Everyone Has a Story...Tuesday

4/8/14

If we are honest, we would have to admit that at some point in our lives we have wrongly judged someone. Perhaps we have seen a homeless man on the streets and assumed he became homeless due to drinking alcohol or taking drugs. Maybe we noticed an overweight person and the thought of laziness and a lack of self-control came to mind.

This week I would like to share a story that I found on the Internet. I don’t know if the story is true or who originally wrote it, but it teaches us the importance of knowing someone’s story before passing judgment. We should know all the facts before we speak.  

A 24 year old young, man looking out a bus window shouted…
“Dad, look at all the tall buildings!”
Dad smiled and a young couple sitting nearby, 
looked at the 24 year old’s childish behavior with pity. 
Suddenly the young man looked up toward the sky and exclaimed…
“Dad, look the clouds are running with us!” T
he couple couldn’t resist and said to the old man…
“Why don’t you take your son to a good doctor?” 
The old man smiled and said…“I did and we are just coming from the hospital,
 my son was blind from birth, he just got his eyes today.”

The moral of the story is…..

Every single person on the planet has a story. Don’t judge people before you truly know them. The truth might just surprise you.

The Bible contains many Scripture verses that speak about judgment. 

John 7:24 says, 

“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Even if we do know someone’s story, we should be careful about judging that person. We should not gossip or bring condemnation. We should simply love them.

Matthew 7:1-5 explains, 

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take 

the speck out of your brother's eye."

Lord, help us to see people with Your eyes. Give us minds that do not judge and a heart of compassion for those who are lost, lonely, hurting, ashamed, or just different than us. Amen.

Written by
Storm H.

Song- What Love Really Means by JJ Heller

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHBoIftBV00

My Push and Pull to Pray...Monday

The first time I read the verse, "Pray without ceasing," I was puzzled over how that could even be technically possible? I mean, how can I have a conversation, do homework, teach a class, and yet pray at the same time with any coherent meaning?

As I mulled this verse over and over, I found myself trying to pray over every little thing I could see or hear. One spring day, with my house windows open, busily taking care of some household chores, I glanced out the window at a neighbor's front door, they were separating, I prayed for their hearts.  I dusted a picture of relatives and prayed for God's peace and salvation. I thought about my mother, and prayed for success on her job. I heard another neighbor arrive home, I prayed that God would reveal Himself to them. I heard a car crash a few blocks away, I prayed for the health of the passengers and asked for justice to be accomplished. Then I cried out to God. I couldn't keep up! My mind was on overload, and I felt a huge cloud of pressure, bigger than my house, even bigger than my neighborhood, weighing on me.

"Lord, there is no end to who needs to prayer. How can I do this?"

Then a quiet voice within me answered, "Pray for those I ask you to pray for." Instantly relief flooded over me. Humbly I laid down my self imposed burden and picked up the one God had for me.

It is a gift from God that we have the privilege to pray for one another. Which means it is His plan for others to pray for us, too. Whether I have to push myself to be open and share my needs for prayer with others, or lovingly pull requests from those very same people, His Word clearly tells us to pray:

"Confess to one another therefore your faults

 (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins)

 and pray [also] for one another,

 that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart].

 The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man

 makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]."

James 5:16 AMP

"Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything,

 but in every circumstance and in everything,

 by prayer and petition (definite requests),

 with thanksgiving,

 continue to make your wants known to God."

Philippians 4:6 AMP

Dear Lord, thank You for all of those who faithfully pray for others. Please help me to never give up on praying for anyone who you have laid on my heart. It is my turn to pray specifically for them. Please help me to be steadfast and careful to pray over each one (see Colossians 4:2). May I keep my promise to be open and share so that others may pray for me, too. In Jesus name, amen.

Written by Mary M. Wilkins

Christian band Sanctus Real performs "Pray" 

FAST FOOD MENU?... Sunday

Devotional for 4/6/14 (rewrite from 4/10/11)

When you walk into a fast food restaurant, you are confronted with a wide array of menu items.  So many choices!  In addition you can often choose a combination of things for a complete meal at one price, and then you also have to decide whether to "gigantic-size" it or not.  On top of that you can have them hold certain toppings, or add others, possibly for another nominal fee of course if it is cheese.  AND there are even "secret menu items" at some fast food places that are not on the menu but are sometimes posted on-line or customers simply know about them by word of mouth or from past menu lists. Decisions, decisions!  And it is all a matter of personal preferences and choices. 

