Stand Out from the Crowd

Stand out from the crowd

A man walking into a bank held the door open for the lady behind him. Instead of thanking him, she said, ‘You don’t have to hold the door because I’m a woman.’ Smiling, he replied, ‘I’m not doing it because you’re a woman, I’m doing it because I’m a gentleman.’ As believers we do what we do because of who we are ‘in Christ’, not because of how society thinks we should act. John says, ‘…The Holy Spirit…lives within…so [we] don’t need anyone to teach [us] what is true…’ (1John 2:27 NLT). In his book ‘Hope Again’, Chuck Swindoll says: ‘In the Marine Corps…our troopship carried us…onto Japanese soil…For many of us, it was our first visit to a foreign country. We were surging with excitement…Our company commander called us together…and…said…“Remember, for the first time in your lives, you’re the foreigners. This isn’t your country or your culture…you’re the minority. These aren’t your fellow citizens; they don’t speak your language. They know nothing of your homeland except what they see in you…Act in a way that the Japanese people will gain a good impression of your country.”…As Christians,…our citizenship is in heaven…We belong to the kingdom of God…We need to be on our best behaviour, otherwise people will get a distorted perception of what our homeland is like…Our earthly culture is pagan to the core…God left us here for a purpose…to demonstrate what it’s like to be a member of another country, to have a citizenship in another land, that we might create a desire for others to emigrate.’ Think about it!

Follow God's Wisdom, Not Your Own Feelings

Follow God's Wisdom, Not Your Own Feelings 

For the Lord gives wisdom: out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.  Proverbs 2:6

Life is no fun when we let our feelings run the show. Feelings change from day to day, hour to hour, even moment to moment. They often lie to us. In short, we cannot trust our feelings. 

But we can choose, as Christ followers, to ignore false emotions and live by truth and wisdom. Let me give you some examples. Perhaps you have found yourself in a crowd of people and felt as though everyone was talking about you. That doesn't mean they were. Maybe you feel that nobody understands you, but that doesn't mean they don't. You may feel misunderstood, unappreciated or even mistreated, but that doesn't mean you are. 

These are only feelings. We need to be mature, disciplined, Holy Spirit-controlled people, determined to walk in the Spirit. It takes a constant act of the will to choose to do things God's way rather than our way. 

Even though we may feel occasionally bombarded by negative emotions, we cannot allow those feelings to control and spoil life. Instead, we
can choose to follow the truth-godly wisdom, knowledge and understanding. 

Dear God, 
my feelings often go against Your wisdom and try to deceive me, but I won't let them run my life. Guide me with Your truth so that I can stay connected to You, and not be run by my constantly changing emotions.

Gethsemane

'Jesus went...to a place called Gethsemane...'ARE YOU IN GETHSEMANE?

Matthew 26:36 NIV
The word Gethsemane means 'crushed olives.' And from crushed olives comes oil that heals, illuminates, and nourishes. We all have our Gethsemane. To understand and embrace yours, look at the night Christ spent there before going to the cross: 'Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them..."My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch [pray] with me." Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will'' ' (vv.36-39 NIV). Notice: 1) Gethsemane is where your prayers are not answered as you'd like them to be. God understands how you feel, and He has a better plan in mind. 2) Gethsemane is where those closest to you cannot help. Like Christ's disciples, they will pray with you for a while but then grow tired and give up. At this point, you pray alone. You go on alone. 3) Gethsemane is where you feel the full weight of God's will. The Old Testament prophets spoke of 'the burden of the Word of the Lord.' Luke tells us that in Gethsemane Jesus was ' in anguish' and that 'his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground' (Luke 22:44). We used to sing in church, 'All that I have, all that I am, all I shall ever be; cannot repay the love debt I owe; I surrender to Thee!' If you're finding it easier to sing than to surrender, you're in Gethsemane!

Touched by the Master's hand

Touched by the Master's hand

By Myra Welsh

‘It was battered and scarred and the auctioneer thought it hardly worth his while to waste much time on the old violin, so he held it up with a smile. “What am I bid for this old violin? Who’ll start the bidding for me? A pound, a pound, who’ll make it two? Two pounds, and who’ll make it three? Three pounds once, three pounds twice, going for three,” but no; from the back of the room a grey- haired man came forward and picked up the bow. Then sweeping the dust from the old violin, and tightening up all the strings, he played a melody pure and sweet, as sweet as the angels sing. The music ceased and the auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low, said, “What am I bid for the old violin?” and he held it up with the bow. “A thousand pounds, and who’ll make it two? Two thousand, and who’ll make it three? Three thousand once, three thousand twice, going, and gone,” said he. The people cheered, but some of them said, “We do not quite understand. What changed its worth?” Then came the reply, “The touch of the Master’s hand.” And many a man with his life out of tune, battered and scarred with sin, is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin. A mess of pottage, a glass of wine, a game, and he shuffles along: going once, going twice, he’s going and almost gone. But the Master comes, and the thoughtless crowd never can quite understand, the worth of the soul, and the change that’s wrought, by the touch of the Master’s hand.'

Jesus is...

