The Blessing of Unity

Psalms 133: The Excellency of Unity.
1Behold, how good and how pleasant it is  For brothers to dwell together in unity!
2It is like the precious oil upon the head,  Coming down upon the beard, Even Aaron’s beard, Coming down upon the edge of his robes.

3It is like the dew of Hermon Coming down upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing—life forever.

Most regions of the world are familiar with the amazing phenomenon of snow. Snowflakes are beautiful, uniquely crafted ice crystals. Individual snowflakes are fragile, and they quickly melt if they land on your hand. Yet, en masse they create a force to be reckoned with. They can shut down major cities while creating beautiful landscapes of snow-laden trees whose pictures decorate calendars and become the subject of artwork. They provide pleasure on the ski slopes and joy for children as they make snowmen and ammunition for snowball fights. All because they stick together.

 

So it is with those of us who follow Christ. Each of us has been uniquely gifted with the capacity to make a contribution to the work of Christ. We were never intended to live in isolation but to work together to become a great force for God and the advance of His cause. As Paul reminds us, the body of Christ “is not one member but many” (1 Cor. 12:14). All of us are to use our gifts to serve one another so that together we can make a significant difference in our world.

 

Put your giftedness to work, joyfully cooperate with the giftedness of those around you, and let the wind of the Holy Spirit use you for His glory!

 

Lord, teach us to use our strengths in cooperation with
the strengths of others. Help us to serve as one so that
we might know the joy of the power of our togetherness
for Your name’s sake and the advance of Your kingdom.

We can accomplish more together than we can alone.

Posted by: Keturah

Source: adapted from http://odb.org/

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Known by Our Fruit

[Jesus said]
Either make the tree sound (healthy and good), and its fruit sound (healthy and good), or make the tree rotten (diseased and bad), and its fruit rotten (diseased and bad); for the tree is known and recognized and judged by its fruit. You offspring of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil (wicked)? For out of the fullness (the overflow, the superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks. —Matthew 12:33–34

A woman I’ll call Dorothy knew more about the church and every member and visitor than anyone else did. She was fairly well known as the church gossip.

“One thing about her,” a friend said, “she’s not prejudiced—she talks about everyone,” and he laughed. He also added, “She’ll probably get into heaven, but God may have to cut off her tongue first.”

One day as I stood near the front door, I heard Dorothy telling several people about one of the deacons, “But it isn’t up to me to judge him,” she said. The venom poured from her mouth, and she went on to mention several others. Of course, she was critical of each one.

I listened to her and realized something. She was only speaking from what was already inside her heart. That’s obvious, but I grasped something else. Dorothy was so critical of herself, so filled with disgust for herself, how could she speak well of others?

Too often people make promises that they’ll speak better of others and gossip less. They really try, but nothing ever changes. This is because they are trying to change their words without changing their thoughts. That’s a bad solution, because they start at the wrong end. What they need to do is look inward, asking, “What is going on inside of me?”

“For out of the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks,” Jesus said. As I considered those words, I felt a deep compassion for Dorothy. She had allowed Satan to fill her mind with critical, harsh thoughts. She didn’t speak much about herself, but I’m sure she was totally critical of herself as well as other people, and when she spoke, the evil words came out of her mouth.

Jesus said that a tree is known by its fruit. The same is true of our lives. Everything begins with a thought. If we allow negative and unkind thoughts to fill our minds, they bear fruit. If we dwell on the bad, we produce bad fruit.
As we observe people, it’s easy to see the fruit of their lives. They show either good fruit or bad. It’s that simple. But the fruit is the result of what’s going on inside. We can learn a lot about a person’s character simply by listening to their conversation. The more loving our words and actions are toward others, the more loving and kind our thoughts will be.

If I believe God truly loves me, and if I enjoy fellowship with Him every day, I’m planting good seeds in my own heart. The more good seeds I plant, the more good fruit I produce. The more I think kind and loving thoughts, the more I see others as kind and loving.

“Out of the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Kind or judgmental words don’t just come to us—they come out of our mouths because we have nurtured them in our minds. The more we open ourselves to the Spirit’s positive and loving thoughts, the more we pray, and the more we read God’s Word, the more good fruit we produce on the inside—and that good fruit shows itself by the way we behave toward others.

