The NASB Bible says they were "mighty men of valor" - Interesting to me how capable and valor are used interchangably.  Could it be that simply being a dependable man, consistent, trustworthy - is valor?  That certainly appears to be the "gate" to leadership.

The Bible teaches us that a biblically good friend will help another friend to become a better person closer to God.  Being part of a Christian Community of Faith (A Church) is very important to the development of emotional and spiritual maturity.  Proverbs 27:17 reads;

As iron sharpens iron,
      so a friend sharpens a friend.

Henry Blackaby's devotional today is on this topic.  He writes, "Be careful in your choice of friends! Jesus chose His closest friends wisely. He did not look for perfect friends, but friends whose hearts were set to follow God."

The following is the whole text:

The Christian life is a pilgrimage. At times the road is difficult, and we get lonely. Sometimes we may become discouraged and consider abandoning the journey. It is at such times that God will place a friend alongside us. One of God’s most precious gifts to us is friends who encourage us and lovingly challenge us to “keep going.”

According to Scripture, a friend is one who challenges you to become all that God intends. Jonathan could have succeeded his father to become the next king of Israel. But he loved his friend David, and he encouraged him to follow God’s will, even though it meant Jonathan would forfeit his own claim to the throne (1 Sam. 19:1–7).

The mark of biblical friends is that their friendship draws you closer to Christ. They “sharpen” you and motivate you to do what is right. True friends tell you the truth and even risk hurting your feelings because they love you and have your best interests at heart (Prov. 27:6).

Be careful in your choice of friends! Jesus chose His closest friends wisely. He did not look for perfect friends, but friends whose hearts were set to follow God. It is equally important to examine the kind of friend you are to others. As a friend, it is your duty to put the needs of others first (Prov. 17:17). Strive to find godly friends who will challenge you to become the person God desires. When you have found them, be receptive to the way God uses them to help you become spiritually mature. Strive also to be the kind of friend that helps others become more like Christ.

Here is a word for you from the Word.

Proverbs 5:11-14

At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent. You will say, “How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction! I would not obey my teachers or listen to my instructors. I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly [or the church].” NIV

Those are the words of somebody who has known the way of righteousness for many years, somebody that is seen regularly in church. Somebody that knows how to say “Amen” when the preacher says the right thing. Somebody that knows many of the hymns by heart. Somebody, maybe, who prays in public meetings. And yet, that person has never given heart obedience to the truths that he has learned.

And here he is pictured at the end of his life, realizing too late that he has missed it all-that he knew it with his head, but he never believed and obeyed it with his heart. It is remarkable that when Jesus speaks about hypocrites, He uses particular language. He says, “The end of the hypocrites will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” I have asked myself why particularly that language about hypocrites, and I believe the answer is: because they are people who have known it all, all along, but never obeyed it. And there is a particular bitterness in finding yourself rejected and in the midst of ruin at the end of your life when all those years you have sat in church and known the right thing, given outward assent, but your heart has never been changed. You have never come to the place of true surrender, commitment and making Jesus truly Lord of your life. - Derek Prince

I used to wonder why God chose those who lapped like dogs to be the ones who would win this battle. But the second describtion of them, "men lapped with their hands to their mouths", is the key. The others got down on all fours and stuck their face into the water, effective to get a drink but leaving you totally vulnerable to an attack. Getting down on one knee and bring the water to their mouth with their hands allowed the 300 to keep their eyes on the surrounding area. They were watchful even when satisfying their thirst.

When you are a part of a small group, chosen by God to start or finish something, keep your eyes on the surroundings, even when the needs seem overwhelming. You can satisfy both if you trust in God. Don't lay down your armour till the captain sounds the all clear.

Peace

And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
                                                      - Daniel 2:21 (NKJV) 

We can and should try our best to vote for the best candidates, etc.  But only the Lord knows what the final results can and will bring.  And he has plans for nations and people that remain beyond our reach. 

Consider Daniel, who said the above, serving under Nebuchadnezzar, arguably one of the worst tyrants ever.  Daniel served faithfully and uncompromisingly and in the end was used in the process of bringing the king to what looks like a genuine faith in the Living God in Daniel 4. 

Go figure.  Few people want a tyrant for a king and fewer still want to serve a tyrant within personal reach of his mood swings.  Yet that's what Daniel did and he did it well, earning that tyrant's respect in the process.  The least we can do is pray for our leaders and for the outcome of this year's elections.

“Though often tempted, tormented, and tested, and like the prophet my pillow a stone;
And though I find here no permanent dwelling, I know He'll give me a mansion my own.”

