The Apostle Paul says, "Do all you work in love."
He doesn't say SOME of your work, but ALL of your work. He also says no matter "what I do, I'm bankrupt without love." (1 Corinthians 13:3 MSG)
The point is, ANY job can be turned into worship when it is built on the model of Christ's love; that love is expressed to co-workers, clients and customers. Mother Teresa said, "It's not what you do so much that matters, but how much love you put into it." Think about it like this --Two-thirds of the word "career" is C-A-R-E.
So, I want you to pray a prayer every day this week. When you get up to go work, whether it's at home or at school, in your backyard or at an office or wherever you work -- I want you to pray, "Father, today I want to worship you through my work. I want to express my gifts. I want to do it as if I'm doing it for You and I want to do it in love."
"So then, my friends, because of God's great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer." (Romans 12:1 TEV)
study verses:
"Do everything in love." (1 Corinthians 16:14 NIV)
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your true and proper worship." (Romans 12:1 NIV)
"If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." (1Corinthians 13:3 NIV)
Yikes!!!!! What a great message from Rick Warren! That is what life is really about. Love. Love God, love yourself, love people. It is all a mindset. I can wake up and have a horrible attitude and have that dictate my whole day and affect everyone around me in negative way. Or we can choose to change our mindset, focus on the positive and be thankful/ grateful and simply show that LOVE. The Bible says, "do EVERYTHING in LOVE." You need to keep things in perspective, we have to understand that LOVE goes a long way. Help each other and help those that are in need.
I hope you are motivated by Love in ALL you do. Who have you opened the door for lately?
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
POWER and WISDOM
People today run after two things: miraculous signs and wonders, and knowledge. It was no different in the Bible times. The apostle Paul acknowledged that "Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom." (1Corinthians 1:22)
So when Paul preached Christ crucified as God's solution to them, the message was "to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness" (1 Corinthians 1:23). They didn't understand how getting a revelation of Jesus and His death could give them the miracles they needed or the wisdom they wanted.
Beloved, we don't have to run after miracles or wisdom today. We just need to run after Jesus because He is "the power of God and the wisdom of God." The more we know Christ and Christ crucified, the more we will have the power and wisdom of God.
Several church members have shared how they have seen the power of God blast financial debts out of their lives. Not knowing what to do about their debts, they looked to the Lord to deliver them. And the Lord was able to do so mightily because He is indeed the power of God.
So if you are facing financial debt, Christ has the power to remove the debt. And because He is also the wisdom of God, He will show you where you went wrong and teach you how to stay out of debt.
Let me give you another illustration. Let's say a man, whose wife has left him, looks to Jesus to bring his wife back. Christ , the power of God, brings about a miraculous restoration of their marriage. But it is Christ, the wisdom of God, who will teach the husband how to keep his wife by showing him what he had done wrong and what to do to strenthen the marriage. If the husband does not have this wisdom, it will only be a matter of time before the same problems surface and his wife leaves him again.
My friend, Christ is both the power and wisdom of God to us. As the power of God, He removes obstacles in our paths. As the wisdom of God, He continually directs our paths!
Thought for the day:
As the power of God, Christ removes obstacles in our paths. As the wisdom of God, He continually directs our paths!
"but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1Corinthians 1:24 NIV)
WOW!!!!!! What a great message from Joseph Prince! I know its hard for me to lean on God when times are hard, especially when we are going through tough times and our current situation just isn't what WE expect them to be. But it says in the Bible that we should not lean on our own understanding but TRUST in GOD! You have to understand that GOD is our STRENGTH and HE is our WISDOM, we have to know that at the end of the day, GOD will provide.
I look back at a lot and I can honestly say that at that moment in the past, I was really stressing and didn't know what to do, but looking back NOW, God was really there and provided what I NEEDED! Remember its not about what WE WANT! It's about our NEEDS, LOL I know I get that confused, but it's just the human side of us that makes us WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT for OURSELVES. I haven't seen anything that says that we are always going to get what we want, but I have seen God provide for my needs.
I hope you are encouraged! Remember, NO MATTER what you are going through, SEEK God and He will guide you.
So when Paul preached Christ crucified as God's solution to them, the message was "to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness" (1 Corinthians 1:23). They didn't understand how getting a revelation of Jesus and His death could give them the miracles they needed or the wisdom they wanted.
Beloved, we don't have to run after miracles or wisdom today. We just need to run after Jesus because He is "the power of God and the wisdom of God." The more we know Christ and Christ crucified, the more we will have the power and wisdom of God.
Several church members have shared how they have seen the power of God blast financial debts out of their lives. Not knowing what to do about their debts, they looked to the Lord to deliver them. And the Lord was able to do so mightily because He is indeed the power of God.
So if you are facing financial debt, Christ has the power to remove the debt. And because He is also the wisdom of God, He will show you where you went wrong and teach you how to stay out of debt.
Let me give you another illustration. Let's say a man, whose wife has left him, looks to Jesus to bring his wife back. Christ , the power of God, brings about a miraculous restoration of their marriage. But it is Christ, the wisdom of God, who will teach the husband how to keep his wife by showing him what he had done wrong and what to do to strenthen the marriage. If the husband does not have this wisdom, it will only be a matter of time before the same problems surface and his wife leaves him again.
