You find yourself sitting in a prison cell on death row. They have not yet told you when you will be put to death, but you will be.
You look sadly back on all the things you have done in your life - both good and bad. But now the bad is all that counts. "If only I hadn't lived like that. Why did I do such terrible things? Now it's too late; I'm finished."That little child who once dreamed of being a pilot or a firefighter somehow went off track.
The jailor comes and opens your door. He says, "The judge is ready for you now!"
After a long walk down a dark hall, you come to a door. It opens and you enter the courtroom. It feels cold and is filled with people you do not know. The jailor positions you before the judge. In his hand he holds a sheet of paper with your destiny written on it. Slowly, he unfolds the verdict. He stares you in the eye as if to say, "Finally, you get what you deserve." Before all the strange faces in the room, he states that on Wednesday, September twelfth of this year, you will be executed.
You feel faint; your heart is beating in your throat. It's done.
On wobbly legs you are led back to your cell. Now all you can do is wait. Death row. You are just another one of the walking dead.
One day a stranger visits you. He tells you that there is a way to get out of prison and live again. He says if you want to start over, you can. An new life awaits you, if you want it.
"How?" you ask.
He replies, "By believing that I can!"
You tell him that you will believe in anything that can free you from this sentence of death.
The man leaves and soon after, the jailor comes and unlocks the door to your cell, saying, "You're free! You can leave now!"
"What? How?" you ask.
The jailor replies, "The man who was here just paid your debt in full. There are no sins on your record. You are free to leave.
"Outside the courthouse, standing close by, is the man. You run to him and embrace him tightly. "I don't understand," you say.
He looks at you, smiles, and answers, "You will, my son. You will. Let's go start that new life of yours together!"
-John 3:16
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
The Listening Factor ~Pastor Bob Mankaka
Have you ever had friends that will talk and talk but hardly listen to you? They will not pause even if they know you have something to say. You might even try to break in with, "May I say something?" "O sure!" they quickly reply, but the very second you start talking they swing right back in and kidnap your unfinished sentence. You are backed again into your listening corner! Such friendships usually do not work well because communication needs to be a dialogue between two people. One-way communication is unfortunate and many relationships have suffered because of it.
How do you feel about such communication? Many "disciples" and "servants" of Christ are sadly and shamefully guilty of this even though the Lord exhorts us to be quick to listen but slow to speak (James 1:19). The Bible clearly depicts Jesus Christ always intently lending his ears to people. No wonder His ministry was successful because the first step in solving problems and helping people is being a good listener. Even God Himself listens to us more than He speaks. When we want people to listen us more than we ourselves want to listen, this is clearly contrary to the advice the Lord gives us and is far from the meekness characterizing Christ throughout the Gospels (Matt.11:28-29).
Meaningful communication has to work two ways. There is little difference between communication in our relationships with friends and that with Father God. Although we may not like to admit it, this approach may very well be how we come to Him. We keep Him locked into being the Listener while we talk non-stop, monopolizing the entire communication. As He who planted the ear hears, so He planted the mouth and speaks (Ps. 94:9). This reality ought to be taken into account when we come before Him.
Most of the time, Michael, my four-year-old son, will come to talk and also listen to Dad. In fact when I am quiet and not nodding or responding, his favorite expression is, "Say Yes or No, Dad. Dad, talk. Come on, speak to me." This is how communication takes place in any relationship. Remember, God uses natural realities to convey to us supernatural truths. We ought to listen to our Father as well as talk to Him. This is effective communication.
Q. Yes, I can talk, but how on earth can I listen to the unseen Father?
A. The response is simple. Go back into the natural. How do you listen to anyone? Or when does the listening process start? In the natural Michael starts listening by staying quiet, looking at me and making himself available to listen. It is the same principle with God. When we stop speaking, we focus on His presence and make ourselves available to listen toHim.