Dear Lord, I am restless. As much as I used to not like change, I have learned to accept it, and sometimes embrace it – yet it is an odd dichotomy to at once dislike change but on the other hand be restless and yearn to wander. There have been, and are, issues in my life when I have faced a choice, and more often than not, one choice is to resist change, while the other is to roam. Heavenly Father, I pray that I have followed that path You laid out for me when faced with those decisions, and I pray that I will continue to follow Your guidance. I know I cannot make these decisions on my own, and I need Your guiding hand and gentle spirit. Lord, I pray for eyes to see and ears to hear, so that I know in my heart and soul that I am doing Your will. Amen.

TODAY'S VERSE: Proverbs 16:1

"We humans make plans, but the LORD has the final word." [Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society]

TODAY'S MESSAGE

Some months ago I finished reading an awesome book written by Dr. Charles Stanley entitled "Success God's Way." The first two chapters alone made a huge and powerful impression on me in regards to how God sees success and how much He truly is committed to our success. In essence, and according to this book, success is..."...the continuing achievement of becoming the person God wants you to be and accomplishing the goals God has helped you set."

Now, to make sure our lives our aligned to this godly definition of success, a key question we need to ask God each and every day is: "Lord, what do YOU want me to do today?" As today's verse reveals, we can make our own plans, but it is following God's lead and obeying Him that we ultimately become the successful people He designed us to be.

If you have a chance to get a hold of this book, I highly recommend it. But more than that, I encourage you to ask this key question before God every morning and listen to what He has to say. Then go ahead and live it out. I'm sure the results will be truly phenomenal!

TODAY'S PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for being such an awesome God, One Who truly cares about us and has established a divine purpose for each one of Your children. Help me each day to submit to Your will and view of success and to make sure my thoughts, words, and actions are always aligned to Your heart. In Jesus' precious name, amen.

"All that believe are justified." {#Ac 13:39}

   The believer in Christ receives a present justification. Faith does not produce this fruit by and by, but now. So far as justification is the result of faith, it is given to the soul in the moment when it closes with Christ, and accepts him as its all in all. Are they who stand before the throne of God justified now?—so are we, as truly and as clearly justified as they who walk in white and sing melodious praises to celestial harps. The thief upon the cross was justified the moment that he turned the eye of faith to Jesus; and Paul, the aged, after years of service, was not more justified than was the thief with no service at all. We are today accepted in the Beloved, today absolved from sin, today acquitted at the bar of God. O! soul transporting thought! There are some clusters of Eshcol’s vine which we shall not be able to gather till we enter heaven; but this is a bough which runneth over the wall. This is not as the corn of the land, which we can never eat till we cross the Jordan; but this is part of the manna in the wilderness, a portion of our daily nutriment with which God supplies us in our journeying to and fro. We are now—even now pardoned; even now are our sins put away; even now we stand in the sight of God accepted, as though we had never been guilty. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." There is not a sin in the Book of God, even now, against one of his people. Who dareth to lay anything to their charge? There is neither speck, nor spot, nor wrinkle, nor any such thing remaining upon anyone believer in the matter of justification in the sight of the Judge of all the earth. Let present privilege awaken us to present duty, and now, while life lasts, let us spend and be spent for our sweet Lord Jesus.

TODAY’S THOUGHT
William Backus, in his book “Learning To Tell Myself The Truth” writes, “Sadly, misbeliefs, whether verbal or visual, are the direct cause of emotional turmoil, maladaptive behavior, and most self-destructive behavior, such as overeating, smoking, lying, substance abuse, or adultery, to name a few. The consequences of misbeliefs do, indeed, lead to “Despair, and other great shame and vice.” Because of the power of verbal and visual misbeliefs, we need to protect our heart and our mind. Paul shares how can do this. First he says that we are to let the peace that comes from knowing Christ rule in our hearts. The heart is where our emotions, imagination, visualizations, dreams and aspirations come from. We need to let Christ rule in each of these areas. He should fill our imaginations, dreams and visions with His peace. Satan sure uses our imagination. Have you ever noticed that you fear in technicolor, surround sound and 3-D? It is the same with anger, hopelessness and any other of our negative emotions. Our imagination goes wild. Instead, we need to let Christ’s peace fill our hearts. We need Him to be the Lord of our imagination. Second, Paul writes, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” It is the word of God that challenges and help correct any negative core beliefs. As His word dwells in our minds we begin to see it spill over into our belief system. This happens through admonishing one another with all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Today give God both your heart and your mind. Let Him be the Lord of your thoughts and imagination.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, please let Your peace rule in my heart. Also, let Your word dwell in my mind. Help me admonish others with all wisdom, and sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in my heart to God. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

