Day 66: God Cannot Reject You!

Day 66: God Cannot Reject You!

Read: Romans 8:31 - 39

All of us want to be accepted somewhere and by someone. We all have a friendships that are formed based on who accepts us in our life. We get together with people who accept us on one level or another and we form these little pacts – I’ll accept you if you accept me; I’ll look after you if you look after me; I will scratch your back if you will scratch mine. We go through life in little acceptance pacts. We crave acceptance. It is just one of those absolute "must have's" in life. Going through life or trying to go through life alone, as I can tell you having done it for the better part of thirty years before I got married 2010 means deep feelings of rejection, not love, were reigning as the true King of my heart.

Do you remember the television show called 'Cheers'. Do you remember the tag line for that show? It was set in a bar where “Where everybody knows your name”. The world just craves that kind of acceptance, where everybody around you knows your name, where everybody loves you and where you’re acceptable. Prayerfully consider this craving, because we struggle for this acceptance, we sometimes have to deal with insecurity. This insecurity is heightened when we experience rejection in our lives. For example: everyone, including our enemies, those who have hurt us, those whose desire is to drive home the completely irrational idea you're never acceptable.

We have all encountered the sting of rejection in one form or another on one level or another. Some people experience it almost constantly and that hurts deeply. I want you to grapple this morning with this one radical idea: that it is impossible for God to reject you. Paul raises an interesting question on this subject in Romans 8:35, “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love?” If you take a look at that question you will see that at the very heart of that question is a human dilemma - If I am rejected by the community of man, Am I acceptable to God in His Kingdom? If I am rejecting me for what others say I've become am I still acceptable to the God who created me?

The questions I ask you to prayerfully consider are; whether God will accept me in the here and the now if I desire to take my time deciding if I want to accept Him while I am yet still living. Will He find me repulsive because I have not yet chosen Him? Will He continue to accept me regardless of what I have done or may do while He waits for me to make my choice? Will He still unconditionally welcome me or will He put any sort of conditions on my coming to Him because I didn't immediately choose His Way, His Truth, or His Life? Will God take into account that there were certain events in my life when I was angry and felt rejected even by Him? Could He love me for being me?

Let Us Pray: Lord, there are some days when I have serious doubts about who really accepts me at face value. Lord, there are some days when I have had many serious doubts even about my own acceptability in Your sight. Lord, help me to become convinced 'that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen and Amen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSrhQcoiP4

JJ Heller - What Love Really Means - "Lyrics"

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Video By Robert

Day 65: God's True Ultimate Justice - Are We Prepared?

Day 65: God's True Ultimate Justice - Are We Prepared?

Read: Matthew 24:36 - 44

To all those who by the moving of God's Holy Spirit in their lives has been drawn to this place at this very time to read these very few words from this very much woefully prepared chief of all sinners -- I do now humbly prostrate myself before God Almighty to extend to each of you His most benevolent greetings for making it this far in life. I have been sitting here at my computer for about an hour now trying to wrap my mind and my spirit around the topic of God's True Ultimate Justice. I have been reading and trying to somehow absorb the Scripture reading for today, in particular is this verse: Jesus said: "For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man."

For me, this is a real hardcore verse that anybody reading it should give prayerful attention to. Let me remind you "For as the days of Noah were": 'The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, ‘I will blot out from the earth the human beings I have created—people together with animals and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am very sorry that I have made them.’ Then God's Word says the floods came. So too did God's True Ultimate Justice.

Am I a 'side walk prophet' walking from corner to corner with his sign over his head saying "Repent for the end is surely near!" Do I hold any belief in the Mayan calender? No, I do not carry a sign and no I do not hold any belief in the Mayan Calender. No, I just find myself sitting here and considering just how woefully prepared I am to stand before the True Ultimate Justice of the Son Of Man when He comes. Will I or my wife be the one's who are left behind: '40 Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left.'? Are the Christian examples we set be enough of a preparation?

Many people find it difficult to understand and likewise communicate the message of preparing themselves for the promised moment of God's 'True Ultimate' expression of Justice. For why Jesus Christ dying an undeserved and cruel death on a cross was God's 'truest, most ultimate expression of justice' in history. God condemned all of our sins, placed them upon His sinless Son who died, forever carrying them all away. In fact until we understand two fundamental truths - the extent of God’s love and our need for forgiveness – we can not fully understand the cross, we cannot fully prepare
ourselves until we learn to fully grasp, fully understand just what Jesus accomplished, what Jesus is preparing us for.

Let Us Pray: Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary Pure and holy, tried and true. With thanksgiving, I'll be a living Sanctuary for You. It is you, Lord Who came to save The heart and soul Of every man It is you Lord who knows my weakness Who gives me strength, With thine own hand. Lead Me on Lord From temptation Purify me From within Fill my heart with Your holy spirit Take away all my sin. - Jaci Velasquez - lyrics
from the song 'Sanctuary'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lqc75a--H8

sanctuary - jaci velasquez

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jaci velasquez singing 'sanctuary',accompanied by inspirational images

Day 64: Irresistible Hospitality ... Really? Here is My Excuse!

Day 64: Irresistible Hospitality ... Really? Here is My Excuse!

Read: Luke 14:16 - 24

I guess it is probably just the time of the year we are in. But did you recently get an offer too good to be true, an offer you just could not compel yourself to refuse? I get them all the time. The telephone rings, normally about supper time, and against your better sense of sound mind and judgment it gets picked up. You will probably know right away by the long silence on the other end that it is a salesperson. Then the long spiel starts: Hello, may I please speak to Mr or Mrs. Doe - we should know right then it’s a telemarketer; the hook is now set and just because you are now a valued credit card customer they are going to send you $$$ of vacation vouchers. Their sales pitch - Just Irresistible!

"Yield not to temptation for yielding is sin!" I wont yield, I wont be tempted to sin if only neither I nor my wife wouldn't watch television or see an offer on the internet - free big screen TV’s - nothing to buy. Too good to be true! There’s always a catch. Or at least, we think there is. We have been told that “nothing in life is free.” Well it would be free to us if someone other than ourselves saw it or read about it and for some unfathomable reason thought of us and decided to give it to us as a (gasp) gift. But sometimes we find there really are free things. At the recent Fall Festival at our church, my wife and I  bought 2 dinners for new visitors. Irresistible hospitality - freely offered, freely given, freely accepted.

One of the greatest examples of irresistible hospitality is modeled for us in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 14 verses 16 through 24. We see here the grace of God that on the surface seems just to good to be true, something that each of the invited guests cast their own brand of great suspicion upon. Each one of the guests in the narrative took the invitation, carefully deliberated over it then created an obviously evasive excuse why they did not feel their presence was remotely necessary. Each one was such an
obvious rebuke to the host of the meal. I can remember when I was a about ten, I invited some classmates to my Birthday party. One parent called said his son could not come - son had a hangnail!

