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Post by violet on Sept 18, 2007 4:09:22 GMT 10
thank u lolomael sana laging may mga ganitong post-
natatandaan ko rin yung daily devotion nyo nun-
pede bang post ka rin ng ganun?
request lang
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Post by lolomael on Sept 18, 2007 7:23:21 GMT 10
Transformed! For reading & meditation - Psalm 32:1-11 "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered." (v. 1)
We come now to speak of all those who have been broken, or are on the verge of being broken, by the memory of some deeply grievous sin. I am not thinking so much of those who have committed sin and have not come to Christ for forgiveness, but of those who, though they have been forgiven by God, are unable to forgive themselves. A man came to me recently at the end of a meeting at which I had spoken, and told me the details of a particularly horrendous sin in which he had been involved. He said, "I know God has forgiven me, but the memory of what I have done is constantly with me. It is quietly driving me insane." This brought to mind a story I heard many years ago of a father who taught his son to drive a nail into a board every time he did something wrong, and then to pull out the nail after he had confessed the wrong and had been forgiven. Every time this happened, the boy would say triumphantly, "Hurray! The nails are gone!" "Yes," his father would say, "but always remember that the marks made by the nails are still in the wood." The message I want you to get hold of and build into your life is this: the Carpenter of Nazareth can not only pull out the nails, but can also varnish and beautify the wood so that the marks become, not a contradiction, but a contribution. Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, You who once were known as a carpenter's son, take the stains and blemishes of my past and work through them so that they contribute, rather than contradict. For Your own dear Name's sake. Amen.
For Further Study 1 John 1; Ps. 103:3; Acts 5:31; Eph. 1:7 1. How can we know full forgiveness? 2. Why not ask for it today?
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Post by lolomael on Sept 18, 2007 7:25:32 GMT 10
thank u lolomael sana laging may mga ganitong post-
natatandaan ko rin yung daily devotion nyo nun-
pede bang post ka rin ng ganun?
request lang
God's Daily Promise? I'll try kasi nahinto na ang subscription ko noon eh.
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Post by lolomael on Sept 18, 2007 8:11:09 GMT 10
Keeping Fit for Jesus! For reading & meditation - 1 Timothy 4:1-12 "... physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things ..." (v. 8)
We spend one last day meditating on the ways by which we can overcome stress in our lives. This final principle is: engage in as much physical exercise as is necessary. One laboratory experiment took ten underexercised rats, and subjected them repeatedly to a variety of stresses: shock, pain, shrill noises, and flashing lights. After a month, every one of them had died through the incessant strain. Another group of rats was given a good deal of exercise until they were in peak physical condition. They were then subjected to the same battery of stresses and strains. After a month, not one had died. More and more Christians are waking up to the fact that God has given us bodies that are designed to move, and the more they are exercised, the more effectively they function. Studies on how exercise helps to reduce stress are quite conclusive. Exercise gets rid of harmful chemicals in our bodies, provides a form of abreaction (letting off steam), builds up stamina, counteracts the biochemical effects of stress, and reduces the risk of psychological illness. The Bible rarely mentions the need for physical exercise, because people living at that time usually walked everywhere and therefore needed little admonition on the subject. In our world of advanced technology, however, common sense tells us that our bodies need to be exercised, and we should not neglect it. It may not be a spectacular idea, but often God comes to us along some very dusty and lowly roads. We must not despise His coming just because He comes to us along a lowly road. Prayer:
Lord, help me not to despise this call of Yours to exercise my body. Forgive me that I am such a poor tenant of Your property. From today I determine to do better. For Your own Name's sake. Amen. For Further Study 1 Kings 19; 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19 1. What caused stress in Elijah's life? 2. How did God help him?
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Post by lolomael on Sept 18, 2007 8:12:48 GMT 10
Don't Push the River! For reading & meditation - Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven ..." (v. 1) Refuse to be obsessed with time. It is right to be concerned about time, but it is not right to be obsessed with it. Do you live life by the clock? Then you are a candidate for stress. When filmmakers want to create tension, they show a clock relentlessly ticking away. Such tactics are pointless when applied to the ordinary issues of everyday life. Nervous glances at a watch will generate tension when you are caught in traffic, but they will not make the traffic move any faster. Fretting will do nothing to alter the situation. So learn to relax, and do not become intimidated by time. Some people live life as if they are on a racing track, and set themselves rigid lap times for the things they want to accomplish during the day. Two motorists were given the task of driving for 1,700 miles. One was asked to drive as fast as he could without breaking any speed limits; the other was told to drive at any comfortable pace. At the end of their journeys, it was found that the faster driver had consumed ten gallons more gas and doubled the wear on his tires; by driving at a speed which, in the end, proved to be only two miles per hour faster than the other driver! A man said to me in a counseling session when I advised him to slow down: "The trouble is that I'm in a hurry - but God isn't!" Learn the wisdom of letting things develop at their own pace, and follow the maxim that says: "Don't push the river - let it flow." Prayer: O Father, save me from being obsessed by time. Help me to see that I have all the time in the world to do what You want me to do. And when I am overconcerned, I am overwrought! Help me, dear Father. Amen. For Further Study Eph. 5:1-21; Col. 4:5; James 4:14 1. How can we redeem the time? 2. To what does James relate this?