Some people want to make "choices" like that about the Bible, which parts to believe and use, and which parts to "hold" or ignore or twist to their own liking.  God's word is not like a fast food menu - we can't pick and choose what we want or don't want, add things that aren't there, or use something printed there but change it to "have it your way"!  But it is easy to fall into this trap, often without even realizing it.  This is not new, of course. 

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  
2 Timothy 4:3 NIV 

Passages in the Bible are better understood when they are read in context.  Though we often take small snippets from the Bible and build lessons or devotions on them, we need to understand that the whole of Scripture is given to us by God.  Anything that appears at first to be a contradiction is simply our misinterpretation or misunderstanding.  We need to remember that God's entire word is true.  Even Jesus himself attests to that: 

Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.  John 17:17  NIV 

Even though the Bible was written by the hands of human beings, they were inspired by God himself.  We can read it with confidence, knowing that it is the word of our gracious God, meant to give us hope and direction.  We can use the words of Scripture to guide us in our life. 

All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.  2 Timothy 3:16-17  NIV 

But the most important aspect of God's true Word is that it shines the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all the world by the power of his Spirit! 

We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things.  For prophecy never had it's origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.  2 Peter 1:19-21 NIV.

So when we read and study the Bible, it is good to remember not to "super-size" parts of it at the expense of dropping other parts from the "menu," or change certain items to suit our likes or dislikes or to match our preconceived notions, or ignore parts in order to be politically correct or accepted by others. The scriptures are all true and worthwhile to study, not to decide IF they apply to us but to understand HOW they apply to our lives, and to witness to our Lord and Savior.

written by Jan Andersen   

Here is a wonderful song sung against the background
of some or the most beautiful and instructive scriptures in the Bible.

CONSISTENCY...Saturday

4/5/14

"Instead, speaking the truth in love, 

we will in all things grow up into him 

who is the Head, that is Christ." 

 Ephesians 4:15

     God is looking for consistency in our lives.  Baptism is not a free ticket into heaven with no faith in Jesus.  Confirmation is not graduation from having to study the word of God on a daily basis.  Worshipping on Sunday and saying the Lord's Prayer one time a week does not foster growth.

  

   Probably the best example of people displaying consistency are athletes training for the Olympics.  Without fail they go through routines and conditioning day after day after day, whether they feel like  doing it or not.  They do not accomplish their ultimate goal by on-and-off discipline.

     There also is no middle ground for the Christian.  Every day, by what we practice, we are either growing closer to God in our relationship with Him or we are drifting farther away from Him.  What we choose is accomplished by consistency.

     God is not looking for perfection in any of us.  We still sin every day.  We don't always accomplish what we need to.  He is, however, looking for consistency in our walk with Him.  As a plant takes root and springs up by the gardener consistently watering and caring for it, so too, we grow up into God an bear fruit with our consistency.  Consistency is a choice we make.

Written by

Carol Steficek

Peace...Friday

April 4, 2014 

My search for scriptures of God bringing peace led me to the following.  Exactly what I needed to read!  I have written this out and put it in my calendar to read each day as often as I need from now until the 15^th of April….and beyond, of course.  J 

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:7

 (NIV)

  

With the crazy business of this tax season for me, I have lost all peacefulness, and I am now to the point of just plain exhaustion.  I do feel and see the end in sight; however, at the same time I am feeling very impatient and grumpy with just wanting the deadline to be here.

The really good thing about this job and this time of my life is that I am now able to see that I may not be able to continue it until I retire.  During the last two months I have taken some notes to myself'. My focus, once my life is back at a normal pace, will be on reflecting, writing and doing a whole lot of praying about where I would like my life to lead.  There are oh so many things that I want to change, and I do know now that it is possible for me to do that.  Nothing is impossible when I have God on my side.  I just need to make myself a priority and follow my Father’s guidance as to where He is leading me. 

