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#74 #75 #76 #77 #78 #79 #80 #81 #82 #73 <>< FROM THE TEXT ><> 1 Timothy 1:15-16 Here is a trustworthy
saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown
mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his
unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and
receive eternal life. Micah 7:18-19 Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his
inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You
will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl
all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. Jeremiah 50:20 In those days, at that
time,” declares the Lord, “search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there
will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will
forgive the remnant I spare. Psalm 86:5 For Thou O Lord, art good
and ready to forgive, and abundant in loving-kindness, too all those who call
upon Thee. =) THINK IT OVER =) These are good verses. They are talking all about God’s
mercy and forgiveness. We are so lucky because our God is one who doesn’t
hold grudges, in fact- he loves to show His mercy! As a lot of you already
know, way back when (and we’re talkin’ Biblical Times) those Israelites
showed us just how much God will forgive us. You see, Israel went through
many phases. It went through times where they were all good, and into
praising God. But then a few decades would pass and they would start to be
bad. That was when God would have to send down a punishment. The Israelites
would learn, but sure enough, a few decades later they would go back to their
ways. They would go back to worshipping their idols and stuff. And this whole
cycle would just keep on repeating quite a few times. Anyway… the point is,
even though the people would keep on doing bad things, God would keep on forgiving
them! In Jeremiah 50:20 it talks about how no guilt will found in Israel. You
want to know why? Because God has basically forgiven and forgotten! So just
remember this: No matter what you have done, no matter how bad it was, God
will always forgive you! Just go read about Paul, aka: Saul! God knows that
none of us are perfect, but as long as we’re able to admit when we’re wrong
and ask for his forgiveness we’ll be okay! *&* TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE *&* Today we challenge you to think back about
someone who has hurt you or said something bad about you. Then think about
when they tried to apologize to you and you wouldn’t accept it. We challenge
you to go to that person and let them know that whatever they did to you is
forgiven and forgotten. Because I, for one, believe that life is way too
short to hold grudges! (-.-) PRAY ABOUT IT (-.-) God, today I want to pray that you will give us the
strength to do today’s challenge. To help us to forgive one of our old
enemies. Thank you so much for always forgiving us. I know that I’m
definitely no saint. I’ve made a million mistakes. So thank you so much! And
in God and Jesus’ name I pray, amen! ************************** <>< FROM THE TEXT ><> Romans 8:28 And we know that God
causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those
who are called according to His purpose. Job 23:1-10 Then Job replied: “Even
today my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy in spite of my groaning. If
only I knew where to find him; if only I could go to his dwelling! I would
state my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would find out
what he would answer me, and consider what he would say. Would he oppose me
with great power? No, he would not press charges against me. There an upright
man could present his case before him, and I would be delivered forever from
my judge. “But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I
do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he
turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. But he knows the way that I
take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. Jeremiah 10:11-16 “Tell them this: ‘These
gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth
and from under the heavens.’” But God made the earth by his power; he founded
the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from
the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the
wind from his storehouses. Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; Every
goldsmith is shamed by his idols. His images are a fraud; they have no breath
in them. They are worthless, the objects of mockery; when their judgment
comes, they will perish. He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things, including Israel, the tribe of his
inheritance- the Lord Almighty is his name. =) THINK IT OVER =) Don’t you ever feel like everything is out of control? I
know I feel like that all the time. When things get like that we tend to ask
questions like, “Where is God now?” What you need to understand is that no
matter how bad life gets, no matter how bad we’re doing, God would never just
leave us! He does, believe it or not, know what’s going to happen. A few
weeks ago, I remember talking about life as a parade. God is up in the blimp
and he’s able to see the whole parade from up there from beginning to end. Us,
on the other hand, are standing on the sidelines, just watching and waiting
for the parade to pass us by. So when you start thinking that God doesn’t
know what he is doing, and you start wondering if he really has control, just
remember this: God does have control over everything! If He didn't, this
whole world would be even worse than it already is!! God has everything just
the way He wants it... for now that is. Some day when he comes back he will
make everything better but until then we just have to have understand that He
knows what He is doing and He has everything under control! Do you ever
feel like sometimes things are just out of control?? Well no worries! God is
working out His divine plan and is taking care of everything! So today we
challenge you to try to stop worrying!!!! (-.-) PRAY ABOUT IT (-.-) Dear Lord, I thank you that you have your hand in
everything and that you are in control over all the things that are going on.
