 |
| © 1997-2009 Ytqb Ahyso & Services. Please read our disclaimer. |
|
AIDS in Olympic pool
Rihanna… brutally, from behind
|
I want you to read it
|
NY monument vandalized
 |
| © 1997-2009 Uguz Obaw & Services. Please read our disclaimer. |
|
Mustard Seed Thoughts: Storm Thoughts 4
ChristWeb.com : Mustard Seed Thoughts
Storm Thoughts 4
Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" Mark 4:38 NIV
I have been told that the stern is the strongest part of the boat. The Creator of the universe was asleep there. The One who was there when the waters were parted and Moses led the people through on dry ground had His head on a cushion. The One who walked with three guys in the fiery furnace, in all of His current humanity had decided He needed some rest. The disciples apparently lost sight of the fact that, Jesus was not only human, and He was also fully God.
I am reminded that I forget the same thing at times. Have you ever felt like the disciples felt? Have you ever wondered if Jesus cared? Has the thought crossed your mind that Jesus may not even be aware of your current situation? Have you thought, �Jesus, I see my problems, don�t you?� Or maybe you have felt something like, �Jesus, don�t you care?�
Of course, our spiritual piety would never allow us to admit our weakness in this area fully. Could I as a pastor really admit that I doubted His love? Could you? Yet if I am honest, sometimes from my perspective, it appears that Jesus is nowhere to be found and I am left all alone to wallow in my sorrows. Just saying�.
I think the best thing we can possibly do in those situations is to be like the disciples and admit our frailty to God. When we get gut honest with Him about our insufficiencies, perhaps He will be willing to do what only He can do.
Do you need to have an honest conversation with Jesus today?
I have been told that the stern is the strongest part of the boat. The Creator of the universe was asleep there. The One who was there when the waters were parted and Moses led the people through on dry ground had His head on a cushion. The One who walked with three guys in the fiery furnace, in all of His current humanity had decided He needed some rest. The disciples apparently lost sight of the fact that, Jesus was not only human, and He was also fully God.
I am reminded that I forget the same thing at times. Have you ever felt like the disciples felt? Have you ever wondered if Jesus cared? Has the thought crossed your mind that Jesus may not even be aware of your current situation? Have you thought, �Jesus, I see my problems, don�t you?� Or maybe you have felt something like, �Jesus, don�t you care?�
Of course, our spiritual piety would never allow us to admit our weakness in this area fully. Could I as a pastor really admit that I doubted His love? Could you? Yet if I am honest, sometimes from my perspective, it appears that Jesus is nowhere to be found and I am left all alone to wallow in my sorrows. Just saying�.
I think the best thing we can possibly do in those situations is to be like the disciples and admit our frailty to God. When we get gut honest with Him about our insufficiencies, perhaps He will be willing to do what only He can do.
Do you need to have an honest conversation with Jesus today?
Now that you've read Today's Mustard Seed Thought, have a little fun and go to the Web and try the Word Search Game. It's always based the current Mustard Seed Thought.
http://www.ChristWeb.com/JustForFun/Wordsearch.MustardSeedThoughts.asp
http://www.ChristWeb.com/JustForFun/Wordsearch.MustardSeedThoughts.asp
Mustard Seed Thoughts are also published weekdays at ChristWeb.com, as well as all the previous Mustard Seed Thoughts. They can be found at:
http://www.ChristWeb.com/MustardseedThoughts
http://www.ChristWeb.com/MustardseedThoughts
At ChristWeb, we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it. This message was delivered to you because of a subscription request. This email was sent to: ultimate.philippine.travel.blog@blogger.com
Comments, questions or simply need help? Please send an e-mail to: ron.mustardseed@christweb.com
ChristWeb's Privacy Policy can be located at: http://www.ChristWeb.com/Info/PrivacyPolicy.html
Comments, questions or simply need help? Please send an e-mail to: ron.mustardseed@christweb.com
ChristWeb's Privacy Policy can be located at: http://www.ChristWeb.com/Info/PrivacyPolicy.html
© 2009 ChristWeb.com
Quotemeal: "We Christians must simplify ..."
-/\/\-----------------------------------------------------------------
\ / QUOTEMEAL from HEARTLIGHT -- http://www.heartlight.org/
--\/------------------------------------------------------------------
We Christians must simplify our lives or lose untold treasures
on earth and in eternity. Modern civilization is so complex as
to make the devotional life all but impossible. The need for
solitude and quietness was never greater than it is today.
