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Getting somewhere requires effort, it takes
faith to push on, it's easy to screw up,
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Thursday, November 20, 2014
Running ahead…loses the raceRunning ahead…loses
the race
Why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed, and in such desperate enterprises? If a man does not
keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. ~ Henry David Thoreau
Chasing dreams, desires and dangerous goals
seems so much of today’s living doesn’t it?
Life goals seem to push us in this direction, and we need to think about whether we need to have the same
approach when it comes to our spiritual life. Does joy come from frenetic struggles to achieve.
I was reading John the apostle’s writing to a lady of that
early church era just after Jesus had left the earth in human form and Holy Spirit had joined the believers.
He says in 2 John…
9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in
the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
God has no wish for us to run ahead
of his planning. Inability to discern and
follow God’s direction, inability to stay in tune with Holy Spirits guiding is a significant failing. John says they
do not have God.
We
can pull ourselves from that place where our heavenly Father guides us moment by moment.
That is then our doing, not His.
Let’s not do that today.
Thu, November 20, 2014 | link
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
I don’t want to face the day… I don’t want to face the day…
They
say that it’s a good day when your feet hit the ground when you get up. They’re right but why is taking those
first steps so difficult sometimes?
Reluctant to face this morning, … this day?
Looking at life can sometimes be daunting and we may want to avoid what we think is going to be pain.
It’s hard to step towards something we think is going to
cause some anxiety or stress.
Nobody finds it easy to do.
Not even God!
Jesus who is God, when he became a man like
us, had this exact problem one evening. He had finished supper and went out into a garden to contemplate what he knew he had
to face the next day.
This
was hard to do, very hard!
The bible says…
Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching
the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41 He withdrew about
a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this
cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened
him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the
ground. Luke 22
Nothing easy about that experience, right?
Anguish!
Jesus understands.
Some days
we look into our future and feel anguish.
How
do we deal with it?
Let’s see how Jesus dealt with it.
He prayed!
Have we prayed about today?
Have we drawn
close to the one who loves us dearly and asked Him to look after us?
We can plead with Jesus and the Father to remove the strain
for the day. It is God’s
choice not ours, since some things we experience as pain actually do good for the world around us and strangely enough, even
for us.
We
need to allow God to direct our lives to enable us to fulfill our destiny.
Life with a purpose comes from following God’s
direction.
If
Jesus had ran away from the pain and strain, we would be in a horrible place today. He didn’t, we are able to connect
directly with God and get leading as a result of Jesus courage.
Our tasks are fortunately lesser and more easily accomplished.
That doesn’t mean they are not hard for
us. They are!
We
struggle with them, but we need to know that Jesus understands our strain.
He isn’t a God out there, but a God who is right alongside us. He has experienced where we are. He
can show us the best way to overcome the strain.
God
loves us!
That’s what makes those first steps of the day possible and confident. No matter what we face, God faces
it together with us!
That’s
the great news for today isn’t it?
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Is God's word truth? Is God's word truth?
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. ~Bible, NIV, John 17:17
Truth is elusive in today’s world isn’t
it?
Rather
like looking at a cone but seeing either a circle or triangle because we have a specific perspective that doesn’t allow
us to see the whole. One person looks from underneath seeing only a circle, another from the side and sees only the triangle.
The truth, which is the
cone, is not seen by either of these two people and they can have arguments as to which is right, but the arguments are moot
once they understand they are viewing a cone.
John says that truth is central. He says God’s word is truth and when we look at the opening to this piece of writing we will understand by the word "word", John
is referring to God’s “logos” or the "word" that is revealed by Jesus and the biblical scriptures
and perhaps by nature as a whole. He points out in John 1 that “In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Later he reports “When he saw Jesus passing by,
he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’”
Jesus was the word and that word is truth.
This means John is pointing out Jesus and truth
are the same, and that Jesus and God are the same. He is also pointing out that Jesus and God are true representations of
truth.
Yet in the quote
above he says “Sanctify them by your truth”.
The "them"
he is referring to is you, me and all people of our earth that have accepted that Jesus is God, that he died for our selfish,
ignorant and nasty acts, and that he rose from the dead to go to heaven from where he will review all we do in our lives and
then judge each of us fairly according to what we have done.
That's something we should consider as we go about
our daily activities isn't it?
That word “Sanctify” is a churchy word. We don’t use it in common talk anymore.
If we Goggle what it means we get…
verb:
· set apart as or declare holy; consecrate,
· make legitimate or binding by religious sanction.
·
free from sin; purify.
It seems to
mean… set apart and purified for God’s use and
purpose.
Do we think of ourselves in that way?
Probably
not!
Are we set apart and purified
for God’s use and purpose?
We
should be! That is what it means to be a Christian!
To the extent we are able to in humility submit to the great purposes God has for us, to that extent that we give
God glory, to that extent we become fulfilled.
This is a difficult teaching to accept, but a wonderful one to experience.
Think about it, and when you are ready all you need is a short prayer
to make it happen.
Something
like… Sanctify me by the truth; your word is truth. You father God as Jesus make the difference and I want to hand over
control of my life to your truth, to you, to be enabled to make a difference for you in this world that you created and keep
going second by second. Take me, purify me and use me dear lord!
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If you want to see a short blog describing a perspective on what I believe click here
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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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on XML Click here =>  to be told of new blogs
| 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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