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Post by lolomael on Sept 18, 2007 8:21:14 GMT 10
Stop and Smell the Roses For reading & meditation - Matthew 6:25-34 "... Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow ..." (v. 28, RSV)
Another principle that helps us cope with stress is this: Seek to overcome any rigidity in your personality. You can best understand rigidity by comparing it with its opposite - flexibility. A more formal definition of rigidity is this: "The inability or refusal to change one's actions or attitudes even though objective conditions indicate that a change is desirable." The rigid person clings to certain ways of thinking and acting, even when they are injurious to the personality and burn up their emotional energy. Someone described it as similar to driving a car with the brakes on. Take the housewife who worries herself into a migraine attack because she cannot maintain a scrupulously tidy home while her grandchildren are visiting. Or the businessman who triggers off another gastric ulcer because he falls behind with his schedule when his secretary is away sick. Inflexible goals can be crippling fetters. It's no good saying, "But there are things that have to be done, and if I don't do them, they just won't get done." Perhaps you need to rearrange your priorities, adjust your lifestyle and learn to say Ono." As someone put it, "We must not drive so relentlessly forward that we cannot stop and smell the roses by the wayside." You may be caught up in the midst of one of the busiest weeks of your year, but pause for a moment and ask yourself: am I driving, or am I being driven? Am I in control of my personality, or is it in control of me? Today, decide to take a step away from rigidity by pausing to "smell a rose." Prayer:
O God, I am now at grips with the raw material of living; out of it must come a person - Your person. Help me to be rigid only in relation to You, and flexible about everything else. For Jesus' sake. Amen. For Further Study Gen. 1; 2:1-3; Heb. 4:1-11; Ps. 37:7; Matt. 11:29 1. What was man's first day? 2. How can we enter into God's rest?
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Post by lolomael on Sept 18, 2007 9:02:01 GMT 10
What a Waste! For reading & meditation - Philippians 4:1-13 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (v. 6)
We continue meditating on the principles we can use when our lives are threatened by stress: Recognize the symptoms of stress. No alarm bells ring in our homes or offices when we are suffering undue stress, but there are adequate warning signs. People under stress generally become irritable and overreact to relatively trivial frustrations. They show a change in their sleep patterns, and become increasingly tired and restless. They derive less pleasure from life, experience no joy while praying or reading the Bible, laugh less, and become plagued with feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. They sometimes develop psychosomatic complaints such as tension headaches, indigestion and other things. Some people have what is known as "target organs" - physical organs that are the first to suffer when they are under stress. Harold Wilson confessed that whenever he had to fire a colleague, he suffered acute stomach pains. Henry Ford suffered cramps in his stomach whenever he had to make an important business decision. Trotsky, when under pressure, used to develop bouts of high temperature, and frequently had to spend time in the Crimea recuperating. One businessman I know always has a glass of milk on his desk from which he takes frequent sips in order to calm his nagging peptic ulcer. Are you able to recognize your own particular patterns of stress? You owe it to God and yourself to find out. The waste that goes on in Christian circles through believers channeling their energies into coping with stress, rather than into extending the kingdom of God, is appalling. Prayer:
O God, sharpen my ability to recognize the things I do that contribute to stress in my life, so that all my energies can be channeled into spiritual activity, not self-activity. For Jesus' sake. Amen
For Further Study Luke 12:15-34; 2 Tim. 1:12; 2 Cor. 11:22-33; 12:7-10 1. What was the key to Paul's trust under stress? 2. List six reasons Jesus gave for not worrying about tomorrow.