Q. When does that Happen?
A. Many people will say, listening happens when we read the Word of God. But I say, that is not necessarily true. Some people may read the Bible but refuse to listen to the very Word they are reading. Or someone may read theBible while already having his/her mind full of preconceived and calculated ideas. God's voice cannot penetrate these self-erected walls. However when you really commit to reading the Word and listening for His voice, you will hear Him.
During your quiet time with Father God, open your heart before Him and you will hear what He has to say. That is when He will convict or prompt you to fix anything that needs to be fixed in your life. If you are truly listening with your heart, you will never hesitate to obey and act accordingly. As youobey, two-way communication will become meaningful and will progress onto anew level.
After you talk/pray, don't forget that time spent before the Lord. In otherwords, have that moment present in you wherever you go (In fact this is the meaning of praying without ceasing. 1 Thess. 5:17). The presence of God goes with you wherever you go. So, as you walk, drive, work, or converse with others, always keep your ears tuned to Him.
How many times have you wished God would listen to you? Well, can you imagine how many times the loving God has wished you would listen to Him for even a second? Do you sense God calling you back to Him? If you are listening, then you ought to respond YES to Him, your Father. Then find a fellowship with other children of God so you may learn together and grow in Him.
Advice: One learns more by listening than he does by talking.Good decisions are made when one listens rather than when he rushes to speak.People who are the most help to others are quick to listen and slow to speak.
How do you feel about such communication? Many "disciples" and "servants" of Christ are sadly and shamefully guilty of this even though the Lord exhorts us to be quick to listen but slow to speak (James 1:19). The Bible clearly depicts Jesus Christ always intently lending his ears to people. No wonder His ministry was successful because the first step in solving problems and helping people is being a good listener. Even God Himself listens to us more than He speaks. When we want people to listen us more than we ourselves want to listen, this is clearly contrary to the advice the Lord gives us and is far from the meekness characterizing Christ throughout the Gospels (Matt.11:28-29).
Meaningful communication has to work two ways. There is little difference between communication in our relationships with friends and that with Father God. Although we may not like to admit it, this approach may very well be how we come to Him. We keep Him locked into being the Listener while we talk non-stop, monopolizing the entire communication. As He who planted the ear hears, so He planted the mouth and speaks (Ps. 94:9). This reality ought to be taken into account when we come before Him.
Most of the time, Michael, my four-year-old son, will come to talk and also listen to Dad. In fact when I am quiet and not nodding or responding, his favorite expression is, "Say Yes or No, Dad. Dad, talk. Come on, speak to me." This is how communication takes place in any relationship. Remember, God uses natural realities to convey to us supernatural truths. We ought to listen to our Father as well as talk to Him. This is effective communication.
Q. Yes, I can talk, but how on earth can I listen to the unseen Father?
A. The response is simple. Go back into the natural. How do you listen to anyone? Or when does the listening process start? In the natural Michael starts listening by staying quiet, looking at me and making himself available to listen. It is the same principle with God. When we stop speaking, we focus on His presence and make ourselves available to listen toHim.
Q. When does that Happen?
A. Many people will say, listening happens when we read the Word of God. But I say, that is not necessarily true. Some people may read the Bible but refuse to listen to the very Word they are reading. Or someone may read theBible while already having his/her mind full of preconceived and calculated ideas. God's voice cannot penetrate these self-erected walls. However when you really commit to reading the Word and listening for His voice, you will hear Him.
During your quiet time with Father God, open your heart before Him and you will hear what He has to say. That is when He will convict or prompt you to fix anything that needs to be fixed in your life. If you are truly listening with your heart, you will never hesitate to obey and act accordingly. As youobey, two-way communication will become meaningful and will progress onto anew level.
After you talk/pray, don't forget that time spent before the Lord. In otherwords, have that moment present in you wherever you go (In fact this is the meaning of praying without ceasing. 1 Thess. 5:17). The presence of God goes with you wherever you go. So, as you walk, drive, work, or converse with others, always keep your ears tuned to Him.
