GROWTH

G Go to God in prayer daily (John 15:7)

R Read God’s Word daily (Acts 17:11)
Begin with the gospel of John
O Obey God, moment by moment (John 14:21)

W Witness for Christ by your life and words (Matt. 4:19; John 15:8)

T Trust God for every detail of your life (1 Peter 5:7)

H Holy Spirit-allow Him to control and empower your
daily life and witness (Galatians 5:16-17; Acts 1:8)

Be a Conqueror!

When the mind dwells on self, it is turned away from Jesus, the source of strength and life. Hence it is satans constant effort to keep the attention diverted from Jesus and thus prevent the union and communion of the soul with Jesus. The pleasures of the world, life's cares and perplexities and sorrows, the faults of others, and our own faults and imperfections- to any or all of these he will seek to divert the mind. Do not be misled by his devices. Many who are really conscientious, and who desire to live for God, he too often leads to dwell on their own faults and weaknesses, and thus by separating them from Jesus he hopes to gain the victory. We should not make self the center and indulge anxiety and fear as to whether we shall be saved. All this turns the soul away from the source of our strength. Commit the keeping of your soul to Jesus and trust in Him. Talk and think of Jesus. Let self be lost in Him. Put away all doubt, dismiss your fears, say with the apostle Paul, "I live, yet not I, but Jesus lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loves me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20. Rest in God, He is able to keep that which you have committed to Him. If you will leave yourself in His hands, He will bring you to be more than conqueror through Him that has loved you.

The Master Deviant

The term deviance refers to a practice that is outside the established norms for a particular society or group within a society. Christ is the Master deviant! Not in terms of conforming to the wishes of His heavenly Father and doing God's will, but this question is referring to deviance to society. In the course of His earthly life, Jesus consistently defied the social norms of His day. There are too many examples to share them all but I would like to point out a few.
He amazed His disciples, in John chapter 4, because He, being both a man and a Jew, openly spoke to a Samaritan woman. This broke not only social customs in dealing with other races but also in dealing with members of the opposite sex. He was willing to not only heal lepers but also touch them. This is something that a leprous person would never feel again- human touch. They were outcast by society and here Jesus (Mark 1) shows compassion, and deviance from society because they had no compassion, and instead of moving away from him or requiring him to shout "Unclean, Unclean!" Jesus reaches for him and touches him! Here's a thought. Do you think He touched them because He knew He was God or because He didn't care and had the faith to be protected?
Jesus deviated from the culture norms in that He did not instruct His followers to ceremoniously wash their hands before eating (Mt.15). He again surprised His disciples when He, being the Master, washed the feet of His disciples. This was a chore that society had reserved for the lowliest of servants. And yet here was the One they had confessed was the Messiah kneeling to wash feet!
He again deviated in Mark 10 when He instructed His disciples to not forbid the little children to come to Him- for society wanted the children seen and not heard and not waste the Master's time- but instead took time for them and explained that the adults must become like the children!
Pilate was also amazed at His deviance from established norms seeing how He did not try to defend Himself. Pilate in John 19 asked Jesus if He understood that Pilate had the power to crucify Him and why then would Jesus not present a defense against the charges. Jesus responded in a way that was deviant from the natural and cultural norm to self-preserve. He had already explained that His Kingdom was not of this world. If it was, His followers would fight, but since it wasn't, they wouldn't. None of this should have surprised him because Jesus(Emmanuel) had already stated, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways... (Is 55:8)

7 Tips for Building Intimacy with God

1. Spend extended time alone with God. (like 1 day every quarter)

2. Seek to please God. (Don't worry more about upsetting people than God)

3. Reflect on God.

4. Find a Christian who models intimacy and ask questions.

5. Tell yourself the truth about your relationship.

6. Practice intimacy with your spouse and family.

7. Participate in a forum that encourages intimacy with God. (Like a Bible study or chat group)

Root or Fruit?

I was listening to a program the other day and the speaker was talking about God's word being as sharp as a two edged sword(Heb.4:12). He was pointing out how His word separates the "root" issues from the "fruit" issues of the world. I'm not talking about the Fruits of the Spirit.
I am relating it to marriage specifically. I think too many people today view marriage in a way that asks about the rewards or benefits for the time invested. If my spouse has fed, watered, and nurtured me- seeing to all my needs, then I will produce the fruit of love, stability, and respect for her that she desires. That is entirely a worldly view.
God's word deals with the root issues. We can view our marriage this way by establishing ourselves firmly in God's word and talking with Him together each day. I've found that by living His principles and putting my wife before myself, I don't have thoughts of unmet needs. Tell me what marital problems can't be fixed by dealing with personal pride and selfishness.

