Why don't we speak
gently and nicely to one another? This is more important than what we do in our
private lives.
Many Christians
undermine the impact of the Lord Jesus Christ on the world. Their prejudices
and intolerance render them unable to accept others just as they are. These
tendencies highlight a marked difference between the Christ of the Bible and
the Christians of the world. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners,
all of them no matter how great their sin. And the first thing he did in order
to save them was to accept them as they were without condemning their sinful
lifestyles. This acceptance is where many Christ followers stumble. They just
cannot accept a sinner without being bothered by his sin.
Much may not speak
well about my situation today. But I know that God is with me and that He will
not let me down. He will march ahead of me and fight my battle for me. I will
just believe and stay still.
God's people will
never be ashamed. So I wait in hope for God. He will save me from my enemies
and he will not let me be ashamed before them.
The prejudices of
Christians hurt Christ the most.
The wind will not
deter me. I shall renew my strength and soar on wings like an eagle.
What do I teach? I teach that God is love. And that he loves the world so much that
he does not want anyone to perish. And that he can deal with outward
differences that upset human beings. And that he accepts all who accept him and
his love. And nothing shall separate us from his love. This I
believe and this I teach.
Don't worry about
what is wrong. Rejoice in what is right. Give everything to God. He will make
your wrongs right.
Die sick if you
have to but don't die hating.
I will thank God
for everything, for every good thing, both little and big, for even the trouble
that he sends. I will look forward to every opportunity to give thanks to my
God.
I serve not in my
name and not to glorify myself. But I serve in Jesus' name to glorify him and
his Father.
When the day of
evil comes remember what God can do and will do if you trust in him.
When troubles come,
I must count my every blessing.
Jesus Christ is our
peace. Cast all your cares on him for he cares for you.
Jesus Christ longs
to give you his peace, joy and love. Will you accept from Jesus today?
I see demons. Not
in the darkness. Not in some derelict house. But in people. In my own people.
In my own nature. In me. And when I see them I drive them out in the name of
Jesus Christ.
Whether God grants
my request or not I will still praise Him.
There's only one
thing I must do. I must trust God. I must trust God with everything.
If I had not stayed
and waited doing nothing else I would not have heard from God.
God has not
strengthened us so that we may condemn others and tell them that they are
wrong. No God has strengthened us so that we may bear with others and help them
realize their error by showing ourselves as loving and compassionate humans who
are ruled by the love of God.
I need help. I need
a lot of help. I need God.
What is the use of
your looking at me if I do not convey Christ to you? There was a time when I
wanted people to look at me for my own gratification. I wanted to be noticed
and praised. Today I have tasted the worthlessness of this pleasure. Nothing
that I have is mine. Even I do not belong to myself. Everything was given for a
purpose. I was bought at a price. Now I must only think of another - he who
gave all. He is Christ, my God and my Master. It is for his sake that I speak.
It is for his glory that I raise my voice. So if you look at me today may you
find Christ. And if you do not find Christ may you look elsewhere.
It is suffering
that has led me to this place. It is humiliation that has brought forth my
defiant voice. I am the sum of my difficult experiences. Therefore I do not regret
the unfortunate aspects of my life.
Instead of being
worried about the many times you sinned today be happy about the many times you
rejoiced in life and glorified God today. Let your faith not be a faith of
worry and uncertainty but a faith of joy and confidence.
The Bible must be
quoted with care. It cannot be used to condemn anyone, as it is not the
business of Man to condemn anyone. We are here to build each other up and not
to put each other down. Our understanding of anything in this world and
especially in God's heaven is inadequate. Given the state of our knowledge and
our tendency to be judgemental we must stay away from Pharisaical positions. I
have always stayed away from such positions. And my intent in being honest
about myself is not to inspire undeserved criticism but to glorify God who
loves honesty and sincerity.
Very few people
know themselves well enough to want to change.
No proof is good
enough until God proves it himself. And even then it is not good enough for a
mind that has already passed an unfavourable judgement.
Very few people
know themselves well enough to want to change.
A man cannot reveal
himself completely because he cannot see himself totally. The reality he
expresses about himself is only partial. There is a deeper reality that he
cannot be aware of, at least in his natural state.
Admit to God that
you are weak. And admit to the world that you are weak without God. When you
announce your weakness the world may judge you. There is a price to paid for
honesty. Human beings may not always react well to honesty. But God is always
pleased with an honest person.
Beauty is what God
is. Ugliness is what God is not. Knowing this is enlightenment.
It is I and only I
who LET my heart be troubled. It is I and only I who choose to be miserable and
without hope. If I put my trust in God as I say I do, then I must trust him
enough to believe that he is sufficient for all my needs and that he is capable
of guiding me through every difficulty and even able to solve all my problems.
I find many liars
in my life. How do I deal with them? Should I deal with them? Or should I pray
about them? Or should I pray for them?
You can't have the
cake and eat it too. Today I realize this in full force. Many people who have
benefited me have also caused me harm. In my recent past the people who have
helped me the most have also been the cause of much strife in my life. This is
a shocking truth and I hope that it is only a part of the whole truth, for I
hope that there are people out there who will only be a source of joy to me.
This is not an easy
day to live. But I will not miss the opportunity to enjoy my life today. Like
King David I will seize this day as mine, and I will certainly rejoice in it.
Yes I am troubled,
and troubled I may remain to a certain degree for the rest of my life. But that
should not prevent me from giving thanks to God for all that I have received
and I have received much. I will give thanks today and every day.
