This is AWESOME … something we should all remember. A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window. I love it,’ he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. Mr. Jones, you haven’t seen the room; just wait.’ ‘That doesn’t have anything to do with it,’ he replied. Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged … it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. ‘It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away. Just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you’ve put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory Bank. I am still depositing. ‘Remember the five simple rules to be happy: 1. Free your heart from hatred. 2. Free your mind from worries. 3. Live simply. 4. Give more. 5. Expect less. Have a nice day, unless you already have other plans.
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us
kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he
is our God and we are the people of his
pasture, the flock under his care.
( Psalms 95:6-7 *NIV )
As you know God’s Children are lead by our Shepard
and Savior, Jesus Christ! He is always with us, to provide
help, guidance and reward us with Eternal Life as well!
Jesus’ said; “I am the gate for the sheep. Who
ever enters through me will be saved. He will
come in and go out, and find pasture.
( John 10:7, 9 )
King David wrote; The Lord is my shepherd, I
shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in
green pastures, He leads me beside quiet
waters, ( Psalms 23:1-2 ) Now Yanina, the
same still applies to you and me today!
So why not pray and Worship Him every day, if you don’t
already. After all let us; Praise him with the sounding
of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and
lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute, praise
him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with
resounding cymbals. Let everything that has
breath praise the Lord. (Psalms 150:1, 3-6 )
And Jesus said; “Do not let your hearts
be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in
me.
( John 14:1 *NIV )
When troubles come into your life, turn them over to God to
handle, for it is written; The Lord is a refuge for the
oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those
who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord,
have never forsaken those who seek you.
( Psalms 9:9-10 )
After all; But the salvation of the righteous is from
the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble.
And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He
shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them,
Because they trust in Him. ( Psalms 37:39-40 )
King David experienced this for he wrote; Though I walk in
the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will
stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my
enemies, And Your right hand will save me.
( Psalms 138:7 )
Therefore even when; We are hard pressed on every
side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in
despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck
down, but not destroyed. When we trust the
Lord with all our heart. ( 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 )
So do not throw away your confidence; it will
be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so
that when you have done the will of God, you
will receive what he has promised. Amen.
( Hebrews 10:35-36 )
But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.
John 6:27
The hunger for popularity is all-consuming among teenagers, essential to political life, and emotional torture to everyone who pursues it. The secret to popularity is to do everything right, say everything right, look absolutely perfect, and know all the right people. The biggest secret to popularity, though, is to give everyone what they want, when they want it. One slip, however, one wrong word or tacky outfit, and you’re doomed. All of us know what it means to fall slightly short of the glory of popularity.
Jesus seemed to fight popularity at every turn, yet in spite of his warnings to keep his miracles quiet, his popularity grew (vv. 14-15). Jesus found his notoriety to be a nuisance at times, often dangerous, and mostly a roadblock to his ministry. He knew that the multitudes were following him for the wrong reasons and would soon be disillusioned. Therefore, he spoke out against their shallowness: “Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs’” (v. 26). When he challenged them to strive for faith rather than free food, his followers demanded more signs (vv. 27-30). Jesus refused and continued pressing for their wants to become faith in the eternal bread of life. His insistence frustrated some of his followers. “Who is this Jesus, anyway? Don’t we know his mother and father? He’s nothing special” (see vv. 41-42).
Are we ever like these people? Are our prayers more like wish lists than conversations? How well do our expectations fall in line with what God desires for us? While God delights in granting our prayers and loves to be involved in the smallest parts of our lives, he also wants us to grow in spiritual depth and to come to him for eternal daily bread. Let the Holy Spirit guide you in your prayers today. Listen to God as he speaks to you. Let him feed you with eternal bread and sustain you with his eternal words of life. Come to him not with any agenda but with an attitude of receptivity best expressed by Christ himself, “I want your will to be done, not mine” (Matt 26:39).
Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
John 11:21, 32
It is so difficult to be right all the time! Along with the burden of always being right, it is nearly impossible to keep those “I told you so” remarks to a minimum. People need to be told what to do and how to do it or the world will spin right off its axis! Those of us who know how things ought to be done have a responsibility to everyone else to, well, make them miserable.
All kidding aside, when is taking control of situations our responsibility, and when it is simply not appropriate? Is saying “If only . . .” ever a helpful comment, no matter how nicely it is said?
The one person in all of human existence who never needed instruction from anyone was Jesus, yet he seemed to get an awful lot of advice from his followers. Mary and Martha were in agreement that Jesus needed to be given direction. When he didn’t cooperate, they assumed he needed an “if only” impressed upon him: “If only you had done it our way, things would be different.”
Yes, indeed, things would have been extremely different had Jesus heeded the shortsighted advice of his two friends. Lazarus would not have died at that time. He would not have been raised from the dead (11:44). Jesus’ disciples would not have witnessed the power of God in Jesus that led to more believers (11:45), and Jesus’ opponents would not have started the plan to arrest and kill Jesus (11:53). Martha may never have heard the words “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” (11:25-26). Different, yes; better, no. Fortunately for us, Jesus did things God’s way.
Following Jesus can hold many surprises. We may think we know what God ought to do in troubling situations, but we cannot know all that is at stake. Let’s remember that with God, anything is possible—even resurrecting what we believe to be dead and healing what we perceive to be a hopeless situation.
© 2006, Tyndale House Publishers
I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.
