to your life - but it must come out of a relationship with Christ- we must have that figured out before we can help anyone else- we must live the gospel before we can preach it - and our lives will be the loudest witness either for Jesus or against Him - many out in the world are chasing after the fleeting things - not those which last - many of us without knowing -are following our way instead of God's way - its easy to do - especially in this day and age where relativity is now the accepted belief system - the truth is you will never find true and lasting joy apart from Jesus Christ - you can look many places and do many things -but they will all leave you empty and never satisfied -we must drink of the Living Water - to be filled and never thirst again -
What does you life mean? Where do you get your meaning from? Who are you trying to please? If the answer to these questions is anything other then Jesus - then its time to take a good look at your life and see why you do what you - God wants to use you today - trust in the LORD and lean on HIS understanding and not your own - HE is mighty to save! Amen!
The Final Word:
When you leave this world -what will you leave behind?
This life is not ours to live - but it belongs to CHRIST who bought us at a very high price -His very life!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHRIST brings us true and lasting joy that lasts forever!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/3/08-
RESTORE TO US THE JOY OF OUR SALVATION, LORD!
9/02/2008
The Daily Blueprint ~ Tuesday ~ 9/2/08
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 1
Ecclesiastes 1:3-4
What does it profit a man of all of his labor which he takes under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation comes: but the earth abides forever.
Today I begin a new series - I will do this series every other week - on the weeks I don't do this - I will just do open word - I will just do various devotionals on various topics - another words go where the LORD leads me-
This current series will ask and attempt to answer the age old question -what are we here for....and now without further adieu - here it is........
This world in which we live in is full of questions - one of the most popular is the meaning of life - some feel its getting all you can now - and worry about the consequences later - another school of thought is to get as much education as you can and get that all elusive high paying and high pressure job - still others feel that its showing their worldly power through politics or still others the meaning of life is just pleasure for themselves at any cost - all this is just toil under the sun says the author of Ecclesiates. We can do many things to find meaning in our lives - but in the end -what is left behind - if we are not spreading the gospel to the lost and dying world around us -our mission here is not complete - Jesus came and died for us - He took our sins away the effects are now gone from a spiritual standpoint, there are still consequences for our actions though. All we have and all we all belongs to God - He made us - He saved us and He wants a relationship with us! The meaning of life should be bringing glory to God our Father! We must be about our Father's business - we need to be willing to train up the next generation -we must be willing to plug into Christ so that through us the world will see HIM! What does it profit to gain the whole world but lose our soul? This is a great question -think about this today! Life does not have to meaningless - Christ is our meaning!
The Final Word:
If you are not living for CHRIST - then you really are not living!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHRIST came to bring us life - abundant life at that!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/2/08-
CHRIST GAVE HIS LIFE - WHAT HAVE YOU GIVEN?
The Word:
Meaning In Life: the study of Ecclesiastes
part 1
Ecclesiastes 1:3-4
What does it profit a man of all of his labor which he takes under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation comes: but the earth abides forever.
Today I begin a new series - I will do this series every other week - on the weeks I don't do this - I will just do open word - I will just do various devotionals on various topics - another words go where the LORD leads me-
This current series will ask and attempt to answer the age old question -what are we here for....and now without further adieu - here it is........
This world in which we live in is full of questions - one of the most popular is the meaning of life - some feel its getting all you can now - and worry about the consequences later - another school of thought is to get as much education as you can and get that all elusive high paying and high pressure job - still others feel that its showing their worldly power through politics or still others the meaning of life is just pleasure for themselves at any cost - all this is just toil under the sun says the author of Ecclesiates. We can do many things to find meaning in our lives - but in the end -what is left behind - if we are not spreading the gospel to the lost and dying world around us -our mission here is not complete - Jesus came and died for us - He took our sins away the effects are now gone from a spiritual standpoint, there are still consequences for our actions though. All we have and all we all belongs to God - He made us - He saved us and He wants a relationship with us! The meaning of life should be bringing glory to God our Father! We must be about our Father's business - we need to be willing to train up the next generation -we must be willing to plug into Christ so that through us the world will see HIM! What does it profit to gain the whole world but lose our soul? This is a great question -think about this today! Life does not have to meaningless - Christ is our meaning!
The Final Word:
If you are not living for CHRIST - then you really are not living!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHRIST came to bring us life - abundant life at that!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 9/2/08-
CHRIST GAVE HIS LIFE - WHAT HAVE YOU GIVEN?
9/01/2008
The Daily Blueprint /Sunday/ 8-31-08
The Word:
The Poor: Their needs, Our Response
Day 20 - Final
Isaiah 1:17
Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, please the case of the widow.
