Today's Verse : James 2:26

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February 26, 2008

VERSE:
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds
is dead.
-- James 2:26

http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=James+2:26

THOUGHT:
By this definition, a whole lot of people claiming to be
believers are really spiritual corpses. For faith to be real, it
must express itself in service. Faith not only moves mountains; it
moves believers to act in ways that honor God and bless others,
demonstrating their thankfulness for God's incredible grace.

PRAYER:
Holy and Faithful Father, please forgive me for the times I've
been lazy in my spiritual walk. Help me see the many opportunities
for service you give to me each day, and then empower me to act in
those opportunities in ways that bless others. In Jesus' holy name
I pray. Amen.

http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20080226

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WOW WORSHIP 2006, by Various Artists
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Today's KJV Verse : James 2:26

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February 26, 2008

VERSE:
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without
works is dead also.
-- James 2:26

http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=James+2:26&translation=kjv

THOUGHT:
By this definition, a whole lot of people claiming to be
believers are really spiritual corpses. For faith to be real, it
must express itself in service. Faith not only moves mountains; it
moves believers to act in ways that honor God and bless others,
demonstrating their thankfulness for God's incredible grace.

PRAYER:
Holy and Faithful Father, please forgive me for the times I've
been lazy in my spiritual walk. Help me see the many opportunities
for service you give to me each day, and then empower me to act in
those opportunities in ways that bless others. In Jesus' holy name
I pray. Amen.

http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20080226&ver=kjv

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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.
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Daily Wisdom NIV : Proverbs 4:11

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I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight
paths.

Proverbs 4:11, New International Version
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Proverbs+4:11

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Daily Wisdom KJV : Proverbs 4:11

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I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in
right paths.

Proverbs 4:11, King James Version
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Proverbs+4:11&translation=kjv

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Mustard Seed Thoughts: The Model

ChristWeb.com : Mustard Seed Thoughts

The Model

By: Ron Edmondson Mustard Seed Thoughts

This is what He showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. And the LORD asked me, "What do you see, Amos?" "A plumb line," I replied. Then the Lord said, "Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer. Amos 7:7-8 NIV

The few times I have tried to draw a straight line, I lost my patience and either quit, or went and got a ruler. When it comes to any kind of art, I am not your man. I am always impressed with those who can make a pencil go where they want it to.

God once used a ruler to draw a straight line. No, He didn't literally, at least to my knowledge, get a ruler, but He used the straight edge of His law to measure the righteousness of His people. He created a plumb line, His standard for excellence, and looked to see how His children lined up. What He saw was not too impressive. The Israelites were out of line.

God's plumb line today is Jesu s. He is still holding people to that high standard. Of course there is no one righteous before God; all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but God still desires for us to look like Jesus.

So, throughout the pages of our life, God orchestrates situations which draw us closer to Him. He fashions and molds us into the character of His Son through life altering events which force us to call upon Him, and help us to realize we cannot make it in life without His strength.

The plumb line will be used again to judge the unrighteous who live apart from Christ, but for the Christian, the plumb line now serves only to help us focus on who we should be. "Let this mind be in you, that is also in Christ Jesus".

Look at the plumb line today. Look at Jesus!

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Quotemeal: "The value of compassion ..."

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The value of compassion cannot be over-emphasized. Anyone can
criticize. It takes a true believer to be compassionate. No
greater burden can be borne by an individual than to know no one
cares or understands.

-- Arthur H. Stainback

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SEE THE MORNING, by Chris Tomlin
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Daily Heartlight -- February 25, 2008

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February 25, 2008

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

Real Joy?, by Phil Ware

Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send
some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our
Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah
8:10 TNIV).

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians
4:4)

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do
not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an
inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end
result of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:8-9).

Smiles. Laughter. Enthusiasm for life. Warmth, openness, and generosity
with others. All of these were in ample supply as a group of us visited
a village down the dusty, bumpy road outside of Kampala, Uganda.

(If you received this by email, please check out the following blog
entry and also see the video of these faces:
http://blogs.heartlight.org/phil/?p=244)

My heart is blessed just looking at the pictures of these people and
their precious faces, as I remember the incredibly difficult
circumstances many of them face in their daily lives.

Where do they get such genuine joy?

Do you have that kind of deep and abiding sense of joy?

I'm not talking about getting the right Sunday school response to that
question. Please, listen to your heart. Does your heart tune itself to
joy? Or, has true joy been crowded out of your life by the distractions
of the daily routine, the aches and pains of aging, or the trials that
circumstances can bring?

Do you have a deep and abiding sense of joy as you face life?

I'm not talking about your sense of happiness or your experience of
pleasure. I'm talking about the basic orientation you have toward life
at the core of your soul. Do you orient your outlook around joy or do
you see all the things that are negative, discouraging, lacking, or
incomplete?

As I look back on my trip to Africa, I've had to ask myself this
question again and again. As I look at the pictures of the joyous faces
of those trapped in difficult life-circumstances, I wonder if I would
be so joyful under such circumstances.