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Post by lolomael on Sept 18, 2007 9:09:44 GMT 10
When Broken by Stress For reading & meditation - Psalm 71:1-24 "You have let me sink down deep in desperate problems. But you will bring me back to life again, up from the depths of the earth!" (v. 20, TLB)
Another major cause for brokenness in human life is stress. Often I get letters from people saying something like this: "I feel I am on the verge of a breakdown. No one thing seems to be responsible for it, but I just can't cope. My doctor says I am suffering from stress. Can the Bible meet this need?" I am bold to say that it can. God can take a person overcome by stress and build into their lives insights which will enable them to live above and beyond its paralyzing grip. What exactly is "stress"? One doctor defines it as "wear and tear on the personality which, if uncorrected, can result in a physical or mental breakdown." Donald Norfolk, a British osteopath who has made a special study of stress, claims that it comes from two main causes: too little change, or too much change. To function at peak efficiency, we all need a certain amount of change. However, when changes come too fast for us to cope with, the personality is put under tremendous stress. Dr. Thomas H. Holmes measures stress in terms of "units of change " For example, the death of a loved one measures 100 units, divorce 73 units, pregnancy 40 units, moving or altering a home 25 units, and Christmas 12 units. His conclusion is that no one can handle more than 300 units of stress in a twelve- month period without suffering physically or emotionally during the next two years. Holmes, of course, was speaking from a strictly human point of view - with God "all things are possible." Prayer:
Father, You have taught me much on how to turn my weaknesses into strengths. Teach me now how to handle stress. I cannot change my surroundings - but I can change my attitude. Help me to do this. For Jesus' sake. Amen. For Further Study Luke 10:38-42; Phil. 4:6; Ps. 127:2; Matt. 6:25 1. What was Jesus' response to Martha? 2. How did it differ from His response to Mary?
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Post by lolomael on Sept 18, 2007 9:18:14 GMT 10
A Check-Up for Husbands For reading & meditation - Ephesians 5:22-33 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church ..." (v. 25)
Over the next two days I want to establish two final principles for dealing with troubles in the home: one for the husbands and one for the wives. Today we begin with the men: Be prepared to give yourself a spiritual check-up on how you are doing as a husband. Cross out whichever answer does not apply. 1. Do you still "court" your wife with an unexpected gift of flowers or chocolates? (Anniversaries and birthdays not to be included) (YES/NO) 2. Are you careful never to criticize her in front of others? (YES/NO) 3. Do you make an effort to understand her varying feminine moods and help her through them? (YES/NO) 4. Do you depend on your wife to meet your basic personal needs? (YES/NO) 5. Do you pray together? (YES/NO) 6. Do you share at least half your recreation time with your wife and family? (YES/NO) 7. Are you alert for opportunities to praise and compliment her? (YES/NO) 8. Do you go to church together? (YES/NO) 9. Is she first in your life - after the Lord? (YES/NO) 10. Have you forgiven her for any hurts or problems she may have caused you? (YES/NO) A score of 7 to 10 yes responses - excellent! Below 7 yes answers - you've got some work ahead of you.
Prayer:
Father, You who have set us in families, help me to be the person You intend me to be, both in my marriage and in my home. This I ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.
For Further Study Eccl. 9:1-9; Gen. 2:23-24; Col. 3:1-21; 1 Pet. 3:7 1. What does the word cleave (KJV) mean? 2. Why are our prayers often hindered?
A Check-Up for Wives For reading & meditation - 1 Peter 3:1-12 "Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands ..." (v. 1)
Yesterday the men were asked to examine themselves using a simple questionnaire as to how they were doing as husbands. Today a similar opportunity is extended to wives. 1. Are you depending on the Lord to meet your basic needs for security, significance, and self-worth? (YES/NO) 2. Can you meet financial disasters bravely without condemning your husband for his mistakes, or comparing him unfavorably with others? (YES/NO) 3. Do you dress with an eye for your husband's likes and dislikes in color and style? (YES/NO) 4. Do you keep up your own personal prayer life so that you may meet everything that arises with poise? (YES/NO) 5. Do you avoid daydreaming or fantasizing about other men you might have married? (YES/NO) 6. Are you sensitive to your husband?s moods and feelings and know when, and when not, to bring up delicate issues? (YES/NO) 7. Do you respect your husband? (YES/NO) 8. Are you careful never to criticize your husband in front of others? (YES/NO) 9. Do you keep track of the day's news and what is happening in the world so that you can discuss these with your husband? (YES/NO) 10. Are you a "submissive" wife? (YES/NO) A score of 7 to 10 yes responses - excellent. Below 7 yes answers - it's decision time. Prayer:
My heavenly Father, I realize the tender relationships of home can be a shrine, or they can be a snarl. Keep my inner shrine from all wrong attitudes and from all worry. Let me approach today's challenge in the knowledge that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13, NKJV). Amen.
For Further Study Prov. 31:10-31; 1 Tim. 3:11; Esther 1:20 1. What are the characteristics of a virtuous woman? 2. What do her children call her?
