Cursed Or Blessed?

Wisdom from the Lord

(5) This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,
who rely on human strength
and turn their hearts away from the Lord.
(6) They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,
with no hope for the future.
They will live in the barren wilderness,
in an uninhabited salty land.
(7) “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
(8) They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.
-- Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NLT)

Holiness Unto The LORD!
Grateful

Remain in Me.

Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.
-- Words of Jesus in John 15:4 (NIV)

Lord, I thank You for the promise that if I live in You, You will live in me. If I abide in You, You will abide in me. If I remain in You, You will remain in me. I give thanks in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Christ in you, the Hope of glory. -- Colossians 1:27b (NIV)
Grateful

What An Unbelieving World Simply Finds Unbelievable?

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." -- Brennan Manning

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. -- Proverbs 11:30 (KJV)

Lord, with our lips and especially with our lives, we prove to be either foolishly fake as we lose souls or wonderfully wise as we win souls. We want wisdom that comes from You, Jesus! Amen.

Click here: YouTube - DC Talk - What if I Stumble W/Lyrics

By Faith! In Faith! (Hebrews 11)
Grateful

Like A Tree Planted By Water...

(1) Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
(2) But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
(3) He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
-- Psalm 1:1-3 (NKJV)

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Open, Not Closed. Project, Not Protect.

Today, my friend Drew who was raised in our local church and now pastors in Germany was our guest speaker for the last Sunday of 2009. He shared beautifully the Biblical passage in Luke 3, where John the Baptist is the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lamb of God -- Jesus the Nazarene!

As I listened to Drew preach, Luke 3:8-14 particularly spoke to my own heart: (8) Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. (9) The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." (10) "What should we do then?" the crowd asked. (11) John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." (12) Tax collectors also came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?" (13) "Don’t collect any more than you are required to," he told them. (14) Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He replied, "Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay."

This is my prayer: Lord, in this New Year, like never before, I want my life to be open, not closed to the needs of others. Remind me moment-by-moment that Your mercy and grace is extended to me that I might also offer it to others. Produce in my life the fruit of repentance. Especially give me the mind of Christ and the eyes of Your Spirit so that my life will be undeniably God-owned and incredibly others-focused. Reign as Lord on the throne of my life in such a way that Your compassion flows from me to everyone I encounter. Let my life be marked by a fragrance of generosity that glorifies You. Let my focus be on giving, not getting, on projecting You, not protecting me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

ALL... JOY TO YOUR WORLD!
Grateful

Fruit for All Seasons

Today, these seven simple but profound words from Galatians 5:22 (NIV) are in my heart and on my mind: "... the fruit of the Spirit is love ..."

ALL JOY!
Grateful