Don't get me wrong. I don't believe there is any great joy in poverty
-- I'm not going to romanticize circumstances that are often awful. In
the circumstances I witnessed, there were plenty of folks I saw who
were not filled with joy. However, I did find it refreshing that many
people who have so few of the trappings of outward success were
actually filled with deep and abiding joy. Where did this sense of joy
come from?

Then I noticed the common element in the three Scripture quoted at the
beginning of this article: the Lord! The Lord is the basis of true joy.

So I'm wondering, is Jesus really Lord in my life? Do I recognize his
lordship over all things? Do I understand what he has already done for
me? Do I anticipate his return with expectation? Do I love the
fellowship and food I share with other believers?

Hmm ... maybe it's time to pick up my Bible, open it to the Gospels
(Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and see how Jesus brought true joy to
people?

Then I noticed the common element.

Maybe it's time to start praying that I can see him when he shows up in
my life?

Maybe it's time to quit saying maybe and start living with joy!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

What steals your joy?

How do you hang on to your sense of joy?

Why does pursuing Jesus as Lord being you joy?

Please respond by going to my blog entry listed below:
http://blogs.heartlight.org/phil/?p=246

If you received this by email, please check out the following blog
entry and also see the video of these faces!)

---------
(c) 2008 Phil Ware <phil@heartlight.org>. All rights reserved.

RELATED LINKS:
* Finding Joy in Sacrifice

http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200407/20040730_joysacrifice.html
* The Spirit Produces Joy

http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200209/20020906_joy.html
* Hope and Joy

http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200504/20050416_hopejoy.html
* Southern Hills Church of Christ

http://www.southernhillschurch.org

This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200802/20080225_realjoy.html

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WILD AT HEART, by John Eldredge
Helping men rediscover their masculine heart, this is a guide to
understanding Christian manhood and Christian men.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?153

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Morning & Evening -- Matthew 3:7 and Jonah 1:3

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Monday, February 25, 2008

MORNING:

"The wrath to come."
-- Matthew 3:7

It is pleasant to pass over a country after a storm has spent itself;
to smell the freshness of the herbs after the rain has passed away, and
to note the drops while they glisten like purest diamonds in the
sunlight. That is the position of a Christian. He is going through a
land where the storm has spent itself upon his Saviour's head, and if
there be a few drops of sorrow falling, they distil from clouds of
mercy, and Jesus cheers him by the assurance that they are not for his
destruction. But how terrible is it to witness the approach of a
tempest: to note the forewarnings of the storm; to mark the birds of
heaven as they droop their wings; to see the cattle as they lay their
heads low in terror; to discern the face of the sky as it groweth
black, and look to the sun which shineth not, and the heavens which are
angry and frowning! How terrible to await the dread advance of a
hurricane-such as occurs, sometimes, in the tropics-to wait in terrible
apprehension till the wind shall rush forth in fury, tearing up trees
from their roots, forcing rocks from their pedestals, and hurling down
all the dwelling-places of man! And yet, sinner, this is your present
position. No hot drops have as yet fallen, but a shower of fire is
coming. No terrible winds howl around you, but God's tempest is
gathering its dread artillery. As yet the water-floods are dammed up by
mercy, but the flood-gates shall soon be opened: the thunderbolts of
God are yet in his storehouse, but lo! the tempest hastens, and how
awful shall that moment be when God, robed in vengeance, shall march
forth in fury! Where, where, where, O sinner, wilt thou hide thy head,
or whither wilt thou flee? O that the hand of mercy may now lead you to
Christ! He is freely set before you in the gospel: his riven side is
the rock of shelter. Thou knowest thy need of him; believe in him, cast
thyself upon him, and then the fury shall be overpast for ever.

EVENING:

"But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of
the Lord, and went down to Joppa."
-- Jonah 1:3

Instead of going to Nineveh to preach the Word, as God bade him, Jonah
disliked the work, and went down to Joppa to escape from it. There are
occasions when God's servants shrink from duty. But what is the
consequence? What did Jonah lose by his conduct? He lost the presence
and comfortable enjoyment of God's love. When we serve our Lord Jesus
as believers should do, our God is with us; and though we have the
whole world against us, if we have God with us, what does it matter?
But the moment we start back, and seek our own inventions, we are at
sea without a pilot. Then may we bitterly lament and groan out, "O my
God, where hast thou gone? How could I have been so foolish as to shun
thy service, and in this way to lose all the bright shinings of thy
face? This is a price too high. Let me return to my allegiance, that I
may rejoice in thy presence." In the next place, Jonah lost all peace
of mind. Sin soon destroys a believer's comfort. It is the poisonous
upas tree, from whose leaves distil deadly drops which destroy the life
of joy and peace. Jonah lost everything upon which he might have drawn
for comfort in any other case. He could not plead the promise of divine
protection, for he was not in God's ways; he could not say, "Lord, I
meet with these difficulties in the discharge of my duty, therefore
help me through them." He was reaping his own deeds; he was filled with
his own ways. Christian, do not play the Jonah, unless you wish to have
all the waves and the billows rolling over your head. You will find in
the long run that it is far harder to shun the work and will of God
than to at once yield yourself to it. Jonah lost his time, for he had
to go to Nineveh after all. It is hard to contend with God; let us
yield ourselves at once.

