Today's Verse : 2 Corinthians 6:14

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December 10, 2007

VERSE:
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do
righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can
light have with darkness?
-- 2 Corinthians 6:14

http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=2+Corinthians+6:14

THOUGHT:
There is probably no other Scripture that has produced more
conflict for ministers than this one. While not applying just to
marriage, this verse is a powerful reminder that when we make
life-long partnerships with those who do not share our deepest
values, we are endangering our spiritual health. Just as God would
not allow the Israelites under the Law to yoke a donkey and an ox
together because it would ultimately break them both down, Paul
reminds Christians that the same is true in their deepest
relationships as well.

PRAYER:
Father God, I know your will is not arbitrary. I know you want
what is best for me. So please give me wisdom as I choose my
partners and my closest friends. Help us to help each other live
for you and share your blessings and grace. Help us to influence
others to come to know you, your mercy, and your salvation more
completely. In Jesus' name. Amen.

http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20071210

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SIMPLY CHRISTIAN: WHY CHRISTIANITY MAKES SENSE, by N. T. Wright
Destined to become a classic alongside Lewis's Mere Christianity - a
fascinating and accessible apologetic for modern seekers.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?255

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Today's KJV Verse : 2 Corinthians 6:14

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December 10, 2007

VERSE:
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what
fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what
communion hath light with darkness?
-- 2 Corinthians 6:14

http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=2+Corinthians+6:14&translation=kjv

THOUGHT:
There is probably no other Scripture that has produced more
conflict for ministers than this one. While not applying just to
marriage, this verse is a powerful reminder that when we make
life-long partnerships with those who do not share our deepest
values, we are endangering our spiritual health. Just as God would
not allow the Israelites under the Law to yoke a donkey and an ox
together because it would ultimately break them both down, Paul
reminds Christians that the same is true in their deepest
relationships as well.

PRAYER:
Father God, I know your will is not arbitrary. I know you want
what is best for me. So please give me wisdom as I choose my
partners and my closest friends. Help us to help each other live
for you and share your blessings and grace. Help us to influence
others to come to know you, your mercy, and your salvation more
completely. In Jesus' name. Amen.

http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20071210&ver=kjv

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SEE THE MORNING, by Chris Tomlin
Award-winning artist Tomlin offers a whole new set of soul-inspiring
easy-to-sing songs about God's faithfulness.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?260

Find more great books, CDs and videos at the Heartlight store! With
each purchase you make, you're helping to support Heartlight's
ministry. Thanks SO MUCH for your help!

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Daily Wisdom NIV : Hebrews 13:17

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Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch
over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that
their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no
advantage to you.

Hebrews 13:17, New International Version
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Hebrews+13:17

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Daily Wisdom KJV : Hebrews 13:17

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Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves:
for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account,
that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is
unprofitable for you.

Hebrews 13:17, King James Version
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Hebrews+13:17&translation=kjv

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Quotemeal: "Real encouragement occurs ..."

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Real encouragement occurs when words are spoken from a heart of
love to another's recognized fear.

-- Larry Crabb

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THE PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIFE, by Rick Warren
Takes the message of The Purpose-Driven Church and shows us how to
apply it to our individual lives.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?222

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Daily Heartlight -- December 9, 2007

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December 9, 2007

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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================

Just Beyond My Vision, by Tom Norvell

As I drove along the highway on the brow of one of the mountains near
us, I would occasionally look to my left catching a glimpse of the
view. Every-once-in-a-while, there would be a break in the tree line
and I could see for miles across the valley below. Most of the time,
however, the view was just beyond my vision. The brief glimpses left me
wanting more, but not enough to stop the car. I wanted to see the whole
view, yet traveling at 55 MPH on a highway with a schedule to meet did
not allow time for seeing the beauty of view.

As we travel along life's highway, we often settle for only a glimpse
of what is and what could be. We have places to go. We have people to
see. We have things to do. We know, or at least we sense, that off to
our left or to our right, there is something more -- something
spectacular, something that would probably be worth our time and
effort, but we often fail to take it in. We are satisfied with it being
just beyond our vision.

