Showing posts with label Christian growth and resources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christian growth and resources. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Tips to Keep the Faith During Hard Times
from Christianity Today
Tri Robinson is an author and senior pastor of the Vineyard Boise Church in Boise, ID. He has written three books, including Small Footprint, Big Handprint: How to live simply and love extravagantly, and blogs regularly about his adventures in sustainable living.
from Christianity Today
Tri Robinson is an author and senior pastor of the Vineyard Boise Church in Boise, ID. He has written three books, including Small Footprint, Big Handprint: How to live simply and love extravagantly, and blogs regularly about his adventures in sustainable living.
Faith Stuff
10 Landmines to Avoid in the Walk with Christ
from BeliefNet
Here We Are to Worship
from Christianity Today
Living the Serenity Prayer
Here We Are to Worship
from BeliefNet
The Most Exciting Thing Ever
from BeliefNet
Three Gifts for Hard Times
from Christianity Today
Top Ten Christian Devotional Books
from BeliefNet
from BeliefNet
Here We Are to Worship
from Christianity Today
Living the Serenity Prayer
Here We Are to Worship
from BeliefNet
The Most Exciting Thing Ever
from BeliefNet
Three Gifts for Hard Times
from Christianity Today
Top Ten Christian Devotional Books
from BeliefNet
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Edify Yourself Through Prayer
Dr. Frederick K.C. Price
You cannot be successful in ministry without prayer. I know there are many ministers who do not pray. I am a minister, and there was a time I did not pray.
First of all, I did not know how to pray, and secondly I did not "have time" to pray because I was too involved doing things "for the Lord." How could I take time to pray? I was on this committee, I had to do this, I had to go there, I had the Ministers' Union over here, this meeting over there; I had too much to do to take time to pray.
You can get so involved in ministry, that you will never have time to pray. There are many, many preachers - if they will be honest about it - who will have to admit they do not pray.
In fact, if you are not filled with the Holy Spirit, you do not really know how to pray. The real prayer method that will help you be successful is the method of praying in the Spirit, and you cannot pray in the Spirit until you are filled with the Holy Spirit and speak with other tongues.
First Corinthians 14:4 says:
He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.
The English words that really give the true meaning of the word "edify" are the words "to charge." For example, you charge a battery when the battery in your car runs down. As a result of this process, what you are doing is replenishing its electrical power.
When you pray with other tongues, that is what you are doing to your spirit man. You are putting your spirit on a supernatural battery charger. Praying with tongues will keep your spiritual battery completely charged up at all times.
A minister should be "up" spiritually all the time. There is no such thing as a "down" day. I used to have down days, but this should not be so for the man of God that is walking in faith according to the Word of God.
I have not had one down day in 30 years. When I found out how to walk by the Word, I retired from down days! I do not have them anymore. I have a lot of opportunities to have them. But I decided to let the Word of God take the place of down days. I attribute my victory in this area from the fact that I spend much time praying in the Spirit.
First Corinthians 14:14-15:
14) For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.
15) What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.
Praying without tongues has its time and place. When I pray over the food at the dinner table, I pray in English so everyone around me will be in agreement that the food is not going to harm us. In times such as this, you pray in English, but the true praying - whereby you build yourself up on your most holy faith as Jude 20 says - is praying with other tongues, praying in the Holy Spirit.
Every minister needs to spend time praying, and one should not be so busy doing things for God that he does not have time to talk to his Heavenly Father out of his own spirit.
In the Book of Hebrews, the writer tells us that God is the Father of spirits (Heb. 12:9). It does not say He is the Father of flesh. He is the Father of spirits. He wants to talk to His spirit children, and He has given us a language by which we can talk to Him, which is praying - literally speaking with other tongues.
I am not talking about the gift of tongues as recorded in I Corinthians 12, which operates with the companion gift of the interpretation of tongues. I am talking about the private, devotional tool that God has given to us by which to edify ourselves. And that is what you receive when you are filled with the Holy Spirit.
In summary, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit is praying by the spirit - not your mind or your head. Any time you pray with your head, it is going to be predicated on your knowledge of the circumstances. I can only pray up to my knowledge of the situation, but the Holy Spirit knows every situation.
If I will let Him give my spirit the information, my spirit will pray it out so that God can answer it back in the earth realm. This is the highest kind of prayer, and we need to edify ourselves. Ministers need to set time alone with God by praying in this manner.
Dr. Frederick K.C. Price is the founder and pastor of Crenshaw Christian Center West in Los Angeles and CCC East in Manhattan. To obtain more information about his ministry, please call (800) 927-3436 or visit www.faithdome.org. Click here to browse and purchase MP3 sermons by Dr. Frederick K.C. Price!
© Dr. Frederick K.C. Price all rights reserved
You cannot be successful in ministry without prayer. I know there are many ministers who do not pray. I am a minister, and there was a time I did not pray.
First of all, I did not know how to pray, and secondly I did not "have time" to pray because I was too involved doing things "for the Lord." How could I take time to pray? I was on this committee, I had to do this, I had to go there, I had the Ministers' Union over here, this meeting over there; I had too much to do to take time to pray.
You can get so involved in ministry, that you will never have time to pray. There are many, many preachers - if they will be honest about it - who will have to admit they do not pray.
In fact, if you are not filled with the Holy Spirit, you do not really know how to pray. The real prayer method that will help you be successful is the method of praying in the Spirit, and you cannot pray in the Spirit until you are filled with the Holy Spirit and speak with other tongues.
First Corinthians 14:4 says:
He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.
The English words that really give the true meaning of the word "edify" are the words "to charge." For example, you charge a battery when the battery in your car runs down. As a result of this process, what you are doing is replenishing its electrical power.
When you pray with other tongues, that is what you are doing to your spirit man. You are putting your spirit on a supernatural battery charger. Praying with tongues will keep your spiritual battery completely charged up at all times.
A minister should be "up" spiritually all the time. There is no such thing as a "down" day. I used to have down days, but this should not be so for the man of God that is walking in faith according to the Word of God.
I have not had one down day in 30 years. When I found out how to walk by the Word, I retired from down days! I do not have them anymore. I have a lot of opportunities to have them. But I decided to let the Word of God take the place of down days. I attribute my victory in this area from the fact that I spend much time praying in the Spirit.
First Corinthians 14:14-15:
14) For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.
15) What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.
Praying without tongues has its time and place. When I pray over the food at the dinner table, I pray in English so everyone around me will be in agreement that the food is not going to harm us. In times such as this, you pray in English, but the true praying - whereby you build yourself up on your most holy faith as Jude 20 says - is praying with other tongues, praying in the Holy Spirit.
Every minister needs to spend time praying, and one should not be so busy doing things for God that he does not have time to talk to his Heavenly Father out of his own spirit.
In the Book of Hebrews, the writer tells us that God is the Father of spirits (Heb. 12:9). It does not say He is the Father of flesh. He is the Father of spirits. He wants to talk to His spirit children, and He has given us a language by which we can talk to Him, which is praying - literally speaking with other tongues.
I am not talking about the gift of tongues as recorded in I Corinthians 12, which operates with the companion gift of the interpretation of tongues. I am talking about the private, devotional tool that God has given to us by which to edify ourselves. And that is what you receive when you are filled with the Holy Spirit.
In summary, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit is praying by the spirit - not your mind or your head. Any time you pray with your head, it is going to be predicated on your knowledge of the circumstances. I can only pray up to my knowledge of the situation, but the Holy Spirit knows every situation.
If I will let Him give my spirit the information, my spirit will pray it out so that God can answer it back in the earth realm. This is the highest kind of prayer, and we need to edify ourselves. Ministers need to set time alone with God by praying in this manner.
Dr. Frederick K.C. Price is the founder and pastor of Crenshaw Christian Center West in Los Angeles and CCC East in Manhattan. To obtain more information about his ministry, please call (800) 927-3436 or visit www.faithdome.org. Click here to browse and purchase MP3 sermons by Dr. Frederick K.C. Price!
© Dr. Frederick K.C. Price all rights reserved
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Pray As Jesus Prayed
Pastor Andre Butler
Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. -- Mark 1:35
When Jesus was on earth, His message was that the Kingdom of God was at hand, repent and believe. He went about preaching the good news of the Kingdom everywhere He went. He was the King, and He had to come to the planet to bring the Kingdom into being.