Luke 7:47
In the movie Splash! the main character, played by Tom Hanks, meets an adorable but strange woman who eventually turns out to be a mermaid. One of the telling signs of her true identity is that she has very little experience with everyday events and reacts inappropriately. When she is taken out to a fine restaurant and served lobster, her etiquette (though very mermaid-like) becomes a source of embarrassment, humiliation, and a wake-up call to her newfound friend. She is not what she appears.
Most rules of etiquette are guidelines to practical and polite behavior, like washing one’s hands before eating or wiping muddy feet at the door. But some rules of etiquette simply mask pretense. Etiquette can be used to honor people—or to point out their inadequacies. Jesus wisely uses this man-made custom to teach a spiritual lesson in Luke 7.
When a woman entered a dinner uninvited, poured perfume on the feet of Jesus, wept over him, and used her hair as a towel, Jesus saw only a deeply grateful and loving heart. This woman recognized immediately that Jesus was the only one who had the authority to judge her. She knew the consequences of making a spectacle of herself, yet she risked all to express her gratitude to Jesus for his mercy. She treated Jesus as a king. Jesus honored her humility and praised her actions. Jesus used the contrast between his host and this woman to teach a lesson about the way actions reveal the heart. While the host had neglected all proper etiquette for a regular guest, indeed having treated Jesus as no one special at all, this woman had honored Jesus as royalty (vv. 44-46). Why the difference in attitude? Those who know the depth of their sin are deeply grateful when they are shown mercy.
How much was this woman forgiven? All her sins were forgiven, known and unknown. Of how much have we been forgiven? Of all our sins, regardless of their severity? How will we show our gratitude to one who has loved us so generously—by treating him like no one special or by treating him like a king?
Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.”
John 6:68
We entered the haunted house with great anticipation. As we stepped into the gloomy, dark elevator, a foreboding voice boomed, “There’s no turning back!” Suddenly, our five-year-old cried out, “I want to turn back! I want to turn back!” He was petrified. Having no understanding of the fun to come, he panicked. All he knew was that he would rather be waiting in the tediously long line we had just left than trapped in that room with no way out.
When facing the unknown, we may be tempted to retreat, quit, or refuse to move forward. We may be tempted to panic and doubt God’s wisdom. The disciples had many of the same feelings when Jesus began to explain the depth of commitment required to follow him in John 6. Many simply dropped away. Jesus asked his closest friends if they, too, were going to leave. Peter made an amazing statement. Knowing that Jesus was God incarnate and that leaving him would mean living a life of lies and pretense, Peter said that there was no other option but to continue following Jesus. Peter may have been unsettled or frightened by the words of Jesus, but he knew the truth when he encountered it, and he chose to stick it out. His choice proved difficult, but brought the ultimate rewards of abundant life on earth and eternal life with Jesus.
One woman who had been a Christian for five years said to me with frustration, “Things were a lot less complicated before I became a believer.” These words are undeniably true. Believing in Jesus is challenging. It calls us to make hard choices and can cause relationship conflicts. Following Jesus requires that we discipline our thoughts and our words. We must struggle with our sin everyday. This can be very difficult alone, but together we can encourage each other and assure one another that our God is faithful and true. Peter wisely said, “To whom would we go?” When we meet Jesus we’re in the company of many others. Once we have met Jesus, we know for certain that there is no turning back.
Jesus demands that we choose him over every other enticing option because he loves us. He knows that everything else is just entertainment, not life to its fullest. Following Jesus is no ride at an entertainment park. This real life is with a real God who really loves us.
Some of my friends try to pressure me into doing things that I know are wrong. I’ve given in lots of times. (I feel doubly guilty, since I’m a Christian.) How do I withstand the pressure?
Too often we hide our real character, hoping to be liked by someone or by a group. We want the acceptance of others. That’s why sooner or later everyone is tempted to bend his or her rules or beliefs in order for someone to like him/her. Maybe you can relate to this all too well. But God wants to provide the inner muscle you’ll need to combat the outer pressure you feel. Ask him to give you the courage and strength to say no and for the ability to stand by what you believe.
He also wants to teach you what to do. Remember when your mom or dad helped you learn a task or skill? They didn’t just tell you to do it, they showed you how.
God shows us how to act through the teachings and stories in the Bible. For example, Proverbs 1:10 provides advice on resisting those who do wrong. Also, commands like ‘Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think’ (Rom 12:2) are a reminder of God’s willingness to change you. You can’t change your friends or anyone else. But you can definitely change your reaction to temptation.
© 2006, Tyndale House Publishers
What’s so wrong about horoscopes? They’re just harmless entertainment, right?
Many activities that seem harmless unfortunately lead to more harmful activities like those of the occult.
The Bible mentions several examples of occult activity among the people of Israel and other nations. When King Saul of Israel wanted information about an upcoming battle, he consulted someone who claimed to be able to speak to the dead (see 1 Sam 28). Other passages deal with astrology, divination, wizards, and sorcery (see Deut 18:10-14; 2 Chron 33:6; Isa 47:12-15; Dan 2:1-2; Acts 8:9-13; 16:16-19). God always condemned these activities.
If Satan can get people to take in evil small doses at a time, eventually they may become desensitized and not recognize that they are being fed something that will dull their interest in God.
Satan would never get anyone to follow him if he revealed all of his evil at once. Instead, he slowly gives us small doses of evil until we’re so desensitized to it that it seems a normal part of life.
This is the strategy: to capture our mind through one small compromise into darkness after another.
Our best defense is to know the truth of the Word of God, so we can discern when we are being tempted by evil. God knows it is real. And Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. Remember, ‘the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world’ (1 John 4:4).