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Post by lolomael on Sept 18, 2007 9:19:55 GMT 10
Accepting Your Partner For reading & meditation - John 13:12-20 "... whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me ..." (v. 20)
The third principle for healing the brokenness that arises from troubles in the home only works if the previous two are clearly established: Accept your partner or your children, and don't just endure them. Too difficult? Look again at the verse at the top of this page, where we are instructed to accept each other just as God accepts us. And remember that when we supply the willingness, God supplies the power. There is quite a difference, of course, between accepting your partner and enjoying him or her; the former is a scriptural requirement, the latter is something that is dependent on their response and behavior. Marriage sometimes involves living with an irritating, infuriating, and obnoxious person: how can we accept such a person, let alone enjoy him or her? Acceptance does not mean that we have to enjoy everything our partner does: it means rather that we see our partner as someone to whom God wants us to minister, and we pursue that ministry whether we feel like it or not. Many Christians stumble over this. A lady who recently came through to victory on this point said to me, "But how can I accept my husband, who is nothing more than a loathsome, alcoholic pig?" I said, "It's impossible as long as you are depending on your husband to meet your need for security. Depend on God to meet that need, and then see what happens." She did so, and found that when she no longer depended on her husband to meet her security needs. she saw him in a completely new light. Then she had no difficulty in accepting him. Prayer:
O God, this sounds too good to be true. Can life?s difficulties be resolved so easily? Give me the courage not to dismiss anything until I've tried it, nor resist any principle that is in harmony with Your Word. Amen.
For Further Study Eph. 5:21-33; 1:6; Rom. 15:7 1. How should the husband show his acceptance of his wife? 2. How should the wife show her acceptance of her husband?
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Post by lolomael on Sept 18, 2007 17:39:07 GMT 10
Grace - Greater Than All Our Sin! For reading & meditation - Romans 5:12-21 "... where sin abounded, grace did much more abound ..." (v. 20, KJV)
We are meditating on how to recover from the brokenness caused by the memory of some deeply grievous sin. By that we mean a sin which God has forgiven but which, for some reason, still burns in our memories. The first principle is this: realize that God can do more with sin than just forgive it. I heard an elderly minister make that statement many years ago, when I was a young Christian, and at first I resisted it. I said to myself: "How can God use sin? Surely it is His one intolerance?" Then, after pondering for a while, I saw what he meant. God uses our sin to motivate our will toward greater spiritual achievement, to quicken our compassion toward sinners and to show God's tender heart for the fallen. We must be careful, of course, that we do not fall into the error which Paul refers to in Romans 6:1-2: "Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid" (KJV). If we sin in order that God may use it, then our motives are all wrong and we fall foul of the eternal purposes. If, however, we commit sin, but then take it to God in confession - really take it to Him - then He will not only forgive it, but make something of it. Is this too difficult for you to conceive? Then I point you to the cross. The cross was the foulest deed mankind ever committed, yet God used it to become the fulcrum of His redemption. It was our lowest point - but it was God's zenith. Hallelujah. Prayer:
O Father, I am so relieved to know that You take even my sins and make them contribute to Your purposes. Grace turns all my bad into good, all my good into better and all my better into the best. Hallelujah!
For Further Study Heb. 10:1-22; Isa. 43:25; 44:22; 55:7 1. What will God not remember any more? 2. What is the "full assurance" we can have?
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Post by lolomael on Sept 20, 2007 1:38:04 GMT 10
Why Do I Do These Things? For reading & meditation - 1 John 1:1-10 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (v. 9)
We continue meditating on the principles that enable us to recover from the brokenness caused by the memory of some grievous sin. A second principle is this: Understand the major reason why you tend to brood on the past. People who brood on the past, and keep the memory of their sin alive, do so for several reasons. Let's take them one by one: (1) They are not sure that God has forgiven them. If you have this kind of doubt, it is really a denial. It is taking a verse, like the one before us today, and flinging it back into God's face, saying "I don't believe it." If you don't accept God's forgiveness, you will try to make your own atonement in feelings of guilt. Once you confess your sin, then, as far as God is concerned, that's the end of it. Believe that - and act upon it. It's the gospel truth! (2) They are in the grip of spiritual pride. You should be asking yourself, at some deep level of your mental and emotional life: How could I have ever done a thing like that? What this really amounts to is that you have too high an opinion of yourself. And that's about as bad as too low an opinion of yourself. (3) They have not forgiven themselves. It might help to stand in front of a mirror with your Bible open at the verse at the top of this page, reassure yourself that God has forgiven you, and say to yourself, by name: "---------, God has forgiven you - now I forgive you too!" Prayer:
Gracious Father, although I understand many things, I fail so often to understand myself. Teach me more of what goes on deep inside me, so that, being more self-aware, I may become more God-aware. For Your own dear Name's sake. Amen. For Further Study Ps. 51:1-19; Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13; Mark 12:33 1. Why can we forgive ourselves? 2. Forgive yourself today.