  

 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

(NIV)

Written by 

Kelly Dobyns

Only What Is Done For Christ Will Last...Thursday

4/3/14

I looked into the archives to find a post for tonight. Our usual Thursday writer is unable to send a new writing tonight. As I looked I found this writing that was posted in our very early days...2012. Because of what I wrote about the day I spent today, I saw this writing and realized that it is speaking to what was asked of Amie and I today. I will post my comments below.

Only What Is Done For Christ Will Last

A thought has been coming to me of late. It is that, "only what is done for Christ will last." As we see the signs of the present age and realize that the Lord's return could be very soon, it is good to remember that His agenda should be our agenda. It is so easy to be caught up in the cares of this world, especially as the holidays approach. My prayer is that my time will be spent tending to the Lord's business and that I will obey His promptings to do His bidding. The Holy Spirit may ask us to pray for someone at a specific moment, send a "thinking of you" card to a lonely heart, take a meal to someone who is home-bound, or volunteer to help at church or a charity. As we do these things prayerfully and in the name of our Lord Jesus, we will be seeding into eternity.

Written by 

Cathy Friberg

Today's song is "Lord I Want To Serve You"

Here is what I wrote about my day today...

Good morning friends...

Wednesday was am amazing day for me...a true example of the words, "Man proposes and God disposes." Well, I had not proposed much, but I had planned to go to a meeting and meet a friend for lunch. Then ring a ding and the whole day changes. A woman I had met once about four years ago when she had found the website for our church and found that Celebration had a writing group. She was here from her home in Alaska for some medical treatments. A few of us had gotten together for lunch. We had had sporadic communication after that. Four plus years she has a family emergency in the Bay Area and needed someone in near here to help her out with some issues of her adult daughter. She ended up calling Amie and then Amie called me. We agreed to go and talk to the young woman for the woman we had met years before. We headed for Oakland were we were told she was staying. She was not in her hotel room so we settled down to wait for her out in the Suburban. In the meantime we saw a man push his wife (they were in their 60's) out of the car and drag her and then try to hit her again before he drove away. We stayed with a couple of other people and waited for an ambulance to arrive. Her foot and her forehead were bleeding. We did try to help her to be comfortable as we waited and prayed for her. Then we talked to Alaska and the process was ongoing for a couple of hours. We were wondering what was the plan in all of this. Then we found out that the girl had had a business meeting in Concord so off we went in a cloud of dust so to speak.  We met her at McDonald's and talked with her for a couple of hours. She talked about her life and what she was going through and what her issues were. Her mom had some misconceptions, but it was good that she called us. We listened and counseled when we had some insight sharing Christian concepts. She listened and was receptive, and at times she cried. When we were done talking we took her out to the car, sat in the back seat and prayed with and for her. Our understanding of the day went from, "what was this all about" to "now I understand!" I feel that God used us to speak into the Mon's life as well as into her daughter's life. We plan to keep in touch with them...especially the daughter in the future to encourage her and share God's enlightenment with her. Something like this has never been asked of me by God before. Now I know what it means first hand what it means to be used by God, and I am humbled and blessed.

"Spiritual Muscle Strengthening"...Wednesday

4/2/14

 

Our God is such a wonderful Father who truly takes care of His children. His knows us inside out and nothing gets past Him in our life. He knows exactly what needs to happen to bring us closer to Him and to help us grow in Him.

 

I am walking through various trials right now and trusting God every step of the way for tremendous victory. I am believing by faith He is working powerfully in each circumstance and that my answers are coming in His timing.

 

As I walk through this time the Lord is doing beautiful things in my life. He is giving me greater endurance, steadfastness, spiritual maturity and patience. As I continue to draw upon His word and strength, He is increasing my relationship with Him and bringing me to a stronger degree of completeness with Him.

 

James 1:3 seems to sum it up well. It says 

"Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance."

In other words the Lord is doing a super spiritual muscle strengthening which is not easy at the time but brings much joy and contentment during this time. The end result is well worth the wait!!

 

In His Faith, 

Sandy Billingham

 

Katy Perry sings today's song, "Faith Won't Fail"