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Monday, August 8, 2011


Fresh Grace Every Day

Matthew 6:34
34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
“I am concerned about the big business deal that I have to close tomorrow.” “I am worried about tomorrow’s job interview.” “My medical test results will be out tomorrow. I am afraid it won’t be good.”
God does not want you to worry about tomorrow. He wants you to know that He gives you all the help you need for today, and when tomorrow comes, so will fresh help from Him.
This is God’s principle even in the Old Testament. When the children of Israel were in the desert, God gave them fresh manna from heaven every morning. (Exodus 16:13–16, 31) They did not have to worry about tomorrow because when tomorrow came, there was fresh manna again. He was their provision every day.
Today, God’s manna is the grace He gives you every day. If you are worried about a situation tomorrow, know that there will be sufficient grace for that situation when it comes. God wants you to simply rest in His ability to heal, deliver, protect and provide for you every day.
In the Old Testament, when the armies of Moab and Ammon came against King Jehoshaphat, God told the anxious king, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed… for the battle is not yours, but God’s… You will not need to fight in this battle… stand still and see the salvation of the Lord…” (2 Chronicles 20:15–17)
When the next morning came, King Jehoshaphat saw how God caused such confusion to come upon his enemies’ camp that it brought about their own slaughter. Amid all that fighting in the enemy camp, God’s people merely stood still and saw Him fight the battle for them just as He had promised.
My friend, when you see a problem looming in your tomorrow, don’t be afraid or dismayed. Look to the Lord, and see His grace and salvation deliver you.
God wants you to live a stress-free life, not one filled with worries about tomorrow’s problems. When tomorrow comes, His grace will be there for you as your help, protection, favor and enabling!

Monday, August 1, 2011

"Make them live in the future. Biological necessity makes all their passions point in that direction already, so that thought about the future inflames hope and fear. Also, it is unknown to them, so that in making them think about it we make them think of unrealities. In a word, the future is, of all thing, the thing least like eternity. It is the most completely temporal part of time—-for the past is frozen and no longer flows, and the present is all lit up with eternal rays….To be sure [God] wants men to think of the future too—just so much as is necessary for now planning the acts of justice or charity which will probably be their duty tomorrow. The duty of planning the morrow’s work is today’s duty; though its material is borrowed from the future, the duty, like all duties, is in the present
C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Just for Today

Just for today....
I will choose and display the right attitudes.

Just for today....
I will determine and act on important priorities.

Just for today....
I will know and follow healthy guidelines.

Just for today....
I will communicate with and care for my family.

Just for today....
I will practice and develop good thinking.

Just for today....
I will make and keep proper commitments.

Just for today....
I will earn and properly manage finances.

Just for today....
I will deepen and live out my faith.

Just for today....
I will initiate and invest in solid relationships.

Just for today....
I will plan for and model generosity.

Just for today....
I will embrace and practice good values.

Just for today....
I will seek and experience improvements.

Just for today....
I will act on these decisions and practice these disciplines, and

Then, one day,
I will see the compounding results of a day lived well.

Remember:

GOOD DECISIONS - DAILY DISCIPLINE = A plan without a payoff

DAILY DISCIPLINE - GOOD DECISIONS = Regimentation without reward

GOOD DECISIONS + DAILY DISCIPLINE = a masterpiece of potential



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Monday, January 24, 2011

The Story of Einstein

An Atheist Professor of Philosophy was speaking to his Class on the problem Science has with God. He asked one of his new Christian students to stand.

Professor: You are a Christian, aren’t you, son?
Student: Yes, sir.
Professor: So, you believe in God?
Student: Absolutely, sir.
Professor: Is God good?
Student: Sure.
Professor: My brother died of cancer, even though he prayed to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn’t. How is God good, then? Hmm?
: (Student was silent)
Professor: You can’t answer, can you? Let’s start again, young fella. Is God good?
Student: Yes.
Professor: Is Satan good?
Student: No.
Professor: Where does Satan come from?
Student: From.. God.
Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student: Yes.
Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it? And God did make everything. Correct?
Student: Yes.
Professor: So who created evil?
: (Student didn’t answer)
Professor: Is there sickness? Immortality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?
Student: Yes, sir.
Professor: So, who created them?
: (Student had no answer)
Professor: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son.. have you ever seen God?
Student: No, sir.
Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your God.
Student: No, sir.
Professor: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God, for that matter?
Student: No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.
Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?
Student: Yes.
Professor: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, Science says your God doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student: Nothing. I only have my Faith.
Professor: Yes, Faith. And that is the problem Science has.
Student: Professor, is there such a thing as Heat?
Professor: Yes.
Student: And is there such a thing as Cold?
Professor: Yes.
Student: No, sir, there isn’t.
: (The Lecture Theatre became very quiet with this turn of events)
Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 Degrees below Zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of Heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.
: (There was a pon-drop silence in the Lecture Theatre)
Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?
Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?
Student: You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have Low Light, Normal Light, Bright Light, Flashing Light… But if you have No Light constantly, you have nothing and it’s called Darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, You would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?
Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man?
Student: Sir, my point is, your Philosophical Premise is flawed.
Professor: Flawed? Can you explain how?
Student: Sir, you are working on the Premise of Duality. You argue there is Life and then there is Death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?
Professor: If you are referring to the Natural Evolutionary Process, yes of course, I do.
Student: Have you ever observed Evolution with your own eyes, sir?
: (The professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going)
Student: Since no one has ever observed the Process of Evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a Scientist but a Preacher?
: (The class was in uproar)
Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?
: (The class broke out into laughter)
Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? .. No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable and Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures?
: (The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable)
Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on Faith, son.
Student: That is it, sir.. exactly! The link between man and God is Faith. That is all that keeps things alive and moving!
: ----------------------------------------------------
: That student was Albert Einstein.
: Brilliant.
: ----