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Post by lolomael on Sept 22, 2007 2:10:24 GMT 10
The End of the Beginning For reading & meditation - 2 Corinthians 2:12-3:11 "... thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ ..." (2:14)
Although this is the end of the theme of "Strong at the broken places," I pray that, for many of you, it will be the beginning of a new approach to handling your weaknesses. How thankful I am that, in the early years of my Christian life, God impressed into my spirit the truth that my weaknesses could be turned into strengths. With just a few years of Christian experience behind me, I stumbled and fell. The temptation was to wallow in self-pity. But by God's grace, I got up, brushed myself off, and said, "Devil, you won that round, but I'll work on that problem until it is no longer a weakness, but a strength." I did work on it, and today I can testify that the weakness which caused me to stumble has indeed become a strength. I say that humbly, recognizing that the strength I have is not my own, but His. Today is a new day. How will you face it? Are you ready to face your weaknesses in the assurance that, no matter how life breaks you, you can draw out from each experience a lesson that will live on inside you and help you to find victory in a future situation? Just as a broken bone, when it is healed, becomes stronger at that place than it was before it was broken, so you can become stronger by your very weaknesses. Thus when you stumble, you stumble forward; when you fall, you fall on your knees and get up a stronger person. When we are Christians, everything is "grist to our mill." Prayer:
O Father, I sense today that this is not the end, but the end of the beginning. From now on, I shall face the future knowing that, however life breaks me, in You I can become strong at the broken places. All honor and glory to Your peerless and precious Name. Amen.
For Further Study Eph. 3; 2 Cor. 12:9; Isa. 40:31; 41:10 1. What was Paul's testimony? 2. What is your testimony?
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Post by lolomael on Sept 23, 2007 18:13:57 GMT 10
""Never Soar as High Again?"" For reading & meditation - 1 Peter 1:3-9 ""These have come so that your faith ... may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."" (v. 7)
We turn now to examine some of the ways in which our lives become fractured, and what we can do to become ""strong at the broken places."" We begin by looking at the brokenness which comes about through failure. Probably someone reading these words is caught up in a vortex of gloom due to a failure. You may be feeling like the man who said to me: ""I am stunned by my failure. My life is shattered into smithereens. I read somewhere that 'the bird with the broken wing will never soar as high again.' Does that mean I can never rise to the heights in God which once I knew?"" I reminded him of Simon Peter - a man with one of the worst track records in the New Testament. He was prejudiced, bigoted, stubborn, and spiritually insensitive. Again and again he got his wires crossed, such as the time when he attempted to divert Christ from going to His death in Jerusalem (Matt. 16:22), or his insistence that they should stay on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:4). Then, on the eve of Christ's crucifixion, he denied and even cursed his Lord. I can imagine Satan whispering in his ear: ""Now you're finished. Burned out. A failure. You'll be forgotten ... replaced."" But by God's grace, Peter rose from failure to success. He became ""strong at the broken places."" Because he refused to live in the shadow of his bad track record, his two letters are enshrined forever in the Scriptures. Failures, you see, are only temporary tests to prepare us for more permanent triumphs. Prayer:
O Father, I see so clearly that no failure is a failure if it succeeds in driving me to Your side. All things serve me - when I serve You. Amen. For Further Study Exod. 2; 3 1. How did Moses fail God? 2. How did God deal with him?
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Post by lolomael on Sept 25, 2007 0:02:12 GMT 10
""Never Soar as High Again?"" For reading & meditation - 1 Peter 1:3-9 ""These have come so that your faith ... may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."" (v. 7)
We turn now to examine some of the ways in which our lives become fractured, and what we can do to become ""strong at the broken places."" We begin by looking at the brokenness which comes about through failure. Probably someone reading these words is caught up in a vortex of gloom due to a failure. You may be feeling like the man who said to me: ""I am stunned by my failure. My life is shattered into smithereens. I read somewhere that 'the bird with the broken wing will never soar as high again.' Does that mean I can never rise to the heights in God which once I knew?"" I reminded him of Simon Peter - a man with one of the worst track records in the New Testament. He was prejudiced, bigoted, stubborn, and spiritually insensitive. Again and again he got his wires crossed, such as the time when he attempted to divert Christ from going to His death in Jerusalem (Matt. 16:22), or his insistence that they should stay on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:4). Then, on the eve of Christ's crucifixion, he denied and even cursed his Lord. I can imagine Satan whispering in his ear: ""Now you're finished. Burned out. A failure. You'll be forgotten ... replaced."" But by God's grace, Peter rose from failure to success. He became ""strong at the broken places."" Because he refused to live in the shadow of his bad track record, his two letters are enshrined forever in the Scriptures. Failures, you see, are only temporary tests to prepare us for more permanent triumphs. Prayer:
O Father, I see so clearly that no failure is a failure if it succeeds in driving me to Your side. All things serve me - when I serve You. Amen.
For Further Study Exod. 2; 3 1. How did Moses fail God? 2. How did God deal with him?