Why do we emphasize
what God hates? Why don't we emphasize what God loves? If God is indeed love
then we must emphasize what he loves and study why he loves it.
I'm not going to
waste any more time wondering who is good and who is bad. There is only one
thing that I need to know: God is good. Though I may not always understand his
goodness I know that God ultimately wants to benefit me. In that knowledge I
will find my rest today.
Even on a terrible
day I can think the brightest thoughts. Thanks be to God.
Many times we dread
God. But God usually desires to give to us what we will surely appreciate.
How can I denounce
my weaknesses? It is my weaknesses that cry out for God. My strengths ignore
him. It is because that I am weak that I run after my God. I ask God to remove
my weaknesses. But if he agrees to do so will I still need him? Will I still
seek him?
If God determined that Paul should continue to feel his thorn it was for the purpose of maintaining his disciple in a state of continual dependence and weakness. However it is not a negative weakness but a weakness that needs God and a weakness in which God can perfectly reveal his strength.
Both good and bad
come from God as Job astutely observed. We the people of God must be willing to
accept both. When trouble comes we must avoid saying, "This is from the
devil", for it could be from God. As James, the brother of Jesus Christ,
points out, "When we are in the middle of troubles we must rejoice, for
God is proving our faith." I believe that this is what is happening to me.
"Why should I
go through this? Why should I suffer this?" Let these be the last
questions I ask today. I have received much from God, and some of it seems like
pure trouble. It seems unthinkable that God would send such a person or such a
thing. But the best thing to do is to believe that God is ultimately good and
that he desires the best for me. This is the only way that I can keep on going
today.
There are many
troubled thoughts in my head. But ultimately I will trust in God and His will.
That's the only way to go forward.
The Bible may be
God-breathed but it is not God-written. It is written by men, sometimes
ordinary men like the men we know with limitations and with the tendency to be
emotional and to exaggerate. Some books in the Bible have been written
poetically with symbolism and allegory. So the entire book must be read
skilfully and care must be taken not to read many portions literally.
If I fail to say
thank you today I have failed to appreciate God. I may sin today but I
cannot live this day without thanking God.
As long as I trust
in my strength I will fail. As long as I trust in God I will succeed. There are
times when I believe that I trust in God when I trust in my own strength. The strength
to resist evil permanently is not in me. But God makes the strength available
to me as I let Him live in me. It takes much failing, much learning and much
yielding.
I cannot forget my
past. I must learn from it.
Acceptable conduct
is the golden rule: "Do to others as you would have them do to you."
Anyone who departs from this is not behaving either acceptably or honourably.
At first I resisted
the trial. Then I recognized it as my cross. Now I carry it on my shoulders
gratefully.
We love God by
turning to Him for everything. We love God by making Him the head of our lives,
and letting Him manage everything, and believing that He is in control. We love God
by placing our own understanding below His knowledge, and in trusting in His
word even when it does not seem acceptable to our rational minds. We love God
by loving and caring for His people, even the most unlikeable of them.
I embrace my
suffering in the hope that God will indeed finally reward me with his healing
presence and joy, which no man can take away from me.
The silent,
suffering image of Jesus Christ appears to be one of defeat and surrender. The
effect is reinforced as we see the onlookers mock and taunt him while he looks
at them helplessly. But in that most inexplicable moment of suffering there is
a mystery of victory. Christ won on the cross the greatest of all earthly
victories. He defeated the ultimate foes of human beings, sin and death. There is
much to learn from the silence of Jesus Christ on his cross.
Now that evil has
had its day in my life, the crucial thing is this. I should not entertain
thoughts of revenge and hatred. But I should ask God to fill my heart with love
and forgiveness. It seems unthinkable, even impossible. But I can certainly ask
and God can certainly give. This is the greatest challenge, the greatest lesson
of the moment. Let the rage pass and let love and forgiveness flood my inner
being.
A certain boldness
comes when you are desperate. A certain determined faith arises when you are
pushed to the very edge.
I must have
compassion when I deal with anyone, especially when I deal with someone very
flawed in my eyes and who has disappointed me in some way. I must deal
compassionately even with my enemies.
Fear is the last thing that should motivate you to enter into a relationship with God, who is your Creator. God is perfect love and drives out every fear. There is no fear that can consume you if you truly know the love of God. You should go to God because he made you for himself and without him there is no meaning and purpose to your life.
Sometimes I wonder,
"Will I be more attractive without God?" But this is the ultimate
answer. "There is no attraction to me without God, at least no attraction
that is truly desirable." On seeing a video of mine someone remarked that I had a great personality. To him I respond, "I have no personality without God." If I
take God out of my life I have nothing to even speak of."
We can find
something good even in someone who appears without merit if we look deeply with
sympathy. And when we find the good we must declare it and celebrate it, so that
the person may feel good and desire improvement. We cannot help people
through unfavourable criticism and disparaging words. Such methods kill the
spirit of others rather than give life to it.
We are expected to
give thanks to God for his goodness. Since his goodness is not always apparent
and since the troublesome aspects of life may be God's blessings in disguise it
is important to give thanks to God even when life hurts.
The church is the
body of believers in Jesus Christ. There are believers even outside a building
that you call a church, even outside the fragmented organization that you would
identify as the church. When I speak to the world as I often do on the Internet
I am communicating my belief to the believers in the world and receiving their
response. I also physically interact with people outside a church. Everyone who
I am in touch with one way or the other is in fellowship with me.
When the applause
of people fails to please, you have come a long way indeed.
People almost
always disappoint. That is why a man need to look beyond people, at God.
