"LOVE JESUS BY LOVING OTHER

         "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of

                        These brother of mine, you did for me.

                                   M A T T H E W 25 : 40

Have you ever thought that if you could just see Jesus with your own eyes, it would be easier for you to believe in Him? Would it suprise you to know that you can see Him? In fact you do every day! You look right into His face, but you don't recognize Him.

He's the janitor at your school and the handicapped boy or girl who always feels left out. He's the teacher no one likes and the kid no one wants to eat lunch with. He's walking on the streets and riding in the traffic. He's the ragged woman with her shopping cart full of junk and the old man selling papers on the corner.

 

Jesus wears millions of disguises, and He wants you to look for Him in people's faces. If you want to love and serve Jesus. . .love and serve another person.

The year is A.D. 33. It's late on a stormy Friday afternoon, and I am standing on a rugged hill by a trash heap outside Jerusalem. I huddle with a group of women just a few yards from the cross. Large drops of rain begin to pelt the dust, and I clutch at my head shawl, wiping away tears and rain.

           I cannot take my eyes off Jesus. His body is ramrod stiff, covered with caked dirt and blood, back arched, near death, yet hands stretch and fingers splayed. Jesus' head bobs against the crossbar and He groans, "I thirst."

           I step out of the group and cock my ear. Did Jesus say He was. . . Thirsty A soldier, half-drunk, cracks off a stock of hyssop, spears a sponge and, afte soaking it in venegar wine, laughts and thrusts it into His face.

           I am horrified. Wait. Don't give Him wine gone acidic. 

           This is the Lord who is asking for a drink O, God, if 

          only i had a jug of fresh spring water! But History is 

          written. I am helpless to do anything.

           It is this year. It is late on a stormy afternoon. You 

           drive by a nursing home, recalling a community notice 

          mentioning the need for more dinnertime volunteers at 

          the home.

          Jesus said that when we meet the needs of our neighbors, 

          we have ministered personally to Him. Hurting people our 

           neighbors, we have ministering personally to Him. Hurting 

          people are our neighbors. History can be rewritten we can 

          still give the Lord that drink.

       

"TRY PRAYING INSTEAD"

      "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and

        petittion, with thankgiving, present your requests to God. And the

        peace of God will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus."

                                           PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7

       What do you worry about? Other people's opinions of you? Your family? Money? Grades? Your safety? Whatever it is, I want to tell you something worry is a total waste of time. It accomlishes zero.

       Instead of spinning your wheels on an endless cycle of worry, try praying instead. Take your worried and shape the' into prayers for instance.say you've been worrying about an argument you had with a friend. Take that worry and pray, "Father, help me repair friendship. Show me what to do." I will. Then I'll send My peace to replace your worry. Try it! It works!

       When people face trials, they often turn to prayer only as a last resirt. I knew a man who was fighting a valiant battle with cancer. As people observed the gradual effect on his body and lifestyle, one person said, "Well they're time to begin praying."

       Another man was going through an extremely difficult time at work. It was a crisis of major proportion that had ominous implications for him and for the future of his company. He just couldn't resolve it. Finally he said, "I've tried everything I know to get through this situation and nothing has worked. It's time to start praying."

       In both of these instances, prayer was seen as a last-ditch effort to resolve the people. Only after all other options were eliminated did the person decide to pray. It was a desperate grasping at straws."

       Instead of prayer being a last resorts, it should be one of the first thing we do. The Lord anseers prayer, and He wants us to come to Him continually with all of our needs ( 1 Thessalonians 5:17). The Bible tells us to " anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer. . . let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6). 

       So don't wait. It's always time to pray.

                              Any hour when helping others

                                 Or when bearing heavy care

                                  Is the time to call our Father

                                It's the proper time for prayer

Your partner in Prayer,

>God

"Wrong expectation"

                "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" 

                                    Hosanna in the highest!'"

