BLESSED SERVICE.

" Serving from the heart "

From now on if you listen obediently to the commandments that I am commanding you today, love God, your God, and serve him with everything you have within you,
he'll take charge of sending the rain at the right time .... Deuteronomy 11:13-14 (MSG)

Repeatedly, the Bible says to "serve the Lord with all your heart." 

God wants you to serve him passionately, not dutifully. 

People rarely excel at tasks they don't enjoy doing or 

feel passionate about. 

God wants you to use your natural interests to serve him and others.

How do you know when you're serving God from your heart?

The first telltale sign is enthusiasm. 

When you're doing what you love to do, no one has to motivate you, 

or challenge you, or check up on you. 

You do it for the sheer enjoyment. 

You don't need rewards, or applause, or to be paid, 

because you love serving in this way.

The opposite is also true: 

When you don't have a heart for what you're doing, you're easily discouraged.

One characteristic of serving God from your heart is effectiveness: 

whenever you do what God wired you to love to do, you get good at it. 

" Passion drives perfection "

If you don't care about a task, it is unlikely that you'll excel at it.

On the other hand, the highest achievers in any field are those who do it because of passion, not duty or profit.

We've all heard people say, 

"I took a job I hate in order to make a lot of money, 

so someday I can quit and do what I love to do." 

That's a big mistake. 

Don't waste your life in a job that doesn't express your heart.

Remember, the greatest things in life are not things. 

Meaning is far more important than money. 

The richest man in the world once said,

"A simple life in the fear-of-God is better than a rich life with a ton of headaches" 

( Proverbs 15:16 ).

Don't settle for achieving

" the good life," because the good life is not good enough. 

Ultimately, it doesn't satisfy. 

You can have a lot to live on, and still have nothing to live for. 

Aim instead for " the better life " -- 

serving God in a way that expresses your heart.

Figure out what you love to do -- 

that which God gave you a heart for -- and then do it for his glory !

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Don't look back on what has happened,

Disappointments and sad things...

Instead look toward the future,

And the joy that each day brings.

Don't live your life unhappy,

From things already done...

Concentrate on your accomplishments,

Battles fought that you have won.

The chapters of your life are like,

A book you might have written...

Full of fun and many good times,

And those when you were bitten.

Looking back will serve no purpose,

And is a waste of time...

Mere lessons from the book  of life,

That  guide you down the line.

Don't look back upon your failures,

Instead keep moving on...

For life is what you make it,

And too soon has come and gone.

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BLESSED PROVISION.

" God's Provision: Trust God "

... Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:32-33 (NLT) God promises to meet all your financial needs, if you (1) ask him for help;          (2) learn to be content;           (3) practice giving in faith;          (4) maintain your integrity; and           (5) trust him with your life -- Worry is really just a form of atheism.  Every time you worry, you're acting like an atheist.  You're saying, "It all depends on me."  That's just not in the Bible. Worry is a warning light that you doubt the love of God.  Yet, the Bible says God "provides food for those who fear him;  he remembers his covenant forever." (Psalm 111:5, NIV) And tithe book of Romans tells us that God sent his son,  Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for you to pay for your salvation.  If God loves you enough to send his own son to die for you,  don't you think he loves you enough to take care of your bills? Don't you realize that any other problem is minor by comparison,  that he solved your biggest problem when he saved you?  The bottom line is really this: Am I going to believe that  God will do what he says he will do -- that he will provide for me? If you're serious about being set free from financial fears,  then it's your choice.  But you must choose to do what God has clearly told you to do.  He's laid it out.  He said, "I will do this -- the promise -- if you will obey the premise." I want to challenge you to solidify your commitment -- Are you willing to ask God for the things you need, rather than going out and charging for them? Are you willing to learn to be content? Are you willing to worship with your tithe as God has commanded and believe that he's going to take care of your needs? Are you willing to live with integrity and be honest in your finances? Are you willing to trust Jesus Christ completely with every area of your life?

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Any change, any loss, 
does not make us victims.


Others can shake you, 
surprise you or disappoint you.


But they can't prevent you from moving on.

No matter where you are in life,
no matter what your situation,
You can always do something.

On every turn of life,
you will always have a choice.And that choice can be your power.