How many times have you wished God would listen to you? Well, can you imagine how many times the loving God has wished you would listen to Him for even a second? Do you sense God calling you back to Him? If you are listening, then you ought to respond YES to Him, your Father. Then find a fellowship with other children of God so you may learn together and grow in Him.
Advice: One learns more by listening than he does by talking.Good decisions are made when one listens rather than when he rushes to speak.People who are the most help to others are quick to listen and slow to speak.
Memorable People and Memorable Experiences ~Pastor Bob Mankaka
I hope you all had a happy Memorial Day holiday. God bless you as you remember Father God for how He took you off death row through His love and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:13-15). Make your personal time and talking with Him a memorable experience.
It is surprising to hear my son Michael remind me of the little things I told him when he came to sit with me or when he laid his head on my lap. Sometimes I hear him recount those same things to his friends. Does that tell you anything? Oh yes. It tells us that the time this boy is spending with his dad has been slowly impacting him, and he won’t forget it. In fact, I can go in my “computer memory” . . . oh sorry, I should say my brain . . . as far back as possible in my youth and bring back the file of my experience with my late dad. There are times we spent together and experiences with him that I can bring back today and see crystal clear. Those are memorable experiences with my dad that I will never forget. Do you really want me to open that old file and recount to you one of those good experiences with my dad? Very well.
We were in a very hot region of the tropics. (By the way, the equator cuts my native country in half, so you know how hot it gets.) I was ten, and one day my dad asked me to accompany him to the forest and cut down the field (deforest). In my mind I can still see the road that took us into the valley that led into the forest. I was so very hot in that giant tropical forest. The river was a couple of miles away from the field, and water was nowhere to be gotten. I got so thirsty that I could not bear it anymore. Tears started streaming down my cheeks.
Three days earlier we’d had a visit from a friend of my parents, Papa Gaston, who lived in Pembe, a village five miles uphill. We loved Papa Gaston because he always brought very sweet oranges that were so sought after in that hot region. Now, as you may guess, Papa Gaston brought us a sack of oranges that day, which we had fallen on and eaten. (We were a very large family including adopted kids and nephews and nieces that my parents joined to the family - we were an army indeed!) We ate all the oranges.
Now in the forest that day with the thirst that was killing me, I started being so upset with myself, "Ho! How foolish I was to have eaten all those sweet juicy oranges. Why didn’t I think to hide one or two? Oh, imagine if I had Papa Gaston's orange right now! How long will it be before Papa Gaston visits us again?" So I went on rehashing in my thirsty thoughts while, koko, koko, ko ko ko, my father continued to hack and chop down those tall tropical trees. When the hacking ko ko ko ceased for two minutes, krwash-krwash, I heard the noise of dried tropical leaves crushing under walking feet. There was my sweating dad walking toward me in the dark forest, "Hhhhh, it is break time," he said. Then, he reached down for the small bag he had hidden in the forest the day before, "Here," he said to me, tending something like a yellow, round tennis ball. Oh no, it is a nice ripened orange!
It was Papa Gaston's juicy sweet orange! Then out came another one, then another. Imagine my joy! When we were eating three days earlier, Dad had put away a bunch and taken them to the forest, so they served their purpose in a due time. I will never forget that forest experience with my dad. So you want the next story? No, I will tell you more on Sunday if you want.
You see, the way is open, the door is wide open, and Father God has also gotten every necessary thing ready for you to make the time you spend before Him (pouring your heart before Him) such a memorable experience. Yes, the Living God, your Father has designed and intended for a live relationship with Him so that your time with Him will grab your deeper soul and will remain a memorable experience that will quicken your faith and explode your zeal for Him more and more. Come near your Father God, and he will come near to you his son/daughter (Heb. 4:8). "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matt 6:6). Go before your Father and lay out before Him the plan you have for the week, telling Him what you would like to see done this week.
