"Jesus Paid it ALL"

"As I was walking
Down life's highway
Many years ago

I came upon a
Sign that read

Heavens Grocery Store..

When I got a
Little closer

The doors swung
Open wide

And when I came
To myself

I was standing
Inside..

I saw a host of
Angels.

They were
Standing everywhere

One handed me a
Basket

And said 'My
Child shop with care..'

Everything a
Human needed
Was in that
Grocery store

And what you
Could not carry
You could come
Back for more

First I got some
Patience.

Love was in that
Same row.

Further down was
Understanding,
You need that
Everywhere you go..

I got a box or
Two of Wisdom
And Faith a bag
Or two.

And Charity of
Course
I would need some
Of that too..

I couldn't miss
The Holy Ghost
It was all over
The place.

And then some
Strength
And Courage to
Help me run this race.

My basket was
Getting full
But I remembered
I needed Grace,

And then I chose
Salvation for
Salvation was for
Free

I tried to get
Enough of that to do
For you and me..

Then I started to
The counter
To pay my grocery
Bill,

For I thought I
Had everything
To do the Masters
Will.

As I went up the
Aisle
I saw Prayer and
Put that in,

For I knew when I
Stepped outside
I would run into
Sin.

Peace and Joy
Were plentiful,
The last things
On the shelf.

Song and Praise
Were hanging near
So I just helped
Myself.

Then I said to
The angel

'Now how much do
I owe?'

He smiled and
Said

'Just take them
Everywhere you go.'

Again I asked
'Really now,

How much do I
Owe?'

'My child' he
Said, 'Jesus paid your bill
A long, long time
Ago.

Around The Corner

Around the corner I have a friend,
In this great city that has no end,
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone.

And I never see my old friends face,
For life is a swift and terrible race,
He knows I like him just as well,
As in the days when I rang his bell.

And he rang mine but we were younger then,
And now we are busy, tired men.
Tired of playing a foolish game,
Tired of trying to make a name.

"Tomorrow" I say! "I will call on Jim
Just to show that I'm thinking of him",
But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,
And distance between us grows and grows.

Around the corner, yet miles away,
"Here's a telegram sir," "Jim died today."
And that's what we get and deserve in the end.
Around the corner, a vanished friend.

Going Public with your Faith (2003)

As Christian’s we must go public with our faith. It places us in a position where we HAVE to live up to our words with God’s help. Not everybody is called to be a preacher or a teacher.  Some of us don’t have the ability or confidence to share God’s blessings in our lives to another. Does this mean that there is no place for me in the family of God? No! Everyone has their own calling, but no one’s is to be a bench warmer in the army of Christ!

1.   We all have a job description

 “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eye service, as men pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:”

(Colossians 3:22)

This may come to sound somewhat “harsh”, but if you look at this in a literal context we all answer to someone, one way or another: parents or guardians, school lecturer, class representative, dorm captain and so forth. Our job description as children of God is to obey not so that others can see or just to please someone, but rather knowing that God Almighty is thy witness and He sees all.

You will notice these days that this value lacks, hence being the reason why there is so much corruption, dishonesty and greed in this world. Do all things whole heartedly unto thy Lord.

 2. We have a new motive

 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

(Colossians 3:23-24)

In all that we do, we must always remember that we are serving the LORD. Verse 23 states, “And whatsoever…” the word whatsoever means, one, some, many, all it is not specific. Therefore, it is safe to say: that in ALL that we do, it must be heartily unto the LORD, not unto men. This means that there is no division between doing something for God and doing something for men, according to God’s word, everything we do is unto God our Father, whether we know this or not.

May this be our motive, to serve the Lord in the little things we do: making our beds, sweeping out our rooms, making another person’s tea, even attended gatherings that require your presences, in these little things, let God be glorified and honoured.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Matthew 22: 37

“ My worship is worship to me. In that light, God puts me in contact with people who are divine appointments. Some of them are people who I would call my business associates or employees, and others are called customers. In this massive amount of human interaction, I have an opportunity to embed a philosophy. The way we do business, the way we treat customers – eventually this gets embedded in the service provided.

(Merrill Oster Business Journalist)

  

   3.   We have a new salary structure

As Christian’s we do not go to work or obey to gain something beneficial for us on this earth, but rather to gain an eternal reward.

Although, God may call some men and women to leave the workplace for professional ministry, it is the exception. He wants Christians to go to work for the same reason they go to church: to worship God. You don’t have to leave where you are to know the joy of being used by God. He wants you right where you are.

“You need to be aware of the opportunity and the responsibility you have, to use your place of work as a mission field. Because you are aware of the opportunity, you can be optimistic. If it is something in your consciousness, you are more apt to take advantage when those opportunities come along. (Jim Lindemann, Manufacturing)

"God places us in particular situations so that we may both come to know Him better and make Him known to the people with whom we cross paths with." (Going Public with your Faith, 2003)

"Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts ye double minded.

(James4:8)

The World

The world is harsh, mean and ruthless;

It manipulates and discriminates

It uses anybody and everybody to get to you

It fiddles with your emotions

Plays with your mind

And tricks you into a black hole that consumes all joy from you

Oh my soul, concentrate on the Cross

Fix your eyes on Christ;

For in Him can real joy and peace be found

Do not leave me oh LORD,

This I ask

Do not give up on me Father

I love You my King

Hold me firm and close

Within the palm of Your Hands, my Merciful Savior

There is no where I’d rather be

Then in Thy presence

And at Thy Feet

hally

Praying Through Failure

Praying Through Failure

March 08, 2013

By Youth Prayer

You did it! You messed up, big time. You let yourself and probably others down. You failed!

But you aren’t a failure.

Your emotions might tell you that you are. Your friends might tell you that you are. Some of your family might even say that you are. And the worse one… you tell yourself that you are. But God never agrees. 

Life is full of mistakes and failures. We measure and compare ourselves with others, living life more for each other than we do ourselves or God. When the mistakes come, we are devastated. Our inner and “other” voices tell us that we will never be good enough.

None of us like to fail, yet, failure can be positive. When we approach our failure as an opportunity to become better instead of a stamp mark of identity, we find ourselves learning from our mistakes instead of being identified by them. Failure can make us stronger, wiser, more forgiving, patient, and humble.

Successful business owners use their failures as stepping stones for change. Often, those who invest in start-up companies pick those entrepreneurs which have already failed, simply because they know the person has already learned a hard lesson that they will try not to repeat.

Though failure is generally looked at negatively, you can choose to view it positively, as God does. Even when Israel failed God repeatedly, His response was:

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool”. (Isaiah 1:18)

He took the bad and created good.

There will be times that you feel like a failure… it’s normal. You may mess up a friendship, a promise, a test, a job, a college education, a relationship with a parent, or even your walk with God. But when these times come use the following prayer helps below to help you pray through your struggle, instead of being identified by it.

• Repent and ask God’s forgiveness, if necessary, also forgiving yourself. 
• Ask God to talk to you and help you learn from your situation.
• Pray that you would see yourself as God does, instead of what your emotions are telling you.
• Pray that others, who were impacted by your mistake, would be forgiving towards you.
• If your mistake affected someone else, ask God how you can make things right with them, and then do it.
• Pray that you would be as forgiving with others in their mistakes, as you want them to be with you in yours.
• Pray for peace in your mind, and good thoughts. Don’t allow yourself to dwell on negative emotions or thoughts.
• Pray that God would help you to see your future as He does, instead of how your current situation makes you feel it will turn out.

Failure is only a true failure when we quit trying.