What do we see in this passage? From the host (God) An Irresistible Invitation given with no strings attached to sit at His banquet table and from us, His invited guest - a sharp, nonsensical, riddled with suspicion, "why don't we just slap Him in the face" rebuke returned. The first thing that stands out is our disproportionate response to a most gracious of a free place at God's great banquet table. Irregardless of the source I would hope that I'd not be so full of someone else's food, so completely rude in my own right be so obviously inconsiderate that I would turn away from God's free meal.
Consider: What a gracious God we have. Consider: The excuses we would offer and bring to His table!

Let Us Pray: O God, whom no one has ever seen but whose free offers of love and generosity are always available, always unconditional, always visible in the very best of human relationships and in the beauty and serenity of our own homes, we praise you continually for your faithfulness through all generations. Bestow upon those who freely come to you blessings as numerous as the grains of sand found on the beach. Forgive us of our rudeness and inconsideration. Strengthen, Satisfy and Sustain us anew with the manna from heaven. Invite us to table, nourish us from thy Bread of Life Jesus Christ.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmo6CAvn_dE
Come Ye Sinners - Amy Grant & Fernando Ortega
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God's favorite word is COME. The music from this video was removed by the record company. Most

Come Ye Sinners - Amy Grant & Fernando Ortega

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God's favorite word is COME. The music from this video was removed by the roecord company. Most

Day 63: The Thunderous Voices of Criticism.

Day 63: The Thunderous Voices of Criticism.

Read: Luke 9:51 - 55

I love football whether it is professional or college. I watch it whenever I can. I will watch it on television and will end up irritating the wife to no end when she hears me switching between channels to check the scores of other games. For about eleven years I even got the chance to watch a live game as a season ticket holder. Going to football game is different than watching the game on TV. When you go to a game, you’re going because you like one of the teams. You are there to root for the players and encourage them on to victory. You’re there to experience their struggles and also rejoice in their success. Let me tell you the excited voices of over 70,000 noisy people can raise allot of thunder.

When you pay for your ticket, you go up into the bleachers, and if you are smart you don’t go and sit in the wrong section - you sit with your team’s fans. Each team has its own group of fans. Sometimes someone will show up wearing the wrong team shirt in your section and the fun begins when they try to out shout you cheering for their team. It's really all in the name of fun, until the opposing team seems to start dominating the field of play and your team can't seem to get its winning act together.
Everybody has someone there to shout out words of encouragement and support for everybody... everybody, that is, except one group of annoying people .... Referee's

Nobody ever says to them: "Great call, ref!" Nobody ever approaches them after the game for their autograph. Nobody ever takes them aside and invites them out for a few cokes after game. And even if the refs do an even handed job and call the game the way we would have, the best we do is tolerate them and I guess they find a way to tolerate us fans too. One night, the refs weren’t calling them the way I saw them. The crowd was critical (me included) and you could hear things like this: What, are you blind? How could you miss that holding penalty? Hey, ref - who paid you to throw this game? You got relatives in low places playing or coaching for that other team?

It's the tremendous build up of energy of the fans working themselves up into a wild frenzy supporting their team, urging them on to victory. James and John used that excuse. When messengers were sent ahead of Jesus into Samaritan villages they weren't received very well and James and John they asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ Jesus quickly rebuked them. James and John went completely out of character. Talk of love and healing went out
the window replaced by vengeful spirits ready to inflict their brand of criticism. I do suspect, there will always be the thunderous sound of James and John in each of us.

Let Us Pray: Merciful Father, mine is voice of thunder, mine becomes the voice of severe criticism toward others, especially when I do not get my own way. I do not know how to react to it nor how to curb it. Reveal to me and Help me to know what to do, and to carry it out without fear or hesitation. Let me fear nothing except to be faithless to You while avoiding becoming critical, defensive, or retaliatory. Grant that I may have the strength to keep my poise because it is founded on You. If I deserve the criticism, let me realize it so that I may change my ways. If I do not deserve it, let me be gracious in offering forgiveness, in imitation of your Son, my Savior Jesus Christ.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwAfhy4qzbA&feature=related
Break every chain - Jesus Culture.mpg
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Break every chain, Jesus Culture, Tammy Maxon, Tammy G. Designs, www.tammymaxon.com

Break every chain - Jesus Culture.mpg

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Break every chain, Jesus Culture, Tammy Maxon, Tammy G. Designs, www.tammymaxon.com

Day 62: The Example God Expects You To Be

Day 62: The Example God Expects You To Be

Read: Titus 2:7 - 10

My Father always told me and my mother always reminded me - set the example for others to follow, be the example that others only wished they would be able to follow. I remember these wise words from my first days of Elementary School when my Dad would tap me on the top of my head just as he walked out the door to go to work. It was my Mom's responsibility I guess to make sure I always remembered what my Daddy told a scared out of his mind little boy to keep me from being scared. I guess you know the speech pretty well: "Keep your chin, put one foot in front of the other, keep smiling, be daddy's brave little boy" so on. "Be the example Dad expects of you."

Titus - was a young gentile follower of Christ Paul had been training to carry out his ministry. Paul was determined to instruct and mentor his young friend in setting the 'proper basics' in setting the 'proper example' of living the new Christian life as God might have expected of him being a leader and mentor in the new movement. Please re read verse (7) of today's scripture passage: "In everything set them an example by doing what is good”. Paul with the reality of his ministry coming to a close teaches this young minister to let “everything” be an example of surrender to the teachings of Christ! Paul is mentoring Titus and us: "Be the best example God knows you can be."

Chapter two of the Letter to Titus is written for a young minister and its seasoned counsel for what matters most in a believers walk with Christ. As the chapter unfolds Paul speaks of the right conduct for older men and women and for younger followers as well. Our passage while it may be directed toward men mentoring young men is of course applicable for everyone who has come to serve Christ. Anyone who as an older or younger adult with a goal desiring to take a leadership role in guiding the life of a young person - Boy or Girl scouts for example, Big Brother - Big Sister programs, becoming a part of an after school program, tutoring and so many more possibilities.

We set examples whether we like it or not! When Paul writes of 7 "In everything set them an example by doing what is good.” Good can likewise be understood as kind. Kindness is after all one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26). Is it active in our lives? Are we in such a rush to keep our appointments that we somehow miss the evident? What would happen if we decided that who ever is in front of us at that moment is our divine appointment to put on full display the "best example that God knows we can be, (and as followers and believers in Christ) should be?" We must all strive hard in everything we do to live, set, the best example of Christ in our homes, our communities in our world.