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Post by lolomael on Sept 28, 2007 0:05:34 GMT 10
September 27
Are Christians Exempt? For reading & meditation - Matthew 5:38-48 ""... He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."" (v. 45)
We are meditating on the theme, ""Strong at the broken places,"" and we are discovering that although life deals blows to us all, those who meet life with the right responses and the right inner attitudes are those who turn their weaknesses into strengths. I know some Christians who believe that they ought to be exempt from the cruel blows of life. A young man who was stunned after failing his examination said, ""I cannot understand. I prayed very hard before the examination, and I lived an exemplary life for the Lord. Why, oh why, should He fail me at this important moment?"" Later he confessed to a friend, ""As a result of God letting me down, my faith in Him has been shattered."" I can sympathize with the young man's feelings, of course, but I cannot agree with his conclusions. Suppose prayer alone could enable us to pass examinations - what would happen? Prior to examination time, classrooms would be deserted, and everyone would flock to the churches for prayer and meditation. Not a bad situation, you might think. But what would happen to the minds of young people if prayer alone brought success? They would become blunted by lack of study. I suspect the young man I have just referred to was depending more on prayer than on diligent and painstaking study. Now prayer and study make a good combination, but prayer without study never helped anyone pass an examination. Christians are not exempt from the natural laws that govern the universe. We may through prayer be able to overcome them, but we are not able to avoid them. Prayer:
Father, thank You for reminding me that even though I am a Christian, I am still governed by natural laws that apply equally to everyone. I cannot be exempt, but through You I can overcome. I am so grateful. Amen.
For Further Study James 2:14-26; 1 Tim. 4:9-16; 2 Tim. 2:15 1. What is James teaching us? 2. How does Paul apply this to Timothy?
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Post by lolomael on Sept 30, 2007 0:06:32 GMT 10
The "Inner-Stances" For reading & meditation - 2 Corinthians 4:1-15 ""We are handicapped on all sides ... we may be knocked down but we are never knocked out!"" (vv. 8-9, J. B. Phillips)
Why is it that while the same things can happen to us all, they may not have the same effect upon us all? The same thing happening to two different people may have entirely different effects. Why should this be so? It depends not so much on the circumstances, but on the ""inner-stances"" - or, in other words, our inner attitudes. As someone has said, ""What life does to us in the long run depends on what life finds in us."" Life's blows can make some people querulous and bitter, others they sweeten and refine; the same events, but with opposite effects. The Gospels tell us that there were three crosses set up on Calvary on the first Good Friday. The same event happened to three different people, but look at the different results. One thief complained and blamed Jesus for not saving Himself and them; the other thief recognized his own unworthiness, repented of it and found an open door to Paradise. Jesus, of course, saw it as the climax of His earthly achievements and made it the fulcrum on which He moved the world. What counts, therefore, is not so much what happens to us, but what we do with it. The same sunshine falling on two different plants can cause one to wither and die, while the other will blossom and flourish. And why? It all depends on the response the plants make. Although, of course, they both need water, one plant is more suited to hot sunshine than the other, and therefore responds with more life and growth, while the other shrivels up and dies. Prayer:
Gracious heavenly Father, write this precept upon my heart so that I shall never forget it: it's not so much what happens to me, but what I do with it that is important. Thank You, Father. Amen
For Further Study 2 Cor. 11:21-29; 2 Tim. 4:7; Ps. 37:28; Prov. 2:8 1. What was Paul's testimony? 2. How did he sum up his life?
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Post by lolomael on Oct 1, 2007 4:10:29 GMT 10
Two Men - Different Reactions For reading & meditation - 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 ""... 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'"" (v. 9)
We must spend another day examining this very important issue of why it is that some non-Christians seem to respond better to life's problems than many Christians. Just recently I heard of two different people whose business ventures collapsed. One was a Christian and the other an agnostic. The agnostic responded to the situation by saying, ""I cannot determine what happens to me, but I can determine what it will do to me. It will make me better and more useful."" He struck out in another direction, and his new venture prospered to such a degree that he won an award. The Christian responded to the collapse of his business by saying, ""Life is unjust. What's the point of trying? I shall withdraw from the cutthroat world of business and concentrate on my garden."" He had to undergo some in-depth counseling before he was on his feet again, and after six months he felt strong enough to rebuild a new and now prosperous business. What can explain the different reactions of these two men? We could explain it in terms of temperament, upbringing, and so on, but there is one thing that must not be overlooked - the Christian had access to the grace of God which, if utilized, should have enabled him to view the situation even more positively than the non-Christian. As a counselor, I understand why people respond wrongly to life's situations. However, my understanding of it does not prevent me from recognizing that the true biblical response to life's problems is to take full advantage of the grace of God and turn every setback into a springboard. Prayer:
Gracious Father, help me to respond to everything in the way a Christian should. Help me to see that not only do You lift the standard high, but You also supply the strength for me to attain it. For Jesus' sake. Amen.
For Further Study James 1:1-15; Eph. 3:16; Isa. 41:10 1. What does James teach us about trials? 2. What was Paul's prayer for the Ephesians?
