Word for Today, Fri, 22 Feb 2002: Never Easy, BUT I will be WITH you!

#1 · February 22, 2002, 3:08 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on February 22, 2002, 3:08 pm
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

The Bible says, "A few days later, when Jesus again entered
Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home" (Mark 2:1
NIV). If we read on in the story, we find out that a great
number of people gathered around to see what Jesus was up to and
what He was saying.

You see, Jesus was a very controversial person. He did not
follow tradition, for the sake of tradition. He did what was
right. If that meant following the traditions, then Jesus
followed them. But usually, it meant going against tradtions,
because the traditions of men were often questionable. Jesus
taught that being kind, helpful, compassionate, and caring for
others always comes AHEAD of traditions.

The Christian life was not created to be easy. Jesus certainly
proved that in the life He lived. He rarely (if ever) chose the
easy route. Instead, He chose the path that He could take only
with the leading of His Father, the God of all creation.

Other pillars of the faith made similar choices. The apostle
Paul, once a persecutor of Christians, continually risked his own
life to share the experience of being renewed through a personal
relationship with God because of Jesus Christ. Even ancient
patriarchs, such as Joseph, Moses, and David, were faced with
difficult circumstances and choices.

It should be no surprise that life is not easy for us, either.
Each day, we are faced with choices to make. Often, there are
obstacles in our way, just as there were obstacles for Jesus,
God's own Son!

As God's chosen people, God DOES provide every means of
navigating through life's obstacles, especially when know we
cannot handle it on our own! In fact, the truth IS that we
CANNOT handle it on our own! Isn't that what God's Word says?
God's Word also says, "I will be with you always".

I did a search, just to find a few instances of where God's Word
reminds us of those words. I was thinking particularly of
Matthew 28:20, knowing those words from memory, but I wanted to
get an idea of how many times God spoke that affirmation to His
people. Using the Good News Bible in Today's English Version, I
immediately located several matches, as shown in this output from
the Online Study Bible at bible.crosswalk.com:

==================
Verse Search Results (The Good News Bible in Today's English
Version)

RESULTS: 1 - 5 of 5 total results
Click Verse for Commentary Notes

Jos 1:5 - Show Context
Joshua, no one will be able to defeat you as long as you live. I
will be with you as I was with Moses. I will always be with you;
I will never abandon you.

1Ki 11:38 - Show Context
If you obey me completely, live by my laws, and win my approval
by doing what I command, as my servant David did, I will always
be with you. I will make you king of Israel and will make sure
that your descendants rule after you, just as I have done for
David.

Isa 58:8 - Show Context
"Then my favor will shine on you like the morning sun, and your
wounds will be quickly healed. I will always be with you to save
you; my presence will protect you on every side.

Isa 58:11 - Show Context
And I will always guide you and satisfy you with good things. I
will keep you strong and well. You will be like a garden that has
plenty of water, like a spring of water that never goes dry.

Mt 28:20 - Show Context
and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I
will be with you always, to the end of the age."

The Good News Bible in Today's English Version

Good News Bible in Today's English Version - Second Edition
Copyright (c) 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
==================

Given these continual assurances, I chose to face my conflicts
WITH God in the lead!

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

WORD FOR TODAY
Written by Bob Gass
22 Feb 2002 When Jesus is in the house

" .IT WAS NOISED THAT HE WAS IN THE HOUSE. "
MARK 2:1

If you're looking for a nice quiet God who won't disrupt your
life, forget about Jesus! When He comes, He'll stir up your
business, your marriage, your finances, because He's a
functioning, moving, teaching, touching, powerful God, Who won't
sit in the corner like an ornament!

In Scripture, people opened their homes for Jesus to come and
preach. Maybe they thought, "We'll put out a few extra chairs,
it'll be nice to hear a good sermon, we could use some prayer."
Are you kidding? When word got out, the people came from
everywhere! Talk about the power of advertising! He filled the
house without a TV ministry, a tape, a brochure, or a partner
list!

It got so crazy that four men carrying a sick friend on a
stretcher couldn't get in, so they broke open the roof and
lowered him down to Jesus. That's what we need in the church
today - people who know how to "raise the roof" with their
prayers, their praises, and their preaching, and bring down the
power of God.

Get ready: when you let Jesus into any area of your life, He'll
ask you to give what you can't give, do what you can't do, and
be what you can't be. He'll rearrange everything. That's because
you've been...in the same place.the same rut.giving the same
testimony...for too long!

Today, God wants to take you out of your comfort zone. He wants
to stretch you by calling you to do more than you've ever done
before. Are you ready to say "Yes"?

Printed copies of "The Word for Today" are available free from
UCB, PO Box 255, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 8YY,
England. <www.ucb.co.uk>

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
As a gift to the body of Christ, permission is given to churches
and Christian organisations to copy up to a maximum of 52 daily
excerpts per year. Such excerpts must acknowledge: The Word for
Today as the source, give the UCB address and inform that free
issues of the daily devotional are available.

--

The email version of Word for Today is posted by ChristianNet.

ChristianNet is not funded by any denomination or organisation.

Email: christiannet@frater.net
Fax (US): 1 530 325 6040
Fax (UK): 44 (0)870 133 0807
WWW: www.christiannet.frater.net

If you want to have your say, join the WFTtalk discussion list by
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=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Sports - Coverage of the 2002 Olympic Games
sports.yahoo.com

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

The Bible says, "A few days later, when Jesus again entered
Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home" (Mark 2:1
NIV). If we read on in the story, we find out that a great
number of people gathered around to see what Jesus was up to and
what He was saying.

