Tag Archives: 2015

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Building Wise Friendships

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Read | Proverbs 17:17; 18:24

Genesis 2:18 contains some of God’s first words regarding His creation of the human being: “It is not good for man to be alone.” This truth still applies. Throughout history, people have sought companionship, though sometimes the focus has been on quantity rather than quality. Even if we count hundreds as pals, we can still be lonely. Wise relationships are built slowly and with significant effort, affording us time to nurture only a small number of loyal friends. But it’s these true friends, not mere acquaintances, who will delight and motivate us throughout life.

In order to develop wise friendships, we must love sacrificially. A relationship that grows out of selfishness or dependency will die as soon as the other person tires of the lopsided arrangement. But two individuals committed to giving without expecting anything in return will develop a mutually beneficial friendship. They serve one another gladly, valuing the other’s desires and needs above personal wants.

Even in loving relationships, however, emotional and psychological injuries can occur. We all make mistakes. But thankfully, everyone who follows Jesus Christ has experienced pure pardon. We should, therefore, be prepared to ask forgiveness and be forgiving.

Only by modeling Christ in our life can we truly commit to a friend’s spiritual growth. As we practice biblical principles, we will be able to encourage our friend to pray and meditate on the Word of God. The commitment to love, forgive, and motivate another person results in a wise and joyous friendship.

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Be Christlike

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God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness. —Genesis 1:26

When God said, “Let Us make man in Our image,” this image refers to character likeness. He meant that we were going to take on His nature, His character, as reflected in His Son Jesus. In Colossians 1:15, Paul tells us that Jesus is the exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation. As believers, we are to be transformed into His image and likeness.

The greatest goal of every believer, and certainly those of us who want to be used by God in positions of leadership, should be Christlikeness. We should want to handle situations and treat people the way Jesus would. That should be our goal. Jesus is to be our example.

In John 13:15 He said to His disciples, after washing their feet like a servant, For I have given you this as an example, so that you should do [in your turn] what I have done to you. And Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:21, For even to this were you called [it is inseparable from your vocation]. For Christ also suffered for you, leaving you [His personal] example, so that you should follow in His footsteps. The vocation, the high calling of every believer, is to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.

God is going to keep working with each of us until we get to the place where we act the way Jesus would act in every situation of life, until we manifest the same kind of fruit of the Spirit that He manifested.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; – New Year Recipe

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Google the word “success” and you’ll quickly discover that people are interested in everything from how to be successful, to who is successful and why, to what it takes to realize one’s dreams. For many, success is an obsession.

For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8

What is the recipe for success as described in today’s verse? “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.” (Joshua 1:8) Psalm 1:3 describes the person who meditates on God’s Word as being “like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Jesus (also known as The Word) says, “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.” (John 15:5)

In this New Year, delight in the Lord and mediate on the truth of the Bible. He’ll shape your desires according to His will and then grant them (Psalm 37:4, I John 5:14). Then pray that American citizens will turn to God as their source of genuine success.

Recommended Reading: I John 5:3-15

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The 3 Things we can give to God in 2015

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“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”—Matthew 6:21

As we enter into a new year, here is something to remember: When it’s all said and done, we have three things we can offer God—our treasure, our talent, and our time. Each of these is given to us by God, and each of them should be given back in generous portions.

First, there is our treasure. I urge you to commit yourself to give faithfully and generously to the Lord in this coming year. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21 NKJV). Whenever we put our money into something, we develop a vested interest in it. It makes sense to us that we would place our treasures where our hearts are. If we love reading books, or being entertained, or the latest technology, we spend our treasure on those things. And if our heart’s desires change, that changes where we put our treasure.

But it works the other way too: Where we put our treasures, our heart will follow. Do you want your heart to be in the things of God? Then put your treasures in the things of God! Develop a vested interest in God’s kingdom.

The second thing we can give to God is our talent. God has gifted each believer in different ways. Everyone has something to offer for the work of the kingdom. Romans 12 says, “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us different work to do” (NLT).

Finally, there is our time. Let’s say that one day your phone rang and it was the president of the bank that you use. He told you that an anonymous donor who loved you very much had decided to deposit 86,400 pennies into your bank account each and every morning. At first, maybe that didn’t seem like a lot. But then you figured out that it was $864 a day. At seven days a week and 52 weeks a year, those pennies add up to almost $315,000 each year! But the bank president added one thing: “The anonymous giver said you must spend all of the money on the day you receive it! No balance will be carried over to the next day. Each evening the bank must cancel whatever sum you failed to use! Remember, what you don’t spend is lost.”

That may sound like fantasy, but here’s the reality: Every morning, Someone who loves you very much deposits into your “bank of time” 86,400 seconds, which represent 1,440 minutes, which of course equals 24 hours each and every day. God gives you that much to use each day. Nothing is ever carried over on credit to the next day. There is no such thing as a 27-hour day. It’s called time, and you can’t escape it. Time is ticking away right now. The Bible tells us to “redeem the time”—to make sacred and wise use of every opportunity.

Offer God your treasure, your talent, and your time. Live this next year as if it were your last, because it could be. Make those minutes count!

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – God’s Love is Eternal

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Human love is convenient. It suits the needs of the person at the time and works into his schedule. God’s love is eternal. You are always on His itinerary. Human love is emotional. Hormones, sleeplessness, worry, past hurts, Mexican food—all complicate these emotions.

God’s love is committed. While God has feelings for us, his feelings do not dictate his love. His love is based on a decision to love us. Your actions don’t increase or decrease his commitment. In fact, if you never love God, he will still love you.

One thing human love has going for it– you can see it. God’s love is just as real but not quite as tangible. We will see it, in time and for eternity, as we gaze into the face of God and his Son, Jesus Christ, while we stand in the presence of God in heaven!  And, oh, what a day that will be!

From Max On Life