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migy
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Post by migy on Oct 1, 2007 23:44:38 GMT 10
This is nice, Tuya Mhel... i have a monthly copies also... i can see How God is giving us online as well as His huge purpose... again, this is very nice tuya mhel... Rgds,
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Post by lolomael on Oct 4, 2007 11:43:27 GMT 10
Mature -- only in love Ephesians 4:7-16 "... speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him ..." (v.15)
We are seeing that love is the first outcome of the Spirit within, and if this is lacking, everything is lacking. The first indication of the fact that we are growing spiritually is that we are growing in love. If we grow in love, then we grow -- period. Without growing in love, we cannot grow in God, for His essential nature is love.
Our passage today, in the Moffatt translation, tells us that we are to "hold by the truth, and by our love to grow up wholly into Him." There is only one way to grow up wholly into Him, and that is "by our love." We remain immature if we are immature in love. If the love is ingrown and focused on itself then the result is an immature personality. If the love is selectively applied to certain groups, again the result is an immature personality.
We are mature to the extent that we can love. Indeed all other growth, without growth in love, is what someone has described as "sucker love -- growth that bears no fruit." J. B. Phillips' translation of 1 Corinthians 8:1 puts it this way: "While knowledge may make a man look big, it is only love that can make him grow to his full stature." There is a great emphasis on getting knowledge in today's Church. A lecturer in a leading British theological college recently wrote: "Know the facts of the faith and that will redeem you." I know many Christians who are good at giving facts in relation to the faith but not so good at giving love. Knowledge looks big, but it is just big barrenness unless love is behind it.
Prayer:
O Father, I sense that You are bringing me to the very crux of things. Hold me to it, for unless I grow in love then I do not grow in You. Help me, dear Father. Amen.
For Further Study Eph. 3:1-19; 1 John 4:16; Jude v.21 1. What are we to be rooted in? 2. What was Paul's desire for the Ephesians?
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Post by lolomael on Oct 4, 2007 23:54:39 GMT 10
What compels you? 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 "For Christ's love compels us ..." (v.14)
What exactly does Scripture mean when it uses the word "love"? In English, the word "love" has a variety of meanings. It is used for the mighty passion that moves in the heart of God but it is used also to describe such things as the flutterings of the adolescent heart in spring, an extramarital affair, or a homosexual relationship. The one word "love" has to be spread over a multiplicity of diverse meanings. The Greek language is much richer in this respect. It has four words for love. One is eros, meaning love between the sexes. Another is philia, meaning affectionate human love. Then there is the word storge, meaning family love. The most powerful word for love, however, is agape, which means unconditional love -- the love that surges in the heart of God. When Paul says, "the fruit of the Spirit is love," the word he uses for love is agape. He means that the love we are expected to experience and demonstrate when we are indwelt by the Spirit is not just love in general, but love of a specific kind -- the love which we see exemplified in Jesus. In the text before us today, Paul says: "For Christ's love compels us." This cuts deep. It is possible to be compelled by the love of achievement, of success, of a cause, of a fight. What compels you -- the love of a cause or the love of Christ? The enemies of the early Christians complained that "these followers of Jesus love each other even before they are acquainted." They did. They couldn't help it, for the very nature of the faith they had embraced was love.
Prayer:
Father, as I look into my heart in these few moments to see what controls me, help me to come out with the same answer as the apostle Paul -- "the love of Christ." Pour Your love in so that I may pour it out to others. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
For Further Study 1 Pet. 1:1-9; John 15:13; 1 John 3:16 1. What is the ultimate expression of love? 2. What was Peter's testimony of the scattered strangers?
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Post by lolomael on Oct 6, 2007 12:05:33 GMT 10
Love cannot fail John 13:1-17 "Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love." (v.1)
The love which flows in our hearts when we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit is not a general love but a specific one -- the love of Christ. This love dulls the edge of disappointment and enables us to be invulnerable to many things, not least a lack of appreciation. The poet was thinking of this high degree of love when he wrote:Love is not loveWhich alters when it alteration finds,Or bends with the remover to remove. O, no! It is an ever fixed mark,That looks on tempests and is never shaken.
Let's follow this thought through a little more deeply. The nine ingredients of the fruit of the Spirit were all exemplified in Jesus' life on earth, and it is the present purpose of the Holy Spirit to engraft them into us as we abide in Christ and maintain a close, day-by-day relationship with Him. When we do this, the very first evidence will be that of agape love. This is not a give-and-take kind of love, a love that is reciprocal; it is a love that descends from above and is showered on the deserving and the undeserving, the agreeable and the disagreeable. Christians who dwell deeply in God find that they are changed from people who just love occasionally, when it is convenient, to people whose controlling purpose is love. Love becomes the organizing motive and power in their lives. Such love "never fails," for it always finds a way of expressing itself -- and when it expresses itself, it is itself the success.
Prayer:
O Father, I see that in expressing love, I become more loving even if the other person doesn't accept my love. I cannot fail in love even if love seems to fail in accomplishing the desired end. I am so thankful. Amen.