In Jesus' name, amen. *************************** <>< FROM THE TEXT ><> Ephesians 1:11 In him we were also
chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out
everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with
all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure
of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. =) THINK IT OVER =) I know that Kelly is going to include Proverbs 3:5 in
the "From the Text" section as many times as she can!! But it is an
important verse! You do have to Trust in the Lord with all of your heart- and
trust in his understanding, not your own. Unless you can do that, you can’t
really understand God’s Plan. Everyone has a purpose in life, a meaning. You
were not put on this Earth for no reason. No. God had a plan for you when he
made you. He knew what you would be, how many sins you would commit, and so
much more. He knew every detail about you, every crease in your skin, every
freckle on your face, and every hair on your head. He also knows what you
will grow up to be. And do you really think you would be here if you weren't
useful, and needed? *&* TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE *&* Sorry no
challenge for you today unless you count reading the story of how the candy
cane was originally created a challenge! “I am only a candy maker”, he
thought sadly. “No one will listen to me when I tell of the wondrous love of
my Lord, about how and why God entered our world, born as a baby in
Bethlehem.” “How can I tell the children about the love of Jesus?” he
wondered. Then he smiled, “I will make them some candy. I will begin with
pure white for the virgin birth of Jesus and his sinless ness. It will be
hard, and pure. I will make it into the letter J so that all may be reminded
that it is by the name of Jesus that we are saved from our sins. Either the
letter J or the shepherd’s staff, so that we may know Jesus is our shepherd,
our savior and Lord.” “To remember the awful price of Jesus’ love for me, I
shall include red to tell of the blood he shed to save me from my sins. And
so was made the candy cane: Crafted in love, and made to help us remember the
costly love of Jesus. The Bible says: For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him shall not perish
but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (-.-) PRAY ABOUT IT (-.-) Dear God, thank you for having a plan before you even
created the earth. It really makes me feel good to know that you personally
took the time to make me, to make every different part of my personality and
every single strand of my hair. So today I just wanted to thank you and let
you know that I am grateful! I love you so much, Jesus’ Name I pray, amen *************************** <>< FROM THE TEXT ><> Exodus 9:16 But I have raised you up
for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might
be proclaimed in all the earth. Revelation 1:17-18 When I saw him, I fell at
his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do
not be afraid I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead,
and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. John 21:5-11 He called out to them,
“Friends, haven’t you any fish?” ”No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your
net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did they
were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the
disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon
Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around
him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples
followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from
shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed they saw a fire of burning
coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some
of the fish you have just caught.” Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the
net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was
not torn. =) THINK IT OVER =) Our God is So Powerful? Did you read the story about the
fish and the net???? I mean you saw the numbers- that net carried 153 BIG
fish. And still it didn’t tear. That’s pretty cool! John, by the way, wrote
Revelation. This is good to know, because the way he talks about it, is as if
all of this has already happened. And in John’s mind it kind of has. You see,
he had visions of what was to come. So he talks about when he sees Jesus how
he fell to His feet, as if he was dead. Then Jesus tells John not to be
afraid. And He tells him that He is the first and the last, and alive, yet he
died! Now that’s crazy!! How can Jesus have died, yet still be alive? Very
interesting, huh? Well, not if you know the whole story of his resurrection!
God’s power is just so unlimited, and so great! The Bible says we should love
God, but also that we should fear him! The reason we should fear him is
because we should know of his power, and how great it is, and that He is,
indeed, able to squash us like a bug, whenever he wants to! Don’t worry- I
strongly doubt He will. But we just wanted to let you know, so you wouldn’t
pick up your Bible one day, and read that you’re supposed to fear God, and
start freaking out. Yes, God is all powerful. So it’s a REALLY good thing
that we are on his side, don’t you think???? *&* TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE *&* Today we
challenge you to, try to find a verse that talks about how we’re supposed to
fear God. We purposely did not put one in the From the Text section, just so
you guys would have to find them! Wasn’t that nice of us? So go ahead, get
out a Bible, a Concordance, or just go on the computer to: www.askjeeves.com,
then type in the question, Why Should we fear God? You’ll get a lot of cool
pages. ************************** <>< FROM THE TEXT ><> Jeremiah 23:23-24 “Am I only a God nearby,”
declares the Lord, “and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places
so that I cannot see him?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and
earth?” declares the Lord. Psalm 139:7-10 Where can I go from your
Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you
are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the
wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, Even there your
hand will guide me; your right hand will hold me fast. =) THINK IT OVER =) Do you remember being little and wishing you had some
kind of super powers? I know I did! I remember wishing that I could read
people’s minds, or that I could fly, or maybe even be everywhere at once!