Dear loving and forgiving God, I ask You to forgive me for all the harsh things I’ve said about other people. Also, please forgive me for allowing harsh thoughts to fill my mind—about myself or about others. I know I can’t make myself more loving, but You can. Please, help me focus on healthy, positive thoughts, for I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

---

From the book Battlefield of the Mind Devotional by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2006 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

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Something to think about....

November 20, 2012 Christians Acting UglyLysa TerKeurst

Christians Acting Ugly - written by Lysa TerKeurst
posted by: Keturah

 

"Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV)

 

Recently I was skimming some comments left on a social media outlet. Most were encouraging and kind. Some people had a different opinion but stayed civil in their expressions. Then there was a third group. A much smaller but a very loud group.

 

Their opinions dripped with judgment, harshness, and condemnation. And the saddest thing of all? These were Christians attacking another Christian.

 

Honestly, I don't get it.

 

I just don't. As I read their comments it seemed as if they felt compelled to rip this person to shreds in order to prove their view. To show how knowledgeable they were and how off-base this other Christian was. Most disturbing of all, they felt it their duty to "protect God."

 

But God doesn't call man to protect Him. He calls us to love Him. And love others. Christians acting ugly and justifying it under the guise of holding another person in check isn't loving.

 

Matthew 22:36 says, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

"Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matt. 22:37-39 NIV)

 

Yes, there is a place to make sure others aren't misaligning Truth. But we must do this carefully and first make sure we aren't misaligning the Truth in our approach.

 

Our response must contain these three things: justice, mercy, and humility. "The LORD has told you, human, what is good; he has told you what he wants from you: to do what is right to other people, love being kind to others, and live humbly, obeying your God." (Micah 6:8 NCV)

 

I read this quote recently that reminded me of this powerful verse in Micah. "It is right to see justice prevail. But it is wrong when my ego gets in the way — when I retaliate to prove that I am strong, that I am superior to the other person, that I am the almighty righteous cop for God." (Bible commentary writer Michael J. Wilkins)

 

I guess I can feel a little sensitive about this subject because I've had some personal ministry friends attacked and accused in the most vicious of ways. And a little of this yuck has slipped into my world as well.

 

Maybe this third group sees these growing ministries and assumes their words won't affect their leaders. Or worse yet, because these ministries are growing maybe they hope their words will affect them. Either way, it hurts.

 

I know this isn't just an experience exclusive to leaders in ministry though. This can happen to any of us—in any walk of life. Whether you are hyper-critical of those around you, or you have experienced this hurtful criticism from a friend, family member, or co-worker, these words hurt everyone involved.

 

There isn't an easy solution to this problem. But if this devotion makes a few people stop and think before blasting someone, whether a ministry leader, a family leader, or friend — then it's good. And most of all, if it reminds me to do what is right to other people ... to love being kind to others ... and to live a little more humbly — it's really good.

 

Dear Lord, thank You for Your grace and patience everyday. Help me recognize when I become critical of those around me. I want to show Your love. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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Good News is worth Sharing!

How shall they hear without a preacher? —Romans 10:14

 

When Thomas Gallaudet graduated from seminary in 1814, he had planned on becoming a preacher. However, his call to the ministry took a different turn when he met Alice, a 9-year-old, hearing-impaired girl in his neighborhood. Gallaudet began to communicate with her by writing words with a stick in the dirt.

 

Helping Alice motivated him to help others too. After consulting with European and American experts in educating the deaf, he refined a system widely known today as “signing” (a person’s hands spell out the message). Eventually, he established the American School for the Deaf.

 

Gallaudet’s school for the hearing-impaired contained a Christian curriculum that shared the gospel and included Bible instruction. He had answered the call to preach—but it was to a very special group of people. Signing was the way he communicated the gospel.

 

Like Gallaudet, we too could be sharing the Word of God with people in ways they can understand. Otherwise, “How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14).

 

Seeking the lost, and pointing to Jesus,
Souls that are weak and hearts that are sore;
Leading them forth in ways of salvation,
Showing the path to life evermore. —Ogden

 

Don’t withhold from the world the best news that’s ever come to it.