A Different Kind of Middle East Terrorism

A terrorist that opposed any territorial concessions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict opened fire on a bus in Northern Israel on Thursday, killing four Israeli citizens. While that sounds commonplace in the tragic history of this long conflict, it actually was a very different kind of Middle Eastern terrorism. What made this distinct from most of the terrorist killings is that the terrorist was Jewish and his victims were Arabs.
Two months ago, Eden Natan Zada, went AWOL from the Israel Defense Forces because of his disagreement with the Israeli government’s planned disengagement from the Gaza strip. After hiding in a West Bank settlement, Zada boarded a bus dressed in IDF fatigues and carried an IDF automatic rifle. He arrived in the Israeli Arab town of Shfaram where he opened fire on the Arab citizens of Israel who were riding the bus. Apparently, Zada hoped to provoke Arab violence and thereby pre-empt the upcoming Israeli pullout from Gaza. Tragically he killed four Israeli Arabs before police apprehended him. Then a mob of Israeli Arabs seized the young terrorist and lynched him on the bus.
Besides the terrorist being Jewish and not Palestinian, there were some other factors that made this brutal terrorist attack different from the kind of terrorist assaults that usually take place in Israel.
First of all Prime Minister Ariel Sharon denounced Zada’s actions in the strongest possible way. He described it as “a sinful act by a bloody terrorist!” He promised to make every effort to assure the safety of every Israeli citizen. Then he made available every governmental aid to the victims of terrorism, both the survivors of the attack and the families of those who were murdered. How different that response is to the typical Palestinian Authority response to Palestinian terrorism. While the frequently denounce terrorism, it is common for PA leaders to do so not because it is wrong, but rather unproductive.
Yet another way that this attack was different can be seen in the response of the families. Eden Natan Zada’s family was horrified by his actions. Zada’s mother had notified the army of the young man’s desertion and begged them to find him for fear that he would commit this reprehensible act. How different from Palestinian mother’s who celebrate their terrorist sons, calling them martyrs for their cause and wishing that their other sons would join them.
This terrorism was also dissimilar in that the President of Israel and the two chief Rabbis made condolence visits to the bereaved families. How different from Palestinian leadership that would denounce terrorism but then send letters of congratulations to the families of the terrorists.
The entire nation of Israel was horrified by and corporately denounced Jewish terrorism. There was no justification or excuses given. It appears that Israelis understand Proverbs 17:15: “He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.” Jewish and Palestinian terrorism are the same in that they are equally evil. What makes them different is evident in the national responses to terrorism.

Michael Rydelnik.

A Mirror

A Mirror
Lord, let me be a mirror
of You the world can see.
I'll be Your faithful servant
because You set me free.

When my mirror has some flaws,
I know that I'll be broken.
But then I'll be a clearer one
by hearing what You've spoken.

Even in the darkest night,
I'll shine like noonday sun.
Because Your glory fills my soul,
there's only room for one.

A mirror shows both good and bad;
of that you can be sure.
So keep your mirror polished up
reflecting what is pure.

JG

THE SUPREME CLIMB

THE SUPREME CLIMB
"Take now thy son ." Genesis 22:2
God's command is - Take now, not presently. It is extraordinary how we debate! We know a thing is right, but we try to find excuses for not doing it at once. To climb to the height God shows can never be done presently, it must be done now. The sacrifice is gone through in will before it is performed actually.
"And Abraham rose up early in the morning and went unto the place of which God had told him" (v. 3). The wonderful simplicity of Abraham! When God spoke, he did not confer with flesh and blood. Beware when you want to confer with flesh and blood, i.e., your own sympathies, your own insight, anything that is not based on your personal relationship to God. These are the things that compete with and hinder obedience to God.
Abraham did not choose the sacrifice. Always guard against self-chosen service for God; self-sacrifice may be a disease. If God has made your cup sweet, drink it with grace; if He has made it bitter, drink it in communion with Him. If the providential order of God for you is a hard time of difficulty, go through with it, but never choose the scene of your martyrdom. God chose the crucible for Abraham, and Abraham made no demur; he went steadily through. If you are not living in touch with Him, it is easy to pass a crude verdict on God. You must go through the crucible before you have any right to pronounce a verdict, because in the crucible you learn to know God better. God is working for His highest ends until His purpose and man's purpose become one.

Rant Revisited

I was getting my hair cut this weekend by my mother in law and I brought up the topic of the homosexual man that wanted to become a member of his church from Friday's post. She disagreed with me and went on to say that she didn't think that a gay person should have the same rights as a "card carrying" member of the church. I told her I thought the Nazi party were card carrying and that the European community thought they were neato at first because they destroyed pornographic and other types of unacceptable literature. You see where that lead. Yes, that might have been a bit harsh but it made me think. It's not really the fact that he was being shut out as much as this set of rules and regulations set up by denominations. "Card carrying" as my mother in law puts it.
I used to go to this church that had a long list of bylaws. One of the most amusing, and tragic I guess, was that they had two different levels of membership. A "Community member" could smoke and stuff, but you were kind of the B team in christian politics. Then we had the "Covenant member". That was the good stuff. You were in like flint on that one. This was about five years ago. What's interesting is that they were receiving complaints and losing membership because of this deliniation so over a period of a year they quietly eliminated the "community member" option.
The Holy Bible tells us not to go beyond the Word, and Paul said in 1Cor. 1:11-13 that some people were saying they were following Apollos, others Paul, while others followed Peter. Paul asks a very important question. "Has Christ been divided?"
It's my opinion that denominations are a form of legalism and while being a member of a Baptist, Wesleyan, Methodist or whatever shouldn't keep anyone out of Heaven(I hope), I do think they have gone beyond His Holy Word and seperate and keep people out.
Therefore, this is my new monicker. It's a long one, so bear with me. I am a child of God, a follower and joint heir with Jesus and my rule book is only one- The Holy Bible. That's the only membership you need.
P.S. Mr. Webster's definition of Denomination is: A religious sect.