When we think about a career, we know that there is potentially
something more out there that will thrill us -- something that will
excite us and something that will make us feel alive. That something is
the life that God intended us to live. Yet, we are in a hurry. We want
to get on with life. So, we often settle for what is convenient by
rationalizing that what could be is just beyond us.

We look at other marriages and long for their level of intimacy, those
skills in communication, and a relationship that provides that degree
of satisfaction. We admire their friendship. We marvel at how they seem
to be on the same wavelength all the time. Yet, we are so often
unwilling to sacrifice our pride, relinquish our control, or tear down
our walls. We resolve that we are asking for too much and that we
should be content and comfort ourselves with the thought that it could
always be worse.

In the quiet times of our day, we secretly fear that we are losing
connection with our children. We're busy. They're busy. The boss is
pressuring us to do more while our heart is calling us to take some
time off. We know we have it in us to be a great dad, but we realize
that would mean making some drastic changes in how we do work, how we
do family, and how we do life. So, we watch as our children grow older
and farther from us, but we comfort ourselves by saying that is just
the way life is in this busy world.

Are you about to settle for just a glimpse of what could be?

We hear about churches that are growing, thriving, reaching the masses,
communicating the good news, and ministering to their community. We
evaluate our talent pool and gift sets and realize we could do that. We
have that same potential. We talk in terms of what God could do and how
He could lead us to new levels of ministry. But the possible dangers,
the financial commitments, and potential for criticism scare us into
believing that God is satisfied with us like we are.

For three years, Jesus walked with His disciples showing them a new way
of living, illustrating a new way of loving, and demonstrating a new
way of interaction with people. He gave His followers a vision that was
just beyond what they knew as their reality. He believed in them and
gave them confidence assuring them that He would be with them all the
way. They believed it. They were ready. They dropped everything and
followed Him. When He died they went back to life as usual. Then He
came back. Their eyes were opened. They saw the complete vision. They
died for their conviction to share their vision of God.

Are you about to settle for just a glimpse of what could be? Have you
resolved that where you are and who you are in life is good enough? Or,
is there a yearning for something more? Is there a sense that God is
inviting you to slow down, to take a moment, to pull off the road to
take in the spectacular view from the top of the mountain?

[Jesus said] "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will
do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than
these, because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12 NIV).

God has something to show you. It may be just beyond your vision. Take
it in. Enjoy the view.

---------
(c) 2007 Tom Norvell <tomnorvell@mac.com>. Used by permission. A
Norvell Note <http://www.anorvellnote.com> is a weekly email
message from Tom Norvell. Check it out!

RELATED LINKS:
* Burden, Vision, and Passion

http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200501/20050109_burden.html
* Creating a Vision for Your Congregation

http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200501/20050104_vision.html
* Totally Present for Today with a Vision for Tomorrow

http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200711/20071108_present.html
* A Norvell Note

http://www.anorvellnote.com

This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200712/20071209_beyondvision.html

=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================

THE PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD, by Brother Lawrence
This edition of this timeless devotional classic will help you
cultivate a continual awareness of God in the everyday.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?223

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Morning & Evening -- Isaiah 30:18 and Isaiah 32:18

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Sunday, December 9, 2007

MORNING:

"Therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto
you."
-- Isaiah 30:18

God often DELAYS IN ANSWERING PRAYER. We have several instances of this
in sacred Scripture. Jacob did not get the blessing from the angel
until near the dawn of day-he had to wrestle all night for it. The poor
woman of Syrophenicia was answered not a word for a long while. Paul
besought the Lord thrice that "the thorn in the flesh" might be taken
from him, and he received no assurance that it should be taken away,
but instead thereof a promise that God's grace should be sufficient for
him. If thou hast been knocking at the gate of mercy, and hast received
no answer, shall I tell thee why the mighty Maker hath not opened the
door and let thee in? Our Father has reasons peculiar to himself for
thus keeping us waiting. Sometimes it is to show his power and his
sovereignty, that men may know that Jehovah has a right to give or to
withhold. More frequently the delay is for our profit. Thou art perhaps
kept waiting in order that thy desires may be more fervent. God knows
that delay will quicken and increase desire, and that if he keeps thee
waiting thou wilt see thy necessity more clearly, and wilt seek more
earnestly; and that thou wilt prize the mercy all the more for its long
tarrying. There may also be something wrong in thee which has need to
be removed, before the joy of the Lord is given. Perhaps thy views of
the Gospel plan are confused, or thou mayest be placing some little
reliance on thyself, instead of trusting simply and entirely to the
Lord Jesus. Or, God makes thee tarry awhile that he may the more fully
display the riches of his grace to thee at last. Thy prayers are all
filed in heaven, and if not immediately answered they are certainly not
forgotten, but in a little while shall be fulfilled to thy delight and
satisfaction. Let not despair make thee silent, but continue instant in
earnest supplication.