Let Us Pray: Lord, help me to be more than I am now that I may set a better example for others. I pray Lord that the better you help me to be, others may see the Christ in me and will then allow their foot steps to be guided by You toward the very Gates of Heaven and eternal life in Jesus Christ Your Son and my Savior for all time. Amen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTYSirKUiVw&feature=related

Courageous-Casting Crowns with lyrics

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Hi everyone, to let everyone know, the correct words are, "walk humbly with your God." I had typed "walk on be with you God." I did this video

Day 61: God: "My Word Gives You Joy"

Day 61: God: "My Word Gives You Joy"

Read: Nehemiah 8:9 - 12

This morning is a short one for me and the wife with her being the Lay Reader for our 8am service. So the devotional offering is from the devotional book "Listening To God" by Bruce Bickel.

So, please take a while, consider these God Words of inspiration and faith building.

"Whenever you read my Word, you should have one of three responses:

One is Intellectual. This comes when you use your mind, seeking to understand the meaning of what I have said. The Intellectual response takes study and diligence on your part and a willingness to hear skillful teachers who know how to explain the scriptures.

Another response is Volitional, which comes from when you decide with your will to do what my Word says. (The worst thing you can do is to hear my Word and never do it - see James 1:22.) The third response is Emotional, when you feel the joy of interacting with my Word.

If you're not enjoying my Word, perhaps you don't understand it - or maybe you know what you should do, but you aren't doing it. My Word will give you joy when you engage with it with every part of your being - your mind, your will, and your heart."

Let Us Pray: Prepare our hearts, O God, to accept you Word. Silence in us any voices but your own, so that we may hear your Word and also do it; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9Yasgzjc0w&feature=relmfu

Matthew West - My Own Little World (Official Music Video)

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Music video by Matthew West performing My Own Little World. (P) (C) 2010 Sparrow Records. All

Day 60: Mirror Mirror On The Wall ....

Day 60: Mirror Mirror On The Wall ....

Read: 2 Corinthians 3:12 - 18

They are there. They are just quietly standing there on the walls. They are not doing anything in particular to draw our attention to them after all they are just inanimate objects placed there that at some given point during our day we may come to look at them once or twice or for some more to see what we would see, perhaps to stand in their shiny presence and watch and witness to what that other person sees in his or her self. Yes, as you have probably guessed already I'm referring to all those mirrors you have around your house. Mirrors in your bathrooms, vanities, hallways, bedrooms perhaps your living room and why not, even your ceilings too. What, Who do you see?

This morning I am going to take some time to examine the subject of who you really are. I am talking about “The One in the Mirror" "The One who is staring back at you" "The One no one can stand to look at first thing in the morning - the One we groan and moan at when we first arise from our beds". "The One we vigorously pray is not and will not become an Accurate Reflection of the Real You.” Are you like these One's pretending to be someone or something you pray you are not or will never become? Or have you been deceiving yourself for so long that you actually believe that you are something or someone else? Who are you really? Who are the 'One's' in the mirror?

Please excuse me for moment. There is something really important I have to do right now. "Mirror, Mirror on the wall ...Oh Forget it ... Never Mind ... Forget That I Asked ... Just Mind Your Own Business ... Leave Me Alone, Why Don't You? ... Did I Really Ask For Your Opinion? ... Are You Sure It Is Safe For You to Give To Me? ... "Would You Like Me To Return It To You In The Same Spirit In Which I Actually Received It From You? ... Did I Or Did I Not Just Tell You To Stop Staring At Me? ... Please Just Go Away You Are Bothering Me! ... You Know, One Of Us Is On The Verge of Seven Years Bad Luck! Oops, I'm sorry. I looked in my mirror, only my mirror just annoyingly kept staring back at me. Bummers!

Ancient mirrors were made of metal and gave dim reflections, which is why Paul says that now we see in a mirror, dimly. Have you ever seen your reflection in a spoon? I bet if you did, the image would be elongated and guess what ... it is upside down too. Pretty weird huh when you hold that spoon up to the light and look at yourself as Paul saw himself 2000 years ago? What about seeing your reflection in a window? That’s pretty dim, too, huh? While, there are certain things we won’t know until we get to heaven, like whether or not Adam and Eve had belly buttons. One thing we can know is whose image we are reflecting, what we look like when God's the One who is actually holding on to the mirror.

Let Us Pray: Creator God, In the very beginning of all things You said: ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; ... So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.' First You looked in Your mirror, then looked at what Your hand created and declared them all good. Sadly, Lord, today we do not look in the same mirror You did. We see ourselves dimly and upside down. Nothing like when You first saw our reflections in the mirror You first held in your hand when You created us in our Mother's womb. So, Lord, I pray for that single day when I can hold in my hand that self same mirror 'And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are likewise being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.' Lord, let me reflect Your glory!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlqqlM-r6M8
House of Mirrors, Tenth Avenue North (lyrics!)
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House of Mirrors

House of Mirrors, Tenth Avenue North (lyrics!)

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House of Mirrors

Day 59: Describing The Indescribable

Day 59: Describing The Indescribable

Read: Romans 8:31 - 39

Okay, all you cold, revved up, psyched out, shop till you drop or fall asleep, in shape, intrepid, just a wee bit out of your collective minds black Friday shoppers out there, I have a question for you if you can separate yourselves long enough from all the noise of the store, the humungous crowds of people trying to push through the front of the store, the hustle and bustle of planning your every move through every store down to the minutest detail, from your cell or smart phone apps telling you which aisle to run like crazy to, pushing yourself, trying to swat away hands trying to grab your bargain item, standing in impossibly long lines, opening your wallets and purses to pay day.

Here I am, over here in my cozy warm dining room. The only noises I hear are my Ice Maker and three of my wife's cats as they stretch out and go back to sleep. My wife is sound asleep and all is actually quite calm and pleasant and I pray it remains this way. What I just tried to do in the above opening paragraph was to be as descriptive as I believed that I could get away with of the annual black Friday day after Thanksgiving 2012 shopping rush. And now, after wracking my brain for every last bit of imagery I could think to describe and compare the madness of today's shopping world, the quiet
of my own inner sanctum home, I am finally going to get around to asking a question.

And the question is this: Can you please take a few moments to describe for me the love that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit has for you this day, had for all your yesterdays, will continue to have throughout all of your tomorrows? I know that this really is not a question you expected to be asked on a day like this. I guess you would have expected me to ask you to describe your most harrowing buy or your clever planning and maneuvers to get to that bargain only you knew about or about that miraculous parking spot you found after praying like crazy. Nope, I am truly sorry to disappoint you on that score. I am only asking you to try to describe God's love for you.