~unknown~

" God's Financial Provision -  Ask Him for Help "

You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Philippians 4:19 (MSG) There is an amazing, incredible and all-encompassing promise in Philippians 4:19 (NIV) regarding provision:  "... God will meet all your needs according to his  glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Note the first two words: "God will ...." It doesn't say, "He might meet your needs," it says, "He will meet your needs."  It's written as a fact; God is staking his character and  his reputation on it. Then the Bible says, "God will meet all. ..." It doesn't say, "I'll meet some of your needs." It says all. Now, understand that it doesn't say, "I'll meet all your greeds."  There's a big difference between needs and wants.  As a parent, do you give your kids everything they want?  I hope you don't.  You don't do that because you love them.  And your heavenly Father loves you.  He's not going to give you everything you want because if he did, you'd be spoiled to death. He won't give us everything we want,  but he will give us what we need.  Then why do you have financial needs?  Did God fail?  Did he lie?  Exaggerate? No! With every promise, there is a premise;  there are conditions and requirements.  When God makes a promise, he says,  "I'll do my part and you do your part."  God's wisdom, his financial principles are clearly laid out for us in his Word.  Although the Bible discusses many aspects of financial health,  including principles of saving, spending, giving,  investing and stewardship, over the next few days we're going to look at five specific conditions for financial stability. First, ask for his help - Jesus says,  "Ask, using my name, and you will receive,  and you will have abundant joy." (John 16:24, NLT)  Here's a good rule: Before you pay for it, pray for it.  Give God a chance to provide before you go out and charge it.  You probably depend more on your charge card than you do Jesus Christ. Why does God want me to ask? So he can give. Why does he want to give? So I can receive. Why does he want me to receive? So I'll be full of joy. Why does he want me to be full of joy? It's a great advertisement for Jesus Christ. Joyful Christians are a positive testimony.

BLESSED AMBITIONS.

" SPIRITUAL AMBITION "

 

Romans 1:11-13 

I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong
 -- that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you
(but have been prevented from doing so until now)
in order that I might have a harvest among you,
just as I have had among the other Gentiles. (NIV)
Paul longed to visit the believers in Rome because he wanted them to grow up in Christ.

We do not know what 'spiritual gift' he wanted to give them,
but he knew it would enable them to be more confident in Jesus. 
And Paul would also be encouraged by seeing the grace of God
operating in a new way in and through the church.

Paul also wanted to see a 'harvest'. 

The seed of God's Word grows inside people to produce fruit: 
Christ-like qualities of character in believers and
new spiritual life as unbelievers are born again.

Paul's ambition was to see the life of Christ grow and spread everywhere, 
and he wanted to go to Rome to preach the gospel.

He fully expected that whenever he spoke of Christ,
people would respond and be changed by God's Spirit.

Spiritual ambition should be an important part of a Christian's life - 
a strong desire for God to be at work in people's lives,
and a willingness to work with Him to enable His kingdom to grow. 

Alas many of our desires are focussed on our own interests,
hoping that our own little 'kingdoms' will be built up -
they are selfish ambitions.

So much giftedness, money and energy go into making
ourselves important, when it could be used to help
produce a spiritual harvest. 

Everyone who claims to follow Jesus should regularly assess their ambitions.

" Are yours selfish or spiritual ? " 

The test will be the sort of harvest which comes from your life.

Prayer for the day : -

Dear Lord.

Thank You for those people who sacrificed their own ambitions 
so that I could hear about Jesus and learn to grow up in my faith. 

I am sorry for giving in to the temptation to focus on my own interests, 
and forget the call of Jesus to help others develop their trust in Him. 

Please give me a new desire, 
                       a new spiritual ambition 
to see Your kingdom come and 
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 

In Jesus' Name. Amen.