_____________________________________________________

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TODAY’S THOUGHT
William Backus, in his book “Learning To Tell Myself The Truth” writes, “Sadly, misbeliefs, whether verbal or visual, are the direct cause of emotional turmoil, maladaptive behavior, and most self-destructive behavior, such as overeating, smoking, lying, substance abuse, or adultery, to name a few. The consequences of misbeliefs do, indeed, lead to “Despair, and other great shame and vice.” Because of the power of verbal and visual misbeliefs, we need to protect our heart and our mind. Paul shares how can do this. First he says that we are to let the peace that comes from knowing Christ rule in our hearts. The heart is where our emotions, imagination, visualizations, dreams and aspirations come from. We need to let Christ rule in each of these areas. He should fill our imaginations, dreams and visions with His peace. Satan sure uses our imagination. Have you ever noticed that you fear in technicolor, surround sound and 3-D? It is the same with anger, hopelessness and any other of our negative emotions. Our imagination goes wild. Instead, we need to let Christ’s peace fill our hearts. We need Him to be the Lord of our imagination. Second, Paul writes, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” It is the word of God that challenges and help correct any negative core beliefs. As His word dwells in our minds we begin to see it spill over into our belief system. This happens through admonishing one another with all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Today give God both your heart and your mind. Let Him be the Lord of your thoughts and imagination.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, please let Your peace rule in my heart. Also, let Your word dwell in my mind. Help me admonish others with all wisdom, and sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in my heart to God. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

_____________________________________________________

CLICK HERE to send this to a friend

 CLICK HERE to go to our BLOG Walking the Talk, and find out ways to help others.  

 Do You Know What Your Spiritual Gifts Are?
Now You Can. CLICK HERE to Get your FREE Spiritual GIfts Test and Workbook   CLICK HERE to join our NEW Spiritual Gifts Social Network
Do you want to know how to be a Child of God? CLICK HERE to find out how.

 I was in the car today when I first heard these lyrics from a song by Algebra Blessett:

 Once upon a time there was a damsel
where deep in the hood stood a castle
She often sit on a stoop watching ghetto youth...
She dreamed of a day her knight would come through...
To take her away from the heartache and the pain
to a world she never knew
It's the same old story...
Girl wants to be rescued
From all the hard times
You can be prince charming
I'll be Cinderella
Don't want a fairy tale
Just give me happy after
For days on end she tries to pretend
Like with her there is nothing wrong
But although she tries
You can see the tracks from the tears she cries
all night long
and she constantly wishes
for the house and the picket fence
the big back yard
and she hopes one day that her prince will take her away
to a life that ain't so hard...
(Happy After by A. Blessett, 2008)

 As I listened, the vision I got of this young woman waiting for her prince resonated with recent conversations I've had on the idea of women desiring to be rescued.  I think somewhere deep inside of us women, we desire to have prince charming swoop us up in his arms and carry us off to a place and circumstance that is more complete.  One that is better than our current experience today.  In the recently popular book Captivating, Stasi Elderidge brings this idea to the surface as she describes how many of us women, as little girls, played games where we pretended to be a beauty or princess kidnapped by bad guys, fought for and rescued by a hero.  She states that many of us are embarrassed to admit this about ourselves, but when we're honest and open up, we find out just how many of us women have had this desire within our hearts.  No wonder we identify and fall in love with the classic princess movies like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast.  I would say that for women, this "little girl" game, is a deep and true desire that is planted in our very being.  It's a desire that may be placed there by God and met by God, both in an earthly sense, but also in an eternal sense through Christ.      

 For many of us, that desire never goes away.  In her song, Algebra sheds light on a woman's desire to escape tangible realities that may have defined her life to that point.  This probably isn't the case for many of us.  Many of us come from very nice families.  We had stable homes with parents that loved each other.  Maybe we've always had the "picket fence and big back yard", but deep inside something about the song still resonates with the un-met desires we have.  Even with blessings that surround us, we can't deny that at the end of the day, we still long for that "rescue". 