While He was on the Earth, Jesus showed the disciples how to pray, teaching them to pray as He prayed, because they had asked Him to do so. His life, including His prayer life, was an example to them and to us. Now only did He show them how to pray but also He taught them what to pray for. The prayers of Jesus, along with those of His disciples, helped the Kingdom of God to actually come about.
Prayer does several things.
First: Prayer Brings Manifestation. This means that even though you are in a season of breakthrough, you are going to have to put some time in prayer before you get the full manifestation. For you to walk in breakthrough--whether in your church or in your personal life--you are going to have to help usher it in through your prayers.
Second: Prayer Brings Direction. Jesus was getting wisdom from God about the twelve that He would call to be His apostles, and God gave Him that direction. Obviously, God was calling him to a special time of prayer; He was saying, "Come up here." Whatever your station in life, you'll always find reasons not to pray. If you're a parent with young kids, they'll keep you awake at night and tired during the day.
If you have a demanding job, that job will require all the energy you give it. There will always be some reason that you can't find time to pray. Satan, of course, is behind all those reasons not to pray, because when you pray you receive more power, and more power means he is in trouble. There will always be turbulence when you fly from one level to a higher one.
Third: Prayer Brings Anointing. How did Jesus get that anointed? He prayed. Prayer brings forth the anointing. Prayer causes the anointing to manifest in your life. Now, holiness helps, too, because sin will short circuit the anointing, but if you live holy and then spend time with God in prayer, that anointing will rest on you like a coat. You can resonate with the anointing because you spend time in prayer. When you get in God's presence, God rubs that Holy Ghost anointing on you.
The more you stay in prayer, the more the anointing stays on you. Prayer opens the door for breakthrough in your life and in the lives of those whom you touch!
So be like Jesus and pray as He prayed!
Pastor Andre Butler is senior pastor of Faith Christian Center, located in the Metro Atlanta, Georgia area. Pastor Andre is also the founder and president of Andre Butler Ministries and Six20 The Gathering Campus Ministry. He is a devoted husband and father of three girls. For more information about Pastor Andre Butler, log onto www.andrebutler.tv or www.myspace.com/pastorandrebutler
Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. -- Mark 1:35
When Jesus was on earth, His message was that the Kingdom of God was at hand, repent and believe. He went about preaching the good news of the Kingdom everywhere He went. He was the King, and He had to come to the planet to bring the Kingdom into being.
While He was on the Earth, Jesus showed the disciples how to pray, teaching them to pray as He prayed, because they had asked Him to do so. His life, including His prayer life, was an example to them and to us. Now only did He show them how to pray but also He taught them what to pray for. The prayers of Jesus, along with those of His disciples, helped the Kingdom of God to actually come about.
Prayer does several things.
First: Prayer Brings Manifestation. This means that even though you are in a season of breakthrough, you are going to have to put some time in prayer before you get the full manifestation. For you to walk in breakthrough--whether in your church or in your personal life--you are going to have to help usher it in through your prayers.
Second: Prayer Brings Direction. Jesus was getting wisdom from God about the twelve that He would call to be His apostles, and God gave Him that direction. Obviously, God was calling him to a special time of prayer; He was saying, "Come up here." Whatever your station in life, you'll always find reasons not to pray. If you're a parent with young kids, they'll keep you awake at night and tired during the day.
If you have a demanding job, that job will require all the energy you give it. There will always be some reason that you can't find time to pray. Satan, of course, is behind all those reasons not to pray, because when you pray you receive more power, and more power means he is in trouble. There will always be turbulence when you fly from one level to a higher one.
Third: Prayer Brings Anointing. How did Jesus get that anointed? He prayed. Prayer brings forth the anointing. Prayer causes the anointing to manifest in your life. Now, holiness helps, too, because sin will short circuit the anointing, but if you live holy and then spend time with God in prayer, that anointing will rest on you like a coat. You can resonate with the anointing because you spend time in prayer. When you get in God's presence, God rubs that Holy Ghost anointing on you.
The more you stay in prayer, the more the anointing stays on you. Prayer opens the door for breakthrough in your life and in the lives of those whom you touch!
So be like Jesus and pray as He prayed!
Pastor Andre Butler is senior pastor of Faith Christian Center, located in the Metro Atlanta, Georgia area. Pastor Andre is also the founder and president of Andre Butler Ministries and Six20 The Gathering Campus Ministry. He is a devoted husband and father of three girls. For more information about Pastor Andre Butler, log onto www.andrebutler.tv or www.myspace.com/pastorandrebutler
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Power of Prayer
Tanya James
Recently I found myself very disappointed in someone I considered a good friend. They did something to me that I felt (and still feel) was totally unacceptable and it was hard for me to swallow. I knew that I needed to forgive them and let it go but I just couldn't wrap my head around it at the time.
Not wanting to hold a grudge, I began to quote any and every scripture I could remember (and maybe a few I made up) on forgiveness. But it seemed the moment I stopped quoting scripture, I got mad all over again.
Throughout that week, I kept rehearsing what happened and when I shared it with my husband and my sister, I got even angrier - it was like every time I told the story, the fire was being fueled. So I decided that I needed to stop talking about it because that was not helping the situation.
I'm sure you have all been there before ...maybe it wasn't a friend, perhaps it was a sibling, a co-worker, a neighbor or even someone at church. Whoever it was, they crossed you in some form or fashion and raised your blood pressure. You found yourself on this never ending cycle of anger because you couldn't quite let it go.
In time, I realized that forgiveness is very hard in our own power... and at some point, I cleared my head and took it to God in prayer ...and yet again, God amazed me with his ability to bring an inner peace in the midst of any situation.
Prayer is by far the greatest weapon we have. Prayer causes you to change your perspective on things.
While in prayer, God reminded me of the many times I had turned my back on Him. The many times I had disappointed Him. Yet, not once has He held back his forgiveness towards me.
He also reminded me that no one except Him is flawless, so I must not put people on a pedestal or expect them to never let me down. Yes, we expect certain things like respect from our friends, however at some point, we have probably all disrespected someone we cared about. How is it that we expect people to always be willing to forgive us but when the tables are turned - watch out!
Through prayer, I realized it was alright for me to be hurt by the situation, but it wasn't alright for me to dwell there. God healed my wounds and gave me the courage to step back out and not allow this situation to dictate my mood, attitude or behavior towards the person who offended me.
There is something to be said about the power of prayer ...next time I won't wait so long to use it!
Founder and president of The Master Plan, Tanya James is the author of From Promiscuity to Proverbs 31: Getting Off the Fence of Sexual Immorality. For more information about Tanya, log onto www.armedanddangerous.biz or www.themasterplan.biz.
*Tanya James is a 2009 StreamingFaith.com Guest Columnist.
Recently I found myself very disappointed in someone I considered a good friend. They did something to me that I felt (and still feel) was totally unacceptable and it was hard for me to swallow. I knew that I needed to forgive them and let it go but I just couldn't wrap my head around it at the time.
Not wanting to hold a grudge, I began to quote any and every scripture I could remember (and maybe a few I made up) on forgiveness. But it seemed the moment I stopped quoting scripture, I got mad all over again.
Throughout that week, I kept rehearsing what happened and when I shared it with my husband and my sister, I got even angrier - it was like every time I told the story, the fire was being fueled. So I decided that I needed to stop talking about it because that was not helping the situation.
I'm sure you have all been there before ...maybe it wasn't a friend, perhaps it was a sibling, a co-worker, a neighbor or even someone at church. Whoever it was, they crossed you in some form or fashion and raised your blood pressure. You found yourself on this never ending cycle of anger because you couldn't quite let it go.
In time, I realized that forgiveness is very hard in our own power... and at some point, I cleared my head and took it to God in prayer ...and yet again, God amazed me with his ability to bring an inner peace in the midst of any situation.
Prayer is by far the greatest weapon we have. Prayer causes you to change your perspective on things.
While in prayer, God reminded me of the many times I had turned my back on Him. The many times I had disappointed Him. Yet, not once has He held back his forgiveness towards me.
He also reminded me that no one except Him is flawless, so I must not put people on a pedestal or expect them to never let me down. Yes, we expect certain things like respect from our friends, however at some point, we have probably all disrespected someone we cared about. How is it that we expect people to always be willing to forgive us but when the tables are turned - watch out!
Through prayer, I realized it was alright for me to be hurt by the situation, but it wasn't alright for me to dwell there. God healed my wounds and gave me the courage to step back out and not allow this situation to dictate my mood, attitude or behavior towards the person who offended me.