We’re all familiar with the description of HUMAN love. There’s “puppy” love, Grand-parent love, “first” love, a love for the arts, a love of chocolate, and much more. We have all kinds of friends … “fair-weather” friends, “long-distance” friends, “new” friends, “old” friends, “former” friends, “close” friends. These are HUMAN love, and HUMAN love has been described as fickle, sporadic, temporary, and very conditional. But, God IS love, His love is being described as unconditional, constant, and perfect. You can't simply describe God’s love, because God IS love and God defies description (Isaiah 40:12 - 31, Romans 5:1 - 11, Ephesians 3:14 - 19). Try just for a while describing God's Indescribable Love for you.

Let Us Pray: In the beauty and stillness of our homes, O God, it is easy to feel Your love and Your presence. In the busyness and craziness of life outside - not so much. Help us while we are here, there and everywhere in between to center our lives and our hopes in the Indescribable love of Your Son Jesus Christ who willingly died for us while we're yet striving so indescribably hard to live as Your love's greatest enemy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpGi3964_fQ

Laura Story - You are Love - Lyrics

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You are justice for every oppression You're forgiveness for every confession You are beauty, goodness, blessing You are love You are healing for

Day 58: Give Thank(S) With A Grateful Heart

Day 58: Give Thank(S) With A Grateful Heart

Read: Romans 8:31 - 39

Well, the day is finally here. It is Thank(S)giving day 2012. And, well, yes, I did quite intentionally capitalize the 'S' to make a subtle perhaps overlooked point. And that subtle perhaps even overlooked point (as a wonderful friend reminded me yesterday) is that there is, was and always shall be more than one reason for giving and being thankful. I am asking you to think about it for a few moments if you will and even if you wont - how does 'thankgiving' day look and sound to you? If you could see what I just wrote you would see my spell checker has underlined the word in 'red' (try it, and see for yourself). Concentrating on the word, I can't help but feel there is something missing.

Life is filled with questions, isn’t it, like why is it that all these spell checkers tell you there needs to be an (S) in Thank(S)giving to spell it correctly? Some questions just make us laugh while others make us scratch our heads. Here are a few that I have come across… (1) Why do we press all the harder on a remote when we know the batteries are going dead? (2) Why aren't we thankful glue doesn’t stick to the bottle? (3) Why do we constantly return to the refrigerator with hearts of thanks and voices of praise that something new to eat will have materialized from when we last visited ten minutes ago? Yes, I fully agree that these are subtly silly nonsensical questions.

As we come to the end of Romans 8, we’re faced with a crescendo of questions. See if you can spot (7) them: “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died-more than that, who was raised to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

While most of these questions are rhetorical, they are no less real and no less of a reason to give more than one thank(S) to God for each of them. In fact, Paul is using this method to get us to deliberately pause and ponder these amazing truths. He’s also doing something else that is even more subtle, that is not real evident in English. Instead of using connecting words, he’s utilizing a Question and Answer format in a rapid fire manner, moving quickly from one question to the next to build upon each point God is trying very hard to make. You can't say 'thank you' one time and be done with it for the fullness and completeness of God's love for us, for Christ's once and for all sacrificial gift of everlasting salvation.

Let Us Pray: God of all blessings, source of all life, giver of all grace: We thank you for the gift of life: for the breath that sustains life, for the provision of this earth that nurtures life, for the love of family and friends without which there would be no life. We thank you for this day: for this gift of life and one more day to love, for neighbors and one more person to love and by whom be loved, for your grace and one more experience of your presence, for your promise: to be with us, to be our God, and to give salvation through the life, death and resurrection of Your Son Jesus Christ. For all these, and all the heavenly blessings which are Yours alone to bestow, we give you all our thanks, eternal, loving God, through Jesus Christ whom we do most solemnly pray this Thank(s)giving day 2012. Amen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2_IZZNjdas
GIVE THANKS | Words & Music
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Karaoke music video : GIVE THANKS praise and worship song.

GIVE THANKS | Words & Music

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Karaoke music video : GIVE THANKS praise and worship song.

Day 57: God Provides, Even If ....

Day 57: God Provides, Even If ....

Read: John 6:1 - 14

Few things enrich life like a good friend. To have someone with whom you can share your deepest thoughts, feelings and longings – someone who can ask anything of you and of whom you can ask anything – who provides a wonderful encouragement to the meaning and joy of life. Most people do not have many close friends. It takes time, trust, and perseverance to develop meaningful relationships. To have friends, you must be a friend. But although making and sustaining friendships can be difficult, the benefits are tremendous. In this season of thanksgiving, in the face of mankind's greatest needs even if man cannot sufficiently provide, God's promise is that He will more than sufficiently provide.

The miraculous feeding of the five thousand. It is the only one of Jesus’ miracles that is recorded by all four evangelists — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. God chose the miraculous provision of food to describe the person and work of his Son Jesus Christ from four different angles, four different perspectives. Each author brings a unique point of view to his account as each writes for a different audience. The audience at the time of the feeding was a an enormously large crowd that had all gathered from around the country side to discover what all the hubbub was about. They had heard of great healing's among the sick of their villages and had witnessed great wonders.

One of the first things I see from this story is the gathering of such a large group of people of which nothing in particular is known or even described. John does not say that women and children were present in addition to the men; Matthew adds that detail. Matthew 14.21: “And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.” We do not know how many besides, but it is easy to imagine another 5000 hungry people, or 10,000—probably more. The questions that I now find myself most curious about are: 1) What did they do for a living? 2) How many were carpenters, pottery makers, farmers, crop gatherer's, workers of vineyards? How many of them were slaves?

I wonder, did it really matter to Jesus what they did? Did it really matter if they were rich men, poor men, beggars or thieves. Nowhere in any of the four narratives does it say that Jesus told the disciples to separate each of those gathered according to their means to pay, job titles or lack thereof, past histories, touchable or untouchable or any other measure whereby they might be judged as worthy for this reason or as unworthy for that reason. In this great season of Thanksgiving we are tasked to look
beyond what we have, to give even if we know we cannot afford it. We are tasked to give thanks to God everything. Even if it's beyond our means, it's never beyond God's!

Let Us Pray: Heavenly Father I thank you for the promises for provision in your Word. I thank you for supplying all my needs according to your riches in glory. I cast all my cares upon you for you care affectionately for me I thank you. Because you were made poor I have been made rich. Even if I am judged this way or that by man, even if I am a butcher, baker or candlestick maker, even if I am filthy or I if I live on the streets of some anonymous place, If I am employed or unemployed, If I am judged as something I am or am not, in prison or free, I look up to you alone as the source of my provision for all my needs. Even if mankind cannot or will not, I know You will.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqOkZiOb9u0

Kutless - "Even If" (Official Lyric Video)

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Lyric video for "Even If" from the new Kutless album "Believer", in stores and online now! © 2012 BEC Recordings

Day 56: Priorities: Is our J O Y In The Right Place?