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HOUSE, by Frank Peretti & Ted Dekker
Best-selling authors Peretti and Dekker join forces for an
adrenaline-laced thriller!
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My Utmost For His Highest : "The Destitution Of Service"

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February 25, 2008

THE DESTITUTION OF SERVICE

Though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be
loved.

2&nbsp;Corinthians 12:15

http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=2co+12:15&sr=1

Natural love expects some return, but Paul says - I do not care
whether you love me or not, I am willing to destitute myself
completely, not merely for your sakes, but that I may get you to God.
"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was
rich, yet for your sakes He became poor." Paul's idea of service is
exactly along that line - I do not care with what extravagance I
spend myself, and I will do it gladly. It was a joyful thing to Paul.

The ecclesiastical idea of a servant of God is not Jesus Christ's
idea. His idea is that we serve Him by being the servants of other
men. Jesus Christ out-socialists the socialists. He says that in His
Kingdom he that is greatest shall be the servant of all. The real
test of the saint is not preaching the gospel, but washing disciples'
feet, that is, doing the things that do not count in the actual
estimate of men but count everything in the estimate of God. Paul
delighted to spend him self out for God's interests in other people,
and he did not care what it cost. We come in with our economical
notions - "Suppose God wants me to go there - what about the salary?
What about the climate? How shall I be looked after? A man must
consider these things." All that is an indication that we are serving
God with a reserve. The apostle Paul had no reserve. Paul focuses
Jesus Christ's idea of a New Testament saint in his life, viz.: not
one who proclaims the Gospel merely, but one who becomes broken bread
and poured out wine in the hands of Jesus Christ for other lives.

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THE PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIFE, by Rick Warren
Takes the message of The Purpose-Driven Church and shows us how to
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Praying with Paul : "Spirit of Generosity"

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SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY

Romans 13:9

http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Romans+13:9

Dear Father, generous giver,

Love sees needs and shares resources. How lacking I am in this
regard. Please forgive me and make me better. Give a spirit of
generosity not only to me, but also to my wife, my children, and my
whole extended family - also to my spiritual family, your church.
Help all of us to be giving people, because you are a giving God.
Move us to serve a needy world.

I praise you and thank you for all your mercies. You are so
bountiful in your gifts. I love you, good and gracious God. I love
your Son. I love your Spirit. I love your people. I love the lost.
My prayer is to love you and them more.

In the name of Jesus and with the Spirit's help, I ask these
things. Amen.

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WOW HITS 2006, by Various Artists
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WJD! -- Telling Stories -- Mark 4:1-2

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Monday, February 25, 2008

Telling Stories

Another time Jesus began teaching by the lake. Many, many
people gathered around Jesus. So Jesus got into a boat and
went out on the lake. All the people stayed on the shore next
to the water. Jesus taught the people from the boat. Jesus
used many stories to teach them. He said,

-- Mark 4:1-2 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:
I find it interesting when a good preacher or Bible teacher is
criticized for telling too many stories. Yes, there are some speakers
who only go for the "emotional tug" on people's hearts by telling one
story after another. On the other hand, we need to not only pay
attention to WHAT Jesus taught, but we also need to notice HOW he
taught it! Jesus engaged people's imaginations and made everyday
events, images, and experiences into hooks on which he could hang God's
truth about the Kingdom. One of the reasons that he attracted large
crowds involved his miracles. But, Jesus is very careful not to allow
himself to become "The Miracle Man." Interestingly, Jesus is not called
the Healer, but the Teacher! His words were powerful because they were
true. His teaching was influential because it carried with it the ring
of heaven's truth. But let's not forget that his teaching was popular
because he knew how to engage people's hearts, minds, and imaginations
when he taught. One of the ways he did that was telling stories.
Amazingly, these stories still speak to us today!

TODAY'S PRAYER:
Loving Father and Almighty God, please help me grow in my ability to
teach the truth of Jesus. I want to teach it through the example of my
life. I want to communicate that truth to those around me in my sphere
of influence. Father, I also offer myself to be used by you to teach
others about Jesus in any fashion you choose. And when my opportunities
to teach your truth come, please help me know how to teach in ways that
engage the hearts and minds of those I'm trying to reach. In Jesus'
name. Amen.

>> NEW: Phil's What Jesus Did devotional is now
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>> full text of today's key passage. Read it at:

http://www.heartlight.org/wjd/mark/0225-wjd.html

>> For further study of today's passage, use our
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VELVET ELVIS: REPAINTING THE CHRISTIAN FAITH, by Rob Bell
In this provocative, hopeful book, Bell asks what the church might look
like if today's believers fully embraced "the way" of love, peace,
sharing possessions, compassion, risk, forgiveness, and harmony.
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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
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