What is that word that means you’re everywhere at once? Oh yeah… omnipresent.
Want to hear something really, really cool?? God is omnipresent! That means
he is everywhere at once. He knows when you’re sleeping, and when you’re
awake. Whether you’ve been bad or good… He knows everything!! I always thought
that was pretty awesome. Because God is everywhere, that means he is able to
be with you all the time. So even when you’re sometimes lonely, you’re never
really alone! And that’s one of the most reassuring things there is to know!!
*&* TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE *&* Today I
challenge you to read this: Footprints in the sand One night I had a dream. I
was walking along the beach with the Lord, and across the skies flashed
scenes from my life. In each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand.
One was mine, and one was the Lord’s. When the last scene of my life appeared
before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand, and, to my surprise,
I noticed that many times along the path of my life there was only one set of
footprints. And I noticed that it was at the lowest and saddest times in my
life. I asked the Lord about it: “Lord, you said that once I decided to
follow you, you would walk with me all the way. But, I notice that during the
most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. I
don’t understand why you left my side when I needed you most.” The Lord said:
“My precious child, I never left you during your time of trial. Where you see
only one set of footprints, I was carrying you.” (-.-) PRAY ABOUT IT (-.-) Dear God, today I want to thank you. Thank you for never
ever leaving me. Even though most of us, at some time or other, have gotten
mad at you, you still never left me! Now that’s what I call a great God!!! So
thank so much. I love you, in Jesus’ name I pray, amen! ************************** *************************** <>< FROM THE TEXT ><> John 14:2 In my Father's house there
are many dwelling places, if it were not so I would have told you, I go to
prepare a place for you. Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship is in
heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation 21:4 And God will wipe away
every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor
crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away”. =) THINK IT OVER =) It’s so cool to know that once we die we will get to go
to such a great place! Heaven is just going to be so much better then any of
us can, or will, ever even imagine! There won’t be any crying, there won’t be
any tears or sadness or pain! Best of all, though, there won’t be any more
death at all! Losing someone is probably one of the worst things that can
happen here on earth. In my opinion that is. So if you take all of that
heartache away, then things will be so much better, right? When God
originally made the earth, he put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. And
from what I hear, the Garden isn’t a bad place to live! But they messed up,
they ate out of the one tree that they weren’t supposed to. And that is what
started this whole test that we call life. God decided he needed a process of
weeding out the people who can follow him and the ones who are too
self-righteous to do so. Life isn’t about one person doing more good deeds
than someone else. Sure, God appreciates it when you help people get further
along in the “game". But what’s most important is believing in Jesus.
Because you can do all the good deeds you want, they won’t get you to Heaven.
The only thing that will is Jesus. So if you don’t already have him in your
heart. I seriously suggest you scroll to the end of the newsletter and say
that prayer. It will be the most important thing you ever say in your life! *&* TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE *&* Today our
challenge is for those of you who haven’t asked Jesus into your heart. If you
haven’t, then we challenge you to say this prayer. But remember that there is
no point in saying it, unless you actually mean it. (-.-) PRAY ABOUT IT (-.-) Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross to save me. I
now realize that without you I’d be doomed. Today I want to ask you to come
and live in my heart. I realize that I have done so many bad things, and I’m
very, very sorry for doing them. Please forgive me for my sins, and help me
to do things that aren’t sinful. Lastly please give me the wisdom so that I
can know right from wrong. And give me the will to want to read your Word.