Day 56: Priorities: Is our J O Y In The Right Place?

Read: Matthew 6:19 - 21

Last night when I was doing some basic shopping for the house, I looked around the grocery store and took the time to notice that there seemed to be allot more people than I would have otherwise expected for that time of the night. It likewise dawned on me that the parking lot was pretty full too. Then the obvious dawned on me: It is one day closer to that day of all days called "Thanksgiving". The shopping carts were loaded to the brim, the shoppers seemed to be trying to push Mount Everest forward and through the aisles looking for all the food stuffs they were going to need to spend hours and hours in their kitchens preparing grand meals for their families and friends.

The year is almost over. It has moved quite quickly it seems. Day after day has gone by. Children have been in school learning what it is they will need to build character. Birthdays, anniversaries, vacations, people working hard on their jobs if they have them or working hard to try and find one that will pay the bills, keep a roof over their head, keeping or putting food on the table to feed their families, Wars being fought or threatening to start in far away lands. So, I'm contemplating the meaning of all that earthly stuff when Jesus breaks in: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal." Boing!! The Light broke into my darkness.

Undoubtedly it has been said somewhere and oftentimes repeated that our priorities as a Christian should be J O Y (Jesus, Others, You). Yet, I find myself wondering, in the reality that is pressing against us from all sides and all points of the compass, just how do we see our priorities. Where do we see the JOY principal in our lives, in our finances, in our daytime or our night time, and in the everyday decisions that we all make. Do we worry too much about and serve the Holy trinity of me, myself and I? It is not to say that all the dimensions of our lives are not important enough or should not, in it's own given time and season, be ignored or properly dealt with accordingly.

In fact, I believe Jesus would be awfully disappointed if we did not do what we had to do when we had to do it for the sake of His Kingdom. So we should still be about the business of our lives when and where we are called to do so, but also we are to be equally vigorous about the business of living out the Gospel for the sake of all our neighbor's lives as well. This where Jesus once again suddenly breaks into our earthly priorities: "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." So please consider: Where is your J O Y this morning?

Let Us Pray: Dear Lord, Creator of all things, everything on earth is yours. We have nothing that can make you richer, for it all comes from you in the first place. But what we have we bring – the acknowledgment that we live thanks to you, and that without you we have nothing and can do nothing. Help us who have received so freely from you to give as freely in our turn, and so have the pleasure of giving as well as the JOY and happiness of receiving. For Jesus, who died poor that we should be rich in Him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC2F4WZozpU

Laura Story - Friend of Sinners - Lyrics

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You have shown us what is holy How to bless the Father's heart To act justly and love mercy To walk humbly with our God This is who you are This is who

Day 55: Dear God: This Is Where I Am At Right Now!

Day 55: Dear God: This Is Where I Am At Right Now!

Read: 1Kings 19:1 - 18 (The Prophet Elijah flees from Jezebel)

Dear God,

"Well, Here I am Lord, exhausted and completely wore out. I have spent the whole day running like somebody that was being pursued by a pride of lions. I just cannot take another step. My body has nothing left to give and I can barely breath. My mind has just gone off the deep end. It is racing with the thoughts of my pursuers catching up to me that they may take their revenge upon me and thrust their angry swords through my pounding heart. They seek to kill, they seek to spill my blood as I spilled so much of theirs. I cannot help but feel like a complete failure. I do not feel the least bit worthy of Your spirit that gives me life. My God: This is where I am at right now!"

What we’re going to talk about today are the emotional extremes that many people go through. It is slowly entering that time of year when winter sets in and the days and nights get colder and shorter. The night time comes too soon and day light does not last nearly long enough to suit us. The holidays are coming, families will soon be gathering, lots of money we don't necessarily have will soon be spent in great waves. The pressure will soon be upon us to answer all those charitable calls that also seem to come within those great waves. There soon will be plenty of people traveling far away. There will be headaches waiting for everyone at the airports and train stations.

There will be people standing in long lines and muttering to themselves: “What’s the opposite of joy?" To which someone will answer "Sadness". "What is the opposite of elation?" - to which someone will respond "depression." "The opposite of woe?" To which some smart mouthed individual will glibly reply "Well, now, I suppose that the opposite of woe, would be to giddy up." Yes there will be all this joy and elation just waiting for all those unsuspecting people who like the Prophet Elijah are struggling in the midst of: sagging and depressed moods, a slowly growing loss of interest in life. They are undoubtedly experiencing sleep problems, difficulties trying to concentrate.

Like Elijah sitting under the Broom tree, their minds and bodies are in an unsettling state of agitation and growing restlessness. They like Elijah may be muttering" “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” (4b) Depression is very real part of life for many people. Let me repeat… Depression can be a very real problem, has been even from those most ancient of days till now. So, Why would a man who had experienced some of the most powerful displays of God’s power… Why would he suddenly be crippled by fear, hopelessness and despair? Many are the reasons even the strongest become afflicted. So, where are you right now?

Let Us Pray: Dear Lord Father of Comfort, we are all sitting here under our Broom trees and like Your great Prophet Elijah, some of us are reaching our points of no return. From the vast depths of eternity You looked upon Your suffering servant and You sent forth Your Holy Angels to Elijah's side to minister to Him and to feed Him. Your is the One mountain Elijah journeyed 40 days to take shelter in. You are the One in whom He fully trusted to care for him and heal him. Today, May your servant trust in your goodness and hope in your faithfulness, even in the middle of this suffering. Let him be filled with patience and joy in your presence as he waits for your healing touch. Please restore your servant to full health, dear Father. Raise us as You raised Elijah.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm5oirhXl7I

Rhett Walker Band - When Mercy Found Me (with lyrics)

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The lead radio single from Rhett Walker Band, "When Mercy Found Me." Debut album, Come To

Day 54: God's Guide Book To Eternal Life

Day 54: God's Guide Book To Eternal Life

Read: Isaiah 40:6 - 8

Every place you will ever visit, every place you will ever go on vacation to no matter how plain or exotic it will ever be will have a guide book to tell you all the wonderful places they recommend you try. Included in any of these guide books will be all the places you could stay in - rented condos, hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, camp sites. They will have all the spots that you can have a bite to eat from the fast food joints to the most chic restaurants and everywhere in between. Do you want to know where all the clothing, antique and collectible shops are - look in the local guidebooks. Want to know where to find the best things leading to eternal life - look in the Bible.

