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My
Writings Please be you |
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A
Psalm of Praise “Have
mercy on me, O God, according to
your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my
transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I
sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when
you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful
from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner
parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I
will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and
gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a
steadfast spirit. Within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your
Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a
willing spirit. To sustain me (Psalm 51:1-12)” |
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A few thoughts: God doesn't care where you are, he cares about
where your heart it going. God only wants one thing from you, you. Trust in the God who created, not the the
creation God created. God gave his law to be a description of what the
perfect life might look like. Praying for enemies does not mean we pray that
so and so stops being such a jerk, but we pray that so and so experiences the
rich blessing of knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Don't worry about saving the world, that is
God's job; instead, spend your time living your life like one who is saved,
giving all thanks and praises to God. How easily we confuse God's gifts with God
himself. I am a sinner, well duh.... I am forgiven, well
duh. Stop trying to change people, so they fit your
idea of perfection; Instead, trying loving people, so they may love you in
spite of your imperfections. God lowered himself and became like us, in order
to save us. We should like-wise lower ourselves in order to bring the Good
News to those around us. This does not mean lowering our morals, beliefs, and
standards, but means lowering our pride and selfishness. Two Choices: Maybe some of you have felt this way before, I
know I have. Were to begin... I was faced with a choice today. choice a: complain that it is cloudy complain that the food tastes bad complain that he/she always has the good luck complain that Esau, not Jacob should have
received the promise mope around aimlessly for days because something
I want isn't meant to be argue that the world is going down, it might as
well take me too wine and wine all day about anything that is
less than perfect choice b: thank the Lord for the cool breeze praise God for the harvest he gives congratulate on a job well done rejoice in a god that defies man's law walk with a mission, whatever God had it be stand up and let the world know you are a
Christian lift to God my
broken heart and let him mold and shape me I was faced with a choice today. Choice a would
have been easier, besides it makes more since to those in the world. Choice b
is ludicrous to those who do not call upon the Lord; it takes much more
effort than choice a. As I awoke this morning a stared both choices in the
eyes; I wanted to go down both to see which one was more wise. Slowly I began
to walk; I did not know which way I was going, suddenly I realized choice b
was where I should be. I mustered up all my strength and set out. As I walked
down choice b, I took one last glimpse at the other path. Only then did I
realize that choice a only lasted a few feet and then bang, brick wall.
"For when complaints and gripes consume us they suck out every last
ounce of strength. Those they make since, they play havoc on your mind."
"Let us draw near to God with a sincere
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us
from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us
hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promises is faithful.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good
deeds." Hebrews 10: 22-24 You are at a cross road you can't go one way and
then go back, "If you choose choice a, all of your strength will be gone
before you realize the mistake. If you choose choice b, the thought of going
back will never cross your mind." But I know all to often I have chosen
choice a; I have found myself close to the end of my rope; only by the grace
of God have I been given a second chance to choose a or b. Mountains and More
It has often been said that, "God will take
you to the highest mountain to show you the grandeur of his love," I
believe that it is also true that God sometimes takes you to the deepest
valley to make that same love more evident. Just remember, mountains or
valleys, they are all God's workmanship. Speaking of mountains and valleys: looking back
over the first twenty years of my life, some of the mountains of my life have
turned out to be the shallowest moments of my existence and some of the
valleys have turned out to be the strongest moments of my walk with Christ.
Again both valleys and mountains are all part of God's workmanship Remember sometimes the valleys of our life are
our best witness to the world. (Review the story of Job especially ch.
42:1-3) Have you ever felt inadequate to serve God, well
think about all the inadequate people God used to do miraculous things. For
example King David was a shepherd and out of all of his brothers was the
least likely to be a king, but he was perfect for the role God had planned.
Paul was the worst of sinners, yet he is the author of more New Testament
books than any other. Christ himself was born in a manger to less than famous
people (although now they are famous, because God made them famous). It is easy to be popular, but it is at times
difficult to be a popular Christian. When I was a child I talked, thought, and
reasoned like a child, a few years later I thought I was doing these things
as an adult would, only to realize I was only an older child. For the process
of maturing is one that lasts until Christ himself raises us out of the
grave. People
So, as you read this story, look around, see who
has walked into your life and who has walked out; try to think of a friend
you haven't seen in weeks, months, or years. Once you have thought of these
people, close your eyes and say a prayer of thanks for the impact, however
big or small. God bless, PAW. Julia brushed a tear from her eyes as the last
pieces of furniture were loaded in to the moving van. Leaving Boston was
going to be hard on each member of the Jansen family, but more so for Julia.
As a Freshman in high school, she was being ripped away from everything she
ever knew, everything that was ever important to her. She was leaving every
friend she ever knew, and going half way across the country. She was happy
her dad had received the promotion, but still felt bitter for making her
leave at this point in her life. Not only was Julia leaving behind many friends,
but she felt as if she was leaving behind business incomplete. Julia had
accepted Jesus a year before, and felt on fire for the Lord. Her group of
friends were largely non Christian, so she took every second she could to
witness to them. Now, she might never get a chance to finish telling them
about the hope she had found in Christ. The drive to the Jansen’s new house took
forever, but eventually they arrived, and moved everything in. The
neighborhood was a very well to do neighborhood, with two community pools, a
community rec. center, and the houses seemed like mansions. Julia thought to
herself, great a bunch of stuck up aristocrats. The next few weeks seemed to drag by, until the
middle of August rolled around, and she started classes, without having made
any new friends. By this time Julia was doubting everything about her faith.