It is surprising to hear my son Michael remind me of the little things I told him when he came to sit with me or when he laid his head on my lap. Sometimes I hear him recount those same things to his friends. Does that tell you anything? Oh yes. It tells us that the time this boy is spending with his dad has been slowly impacting him, and he won’t forget it. In fact, I can go in my “computer memory” . . . oh sorry, I should say my brain . . . as far back as possible in my youth and bring back the file of my experience with my late dad. There are times we spent together and experiences with him that I can bring back today and see crystal clear. Those are memorable experiences with my dad that I will never forget. Do you really want me to open that old file and recount to you one of those good experiences with my dad? Very well.
We were in a very hot region of the tropics. (By the way, the equator cuts my native country in half, so you know how hot it gets.) I was ten, and one day my dad asked me to accompany him to the forest and cut down the field (deforest). In my mind I can still see the road that took us into the valley that led into the forest. I was so very hot in that giant tropical forest. The river was a couple of miles away from the field, and water was nowhere to be gotten. I got so thirsty that I could not bear it anymore. Tears started streaming down my cheeks.
Three days earlier we’d had a visit from a friend of my parents, Papa Gaston, who lived in Pembe, a village five miles uphill. We loved Papa Gaston because he always brought very sweet oranges that were so sought after in that hot region. Now, as you may guess, Papa Gaston brought us a sack of oranges that day, which we had fallen on and eaten. (We were a very large family including adopted kids and nephews and nieces that my parents joined to the family - we were an army indeed!) We ate all the oranges.
Now in the forest that day with the thirst that was killing me, I started being so upset with myself, "Ho! How foolish I was to have eaten all those sweet juicy oranges. Why didn’t I think to hide one or two? Oh, imagine if I had Papa Gaston's orange right now! How long will it be before Papa Gaston visits us again?" So I went on rehashing in my thirsty thoughts while, koko, koko, ko ko ko, my father continued to hack and chop down those tall tropical trees. When the hacking ko ko ko ceased for two minutes, krwash-krwash, I heard the noise of dried tropical leaves crushing under walking feet. There was my sweating dad walking toward me in the dark forest, "Hhhhh, it is break time," he said. Then, he reached down for the small bag he had hidden in the forest the day before, "Here," he said to me, tending something like a yellow, round tennis ball. Oh no, it is a nice ripened orange!
It was Papa Gaston's juicy sweet orange! Then out came another one, then another. Imagine my joy! When we were eating three days earlier, Dad had put away a bunch and taken them to the forest, so they served their purpose in a due time. I will never forget that forest experience with my dad. So you want the next story? No, I will tell you more on Sunday if you want.
You see, the way is open, the door is wide open, and Father God has also gotten every necessary thing ready for you to make the time you spend before Him (pouring your heart before Him) such a memorable experience. Yes, the Living God, your Father has designed and intended for a live relationship with Him so that your time with Him will grab your deeper soul and will remain a memorable experience that will quicken your faith and explode your zeal for Him more and more. Come near your Father God, and he will come near to you his son/daughter (Heb. 4:8). "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matt 6:6). Go before your Father and lay out before Him the plan you have for the week, telling Him what you would like to see done this week.
Relationship and Communication ~Pastor Bob Mankaka
My four-year-old son Michael and I were in a Wal-Mart recently when the lady at the counter looked at Michael and said, "Hi, good-looking! What's your name, and how old are you?" Michael took so long to respond, I grew impatient and said, "Why can't you talk to the lady, Michael?" The lady quickly intervened, "Oh no, it's very good if he does not talk to strangers."
Michael will not to talk to strangers, but he never tires of talking to me. In fact, he talks and talks until I get tired of listening and have to sometimes dismiss him because I am busy with something else. His questions these days have been mind spinning. Yesterday he asked, "Dad, what does a school zone mean? Why do the police arrest the bad guys in the school zone?"
I explained the school zone is the area around a school, and the police arrest the bad guys because they drive very fast in the school zone where they must slow down lest they hurt a school child. Michael continued, "Oh, so you can't speed up in a school zone?" "Oh no, you can't," I replied. Michael paused for a moment and said, "Hmm, now if in the school zone people have to drive veeeery sssslooow, what speed were the police driving after those bad guys to be able to catch them?" Well . . . the response on that one was not easy.