-- A. W. Tozer
/--- Sponsor a Child with Compassion -----------------------\
For less than a dollar a day, you can make a powerful
difference in the life of a needy child. Click on the
following link to learn more about sponsoring a child
through Compassion!
\--- http://ads.heartlight.org/email/199/ -------------------/
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD DVD+CD, by Louie Giglio
Join author, speaker, and Passion conference founder Louie Giglio for a
life changing presentation! How Great Is Our God includes Louie's
powerful talk and a five-song CD featuring modern worship favorites
performed by conference mainstays Chris Tomlin...
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?223
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!
QUOTEMEAL - Your daily diet of Christian quotes... /\/\
===============================================================\ /===
http://www.heartlight.org/quotemeal \/
Quotemeal is made possible by YOUR donations! If you've found
our emails encouraging or inspiring, we pray you'll give a voluntary
donation to keep this ministry going. Donations are NOT required,
but they are appreciated!
http://www.heartlight.org/support
Visit HEARTLIGHT on the web for even more articles, plus music,
devotionals and more for your Christian walk!
Do you have a favorite Christian quote you would like to share?
Let us know! http://www.heartlight.org/comments/quoteform.html
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE?
It's FREE! To subscribe send a blank email to:
join-quotemeal@maillists.heartlight.org
HOW DO I LEAVE?
To unsubscribe send a blank email to:
quotemeal-unsub@maillists.heartlight.org
STILL HAVING TROUBLE?
If our automated unsubscribe system isn't working for you,
send an email to mailmaster@heartlight.org and let us know
what list you would like to leave. We'll take care of you.
======================================================================
Daily Heartlight -- June 11, 2009
-/\/\-----------------------------------------------------------------
\ / HEARTLIGHT(R) Magazine -- http://www.heartlight.org/
--\/------------------------------------------------------------------
June 11, 2009
/--- READY TO CHANGE THE WORLD? -----------------------------\
ACU students do every day! Click to find out more
about Abilene Christian University, recognized as one of
"America's Best Colleges" by the U.S. News & World Report.
\--- http://ads.heartlight.org/email/4/ ---------------------/
=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
He Knows My Name!, by Phil Ware
Mary didn't recognize Him! Can you believe it? After all Jesus had
meant to her and after all she had seen Jesus do, she didn't recognize
the Lord as He stood outside the tomb.
[The angels] asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have
taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have
put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there,
but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
He asked her, "Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking
for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried
him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him"
(John 20:13-15 TNIV).
This is a story of despair -- a story about losing everything that
matters in life. Mary has had life crushed out of her by the torturous
death of Jesus. She is blinded by her grief and the job at hand. She
has no expectation of anything good coming out of this senseless and
inexplicable tragedy. Mary does not recognize Jesus even though he is
only a few feet from her.
Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which
means "Teacher")
(John 20:16).
When the Lord calls her by name, she recognizes Jesus' voice ... she
recognizes that it is Jesus! Just as the Lord promised, when those who
follow Him hear His voice, they recognize Him and follow Him (John
10:1-4).
About this point in our thinking, the not-so-friendly Yabbots interrupt
our faith-thinking and replace it with earthbound "reality" thinking.
"Yeah, but Jesus doesn't speak to us today." "Yeah, but we can't expect
that to happen to us today."
Underneath the "reality" thinking, this earthbound pessimism, is a
nagging fear: Jesus doesn't really know about me, He doesn't really
care about me personally, and He doesn't involve himself in matters as
small as me. It's a way of saying, "I really don't matter that much at
a personal level to the Lord."
Of course, those of us who are religious, have more "righteous"
sounding ways of explaining away why Jesus doesn't talk to us. "I don't
believe in modern revelation!"
But listen to what we sing!
He knows my name.
He knows my every thought.
He sees each tear that falls.
And He hears me when I call (by Tommy Walker).
He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own ... (by C. Austin Miles).
Also take note of what we see Jesus do after the resurrection! He
speaks personally to Mary, calling her by name. He speaks and shows the
scars of crucifixion to the disciples. He speaks personally to Thomas
to help him believe that the resurrection is true, once again showing
the scars on His hands, feet, and side. He shares a very personal and
intimate meal with two followers from Emmaus.