RELECT: How might God want you to reach out to those around you this week?

posted by Keturah

November 21, 2012 — by Dennis Fisher

 

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Pressing On Through Adversity

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." - Philippians 3:12

On July 24, 1908, the Olympic marathon run was held in London. The starting line was moved from its original location to the lawn at Windsor Castle, in order to give the royal family a better view of the start of the race. This lengthening of the course from 25 miles to 26 miles and 385 yards proved to be an ominous precursor for many of the runners. The day was hot and muggy.  By the nineteen-mile mark the three British favorites all pulled up lame. At just under three hours, the Italian runner Dorando Pietri entered the stadium. The small 22- year old candy maker from the island of Capri was exhausted and disoriented. He began to run the wrong direction around the track. Officials pointed him in the right direction. Suddenly, Pietri fell. He staggered to his feet and then fell again. Five times he fell, with physicians coming to his aid to revive him after his fifth fall. Bravely, Pietri rose to his feet, and with the help of Olympic officials he crossed the finished line. Pietri did not win the gold medal because of the help he received. But because of his courage,
Queen Alexandra awarded him a special gold cup.

Are you meeting resistance while following Christ's calling? Press On! and know that your Heavenly Father will reward your perseverance. Today in prayer, give the Lord your troubles and look to Him for your
strength.

"It is not the going out of the port, but the coming in, that determines the success of the voyage." - Henry Ward Beecher

God's Word: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1-2

Posted by Keturah

By Peter Kennedy
Source: http://listserv.virtueonline.org/pipermail/virtueonline_listserv.virtueonline.org/2002-June/003686.html

 

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Our Riches in Christ - Reasons to Give Thanks!

¹⁹ And my God will supply ^[a]all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. ²⁰ Now to our God and Father be the glory ^[b]forever and ever. Amen. Philippians 4:19-20

 

As believers, we are truly wealthy because of the riches and grace that are ours in Christ. We have been chosen, redeemed, justified, united with God, and made citizens of heaven. But there is even more to include on our list.

 

Jesus told the disciples that His departure was necessary: it would actually benefit His followers, as He could then send the third member of the Trinity to indwell each believer (John 16:7). Upon salvation, we are given the Holy Spirit, who seals us as God’s children, comforts us in our pain, and teaches us how to live righteously.

 

Through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, we become more and more like Jesus, which is another blessing from the Lord. His Spirit transforms us from the inside out and produces godly fruit in our life (Gal. 5:22-23). He also empowers us to choose righteous living and break unholy habits.

 

Another amazing blessing for Christians is access to the throne of grace. At any time, we can enter into God’s presence through prayer and worship. And resurrection and glorification are also treasures for the child of God. Just as the Savior’s body was resurrected, our bodies will likewise be raised; in heaven, they will be made perfect, and we will be free from sin’s presence forever.

 

Our wealth in Christ surpasses anything this world offers. Don’t let yourself be seduced by earthly thinking, which values comfort and pleasure above all else. Instead, treasure who you are in Christ and what you have been given. When you do, peace and contentment will become yours.

 

Copyright 2013 In Touch Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. www.intouch.org. 

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God's Real Requirements

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?  Micah 6:8

Think about it. Doing justice is being concerned for those who are left out, looked over, abused, and oppressed. Loving kindness is being considerate, thoughtful, and actively working for the good of others. Walking humbly with God is seeing God and self from the right perspective, thankful for His grace.

Today, when it seems that religious faith is seen as negative and even bigoted, I hope you will consider God’s Word. Only one person in all of history has lived up to this standard, and that was Jesus Christ.

He alone was just and kind and walked with His Father, God. He can help you live out life today as a demonstration of what true faith is. Why not try it?

 

Source: http://stanhobbs.blogspot.ca/2012/01/faith-malachi-67-8.html

Posted by: Keturah

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Guard Your Heart!

Today’s Verse: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

God gives you the amazing promise of a new heart and spirit in his Word, but you need to take steps to protect your heart.
 

Keep Your Heart
 

The passage places great emphasis on walking rightly which is vital to embracing God’s purpose for your life. However, the core of this righteous walk begins in your heart. Of course, this is not something you can do in your own strength but through God’s empowering grace.