Then Michael asked, "Dad, what does healing mean?" I responded, "Healing is recovering from being sick. When you are sick, Mom gives you medication and you get well; you are healed." Michael exclaimed, "Oh! Then Jesus heals?" "Oh yes." He followed, "Dad, when someone's head is cut off, what happens to the person?" "Ooh, the person dies." He continued, "The person dies and does not breathe anymore?" "Yes, the person is dead, doesn't breathe." "Can Jesus heal such a person?" Michael added. "Oh yes, He can." Michael continued,"Now, does Jesus put back the very same head or another head on the person's neck?" "The same head." Michael continued, "Will that person's head have the hair on it or just the skull?" "The head will have hair, Michael."
Michael asks so many questions I get tired. Why is it that Michael would hesitate to talk to a stranger but will talk to me for hours? The responseis simple: RELATIONSHIP. Get this: The degree of the relationship determines the level of communication. Michael easily and tirelessly talks to me because I am his father.
In the past God was seen as a distant, unreachable creator. People of Old Testament times looked at God as a punishing judge who used rules and restrictions (Exodus 19-20). Jesus Christ came to give us the right perception of God - as somebody we can relate to. In fact, Jesus himself was named Emmanuel, meaning "God among us." Jesus confidently says, "God is my father." Jesus not only calls God his father but also ushers simple people like you and me into the Father-child relationship with the living God.
Teaching his disciples the need to communicate with God through prayer, Jesus says, "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Mat. 6:6, emphasis mine). After His resurrection, Jesus says to Mary, "Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God" (John 20:17-18).
Paul, encouraging the idea of God being the Father, says, "You are not a stranger, but you are member of God's household" (Eph 2:19). John later asserts, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! . . . Dear friends, now we are children of God. . . . (1 John3:1-3). When, thanks to Jesus Christ, that personal relationship between a person and God is established through faith (Eph 2:8), we say that person is saved, or that person is born of God (John 1:12). Simply put, salvation can be explained as "a personal relationship with the living God."
Yes, the living God of Heaven and Earth becomes your Father through Jesus Christ. Now, remember that the degree of the relationship determines the level of communication; a lack of communication in any relationship is a sign of a hurting relationship. Even today, if you want to see how sweet or sour your relationship is getting, whether between parent-child, husband-wife, friends or whomever, just examine your communication for a prime indication of how it's going.
Michael talks tirelessly to me, not so that he can become my child, but rather because he is my child, our relationship has already been established - I am his father. So it is that we do not strive to talk to Father God so that we can get a chunk of salvation, but we talk to him because we are his children, and the relationship you have with the invisible living Father will establish that liberty and eagerness of you talking to Him anytime.
Are you in a relationship with God? If not, it isn't too late. Simply ask Jesus to come into your life today. He will forgive your sins, and the new relationship with God will start. Then I would encourage you to find a fellowship of other children of God so that you may receive encouragement and grow in the Lord. If you have a relationship with God, well, make communication with your Father a priority.
Beloved of the Lord, here is the truth: Dying communication conveys a dying relationship between two people, so dying communication with God is a dying relationship between you and God. As result, even though you are saved, your relationship with God will be boring and lifeless. A relationship of meaningful communication with your Father God is alive, exciting, purpose-driven, substantial, and fruitful. This is the relationship that Christ has brought us into with the living God.
Michael will not to talk to strangers, but he never tires of talking to me. In fact, he talks and talks until I get tired of listening and have to sometimes dismiss him because I am busy with something else. His questions these days have been mind spinning. Yesterday he asked, "Dad, what does a school zone mean? Why do the police arrest the bad guys in the school zone?"
I explained the school zone is the area around a school, and the police arrest the bad guys because they drive very fast in the school zone where they must slow down lest they hurt a school child. Michael continued, "Oh, so you can't speed up in a school zone?" "Oh no, you can't," I replied. Michael paused for a moment and said, "Hmm, now if in the school zone people have to drive veeeery sssslooow, what speed were the police driving after those bad guys to be able to catch them?" Well . . . the response on that one was not easy.