Jesus is the song that I sing
He is the joy that a new day brings.
He is my strength when I am weak,
He is my voice when I speak
He is my friend when I need a hug
He is my lover, when I need real love.
He is the lawyer who pleads my case
He is the only righteous judge who forgives me,
then, all my sins he does erase.
He is the doctor who heals my wounds,
He is my redeemer, and He’s coming back soon.
He is my comforter when I’m feeling down,
He is my angel that is ever present, always around.
He is my provider always supplying when I need help,
He is my water, my bread, stored up on the shelf.
He is my teacher, who shows me what to do,
He is my encourager, when I really don’t want to.
He is that fire burning deep down in my soul,
He is my fortune-teller, for in his hands, my future he holds.
He is the repairman, who comes to fix my stuff,
He is the everlasting father, who is more than enough.
He is the prince of peace; yes a peacemaker is he,
He is my eyes, my light, my pathway, when I can’t see.
He is my mighty counsellor when I need advice,
He is my debt consolidator, for He paid the ultimate price.
He is my hope for tomorrow,
He is my ever-flowing income,
so I don’t have to beg, steal, nor borrow.
He is the mercy, which He renews for me everyday,
He is my truth, my life, the only way.
He is the warden, who unlocks the chains and sets me free,
He is my role model, for I always look up to thee.
He is the author, the finisher of my faith,
He is the patience that always tells me to wait.
Jesus is my everything,
although with my natural eyes, Him, I cannot see,
Jesus is my everything, my everything, everything I want to be.
Jesus is my everything,
all the time, everyday of the year
So when I wake up the morning I will tell Him that He is my everything

When I am about to close my eyes to sleep, I will tell Him that He is my Everything

And even if death should take my and worms have destroyed my body
Yet in my flesh I shall see Jesus
And I shall tell Him face to face
Jesus, You are my everything!

By Paul Ciniraj

Chief of Sinners though I be

Chief of sinners though i be

The depth and hue of my sin as that of the Red sea

Blessed assurance, Jesus still says to me

"I gave my life for thee"

Chief of sinners i am
Moment by moment His commandments break i them

Intemperance, pride, covetousness

daily weighed and found wanting in the balances of righteousness

When in despair i proclaim "woe is me!"

A still small voice whispers

"My grace is sufficient for thee"

Chief of sinners though i be

Each day crucifying Him a new on calvary`s tree

About to let down the banner, asking why bother?

Wondefully God counsels

"Come now let us reason together"

Chief of sinners though i be

Jesus shed His blood for me.

Though Satan`s arrows are hurled at a me

Safely in Him, sin i can conquer, why?

He promised

"You are the apple of mine eye"

Chief of sinners though i be, Jesus died for me..

By Gobe Halahala

Does anybody know you're a Christian

Does anybody even know you’re A Christian?

Does anybody even know that you’re a Christian?
When you go to your school or your job, can anybody tell by your actions that you believe in God or cannot they tell the difference in what you believe and how you act.
Because you’re always at the club with a drink or talking about somebody else behind their back and when they finally figure out you’re a Christian they start talking behind yours and then you wonder why when people look at you they can’t even respect the fact that you’re a Christian anymore.
Because you may be the only example they have and if they can’t tell the difference between your wrong and their wrong they aint going to follow God’s path, Does anybody even know you’re a Christian?
Do the people even know that the God in you is there, when somebody who doesn’t believe in God looses someone in their family do they even think to go to you for prayer, because they don’t know where else to go and if not when did Jesus become your own personal secret for nobody else to know.
Are you serious Jesus Christ didn’t get stretched out on the cross so your testimony could be mysterious because, silent testimonies have never saved souls, while our testimonies lay low, and we wonder why the world is raised in hell? Because a lot of Christians are too worried about other people’s opinions and too busy trying to save themself.
And y’all I don’t know what’s worse nobody knowing I am a Christian or the only people that know I am a Christian are the people at my church.
What you’ll have to understand is people sacrificed their lives to spread the love of Jesus throughout the earth, and you mean to tell me you more worried about what other people may think or believe. What if Jesus was more concerned with other people’s opinions than the Salvation you received?
Bleed until he bled, all his blood until he was dead, nailed his feet thorns in head, what if Jesus was less concerned about spreading the gospel and cared more about what people said, nah instead he stood for what was right. Jesus wanted everybody in the world to know and everybody to know that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have ever-lasting life.
Does anybody know you’re a Christian by your actions, or does everybody think you’re a Christian because you’re acting?
Does anybody know you’re a Christian by your actions, or does everybody think you’re a Christian while you’re acting? And the only reason why I ask is because half of us are putting on a vasade trying to treat our walk with God like were expecting full time benefits when he is our part time job.
But working with God isn’t a part-time gig, it’s not a job, or a career it’s a lifestyle that you have to live, and what you have to understand is one soul’s trash is another soul’s treasure. And if you won’t take your time then Jay Z will continue to convince them that Jesus can’t save them with the Empire State of mind. Does anybody know that you’re a Christian? Are you letting his light shine through and if not, how many more times are you going to deny Jesus before Jesus deny you.