There is something to be said about the power of prayer ...next time I won't wait so long to use it!
Founder and president of The Master Plan, Tanya James is the author of From Promiscuity to Proverbs 31: Getting Off the Fence of Sexual Immorality. For more information about Tanya, log onto www.armedanddangerous.biz or www.themasterplan.biz.
*Tanya James is a 2009 StreamingFaith.com Guest Columnist.
Friday, February 27, 2009
What's Your Dream?
Alan Riley
Do you have a dream? What is it that motivates you to do what you do?
In 1867, D.L. Moody took a trip to England. During that trip, Moody sat in a park talking with an evangelist named Henry Varley. Varley looked at Moody and said, "The world has yet to see what God will do with and for and through and in and by the man who is fully consecrated to Him." Those words ignited a fire in Moody's soul. He went on to become one of the greatest evangelists and soul winners in the history of the church.
A young divinity student named Martin read the works of Mahatma Gandhi. He was impressed by Gandhi's commitment to non-violent social change, and with the results his work wrought in colonial India. Martin Luther King took that philosophy of non-violence and incorporated it into his deeply held Christian convictions of justice and equality. He became the driving force behind the greatest cultural shift in the history of the United States.
In the early 1900s, motivational author Orison Swett Marden said, "All men who have achieved great things have been great dreamers."
What's your dream?
This past week, we honored the legacy of Dr. King, whose words and actions embodied the aspirations of the American Civil Rights Movement. He was already a living legend in April, 1968 when he was tragically gunned down in Memphis. His influence only increased in death as in a very real sense he became a martyr to the cause of justice for African Americans. The words of his final speech to striking Memphis sanitation workers became prophetic, as he said, "I may not get there with you, but we as a people will get to the promised land." 24 hours later, he was dead.
Dr. King's famous "I Have A Dream" speech is undoubtedly one of the most effective and important addresses in our nation's history. It is unique in that it is a deeply personal statement of a very public figure. If you read the complete text of the address, he begins by giving an overview of the problem - that the promise of freedom in the Emancipation Proclamation has not yet been realized by blacks in America. But King sounded a positive note, saying he was confident the situation could and would be changed. He urged his listeners to not "wallow in the valley of despair" because despite the present difficulties, he still had a dream.
Reading through the speech again today, I was struck by the personal passion of the man, and how his dream was the singular focus of his efforts, the passion that motivated and drove him. I was compelled to ask myself, 'what is your dream?' What is it that fuels my passion? What motivates me to do what I do? And perhaps more importantly, are the things that I am doing helping to accomplish my dreams? Am I, to paraphrase Thoreau, moving confidently in the direction of my dreams?
On a recent Sunday at my home church, we heard the story of Marlon's dream. In our community there is no park where special needs children can play. Several years earlier, Marlon became aware of the need, and he thought it would be nice if there was such a place in our town, but that's as far as it went. Then God brought a special needs child into Marlon's family, and what had been a nice idea suddenly became a passion, a dream, and a call to action. To date, Marlon's efforts have resulted in close to one million dollars being raised to build the park. Very soon his dream will become a reality, and a huge blessing for special needs children and their families in our area.
It is still true today: God does great things through people who dream big dreams. He wants to use you and me to impact our world, to right wrongs, to bring about great change, to bring people into His Kingdom. But first, we must allow Him to instill in us a dream that sets our souls on fire.
What's your dream?
Rev. Alan Riley is the Director of Web Operations for Streaming Faith and serves as the Managing Editor of StreamingFaith.com. He is an ordained Baptist Minister and a frequent contributor to the Streaming Faith Daily Devotional. His personal blog can be found at www.alansblog.com.
Do you have a dream? What is it that motivates you to do what you do?
In 1867, D.L. Moody took a trip to England. During that trip, Moody sat in a park talking with an evangelist named Henry Varley. Varley looked at Moody and said, "The world has yet to see what God will do with and for and through and in and by the man who is fully consecrated to Him." Those words ignited a fire in Moody's soul. He went on to become one of the greatest evangelists and soul winners in the history of the church.
A young divinity student named Martin read the works of Mahatma Gandhi. He was impressed by Gandhi's commitment to non-violent social change, and with the results his work wrought in colonial India. Martin Luther King took that philosophy of non-violence and incorporated it into his deeply held Christian convictions of justice and equality. He became the driving force behind the greatest cultural shift in the history of the United States.
In the early 1900s, motivational author Orison Swett Marden said, "All men who have achieved great things have been great dreamers."
What's your dream?
This past week, we honored the legacy of Dr. King, whose words and actions embodied the aspirations of the American Civil Rights Movement. He was already a living legend in April, 1968 when he was tragically gunned down in Memphis. His influence only increased in death as in a very real sense he became a martyr to the cause of justice for African Americans. The words of his final speech to striking Memphis sanitation workers became prophetic, as he said, "I may not get there with you, but we as a people will get to the promised land." 24 hours later, he was dead.
Dr. King's famous "I Have A Dream" speech is undoubtedly one of the most effective and important addresses in our nation's history. It is unique in that it is a deeply personal statement of a very public figure. If you read the complete text of the address, he begins by giving an overview of the problem - that the promise of freedom in the Emancipation Proclamation has not yet been realized by blacks in America. But King sounded a positive note, saying he was confident the situation could and would be changed. He urged his listeners to not "wallow in the valley of despair" because despite the present difficulties, he still had a dream.
Reading through the speech again today, I was struck by the personal passion of the man, and how his dream was the singular focus of his efforts, the passion that motivated and drove him. I was compelled to ask myself, 'what is your dream?' What is it that fuels my passion? What motivates me to do what I do? And perhaps more importantly, are the things that I am doing helping to accomplish my dreams? Am I, to paraphrase Thoreau, moving confidently in the direction of my dreams?
On a recent Sunday at my home church, we heard the story of Marlon's dream. In our community there is no park where special needs children can play. Several years earlier, Marlon became aware of the need, and he thought it would be nice if there was such a place in our town, but that's as far as it went. Then God brought a special needs child into Marlon's family, and what had been a nice idea suddenly became a passion, a dream, and a call to action. To date, Marlon's efforts have resulted in close to one million dollars being raised to build the park. Very soon his dream will become a reality, and a huge blessing for special needs children and their families in our area.
It is still true today: God does great things through people who dream big dreams. He wants to use you and me to impact our world, to right wrongs, to bring about great change, to bring people into His Kingdom. But first, we must allow Him to instill in us a dream that sets our souls on fire.
What's your dream?
Rev. Alan Riley is the Director of Web Operations for Streaming Faith and serves as the Managing Editor of StreamingFaith.com. He is an ordained Baptist Minister and a frequent contributor to the Streaming Faith Daily Devotional. His personal blog can be found at www.alansblog.com.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Loving God, Loving Others
Brenda Gittens
We live in a world today where love, the unselfish loyal concern for others, is not discussed, described, nor displayed enough. But there is discussion, description, and a full display of the opposite of it. There's war, violence, hate, prejudice and much more we see and hear of everyday.
And in the body of Christ, it's not in full operation or production either. There's jealousy, envy, strife, selfishness and much more when we walk in and out of those doors of the "four walls."We the church are the light of the world, so the love that flows from God into us, should flow out of us, and be more evident and reflective among us.
"Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." (John 13:35). How can we say that we love God without having the love of the Lord for our sisters and brothers? It can't happen any other way. When we love others, it's also a sign of worship to the Lord. As our love for the Lord continues to develop and grow inside of our hearts, minds, spirits, and souls, we can't help but love one another.
As a Worship Leader, after leading God's people into His presence, I would often remind the people of God, "Now with that same love that you have, turn and show someone else that you love them." Jesus, the True Vine tells us, "I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you." (John 15:12).
1 Corinthians Chapter 13 is what we call the love chapter. It tells us that we can have every gift and tremendous talent there is, but if we don't have love one for another, they wouldn't mean a thing to God, because he calls His people to love each other.
The gift of speaking in tongues would sound like brass used for making a loud sound or like clashing cymbals, just a bunch of noise! We can have the gift of prophecy and know everything about everything and the gift of faith where we could speak to a mountain and tell it, "Get out of my way!" but we have no love, we wouldn't be of any good or help to anybody. We would be absolutely nothing.