 Before I continue I want to make one thing clear.  As Christians, yes, our longing and desires should be for the Lord first and foremost (I've written on this in the past and didn't want to spend any extensive amount of time on this point, I assume it to be a given).  A man or a relationship should never replace that which God can do or fill for us.  Many who are in relationships or who are married will speak to the difficulties of not making idols of their kids and their husbands and their roles as mothers and wives.  For them, making God their God is a daily battle - and when it comes to children and a spouse, I imagine it's hard to keep them 2^nd to the Lord.  I often wonder if this has anything to do with Paul's reasons for calling singleness as a gift (1 Corinthians 7:6-9)!!  I am a huge advocate that we need to seek first God and all that is Him, finding our identity in Him, finding our strength and Love and purpose in Him.  I would also speculate that having or wrestling with a desire does not equate to not seeking, believing, hungering after God.  One can earnestly seek after God, but still find unmet desires and longings crying out for attention in their lives.  One friend of mine might say that "God wants us to be hungry" 

 Before sin ever entered into the Bible, we find Adam who was in PERFECT communion with God.  What I mean by perfect is that EVERYTHING that Adam needed and wanted was perfectly met by God.  There were no distractions, there were no idols, and there was nothing but beautiful communion between Father and Son...God and Human.  In the few lines that we have to describe this time, we see nothing that leads us to believe that Adam was in want or need of anything.  Adam did not ask for a wife.  NO, it was God who said, "It is not good for man to be alone." (Genesis 2:18).  It was then that Eve was created as a helper and companion for Adam.  Adam was in perfect relationship with God, and the all knowing God decides that a companion is needed - that should tell us something.  (In Genesis 3:16, God also states to Eve that as a result of the fall, her desires will be for her husband.  Like with the other punishments of sin, I speculate that this too has been passed down to us from her)    

 I 100% agree that our hearts must first chase after God's heart and that we must look to him to fill these desires until He brings a partner into our lives, if that's even part of His will for us.  But I also think that if we have a desire that is not being met in a tangible way, we need to own it and be honest about it with ourselves and those who are closest to us (friends, accountability, prayer partners, etc.)  Encourage each other to seek God, but also recognize that these desires may be normal!!  Encourage each other to not become pre-occupied with or to force these desires to be met, but be willing to sit and listen and pray through the emotions that unmet desires often stir up within us.  We should remind each other that our waiting or God's silence with regards to an unmet desire is not God's rejection, but is just His Sovereignty taking its course in our lives.    

 For many of us, the specific desire to be rescued is very real.  I wonder if even married women, or those in relationships still long for the romance that seems to surround our ideas of being rescued.  As each of us sit on our stoops, watching, waiting, hoping, praying...let us not lose sight that our ultimate prince has already arrived!  We were created to be in perfect union with God.  We live in a world that is apart from God because of sin.  We are longing to be rescued because our souls know and cry out that this, what we see around us, this can't be all there is!!  There is something in us that hungers for God...there is something about creation around us that longs for and points to a creator.  God has placed eternity in the hearts of men (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  In some incomprehensible way, God has placed a hunger for something more deep within us and I wonder if this is any relation to our desire for "rescue".  Knowing that we, on our own merit, could not right the wrongs that had been committed, I wonder if God also placed that desire for a "rescuer" in our hearts as well.  (I can only "wonder" at this point because I'm not exactly sure how, if at all, Scripture points to this specific idea outside of the verses I have included in this post.  Hey! I'm still learning).  In an eternal sense we can hope for the "Happy After" when we realize the grace that is so freely given to us from God.  Our prince has come and we have been rescued by Christ!  We should rejoice in that!  Amen!

 When we're honest, even with our eyes set on Christ, I know that many of us still find ourselves in periods of loneliness and longing on this side of heaven.  We are women who seek God, but also long for a companion to share life with.  We long for a family.  We long to be "rescued" on this side of heaven as well.

 I personally can't find the words to make that loneliness go away, it is only God who meets me in those moments, and it is God who can best meet you, if you give Him the opportunity to step in.  I can relate however - I fight feelings of "aloneness" and loneliness more often than I'd like to admit - even in times when I'm doing really well with God.  I think God wants this for me...to somehow reveal His Glory.  It's hard, but I trust Him with my life - the good, the bad, and the ugly.  I can sympathize with the unmet desires that many of us have.  As a friend recently put is, I'm a few months shy of being "3 years from 30".  I'm single.  I'm an orphan.  I have no siblings.  Trust me when I say desires for a family and a companion run deep in my heart.  Not to beat a dead horse, I am waiting for a "rescue".  I am confident that eternally I have been rescued by Christ, but I'd be lying if I said my heart longed for nothing more...at least on this side of heaven.  Like so many of my friends, and maybe even a few reading this...I am learning what it means to wait.  I'm learning that waiting is easier said than done.  I'm also learning that waiting is not passive; we're not waiting for life to begin when XYZ happens.  NO!  We are waiting for XYZ, but until then we are watching ABC unfold and grow.  I know this because waiting is active and, as Henri Nouwen puts it, "it is nurturing the growth of something within".  Waiting is hard, it has weight in our lives...but it also has power and impact that we usually only see in hindsight.  

