"Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst" ( 1 Timothy 1:13-15). Becka answered the knock at her front door. There were three nicely dressed women. Becka was from a Middle Eastern country and didn't have many friends.
She opened the door and spoke to the women. Becka explained that she didn't speak English very well. Then to her surprise, one lady spoke to Becka in her language! She asked if she could tell her about Jesus. Becka said, "Yes."
The woman opened her Bible. And Becka was amazed to see that the woman's Bible was written in Arabic! But she was more shocked by the words from the Bible. The words opened Becka's heart to God's love. She invited Jesus into her heart through prayer. Becka believed God sent the ladies to open her eyes to His truth.
Friend, use the abilities God has given you to reach others for Christ.
Showing posts with label volunteering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label volunteering. Show all posts
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Discover Your Life's Assignment by Bob Gass
"If anyone serves he should do it with the strength god provides."
1 Peter 4:11 NIV
If you watch people who are fulfilling their life's assignment, their motivation is high. They have amazing endurance to overcome obstacles. They are growing and learning. There's real joy in what they do. To miss out on your life's assignment is to miss out on why God made you. Whether your job is in a church or a business, you were gifted and called by God - and you'd better take it seriously! Here are some questions to help you find your life's assignment:
What's my raw material? God has given you a certain temperament and talents, and you have to honour your raw material. What unlocks your compassion? (Sometimes the problem that infuriates you most is the problem you were born to solve.) Why do I do this? There's a big difference between doing something because you believe God's called you to it, and doing what your parents, your friends or your ego wants you to do. What are my limitations? Knowing what you're called to do often starts with discovering what you're not called to do. When you can accept your limitations, you're on the road to understanding your life's assignment.
So let's be clear: you have an assignment. It has to do with what God hard-wired into you. You must seek it with an open mind. When people pretend to be something they're not, they live with a chronic sense of inadequacy and set themselves up for a lifetime of frustration. Don't do that. Be ruthlessly open to the truth about yourself. Your life's assignment is something you discover, not something you choose.
1 Peter 4:11 NIV
If you watch people who are fulfilling their life's assignment, their motivation is high. They have amazing endurance to overcome obstacles. They are growing and learning. There's real joy in what they do. To miss out on your life's assignment is to miss out on why God made you. Whether your job is in a church or a business, you were gifted and called by God - and you'd better take it seriously! Here are some questions to help you find your life's assignment:
What's my raw material? God has given you a certain temperament and talents, and you have to honour your raw material. What unlocks your compassion? (Sometimes the problem that infuriates you most is the problem you were born to solve.) Why do I do this? There's a big difference between doing something because you believe God's called you to it, and doing what your parents, your friends or your ego wants you to do. What are my limitations? Knowing what you're called to do often starts with discovering what you're not called to do. When you can accept your limitations, you're on the road to understanding your life's assignment.
So let's be clear: you have an assignment. It has to do with what God hard-wired into you. You must seek it with an open mind. When people pretend to be something they're not, they live with a chronic sense of inadequacy and set themselves up for a lifetime of frustration. Don't do that. Be ruthlessly open to the truth about yourself. Your life's assignment is something you discover, not something you choose.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
HOLINESS By Gail Rodgers
"Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place" (Psalm 51:6).
The preacher was talking about "holy living." Sharon yawned. It made her think of quiet monasteries. Surely "holiness" could not to be expected in this day and age! She dismissed the word as old and musty and the sermon as irrelevant.
Before going to sleep, Sharon opened her Bible. Tonight she would read a quick Psalm. Verse 6 of Psalm 51 jumped out at her:
"Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place."
The Holy Spirit shone His light into her heart. Suddenly, with clarity, she understood what holiness was. God was whispering to her heart. "Holiness is truth in the inner parts."
She hadn't expected God to really speak to her heart tonight. The inner parts were the places no one else saw...only God. This was where her true attitudes lived, this was where she hid the words that sprang to her mind when she was angry, this was where the justifications of her little white lies were tucked away.
Sharon had recently asked God to help her become "whole" as she struggled with some issues in her life. She had had no idea that "wholeness" comes through "holiness."