Then notice what we have heard from Scripture. "My sheep listen to my
voice; I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27). Listen to the
psalmist:
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast (Psalm 139:8-10).
We are not cogs in some cosmic clock that God wound up and left to us
to play out our roles as time winds down. God knows us from conception
(Psalm 139:13-16). God is involved in working the pieces of our life
out to some good purpose (Romans 8:28-29). Our lives are the personal
work of God himself (Philippians 1:6; Philippians 4:13).
So what creates our doubt? What makes Jesus hard for us to recognize in
our daily lives?
Could it be that we are so caught up with our own wounds and grief, our
work and busy lives that we don't expect to hear anything? Have we
forgotten to listen?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The following ideas and questions are intended to help you further
study this subject and is also for your personal reflection, your use
in a small group or house church, or a discussion with friends. I would
also love to get your reaction on my blog:
http://www.thephilfiles.com/2009/06/11/to-me
So if God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- are involved in our lives,
and if the Lord speaks to us, then how does He do it and how can we can
be sure it is really God and not some selfish desire or some worldly
wisdom or some evil spirit trying to deceive us?
Ah! Two good questions. I'll give you a response, but leave it to you
to do some digging in Scripture to deepen your understanding and to
discover God's truth for yourself. (Try these ideas out and work
through the Scripture references!)
Do what Jesus says to do!
How does Jesus speak to us today?
* While we sleep! (The Bible talks about God ministering to us while
we sleep. I encourage you to read the article, While We Sleep.)
* During our times with our church family! We forget that church is
more than filling pews and following a worship order. Jesus is
present (Matthew 18:20) and through the power of the Holy Spirit,
our worship becomes more than a sharing of words (1 Corinthians 5:4).
Our songs are Spirit-filled messages where we speak to each other (Colossians
3:16; Ephesians 5:17-19). Those who speak are to do so as speaking
the very words of God (1 Peter 4:11). So what is preached, what is
said to encourage us by friends, the loving confrontations we help
each other face in Bible study, and the messages we sing to each
other are one way Jesus speaks truth and hope into our hearts!
* During our everyday life experiences. God is at work in us,
speaking to us when we read His word, when we hear repeated
thoughts from multiple sources, and through the well-timed note,
phone call, or card we receive from a friend (Philippians 2:13;
Romans 8:28).
What are some other ways you think the Lord may have spoken truth into
your life?
But how can we know it is really from the Lord and not from some other
source? Aren't we taught to "test the spirits" to see if what is being
said is true? (1 John 4:1-6)
Here are some ways to test to see if what we hear the Lord
communicating is really from Him:
Know Jesus. Get into the Jesus story and recognize what has the ring of
truth from knowing what the Lord said and how He lived (John 10:1-4;
John 10:27; read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).
Pray for the Holy Spirit's help in knowing what is truth and knowing
Jesus' will. The Holy Spirit is given to us to help us know the truth
from error and to recognize what is from God and from some other source
(1 John 2:20-27; 1 John 3:23-24; 1 John 4:1-6; John 14:16-18; John
14:26; John 15:26; John 16:12-15).
Do what Jesus says to do. Not only is Jesus' truth self-validating when
it is lived by His disciples (John 8:31-32), but Jesus promises to
reveal Himself to us and come make His home with each of us (John
14:19-23).
What are other ways that you believe we can discern what is truly from
Jesus and what is from some other source?
---------
(c) 2009 Phil Ware <phil@heartlight.org>. All rights reserved.
RELATED LINKS:
* Resurrection Day!
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200704/20070408_resurrection.html
* While I Sleep
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200706/20070625_sleep.html
* Great Hope!
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200404/20040409_greathope.html
* Southern Hills Church of Christ
http://www.southernhillschurch.org
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200906/20090611_knowsmyname.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
IF YOU WANT TO WALK ON WATER YOU'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF THE BOAT, by John Ortberg
John Ortberg invites you to consider the incredible potential that
awaits you outside your comfort zone, out on the risky waters of faith.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?252
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!
HEARTLIGHT DAILY EMAIL /\/\
===============================================================\ /===
http://www.heartlight.org/ \/
Visit HEARTLIGHT on the web for even more articles, plus music,
devotionals and more for your Christian walk!
ABOUT HEARTLIGHT:
Heartlight, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) religious non-profit organization.
Donations are welcome and tax-deductible! Find out how to help!
http://www.heartlight.org/support
EDITOR: Phil Ware, phil@heartlight.org
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE?
