John 15:1-8
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. he removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch taht bears fruit He prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have sopken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unles it abides in the vine, neither an you unless you abide in me. I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such brances are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples." Galations 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Abide in the Lord, what does that look like to you? Abide: tarry, continue in, remain, endure...be with the Lord in all things. Pray to Him, read his word, listen for His words. W, I'm not sure I like it when I'm pruned...can any of you think of a time when you've been pruned by God? Reading this I see there is an alternative...being thrown away, thrown into the fire and burned. Pruning on the other hand hurts but we hav eto get read of the dead stuff in our lives just like when we prune our rose bushes in the spring. We cut out the dead so that the living bears fruit. Oh, and the fruits of the Spirit...I want them all and it's so easy to get them...just Abide in the Lord. My prayer for all of you today is that you Abide in the Lord, endure the prunings and enjoy the fruits! God Bless! For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Several times this week I've came upon people talking about who is in Heaven and why and this verse popped into my head. The first time they were talking about "Dave" who was in Church every Sunday so when he died they were sure he was in Heaven. Then there was the teacher who gave M & M's for good behavior and took them away for bad behavior saying this is much like how you will get to heaven. Then the grandmother who told her grandchildren Grandpa went to heaven only to be told maybe not, he wasn't a nice man.... Each time these people talked to me that verse I'd learned long ago when through my mind. "By faith are ye saved, not by works, lest any man should boast. God isn't taking attendance at Church but he is paying attention to what you do to the "least of these" Matthew 25:40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Jesus also said "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." He does not say I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down, God/Jesus/Holy Spirit needs to be invited in to our hearts to live. And then while we are living with the Trinity our lives will be on track and then we will be saved from hell. Live your life for God and the works will still be ther Something to ponder and thing about who your special friend is -
Friends are those we care about - who touch our very soul. They can take the shattered pieces - and once again make us whole. We may not know just how this is - or why they even care. Just knowing they are part of you - makes them so very rare Always follow that voice inside - He will never steer you wrong. And listen closely to His message - comes across just like a song. The sound you hear is from God above - telling you, you are right. Never listen to those who doubt you - continue with His fight. Many are chosen but never hear - some don't know where to start. But those who hear know the answer - He lives inside your heart. And just by listening you understand - you're part of a special team. And the message spoken is simple - always follow your dream. Inside us all is another part - that can sometimes feel like a hole. But it's there he stores the answers - it's where you you keep your soul. Protect it well from everyone - cause you really never know. The devil can try to steal it - but with His help you'll never let go. Lonliness is another tool - the devil keeps in his bag of tricks. And those who are the weakest - are the ones on who he picks. So always keep your faith in God - He'll always be at your side. Never think he has left you - and the devil will have no where to hide. You are my new found inspiration - my faith in you will always shine. At last I found a special friend - who I'm proud to say is mine. And should you start to falter - and need a reminder of who you are, just call on your friend across the sea - from you I'll never be far. Welcome to 2012! It's here, the new year has begun. What are you going to do different this year?
I've heard alot about the fact that the world will end this year...what do you think about that? I remember once when I was younger and someone was saying the world will end on this day I said to my parents do you think that even if that was the date the God choose He would change it just so we wouldn't know? We are not supposed to know the date the world will end and that way we will always be preparing. Live each day as if it was your last. Encourage others and live a life that will make God smile and say, "Yes, that is my child." I want God to beam when He tells someone I'm his child. I want the buttons to burst on His shirt from pride. I always want to be ready for Jesus to come again so that He will say to me. "Well done my good and faithful servent." How about all of you? Lets live 2012 everyday in a way to make God proud! God Bless! One week away and we will celebrate the Birth of Jesus. There is much contraversary over this holiday. This year my prayers a for the people who have a hard time with Christmas. Maybe they suffer depression, maybe they are celebrating for the first time without a loved one. Maybe their life is in a place where they just find it hard to celebrate. I would ask all of you to pray for those people. And pray for the people who will not celebrate a holiday for Christ. Remember Christian friends. Christ was born to save us and celebrate that wonderful love.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall have eternal life!" That's what I want to celebrate! God Bless all and Merry CHRISTmas! Do everything without complaining and arguing. Phillipians 2:14
I found this verse in my readings this morning and I smiled because even though I can't remember ever reading this verse before God gave me this message years ago. I worked in a convience store and would always ask "How are you today?" more often than not I was sorry for asking right away. One of my friends would come in every night and she NEVER had a good day. Sadly I found myself thinking of bad things that happened to me when I saw her walk in because I wanted to have a worse day than her. It took me a while to realize what I was doing but God conviced me. One night when she walked in and asked how my day was, I said WONDERFUL...she looked at me, blinked and said "mine too". Wow, I think I might have held my breath for a minute. Would I say wonderful and then have to listen to a litany of her bad day? I'm amazed to this day how often a smile and a WONDERFUL can stop a complainer in a blink...It stops me if no one else. Follow Pauls instructions in the Bible...Do everything without complaining and arguing. See how much better it makes your day Taken from fime minutes with the Word
The people of Israel were in crises. Their Temple in Jerusalem had been burned to the ground. Their king had been taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzer of Babylon. And most of the population had been forced out of their homes and sent into exile. Everything they treasured about their role as God's holy people was taken away from them, and it left them traumatized, distressed, and desparing. Into this sad situation, God told his prophet to speak words of comfort and tenderness to his people. Don't be afraid! The Lord is coming! He's going to gather you all together, as a shepherd gathers his sheep, and bring you back home. So get ready to welcome him and his deliverance. Like the Israelites, we all need comfort from God. Non of us is free from the sadness that can come from life in htis world. It could be the pain of an illness, the wound from a borken relationship, or the challenge of unemployment or financial stress. No matter what we are facing, God wants to comfort us. He wants to speak tenderly to our hearts and tell us that He is with us. And more than anything else, He wants to tell us that Jesus, sho is "God with us," has opened heaven for us. We don't have to endure our challenges on our own. We don't have to go through this life doing nothing but trying our best and hoping for better days. We have access to the grace and comfort, the power and wisdom, of God himself! So no matter how difficult or demanding life may seem, let these truths bring you comfort. Remember that nothing prevented Jesus from coming two thousand years ago and that nothing prevents Him from coming again to bring heaven down to earth. And finally, remember taht even as we wait for that time, nothing can prevent Jesus from coming into our heart This has always been a hard thing for me. Once in Bible study a strong debate broke out and this was the verse I fell back on.
Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:36-38 In the book of Titus believers are told to judge, to bring other Christians to the Church if they are sinning and won't stop. I didn't think I judged others. There are so many verses that talk about being careful not to judge. There is one in Matthew that says something like 'don't worry about the speck in your brother's eye when you have a log in your own'. But it always seems that everyone reads and understands what they want in the Bible. Or maybe they read and understand where they are at...make sense? I have got in discussions with my family about what I believe and stood my ground but today after reading in Romans I feel I should apologize to some people. Romans 14 1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. 5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sistera]'>[a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’”b]'>[b] 12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. 13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. 19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. 22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. Some of my judgements come from the old testament and here in Romans when they talk about what you can eat, that comes from the old testement. So today I say I'm sorry for any judgements I have made and I remember the Kingdom of God is about righeousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Not so much about obeying the laws. old Luke 10:2 New International Version (NIV)
2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. This is our job, we are the laborers. This verse touched me this week. We all work for the harvest in many different ways. Some literally, some at their daily job some in Church and some for CEW. I know that to live we have to harvest the fields and do our jobs but to have eternal life someone has to harvest us for God! God bless you all this week. |
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