“How could a loving God bring me out here? I am so lonely. Why am I here?
What is my purpose,” these are a few of the questions which raced through
Julia’s head. Well Julia, like most teens, found a way to
survive. She quickly found a new group of friends and even began her own
campus wide Bible study. Still, question and concern for her old friends tore
at her heart. Julia talked often about her old friends, and sometimes got to
the point where she would weep bitterly for her friends thousands of miles
away. One day when Julia was especially sad, Robert, a
friend from her new school took her aside and said, “Julia I know you hated
walking out of your friend’s lives, but I am grateful you walked in to my
life.” He went on to explain about how, although he had always gone to church
and hung out with the “Christian” group, he had never truly been a believer,
at least, not tell Julia had come around. In fact, the day he had met Julia,
he had decided that if something didn't change drastically, he would commit
suicide hat night. It had been Julia who walked into his life and given him
strength to live. That same day when Julia got home from school,
she found a letter in the mail, from one of her friends in Boston. It read: “ Dear Julia, I hope all is going well with you. I miss you
very much. I want to thank you for telling me about Jesus. Even though I did
not originally seem interested in Christ, I know now that I need him more
than anything. Even though I am really only a child as far as the faith goes,
I have taken it upon me to finish your work of bringing our group closer to
Christ. In short, I want to thank you for being part of my life, not just
back then, but always. You walked into my life at just the right time, and
pray that you continue to walk into other lives, at just the right time. With love.” Cry for Love “Lord what fools these Mortals be.” This was the line I had brought to mind As the casket slowly plummeted into the deep
hole. Fools that is what we are all. Broken hearts strewn about Like a three year old with crowns in hand, Coloring with no thought. They could have saved him He only needed an easy remedy. The medication was in their hands, But, no one shoved it down his throat. They just sat there As he sang and dance. They knew lives joyous dreams Which gave life on a young stem. But how quickly bugs attack a young bud, and suck and rip out every last hope. And now the life wilts in the wind And its body is no longer distinguishable from
dust. Oh, what happened what went wrong? It was a beautiful rose cherished by all, and now it has returned to the depths from which
it came. All who saw it, loved it dearly. They would look and smile upon it And say to each other, “What a glorious life this rose has a head.” But, now it’s gone. What went wrong? The authorities should be called All who new it brought into question. Are you the one? Yes, you are he. You’re the one who does tend and nourish. How often did you water it? What? you say “Water?” “But, they have roots,” “Don’t they?” Yes, but someone needs to provide water for the roots. There is a drought out there, can’t you see? You should be punished Here’s your fine. Guilt, guilt, guilt; That’s your life long sentence. Carry it in your heart, Wear it on your selves. You loved it in your heart, But failed, failed, failed; To show love in your lives. Water is all it needed Love shown, not thought. “Lord what fools these mortals be.” “Lord what fools these mortals be.” They do not toil in the soil, but try reap what was not sown. They run around, But forget to look into the tearful eyes. Broken hearts, of love not shown. Oh, how the people weep and mourn. Tears flow down their cheeks, and forms puddles on the newly mounted dirt. Maybe now, after all these years... Please take a moment to tell someone special
that you love them. I needed, you needed, the whole world needs it. If we
daily water each other, with the love that comes from above, there will be a
harvest rich with life. Don’t hold onto love, saying, “I need it for myself,”
but try to give it away; for love, like water runs in cycles. An ounce given,
can be an ounce received. And remember I love each of you. The one thing God can't do...
We have probably heard the phrase, "Nothing
you will ever do, will make God love you any less," and this is so true.
No matter how much we screw up, God's love remains constant. This is truly an
amazing thought. What I find even more amazing is, "Nothing
you ever do, will make God love you any more." His love already runs so
deep and wide for each of us that no matter how many "good" things
we do, it is impossible for him to love us any more than he already does. He
already loves you with every ounce of love he has. God, the creator of love,
has poured every ounce of love he ever made on you, and every ounce of that
same love on me. He did this when he sent Christ into the world to die, and
still does it every day. Nothing we ever do, or do not do, will ever change
this. Look at Romans 8:39. It say's that "Neither
height nor depth,... can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ
Jesus." No extreme we go to in life can change God's love, it is steady.
If God were to reward us of our few good deeds, he would also have to punish
us for our many bad deeds (and according to Romans 6:23 "The
wages," of even one, "sin is death.") Rather than try to live
on a reward system with Christ, we live on a grace system, where regardless
of our successes and failures, God's love remains the same yesterday, today,
and tomorrow. This does not give us a free ride to sin, but rather the "good" things we do are out of thanksgiving and praise, for all Christ has already done for us. God bless each you & have a good week! |