Help me to learn and to talk with people about you daily. In all of these
things I pray in Jesus’ Name, Amen!!! We didn’t want to
leave those of you who already believe in God out, so if you want this prayer
is for you: God, Please grant me
the serenity to accept the things I cannot change Courage to change the
things I can And wisdom to the difference! Thanks, amen! **************************** <>< FROM THE TEXT ><> Job 2:10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women
speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not adversity?” In all this,
Job did not sin with his lips. =) THINK IT OVER =) Today we are going to take a story out of a devotion
book called “extreme devotion” by voice of the martyrs. And then just talk
about this story a little. When Ercan Sengul committed his life to Christ in the
Muslim nation of Turkey, some saw it as turning his back on his heritage and
nation. When he said that he would so anything for God, he had meant it then:
but what about now? Ercan sat in a dark, dank prison cell surrounded by cell
mates. He had been arrested by local police who said that he’d “insulted
Islam” by distributing books for a Christian publisher. Ercan cried out to
God, begging to be rescued. He knew that he’d done nothing wrong and didn’t
deserve to be there. “You said you’d
do anything for me,” God whispered to Ercan’s heart. “Did you mean it?”
Broken before God, Ercan wept and worshipped. He told God in his heart “I
really meant it.” Ercan began to preach three hours each day in prison. He
learned that God allowed him to be imprisoned to give him a new mission
field! Ercan was in prison for thirty days until witnesses admitted that
police had pressured them to sign statements, and the judge found no evidence
of any crime. The arrest has furthered Ercan’s witness. Since his release,
many who shared his cell have visited his church, asking about the God who
gave him peace while locked in prison. Ercan still joyfully gives out
Christian books, knowing he could be arrested. Most Christians would admit that suffering isn’t what we
meant by wanting to be used by God. But when we let God use us we need to be
ready for ANYTHING that comes our way. When you let God take control you
NEVER know what is going to happen.
Like Job was telling his wife: you can’t just accept God to keep
blessing you with all these good things upon good things, because turmoil
will come every once and a while and it is for our testing of faith! God
wants us to walk by FAITH not by sight. If we walked by sight it would be
really hard to be a Christian because YOU CAN’T SEE GOD. So therefore you
have faith that he is there, you have faith that he is in control, and you
need to have faith in him when you tell him to use you for HIS GLORY.
Danielle and Kelly had no idea what they were getting into when they started
writing these devotionals and sending them out. They had no idea they would
actually get them out in the mail, and Danielle had NO IDEA that God would
ever tell her to write a book!! BUT both of them knew that God wanted to use
them for his glory, so they put faith in Him and did what they told him and
still do it today. *&* TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE *&* Would you do
anything for God if he asked you?? Why/why not? Why do you think it is
important to walk by faith and not by sight? (-.-) PRAY ABOUT IT (-.-) Dear Lord, I thank you that all I have to do is trust
you and you will guide the way. I want you to use me for YOUR glory!! Don’t
let me blame you for turmoil but let it teach me more about my faith! Thank
you Jesus for the affliction you have put in my life, for it is from
affliction that you make us strong!!!! Thank you so much!! In Jesus’ most
heavenly precious name, amen!! ***************************** <>< FROM THE TEXT ><> YOUR GOING TO NEED YOUR BIBLE FOR THIS ONE Jonah chapter one Jonah's Disobedience Chapter two Jonah's Prayer Chapter three Nineveh Repents Chapter four Jonah's Displeasure
Rebuked =) THINK IT OVER =) The story of Jonah kindof fits in with last weeks
lesson! Since Jonah was a prophet: his job was to do WHATEVER God wanted him to
do. But when it came to Ninevah, he wasn't willing to go!!! Now that doesn't
sound like something a PROPHET of all people would do! You would think that
he would want those people to turn around from their evil ways! But NOOOOO he
wanted God to destroy them and make them pay for the wrong things that they
did. But God is waaayyy to merciful for that! He HAS to give them a second
chance! So he does!!! God will always give YOU a second chance too. HE IS
YOUR SECOND CHANCE!!!! Or your THIRD... maybe even your FOURTH!!!! He is
READY for you to come to him!! HIS ARMS ARE WIDE OPEN! To sum it up, Jonah is
a story that shows us how stubborn humankind is! Jonah also shows us the
stubborn grace of God. He doesn’t just give up on us. Have you figured out
the moral of the story yet? Well here it is: We are supposed to try and adopt
God’s gracious attitude towards everyone!! Even if WE think that they don't
deserve mercy... because GOD does! (-.-) PRAY ABOUT IT (-.-) Dear Lord I thank you for this day and I pray that you
will bless me this week as I go about with every-day life. In Jesus' name,
amen. **************************** <>< FROM THE TEXT ><> Esther Chapter One (overview) King Ahasuerus has a banquet, and so does Queen Vashti.
