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How is your prayer life?
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Jul 30, 2009 5:22 pm
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The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness. The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him sincerely. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them.
Psalm 145:17-19 NLT
Then Saul said, "Let's chase the Philistines all night and destroy every last one of them." His men replied, "We'll do whatever you think is best." But the priest said, "Let's ask God first." 1 Samuel 14:36 NLT
The next morning Jesus awoke long before daybreak and went out alone into the wilderness to pray. Mark 1:35 NLT
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT
The most universally practiced yet least understood of human experiences, prayer is one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith. Its simplest definition is communication with God. Yet so often we approach prayer like a one-way telephone conversation, forgetting that God also wants to speak to us. Prayer appears nearly on every page of the Bible as the very essence of a faith relationship with the living God.
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Are you filled with joy?
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Jul 30, 2009 6:13 am
1017 Views
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I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! John 15:11 NLT
In many ways, we live in bleak times. Millions feel disillusioned with life while millions more feel uncertain about the future especially young people. Many of you in Generation X have been victims of a great social experiment in which parents who never grew up cast aside time-honored moral values and, in the phrase of the 1960s, did their own thing.
Nevertheless, there is someone to believe in, something to grasp, and someone to trust. You need to go to the next letter of the alphabet, to Y—as in "Why do I exist. Why was I created? And what am I living for?"
According to Jesus, you were created for joy. "These things I have spoken to you," Jesus said, "that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."
The things Jesus spoke of were His teachings about bearing fruit. We were created to bear fruit for God, which essentially means to become like Jesus: His mind becomes our mind, His purpose becomes our purpose. And there's only one way to produce such luscious fruit, according to Jesus: "Abide in Me" (John 15:4). This is the secret of spiritual growth and the key to overflowing joy. Are you bearing spiritual fruit?
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Dish Washer
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Jul 29, 2009 5:45 pm
1060 Views
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A minister was asked to dinner by one of his parishioners, whohe knew was an unkempt housekeeper. When he sat down at the table, he noticed that the dishes were the dirtiest that he had ever seen in his life. "Were these dishes ever washed?" he asked his hostess, running his fingers over the grit and grime. She replied, "They're as clean as soap and water can get them."
He felt a bit apprehensive, but blessed the food anyway and started eating. It was really delicious and he said so, despite the dirty dishes. When dinner was over, the hostess took the dishes outside and yelled, "Here, Soap! Here, Water!"
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Why You Should Not Be Defensive
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Jul 29, 2009 5:26 pm
1052 Views
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While being reviled, He [Jesus] did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously. 1 Peter 2:23
There are two reasons why you should not be defensive when there is a critical, negative evaluation of you.
First, if you are in the wrong, you don't have a defense. If you are criticized for saying something which is out of order or doing something which is wrong, and the criticism is valid, any defensiveness on your part would be a rationalization at best and a lie at worst. You must simply respond, "You're right; I was wrong," then take steps to improve your character and behavior.
Second, if you are right, you don't need a defense. Peter encouraged us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus who "while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously" (1 Peter 2:23). If you are in the right, you don't need to defend yourself. The Righteous Judge, who knows who you are and what you have done, will exonerate you.
A dear lady entered my office with a well-thought-out list of "things for me" and "things against me." I suggested that she share the "things for me" first. That didn't take long! As she was going through the "things against me," the part of me that is made of earth wanted to respond to every allegation. But I didn't. When she was finished, there was an awkward pause before I said, "It must have taken a lot of courage to come in and share that with me. What do you suggest I do?" She started to cry.
Nobody tears another down from a position of strength or judges another without being judged. Judgmental people are people in pain. If you can learn not to be defensive when someone exposes your character defects or attacks your performance, you may have an opportunity to turn the situation around and minister to that person.
Prayer:
Lord, give me the courage not to react defensively. You are the only defense I need, and I entrust myself to You, who judges righteously.
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Do you seek the counsel of others?
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Jul 29, 2009 6:24 am
1047 Views
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My child, listen to me and treasure my instructions. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of good sense to the godly. He is their shield, protecting those who walk with integrity.
Proverbs 2:1-7 NLT
The degree to which people will listen is determined by the degree to which we have wise counsel for them. If you want people to listen to you, you yourself must listen to the right adviser. Like Samuel, listen to the Lord's counsel—read his Word and hear what he says. There is no wiser counselor than he who knows every moment of every tomorrow and knows how you will fit into those moments.
If you think you know it all, you probably know less than you think. If, in humility, you recognize how much help and counsel you need, you will likely seek it and get it. No one wants to waste time counseling a fool, because the fool doesn't want counsel. We all enjoy sharing wisdom with the wise, and when we do, we discover new wisdom for our own needs. Proverbs 14 tells us that we should stay away from fools if we are looking for wise counsel.