The Bible is given to give us direction in life. Do you want to know where you came from and why you were created? Do you want to know how to find your purpose in life? Do you want to find meaning in life? Do you want to get prepared for eternity? Look to God’s Guide book - the Bible. In Creation we know there is a Divine Creator. In nature we have General revelation of God. The Bible is God’s special revelation to guide us into truth. Do you know the Bible well enough to find the guidance you need in life? Without adequate study any guidebook is confusing trying to sift through all of the places you might visit. The Bible can be a confusing book to find life's answers.

From an internet search the following statements about the Bible were written by children. 1. In the first book of the bible, Guinessis, God got tired of creating the world, so he took the Sabbath off. 2. Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. Noah’s wife was called Joan of Ark. Noah built an ark which the animals come on to in pears. 3. Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day, but a ball of fire by night. 4. Samson slayed the Philistines with the axe of the Apostles. 5. The greatest miracle in the Bible is when Joshua told his son to stand still and he obeyed him. 6. Jesus could not lie to His Father when asked if it was His axe that was the one that chopped down His only Tree of Life.

You can trust God’s Word as your guide to eternal life because the Bible is Inspired by God. What we have in the Bible is not the words of man, but the very Word of God. Writers of Scripture didn't write on their own they wrote as moved by the Holy Spirit. God empowered and inspired different men and women to write the Scriptures as God revealed it. They wrote through their own personalities from their very own life experiences. The New Testament Writers accepted the Old Testament books as the authentic Word of God. Jesus referred to the Old Testament writings as God’s Word. The Bible is always Reliable. The Bible is always going to Relevant. The Bible is an ever lasting God’s path to our eternal life.

Let Us Pray: Almighty and Ever Living God, in You are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Open our eyes that we may see the wonders of Your Word; and give us grace that we may clearly understand and freely choose the way of Your wisdom that leads to our eternal life through professed belief in Christ as our Lord.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvLxZEU02uI&feature=g-high-rec
Cornerstone - Cornerstone - Hillsong Live 2012 - (HD) (With Lyrics)
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Cornerstone - Hillsong Live 2012 - (HD) (With Lyrics) Watch in 1080p Please Comment Rate and

Cornerstone - Cornerstone - Hillsong Live 2012 - (HD) (With Lyrics)

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Cornerstone - Hillsong Live 2012 - (HD) (With Lyrics) Watch in 1080p Please Comment Rate and Subscribe Please be informed I do not own this

Day 53: "The Holy Spirit Tells You What Is Coming"

Day 53: "The Holy Spirit Tells You What Is Coming"

Read: John 16:12 - 15

With the Fall Festival being first thing in the life of our church and with my wife and I manning the "Crafter's for Christ" table with any and all able bodied sound minded volunteers, this morning's devotional effort comes directly from the Devotional Book titled "Listening to God" by Bruce Bickel. Listen to what the Holy Spirit tells you is coming. Hear what the Scriptures are speaking to heart this wonderful fall morning.

"I love the Holy Spirit, and I hope you do as well. I sent the Holy Spirit to be a witness to the reality and the glory of my Son in your life. I love Him for that! The Holy Spirit also empowers you, gives you at least one spiritual gift, convinces you when you are on the right path, and convicts you when you are not. He is so versatile!

The Holy Spirit does something else you probably overlook, so I am going to remind you: the Holy Spirit speaks about what is coming. I am not talking about things in your immediate future, though He will sometimes give you warnings and confirmations. No, I am referring to the big picture of what is to come - namely, your glorious future in heaven.

The Holy Spirit is like a deposit guaranteeing that Jesus is coming back for you, to unite you with all believers of all time, for all eternity. There is nothing you can do to revoke this promise. The Holy Spirit has signed, sealed, and delivered His assurance to your heart (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Whenever you grow weary of this world, with all of its cares and troubles, remember what the Holy Spirit is telling you."

My Prayer Offering: Living God, help us so to hear your Holy Word that we may truly understand; Help us to hear what the Holy Spirit is speaking into our lives this day that, understanding, we may believe, and, believing, we may strive to follow in all faithfulness and obedience, seeking your honor and glory in all that we do; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtSKzHxVqxQ&feature=g-high-rec

Calling Glory, Don't Give Up - Official Lyric Video.

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Please Help Support Calling Glory! "Don't Give Up" is on iTunes! Link to iTunes - Click Here: http://bit.ly/PRQZDR Calling Glory Twitter Page

Day 52: Four Dimensional Love

Day 52: Four Dimensional Love

Read: Ephesians 3:14 - 21

Have you watched any 3D movies yet? Played any wild 3D game systems with your family or your friends? You know the ones that when you play them seem to reach out to you and grab you? I have only seen them in commercials myself because the cost of them is more that I can justify. I do remember being overjoyed when Jaws 3-D came out in the theater and mom, just as excited as we were, brought us those weird cardboard glasses for watching it. 3D films have existed in some form since 1915, but had been largely relegated to a small niche in the motion picture industry because of the very high cost of equipment required to produce and display a 3D film.

I guess that the reason I find myself so focused on 3D stuff this morning is the near proximity of 'Black Friday' and the incredible wave of store advertisements that have appeared earlier than I remember from last year. Everyone trying to beat the other guy in offering the greatest early sales on all kinds of technologically advanced stuff. It just boggles my mind I guess to see all this stuff which spent most of its time far outside my ability to pay for it, suddenly become the source of 'affordable temptation'.
I am not a very techno sort of person and neither is my wife. It takes me a very long time for to make the effort to just keep up and update myself into the 21st century.

So, this morning I find myself drawn by the Holy Spirit to these verses: '18 I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.' Please let me spell it out for you: Hear it is: There is someone out there praying 'that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints' the 4 (four) D(Dimensional) love of Father God, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Where is the sales sheet for selling that powerful brand of love? It is not sold anywhere. It is God's grace freely given to all.

The power to comprehend: A group of four-through eight -year - old's were asked: “What does love mean?” Their answers vary from the amusing to the profound. Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your McDonald's French fries without making them give you theirs. Love is when your puppy still licks you face after being left alone all day. So, God's Four Dimensional Love? Paul’s prayer that we read this morning reveals to us the wellspring from which the power and the glory of God bear hugs us like our own skin, rises up, raises us up, in our midst. “God loves you.” "Jesus loves you." "The Holy Spirit loves you." The fourth dimension: "I love you too."