It's FREE! To subscribe send a blank email to:
join-heartlight@maillists.heartlight.org
HOW DO I LEAVE?
To unsubscribe send a blank email to:
heartlight-unsub@maillists.heartlight.org
STILL HAVING TROUBLE?
If our automated unsubscribe system isn't working for you,
send an email to mailmaster@heartlight.org and let us know
what list you would like to leave. We'll take care of you.
======================================================================
Morning & Evening -- 1 John 4:19 and Psalms 76:3
-/\/\-----------------------------------------------------------------
\ / Charles Spurgeon's MORNING & EVENING http://www.heartlight.org/
--\/------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, June 11, 2009
MORNING:
"We love him because he first loved us."
-- 1 John 4:19
There is no light in the planet but that which proceedeth from the sun;
and there is no true love to Jesus in the heart but that which cometh
from the Lord Jesus himself. From this overflowing fountain of the
infinite love of God, all our love to God must spring. This must ever
be a great and certain truth, that we love him for no other reason than
because he first loved us. Our love to him is the fair offspring of his
love to us. Cold admiration, when studying the works of God, anyone may
have, but the warmth of love can only be kindled in the heart by God's
Spirit. How great the wonder that such as we should ever have been
brought to love Jesus at all! How marvellous that when we had rebelled
against him, he should, by a display of such amazing love, seek to draw
us back. No! never should we have had a grain of love towards God
unless it had been sown in us by the sweet seed of his love to us.
Love, then, has for its parent the love of God shed abroad in the
heart: but after it is thus divinely born, it must be divinely
nourished. Love is an exotic; it is not a plant which will flourish
naturally in human soil, it must be watered from above. Love to Jesus
is a flower of a delicate nature, and if it received no nourishment but
that which could be drawn from the rock of our hearts it would soon
wither. As love comes from heaven, so it must feed on heavenly bread.
It cannot exist in the wilderness unless it be fed by manna from on
high. Love must feed on love. The very soul and life of our love to God
is his love to us.
"I love thee, Lord, but with no love of mine,
For I have none to give;
I love thee, Lord; but all the love is thine,
For by thy love I live.
I am as nothing, and rejoice to be
Emptied, and lost, and swallowed up in thee."
EVENING:
"There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the
sword, and the battle."
-- Psalms 76:3
Our Redeemer's glorious cry of "It is finished," was the death-knell of
all the adversaries of his people, the breaking of "the arrows of the
bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle." Behold the hero of
Golgotha using his cross as an anvil, and his woes as a hammer, dashing
to shivers bundle after bundle of our sins, those poisoned "arrows of
the bow;" trampling on every indictment, and destroying every
accusation. What glorious blows the mighty Breaker gives with a hammer
far more ponderous than the fabled weapon of Thor! How the diabolical
darts fly to fragments, and the infernal bucklers are broken like
potters' vessels! Behold, he draws from its sheath of hellish
workmanship the dread sword of Satanic power! He snaps it across his
knee, as a man breaks the dry wood of a fagot, and casts it into the
fire. Beloved, no sin of a believer can now be an arrow mortally to
wound him, no condemnation can now be a sword to kill him, for the
punishment of our sin was borne by Christ, a full atonement was made
for all our iniquities by our blessed Substitute and Surety. Who now
accuseth? Who now condemneth? Christ hath died, yea rather, hath risen
again. Jesus has emptied the quivers of hell, has quenched every fiery
dart, and broken off the head of every arrow of wrath; the ground is
strewn with the splinters and relics of the weapons of hell's warfare,
which are only visible to us to remind us of our former danger, and of
our great deliverance. Sin hath no more dominion over us. Jesus has
made an end of it, and put it away for ever. O thou enemy, destructions
are come to a perpetual end. Talk ye of all the wondrous works of the
Lord, ye who make mention of his name, keep not silence, neither by
day, nor when the sun goeth to his rest. Bless the Lord, O my soul.
/--- Sponsor a Child with Compassion -----------------------\
For less than a dollar a day, you can make a powerful
difference in the life of a needy child. Click on the
following link to learn more about sponsoring a child
through Compassion!
\--- http://ads.heartlight.org/email/199/ -------------------/
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
BREAKING FREE, by Beth Moore
Moore teaches us to identify--and remove--the spiritual barriers that
hinder our daily freedom in Christ.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?222
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!
