GodCalling: "Thamks for Trials"

Thanks for Trials                    You must say "Thank You" for everything, even seeming trials and worries. Joy is the whole being's attitude of "Thank You" to Me. Be glad. Rejoice. A father loves to see his children happy. I am revealing so much to you. Pass it on. Each Truth is a jewel. Some poor spirit-impoverished friend will be glad of it. Drop one here and there. Seek to find a heart-home for each Truth I have imparted to you. More Truths will flow in.  Use all I give you. Help others, I ache to find a way into each life and heart, for all to cry expectantly, "Even so come Lord Jesus." In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.  1Thessalonias 5:18 blessings to you and yours this day and always ... www.twolisteners.org Have you seen the free classic Christian books on the Two Listeners site? Contact by email:  servant@twolisteners.com  You may also choose to receive         God At Eventide or Thursday Treasures                - click the link at the bottom of this email to change your preferences. Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25

 

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DailyWay: God’s Kingdom

God’s Kingdom

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 12:00 AM PST

There are two kingdoms—the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are adopted into the kingdom of God.

Being a citizen of a country means that you have special privileges. These vary from country to country. However, as a citizen of God’s kingdom, we become members of the royal family. We are joint heirs with Christ. We have access to the throne of God. We have personal fellowship with the King of kings. We are His beloved children.

In order to become a citizen of a country other than the one in which you are born, you must meet certain requirements. The kingdom of God requires its citizens to accept the reign of a wise and loving King. It means acknowledging Christ as our Lord and Savior. It means being obedient to the Word of God. It requires our saying, “Lord, not my will, but Yours be done.”

Human nature is selfish. What we think we need is foremost in our actions and prayers. Prayer that revolves around our own plans, desires, and needs, however, can be contrary to God’s Word.

When we surrender our lives to Christ and submit ourselves to Him, we are placing our will in submission to the Lord’s. Thus we begin to pray, “Lord, reign in my life, dominate my thoughts, show me Your will.”

Within each of us rages the war between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world. With Christ we have the victory. Knowing this, press on, armed with the confidence that God hears us and will answer our prayers.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil (1 Peter 3:12).

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Let it Snow Let it Snow Let it Snow

Just a little humor for you if you are stuck in the snow.

This is from the Year I lived in Nome Alaska. I loved it, Hosanna, the blond, and Red, the Red dog, are no longer with us.

It was never so cold for me that it was three dog night, but most were definitely a two dog.

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DailyHope: Your Goals Should Bring God Glory

 

Wednesday, January 12, 2011 Your Goals Should Bring God Glory by Rick Warren   We make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 2 Corinthians 5:9 (NIV) "Any goal you set that causes you to trust God more, brings glory to God." Not every goal is a good goal or the kind of goal that God gets behind and helps you accomplish. So what kind of goals does God bless? The Bible says, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV) That means if you are going to set some goals, they need to be goals that bring glory to God. Now, it says whatever you eat – honestly, if I sit down at a restaurant I don't naturally think which food will bring the most glory to God. I'm not thinking that one at all. Would I probably be healthier if I did? Of course. But there is a bigger point and that is that everything can be done for the glory of God -- eat, drink or anything that you do. Does that mean I can close a sale for the glory of God? Yes. Does that mean I can sweep the house for the glory of God? Yes. Does that mean I can program computers for the glory of God? Yes! You can do anything to the glory of God. I can macramé to the glory of God. You say, ‘Well, how do I do that? It requires the right attitude and the right motivation. The right attitude is ‘I do it out of gratitude.’ The right motivation is ‘I do it to honor God.’  How do you know if it's going to bring glory to God?  Any goal that causes you to love God more brings glory to God.  Any goal you set that causes you to trust God more, brings glory to God.  Any goal you set that causes to you obey God, to love God, to serve God, any goal that causes you to want to brag on God and tell unbelievers, ‘Look what he did for me’ -- that's the goal that brings glory to God.      Missed out on one of the Daily Devotionals? View the online archives. Did someone forward this Daily Devotional to you? Get your own free subscription to The Purpose Driven Connection Daily Devotional, your daily inspiration via email.     Follow Us: Follow Pastor Rick on facebook and Twitter.

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JesusSaid: Love Your Enemies "What about Military?"

