Quote from Forum Archives on January 13, 2003, 1:04 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Today, as we begin another work week, I encourage you to pause
from whatever you've been doing and take just a quiet moment
before God to think about all that He has done for us.

For me, personally, I realize that God brought me into being
(along with all other things) and that He has a plan for me,
which He has known from the very beginning. I realize that even
when I struggle, God is aware of my needs, particularly my
deepest needs. God doesn't remove the struggles from me, but He
always provides a means of getting from one moment to the next,
beginning with the very air I breathe and the daily sustaining
elements of food, clothing, and shelter that I take for granted.

Therefore, no matter whether I am feeling on top of the world or
at the bottom of a pit, I can always praise God for who He is and
what He has done.

Of course, there are some really big things that God has done, for
God has made His love and salvation available to everyone,
regardless of the lifestyle they've led or the things they've
done or what they've believed in the past. God does call each of
us to turn away from the past and turn to Him, and that's when
we receive the first of His many promises, salvation.

>From there, God promises to change our hearts, our lives, and
our values, as we continue to seek Him and to live by faith
instead of living by responding only to the circumstances and
events that surround us. It is my fervent prayer that each one
of us will respond to God in faith.

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
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N E I L A N D E R S O N D A I L Y D E V O T I O N A L
from Freedom in Christ Ministries

January 13

BELIEVE IN GOD

Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes
to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of
those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

The life of Wilma Rudolph, the great Olympic sprinter, is a
remarkable story of faith. Wilma was born with health problems
that left her crippled. "Will I ever be able to run and play
like the other children?" Wilma asked her parents.

"Honey, you have to believe in God and never give up hope," they
responded. "If you believe, God will make it happen." Taking her
parents' counsel, she painfully struggled to walk. By the time
she was 12, to the delight and surprise of many, Wilma no longer
needed her braces. She went on to play basketball on her
championship high school team and win three gold medals in the
1960 Olympics.

When you hear inspiring stories of faith like Wilma Rudolph's,
do you sometimes wonder, "What could I accomplish if I took God
at His Word?" Faith is the foundational principle of the
Christian life. Believing who God is, what He says, what He has
done, and what He will do defines the kingdom of God.

Furthermore, faith is the essence of the Christian's day-to-day
activity. Paul wrote: "As you therefore have received Christ
Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him" (Colossians 2:6). How did you
receive Christ? By faith. How then are you to walk in Him? By
faith. In Scripture, walking refers to the way you conduct your
everyday life. Victorious Christian living and spiritual
maturity are determined by our belief in God.

We tend to think of faith as some kind of mystical quality which
belongs only in the realm of the spiritual. But everybody walks
by faith. It is the most basic operating principle of life. The
question is, in what or in whom do you believe? We are
challenged to believe in God and take His Word seriously.

Thank You, Lord, that Your Word stands forever in heaven. I can
trust in You and Your Word despite my changing feelings and
circumstances.

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

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