You see, Jesus was a very controversial person. He did not
follow tradition, for the sake of tradition. He did what was
right. If that meant following the traditions, then Jesus
followed them. But usually, it meant going against tradtions,
because the traditions of men were often questionable. Jesus
taught that being kind, helpful, compassionate, and caring for
others always comes AHEAD of traditions.

The Christian life was not created to be easy. Jesus certainly
proved that in the life He lived. He rarely (if ever) chose the
easy route. Instead, He chose the path that He could take only
with the leading of His Father, the God of all creation.

Other pillars of the faith made similar choices. The apostle
Paul, once a persecutor of Christians, continually risked his own
life to share the experience of being renewed through a personal
relationship with God because of Jesus Christ. Even ancient
patriarchs, such as Joseph, Moses, and David, were faced with
difficult circumstances and choices.

It should be no surprise that life is not easy for us, either.
Each day, we are faced with choices to make. Often, there are
obstacles in our way, just as there were obstacles for Jesus,
God's own Son!

As God's chosen people, God DOES provide every means of
navigating through life's obstacles, especially when know we
cannot handle it on our own! In fact, the truth IS that we
CANNOT handle it on our own! Isn't that what God's Word says?
God's Word also says, "I will be with you always".

I did a search, just to find a few instances of where God's Word
reminds us of those words. I was thinking particularly of
Matthew 28:20, knowing those words from memory, but I wanted to
get an idea of how many times God spoke that affirmation to His
people. Using the Good News Bible in Today's English Version, I
immediately located several matches, as shown in this output from
the Online Study Bible at bible.crosswalk.com:

==================
Verse Search Results (The Good News Bible in Today's English
Version)

RESULTS: 1 - 5 of 5 total results
Click Verse for Commentary Notes

Jos 1:5 - Show Context
Joshua, no one will be able to defeat you as long as you live. I
will be with you as I was with Moses. I will always be with you;
I will never abandon you.

1Ki 11:38 - Show Context
If you obey me completely, live by my laws, and win my approval
by doing what I command, as my servant David did, I will always
be with you. I will make you king of Israel and will make sure
that your descendants rule after you, just as I have done for
David.

Isa 58:8 - Show Context
"Then my favor will shine on you like the morning sun, and your
wounds will be quickly healed. I will always be with you to save
you; my presence will protect you on every side.

Isa 58:11 - Show Context
And I will always guide you and satisfy you with good things. I
will keep you strong and well. You will be like a garden that has
plenty of water, like a spring of water that never goes dry.

Mt 28:20 - Show Context
and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I
will be with you always, to the end of the age."

The Good News Bible in Today's English Version

Good News Bible in Today's English Version - Second Edition
Copyright (c) 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
==================

Given these continual assurances, I chose to face my conflicts
WITH God in the lead!

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

WORD FOR TODAY
Written by Bob Gass
22 Feb 2002 When Jesus is in the house

" .IT WAS NOISED THAT HE WAS IN THE HOUSE. "
MARK 2:1

If you're looking for a nice quiet God who won't disrupt your
life, forget about Jesus! When He comes, He'll stir up your
business, your marriage, your finances, because He's a
functioning, moving, teaching, touching, powerful God, Who won't
sit in the corner like an ornament!

In Scripture, people opened their homes for Jesus to come and
preach. Maybe they thought, "We'll put out a few extra chairs,
it'll be nice to hear a good sermon, we could use some prayer."
Are you kidding? When word got out, the people came from
everywhere! Talk about the power of advertising! He filled the
house without a TV ministry, a tape, a brochure, or a partner
list!

It got so crazy that four men carrying a sick friend on a
stretcher couldn't get in, so they broke open the roof and
lowered him down to Jesus. That's what we need in the church
today - people who know how to "raise the roof" with their
prayers, their praises, and their preaching, and bring down the
power of God.

Get ready: when you let Jesus into any area of your life, He'll
ask you to give what you can't give, do what you can't do, and
be what you can't be. He'll rearrange everything. That's because
you've been...in the same place.the same rut.giving the same
testimony...for too long!

Today, God wants to take you out of your comfort zone. He wants
to stretch you by calling you to do more than you've ever done
before. Are you ready to say "Yes"?

Printed copies of "The Word for Today" are available free from
UCB, PO Box 255, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 8YY,
England. <http://www.ucb.co.uk>

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
As a gift to the body of Christ, permission is given to churches
and Christian organisations to copy up to a maximum of 52 daily
excerpts per year. Such excerpts must acknowledge: The Word for
Today as the source, give the UCB address and inform that free
issues of the daily devotional are available.

The email version of Word for Today is posted by ChristianNet.

ChristianNet is not funded by any denomination or organisation.

Email: christiannet@frater.net
Fax (US): 1 530 325 6040
Fax (UK): 44 (0)870 133 0807
WWW: http://www.christiannet.frater.net

If you want to have your say, join the WFTtalk discussion list by
sending an email to maiser@frater.net with
SUB WFTTALK
as the first line of the text.

To subscribe, send an empty email to
wft-subscribe@frater.net

To unsubscribe, send an empty email to
wft-unsubscribe@frater.net

=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Sports - Coverage of the 2002 Olympic Games
sports.yahoo.com