EVENING:

"My people shall dwell in quiet resting places."
-- Isaiah 32:18

Peace and rest belong not to the unregenerate, they are the peculiar
possession of the Lord's people, and of them only. The God of Peace
gives perfect peace to those whose hearts are stayed upon him. When man
was unfallen, his God gave him the flowery bowers of Eden as his quiet
resting places; alas! how soon sin blighted the fair abode of
innocence. In the day of universal wrath when the flood swept away a
guilty race, the chosen family were quietly secured in the
resting-place of the ark, which floated them from the old condemned
world into the new earth of the rainbow and the covenant, herein
typifying Jesus, the ark of our salvation. Israel rested safely beneath
the blood-besprinkled habitations of Egypt when the destroying angel
smote the first-born; and in the wilderness the shadow of the pillar of
cloud, and the flowing rock, gave the weary pilgrims sweet repose. At
this hour we rest in the promises of our faithful God, knowing that his
words are full of truth and power; we rest in the doctrines of his
word, which are consolation itself; we rest in the covenant of his
grace, which is a haven of delight. More highly favoured are we than
David in Adullam, or Jonah beneath his gourd, for none can invade or
destroy our shelter. The person of Jesus is the quiet resting-place of
his people, and when we draw near to him in the breaking of the bread,
in the hearing of the word, the searching of the Scriptures, prayer, or
praise, we find any form of approach to him to be the return of peace
to our spirits.

"I hear the words of love, I gaze upon the blood,
I see the mighty sacrifice, and I have peace with God.
'Tis everlasting peace, sure as Jehovah's name,
'Tis stable as his steadfast throne, for evermore the same:
The clouds may go and come, and storms may sweep my sky,
This blood-sealed friendship changes not, the cross is ever nigh."

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THE PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIFE, by Rick Warren
Takes the message of The Purpose-Driven Church and shows us how to
apply it to our individual lives.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?222

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My Utmost For His Highest : "The Offence Of The Natural"

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December 9, 2007

THE OFFENCE OF THE NATURAL

And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with
the affections and lusts.

Galatians 5:2

http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=ga+5:2&sr=1

The natural life is not sinful; we must be apostatized from sin, have
nothing to do with sin in any shape or form. Sin belongs to hell and
the devil; I, as a child of God, belong to heaven and God. It is not
a question of giving up sin, but of giving up my right to myself, my
natural independence and self-assertiveness, and this is where the
battle has to be fought. It is the things that are right and noble
and good from the natural stand point that keep us back from God's
best. To discern that natural virtues antagonize surrender to God, is
to bring our soul into the centre of its greatest battle. Very few of
us debate with the sordid and evil and wrong, but we do debate with
the good. It is the good that hates the best, and the higher up you
get in the scale of the natural virtues, the more intense is the
opposition to Jesus Christ. "They that are Christ's have crucified
the flesh" - it is going to cost the natural in you everything, not
something. Jesus said - "If any man will be My disciple, let him deny
himself," i.e., his right to himself, and a man has to realize Who
Jesus Christ is before he will do it. Beware of refusing to go to the
funeral of your own independence.

The natural life is not spiritual, and it can only be made spiritual
by sacrifice. If we do not resolutely sacrifice the natural, the
supernatural can never become natural in us. There is no royal road
there; each of us has it entirely in his own bands. It is not a
question of praying, but of performing.