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MikeMacintosh: "stress and anxiety"

For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Psalm 32:4 In our fast-paced society, we have seen a tremendous rise in stress and anxiety. In the United States, billions of dollars are spent on anti-depressants and anti-anxiety drugs that help replenish the natural serotonin that our brains need to give us a feeling of well-being. Yet we can turn to the Scriptures and find that God will heal our weary souls if we will just seek Him: Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God (Psalm 42:11). If I were your doctor and you came to me for advice on how to handle stress and anxiety, I would give you a prescription to pray more and read more of God's Word so that you would find peace. The psalmist cries out to God: "My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to your word" (Psalm 119:28). How simple it is to see the payoff we personally receive from prayer when we balance it with the Holy Scriptures. Our souls can be filled with the violence and turmoil of television, or they can be filled with the love and grace of our God. We get to choose how to handle the stress of our souls. As you fall in love with prayer, God's Holy Spirit will fill you to overflowing with the rest and peace your soul needs and desires. Do not let the pressures of life beat you down until you think you are worthless and invaluable. That is a lie of the devil. Jesus gives us this assurance: Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29-31). Do not lose sight of the fact that God has His eye on the sparrow, and if that is so, how much more are His eyes on you?

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MarkBalmer: "Comfortable?"

Comfortable? 

Based on “Unlimited Opportunities, Part 1” by Pastor Mark Balmer; 1/8-9/11,

Message #MB446; Daily Devotional #2 - “Comfortable?”

 

Preparing the Soil (Introduction):  I want to put a picture in your mind. Imagine a mountainous area with big open grassy meadows. In one of those meadows is a small stream. The rest of the scene has no running water. In the meadow with the stream is a herd of sheep. There seems to be abundant grass and water nearby, and the sheep are content right where they are. They have no desire to move. So, what will eventually happen if they are allowed to stay there? First, they will start to run out of food. Now you would think they would say to themselves, we are running out of food and look for more elsewhere. However, that is not how a sheep thinks. They will wander, but not far. As they start running out of food, they get used to less and less. Eventually, they could become so weak from a lack of food that they couldn’t move somewhere else if they wanted to. The problem was not a lack of grass and water. The problem was that they were content where they were, becoming content with less and less, until they no longer had a choice. If those sheep had a shepherd to guide them, they would not have been starving. The shepherd leads them where they need to be, not necessarily where they want to be (Exodus 16:1-3).

 

Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): We can become complacent in our walk with Christ, as well.  We can easily say, "There seems to be plenty of water and grass. I will just stay here."  As the grass starts to get lean we might say, "As we mature we will not experience things as we did when we first believed." Or when something new is introduced we could think, "Well, that is not how God works here!" Complacency - self-satisfaction accompanied by unawareness of actual danger or deficiencies. Complacency is against change, against new ideas, against anything that would encourage us to move from our comfort zone. Complacency also breeds dead religion, looking for God to work in the exact same way and trying to put Him in a box. There is not a box big enough to contain God and the ways He chooses to work in our lives. You cannot go with God and stay where you are.

 

Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20, NLT) God does not want us to be complacent in our relationship with Him. He wants to stretch us and take us places where we have to depend upon Him to show up. God does not receive glory in good people doing good things. He receives glory when He does God sized things through us. Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” (Matthew 19:26, NLT) Today, look for where God is leading. It will be away from that place of comfort. Yet, if we cannot trust God to lead us, then who can we trust? Are you wiser than God? Do you know a better path to take? Do you know all things and what is really around the corner? God does. His desire is the very best for us. Today, step out and follow wherever He is leading. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

 

Cultivating (Additional Reading):  Philippians 3:7-14

wm

 

Calvary Chapel of Melbourne; 2955 Minton Road; W. Melbourne, FL 32904; 321-952-9673

All Bible references are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise noted.

New Living Translation = NLT.

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GregLaurie: "Skeptical Thomas"

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2011 Skeptical Thomas And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" — John 20:28 When we think of Jesus' disciple, Thomas, one word comes to mind: doubt. But it would be more accurate to call Thomas a skeptic, not a doubter. And skepticism is not always a bad thing. It has been said that skepticism is the first step toward truth. Skepticism is not always a sign that a person is wrong; it may be a sign that he or she is thinking. And frankly, I think some Christians could use a little more skepticism, because sometimes we are too quick to believe anyone or anything that comes along. Thomas just wanted to know for himself. He didn't live off other people's faith, and that is admirable. Of course, we know that he missed the appearance of Jesus when He came to the disciples. So when the disciples saw Thomas and told him what happened, he said, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe" (John 20:25). The next time the disciples met, Thomas was there. And guess who showed up? Jesus. He invited Thomas to look at and feel His wounds. But Thomas didn't need to. Rather, he said, "My Lord and my God!" So Thomas wasn't really a doubter. He believed when he was presented with the facts. Thomas, the skeptic, was a believer. On another occasion, when Jesus had told the disciples He wanted to go to Bethany after Lazarus had died, they thought Jesus' life was at stake (see John 11:8). But Thomas said, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him" (John 11:16). Thomas was willing to lay his life down for the faith, and indeed he did. According to church tradition, Thomas died as a martyr. Have Pastor Greg's devotions blessed you? Write and tell him! Greg@harvest.org

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