                                          MATTHEW 21 : 9

No wonder those people waving palm branches were so excited. They had great expectation of Jesus. This was the one who would throw the Romans oppression out of the Holy City. He would cast off the burden of taxes. He would feed and protect them, giving them back their national dignity

                But as the week wore on, the mood of the crowd changed. Why wasn't Jesus making His move? Sure He made a few appearances in the temple, but did He remain aloof, retreating to a nearly village outside the city walls every night? Why wasn't He spending time with the "right" people, the political types who got things done?

                The mood of the people soured by midweek. And the rest is history. I wonder. . .are we all different from those people? When expectation are running high, when we think we're got God's plan neatly figured, when were convince ourselve that the Lord's job is to make our lives easier. . . Don't you think our praises may sound a bit empty?

            

                Do we sing our hosanna to the  Most high when psalm 

                sunday turns into  blue monday? Let's not turn on God 

                with lackluster halfhearted praises when he  doesn't. 

                Follow through on our expectations. Let gives Jesus for 

                who He is, not what we think He ought to be.

                Praise You who You are and what You intend to do.

                My only expectation is that You will fulfill Your glorious

                Purpose in my life.

              

"You Don't Have to Prove Anything"

"Don't try to get into the good grace of important people, but enjothe company of ordinsry folks. And don't think you know it all!"

ROMANS 12 :16

   You don't have to prove to people how cool popular you are. Or elbow your way into the "In" crowd by pretending to be something you're not. Believe Me, you are a treasure to Me just because you're you. It's your inner self that makes you valuable. I want you to learn to value yourself. You'll never be happy until you do. It doesn't matter how many "big shots" you impress, if you still hate yourself inside, you're going to be miserable. Find your worth in our relationship. My neighbor seemed upset with me. Apparently I had done something that bothered her. When I asked if I had offended her. She responded with a curt "no!" I told her, "I don't want any bad feeling between us. If I've done something to offend you, I apologize." Since then the climate has remained cool.

 Aeroplane Ryu Someone has said, "The more I get to know the human race, the more I love my Dog." Dogs are loyal, dependable, eager to please, and quick to forgive and forget.  Don't you wish people were more like that? But sometimes no matter how hard we try to have a good relationship with someone, it doesn't work. Apostle Paul addressed that situation on you.' He knew that some people problem as may never be resolved. It takes that two to guarrel; it takes two to reconcile. If you do your part and problem remains, there is still a plan to follow. Don't harbor resentment or retaliate with the weapon of sillence. Work at overcoming evil with good (v21), and let God work out the problem. We need to keep following the step given in Roman 12 : 9-21 until we resolved any obstacle even do they are not. Learn to enjoy all Kind of ordinary people without putting on any kind of act. Each person is person is special and rare to Me just as you are.

"A Sneak Preview"

                           " As far as sunrise is from sunset,

                      (The Lord) has separated us from our sins.

                                           PSALM 103 : 13

       Here's something that might surprise you. Even though I'm the smartest Person ever, I have a bad memory when it comes to one thing: when you tell Me you're sorry for for all the bad stuff you've dones and decide to stop doing it, I can't even remember what it was that you did wrong. I'm serious. I forget it, it's vaporized I don't file that stuff away to pull out later and rub it in your face. Actually, you probably remember what you did wrong better than I do. I don't want to remember the bad things you've done. I'd rather start over wuth you and move on.

 I never used to understand Christians who longed to go to heaven. To me, it was a place where not only God would know all a d see all, but my friends and family would, too. I cringed to think of their reaction to my hidden sins.

       Upon my arrival in heaven, I imagined standing under a marquee of theater: NOW SHOWING: THE UNCENSORED VERSION OF JONI. I gasped at the next line: COME ONE, COME ALL FREE POPCORN.

       I imagined walking down the aisle passing friends and relatives, people I respected like my sixth-grade teacher, my hockey coach, my Friday sunday school leader, and the parents of all my old friends. Then I spotted others loje the handicapped boy in school I had made fun of, all the janitors and motel maids I had ignored, and the rowdy-looking kids I remember from friday night parties.

       Standing in front of the crowd, I heard a big voice boom from behind a projector, "we've been waiting for you. Before we begin, do you have any introductory remarks?" I imagined my knees shaking and stomach churning as a jumble of ugly and dirty scenes flashes before my mind. All I could do was shrink into my seat and weakly say, " Roll it! 