Let Us Pray; In the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit Let me be loved, let me be happy, let me be peaceful, let me be a vessel from which others may drink of Your love. Let my family be happy, loved, and peaceful. Let them be vessels from which others may drink of Your great love. Let my friends be happy, loved, and peaceful. Let them be vessels from which others may drink of Your great love. Let those who are my perceived enemies be happy, loved, and peaceful. Let them be vessels from which others may drink of Your great love. Let all CREATED beings be happy, loved, and peaceful. Let all CREATED things be vessels from which others may drink of Your great love. By Your infinite and matchless gift of grace, I pray for the time when the whole world will experience the length, breadth, depth and height of all these things.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt5e8_jN5vA

Day 51: Who Is Really Going To Know If .....

Day 51: Who Is Really Going To Know If .....

Read: Romans 2:12 - 16

I suppose one might call it splitting hairs. I mean if I have an opportunity that has been thrust before me to do something I would not ordinarily do, then why would I not just simply go ahead and do it if I was reasonably sure I would completely get away with it? I mean "Who would ever know I did it" because there was no way I was ever going to admit I did it. It is not that I am always seeking opportunities to try something completely risque and scandalous ('what would my Rabbi think' stuff). I mean after all that sort of behavior might just be a wee bit out of character. But what brings a person to the place where they will willfully do what they know is wrong?

Who are we really when nobody is watching us? Do we really have a conscience that we do daily battle with when it comes to choosing whether or not we are going to cross a line that has been drawn in to the sands of 'right' versus 'wrong'? I mean who is really going to know if .... (1) we believe (actually hope) nobody is watching or is likely to notice? (2) we believe that we can effectively hide whatever it is we did. (3) we believe (actually hope) can effectively lie our way through with a plausible enough
explanation. (4) we know that we are never going to admit it even under great duress or the presence of a frying pan in our faces. (5) It's not going to be in the newspaper.

The hidden conscience of man versus the all revealing Word of God. The battle that began when Adam and Eve clothed themselves with fig leaves and tried so hard to hide themselves from God in the Garden of Eden. Perhaps they thought to themselves in that moment "yeah, we really blew it this time. but if we work hard to hide it .. who is really going to know whether we did it or not?" "I mean we both know there is no one else around so ...!" "I know you wont tell and you know I wont tell so ...!" This is one time I wish I'd been in the woods behind Adam and Eve when God called out to them. I really believe if neither Adam or Eve willingly came out, I would have yelled.

'15 They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness; and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them 16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all.' The hidden(?) conscience of man and the all revealing Word of God. The conscience is a self-awareness that judges whether or not an act one has carried out or plans to carry out is in harmony with ones moral standards and the revealed Word of God. Everyone of us is born with a conscience with right and wrong written upon it. So who is really going to know if ...?

Let Us Pray: So Lord, who is really going to know if I ......? I know in my heart that .... really was not the smartest thing I ever tried to do and I know that .... was not the most correct thing to do. But I yielded to my desire to try it just that once and now I am finding myself conflicted by .... and I have no earthly idea what to do about it. I can certainly keep ..... hidden from .... but I find myself conflicted about that too. So please call me out of my hiding place that I may do that which is righteous in Your sight. Create in me a clean heart, O God and put a new and right spirit within me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9azOSb_bONA

From the Inside Out (Lyrics) - Phillips Craig and Dean

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Day 50: Cynicism: Believing Everything Your Told.

Day 50: Cynicism: Believing Everything Your Told.

Read: John 14:5 - 14

You know folks we are becoming a cynical kind of people. Please let me explain what I mean to you. What would you say to me if I told you that a single phone call from a company you never heard of located in a place you did not even knew existed would give you a free vacation to somewhere and add $250 to sweeten the deal just for you filling out a survey about something you would not otherwise even take the least bit of time to care about? That couldn’t be true could it? There’s a catch, right? Probably is. Seen any of those infomercials that promote the weirdest "I so wish I had thought of inventing that (not!)" thingamabob they say you can't live the rest of your life without? Point made?

We are a people who have been so over exposed to claims that we know just can’t possibly be true, that we really don’t want to believe in anything unless we can see it for ourselves, or (gasp - actually buy that thingamabob) or look on the internet to see some bizarre set facts that the inventor or the salesman said would definitely back it up. There are those wise and well considered philosophers somewhere in the midst of our culture who sit on top of their mountains of good sense and sensibility saying in loud and clear whispers; “Prove it to me first, then I might believe it.” Right?. Well, I pray so for there are some people out there trying to sell dirt back to mother nature. A deal she cannot refuse?

This morning I want you to really concentrate with me on our passage, and the life changing Truth that we can apply to our personal lives and the Life of our Church as we get ready to move into new sales territory together. As we approach Scripture, I want you to ask yourself a question. We realize that the world we live in is cynical, it’s a world that recognizes that it needs to see something to believe it. Words are thrown around in unrecognizable ways through bizarre unbelievable claims. "Take my word for it" nowadays sounds like a con job not a signal of a persons integrity. In some industries and some cultures a mans spoken word is truly accepted with all sincerity, his oath is very much his sacred bond.

This morning as we dive into the Word of God.... I want you to ask yourself... Do I really believe What I read in God’s Word? In my heart of hearts, do I believe what Jesus said? 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” This is one of those places in the Bible where Jesus claims to be absolutely the only way, the only truth and the only life, the only gateway to God the Father. Thomas doubted. Phillip doubted. My question is this - what about those other disciples in the room? What about you too?

Let Us Pray: Lord, there are many claims in the Bible that are simply extraordinary and truthfully, in today's day and age, very hard to take at face value. We were not there face to face, we are not the 2000 year old flies on the wall that could bring to the people of this worldly kingdom the authentic witness to the words spoken at this moment and the facial expressions of each disciple as they decided whether or not what was being said was something they could, should, would truly believe with all their hearts. Lord, help us to rise above the sin of our cynicism that we too may truly come to believe the Words of Jesus Christ spoken in that very place at that very time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuPC0C9qlXs&feature=related
Sidewalk Prophets - You Can Have Me
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A song about submission and commitment to God, about devotion and sacrifice. "Lord, I give You my life, You can have me"

Sidewalk Prophets - You Can Have Me

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A song about submission and commitment to God, about devotion and sacrifice. "Lord, I give You my life, You can have me"

Day 49: Choose: Perfect Acceptance Or Perfect Hate?

Day 49: Choose: Perfect Acceptance Or Perfect Hate?

Read: Matthew 5:43 - 48

This morning I’m going to give you a quiz, and I don’t want you to think real hard about your answers. I just want you to answer as you feel you should. I want you to raise your hands if any one of these critically important questions relates to you. Be honest now because while I cannot see you wherever you are reading this from - Keep in mind that God can see you. Question #1: How many of you believe you are perfectly accepted? Question #2: How many of you out there believe it is actually possible for someone who is actually still living to become perfectly accepted? Now, how many of you really raised your hand?