For Further Study 1 Thess. 3:1-12; John 13:35; 15:12 1. What is the hallmark of the true disciple? 2. What was Paul's prayer for the Thessalonians?
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Post by lolomael on Oct 7, 2007 10:36:08 GMT 10
Love must be realized Luke 23:32-46 "And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him ..." (v.33, NKJV)
How can we ensure that the love which surges in the heart of God surges also in us? We must not strain to love, but allow the love of God to love within us. Dr. W. E. Sangster, the famous Methodist preacher, said that those who best manifest God's love are those who have had a blinding realization of the love of God and whose own love flames in response. If that is true, then how do we come to have a blinding realization of the love of God? We must go to Calvary. Here the heart of God is unveiled. We may have become used to the phrase "God is love" and after a while it is no more exciting than saying that the sun gives light -- it is simply part of the order of things. There is no wonder in it and no realization either. Then, one day, we stand at the foot of the Cross and the Spirit illuminates the love of God to our hearts in such a way that the scales fall away and we look into the eyes of the world's most aggressive Lover. The thing we knew all our lives -- namely, that God is love -- now takes hold of us and for the first time we realize it.
Have you ever had a moment in your life when you have been blinded by the love of God? If not, this may be the reason why love does not surge in you and through you. Stand at the foot of the Cross today and ask God to give you a blinding revelation of His love. You have known it for so long -- now realize it.
Prayer:
O Father, how can I realize it unless You reveal it to me? As I sit in contemplation before Calvary, let Your love take hold of me afresh. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.
For Further Study Isa. 53; Eph. 2:16; Col. 1:20; Gal. 6:14 1. What have we received through the Cross? 2. Read Isaiah 53 in several different translations.
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Post by tessm on Jan 4, 2008 15:23:47 GMT 10
lolo, post ko lang po ito... pero hindi po from Crosswalk... hope ok lang at pakinabang sa marami. God bless us all
GIVING OUT OF NEED Read: 2 Corinthians 8:1-5
In elementary school, we learned how to subtract: take away, and you have less than when you started. Contrary to the laws of mathematics, God tells us that when we give, we will receive even more in return. “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return” (Luke 6:38).
God’s design for giving requires that we depend on His revelation rather than our reason. Logic would check the bank account before deciding how much is available to tithe. The Bible, however, states that all wealth belongs to the Lord and we are to give back to Him the first fruits of our labor (Deuteronomy 10:14; 18:4-5). When we obey, we trust Him to take care of us—which sometimes means choosing to ignore what makes sense, humanly speaking. God doesn’t always provide in the manner we expect or hope. Instead, He satisfies our needs and blesses in the way He knows will truly be best for us.
When facing hard financial circumstances, we can be tempted to justify hoarding our resources. But God, who understands the situation perfectly, requires that we give not simply out of our surplus, but out of our need. The Macedonian church, for example, gave generously even while experiencing affliction (2 Corinthians 8:2). This pleased the Lord because they were giving in faith.
Ask God what He would like you to give. Pray for the courage to obey. Then eagerly await His blessings.
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Post by lolomael on Jan 5, 2008 14:47:34 GMT 10
lolo, post ko lang po ito... pero hindi po from Crosswalk... hope ok lang at pakinabang sa marami. God bless us all GIVING OUT OF NEED Read: 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 In elementary school, we learned how to subtract: take away, and you have less than when you started. Contrary to the laws of mathematics, God tells us that when we give, we will receive even more in return. “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return” (Luke 6:38). God’s design for giving requires that we depend on His revelation rather than our reason. Logic would check the bank account before deciding how much is available to tithe. The Bible, however, states that all wealth belongs to the Lord and we are to give back to Him the first fruits of our labor (Deuteronomy 10:14; 18:4-5). When we obey, we trust Him to take care of us—which sometimes means choosing to ignore what makes sense, humanly speaking. God doesn’t always provide in the manner we expect or hope. Instead, He satisfies our needs and blesses in the way He knows will truly be best for us. When facing hard financial circumstances, we can be tempted to justify hoarding our resources. But God, who understands the situation perfectly, requires that we give not simply out of our surplus, but out of our need. The Macedonian church, for example, gave generously even while experiencing affliction (2 Corinthians 8:2). This pleased the Lord because they were giving in faith. Ask God what He would like you to give. Pray for the courage to obey. Then eagerly await His blessings. Ok lang apo walang problema... anybody can post here. Pika lumabas ka na ba sa ating igloo? Papaninit na ang panahon ngayon dito nasa 6 degress na lang.
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Post by linsi on May 5, 2008 3:23:15 GMT 10
kuya mhel
asan ka naaaaaaaa
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Post by lolomael on Feb 2, 2015 16:45:25 GMT 10
kuya mhel
asan ka naaaaaaaa
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