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Do you seek the counsel of others?
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Jul 29, 2009 6:06 am
1024 Views
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My child, listen to me and treasure my instructions. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of good sense to the godly. He is their shield, protecting those who walk with integrity.
Proverbs 2:1-7 NLT
The degree to which people will listen is determined by the degree to which we have wise counsel for them. If you want people to listen to you, you yourself must listen to the right adviser. Like Samuel, listen to the Lord's counsel—read his Word and hear what he says. There is no wiser counselor than he who knows every moment of every tomorrow and knows how you will fit into those moments.
If you think you know it all, you probably know less than you think. If, in humility, you recognize how much help and counsel you need, you will likely seek it and get it. No one wants to waste time counseling a fool, because the fool doesn't want counsel. We all enjoy sharing wisdom with the wise, and when we do, we discover new wisdom for our own needs. Proverbs 14 tells us that we should stay away from fools if we are looking for wise counsel.
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Does God really care about the poor?
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Jul 28, 2009 5:29 pm
676 Views
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Who else protects the poor and needy from those who want to rob them? Psalm 35:10 NLT
As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord is thinking of me right now. Psalm 40:17 NLT
He will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them. Psalm 72:12 NLT
A man was having a lot of trouble with his eyes. His doctor examined him and recommended the name of another doctor he should visit, saying, "I would advise you to go at once and take plenty of money with you, for it's going to cost a lot."
The man had eighty dollars in the bank, so he got his money and went to see the other doctor. After examining him, the doctor said, "I never accept less than five hundred dollars for this particular operation."
"Well, then," said the man, "I guess I'll just have to go blind, because I have only eighty dollars."
But the good doctor said, "There is one other way to solve our trouble. You don't have enough to pay the bill, and I can't charge you as little as eighty dollars, but there is another way open to us, I will do the operation for nothing." And that is just what he did.
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Is God's mercy in your life evident to others?
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Jul 28, 2009 5:54 am
953 Views
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All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NLT
Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Colossians 3:12 NLT
It happened during the darkest days of Europe's history. Hitler was sweeping across the land promoting his contempt for Jews and his plan to exterminate them from the planet. Many countries were easily conned by his propaganda.
But Denmark had a king that wasn't so easily taken in. He received Hitler's edict concerning the armbands that Jews would be required to wear.… So he went out on the balcony of his palace and began reading the edict line by line.…Then when finished, he tucked the note away and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small yellow armband. The king slipped it onto his coat sleeve. Over the weeks to come, thousands of Danes found ways to acquire these yellow armbands and wore them whenever they went out in public, just as the Jews were forced to do. As a result, Hitler's men found themselves in a constant struggle to separate the Jews from the non-Jews in Denmark.… Compassion is a trait within us that is very near the heart of God.
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What is my responsibility to the poor?
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Jul 27, 2009 3:43 pm
1088 Views
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The desires of lazy people will be their ruin, for their hands refuse to work. They are always greedy for more, while the godly love to give! Proverbs 21:25-26 NLT
It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy, but those who are stingy will lose everything. The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. Proverbs 11:24-25 NLT
Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor.
Proverbs 22:9 NLT
Greed is never satisfied because self is at the center of its world, and the self is forever taking, grasping after whatever is beneficial to "me." A person secure in the love of God approaches life with quite a different attitude: Because I am sure that God will take care of me and provide all that I need, I no longer have to be greedy, desperately looking out for myself and grabbing everything in sight.
Ultimately, greed is a sign of emptiness. If you find yourself grasping after things in life, worried that you won't get what you want, what you need, or what you deserve, you have put your trust in the wrong place. Greed will use you up without giving anything in return. God's great love offers us a fuller, more satisfying life.
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The Good You Find In Others
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Jul 26, 2009 6:21 pm
1086 Views
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The good you find in others, is in you too.
The faults you find in others are your faults as well.
After all, to recognize something you must know it.
The possibilities you see in others, are possible for you as well.
The beauty you see around you is your beauty.
The world around you is a reflection,
A mirror showing you the person you are.
To change your world, you must change yourself.
To blame and complain will only make matters worse.
Whatever you care about, is your responsibility.
What you see in others shows you yourself.
See the best in others, and you will be your best.
Give to others, and you give to yourself.
Appreciate beauty, and you will be beautiful.
Admire creativity, and you will be creative.
Love, and you will be loved.
Seek to understand, and you will be understood.
Listen, and your voice will be heard.
Show your best face to the mirror,
And you'll be happy with the face looking back at you.
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” –Matthew 5:44
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To link to this blog (Dundeal) use [blog Dundeal] in your messages.
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