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Treasure Hunt

"If you seek [wisdom] as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God... Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity, and every good path"
-Proverbs 2:4-5;9

Growth is a process. It is a gradual, day by day event wherein we will be transformed through reading God's Word and obeying Him.

Spiritual growth begins with a willing commitment, continues with exciting discoveries, and leads to the treasure of wisdom and life.

-McCasland,2010

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Express Yourself

Church people love making rules about proper attitude when it comes to worship. What does God really want us to do? Read Joyce Meyer's point-of-view below:

Check out Psalm 47.

The Bible instructs us to dance, to play musical instruments, and to do all kinds of outward things to express worship to the Lord. (Psalm 47:1) WE NEED TO DO THIS; it brings a release in our lives, it honors God, and it aids in defeating the devil.

It is not enough to just say, "Well, God knows how I feel about Him. I do not have to make a big display." That would be no different from saying, "Well, God knows I believe in Him; therefore, there is no real need for me to be baptized." Or to say, "God knows I'm sorry for my sins; therefore, there is no need for me to admit my sins and repent for them." We readily see how foolish this would be, and people from all denominations teach people to have outward expression of their praise and worship. Some teach that quiet reverence is the only proper way to worship. We definitely need to be quiet and reverent before the Lord at times, but we also need to express our emotions in worship. I am convinced that God gave us emotions for more purposes than just being enthusiastic about a new car or a new jewelry. 

It is tragic not to allow people the freedom to express their hearts and their love for God in a balanced way. It is wrong to be so afraid of something getting out of balanced that we cut it off altogether. It is also a bad idea to do things the same way every time because "that is the way we have always done them." We must always be open to growth, which always involve change. Jesus said that He could not pour new wine into old wineskins, meaning some of the people's old ways had to go (Matt. 9:17). They had to "let go" of old things and take hold of the new, fresh things. Knowledge and revelation are progressive; if a thing, such as your worship, is not moving forward in your life, it is at the point of dying.

Be expressive in your praise and worship! God deserves our highest praise. 

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Sunshine After the Rain

DELIVER ME FROM MY RAIN CLOUD I Corinthians 4:12-13 “We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; [13] when we are slandered, we answer kindly…” Being pleasant is not difficult when things go your way, but have you learned to shine during rainy weather? Have you died to your flesh enough to bless when you are cursed, to answer kindly when you are slandered or to endure quietly when you are persecuted? You only have control over yourself. If you wait for others to treat you right or for things to go better before you have a good attitude, you are giving up your control to someone else. This is a victim’s approach to life. A victim feels powerless; they hopelessly wait for someone to change before they can find happiness. But, being happy is a choice. You must take control of your feelings and your behavior if you are going to find peace and contentment. In Genesis 37, Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. Joseph’s trials were just beginning. He suffered through betrayal, false accusation, and neglect, but Joseph did not sit back and feel sorry for himself. He made the best of each situation he faced. He became the “sunshine” in the dreary prisons. He knew how to choose happiness rather than remain a victim. Joseph knew his God, and he trusted God to always lead his steps for good. This ability to overcome brought him recognition, promotion and success in the middle of the bad situations. And, in God’s time, he was promoted out of the pit into the palace. Learn to act rather than react to life. Make choices—purposeful choices that will bless and not curse others. Do not give your power away by allowing others to steal your peace and joy with their bad attitudes. Remember that the other guy is the one with the problem, not you; therefore, choose to keep your good attitude in spite of his words or actions. With God’s help and your commitment to do things His way, you can find sunshine in your life today. DEAR GOD, NO ONE LIKES TO BE FALSELY ACCUSED, SLANDERED OR MISTREATED. ONLY YOU CAN GIVE ME THE STRENGTH TO BE KIND, GENTLE AND GOOD WHEN OTHERS DO ME WRONG. TODAY, I INVITE YOUR SPIRIT TO DOTHAT WORK IN ME. FATHER, TEACH ME HOW TO CHOOSE SUNSHINE INSTEAD OF RAIN.