This chapter of the word of God is one that we can read over and over and over and then apply it to our lives over and over and over . . . the greatest of all is love. To love others also means to forgive others. If you love someone, you should be able to forgive them also. That's the kind of love that God has for us. When we say we love God and others, we're also saying that we need one another too.There's a song that we sing often in our church entitled, I Need You To Survive.Let this song become a part of you today.
As a worship evangelist, Brenda Gittens travels throughout the California Bay Area ministering in song to churches, prisons, and various outreach events. A devoted mother and wife, Brenda is a member of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, located in Fairfield, CA. For more information about Brenda, log onto http://app.bronto.com/public/?q=ulink&fn=Link&ssid=10664&id=3yq2fak5nap2tb0txg456p201aoq0&id2=5q05xpzqh9wepp1yp2gdglh4lkosq
We live in a world today where love, the unselfish loyal concern for others, is not discussed, described, nor displayed enough. But there is discussion, description, and a full display of the opposite of it. There's war, violence, hate, prejudice and much more we see and hear of everyday.
And in the body of Christ, it's not in full operation or production either. There's jealousy, envy, strife, selfishness and much more when we walk in and out of those doors of the "four walls."We the church are the light of the world, so the love that flows from God into us, should flow out of us, and be more evident and reflective among us.
"Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." (John 13:35). How can we say that we love God without having the love of the Lord for our sisters and brothers? It can't happen any other way. When we love others, it's also a sign of worship to the Lord. As our love for the Lord continues to develop and grow inside of our hearts, minds, spirits, and souls, we can't help but love one another.
As a Worship Leader, after leading God's people into His presence, I would often remind the people of God, "Now with that same love that you have, turn and show someone else that you love them." Jesus, the True Vine tells us, "I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you." (John 15:12).
1 Corinthians Chapter 13 is what we call the love chapter. It tells us that we can have every gift and tremendous talent there is, but if we don't have love one for another, they wouldn't mean a thing to God, because he calls His people to love each other.
The gift of speaking in tongues would sound like brass used for making a loud sound or like clashing cymbals, just a bunch of noise! We can have the gift of prophecy and know everything about everything and the gift of faith where we could speak to a mountain and tell it, "Get out of my way!" but we have no love, we wouldn't be of any good or help to anybody. We would be absolutely nothing.
This chapter of the word of God is one that we can read over and over and over and then apply it to our lives over and over and over . . . the greatest of all is love. To love others also means to forgive others. If you love someone, you should be able to forgive them also. That's the kind of love that God has for us. When we say we love God and others, we're also saying that we need one another too.There's a song that we sing often in our church entitled, I Need You To Survive.Let this song become a part of you today.
As a worship evangelist, Brenda Gittens travels throughout the California Bay Area ministering in song to churches, prisons, and various outreach events. A devoted mother and wife, Brenda is a member of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, located in Fairfield, CA. For more information about Brenda, log onto http://app.bronto.com/public/?q=ulink&fn=Link&ssid=10664&id=3yq2fak5nap2tb0txg456p201aoq0&id2=5q05xpzqh9wepp1yp2gdglh4lkosq
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Loving God's People
Bishop Walter S. Thomas
Hebrews 10: 24-25 says this:"And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
It goes without saying that often in life we feel alone. We feel as if we are standing against the storm alone, fighting the rising tide alone, dealing with the difficulty alone, and living the great moments alone.
Life has been so unkind to so many of us that we have failed to cultivate or revisit the art of being close to persons and knowing the joy that comes from true and genuine fellowship.We can find ourselves seeking to be alone because we feel it is safer and we won't be hurt.
The real truth, however, is that we are missing out on what God has purposefully put in our path: His people.God knows we cannot make this journey by ourselves and still know the fullness of the joy God has for us. What God has for us is intricately woven into fellowship and cannot be fully experienced until we allow ourselves to embrace the community of which God has us a part.
He has given us His people and now we must learn to love again. Jesus said that we would be known as his disciples 'by our love one for another.' God allows us and teaches us how to love and just what love means.He teaches us that within the confines of God's family, we must learn how to love and to forgive. We must learn how to care and to be compassionate.
We must learn how to celebrate and to serve.I must admit...I love the people of God. They have been my instructors in life, my companions in suffering, my cheerleaders in success, and my friends in life. The writer of Hebrews said that we should not take this love 'for granted.'We should seek out ways to build upon it and to encourage one another.
We have a community that is always looking for new ways to inspire and to edify us. In the midst of a world that wrestles with the meaning of love, God has placed us in a community that seeks to practice love.Let us not be naive; the church is far from perfect. It has its flaws and makes its mistakes, but it is the bride of Christ being prepared for her Lord.A love for God's people can help us all to realize that we should not live out our lives' journey by ourselves.
Serving as the pastor of the New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland since1975, Bishop Walter S. Thomas, Sr. is the presiding Bishop of Kingdom Association of Covenant Pastors. Bishop Thomas is a certified Personal and Executive Coach. He also is the host of Empowering Disciples broadcast. For more information about Bishop Thomas, log onto www.newpsalmist.org.
Hebrews 10: 24-25 says this:"And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
It goes without saying that often in life we feel alone. We feel as if we are standing against the storm alone, fighting the rising tide alone, dealing with the difficulty alone, and living the great moments alone.
Life has been so unkind to so many of us that we have failed to cultivate or revisit the art of being close to persons and knowing the joy that comes from true and genuine fellowship.We can find ourselves seeking to be alone because we feel it is safer and we won't be hurt.
The real truth, however, is that we are missing out on what God has purposefully put in our path: His people.God knows we cannot make this journey by ourselves and still know the fullness of the joy God has for us. What God has for us is intricately woven into fellowship and cannot be fully experienced until we allow ourselves to embrace the community of which God has us a part.
He has given us His people and now we must learn to love again. Jesus said that we would be known as his disciples 'by our love one for another.' God allows us and teaches us how to love and just what love means.He teaches us that within the confines of God's family, we must learn how to love and to forgive. We must learn how to care and to be compassionate.
We must learn how to celebrate and to serve.I must admit...I love the people of God. They have been my instructors in life, my companions in suffering, my cheerleaders in success, and my friends in life. The writer of Hebrews said that we should not take this love 'for granted.'We should seek out ways to build upon it and to encourage one another.
We have a community that is always looking for new ways to inspire and to edify us. In the midst of a world that wrestles with the meaning of love, God has placed us in a community that seeks to practice love.Let us not be naive; the church is far from perfect. It has its flaws and makes its mistakes, but it is the bride of Christ being prepared for her Lord.A love for God's people can help us all to realize that we should not live out our lives' journey by ourselves.
Serving as the pastor of the New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland since1975, Bishop Walter S. Thomas, Sr. is the presiding Bishop of Kingdom Association of Covenant Pastors. Bishop Thomas is a certified Personal and Executive Coach. He also is the host of Empowering Disciples broadcast. For more information about Bishop Thomas, log onto www.newpsalmist.org.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Because He First Loved Me
Alan Riley
This week we observe Valentines Day. The more cynical among us would suggest it is a holiday perpetuated by florists and greeting card companies to sell more stuff. Some among us would take theological exception to it, declaring it to be a pagan holiday that pays homage to evil so we should avoid it.
But the vast majority of us will use it as an opportunity to do what we should all do more often anyway... to tell and show the one we love how we feel about them.Throughout history, the love of a man for a woman (or vice-versa) has inspired us to reach for the heights of our creative abilities in search of a way to express that love.
Look at all of the songs that have been written, the words that have been penned, even the monuments that have been erected. They say that the majestic Taj Mahal in India was built to express a man's love for a woman.In like manner, man has gone to great lengths throughout history to express praise, adoration and love to God. But all of our efforts seem to fall short of the mark. While we can find words to express human love, we find it hard to comprehend, much less express or return the agape love of God.
We wrestle with the concept of God's love because much of the time we have a hard time loving ourselves and certainly have a hard time loving each other. If we can't love ourselves, if we can't love our brothers and sisters in Christ, how can we comprehend the perfect love of God?Only God's love is unfailing.
Even the best, most godly people will let us down. But God never fails and His love never fails. Only God's love is unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today and forever, and His love is as unchanging as His character.Only God's love is unconditional. As much as we love our spouse or our children or our parents, our love can never be completely unselfish or with absolutely no strings attached. We are not capable of that kind of love. But God is.