Then Michael asked, "Dad, what does healing mean?" I responded, "Healing is recovering from being sick. When you are sick, Mom gives you medication and you get well; you are healed." Michael exclaimed, "Oh! Then Jesus heals?" "Oh yes." He followed, "Dad, when someone's head is cut off, what happens to the person?" "Ooh, the person dies." He continued, "The person dies and does not breathe anymore?" "Yes, the person is dead, doesn't breathe." "Can Jesus heal such a person?" Michael added. "Oh yes, He can." Michael continued,"Now, does Jesus put back the very same head or another head on the person's neck?" "The same head." Michael continued, "Will that person's head have the hair on it or just the skull?" "The head will have hair, Michael."
Michael asks so many questions I get tired. Why is it that Michael would hesitate to talk to a stranger but will talk to me for hours? The responseis simple: RELATIONSHIP. Get this: The degree of the relationship determines the level of communication. Michael easily and tirelessly talks to me because I am his father.
In the past God was seen as a distant, unreachable creator. People of Old Testament times looked at God as a punishing judge who used rules and restrictions (Exodus 19-20). Jesus Christ came to give us the right perception of God - as somebody we can relate to. In fact, Jesus himself was named Emmanuel, meaning "God among us." Jesus confidently says, "God is my father." Jesus not only calls God his father but also ushers simple people like you and me into the Father-child relationship with the living God.
Teaching his disciples the need to communicate with God through prayer, Jesus says, "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Mat. 6:6, emphasis mine). After His resurrection, Jesus says to Mary, "Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God" (John 20:17-18).
Paul, encouraging the idea of God being the Father, says, "You are not a stranger, but you are member of God's household" (Eph 2:19). John later asserts, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! . . . Dear friends, now we are children of God. . . . (1 John3:1-3). When, thanks to Jesus Christ, that personal relationship between a person and God is established through faith (Eph 2:8), we say that person is saved, or that person is born of God (John 1:12). Simply put, salvation can be explained as "a personal relationship with the living God."
Yes, the living God of Heaven and Earth becomes your Father through Jesus Christ. Now, remember that the degree of the relationship determines the level of communication; a lack of communication in any relationship is a sign of a hurting relationship. Even today, if you want to see how sweet or sour your relationship is getting, whether between parent-child, husband-wife, friends or whomever, just examine your communication for a prime indication of how it's going.
Michael talks tirelessly to me, not so that he can become my child, but rather because he is my child, our relationship has already been established - I am his father. So it is that we do not strive to talk to Father God so that we can get a chunk of salvation, but we talk to him because we are his children, and the relationship you have with the invisible living Father will establish that liberty and eagerness of you talking to Him anytime.
Are you in a relationship with God? If not, it isn't too late. Simply ask Jesus to come into your life today. He will forgive your sins, and the new relationship with God will start. Then I would encourage you to find a fellowship of other children of God so that you may receive encouragement and grow in the Lord. If you have a relationship with God, well, make communication with your Father a priority.
Beloved of the Lord, here is the truth: Dying communication conveys a dying relationship between two people, so dying communication with God is a dying relationship between you and God. As result, even though you are saved, your relationship with God will be boring and lifeless. A relationship of meaningful communication with your Father God is alive, exciting, purpose-driven, substantial, and fruitful. This is the relationship that Christ has brought us into with the living God.
Run to Your Father ~Joel Seibel
Being a child can be a real challenge. A child always needs something - food, clothing, rides from here to there. Children need our love and our direction. They have to be taught and must be held.
When I was a child, I went to my parents for all of my needs. Why not? They had all the resources, and I could always count on them when I needed help. My problems seeded so huge back then, and as I grew older, they just became bigger - driver's license, car insurance, dating, graduation. .. . Yep, life was just getting bigger and bigger.