King Ahasuerus basically orders the Queen to attend HIS banquet and meet the
people but she refuses. This makes the King mad; and just so that she isn't a
bad example he punishes her by banishment. Esther Chapter Two
(overview) King Ahasuerus misses
Queen Vashti and remembers how much she helped out. So his servants suggest
that they go out and get a bunch of young ladies so that the King can pick
one that he likes. And the King really liked this idea! Now at this time
there was a man named Mordecia, who was a guard for the King: that had a
cousin that he was taking care of. It says in the Bible that she was
"Beautiful of form and face." She gets picked to go with the King's
attendants to see who will be the new queen. The man who was in charge liked
her immediately! So he gives her some servants and all these wonderful things
too! BUT when Mordecia hears that people are really starting to like her, he
warns her not to let anyone know that she was a Jew! For no one back then
really liked the Jews.... When it was finally presentation day for the King,
Esther’s turn was up and she did only what was told. Instantly, everyone who
was there liked her a whole lot! So Esther was separated from the rest and
she became queen! Around the next day or so two guards were upset with the
King and plotted to kill him, Mordecia found out and told Esther who then
warned the King. After she did so, it was investigated and found true. And
Mordecia saved the King's life. Esther Chapter Three
(overview) This is when Haman (the
King's right-hand man.) gets very jealous of Mordecia. See: since Mordecia
saved the King's life, the King has found favor in him. But Mordecia doesn't
like this ONE BIT. So what Haman does is he tricks the King into passing a
law that every Jew shall be killed. But wait.... ESTHER IS A
JEW!! Esther Chapter Four
(overview) Mordecia finds out about
what Haman is doing and tells Esther. So now Esther knows about this
surreptitious plot; and she needs to do something about it! Esther Chapter Five
(overview) Esther plans a banquet so
that she can talk to the king about what Haman is planning. She shows up in
the presence of the King to invite him, right? But back then that was a not a
good thing to do unless you were invited. But since the King loved Esther so
much he let her in anyways. So she invites the King AND Haman to this
banquet. The King agrees and goes to the banquet. They all ate and were happy
and the King asks Esther "What do you request of me? Anything, even to
half the kingdom, it is yours!" Well right now Esther basically chickens
out and instead of saying what she really wanted to she invites them over
again the next night! Now about Haman's pride... yeah it's still there and it
is still in the way! Weeellll Haman is about to get what he deserves! That
night the King couldn't sleep because he wanted to reward Mordecia for saving
his life. While he was thinking: Haman comes into the Kings room seeking for
permission to kill the Jews sooner than originally planned. But before Haman
could say anything the King asks him, "What should be done for the man
whom the king desires to honor?" Well this is another time that Haman
gets VERY prideful... So Haman thinks the king is talking about him! HA HA
Haman suggests that the 'honorable man' should be put on the kings best
horse, dressed in one of the king's robes, and has a crown placed on his head
while one of the noble princes lead the horse around the city proclaiming
"HEY! This guy has done a very good thing for the king, and the king
likes him A LOT!" The king likes this idea so he says, "Ok do this
for the good man Mordecia who has saved my life! And YOU be the one who leads
him through the streets." owwww that had to hurt! The whole time Haman
thought HE was going to be that 'honorable man'! Esther Chapter Seven
(overview) Now is the good part!
Esther has the banquet that she invited the King and Haman too, and this time
she told the King that she is a Jew and that Haman is out to kill her people.
The king's anger raged against Haman, and goes out and hangs Haman on the
gallows that Haman built to hang the Jews on. Chapter Eight (overview) Well now who is going to
be the king's right hand man??? YEAH! You guessed it: Mordecia!! And everyone
lived happily ever after. (Except Haman) =) THINK IT OVER =) Wow that’s some courage that Esther had don't you think?
It also shows us how pride really does come before a fall. *&* TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE *&* Well today
we couldn't think of a challenge but alllwaayyss remember that you can do
ANYTHING through Christ who strengthens you! (Philippians 4:13) (-.-) PRAY ABOUT IT (-.-) Dear Lord I thank you that you are always there to back
me up when I need your help. You always know what to say, so the next time that
I can't think of anything to say: I want YOU to speak through me. In Jesus'
name, amen. |