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SEE THE MORNING, by Chris Tomlin
Award-winning artist Tomlin offers a whole new set of soul-inspiring
easy-to-sing songs about God's faithfulness.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?260

Find more great books, CDs and videos at the Heartlight store! With
each purchase you make, you're helping to support Heartlight's
ministry. Thanks SO MUCH for your help!

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This devotional is copyright Oswald Chambers Publications,
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Praying with Paul : "Held Together in Christ"

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HELD TOGETHER IN CHRIST

Colossians 1:15-20

http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Colossians+1:15-20

Dear Father,

We have not seen you. We do not even know what it might mean to
see you. But you have shown us Jesus, and because we have seen him,
we have seen you.

Thank you for him who is the image of you, the invisible God.
Thank you for creating all things through him who is the
first-born of all creation.

Help us grasp what is means that everything - things in heaven,
things on earth, things visible, things invisible, thrones,
dominions, principalities, authorities, all matter and all energy -
was created by him who was before all things, and that all these
things hold together through him.

How overawed we are! We prostrate our bodies, souls, and spirits
before him!

In Jesus' hallowed name I ask. Amen.

/--- THE LIGHT EN ESPAÑOL! -----------------------------\
The wait for a Spanish language Heartlight is over!
Come enjoy Today's Verse in Spanish, with many more
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WJD! -- It Is Time! -- Luke 22:35-38

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Sunday, December 9, 2007

It Is Time!

Then Jesus said to the apostles, "I sent you {to tell people
about God}. I sent you without money, a bag, or shoes. But
did you need anything?" The apostles said, "No." Jesus said
to them, "But now if you have money or a bag, carry that with
you. If you don't have a sword, sell your coat and buy one.
The Scripture says: 'People said he was a criminal.' This
Scripture must happen. It was written about me, and it is
happening now." The followers said, "Look, Lord, here are two
swords!" Jesus said to them, "That's enough!"

-- Luke 22:35-38 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:
Jesus knows it is now time for him to face the path of suffering and
rejection. The disciples don't have a clue about what is going to
happen to him even though he has repeatedly warned them. In other
words, Jesus knows he must face his suffering and rejection alone and
abandoned. For us today, this story can be a great comfort for two
reasons. First, Jesus understands what it means to be abandoned by
friends and left to face suffering and rejection all alone. When we
face that kind of challenge, we can trust that he understands our pain
and we know that he will never abandon us. Second, because the
disciples blow it and yet the Lord re-makes and reclaims them so they
are useful to the Kingdom, we can know that our own lapses do not
disqualify us from being useful to him. If we are genuinely repentant,
he can re-make and reclaim us as well.

TODAY'S PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, I sincerely hate that Jesus had to die for my sins and
face his horrors all alone, without his friends to support him. Yet,
dear God, I am comforted in those times that I feel alone to face my
problems because I know he cares, understands, and stands with me in
those moments of trial. In addition, dear God, I thank you that, just
as he re-made his disciples after their time of weakness, he has remade
me and continues to transform me to be more like him. I praise you for
your plan of grace and I praise your Son and my Savior for his
sacrificial and steadfast love. In Jesus' name. Amen.

>> NEW: Phil's What Jesus Did devotional is now
>> available as a book. Click below to order!

http://images.ultracart.com/aff/ACU9/1414/108/185/575/0/index.html

>> The WJD! web page has related scriptures and the
>> full text of today's key passage. Read it at:

http://www.heartlight.org/wjd/luke/1209-wjd.html

>> For further study of today's passage, use our
>> online Bible study site: SearchGodsWord.org!

http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Luke+22:35-38&sr=1&t=erv

/--- THE LIGHT EN ESPAÑOL! -----------------------------\
The wait for a Spanish language Heartlight is over!
Come enjoy Today's Verse in Spanish, with many more
features already in development. Heartlight is
now reaching even more people around the world with
the positive message of Jesus Christ. Praise God!
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What Jesus Did! is a 365-day devotional through the book of Luke.
It is written by Phil Ware <phil@heartlight.org> and is part of
HEARTLIGHT Magazine, the leading Christian living e-zine on the
Web. Visit HEARTLIGHT on the web for even more articles, plus
music, devotionals and more for your Christian walk!

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