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Friday, August 23, 2013
Doing the right things Doing the right things in an ocean of perfection, on drop of imperfection sullies it all!
We can try to do everything perfectly and fail!
Perhaps
that’s why these guys many years ago invite Jesus to their home and then watched him. They wanted to find out how to do things perfectly and tried
to set up the perfect environment for him. I’m sure they spent lots of time trying to get everything perfect, having
their wives work at getting that house clean, inviting only the guests they thought were correct.
This is how the bible records how it worked
out…
Luke 14 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully
watched. 2 There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. 3 Jesus
asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” 4 But they
remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.
5 Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child
or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?” 6 And they had
nothing to say.
7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When
someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have
been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your
seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take
the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then
you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled,
and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your
friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you
will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and
you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Perfection
at the human level is not attainable.
The core reason is we cannot see from God’s perspective. We judge wrong!
God says we are all imperfect from his perspective and since he
knows all knowledge that will ever be known, even that of the science, philosophy, sociology and theology to come, he must
right.
Where does that leave us?
Sinners!
i.e. selfish, ignorant and nasty even if we don’t want to be and try our very best not to be.
God knows that and it doesn’t
matter.
Jesus knows that and he loved us enough to die for it!
He wants us to be perfect, and knows we cannot do
it ourselves.
That’s
why he came in and took on the perfectionist task, not us.
Jesus makes up for our inadequacies and because of him, the ocean of soiled perfection is purified
and our lives are beautiful, clean and unsullied.
Isn’t that a wonderful thing to start the day with?
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
A quiet place Every want to have peace and quiet for a while.
The same happens
spiritually. We need our quiet places we can withdraw to when we need rest. Here’s one of them…
The Lord is my shepherd, I
lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even
though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence
of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love
will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Wed, August 21, 2013 | link
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Risk vs. Fear  “To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must
be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing”~Anonymous
Fear can incapacitate us can’t it?
Risk catapults us past fear into
unknown territory and is scary?
Why risk?
Without risk we do not move forward!
We do not fully experience life.
Life is not easy and anyone who thinks it
should be is overprotected or not doing enough to meet the goals of their life.
Living in God’s guidance is rewarding, challenging
and hard.
We have to risk to get into the area of faith.
Faith and worthiness go hand in hand.
Once we realize that God considers us worthy, we come to the realization
our worthiness is not dependant on ourselves only. Jesus’ death makes us worth and eternal life is for all. We are worthy.Yes! Full understanding of this enables.
In
situations where fear is overwhelming, we see light.
The light of the world pushes back the darkness because our worthiness enable faith. In the
toughest of life’s challenges we have God’s joy in our hearts. We know he is with us. As we pray we release into
our bodies power to do, not only for ourselves, but for others. We drive to improve the world around us.
We push back fear, and faith enables risks
to be taken that move the world forward and our lives towards great Godly goals.
Vulnerability to God and others opens up relationships.
Deep relationships provide fulfilment.
God is so good.
Have you released your fears and phobias to Him? You should!
He will give you peace and
joy in return.
I know!
Have a great day!
Tue, August 20, 2013 | link
Monday, August 19, 2013
“Be scared!”, how do I react? 
“Hold up... hold on... don't be scared
You'll never change what's been and gone
May your smile... Shine on...
Don't be scared
Your destiny may keep you warm.” ~ Oasis
When a person or people come to us with message that tells us that we should fear something, and because of that, we
should change our course of action, what should we do?
Fear of the future can trap us and rob us of life!
Constantly being concerned of the “to come”
we may generate anxiety, anger, stomach cramps and nervousness.
Why?
Nothing has happened yet and these things all reduce our ability to
react correctly when the time does come (if it comes), right?
Why are we so good at damaging ourselves in the present?
Tiring ourselves, pulling ourselves down does
little doesn’t it?
How did Jesus react in similar circumstances?
In Luke 13 Jesus hears the following…
Now there were some present at that time who told
Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
Then a little later this is what happens…
31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and
said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”
Whatever our situation, we normally
are not faced with that type of threat are we?
Remember
Herod was King of the Jews so it was a bit like the Queen of Britain saying she wants a person killed, or Obalma in
the USA saying he wanted a person killed.
The message
is quite clear…”be scared” or “have
fear”
I’m pretty
sure I could not have handled that pressure. I think I would have run like Elijah did those many years before when Jezebel
was hunting him. (you can read that story in the Old Testament)
Yet what does Jesus do?
His words are powerful!
32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep
on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ 33 In
any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!
He does
not falter in his planning or submit to fear.
He sends a clear message to both those who bring the message and the person threatening
him. It’s not
a return threat, it’s just a statement of fact’s and intent.
Jesus would not be deviated from his prime task that God had given him. He knew what he was
to do, why and was resolved to do that task.
He ignored the statements sent to generate fear and lived fully in the moment.
That’s what we should be doing today. Things may threaten us, try to turn us aside
from God’s purpose, but we need to know that God is with us so these things matter very little.
Let’s be strong and simple in our approach. We will not need courage because if we don’t
accept the fear, or enemies attempts to unsettle us, we have no need for courage to overcome that unsettling.
Doing what God wants without deviating from the path gives us strength
and purpose.
Let's
push aside the ball and chain of fear! I pray today you have that strength and purpose. If you need to find it, prayer and
reading the bible helps. Have a wonderful day!
Mon, August 19, 2013 | link
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Rift in Evil
By Ken
X Briggs - Published: September, 2010
- Format: Perfect Bound Softcover(B/W)
- Pages: 208
Size:
6x9 - ISBN: 9781450250894
Available from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, iUniverse. |
Credit cards are acceptable on sites having Ken's books: 
:)
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| Ken's book covers are displayed below. . . | |  This
suspense thriller centers on Kiara, a beautiful young woman pursued by a murderous group of people, who relentlessly and ruthlessly
hunt her and her sisters. Kiara has no idea why she is being targeted! When Kiara and her family turn to the law for help,
this fails. Her pursuers’ powers reach deeply into the political and law enforcement world. Family support for her dwindles
when they too have to flee her pursuers. Can Kiara escape the clutches of both the law and dishonest big business? With the
media broadcasting that Kiara and friends are dangerous and subversive, can Kiara clear her name and bring her pursuers to
justice?
| | | | | To purchase Kiara's Pursuer ebook
@ $1.99 kindle version click here, To contact the author contact Author@KenXBriggs.com | | | | | | | | The town of Zinaville is dropped into a spiral of evil causing a young man and a beautiful but abused woman
to launch into an investigation that unveils an evil conspiracy. A horrific mining accident results in Joshua
Robyn's father being killed. Joshua struggles both with himself and his townsfolk as he tries to make sense of an incomprehensible
situation. Is it an accident or a murder? Why is there a seeming link to evil? Why is his work environment suddenly threatening?
What is the conspiracy about and what are they trying to do? As action moves dramatically from exotic African grasslands to
the heart of North America's cities, the plot unfolds and the pace quickens. Will there be time? Why is a beautiful abused
young woman in the center of this plot? Evil tendrils tighten on their lives and the interplay between the visible
and invisible world shows opposing forces at work. Will there be a rift in evil? Will they be able to stop the
evil in time? | | - Published: September, 2010
- Format: Perfect
Bound Softcover(B/W)
- Pages: 208
Size: 6x9 - ISBN: 9781450250894
Available
from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, iUniverse. Chapters | | | | |
| Frugal Eating Advice |
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| Good advice for students living on limited $'s. Click on the image! |
May you be blessed today!
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