Quote from Forum Archives on October 2, 2001, 11:00 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

It's been a few days since I've sent out a message, so I want to
let you know that:

1. Yes, I am still among the living.
2. My hope remains in Jesus Christ, and in Him alone.
3. As a person, I continue to struggle each day.

The message from the weekly verses has some excellent scripture
verses in it, and I think Phil Ware does a really good job
sharing one idea for each message, giving us something sound, yet
modest in size and scope so that we can grasp what is being said.
I frequently get too wordy as I write, so I appreciate it very
much when another writer can say something clearly in few words.

I am still looking for work. I have applied to a few positions
at a nearby state office, and I have one potential job prospect
far away, in the D.C. area, but nothing firm. I would
appreciate your continued prayers as I seek not just a job, but a
place in which God can use me - and not merely use me, but
something that I can accomplish that He has designed for me to do
for Him. Who knows what that may be? I am willing, eager, and
able to do and be ANYTHING that He wants me to do and be. My
greatest concern is to be able to discern His will for my life
and not go or do anything unless it is what God wants for me.

There are others I know of who are in similar situations,
particularly some sharp people in the high tech sector. I pray
for each of them, too. Out of all of this, my heart cries out
that God would personally reveal His hand to each of us, that we
would recognize Him and respond directly to His call on our
lives.

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

Reply-to: Weekly Verses <weeklyverses@lists.crosswalk.com>
ubject: Weekly Verses from Crosswalk.com --10/1/01
Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 12:00:17 -0400

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____________________________

Weekly Verses
from Crosswalk.com
www.crosswalk.com
10/1/01

These verses are taken from TODAY'S VERSE, by Phil Ware
< devotionals.crosswalk.com/TodaysVerse >

~~~~~~~~~
MONDAY

Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of
God, you will receive what he has promised.

--Hebrews 10:35-36
New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
Boy there are some tough times in life! They're inescapable.
That's when our confidence in the Lord's salvation and our
relationship with him get tested! It is one thing to sing "it
is well with my soul" at the end of a peel-the-paint worship
service, but it is quite another to be able to sing it when
they auction your house off at the courthouse steps or you've
lost a child to death. That's when the commitment to be who we
want to be overrides the weakness of what we feel. Faith can't
take a holiday when we travel through the suburbs of hell or
we'll never find our way out. So don't throw it away. Be like
Job or Jeremiah who both argued and complained to God. Just
don't quit.

MY PRAYER...
Holy and Almighty God, today is a good day. But I am
profoundly aware that some of those I love are wrestling with
throwing away their confidence in your love, mercy, grace,
peace, and deliverance. Please use me, but even more I pray
that you use your Holy Spirit to renew their hearts. I pray
that you intervene directly to change the course of events and
give them relief. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~

TUESDAY

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.
But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father
in our defense -- Jesus Christ the Righteous One.

--1 John 2:1
New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
God hates sin. Don't you? I know I do. But isn't it
amazing how we'll fall back into the same old traps again and
again. This is where John, the tender Shepherd that he was,
hits the nail on the head. The goal is to not commit even one
sin. But, knowing our struggle against the flesh, John also
gives assurance to those of us trying to live faithful and pure
lives that when we do sin, the sacrifice for our sins, God's
Son, is also our defense attorney.

MY PRAYER...
God, no one and nothing is like you. I did not have to
provide a sacrifice for my sins, which broke your heart. You
provided that sacrifice. Please use me today as I try to give
myself, my life, and my future back to you as a living
sacrifice, holy and pleasing to you. Through Jesus I pray.
Amen.

~~~~~~~~~

WEDNESDAY

We know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and
again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a dreadful
thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

--Hebrews 10:30-31
New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
God hates injustice, unfairness, brutality and abuse. In a
world where the greedy, the murderous, the thieves, the
rapists, the muggers... get away with their shameless and
despicable behavior, God is the ultimate assurance that justice
will be done and the wicked will not triumph. While those who
love and expect Jesus' return do so with anticipation and joy,
those who are evil and vile will find out what a dreadful thing
it is to fall into God's hands.

MY PRAYER...
Holy and Righteous God, my Heavenly Father, I am both
uncomfortable and comforted to know that you will bring justice
on those who have violently abused the innocent, weak,
helpless, underprivileged, and infirm. Give me the courage to
stand between the evil of my world and those on whom it preys.
By the grace and victory of Jesus I pray. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~

THURSDAY

Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these
things will be given to you as well.

--Matthew 6:33
New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
Seek -- pursue relentlessly -- God's Lordship over your life
and the righteousness it demands in your daily life. What you
pursue is all temporary; only God and his Kingdom remain. In
the process, you will find that the God who gives you his
Kingdom and righteousness also will bless you with the things
that you need in this life

MY PRAYER...
Holy Lord, only in you do I find what satisfies my soul's
desires. The things that have captured my eye are boring after
only a short while. The artificial things I have pursued, all
of my addictive pursuits, have left me empty and enslaved. I
find hope and help only in you. Please be near to love,
correct, discipline, lead, and mold me to your glory. In Jesus
name I pray. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~

FRIDAY

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come
from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he
cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

--1 Corinthians 2:14
New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
The Holy Spirit is God's abiding gift, God's seal and
promise. The Spirit is our assurance that what he began with
Jesus' sacrificial death and our participation in it through
faith and baptism, he will bring to completion. But the world
cannot understand this great promise, just like it cannot
understand much of Scripture, because without the Spirit, their
eyes see only what they can touch with their fingers and not
what is true in God's heart.

MY PRAYER...
Father, I thank you for sending Jesus. Jesus, I thank you
for sending the Spirit. Spirit, I thank you for never leaving
me alone. As I am filled with the Spirit, O Lord, so fill me
more until my will and my life more nearly reflect your
desires. Use me to bless others just as your presence now
blesses me. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~

SATURDAY

Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into
the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever
lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen
plainly that what he has done has been done through God.

--John 3:20-21
New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
Truth is seen in what it does and whom it seeks.

MY PRAYER...
Father of every heavenly light, I ask you to correct me
gently as I place myself, my imperfections, failures and sins
in your presence. Forgive and cleanse me by the blood of Jesus
so that I might be spotless, holy, and blameless in your
sights. O Lord, I don't want just to be forgiven, I want to be
useful to you and your church. Please help me find my way to
usefulness. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~

SUNDAY

This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in
knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to
discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the
day of Christ.

--Philippians 1:9-10
New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
I don't know about you, but my most difficult decisions are
not about choosing between good and bad. I usually know what
is good and what is bad, especially when bad involves evil. My
toughest choices are when I have to choose between good,
better, and best. My love for God usually overcomes my
weakness and I choose good over bad. But unless I've placed
myself before God's word and surrendered my heart to him in
prayer, I have a very tough time choosing between good and
best. Yet I'm convinced that much of what God would love to do
through us today does not happen because we've settled for good
when he longs to lead us to best!

MY PRAYER...
Gracious and Almighty God, teach me your ways and give me
your heart as I strive to love you, know your will, and have
insight into your ways. Help me to know the best things to do
today and to use my time in the best way in my work, my family,
among my friends, and especially before those who do not know
Christ as their Savior. Through him I pray. Amen.

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

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