Well, I have been thinking and praying. I also went to a union meeting. It looks like I will be joining the picket lines. I am sorry to say that but I need money to feed my family. I am sorry because it is a political debate that will probably not solve much. I do pray that the Lord will be in the midst of this situation and allow both the government and the teacher's union to come to some understanding and resolve.
I talked about grace yesterday. The Lord gives us grace each day, through each circumstance we endure. Because God is, there is grace...and because there is grace, there is hope...and because there is hope, we can put energy into our day, faith into our prayers, joy into our worship, confidence into our calling, and zeal into our step. God has something new for you every day. He delights in you and loves to surprise you with good things.
From the fullness of His grace, we have all received one blessing after another. John 1:16 (NIV)
May God bless you today!
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Friday, October 14, 2005
Grace and fellowship
I think of how God uses our circumstances to give us more grace and mercy. In the Purpose Driven Life, we have been learning about fellowship and what that means. Encouragement was mentioned to build us up and keep us from deceitfulness and sin. I think encouragement is a hugh quality that we need in our daily lives. Many people are torn because they have been brought down by someone or something. Without encouragement, it is very hard to be lifted up.
Christ was despired, rejected by men, spit on, pierced for our sins...yet He encourages us to always pray and not give up. He told a parable regarding this in Luke 18:2-8. It tells about a woman who never gave up but kept persisting. Paul tells us in Romans 12: 9-16 to be devoted to each other in brotherly love. To honor one another above ourselves. Wow! How many people do you know that honor one another above themselves? It also goes onto to say be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer and to share with God's people in need. I wonder how many of us actually do this. To be joyful, no matter what comes our way. It has been a difficult week-I work in the education field and have been prevented from going to work because of a strike by teachers-I won't get into a debate about that because so many of you have so many views! It has been difficult because I have been restless with whether I should help picket-after three consecutive days we get $10.00 a day or do without any pay, whether it is logitically a right thing to do or not. I have worried, I have prayed. Needless to say, I didn't help to strike-I did not want to break the law and to eventually get $2.50 per day, it isn't worth it. You wonder what this has to do with encourgement. Well, I am encouraged through prayer from others and myself. I know that all things will work out to those who love the Lord. Romans 8:28 (Paraphrase of mine)
I was reading in Max Lacado's book; Grace For the Moment; He says this; To recognize God as Lord is to acknowledge that he is sovereign and surpreme in the universe. To accept him as Saviour is to accept his gift of salvation offered on the cross. To regard him as Father is to go a step further. Ideally, a father is the one in your life who provides and protects. This is exactly what God has done. He has provided for your needs (Matt. 6:25-34). He has protected you from harm (Ps. 139:5). He has adopted you (Eph. 1:5). And he has given you his name (1 John 3:1). God has proven himself as a faithful father., Now it falls to us to be trusting children. What better encouragement. God loves us and has redeemed us through Jesus Christ. Amen!
You may be decent, you may pay taxes, kiss your kids, abide by the law, sleep with a clean conscience, but apart from Christ, you aren't holy. So how can you go up to heaven? Simply believe. Accept the work already done, the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. If you are not a Christian or a believer in Christ, what better way to take hold of Him who gave His life for you! Stand before Him in His name, not yours. The cross was heavy, the blood was real, and the price was extravagant. It would have made us bankrupt, so He paid it all. It is simple, give your life to Christ. It wasn't an easy task for Christ to do. I like to remember it as "Grace"...for you and for me. We can grow in His love through fellowship with other believers by encouragement, love, honor, support. Will you trust Him today?