There is nothing that you can do to earn God's love. And there is nothing you can do that can cause God to not love you.With our finite human minds we cannot fully comprehend the love of God, but we can accept it. You don't have to understand something to know that it is true.
Every now and then when I tell my wife I love her she will smile at me and playfully say, "Why do you love me?" "Because you are so easy to love!" I say in return. It's the same with my Lord. I may not be able to understand how God can love me, but I know He does, and that makes it so easy to love Him in return. He loves me, and that love is expressed in the grace, mercy and favor He has bestowed upon me all of my life. And it was best expressed when Jesus gave His life to give me the gift of eternal life.Oh, how I love Jesus, because He first loved me!
Rev. Alan Riley is the Director of Web Operations for Streaming Faith and serves as the Managing Editor of StreamingFaith.com. He is an ordained Baptist Minister and a frequent contributor to the Streaming Faith Daily Devotional. His personal blog can be found at www.alansblog.com.
This week we observe Valentines Day. The more cynical among us would suggest it is a holiday perpetuated by florists and greeting card companies to sell more stuff. Some among us would take theological exception to it, declaring it to be a pagan holiday that pays homage to evil so we should avoid it.
But the vast majority of us will use it as an opportunity to do what we should all do more often anyway... to tell and show the one we love how we feel about them.Throughout history, the love of a man for a woman (or vice-versa) has inspired us to reach for the heights of our creative abilities in search of a way to express that love.
Look at all of the songs that have been written, the words that have been penned, even the monuments that have been erected. They say that the majestic Taj Mahal in India was built to express a man's love for a woman.In like manner, man has gone to great lengths throughout history to express praise, adoration and love to God. But all of our efforts seem to fall short of the mark. While we can find words to express human love, we find it hard to comprehend, much less express or return the agape love of God.
We wrestle with the concept of God's love because much of the time we have a hard time loving ourselves and certainly have a hard time loving each other. If we can't love ourselves, if we can't love our brothers and sisters in Christ, how can we comprehend the perfect love of God?Only God's love is unfailing.
Even the best, most godly people will let us down. But God never fails and His love never fails. Only God's love is unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today and forever, and His love is as unchanging as His character.Only God's love is unconditional. As much as we love our spouse or our children or our parents, our love can never be completely unselfish or with absolutely no strings attached. We are not capable of that kind of love. But God is.
There is nothing that you can do to earn God's love. And there is nothing you can do that can cause God to not love you.With our finite human minds we cannot fully comprehend the love of God, but we can accept it. You don't have to understand something to know that it is true.
Every now and then when I tell my wife I love her she will smile at me and playfully say, "Why do you love me?" "Because you are so easy to love!" I say in return. It's the same with my Lord. I may not be able to understand how God can love me, but I know He does, and that makes it so easy to love Him in return. He loves me, and that love is expressed in the grace, mercy and favor He has bestowed upon me all of my life. And it was best expressed when Jesus gave His life to give me the gift of eternal life.Oh, how I love Jesus, because He first loved me!
Rev. Alan Riley is the Director of Web Operations for Streaming Faith and serves as the Managing Editor of StreamingFaith.com. He is an ordained Baptist Minister and a frequent contributor to the Streaming Faith Daily Devotional. His personal blog can be found at www.alansblog.com.
Friday, February 6, 2009
God's Love
Bonnie St. John
"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He restoreth my soul." Psalm 23:2-3
Have you ever really tried to comprehend God's love for you? Have you ever really, really experienced it so that it makes you weep with joy?There was a time in my life when I would sit still and pray every morning by simply asking, "God, what do you want me to know, today?"
Many, many mornings I would simply feel God's love come over me. Most of all, God wanted me to understand that I was loved. Here's a great example of that love, which I wrote about in my book, How Strong Women Pray.
In 1955 Maya Angelou, who would eventually become a poet, educator, historian, author, actress, playwright, civil-rights activist, producer and director, was in a vocal class with Frederick Wilkerson reading a passage out loud to the group assembled there.She had been a dancer all her life and would later become famous as the author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and the inaugural Poet for the United States in 1993. But at this point she was still very young and was taking vocal lessons to enhance her career as a dancer.
Wilkerson called himself a "vocal technician." He worked with Roberta Flack and many famous opera singers. Maya Angelou was friends with "Wilkie" and he rented a room in her house. Once a month, he gathered his students together to read aloud.Dr. Angelou was reading along and came to, "God loves me."
"Read that again," said Wilkie. "God loves me," she said."Read it again." he said to her. And she began to feel really, really tense. She and Wilkie were the only black people there. She was young and he had other students who were serious singers, and they were all white and all older. She felt he was making her look foolish in her own house in front of these sophisticated whites.He said, "Read it again. Read it again."
Finally she shouted it out defiantly, "GOD...LOVES...ME!"Dr. Angelou told me about how she felt in that moment:"I heard Him. In that instant in my life I knew that I was a child of God...and knowing it then, I know it all the time fresh.
Just saying it makes me thrill, in the classic sense. I mean, my body---Wheeew! "At that moment, I had to leave the room. I started weeping...with the knowledge of it. And I could do it again right now. That which made the seas and mountains, made stars and moons, and goldfish...That loves me?!!
"It was a freedom...a relief...a license to try to do all the good in the world. If That loves me then I can do anything good. You see?"If you have not felt, deeply felt, the love of God (or even if you have) pray this prayer with me: God, I ask You to open my heart, my eyes and my mind, that I may truly experience Your love and let that change the way I live my life. Understanding how much You love me would help me to have unlimited love for myself, for others and for the world we live in. Let me know Your love, and be Your love in the world.
(Above excerpt is from the book HOW STRONG WOMEN PRAY by Bonnie St. John. Copyright © 2007 by Bonnie St. John. Reprinted by permission of FaithWords, a division of Hachette Book Group USA, Inc., New York, NY. All rights reserved.)
A professional speaker and Olympic medalist, Bonnie St. John has appeared on the Today Show, CNN, the 700 Club, and Life Today. The author of How Strong Women Pray and Live Your Joy, Bonnie St. John is committed to reaching out to the world with a message of triumph over circumstance. For more information about Bonnie, log onto www.bonniestjohn.com or read her blog at www.bonniestjohn.com/blog.aspx
"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He restoreth my soul." Psalm 23:2-3
Have you ever really tried to comprehend God's love for you? Have you ever really, really experienced it so that it makes you weep with joy?There was a time in my life when I would sit still and pray every morning by simply asking, "God, what do you want me to know, today?"
Many, many mornings I would simply feel God's love come over me. Most of all, God wanted me to understand that I was loved. Here's a great example of that love, which I wrote about in my book, How Strong Women Pray.
In 1955 Maya Angelou, who would eventually become a poet, educator, historian, author, actress, playwright, civil-rights activist, producer and director, was in a vocal class with Frederick Wilkerson reading a passage out loud to the group assembled there.She had been a dancer all her life and would later become famous as the author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and the inaugural Poet for the United States in 1993. But at this point she was still very young and was taking vocal lessons to enhance her career as a dancer.
Wilkerson called himself a "vocal technician." He worked with Roberta Flack and many famous opera singers. Maya Angelou was friends with "Wilkie" and he rented a room in her house. Once a month, he gathered his students together to read aloud.Dr. Angelou was reading along and came to, "God loves me."
"Read that again," said Wilkie. "God loves me," she said."Read it again." he said to her. And she began to feel really, really tense. She and Wilkie were the only black people there. She was young and he had other students who were serious singers, and they were all white and all older. She felt he was making her look foolish in her own house in front of these sophisticated whites.He said, "Read it again. Read it again."
Finally she shouted it out defiantly, "GOD...LOVES...ME!"Dr. Angelou told me about how she felt in that moment:"I heard Him. In that instant in my life I knew that I was a child of God...and knowing it then, I know it all the time fresh.
Just saying it makes me thrill, in the classic sense. I mean, my body---Wheeew! "At that moment, I had to leave the room. I started weeping...with the knowledge of it. And I could do it again right now. That which made the seas and mountains, made stars and moons, and goldfish...That loves me?!!
"It was a freedom...a relief...a license to try to do all the good in the world. If That loves me then I can do anything good. You see?"If you have not felt, deeply felt, the love of God (or even if you have) pray this prayer with me: God, I ask You to open my heart, my eyes and my mind, that I may truly experience Your love and let that change the way I live my life. Understanding how much You love me would help me to have unlimited love for myself, for others and for the world we live in. Let me know Your love, and be Your love in the world.