       I'm so relied it's figment of my imagination. . . .

           God not only wipes clean the slate of your sins when you

           Truly confess and repent, He goes one step further: He credits

           The righteousness of Christ to you. In heaven, your life

           Will be known for God's goodness.

           Thank you, Lord, for not only paying the debt of my sin but for

           Crediting the righteousness of Christ to my life.

"LET LOVE TAKE OVER"

 "There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed Love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful Life fear of fear of judgement Is one not yet fully formed in love.

 1 JOHN 4 : 18

Fear is one of the most the destructive, paralyzing emotions in the world. It can keep you from fulfilling your dreams doing the things that will make you the happiest. Fear hits different people in different ways. Some people fear failure; some fear success. Some fear dying, and others fear living. Some fear the criticism that keeps them from moving forward toward their dreams.

Let Me tell you a secret that will get rid your life of fear. A heart that is filled with love has no room for fear. As My love rushes in and takes over, fear has to let go and find another place to hangout. So let Me fill you with My love and watch fear disappear. Love is my specialty!

 More than grains of sand or in the sky surely that's how many people have lived on the earth. And that God has loved and continues to love every one is astounding. How could there be enough divine love to go around? Because we're touching on such astronomical numbers, perhaps God only loves the world in a general sense.

     Not so. God's love is infinite. Spurgeon defines it this way:"In math, if you divide an infinite number by any other number, no marre how large, you still get an infinite result. Jesus' love is infinite, and eventhough it is divide up for every person on earth, His love is still infinitely poured out on each one of us." As today's verse says, love is mDe complete among us.

     That's enough love to take away your guilt, dissipate your anger, fill up your loneliness, and assure you of heaven. Love so infinite will more than meet your desires and longings. What's more, His love is for you to give away.

      God's love is like trigonometry, for if you divide love, it will always multiply. Give love away, and it will always come back to you with its arms full. As someone has said, "Throw it away, empty your pockets, shake the basket, turn the glass upside down, and tomorrow you will have more love than ever." Remember, God's love may be divided up for an infinite

      number of people on earth, but because His love is eternal and without end, He can still infinite pour out His love  On you. Just for you.

      Lord, You left Your Father's thru So free, so infinite Your grace!

   You emptied Yourself of all but love

    And bled for Adam's helpless race!

    "Tis mercy all, immense and free,

   For Oh, my God, it found out ne."

         

"Friends are Demon"

          "But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the

             darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

                                             M ATTHEW 8 : 12

Jesus' teaching about hell is meant to strike terror in ours hearts, warning us if heaven is better than we could dream, so hell will be worse than we can imagine.Hell warns us to seek heaven.

          When I was first injured, doctors pumped me up with powerful drugs to get rid of the infection that was raging through my body. When nurses turned me facedown on the Stryker Frame, I could only see the floor and people's feet. Horrified, I saw the ugly cloven hooves of demons where there should have been shoes of nurses. The feet of friends were webbed with claws. I scream at the nurses not to flip me face up, fearful that I would see ugly monsters, but when they turned me over, I was shocked to find eveything normal. Friends are Demon. Huh!!

          What a hell. Looking back, I know that my terror was drug induced. But those frightening images remained with me even through subsequent year of backsliding and bitterness. In fact during thisr yaers when I teetered on the brink of rejecting Christ rntirely, scary cloven hooves would flash in my mind. For me, it was a warning.

          We all go through hell now and then. But our hellish moments on earth can't even begin to touch the hell that awaits unbelievers. So why should we complain if God decides to give us a tiny infinitesimal taste of what actual hell could be like? Rather than be angry, be thankful that Jesus saves.

          There's nothing you could possibly be put through on earth

          That can even begin to feel like the real hell. So every time

           you think circumstances are hellish, breathe a sigh of relief

           That Jesus has saved you from the real thing.

           Thank you, Jesus, that You've saved me not only for heaven

           But from hell.