Sharon knew she needed God's wisdom to teach her in these hidden places. A new desire for holiness sprang up in her heart. With the light of God's Spirit shining on these hidden areas Sharon knew she wanted to live differently.
What a revelation. God had so gently taken her heart and drawn her on toward wholeness. Never again would she see "holiness" as musty and irrelevant.
She asked God to forgive her for the hidden things in her heart. With His help she would begin telling the truth in her inner part. She thanked Him for showing her the true meaning of a holy life. She asked Him to bring His wisdom into the places where attitudes, words and integrity were hidden issues that were silently robbing her of all God wanted to do in and through her. Holiness...the pathway to wholeness!
~Father God, today I want to thank You that You never leave me alone. You always draw me on in my walk with You. Thank you for showing me that holiness is simply "truth in the inner parts." Today I invite You to penetrate my inner parts and reveal to me the areas where You want to free me from hidden thoughts, words, attitudes, and integrity issues only I know about. I need Your wisdom in these places as I journey on to wholeness. Thank you for the light of Your Holy Spirit in my heart. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
The preacher was talking about "holy living." Sharon yawned. It made her think of quiet monasteries. Surely "holiness" could not to be expected in this day and age! She dismissed the word as old and musty and the sermon as irrelevant.
Before going to sleep, Sharon opened her Bible. Tonight she would read a quick Psalm. Verse 6 of Psalm 51 jumped out at her:
"Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place."
The Holy Spirit shone His light into her heart. Suddenly, with clarity, she understood what holiness was. God was whispering to her heart. "Holiness is truth in the inner parts."
She hadn't expected God to really speak to her heart tonight. The inner parts were the places no one else saw...only God. This was where her true attitudes lived, this was where she hid the words that sprang to her mind when she was angry, this was where the justifications of her little white lies were tucked away.
Sharon had recently asked God to help her become "whole" as she struggled with some issues in her life. She had had no idea that "wholeness" comes through "holiness."
Sharon knew she needed God's wisdom to teach her in these hidden places. A new desire for holiness sprang up in her heart. With the light of God's Spirit shining on these hidden areas Sharon knew she wanted to live differently.
What a revelation. God had so gently taken her heart and drawn her on toward wholeness. Never again would she see "holiness" as musty and irrelevant.
She asked God to forgive her for the hidden things in her heart. With His help she would begin telling the truth in her inner part. She thanked Him for showing her the true meaning of a holy life. She asked Him to bring His wisdom into the places where attitudes, words and integrity were hidden issues that were silently robbing her of all God wanted to do in and through her. Holiness...the pathway to wholeness!
~Father God, today I want to thank You that You never leave me alone. You always draw me on in my walk with You. Thank you for showing me that holiness is simply "truth in the inner parts." Today I invite You to penetrate my inner parts and reveal to me the areas where You want to free me from hidden thoughts, words, attitudes, and integrity issues only I know about. I need Your wisdom in these places as I journey on to wholeness. Thank you for the light of Your Holy Spirit in my heart. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Rivers And Reservoirs (2) by Bob Gass
Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a [memorial offering] before God.
Acts 10:4 NIV
The things you do for others don't go unnoticed. God is keeping track of every single one. He "doesn't miss anything. He knows perfectly well… the love you've shown Him… by helping" (Hebrews 6:10 TM). God heard the kind words you spoke to that person who was hurting. He saw your sacrificial giving when you could least afford it. By doing what you did you paved the way for God to help you. He's storing it all up so that in your time of need you'll have a rich account to draw on.
The Bible speaks about a Roman soldier named Cornelius, a "good man… always helping people in need" (Acts 10:2 TM). And what happened to Cornelius? His family became the first Gentile household to hear and receive the Gospel. What a payoff! Why did God pick Cornelius? Because of his generous spirit, "An angel… came to him and said… 'Your… gifts… have come up as a [memorial offering] before God'" (Acts 10:4 NAS).
And, a lady was praying about starting a pet grooming business but couldn't afford to advertise. So she went to her local animal shelter and volunteered to groom the pets in order to help increase their chances for adoption. Interestingly, the harder she worked the more her own business grew by word of mouth. Finally she ended up with more clients than she could handle!