 If you've made it this far, I want to thank you for reading through my ramblings...I've finally gotten to the good part, the real meat that I wanted to share with all those who are waiting.  Whether it be for an open door, for a new job, for graduation, a school/program acceptance letter, and especially for those waiting for their rescue, rejoice in the fact that you're not waiting alone...and that more than you can ever see or realize is happening as you wait...even this very moment God is moving.  He has not forgotten you or abandoned you.  Claim that truth today!    

 In John 11:1-45 we find the telling of the story of Lazarus, his death, and how his family was forced to wait on Jesus.  Henry Blackaby describes this scene beautifully in his book Experiencing God. 

 "One morning I was reading the story of the death of Lazarus (John 11:1-45).  Let me go through the sequence of what happened as I read.  John reported that Jesus loved Lazarus, Mary, and Martha.  Have received word that Lazarus was sick unto death, Jesus delayed going until Lazarus died.  In other words, Mary and Martha asked Jesus to come help their brother, and there was silence.  All the way through the final sickness and death of Lazarus, Jesus did not respond.  They received no response from the One who said he loved Lazarus.  Jesus even said he loved Mary and Martha.  Yet, there was still no response. "

 Lazarus died.  They went through the entire funeral process.  They fixed his body, put him in the grave, and covered it with a stone.  Still they experienced silence from God.  Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Lets go".

 "When Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been dead four days.  Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died (v.32)"

 "Then the spirit of God began to help me understand something.  It seemed to me as if Jesus had said to Mary and Martha, "You are exactly right. If I had come, your brothers would not have died.  You know that I could have healed him, because you have seen me heal many, many times.  If I had come when you asked me to, I would have healed him.  But you would have never known any more about Me than you already know.  I knew that you were ready for a greater revelation of Me than you have ever known in your life.  I wanted you to come to know that I am the resurrection and the life.  My refusal and My silence were not rejection.  It was an opportunity for me to disclose to you more of Me than you have ever known. (94)"

 We may be waiting for days, months, and even years; for some that earthly rescue may never come.  In light of the eternal love and protection that we are promised my prayer is that we can rest peacefully trusting our God with all things.  Even as we wait, I pray that the weight would rest on the shoulders of our Lord and that He would continue to use the time to reveal more of Him to us...in ways we never dreamed imaginable.                    

Quiet time

It's something we know we should devote ourselves to each day but somehow, life seems to have a way of invading.  I have spent more than my fair share of time making promises to get up earlier and have a devotion but my life as a sleep-deprived parent always seems to take precedence.

I am a real estate agent by trade which puts me in my car for much of the typical day so last Friday was no exception.  I was delivering flyers to my client's when I noticed a neighboring home that seemed to have a fantastic yard overlooking a common area with pasture and woods.  I was intrigued so I stopped to take a closer look and noticed an unmarked trail bordering their property which lead into the woods.

Understand, I was dressed in typical Realtor garb...chino's, a polo shirt and dress shoes (the official uniform of the casual agent, you know).  Tossing aside my pressing schedule which included a lunch appointment, I decided to explore the trail.  Pushing through a bit of brush, the trail opened up into a wide dirt path strewn with roots, leaves and the occasional fallen branch from a series of recent storms.   As I walked, I couldnt help but to relish the cool spring temperatures and the pungent aroma of the forest...the kind you get after a hard rain.  I walked on, thanking God for drawing me into the woods and asking Him, "Is there anything you want to talk about today Lord?"

I walked for several hundred yards when I heard a loud noise, clearly from that of a wild animal.   Naturally, the "male" in me had to push forward to see what beast was making such a racket.  I quickened my pace in the general direction of the sound and soon found myself at the edge of a marshy area bordering Lake Brandt.  I carefully stepped as close to the shore as my loafers would allow and squatted down on a fallen tree which gave me an unobstructed view of a small tributary which feeds the lake. 

Just then, I was surprised by two beavers which swam within yards of my post.  Unnoticed, I sat motionless as they continued to play together in the water, splashing about and carrying small branches back and forth across the river.  Wow...what a gift!  I felt like I was filming my own Discovery Channel special.