My parents were always there to lesson the stresses of my everyday life. There was a wonderful comfort in being someone's child.
But then, out of nowhere, we find ourselves the adults with kids of our own. Now we are solving all of their problems and meeting their needs.But the irony is that we still have needs and problems of our own. At times we can become overburdened, beaten down, and just plain worn out by the trials of life itself. Through the confusion of an overburdened life, it seems easy to forget that we have a Father who wants to help us with our problems, a Father who is willing and able to do anything we ask and even more than we can imagine. God wants us to come to him with all our needs.
1 Peter 5:7; Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
Jesus said, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).
Jesus explains that one ox pulling a heavy load is hard work. But when you put two oxen together in a yoke, the load becomes light -especially when the one helping is the Lord.
The last thing you want for your children is for them to become burdened by anything in this world. It's the same way with your Heavenly Father, and He's mighty enough to lift any burden off your shoulders. So the next time you're overwhelmed by life's problems, take it straight to God. Don't delay. Give it to Him before it can become a heavy load.
Remember, He is your father, and you will always be His child.
When I was a child, I went to my parents for all of my needs. Why not? They had all the resources, and I could always count on them when I needed help. My problems seeded so huge back then, and as I grew older, they just became bigger - driver's license, car insurance, dating, graduation. .. . Yep, life was just getting bigger and bigger.
My parents were always there to lesson the stresses of my everyday life. There was a wonderful comfort in being someone's child.
But then, out of nowhere, we find ourselves the adults with kids of our own. Now we are solving all of their problems and meeting their needs.But the irony is that we still have needs and problems of our own. At times we can become overburdened, beaten down, and just plain worn out by the trials of life itself. Through the confusion of an overburdened life, it seems easy to forget that we have a Father who wants to help us with our problems, a Father who is willing and able to do anything we ask and even more than we can imagine. God wants us to come to him with all our needs.
1 Peter 5:7; Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
Jesus said, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).
Jesus explains that one ox pulling a heavy load is hard work. But when you put two oxen together in a yoke, the load becomes light -especially when the one helping is the Lord.
The last thing you want for your children is for them to become burdened by anything in this world. It's the same way with your Heavenly Father, and He's mighty enough to lift any burden off your shoulders. So the next time you're overwhelmed by life's problems, take it straight to God. Don't delay. Give it to Him before it can become a heavy load.
Remember, He is your father, and you will always be His child.
The Greatest Meal You Ever Ate! ~ Joel Seibel
The Bible tell us that after we are raptured from this earth (1Thes. 4:17), we will be gathered together in Heaven for the wedding supper of the Lamb. Then we, the saints, His bride, will along with the Lord have a great banquet (Luke 14:15-24).
And what a meal it will be! I can only imagine what the food will taste like-surely prepared by angels. Personally, I like good old steak, prime rib and lobster. I wonder if they will be on the menu? Whatever is served, we've never tasted anything like it before. It will be the Greatest meal ever.
God has also prepared a great banquet before us here and now on Earth. It's a grand table heaped full of all the blessings of God for us to feast on. Starting with the Greatest Blessing of all-through His Son, Jesus,we can have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father. We have the ability to abide in Christ and walk with Him daily. We live the in dwelling of the Holy Spirit who is our guide, counselor, teacher, and friend. When we search the table, we will find many gifts free for the taking: the gift of knowledge, the gift of wisdom, the gifts of faith, healing, teaching, serving, encouraging, and many more.
On the banquet table of God, there is the fruit of the Spirit to light our journey: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. God has given you a new life. Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17)! On that beautiful table is the power of prayer, the ability to trust, the blessing of being comforted, the gift of being filled with His Spirit when we are empty, and the honor to be made pure in heart and to be called sons and daughters of the Living God. There is more on that table than you or I can ever take in, but God will show them all to us if we just ASK (Mat. 7:7).