Christ was despired, rejected by men, spit on, pierced for our sins...yet He encourages us to always pray and not give up. He told a parable regarding this in Luke 18:2-8. It tells about a woman who never gave up but kept persisting. Paul tells us in Romans 12: 9-16 to be devoted to each other in brotherly love. To honor one another above ourselves. Wow! How many people do you know that honor one another above themselves? It also goes onto to say be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer and to share with God's people in need. I wonder how many of us actually do this. To be joyful, no matter what comes our way. It has been a difficult week-I work in the education field and have been prevented from going to work because of a strike by teachers-I won't get into a debate about that because so many of you have so many views! It has been difficult because I have been restless with whether I should help picket-after three consecutive days we get $10.00 a day or do without any pay, whether it is logitically a right thing to do or not. I have worried, I have prayed. Needless to say, I didn't help to strike-I did not want to break the law and to eventually get $2.50 per day, it isn't worth it. You wonder what this has to do with encourgement. Well, I am encouraged through prayer from others and myself. I know that all things will work out to those who love the Lord. Romans 8:28 (Paraphrase of mine)
I was reading in Max Lacado's book; Grace For the Moment; He says this; To recognize God as Lord is to acknowledge that he is sovereign and surpreme in the universe. To accept him as Saviour is to accept his gift of salvation offered on the cross. To regard him as Father is to go a step further. Ideally, a father is the one in your life who provides and protects. This is exactly what God has done. He has provided for your needs (Matt. 6:25-34). He has protected you from harm (Ps. 139:5). He has adopted you (Eph. 1:5). And he has given you his name (1 John 3:1). God has proven himself as a faithful father., Now it falls to us to be trusting children. What better encouragement. God loves us and has redeemed us through Jesus Christ. Amen!
You may be decent, you may pay taxes, kiss your kids, abide by the law, sleep with a clean conscience, but apart from Christ, you aren't holy. So how can you go up to heaven? Simply believe. Accept the work already done, the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. If you are not a Christian or a believer in Christ, what better way to take hold of Him who gave His life for you! Stand before Him in His name, not yours. The cross was heavy, the blood was real, and the price was extravagant. It would have made us bankrupt, so He paid it all. It is simple, give your life to Christ. It wasn't an easy task for Christ to do. I like to remember it as "Grace"...for you and for me. We can grow in His love through fellowship with other believers by encouragement, love, honor, support. Will you trust Him today?
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
A child of God
Recently, Sunday we were learning about fellowship and that we are all children of God-those that have acdepted Jesus christ as Saviour and Lord. We learnt that Fellowship us Loving God's family, how we are to be encouraging, supportive, loving. It sure is hard to follow through with what is taught to you when you are with you eartly family, supposably enjoying Thanksgiving and dinner and getting together.
I was taking the turkey out of the oven. I carefully took the oven bag off the turkey and proceded to cut the turkey. It was flaking. My sister told me to cut it the way her husband cuts it. I should have gotten him to cut it. While taking the breast of the turkey off the bone, I accidently stabbed myself in the thumb. My sister got mad and then asked her husband to cut the turkey. I proceded to make the gravy and without thinking (I was feeling inadequate by this point), I put flour into a shaker, some broth but no cold water and shook it. It exploaded onto my hand, thus burning my hand. My sister became more angry and called me stupid-I do admit it was a stupid thing I did but I am not stupid! My mom made the gravy while I went to put cold water on the burn.
The next day, we were invited to another Thanksgiving dinner with other Christians that we know. I had a great conversation with the pastor of that group and was uplifted and encouraged throughout the whole night.
What a difference, even though my sister is a fellow sister-in-the-Lord. Sometimes, I think we let our humanism in the way and forget that God is there to lead us and guide us and give us the ability to love others when we don't want to.
"The person who loves God must also love other believers". 1 John 4:21 (GW)
I was taking the turkey out of the oven. I carefully took the oven bag off the turkey and proceded to cut the turkey. It was flaking. My sister told me to cut it the way her husband cuts it. I should have gotten him to cut it. While taking the breast of the turkey off the bone, I accidently stabbed myself in the thumb. My sister got mad and then asked her husband to cut the turkey. I proceded to make the gravy and without thinking (I was feeling inadequate by this point), I put flour into a shaker, some broth but no cold water and shook it. It exploaded onto my hand, thus burning my hand. My sister became more angry and called me stupid-I do admit it was a stupid thing I did but I am not stupid! My mom made the gravy while I went to put cold water on the burn.
The next day, we were invited to another Thanksgiving dinner with other Christians that we know. I had a great conversation with the pastor of that group and was uplifted and encouraged throughout the whole night.
What a difference, even though my sister is a fellow sister-in-the-Lord. Sometimes, I think we let our humanism in the way and forget that God is there to lead us and guide us and give us the ability to love others when we don't want to.
"The person who loves God must also love other believers". 1 John 4:21 (GW)
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