(Above excerpt is from the book HOW STRONG WOMEN PRAY by Bonnie St. John. Copyright © 2007 by Bonnie St. John. Reprinted by permission of FaithWords, a division of Hachette Book Group USA, Inc., New York, NY. All rights reserved.)
A professional speaker and Olympic medalist, Bonnie St. John has appeared on the Today Show, CNN, the 700 Club, and Life Today. The author of How Strong Women Pray and Live Your Joy, Bonnie St. John is committed to reaching out to the world with a message of triumph over circumstance. For more information about Bonnie, log onto www.bonniestjohn.com or read her blog at www.bonniestjohn.com/blog.aspx
Thursday, February 5, 2009
His Only
Jothany Blackwood
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16
Nothing expresses the concept of God' love more comprehensively than John 3:16. It's a scripture that children are taught to learn and adults learn to lean upon. When the Scripture speaks of God's love, we must embrace the fact that it is not limited to a selected few or one favored group.
If that was the case, it's a real possibility we would not be included. But it is an inclusive love that has the breadth to go beyond our failings and the depth to lift us from our falls. When John declares this gift is for the whole world, it's inspiring because it means that even folk like us still benefit from its reach.
Folk that may not be where they need to be yet but are pressing forward are renewed by His presence. And His love transforms the possibilities in our lives into purpose and we are simply better because of it. Think of the ways in which we share our love for our mates, family, friends, even in our giving to strangers. We may choose service, affection, gifts, or simply language to transfer our feelings to that individual. But God's love is expressed in the giving of his most priceless gift, His only son Jesus Christ.
When I reflect on the reality that He gave His only, I realize that normally we wouldn't give people our only of anything. Human nature would caution us to keep back something for ourselves. Even the most benevolent spirit that freely shares would hesitate on giving away their only coat, their only car, or their only dollar.
I recall as a child, if there was only one of something left in the refrigerator, you asked for it. The only slice of pie or only cup of milk had special significance because it might be needed for something important or promised to someone else. If you dared take the only of anything without permission, it was certain that you would bring the wrath of Big Mama upon your little head.
And so I've always been encouraged that John reveals that God "so loved" us that his love is solidified with action and not just in words. It moved beyond rhetoric to the reality of giving that which He valued most, Jesus Christ.
And we are all beneficiaries of that wonderful gift. And so the immense power of God' love is that He says, "I'm not just going to give you what I have, I'm going to give you all I have." God chooses to love us even when we aren't that loveable and gently looks beyond our faults. And therein rests the power of love. That it gives us not only the chance to become better, but to become a part of something greater than ourselves through His love.
In addition to serving as a college dean and motivational speaker, Jothany Blackwood is the founder of MidWife Ministries, which supports ministers and churches in birthing their vision.*Jothany Blackwood is a 2009 StreamingFaith.com Guest Columnist.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16
Nothing expresses the concept of God' love more comprehensively than John 3:16. It's a scripture that children are taught to learn and adults learn to lean upon. When the Scripture speaks of God's love, we must embrace the fact that it is not limited to a selected few or one favored group.
If that was the case, it's a real possibility we would not be included. But it is an inclusive love that has the breadth to go beyond our failings and the depth to lift us from our falls. When John declares this gift is for the whole world, it's inspiring because it means that even folk like us still benefit from its reach.
Folk that may not be where they need to be yet but are pressing forward are renewed by His presence. And His love transforms the possibilities in our lives into purpose and we are simply better because of it. Think of the ways in which we share our love for our mates, family, friends, even in our giving to strangers. We may choose service, affection, gifts, or simply language to transfer our feelings to that individual. But God's love is expressed in the giving of his most priceless gift, His only son Jesus Christ.
When I reflect on the reality that He gave His only, I realize that normally we wouldn't give people our only of anything. Human nature would caution us to keep back something for ourselves. Even the most benevolent spirit that freely shares would hesitate on giving away their only coat, their only car, or their only dollar.
I recall as a child, if there was only one of something left in the refrigerator, you asked for it. The only slice of pie or only cup of milk had special significance because it might be needed for something important or promised to someone else. If you dared take the only of anything without permission, it was certain that you would bring the wrath of Big Mama upon your little head.
And so I've always been encouraged that John reveals that God "so loved" us that his love is solidified with action and not just in words. It moved beyond rhetoric to the reality of giving that which He valued most, Jesus Christ.
And we are all beneficiaries of that wonderful gift. And so the immense power of God' love is that He says, "I'm not just going to give you what I have, I'm going to give you all I have." God chooses to love us even when we aren't that loveable and gently looks beyond our faults. And therein rests the power of love. That it gives us not only the chance to become better, but to become a part of something greater than ourselves through His love.
In addition to serving as a college dean and motivational speaker, Jothany Blackwood is the founder of MidWife Ministries, which supports ministers and churches in birthing their vision.*Jothany Blackwood is a 2009 StreamingFaith.com Guest Columnist.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Chosen By God's Love
Elder Marquis Boone
John 3:16 (NKJV) "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
The word love, such a loosely word used today, that many have really elapsed the accurate meaning of such a powerful four letter word. Some declare it's what you do and others utter its how you act. Whatever you think love is you will never find a love like God's love.
God so loved the world that He choose us to give His only begotten Son. To be chosen is to be one who is the object of choice or of divine favor, an elect person, selected, and preferred for a certain and divine purpose. An object is something that when viewed stirs a particular emotion, something toward which thought, feeling, or action is directed; it's a cause for attention or concern.
When God looks at us it stirs His emotion of Love and compassion that's why He forgives us and He directs His blessing down upon us. WHY, because we are chosen and are the cause for His attention and concern. God's Love is not like man's love; we didn't have to do anything to earn it, He doesn't take it away from us when we mess up, He's not waiting on us to love Him before He loves us, and His love is unconditional.
This unconditional love that God has for us is called A'GAPE. A'GAPE love chooses its object, regardless of the condition of the entity because God is not in relationship with us because of what we have. He created us with tender love and care.
God loves you no matter how you look, where you are, in spite of your present situation and circumstances. The Father desires to share His love with His people in good times, in bad times, during hard times, within a recession or not.
Max Lucado once said: "If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If he had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, he'll listen." That's just how much love God has for each of us.
No matter what state this devotion finds you in whether happy or sad dwell on God's love, it's everywhere. Look at the flowers outside they represents His love, the moon at night and the sun during the day represents His love. The next breath you take represents God's love.
Remember you have been chosen by the unconditional love of God.
Elder Marquis Boone is the Youth Pastor and Director of R.A.W. (Real Anointed Worshippers) at New Mercies Christian Church (Lilburn, GA), under the leadership of Senior Pastor Jesse Curney, III. He is also the founder of Dream Out Loud, LLC, an organization dedicated to providing young people with practical methods on how to give their dreams an active voice. For more information about Elder Boone, log onto www.dreamoutloudtoday.com or www.therawyouth.com
John 3:16 (NKJV) "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
The word love, such a loosely word used today, that many have really elapsed the accurate meaning of such a powerful four letter word. Some declare it's what you do and others utter its how you act. Whatever you think love is you will never find a love like God's love.
God so loved the world that He choose us to give His only begotten Son. To be chosen is to be one who is the object of choice or of divine favor, an elect person, selected, and preferred for a certain and divine purpose. An object is something that when viewed stirs a particular emotion, something toward which thought, feeling, or action is directed; it's a cause for attention or concern.
When God looks at us it stirs His emotion of Love and compassion that's why He forgives us and He directs His blessing down upon us. WHY, because we are chosen and are the cause for His attention and concern. God's Love is not like man's love; we didn't have to do anything to earn it, He doesn't take it away from us when we mess up, He's not waiting on us to love Him before He loves us, and His love is unconditional.
This unconditional love that God has for us is called A'GAPE. A'GAPE love chooses its object, regardless of the condition of the entity because God is not in relationship with us because of what we have. He created us with tender love and care.
God loves you no matter how you look, where you are, in spite of your present situation and circumstances. The Father desires to share His love with His people in good times, in bad times, during hard times, within a recession or not.
Max Lucado once said: "If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If he had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, he'll listen." That's just how much love God has for each of us.
No matter what state this devotion finds you in whether happy or sad dwell on God's love, it's everywhere. Look at the flowers outside they represents His love, the moon at night and the sun during the day represents His love. The next breath you take represents God's love.