Added to all God gives us here and now, He has promised us an inheritance. Yes, we are heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven. The banquet never stops. It continues throughout eternity. God loves us so much that even here on this earth, He wants us to take hold of everything He has for us: protection, provision, comfort, peace, joy-it's all on His table. Child of God, it's all yours. The Bible reveals to us the endless blessings and promises of God. Get yourself a good devotional, join a Bible study. Open your Bible daily and learn about the banquet He has laid out before you.
The Bible is God's menu. Check it out and see what the Special ofthe Day is.
And what a meal it will be! I can only imagine what the food will taste like-surely prepared by angels. Personally, I like good old steak, prime rib and lobster. I wonder if they will be on the menu? Whatever is served, we've never tasted anything like it before. It will be the Greatest meal ever.
God has also prepared a great banquet before us here and now on Earth. It's a grand table heaped full of all the blessings of God for us to feast on. Starting with the Greatest Blessing of all-through His Son, Jesus,we can have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father. We have the ability to abide in Christ and walk with Him daily. We live the in dwelling of the Holy Spirit who is our guide, counselor, teacher, and friend. When we search the table, we will find many gifts free for the taking: the gift of knowledge, the gift of wisdom, the gifts of faith, healing, teaching, serving, encouraging, and many more.
On the banquet table of God, there is the fruit of the Spirit to light our journey: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. God has given you a new life. Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17)! On that beautiful table is the power of prayer, the ability to trust, the blessing of being comforted, the gift of being filled with His Spirit when we are empty, and the honor to be made pure in heart and to be called sons and daughters of the Living God. There is more on that table than you or I can ever take in, but God will show them all to us if we just ASK (Mat. 7:7).
Added to all God gives us here and now, He has promised us an inheritance. Yes, we are heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven. The banquet never stops. It continues throughout eternity. God loves us so much that even here on this earth, He wants us to take hold of everything He has for us: protection, provision, comfort, peace, joy-it's all on His table. Child of God, it's all yours. The Bible reveals to us the endless blessings and promises of God. Get yourself a good devotional, join a Bible study. Open your Bible daily and learn about the banquet He has laid out before you.
The Bible is God's menu. Check it out and see what the Special ofthe Day is.
No worries, Mate! ~Joel Seibel
Philippians 4:19; And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
There was a gardener who tended the grounds of a huge, palatial estate. He kept the lawns perfect. He controlled all the weeds and loved landscaping and designing the flower beds. He was responsible for how that entire estate looked.
Now one day the mower broke down, and the lawn cutting stopped.
Did he think to himself, "What now? How do I mow the grass without a mower? This place is going to look terrible! Oh, my gosh, I'll probably lose my job! How will my kids eat? My wife will undoubtedly leave me, and I'll become homeless and destitute!
"NO! He simply goes to the one who runs the entire estate and tells him that the mower is broken. The man in charge calls the maintenance guy and tells him, "Fix the thing or take it were it can be fixed; and do it right away!" Then the gardener, knowing that this will be done, goes back to tending his garden.
Always take your needs to the One in charge. God doesn't want you to worry about the problems around you. He wants you to have faith that He will take care of all your needs, so you can continue to focus on His garden.
There was a gardener who tended the grounds of a huge, palatial estate. He kept the lawns perfect. He controlled all the weeds and loved landscaping and designing the flower beds. He was responsible for how that entire estate looked.
Now one day the mower broke down, and the lawn cutting stopped.
Did he think to himself, "What now? How do I mow the grass without a mower? This place is going to look terrible! Oh, my gosh, I'll probably lose my job! How will my kids eat? My wife will undoubtedly leave me, and I'll become homeless and destitute!
"NO! He simply goes to the one who runs the entire estate and tells him that the mower is broken. The man in charge calls the maintenance guy and tells him, "Fix the thing or take it were it can be fixed; and do it right away!" Then the gardener, knowing that this will be done, goes back to tending his garden.
Always take your needs to the One in charge. God doesn't want you to worry about the problems around you. He wants you to have faith that He will take care of all your needs, so you can continue to focus on His garden.
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