Word for Today, Mon, 15 Nov. 2004: All Things Are Possible
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
Dear friends,
Today's message comes from my friend Larry Davies. It is about
making a difference in the lives of others by making good
choices. The first good choice, in my opinion, is to put God
first in every aspect of your life. That begins with reading His
Word, the Bible, every day, then thinking about what it says,
praying, and asking God for wisdom. In time, as you faithfully
read His Word, you will find that the Word will become an
integral part of what you think about. As you ask God to
enlighten what you read, to make it clear to you and applicable
to your own personal life, God will do immeasurably more than all
that you can ever ask or imagine, just as His Word promises.
(Read Ephesians 3, especially verses 14 through 21 to get a
context about that claim), then read Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27,
Genesis 11:6, Matthew 17:20, and Luke 1:37 to realize that all
things are possible with God, nothing is impossible, and as we
live through His Spirit, all things become possible for us,
through Him.
Making all things possible is not like going to a genie and
having all of our wishes granted. That's not what this means.
What it means is that as our own wills conform to God's will, we
realize that God is capable of all things. God enables us to
accomplish every purpose that HE has planned for our lives, but
NOT all that WE may have planned. But as God's will becomes our
will, then truly ALL things are possible. Think about this and
personalize it in your own life, to the honor and glory of God
the Father, revealed through Jesus Christ the Son.
Yours in Christ,
Brian
____________________________
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-----------------------------------------
"Do You Really Want to Make A Difference?" Larry Davies
I found this quiz on the Internet recently. Take it and see how
well you do:
* Name the last six Super Bowl winners.
* Name the three wealthiest people in the world.
* Who were the last four Academy Award winning movies?
* The last five Nobel Prize winners?
How did you do? Not good? Me neither. With the exception of a few
trivia nuts, none of us remember the achievements of yesterday
too well. And the achievements listed in this quiz are certainly
not second-rate. If we want to make a difference, maybe great
accomplishments is not the best answer.
I think all of us yearn for something more permanent. Do you want
to make a difference? Then you must look beyond your
achievements. God has something else in mind.
Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:7 says: "That is why we live by believing
and not by seeing." If we live by believing, then we must look
past the achievements of today for something else. Verse 9 has
the answer: "So our aim is to please him always..." That is where
we look to make a difference. We concentrate our creative energy
in pleasing God, not in satisfying our own personal goals.
Pleasing God is a good goal, right? The question is: How do we do
that?"
Paul gives us the answer again in verse 11, "It is because we
know this solemn fear of the Lord that we try to work so hard to
persuade others." The word "fear" in this case refers more to
loving respect than terror. So if we want to make a difference,
Paul gives us two steps to follow:
1. Work on "fearing" or developing a closer relationship with
God.
2. Try to persuade others or influence them in a Christian
way.
Let's look at another quiz. See how you do on this one:
* Think of three people you enjoy spending time with.
* Name 5 friends who helped you through a difficult time.
* List two churches that made a difference in someone's life.
* List three teachers who influenced your education.
Easier? It was for me, too. In our church, "making a difference"
means many things for many people:
* Sharon felt called to lead a group of youth in ministry.
* Dan came out of retirement to visit our sick and shut-ins.
* Donna organizes and maintains hundreds of people on our
church prayer list.
* Mary started our Parish Nurse program.
* Terrell is helping to build a church for the poor in Jamaica.
Do you still want to make a difference?
* Work to improve your personal relationship with God through
prayer.
* Join a Bible Study or small group and grow stronger in faith
together.
* Look around you and ask God to help you see who is hurting.
* Don't depend on others; actively help where you see a need.
* Say something encouraging to at least one person daily.
* When others gossip...walk away or change the subject.
* When someone asks you for prayer...pray with them...now!
* Remember you are called to be involved in your church, your
community and your world.
This list is not meant to be everything you need but it's a good
start. Maybe together with God's guidance we can work to make a
difference with friends, family, employees, our church,
community, and especially a needy world! What a relief. I can't
even remember this year's super bowl champion.
Read Sowing Seeds of Faith... everyday! Click here:
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prayer team today. Check it out by clicking here:
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Ministry partner. Click here:
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Jesus said: "You are the light of the world--like a city on a
mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your
light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine
for all." (Matthew 5:14-15)
"Breaking the Peanut Butter Habit: Following God's Recipe for a
Better Life" now on sale only through our
website. http://www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/peanbutt.htm
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Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
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