The instruction is clear in the passage; guard your heart. But, why is it so important to pay attention to your heart and watch over it? It is vital, “because the source of life flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23, GW). What is in your heart will be displayed in how you live for all to see.
 

Good Fruits
 

It is simple, what is sown in the heart produces fruits in your life. It’s time to choose between a heart that produces good fruits and one that bears evil fruits, from what is stored in it. Be like “the good man [who] brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart” (Luke 6:45).
 

Guarding your heart means meditating on the Word of God and making sure that your heart is focused on God's promises. You watch over your heart when you choose to believe God’s Words, in spite the negatives things that are happening around you. Even more, it is resisting the urge to dwell on bitterness, harshness, and perverseness that are so much a part of today’s world.
 

Peace of God
 

It takes effort to “watchfully keep your heart,” but draw from God’s strength. Consequently, you will enjoy God’s peace in a special way when your heart and mind rest on him (Isaiah 26:3). You will find you not easily harassed by the challenges of this life.
 

What peace you find, when your heart is in a place of rest instead of strife. Determine to walk by faith, and in the storm, keep your eyes on the one who stills it (Matthew 8:26).
 

Reflections
 

Take time to reflect on what it means to guard your heart. Then, think carefully on the questions below, and write your responses.

1. What are the things that I am constantly dwelling on in my heart on a daily basis?
2. How has my life been going since the start of the year?
3. What steps can I take to watch over my heart to ensure that I meditate on the things of God instead of things that seem to urgently grab my attention?

Prayer
 

"Our Father, you are wonderful to me! You have given me your word to show me your way. Thank you for reminding me today how important my heart is. Thank you for the ability to truly watch over my heart, to keep my focus on the truth of your Word, so that my life can reflect the life of Christ in me. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen."
 

Declaration
 

"Today, I choose to meditate on the Word of God, so that faith ,not fear saturates my heart."
 

Today’s Focus
 

Take five minutes during the day to meditate on Proverbs 4:23. List simple steps you will take to make sure that you spend more time each day dwelling on the truth of God’s Word.
 

Source

• Biblos (2011). “Proverbs 4, New International Version.” Retrieved from Scripturetext.com. Accessed August 2011.
• http://suite101.com/article/todays-devotions-6-on-proverbs-4-18-27-guard-your-heart-a383481
  
  

Posted by: Keturah

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BUILDING each other up!

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.  1 Thessalonians 5:11

 

“You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins.” - Jim Stovall

 

We are living in a self-serving, self-centered, and self-obsessed modern day rush-rush society filled with negativity and constant tearing down of others. If you want to really differentiate yourself in this world, be people-oriented and start to focus on building others up.

 

Created as relational beings, it’s our greatest privilege to enjoy companionship with the people who truly matter in our lives. How can we then be a source of encouragement to our friends, family, and loved ones today?

 

Here’s 10 simple ways to build each other up:

1. Esteem others higher. Leaders esteem others higher than themselves. Have high regards, great respect, and favorable thoughts of the people in your circle of trust and influence.
 
2. Be wise in your speech. Communicate more effectively by thinking before you speak. If there’s a word that’s more appropriate in a conversation, use it. Start with a praise. Never confront others. Instead, point out on how both of you can make things better. Speak at the same level as your audience; giving them due respect. There’s no need to come in with an authoritarian voice to get your message heard.
 
3. Be encouraging. Encouragement is an expression and assurance of one’s hope and future in words, presence, and sincerity.
 
4. Be quick to forgive. When others make a mistake, be quick to forgive and forget; releasing them from guilt and shame that may take root in one’s heart when not dealt with over time.
 
5. Be understanding. Wisdom and understanding go hand in hand. Understanding starts by being an active listener (not planning a reply as one is speaking), asking intelligent questions to gain further insights, and being accepting of what the speaker is sharing. Then, answer without condemning. Or don’t answer at all and decide to just be a listening ear.
 
6. Zero gossip. Keep others’ secrets. Never speak stuff that causes unnecessary hurt to others by speaking unclaimed rumors behind their back.
 
7. Share knowledge. Found an article or book that’s useful? Share it with your friends. Sharing has been made easier thanks to the accessibility of sharing tools on the web, along with help from social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Sharing knowledge helps us learn, discover, and understand things that are interesting. They have immediate application for better results in our work and life, edifies our soul, and improves our daily conversations.
 