You see, I absolutely LOVE spending time out in God's Creation, especially if it involves a body of water.  It's hard for me not to sense God's presence in a place as glorious as this and today was no exception.  All at once, from out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a flash of white to my left.  I leaned forward to discover the largest swan that I have ever seen!  It coasted through the water, cutting a wake like a small boat, preening and primping his feathers all the while.  It was as glorious and unexpected a site as I have never seen.  I have never seen a swan at this lake in my many years of visiting it. 

God's Spirit has become known to me as the Wild Goose, a term used by Celtic Christians which signifies His unpredictability and wildness.  It was just like the Lord to place a magnificant wild goose in my path this day to remind me that He can meet me at the most unexpected times if I am in a position to listen for Him...if I am willing to heed His call.

There is no need to heap guilt on myself for not partaking in artificially created "quiet time".  I have come to understand that it is the Wild Goose who pursues me. 

It's not Him that is absent...He is constantly pursuing those who will simply slow down and make a choice to listen to His voice. 

READ: John 9:1-11

What does God say about you?

The fear of dying is nothing to be ashamed of. It is the most human of all human fears. Jesus himself entered into that fear. In his anguish "sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood" (Luke 22:44). How must we deal with our fear of dying? Like Jesus we must pray that we may receive special strength to make the great passage to new life. Then we can trust that God will send us an angel to comfort us, as he sent an angel to Jesus. 

(c) 2001, 2005 Doug Britton (Permission granted to print for personal use)

Introduction: What you do matters.

This study is adapted from Self-Concept: Understanding Who You are in Christ.

You have a purpose-to touch the world for Christ.

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

Notice two points in this verse:

• God created you. You are not an accident.
• God has a plan for you.

1. You are created to know God.

I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again (John 3:3).

I am the bread of life (John 6:35).

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).

If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved (Romans 10:9-10).

Would you like to learn more about knowing God? If so, click here for a Bible study on "salvation" (or being "born again").

2. You are created for God's glory.

Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth-everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made (Isaiah 43:6-7).

3. You are created to praise God.

All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O lord; they will bring glory to your name (Psalm 86:9).

I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever (Psalm 86:12).

4. You are created to grow the fruit of the Spirit.

The type of person you become is more important than your successes and failures in the world.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

5. You are created to spread the Gospel.

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples (Psalm 96:3).<-p>

Make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted (Isaiah 12:4).

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20).

6. You are created to use the talents God gave you.

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully (Romans 12:4-8).

7. Do not minimize your role.

All Christians collectively form the body of Christ. The body is formed of many different parts (Romans 12:4-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-27). All are important. It does not matter what part of the body you are.

On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it (1 Corinthians 12:22-24).

Overcome jealousy or bitterness.

Don't be upset if you do not have a place of prominence, for, as you read in the above verse, God gives special honor to people with "less honorable" roles.

Do not downplay the value of what you do.

Don't compare yourself to others or give up if someone seems to do a better job than you. Of course there are others who have more talent! If all the evangelists or witnesses or teachers in the world decided to stop trying because someone else did a better job, where would we be?

What counts is that you be faithful.

God gave you talents and abilities. He expects you to develop them. Study Matthew 25:14-30.

Personal application

Have you felt purposeless in life? ___ Yes ___ No

How will you use the above information to live a more purposeful life?

1 Chronicles 23:25-26, 30

25 For David had said, "Since the LORD, the God of Israel, has granted rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever, 26 the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service." 30 They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD. They were to do the same in the evening

Worship!

I have recently had the priviledge to lead/facilitate a small group.  ALCF, the church I am a member of, is currently doing a series focusing on the Fruit of the Spirit.  At ALCF we call our small groups, growth groups.  I have been able to see how God is using His Word and other believers honestly discussing their struggles and victories, to help us to grow spiritually.  There is definitely a connection between spiritual growth and actively being involved in community with other Christians.

Now when I speak of community I am also referring to genuine Christian fellowship.  By fellowship I don't mean sitting in the fellowhip hall eating a potluck or sipping coffee and chatting.  I mean, in my own context, sitting in someone's home and honestly discussing Biblical principles, praising God, and praying for each other's needs.  The keys to real fellowship are being honest, vulnerable, and open to being held accountable to others.  This kind of community or fellowship a critical avenue for those who are truly seeking to mature in their faith.  It takes courage to step out and be honest with other believers that one is not perfect and doesn't have it "all together".  But becoming part of a small group is worth the risk.

'Joint-heirs with Christ'--Romans 8:17

The boundless realms of His Father's universe are Christ's by prescriptive right. As 'heir of all things', He is the sole proprietor of the vast creation of God, and He has admitted us to claim the whole as ours, by virtue of that deed of joint-heirship which the Lord hath ratified with His chosen people. The golden streets of paradise, the pearly gates, the river of live, the transcendent bliss, and the unutterable glory, are, by our blessed Lord, made over to us for our everlasting possession.