My friend, Christ is both the power and wisdom of God to us. As the power of God, He removes obstacles in our paths. As the wisdom of God, He continually directs our paths!
Thought for the day:
As the power of God, Christ removes obstacles in our paths. As the wisdom of God, He continually directs our paths!
"but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1Corinthians 1:24 NIV)
WOW!!!!!! What a great message from Joseph Prince! I know its hard for me to lean on God when times are hard, especially when we are going through tough times and our current situation just isn't what WE expect them to be. But it says in the Bible that we should not lean on our own understanding but TRUST in GOD! You have to understand that GOD is our STRENGTH and HE is our WISDOM, we have to know that at the end of the day, GOD will provide.
I look back at a lot and I can honestly say that at that moment in the past, I was really stressing and didn't know what to do, but looking back NOW, God was really there and provided what I NEEDED! Remember its not about what WE WANT! It's about our NEEDS, LOL I know I get that confused, but it's just the human side of us that makes us WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT for OURSELVES. I haven't seen anything that says that we are always going to get what we want, but I have seen God provide for my needs.
I hope you are encouraged! Remember, NO MATTER what you are going through, SEEK God and He will guide you.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Connect through Commitment
The Bible says, "A friend loves at all times." That means even when it's inconvenient, when you don't feel like it, even when the other person doesn't deserve it, even at personal cost. That's what real friendship is all about.
The Bible says in Proverbs 18:24 (NIV), "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." This means mere socializing can keep you from having deep relationships. You can be so busy making acquaintances that you never spend the time, energy and effort it takes to cultivate the deep, satisfying intimacy of a good friendship.
You don't need a lot of friends to make it in this world but you do need a few good ones. One good friendship is better than ten thousand acquaintances. The acquaintances aren't going to be there in the crisis. Friends will. And every important close connection begins with a commitment.
You need people in your life who will be courageous, considerate, constructive, candid, confidential, and committed. But there is only one way you're going to get people like this in your life: YOU HAVE TO BE THAT KIND OF FRIEND FIRST.
"Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble." Proverbs 17:17 MSG
"Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family." Proverbs 18:24 MSG
WOW! Thats another great message by Rick Warren. I think its so important that we look at the issue head on and be honest with ourselves. I was told by Dad when I was young, that when you have a lot of money its easy to have a lot of friends but when a crisis happens, you will see who your "real" friends are. I can actually say that this statement held true for me and honestly for a few more people I know and have seen. We have to remember to really keep things in perspective and be real with ourselves. It says in the Bible, that "the man of many friends ( a friend of all the world) will prove himself a bad friend, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24 AMP. You have to understand that if you want to have a courageous, considerate, constructive, candid, confidential, and committed friend; that will tell you about yourself when you are doing wrong or just simply when you look like a fool, then we first have to be that COURAGEOUS, CONSIDERATE, CONSTRUCTIVE, CANDID, CONFIDENTIAL, and COMMITTED Friend.
I hope you are encouraged to be that "real" friend that is committed. I feel this world, this generation myself included is just SCARED of commitment because of hurt or whatever. But I say, here's a word from the wise...STOP! "Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT. So I say, let's just LOVE our friends, family, neighbors, cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents, etc! Show love regardless, thats what I say!
Now go and tell someone that you are close to that you love them! I don't know, call someone and surprise them! MOM? DAD? FRIEND? LOL!!
The Bible says in Proverbs 18:24 (NIV), "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." This means mere socializing can keep you from having deep relationships. You can be so busy making acquaintances that you never spend the time, energy and effort it takes to cultivate the deep, satisfying intimacy of a good friendship.
You don't need a lot of friends to make it in this world but you do need a few good ones. One good friendship is better than ten thousand acquaintances. The acquaintances aren't going to be there in the crisis. Friends will. And every important close connection begins with a commitment.
You need people in your life who will be courageous, considerate, constructive, candid, confidential, and committed. But there is only one way you're going to get people like this in your life: YOU HAVE TO BE THAT KIND OF FRIEND FIRST.
"Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble." Proverbs 17:17 MSG
"Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family." Proverbs 18:24 MSG
WOW! Thats another great message by Rick Warren. I think its so important that we look at the issue head on and be honest with ourselves. I was told by Dad when I was young, that when you have a lot of money its easy to have a lot of friends but when a crisis happens, you will see who your "real" friends are. I can actually say that this statement held true for me and honestly for a few more people I know and have seen. We have to remember to really keep things in perspective and be real with ourselves. It says in the Bible, that "the man of many friends ( a friend of all the world) will prove himself a bad friend, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24 AMP. You have to understand that if you want to have a courageous, considerate, constructive, candid, confidential, and committed friend; that will tell you about yourself when you are doing wrong or just simply when you look like a fool, then we first have to be that COURAGEOUS, CONSIDERATE, CONSTRUCTIVE, CANDID, CONFIDENTIAL, and COMMITTED Friend.
I hope you are encouraged to be that "real" friend that is committed. I feel this world, this generation myself included is just SCARED of commitment because of hurt or whatever. But I say, here's a word from the wise...STOP! "Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT. So I say, let's just LOVE our friends, family, neighbors, cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents, etc! Show love regardless, thats what I say!
Now go and tell someone that you are close to that you love them! I don't know, call someone and surprise them! MOM? DAD? FRIEND? LOL!!
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