8. Stay humble. Humility and maturity are synonymous. A dignified person accomplishes much, but brags little. They are secure in their standing without needing to make noise, often treating everyone with tremendous respect, regardless of position.
 
9. Be positive! Positive thinking goes beyond having the drive and motivation for personal success. Positive thinking is explicit, definite, and outspoken. It’s contagious. Build up your loved ones with your positiveness, allowing them to be open for better things to come.
 
10. Love. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails … And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13, NIV). Building up a person with the 9 ways mentioned is only made effective when done so together with love. Care for your loved ones how you would want to be cared for. Build up one another how you would like to be inspired. As a result, you will move up to a whole new level of breakthroughs in life.

 

Going one step further, visualize how and to whom you can build up and inspire changes for the better. Then work towards making that a reality.

 

Continue encouraging and building one another up. And start seeing growth and advancements in your relationship with people and to the ones who truly matter to you today.

 

Posted by Keturah

***

This is an excerpt from Daniel Richard‘s latest ebook, Doing With LESS: Your journey as a new minimalist, and the art of stress-free living. He is a blogger, an author and a freelance writer. You can follow him on Twitter.

 

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Be Kind to Our Enemies?

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:35-36)

I always hated letting my brother borrow stuff. I just never knew what sort of condition it would be in when he returned it. And that wasn't the only reason I hesitated. Even though he was my brother, I had a tendency to view him as an enemy—pretty typical for siblings, I guess. Of course, I didn't have this problem when it came to my friends. I was quick to let them use my things. I also liked to do nice things for them, something that rarely crossed my mind when it came to my brother.

 

It's fairly painless to do nice things for people we get along with. But when it comes to those who get on our nerves or those who are downright mean, showing kindness typically isn't our first response. Yet that's the type of kindness Jesus was talking about in these verses. It must have seemed pretty illogical to those he was teaching. And it was. Loving an enemy just doesn't make any sense. Then again, neither does God's kindness, which was the point Jesus was trying to make.

 

Through this teaching Jesus was also pointing out that true kindness is impossible unless God does some work in our hearts. Remember that the next time you have to deal with someone you don't like. Showing them kindness may seem completely unrealistic, but with God all things are possible. And he will never expect you to do it alone.

 

What About You?

1. Think of people in your life who you don't like or have trouble getting along with. Why should you show them kindness? How can you show them kindness?
2. The next time an "enemy" does something that annoys you, try to understand why they might be acting that way. Maybe they're hurting. Maybe they need you to look past their frustrating behavior and show them love.
3. Ask God to help you find practical ways to show grace to your enemies.  Also ask God for wisdom so that you can discern when and how it is appropriate to do so. James 1:5  Sometimes prayer for your enemies may be the kindest, most loving and most graceful thing you can do.  Luke 6:28.

 

Source: http://www.christianitytoday.com/iyf/2002/junjul/15.10.html?start=3

Posted by: Keturah

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Peace for Followers

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7 ESV)
 

We all want peace. We want peace in the world, so we get into wars. We want peace in our countries, so we vote for the person we think will do the best. We want peace with our friends, so we do what we can to not offend them. We want peace in our family, so we work hard to put a roof over their head and money in the bank for retirement. Lastly, we want peace in ourselves, so we compare ourselves to others and say we are much happier (or not!) with what we have. People spend their whole lives working for peace. Unfortunately, true peace is not something that can be achieved, it can only be received.

 

True peace can only come from God (John 14:27). This peace doesn’t affect our surroundings, it affects our inner souls. Paul says that it will go deep into our hearts and minds. It isn’t something that can be explained in a self help book or with a few simple steps, it is only something that can be received from God. Ironically he brought us peace through an act that was not peaceful at all, the death of His son (Romans 5:9). As a follower of Jesus, we should be the ones looked to when others need peace. Not because our surroundings are peaceful, but because our hearts and minds are at peace with God. We no longer fear death, hunger, or not having enough possessions. We know that our treasure is in heaven and we will one day reign with the one true Peace Maker.

 

Where does your peace come from?

Posted by: Keturah

Source:http://shortdailydevotions.com/devotions/philippians-47-peace

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