All that He has He shares with His people. The crown royal He has placed upon the head of His Church, appointing her a kingdom, and calling her sons a royal priesthood, a generation of priests and kings. He uncrowned Himself that we might have a coronation of glory; He would not sit upon His own throne until He had procured a place upon it for all who overcome by His blood. Crown the head and the whole body shares the honour.

Behold here the reward of every Christian conqueror! Christ's throne, crown, sceptre, palace, treasure, robes, heritage, are yours. Far superior to the jealousy, selfishness, and greed, which admit of no participation of their advantages, Christ deems His happiness completed by His people sharing it.

'The glory which Thou gavest Me have I given them.'

'These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.'

The smiles of His Father are all the sweeter to Him, because His people share them. The honours of His kingdom are more pleasing, because His people appear with Him in glory. More valuable to Him are His conquests, since they have taught His people to overcome. He delights in His throne, because on it there is a place for them. He rejoices in His royal robes, since over them His skirts are spread. He delights the more in His joy, because He calls them to enter into it.

From Charles Spurgeon's Devotional - Morning and Evening

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. (1 Timothy 5:1-6)

What should the ekklēsia, the Body of Christ, His church be doing in the world? Some think that it is to get as many people through its front doors as possible. This seems like a good idea, if you are Wal-Mart, but that is not the New Testament concept of the church nor what it is to be about. The idea of the local church changed dramatically in the early 1900s in America. It went from individuals evangelizing and discipling the lost, to a big box concept of the mass weekend revival every Sunday morning. The Billy Sunday-Dwight L. Moody concept of church Sunday morning evangelism! Yahoo! However, if one would pause for one moment and take a biblical look at Scripture, you do not find it anywhere in its pages nor do you find the Apostles or Jesus teaching it. Do not make the mistake of confusing the Sermon on the Mount or Pentecost with what the church is supposed to be and do as a local ekklēsia, even for Sunday worship. If you do, you are in biblical error.

We find Paul exhorting Timothy, a new pastor who was kind of timid in his leadership, to get some backbone and confront some ungodly issues in his church at Ephesus. The first were false teachers, but the rest dealt with how the church there was not being the local church it should have been. Paul tells Timothy to take care of the “widows,” or for today’s church, the senior adults “who are really in need.” Those who actually needed help because they had no immediate family to take care of them. In fact, these older adults were to be mentors for the younger men and women as godly examples. Those who were widows (or widowers) were to live godly lives by putting “their religion into practice by caring for their own family.” This would bring honor to their own “parents and grandparents” because they were living godly lives. Too many senior adults in our day and age “retire”’ from church and go and do their own thing. Not only is this not biblical, you cannot find retirement mentioned anywhere in Scripture! Not only is there no retirement from your daily duties as a parent or grandparent, but there is no retirement from doing the master’s business in His ekklēsia, church! We have lost sight of what it means to be part of the Body of Christ here in the world!

We find Paul relating that “If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.” (v. 16) Family is supposed to take care of family. Just as a church family is to take care of its own first, so too the Christian family is to make sure their own are provided for! Does your church do this? Many churches put great emphasis on missions, ministries for reaching the lost, but neglect their own members. We have turned the concept of church upside down. The church family is to take care of its own first, so much so that the outside world wonders at the beauty of it! Try getting that done during the next board meeting at  your church where they are trying to decide if they want to buy a big screen TV for the youth room, a new fountain for the foyer, or shuttle cars for the parking lot to bring the Sunday morning tourists in.

The truth of the matter is, the world is not attracted to the gospel of Jesus because we do not do enough post modern generation next things on Sunday morning, the world is not being attracted to the gospel because today’s church acts like the rest of the world! It has ceased being a family of God that takes care of its own first and foremost, making sure every member of the Body of Jesus is being taken care of correctly! The church today is more interested in how many camels will be on stage for next year’s Christmas pageant, than making sure its senior adults are taken care of. (And, no, I am not talking about taking another foliage tour or having a Senior Adult Day!)

Today, dear child of the King, pause and think for a moment about those in your church. How many do you know? How many are actually members? Are there those in your congregation that are being neglected because your church is going on another mission’s vacation instead of making sure its own family are properly mentored and provided for? Is your church a family of God or a Wal-Mart? Remember, Christians are not called to be in the “church business,” but to be the called out of God in their community. Pray for your church to be the church of God where you are.
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NOTE: This article is copyrighted by Pastor Lee Hemen © 2008 and the property of Pastor Lee Hemen. You are welcome to copy it, email it, or use it but please if you copy it, email it, or use it you must do so in its entirety.