" 27 Reasons for Unanswered Prayer "

“The man who turns away from the truth lest he should get to know it, 

will not receive answers to prayer.” (Proverbs 28:9)

1. Refusing to hear the truth (Prov. 28:9)

2. Tempting or provoking God (Dt. 3:26)

3. Lack of charity or love to others (Prov. 21:13)

4. Lack of humility (2 Chron. 7:14)

5. A hardened heart (Zech. 7:12, 13)

6. Forsaking God (2 Chron.15:2)

7. Praying amiss (wrong motives) (James 4:3)

8. Regarding iniquity (Ps. 66:18)

9. Unbelief (Mt. 17:20,21; Mt. 21:22)

10. Marital strife (I Pet.3:7)

11. Parading your prayer-life (Mt. 5:6)

12. Sin (Ja. 4:1-5; Is. 59:2; John 9:31)

13. Vain (useless) repetitions. (Mt. 6:7)

14. Being discouraged (Lk. 18:1-8)

15. Doubt and double-mindedness (Ja. 1:5-8)

16. Anxiety and worry (Phil. 4:6)

17. Hypocrisy (Lk. 18:9-14)

18. Un forgiveness (Mt. 6:14, 15; Mk. 11:25, 26)

19. Not tithing (Mal. 3:8,9,10)

20. Rebellion against God’s Word (Prov. 1:24-28; Zech. 7:11-14)

21. Presumption and pride (Luke 18:10-14)

22. Un confessed sin (Ps. 66:18)

23. Demonic attack (Daniel 10: 10)

24. Lack of sincerity (Mt. 6:5)

25. Being unsaved (an unbeliever) (John 17)

26. Curses (Deut. 28)

27. Willful stubbornness (Jer. 16:12,13)

BLESSED RESURRECTION

          " Jesus’ Resurrection "

“The Good News is about His Son. In His earthly life He was born into King David’s family line, and He was shown to be the Son of God when He was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

He is Jesus Christ our Lord” Romans 1:3-4 (NLT).

Although we study the passion of Jesus, His death on the cross, 

Easter is a celebration of His resurrection: 

God brought Jesus back from the dead, proving He’d broken the power of sin and death.

After Jesus died, they took His body down and put Him in the tomb, 

and a giant millstone was set in front of the cave. 

The religious leaders, worried that Jesus’ body might be stolen, 

asked for Roman guards to be posted in front of the tomb. 

They didn’t want Him coming out!

But of course, He did. You know the story. 

But it’s important to remember that Easter is not some memorial to a nice, 

good religious teacher who lived 2,000 years ago. 

It’s a celebration of the fact that He is alive today !

I’m living proof—and so are the approximately 3 billion Christians who celebrate Easter. 

Jesus “ was shown to be the Son of God when He was raised from the dead by the power 

of the Holy Spirit. 

He is Jesus Christ our Lord ” (Romans 1:4 NLT).

Easter is the good news about God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, 

who came as a human baby, born into King David’s royal family line. 

Four historical records say that after His resurrection He showed Himself to 500 people

at one gathering.

Can you imagine witnessing His death and then seeing Him walking around

Jerusalem three days later? 

What an amazing thing!

When Jesus was hanging on the cross, the skeptics and critics mocked Him and said, 

“If You’re the Son of God, why don’t You just pull yourself down from that cross? 

Why don’t You just come down and show that You’re really God?”

Jesus had something more spectacular planned. 

He said, “I’m going to let you bury Me

                                        for three days, 

then I’ll come back to life to prove that

                              I am who I say I am.”

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                              " An Easter Prayer "

Of all of God’s gifts
Easter shows us our fate
Forgiven we will rise
  And pass through Heaven’s gate

This Easter remember
The sacrifice of a Son
And through His resurrection
Eternal life we have won

This Easter I pray
That the love of God
Is resurrected
Reborn, renewed
Inside your heart
God Bless You!

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" WHO IS JESUS ? "

 

Colossians 1:15-17  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;
all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things,
and in him all things hold together. (NIV)
Faith in Christ, is just that: not faith in the church,
or leaders or our own ability to follow religious rules - 
but trusting in the person of Jesus Christ. 

Of course, nobody can believe in Him unless they know who He is. 

Therefore it is critically important to know His identity, character, and authority. 
Today's verses explain all three.
Firstly, Jesus Christ lived on earth as the visible manifestation of God. 

He was, and is, God. 

Jesus said, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9).
John 1:18 says, "No-one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only,
who is at the Father's side, has made him known."
 Hebrews 1:3 says, "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins,
he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." 

These are very big statements because they also deny many popular ideas people have about Him.So, Jesus was not just a man - but God in a human body. 
Secondly, Jesus is the 'firstborn over all creation'. 