Remember you have been chosen by the unconditional love of God.
Elder Marquis Boone is the Youth Pastor and Director of R.A.W. (Real Anointed Worshippers) at New Mercies Christian Church (Lilburn, GA), under the leadership of Senior Pastor Jesse Curney, III. He is also the founder of Dream Out Loud, LLC, an organization dedicated to providing young people with practical methods on how to give their dreams an active voice. For more information about Elder Boone, log onto www.dreamoutloudtoday.com or www.therawyouth.com
Friday, January 30, 2009
Faith That Goes the Distance
Pastor Ken Polk
"The just shall live by faith" Romans 1:17
God, throughout the scriptures spoke through anointed men to convey the message, that those whom have been justified must live by faith. It is paramount that we become strong in faith, because we are living in days which will test the very fabric of our belief system.
In Hebrews 11:6 we find written these words, "But without faith it is impossible to please him." If you conduct an extensive word study on the word "please" you'll discover to please someone you'll have to be in agreement with them. So let's paraphrase that verse.
But without faith it is impossible to line your life up in agreement with God. Therefore, in order to tap into the rich resources God has for every believer, your life must be in agreement with His. The success of your Christian walk and relationship with God is predicated by the level of your faith. Moreover, faith is the foundation of your Christian experience.
The word "faith" is properly defined by the Greek word pistis. Pistis is defined as firm persuasion, or to persuade, a conviction based upon hearing. It implies knowledge of, assent to, and confidence in divine truths, and revelations of the Word of God.
The scripture proclaim "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17. The problem is most people take the word "hearing" literality. However, it's not speaking of hearing with your physical ears, but hearing within your spirit being.
The only way the word is going to produce faith in the life of a believer; the word must become a living rehema within the soul of man, thus producing a life changing experience. Simply, the engrafted word becomes alive and real in the heart of the hearer, and he or she will begin to act according to the Word of God applying biblical principles to their daily life. This transformation of life will also change the quality of their life. The level of your faith is contingent upon the amount of the living word engrafted within your inner man.
So how does one faith grow? I quoted earlier from Romans 10:17, "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God." Looking at the seed principle mostly everything is the product of a seed. Man, animals, plants and even fruit has its origin from a seed.
Jesus said "the sower sows the word." Mark 4:14. In Luke 8:11 Jesus told us that, "the seed is the Word of God." When a pastor or teacher ministers the word, he or she is sowing seed. The seed of the word is trying to penetrate the soul of man. Once the (word) breaches the soul it will either give birth to a living word (rhema), or it will be aborted.
According to Luke 8:12-14 Jesus said, "that being an indifferent hearer, the cares of this world, deceitfulness of riches, and being not rooted in Christ" would cause the seed of the word to become aborted. However, if the seed of the word is birthed within the soul a living word (rhema) is born. This living word will influence the spirit of man prompting a visible outward illustration of Christ and the faith walk. The just shall live by his faith.
The Bible speaks of various levels of faith ranging from a measure to the God kind of faith. The stronger you are in faith will determine how victorious you will be in your spiritual life. Is your faith strong enough to go the distance?
Pastor Kenneth Polk is the Pastor of Followers of Christ Christian Center and author of the book, Living The Spirit Empowered Life. For more information about Pastor Polk, log onto www.followersofchristcc.com.
"The just shall live by faith" Romans 1:17
God, throughout the scriptures spoke through anointed men to convey the message, that those whom have been justified must live by faith. It is paramount that we become strong in faith, because we are living in days which will test the very fabric of our belief system.
In Hebrews 11:6 we find written these words, "But without faith it is impossible to please him." If you conduct an extensive word study on the word "please" you'll discover to please someone you'll have to be in agreement with them. So let's paraphrase that verse.
But without faith it is impossible to line your life up in agreement with God. Therefore, in order to tap into the rich resources God has for every believer, your life must be in agreement with His. The success of your Christian walk and relationship with God is predicated by the level of your faith. Moreover, faith is the foundation of your Christian experience.
The word "faith" is properly defined by the Greek word pistis. Pistis is defined as firm persuasion, or to persuade, a conviction based upon hearing. It implies knowledge of, assent to, and confidence in divine truths, and revelations of the Word of God.
The scripture proclaim "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17. The problem is most people take the word "hearing" literality. However, it's not speaking of hearing with your physical ears, but hearing within your spirit being.
The only way the word is going to produce faith in the life of a believer; the word must become a living rehema within the soul of man, thus producing a life changing experience. Simply, the engrafted word becomes alive and real in the heart of the hearer, and he or she will begin to act according to the Word of God applying biblical principles to their daily life. This transformation of life will also change the quality of their life. The level of your faith is contingent upon the amount of the living word engrafted within your inner man.
So how does one faith grow? I quoted earlier from Romans 10:17, "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God." Looking at the seed principle mostly everything is the product of a seed. Man, animals, plants and even fruit has its origin from a seed.
Jesus said "the sower sows the word." Mark 4:14. In Luke 8:11 Jesus told us that, "the seed is the Word of God." When a pastor or teacher ministers the word, he or she is sowing seed. The seed of the word is trying to penetrate the soul of man. Once the (word) breaches the soul it will either give birth to a living word (rhema), or it will be aborted.
According to Luke 8:12-14 Jesus said, "that being an indifferent hearer, the cares of this world, deceitfulness of riches, and being not rooted in Christ" would cause the seed of the word to become aborted. However, if the seed of the word is birthed within the soul a living word (rhema) is born. This living word will influence the spirit of man prompting a visible outward illustration of Christ and the faith walk. The just shall live by his faith.
The Bible speaks of various levels of faith ranging from a measure to the God kind of faith. The stronger you are in faith will determine how victorious you will be in your spiritual life. Is your faith strong enough to go the distance?
Pastor Kenneth Polk is the Pastor of Followers of Christ Christian Center and author of the book, Living The Spirit Empowered Life. For more information about Pastor Polk, log onto www.followersofchristcc.com.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Walking By Faith
By FaithRobin Ware
Walking by faith is one of the shortest and yet most powerful sentences a believer can say. As a single woman over the age of 40 and small business owner, this is my life's testimony. The world wants you to believe that there is something wrong with a life like mine because I'm still single and childless.
They want you to believe that if you aren't keeping up with the Joneses and that you aren't living a fulfilled life. Pretty hilarious, huh? I know that I'm God's best and as I walk by faith, He is completing me as I joyfully tell my teasers that my life is more complete than theirs.
As you walk out your dreams, here are some great tips to ensure that walking by faith is an enjoyable experience:
1. Pray that God will reveal to you his desires for your life. It's a mature walk when you can honestly confess to God that you want his desires to be your desires and to break you until you're walking in harmony.
2. Become disciplined in your time with God. Be honest with yourself and admit you aren't studying enough and you aren't sure how to study. Consider a bible reading program that will direct you to read the Bible in a Year.
You have it in you to do this. 2 Timothy 2:15 teaches us to "be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth".
3. Surround yourself with others that are walking by faith in this season. As a Girl Scout, I was taught to make new friends but keep the old; it's the same concept. It's time to grow in all areas of your life this year. Don't be afraid to cut sub-tractors, distractors, and whiners out of your life.
4. Celebrate others when their harvests arrive. It's a great sign that you are next!
5. Sow where you want to grow. Find a mentor and devote (sow) time to work with them. Work with a servant's heart. Be committed, dedicated and trustworthy.
As you walk by faith, you will strengthen your belief and grow in confidence in knowing that you can be all that God said you could be no matter where you began your journey. You will now understand that challenges are merely new opportunities for you to reach your greatness.
Finally, your life will truly be blessed. Everything that you touch will provide you with a blessed life and no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Robin Ware is a certified meeting planner and marketing consultant to a number of churches throughout the U.S and abroad. She is the author of Hosting Church Folk, and is the President of The Ware Agency. For more information about Robin, log onto http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102429746027&e=001vGMykydUOsJwh77IVMIVj9kN62H0nIIT8273pLqOs9m0BxOe6CdzKHsmsQ9UzKxk90QCRHH85P-CsHqkfgsU2NBf60LNJdoujMlEUUY_Y7pWMBmVMJ6IJA==.
Walking by faith is one of the shortest and yet most powerful sentences a believer can say. As a single woman over the age of 40 and small business owner, this is my life's testimony. The world wants you to believe that there is something wrong with a life like mine because I'm still single and childless.