Does that mean if you don't help others God won't help you? No, thankfully His love is unconditional. But a missed opportunity to give is a missed opportunity to receive, because when you are generous with others God promises to be generous with you.
Acts 10:4 NIV
The things you do for others don't go unnoticed. God is keeping track of every single one. He "doesn't miss anything. He knows perfectly well… the love you've shown Him… by helping" (Hebrews 6:10 TM). God heard the kind words you spoke to that person who was hurting. He saw your sacrificial giving when you could least afford it. By doing what you did you paved the way for God to help you. He's storing it all up so that in your time of need you'll have a rich account to draw on.
The Bible speaks about a Roman soldier named Cornelius, a "good man… always helping people in need" (Acts 10:2 TM). And what happened to Cornelius? His family became the first Gentile household to hear and receive the Gospel. What a payoff! Why did God pick Cornelius? Because of his generous spirit, "An angel… came to him and said… 'Your… gifts… have come up as a [memorial offering] before God'" (Acts 10:4 NAS).
And, a lady was praying about starting a pet grooming business but couldn't afford to advertise. So she went to her local animal shelter and volunteered to groom the pets in order to help increase their chances for adoption. Interestingly, the harder she worked the more her own business grew by word of mouth. Finally she ended up with more clients than she could handle!
Does that mean if you don't help others God won't help you? No, thankfully His love is unconditional. But a missed opportunity to give is a missed opportunity to receive, because when you are generous with others God promises to be generous with you.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Rivers And Reservoirs (1) by Bob Gass
Be stingy and lose everything. The generous... prosper.
Proverbs 11:24-25 NLT
One reason the Dead Sea is a big tourist attraction is because it's got such high mineral concentrations that even nonswimmers can stay afloat in its waters. The only problem is that, because it has no outlets, any fresh water that comes in quickly becomes contaminated. Solomon said, "Be stingy and lose everything. The generous… prosper." God never intended us to be reservoirs that just take in; He called us to be rivers that flow out to bless others. Something interesting happens when you stop focusing on yourself and get concerned with other people's needs.
Paul says, "A person who gives cheerfully… will… have… plenty left … to share" (2 Corinthians 9:7-8 NLT). If you want to grow you've got to sow! When the Macedonian church was "tested by great troubles, and… very poor… they gave… much… more than they could afford" (2 Corinthians 8:2-3 NCV). They understood that when you invest in the lives of others, God promises to meet your needs too.
So if you need a job today, volunteer at a soup kitchen while you're looking for work. If you're praying for an increase in your business, pour yourself into somebody else's business and ask God to prosper them. The Bible says when you "Give generously… your gifts will return to you later," plus, "In the days ahead you yourself may need… help" (Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 TLB).
Even if you don't have a specific need right now, sow a seed of kindness anyway. Only God knows what the future holds, and one day when you need it the most it'll come back to bless you with a harvest.
Proverbs 11:24-25 NLT
One reason the Dead Sea is a big tourist attraction is because it's got such high mineral concentrations that even nonswimmers can stay afloat in its waters. The only problem is that, because it has no outlets, any fresh water that comes in quickly becomes contaminated. Solomon said, "Be stingy and lose everything. The generous… prosper." God never intended us to be reservoirs that just take in; He called us to be rivers that flow out to bless others. Something interesting happens when you stop focusing on yourself and get concerned with other people's needs.
Paul says, "A person who gives cheerfully… will… have… plenty left … to share" (2 Corinthians 9:7-8 NLT). If you want to grow you've got to sow! When the Macedonian church was "tested by great troubles, and… very poor… they gave… much… more than they could afford" (2 Corinthians 8:2-3 NCV). They understood that when you invest in the lives of others, God promises to meet your needs too.
So if you need a job today, volunteer at a soup kitchen while you're looking for work. If you're praying for an increase in your business, pour yourself into somebody else's business and ask God to prosper them. The Bible says when you "Give generously… your gifts will return to you later," plus, "In the days ahead you yourself may need… help" (Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 TLB).
Even if you don't have a specific need right now, sow a seed of kindness anyway. Only God knows what the future holds, and one day when you need it the most it'll come back to bless you with a harvest.
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