Today I will rap up this series on the poor - its been a blessing to do - its stepped on my toes several times- I was just praying for God to show me how to be more like Him - when we are not faithful HE remains faithful - when we blow it - He is still there to pick us up from the dirt - maybe these words will help you today to realize that God never wants us to be bogged down in the failures of the past - the past is gone - so if you have not helped the poor - today is a new day - you can begin today - God is really moving in my heart for the poor these days - but as ive said before - its not the physically poor that need our help - it may be those who are well feed - maybe those who seem to have it all - and yet struggle - those who have a Dad but they have little to do with them - the child who is always made fun of because he is different -those are poor - those are those in need- the widowed - how hard must it be for those who have lost their mate through death - or those who have lost a loved one to drugs or alcohol - maybe you know someone who has gone through the death of a child or a loved one - maybe someone who has gone through a divorce -those God has called us to help as well - so whatever you do - ask God -whatever you do - remember you are doing for HIS glory for the audience of One - not for others and not to earn your way - that's already been paid for - how it must hurt God to say we must earn what His Son already paid for - and once He redeems you - there is no fear of losing your relationship with Him -some feel its based on the deeds you do, not what JESUS did - HE PAID IT ALL!
I hope you have enjoyed this series - Id love some feedback -so drop me a line - Please I plead with you all to do something for someone else - get your focus off yourself and seek hard after God - there are many in need around you today - be JESUS to them!
The Final Word:
HELP YOUR FELLOW MAN FOR GOD'S GLORY!
CHRIST shows us what it means to have compassion!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 8/31/08-
IS GOD CALLING YOU TO HELP TODAY?
THE DAILY BLUEPRINT FOR 8-30-08
SPECIAL EDITION - THE POOR - THEIR NEEDS - OUR RESPONCE-
-------Day 19-------
James 2:15-16
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes, and daily food. If one of you say to them, "Go I wish you well: keep warm and well fed." but does nothing about his phyical needs, what good is it?
Today's verse does not leave any room for walking away from a brother or sister in need - to me this is all about those of the Church -those who know Christ and have needs -we as a part of the body should supply for the needs of others -this is one purpose of some mission trips - the one I took this past June showed me what it means to help other brother and sisters in need -and while we don't speak the same earthly language - we have more in common then we think - when someone is in need - James says we should help them - nice talk or saying you will pray for them is not enough - we need to met their need the best way we can - the whole point of this series is to remind everyone that there are many in need around us each day that need to see God in us - we are to be the hands and feet of Jesus - why do we do good things? What's the reason for what we do? Its the hope of Jesus - It not about gaining or earning salvation instead its about worship of our Lord -when we begin to do things not because we have too but because we want too - that's a change that God can cause to happen in your heart - when you begin to help those in need - you will find it becomes adictive - but its a good adiction!
Lets not leave those in need behind while we do what we can to met our needs and those of our familes - God has called us to lend a hand to those in need - lets obey HIM! If you see a need - seek God and see what He wants you to do - then do it! Amen! Lets remember HE is the LORD and we are HIS servants! yeah!
one final word:
We can be the warmth or fullness of Jesus to someone - lets be His hands and feet!
Daily Blueprint 8-30-08
Let God have your eyes so you can see the needs around you -
Brandon Heath sings about this is his song - Give Me Your Eyes!
The Daily Blueprint /Thursday/ 8-28-08
The Word:
The Poor: Their needs, Our Response
Day 18
1st John 3:17-18
If anyone has material possessions and he sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear Children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth!
If you have clothes on your back and change some place at home - you are richer then most people of this world - go a little further and if you own a house -rent an apartment and drive a car - you are among the top 10% of the world's riches - the fact is here in America must of us don't know what it is really like to go hungry - I had a time in my life though brief where I didn't know where my next meal would come from -this taught me to never take for granted eating again - with this came my need to eat quickly -I am still a very fast eater - just a habit now - but I am well feed -well clothed and though my truck is 10 years old - it still runs good with a little TLC-
We in American have it good - most of us sadly don't realize how good we have it - I know once a day I see someone on the street in need of money - some of these people really need the money for food - but others use it for bad things - but when we give - we have to give as Jesus would give -today's verse says that if we ignore the needs of the poor - how can the love of God be in us - as Ive been saying faith is an action word -its James that says faith without works is dead - its not that these works we have been called to do bring us glory or open heaven to us - but we do it out of a pure heart that wants to worship and obey the call of God - the truth is its not just about money -there are those around us who are poor in other ways - maybe they don't have a father who shows them any affection - you can be a part time dad for whatever time God allows - maybe someone is hurting deeply but you don't know what to do - just trust God and love them the best way you can-
believe me the rewards far exceed the sacrifice! We cannot ignore the poor and expect the need to be met - we have been given so much -
lets use it all for God's glory - lets help the poor among us - lets not turn away from the needs around us - as Phil Collins sang in the late 1980's - its just another day in paradise for us - but the world around us has needs we are called to help meet!
The Final Word:
The poor need you and me - God is calling us to help - lend a hand where you can - it only takes a willing heart - and an open hand!
CHRIST loves us all - no matter what!
- LIVIN IN THE WORD - 8/28/08-
Serve Jesus by serving the poor!
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