They want you to believe that if you aren't keeping up with the Joneses and that you aren't living a fulfilled life. Pretty hilarious, huh? I know that I'm God's best and as I walk by faith, He is completing me as I joyfully tell my teasers that my life is more complete than theirs.
As you walk out your dreams, here are some great tips to ensure that walking by faith is an enjoyable experience:
1. Pray that God will reveal to you his desires for your life. It's a mature walk when you can honestly confess to God that you want his desires to be your desires and to break you until you're walking in harmony.
2. Become disciplined in your time with God. Be honest with yourself and admit you aren't studying enough and you aren't sure how to study. Consider a bible reading program that will direct you to read the Bible in a Year.
You have it in you to do this. 2 Timothy 2:15 teaches us to "be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth".
3. Surround yourself with others that are walking by faith in this season. As a Girl Scout, I was taught to make new friends but keep the old; it's the same concept. It's time to grow in all areas of your life this year. Don't be afraid to cut sub-tractors, distractors, and whiners out of your life.
4. Celebrate others when their harvests arrive. It's a great sign that you are next!
5. Sow where you want to grow. Find a mentor and devote (sow) time to work with them. Work with a servant's heart. Be committed, dedicated and trustworthy.
As you walk by faith, you will strengthen your belief and grow in confidence in knowing that you can be all that God said you could be no matter where you began your journey. You will now understand that challenges are merely new opportunities for you to reach your greatness.
Finally, your life will truly be blessed. Everything that you touch will provide you with a blessed life and no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Robin Ware is a certified meeting planner and marketing consultant to a number of churches throughout the U.S and abroad. She is the author of Hosting Church Folk, and is the President of The Ware Agency. For more information about Robin, log onto http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102429746027&e=001vGMykydUOsJwh77IVMIVj9kN62H0nIIT8273pLqOs9m0BxOe6CdzKHsmsQ9UzKxk90QCRHH85P-CsHqkfgsU2NBf60LNJdoujMlEUUY_Y7pWMBmVMJ6IJA==.
Monday, January 26, 2009
God Can Use You
Dr. Jack Graham
For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. Hebrews 6:7-8
It absolutely thrills me when I think that the God of heaven can actually use me! It blows my mind that I can be an instrument to accomplish His will...just like the land on which abundant rain falls.
Faithful Christians are the tools God uses to do great things that have eternal value. He uses His followers as witnesses to the entire earth to tell everyone about Him and His love. When you stop to think about it, you and I can truly alter the course of history and the world!
Unfortunately, some people are not being used by God because they are either unwilling or unfaithful.
It is said that Leon Trotsky, who was a key part of the Communist revolution in Russia, actually attended a Sunday school class one day during a visit to America. But the teacher of the class was absent that morning, and did not bother to get a substitute. So no one taught the Bible that morning, and as far as anyone knows, Trotsky never attended church again.
What if someone had been faithful enough to show up that Sunday morning? It may have helped to alter history!
All that God asks of us is to make ourselves available to Him. Tell the Lord today that you want to faithfully serve Him, to be like the land in today's verse that is a blessing to others and is blessed by God as a result.
Who knows what wonderful things might happen when you are faithful to the Lord!
ALL THAT GOD ASKS IS FOR YOU TO MAKE YOURSELF AVAILABLE TO HIM!
Dr. Jack Graham's passion is to lead men and women from all walks of life into a more intimate and life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Pastor Graham is the voice of Power Point Ministries and has led the 26,000-member Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas since 1989. He is the author of several books including You Can Make a Difference, Lessons from the Heart, Life according to Jesus, and A Man of God. Dr. Graham lives in Frisco, Texas, with his wife and ministry partner, Deb. The Grahams have three children and one grandson. For more information, check out www.PowerPoint.org.
For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. Hebrews 6:7-8
It absolutely thrills me when I think that the God of heaven can actually use me! It blows my mind that I can be an instrument to accomplish His will...just like the land on which abundant rain falls.
Faithful Christians are the tools God uses to do great things that have eternal value. He uses His followers as witnesses to the entire earth to tell everyone about Him and His love. When you stop to think about it, you and I can truly alter the course of history and the world!
Unfortunately, some people are not being used by God because they are either unwilling or unfaithful.
It is said that Leon Trotsky, who was a key part of the Communist revolution in Russia, actually attended a Sunday school class one day during a visit to America. But the teacher of the class was absent that morning, and did not bother to get a substitute. So no one taught the Bible that morning, and as far as anyone knows, Trotsky never attended church again.
What if someone had been faithful enough to show up that Sunday morning? It may have helped to alter history!
All that God asks of us is to make ourselves available to Him. Tell the Lord today that you want to faithfully serve Him, to be like the land in today's verse that is a blessing to others and is blessed by God as a result.
Who knows what wonderful things might happen when you are faithful to the Lord!
ALL THAT GOD ASKS IS FOR YOU TO MAKE YOURSELF AVAILABLE TO HIM!
Dr. Jack Graham's passion is to lead men and women from all walks of life into a more intimate and life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Pastor Graham is the voice of Power Point Ministries and has led the 26,000-member Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas since 1989. He is the author of several books including You Can Make a Difference, Lessons from the Heart, Life according to Jesus, and A Man of God. Dr. Graham lives in Frisco, Texas, with his wife and ministry partner, Deb. The Grahams have three children and one grandson. For more information, check out www.PowerPoint.org.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Don't Let Your Past Hold You Back
Dr. Jack Graham
Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on... Philippians 3:13-14
One of Satan's strongest weapons against Christians is to bring up our past failures and embarrassments to discourage us and tell us that we can't go on for Christ. The devil wants to pile up the rubbish and ruins from our past to block our progress.Nehemiah and his fellow Jews who went back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city's walls encountered mounds of rubble and other debris from the city's destruction.
The fourth chapter of Nehemiah describes the physical rubbish the workers faced, but the principle remains the same in the spiritual world.The debris they were working around was a reminder of past failures and defeats for Jerusalem. But Nehemiah was there to claim victory, not moan over the past. And many times we must do as Nehemiah did--stand in the area of previous defeat and claim victory for Christ!
If you get caught up in all of the junk of the past, you'll get weighed down and not move forward. Don't let the evil one remind you of your failures... and fail to focus on the blessings of God in your life.Have you lost confidence today because of failures that still haunt you? If so, I encourage you to follow Paul's advice and forget about them... and strain forward to what lies ahead!Don't let the piles of rubble from your past keep you from pressing on for Christ!
Dr. Jack Graham's passion is to lead men and women from all walks of life into a more intimate and life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Pastor Graham is the voice of Power Point Ministries and has led the 26,000-member Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas since 1989. He is the author of several books including You Can Make a Difference, Lessons from the Heart, Life according to Jesus, and A Man of God. Dr. Graham lives in Frisco, Texas, with his wife and ministry partner, Deb. The Grahams have three children and one grandson.
Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on... Philippians 3:13-14
One of Satan's strongest weapons against Christians is to bring up our past failures and embarrassments to discourage us and tell us that we can't go on for Christ. The devil wants to pile up the rubbish and ruins from our past to block our progress.Nehemiah and his fellow Jews who went back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city's walls encountered mounds of rubble and other debris from the city's destruction.
The fourth chapter of Nehemiah describes the physical rubbish the workers faced, but the principle remains the same in the spiritual world.The debris they were working around was a reminder of past failures and defeats for Jerusalem. But Nehemiah was there to claim victory, not moan over the past. And many times we must do as Nehemiah did--stand in the area of previous defeat and claim victory for Christ!
If you get caught up in all of the junk of the past, you'll get weighed down and not move forward. Don't let the evil one remind you of your failures... and fail to focus on the blessings of God in your life.Have you lost confidence today because of failures that still haunt you? If so, I encourage you to follow Paul's advice and forget about them... and strain forward to what lies ahead!Don't let the piles of rubble from your past keep you from pressing on for Christ!
Dr. Jack Graham's passion is to lead men and women from all walks of life into a more intimate and life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Pastor Graham is the voice of Power Point Ministries and has led the 26,000-member Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas since 1989. He is the author of several books including You Can Make a Difference, Lessons from the Heart, Life according to Jesus, and A Man of God. Dr. Graham lives in Frisco, Texas, with his wife and ministry partner, Deb. The Grahams have three children and one grandson.
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