'Firstborn' has two meanings: 'the first to be born', and 'the one who has superiority with full legal rightsto deputise for his father and to inherit the estate'. 

Of those two meanings, the second only is intended, because before Christ's incarnation, 
He was already the creator of everything, so His Spirit was not created. 

Although He became a man, He had (and still has) the right of supremacy over the physical creation, 
angels and demons, and every authority structure. 

He personally sustains the complexity of the cosmos, and has intimate knowledge
of every person and event, even ahead of time. 

So when Jesus spoke to demons they knew His authority and submitted: 
so did stormy sea, blind eyes, and loaves of bread. 

By His authority water turned into wine and the dead were raised to life. 
People who believe in Jesus are also changed; they become children of God.
 
When we say we believe in Jesus,
we are admitting that we are sinners and that Jesus is our Saviour. 

Although Christ is over all creation, He personally submitted Himself to death, 
accepting responsibility for all our rebellion,
so that we might be made clean for the presence of God. 

This Jesus was raised to life again and He now has the final word about everything.
He is the supreme ruler over everything (Philippians 2:8-11).
Is that the Jesus you believe in and worship? 

The Bible says that only faith in Jesus brings salvation and peace with God (Acts 4:12).
If you are not trusting Him ... start today . 
If you are trusting, don't keep Jesus a secret ! 

He is wonderful: advertise Him to your friends and colleagues!

Prayer for the day : -

Father God. Thank You for Jesus. 
What a wonderfully amazing person He is: so big in every way, 
but so humble and kind in being willing to be sacrificed for all my sins. 

I am sorry when I do not honour Him as I should;
when I do not live to please Him; 
when I am ashamed of Him and when I ignore Him. 

Please help me to appreciate the awesome greatness of my Saviour, 
to be grateful for what He has done for me, 
and learn to live so that He will be pleased and glorified. 

In His Name.        Amen.

BLESSED REWARD

" Great Is Your Reward "

Your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. — Matthew 6:4

Many businesses have “points programs” that offer rewards to loyal customers.

You can stack up these rewards by using their companies’ services, like eating at local restaurants,

staying at certain hotels, or flying on particular airlines.

Choosing to spend your money this way makes a lot of sense.

God has a rewards program as well.

Jesus often spoke of His desire to reward us for loyally serving Him.

When we are persecuted for His sake, for example,

He says to “ rejoice . . . for great is your reward in heaven ” (Matt. 5:12).

In contrast to the Pharisees’ pious habit of giving, praying, and fasting in public,

Jesus instructed us to do these things privately, because

“your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly” (6:4,6,18).

When it comes to living for Jesus, faithfulness never ultimately puts your life in a deficit position,

regardless of what it costs.

But we don’t serve Jesus for the rewards.

When He died for us on the cross, He did far more for us than we deserve.

Loyalty to Him is an act of worship that expresses our loving gratitude for His love toward us.

In return, He delights to encourage us with the assurance that ultimately His rewards

will outweigh whatever we have given up for Him.

Live for Jesus—regardless of the cost.

Our service for the Lord will be Rewarded one day openly,
By God who sees in secrecy All sacrifice for Him.

What is done for Christ in this life will be rewarded in the life to come.

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" Power of Prayer "

In a small Texas town, a new tavern business started constructing a building in which

to open up a bar.

The local Baptist church began a campaign to block the bar from opening

with petitions and prayers.

Work progressed, however right up until the week before opening,

when lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground.

The church folks were rather smug in their outlook until the bar owner sued the church

on the grounds that the church was ultimately responsible for the destruction of his building,

either through direct or indirect actions or means.

The church vehemently denied all responsibility or

any connection to the building's demise in its reply to the court.

As the case made its way into court, the judge looked over the paperwork.

At the hearing judge commented;

" I don't know how I am going to decide this, but it appears from the paperwork

that we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer,

and an entire church congregation that doesn't."

My heart’s desire is that we might know the truth about the power of prayer!

So often we think “well, the least I can do is pray”

when in reality THE MOST YOU CAN DO IS PRAY.

Through your own personal encounters with prayer I want you to know its power:

power to change, power to heal, power to convict,

power to release,

power to bring down and rise up,

power to completely grant the petition and change the petitioner.

Psalm 34:4 says;

I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.

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