"This service, whatever it may be, this that I have to offer, all I am, and have, and want to be -it is for the Prince. " ~ Amy Carmichael

"To each is given a bag of tools,

An hour-glass, and a book of rules;

And each must build ere his work be done,

A stumbling-block or a stepping-stone."

~Amy Carmichael

It is for the Prince. ~ Ezekiel 44:3

It's so easy to, one day, be walking rightly with God and the next day, to find yourself steeped in idol worship; not the kind where you bow down to little statues, but the treasures in your heart that are anything outside of God Himself. Then, I came across this article by Tim Keller about understanding idolatry in a postmodern culture. One thing he writes really shed light on why idolatry is so pervasive within us:

Sin isn’t only doing bad things, it is more fundamentally making good things into ultimate things. Sin is building your life and meaning on anything, even a very good thing, more than on God. Whatever we build our life on will drive us and enslave us. Sin is primarily idolatry. - Tim Keller

Oftentimes, the objects of our idolatry don't arrive on the seen and announce themselves as competitors to our hearts. Rather, the things that become the focus of our idolatry are subtle, even good things. Idolatry is a powerful force, and just thinking about all the things in my life that can easily become a source of it can make me anxious.

One thing that helps is an insight Rick Holland shared in a sermon, from Colossians 1:18. Amidst describing the exalted position of Christ, Paul writes, "He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent." Notice, Paul uses the preposition "in" rather than "before," to describe Christ's preeminence. We aren't to forsake all these things in life that we enjoy. Rather, in them, Christ is to have first place. They should be reasons and occasions to worship Christ and to thank Him.

Max McLean's One Minute Bible Reading for Today

Psalm 138:1-7

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the 'gods' I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted. May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth. May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great. Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.

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Grace in the Old Testament by Art Farstad

Many people have the erroneous notion that the OT is all law and the NT is all grace. Some liberals even maintain that the God of the OT is harsh and vindictive but the God of the NT is tender and forgiving. Some people (not liberals, but very misinformed) think that OT believers were saved by keeping the law and NT believers are saved by grace through faith!Of course these misapprehensions are not totally made up; there is much more of a gracious framework to the NT than to the OT. But God never changes; only His dealings change as conditions and times change. In both Testaments people are saved by grace through faith. "Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness" is way back in the first book of the Bible (Gen 15:6). It is an important verse and it is quoted three times in the NT.

The word grace occurs 20 times in the NKJV OT, usually in the sense of "favor." The first usage, as so often is the case in the God's Word, is illuminating:

"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen 6:8).

Both the meaning "favor" and the NT idea of undeserving kindness to needy man fit this context.

The two occurrences of grace in Psalms are very encouraging:

"Grace is poured upon Your lips" (the speech of the Messianic King is full of grace and kindness [Ps45:2])."The Lord will give grace and glory" (the Lord gives believers grace all along the way, culminating in glory at the end of life's road [Ps 84:11]).

The passage in Esther (2:17) is especially interesting because it uses grace (Heb. hen) and also the famous word hesed:

"She obtained grace(hen) and favor (hesed) . . ."

This is the one text in the Greek translation of the OT, the Septuagint (LXX), that employs the well known NT word for grace, charis, to translate hesed.

This last word is usually translated lovingkindness" or "mercy" in the KJV/NKJV. A popular modern translation is "loyal love," tying the word in with God's covenant obligations. R. Laird Harris maintains that this word goes deeper than covenant obligations, and that the old KJV "lovingkindness" is "not far from the fulness of meaning of the word" (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Vol. 1, p. 307).

Personally, I feel that the word charis--"grace" to us--would have been a good translation in many more passage in the Greek version of the OT than just Esther 2:17! For example:

"Surely goodness and grace will pursue me [the Hebrew has a stronger word than just "follow"] all the days of my life, and I will return [lit. Heb.] to the house of the Lord forever" (Ps 23:6).

Other related words widely used are gracious and graciously.

Many harsh and legalistic people quite frankly don't like grace! When God fully forgives sinners such as the Ninevites, they say with the sullen prophet Jonah, "I told you so!"

"I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness (hesed)" (Jonah 4:2; Jonah was griping, not praising!)

We prefer the attitude expressed in the lovely Aaronic benediction of Num 6:24-26! With this we close our little word study as a blessing on all of our loyal readers (and on our opponents too!):

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

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