Now let us look at it from a bit of a different perspective. 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ Now take the same quiz and where it asks if you are 'perfectly accepted', replace the word 'accepted' with the word 'hated'. So now question number one asks you this (and again be perfectly honest here because God is paying attention): How many of you believe you are perfectly hated? Question 2 becomes: How many of you out there believe it is actually possible for someone who is actually still living to become perfectly hated? Now, how many of you raised your hands?

Our reasons to hate are just as numerous as our reasons to accept. We can rationalize anything. Notice that Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’” The part about hating your enemy is actually found nowhere in the Bible. The part about loving your neighbor is from Lev. 19:18. We come up with good reasons to hate people. Since it was said that we should love our neighbor, some drew the conclusion, that we should only love our neighbor. The conclusion was then to not love someone who wasn’t a neighbor, that neighbor being a fellow countryman.

In other words, it meant that a neighbor was someone like any one of us in thought, physical appearance in how they dressed, birth race, cultural, societal, religious and spiritual beliefs, and so much more. On the other hand, an enemy is someone who is against us. An enemy is someone who is different from us. It could be our nemesis at work, school, or wherever. It may be someone who
has more money and status or just the opposite less money,less status. Why should we love someone who doesn’t like us? Why shouldn't we hate those who're different from us? It is your choice: perfect acceptance or perfect hate.

Lord, Make me an instrument of your love. May I see each circumstance in my life as an opportunity to grow in your love. May I see my environment as a place to grow in your love. Where I see others differently, help me to see where we are the same. When I am tempted to become resentful, give me your power to love. Lord, grant that I may take no pleasure in criticizing others, but that I may see the very same good in them, as you have always seems to have found within me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7RIuukDINc&feature=related
Above All -- Kaitlyn Maher -- 5yo
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Kaitlyn Maher, the 5 year old who was the youngest ever Top 10 finalist of the hit TV show "America's Got Talent" when she was only 4,

Above All -- Kaitlyn Maher -- 5yo

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Kaitlyn Maher, the 5 year old who was the youngest ever Top 10 finalist of the hit TV show "America's Got Talent" when she was only 4, sings an original arra...

Day 48: Dear God, About Your Idea of Accepting One Another

Day 48: Dear God, About Your Idea of Accepting One Another ....

Read: Romans 15

Dear God,

Truth be told, I really do not know how You do it. I mean this business of accepting anybody and everybody at any given time on any given day. It's just that, I mean I know You are God and all and from what I have read about You it just seems to be about Golden Rules, love one another even (gasp) those who would find great joy and pleasure making my life a piece of misery and even worse those who would act the same way around else they might ever meet. You know, God, and I feel I must really
lay it on thick here that what you are asking me and my friends to do by setting all of our 'junk' aside, rejecting our 'worldly' experiences, is just way way to much to do.

In case You haven't already noticed (although You probably already have), and please do not take this wrong, but there are some remarkably strange people down here that I just have absolutely nothing in common with. Some of them are farmers who get up at ungodly (oops sorry) hours of the morning and who do strange things like milk cows with their bare hands (yuck!), feed pigs (double yuck) in the dead cold of winter. Some are die-hard city folk that love the hustle and bustle and wildness and
unrelenting noise. Personally, Lord, I have nothing against anyone who chooses to live a certain way, raise their families in their own way. But I have to accept them all? They're just so completely different.

Let's face it, Lord, that idea is quite a stretch for us human types. We are so different from one another, that some of us have little or nothing in common that would lead us to socialize or have anything to do with each other. Some of them appear well off - not a financial worry in the world. Others look like they wonder how they will pay your bills next week. I mean, we are all so very different from each other. I do not come right out, walk up to them and tell them that I openly reject them for some vastly silly reason which they know nothing about and that is entirely my own thing. I pray that I am not nearly that insensitive or uncaring. But how do I communicate Your message of unconditional 'acceptance'?

And yet, Lord, here we are. We are humanity at its finest. We are all striving to be the very best, brightest shining examples like Paul wrote: 'We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.' 'Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor.' 'May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.' 'Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.' God, tell me truthfully: how are we doing with Your message?

Let Us Pray: God of our hearts, You see us as we are and as we live amongst each other. Help us to see and to know things as You see them for what they are, both inside and outside of us. Help us to accept things as they are, even when we may wish them to be different. Help us to experience the importance of acceptance: and that if our eyes and our heart are open we can gain and learn some much needed wisdom from what all things and the vast diversity of people teach us about life. Help me to remember that acceptance means that I can truly live in the world among all Your people, accepting all those who are my neighbors knowing You accept us all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbEhBXxe5vU&feature=relmfu
Hillsong - We The Redeemed - With Subtitles/Lyrics - HD Version
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Hillsong - We The Redeemed - With Subtitles/Lyrics - Faith Hope Love - HD Version You like Hillsong

Hillsong - We The Redeemed - With Subtitles/Lyrics - HD Version

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Hillsong - We The Redeemed - With Subtitles/Lyrics - Faith Hope Love - HD Version You like Hillsong Music? You can buy a CD or DVD at

Day 47: "My Word Will Equip You"

Day 47: "My Word Will Equip You"

Read: 2 Timothy 3:14 - 17

Well, this morning my wife is in a battle with her sinuses so I am going to be posting this mornings devotional directly from devotional "Listening To God" by Brian Brickel. Please take a few moments out of your day to prayerfully consider and meditate upon these thoughts as God takes the time from a busy eternity to speak directly with you:

Hear God's voice as it speaks directly into your life this day:

"I have some big plans for you. Seriously, I do.

You may think I make plans just for the high profile people who preach to thousands, or for those who venture into difficult and dangerous places to share my grace and take my Good News to those who need it most. Yes, I make their plans - but I am just as interested in you, and my plans for you are just as important.

When I saved you, it wasn't only to give you a ticket to heaven. I also wanted to set you on an earthly life journey for the express purpose of carrying out my plans (Ephesians 2:10). What kind of plans? You will find out soon enough if you stay close to me and allow my Holy Spirit to speak to you.

Most importantly, you will know my plans for you as you read and study my Word. If you immerse yourself in the Scriptures, you will discover my purpose for your life, because my Word will equip you - literally, furnish you completely - to do those good things I want you to do."

My Prayer: Lord, Open our hearts and minds by the power of Your Holy Spirit, that, as the Scriptures are read and Your Word proclaimed, We may hear with joy what You say to us today. Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVFzxazTQNM&feature=fvwrel

Agnus Dei by Michael W. Smith with lyrics

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Agnus Dei by Michael W. Smith with lyrics.