MORNING & EVENING from HEARTLIGHT /\/\
===============================================================\ /===
http://www.heartlight.org/spurgeon \/
Morning & Evening is the classic devotional by 19th-century writer
and preacher Charles Spurgeon. It's part of HEARTLIGHT Magazine,
the leading Christian living e-zine on the Web. Visit HEARTLIGHT
on the web for even more devotionals, plus music, articles and more
for your Christian walk!
http://www.heartlight.org
ABOUT HEARTLIGHT:
Heartlight, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) religious non-profit organization.
Donations are needed and welcome (and tax-deductible)! Find out how
to help! http://www.heartlight.org/support
EDITOR: Phil Ware, phil@heartlight.org
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE?
It's FREE! To subscribe send a blank email to:
join-spurgeon@maillists.heartlight.org
HOW DO I LEAVE?
Send a blank email to the unsubscribe address:
spurgeon-unsub@maillists.heartlight.org
STILL HAVING TROUBLE?
If our automated unsubscribe system isn't working for you,
send an email to mailmaster@heartlight.org and let us know
what list you would like to leave. We'll take care of you.
OTHER QUESTIONS?
Find answers to your frequently asked questions:
http://www.heartlight.org/help/faq/spurgeon.html
======================================================================
My Utmost For His Highest : "Getting There"
-/\/\-----------------------------------------------------------------
\ / MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST -- http://www.heartlight.org/
--\/------------------------------------------------------------------
June 11, 2009
GETTING THERE
Come unto Me.
Matthew 11:28
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=mt+11:28&sr=1
Do I want to get there? I can now. The questions that matter in life
are remarkably few, and they are all answered by the words - "Come
unto Me." Not - Do this, or don't do that; but - "Come unto Me." If I
will come to Jesus my actual life will be brought into accordance
with my real desires; I will actually cease from sin, and actually
find the song of the Lord begin.
Have you ever come to Jesus? Watch the stubbornness of your heart,
you will do anything rather than the one simple childlike thing -
"Come unto Me." If you want the actual experience of ceasing from
sin, you must come to Jesus.
Jesus Christ makes Himself the touchstone. Watch how He used the word
"Come." At the most unexpected moments there is the whisper of the
Lord - "Come unto Me," and you are drawn immediately. Personal
contact with Jesus alters everything. Be stupid enough to come and
commit yourself to what He says. The attitude of coming is that the
will resolutely lets go of everything and deliberately commits all to
Him.
". . . and I will give you rest," i.e., I will stay you. Not - I will
put you to bed and hold your hand and sing you to sleep; but - I will
get you out of bed, out of the languor and exhaustion, out of the
state of being half dead while you are alive; I will imbue you with
the spirit of life, and you will be stayed by the perfection of vital
activity. We get pathetic and talk about "suffering the will of the
Lord!" Where is the majestic vitality and might of the Son of God
about that?
|-- HEARTLIGHT NEEDS YOUR HELP... -------------------------|
We truly need your help to keep the light shining! Please
take a moment to see how you can help us continue our
online ministry of 12 years:
|-- http://www.heartlight.org/support/ --------------------|
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
THE MESSAGE: THE BIBLE IN CONTEMPORARY LANGUAGE, by Eugene H. Peterson
Many have awaited the day Eugene Peterson would complete the entire
Bible in his unique translational-paraphrase. Well, the wait is over!
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?258
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!
MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST - by Oswald Chambers /\/\
===============================================================\ /===
http://www.heartlight.org/devotionals/my_utmost \/
This email is made possible by YOUR donations! If you've found
our service encouraging or inspiring, we pray you'll give a voluntary
donation to keep this ministry going. Donations are NOT required,
but they are appreciated!
http://www.heartlight.org/support
Visit HEARTLIGHT on the web for even more articles, plus music,
devotionals and more for your Christian walk!
This devotional is copyright Oswald Chambers Publications,
< http://www.oswaldchambers.co.uk >.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE?
It's FREE! To subscribe send a blank email to:
join-myutmost@maillists.heartlight.org
HOW DO I LEAVE?
To unsubscribe send a blank email to:
myutmost-unsub@maillists.heartlight.org
STILL HAVING TROUBLE?
If our automated unsubscribe system isn't working for you,
send an email to mailmaster@heartlight.org and let us know
what list you would like to leave. We'll take care of you.
======================================================================
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
