Remember...

[sincereheart]

[airIam2worship]

That is so true, sister

[sincereheart]

To Share A Blessing

As I watched the sun go down tonight,
I realized I was the luckiest guy in the world.
I knew I had everything I'd ever need,
And all the fancies this life could at me hurl.

And I thought of all the blessings I'd received,
And knew they were all undeserved.
So I asked no more how others could help me,
But how the less fortunate I could serve.

There are so many people out in the world
With no food, no home, and especially no love.
These people need my help to survive
Because they just don't have enough.

So gathering some possessions, I went outside
To an old man sitting in the street.
I cautiously approached, but when I got near,
He said, "Can I have just a few crumbs to eat?"

I fell to my knees and asked him to forgive me
For not knowing sooner that he was in need.
And with joy in my heart and a tear in my eye,
I insisted that he come home with me.

Even though to me it seemed so litte,
My small meal, to him, was a feast.
And he washed his hands and came to the table
And loved every bite, to say the least.

Then I felt in my heart a happiness which
I'd never felt in all of my life.
And I knew that for all my short-comings,
I'd finally done something right.

After he finished, we sat down and talked
About my family, then he went on his way.
And he thanked me for all that I'd done and swore
I'd be paid back grandly some day.

I watched him 'til he disappeared around a corner,
Then suddenly it came to my view,
That, come the next day and he's dying again,
What is he going to do?

So forsaking my sweater, I ran out in the cold
To bring him back into my own.
But when I arrived, to my very surprise,
He wasn't there; he was gone!

Then a snowflake landed softly on my cheek,
And an ice wind brought me to attention.
And I silently wondered as I stared in the dark,
Was it nothing more than a vision?

Perhaps 'twas an angel visited me that day,
To see if my heart could care enough.
But now I realize that life can be very cruel
To those without others' love.

And the old man's words have certainly come true;
My reward comes each day to me:
For true happines lays, not in what you can buy,
But in what you do to make others happy.
~David F. Sims

http://www.manassaschurch.org/text/blessing.txt

[sincereheart]

When Jesus Looks

When Jesus looks upon my life,
What picture does He see.
Does He see His own reflection,
Or does He just see me.

Does He see His likeness,
The product of His hand.
Or just another Christian,
Who never took a stand.

Does He see a child of God,
A child that He set free.
Living life to honor Him,
Or does He just see me.

What about the other folks,
I meet along the way.
Do I show them Jesus,
To brighten up their day.

When someone looks into my eyes,
Can they truly see.
That calm and gentle peace of God,
That dwells inside of me.

When I reach out and shake a hand,
Is He right there in my grip.
Can they feel that strength from God,
That steadies when I slip.

When folks are in my presence,
Do they know His Spirit's there.
Can they see that He's the one,
Who guides me everywhere.

When other people think of me,
What is on their mind.
Do they think of Jesus Christ,
So gentle and so kind.

I try to be like Jesus,
Every single day.
Spreading love and kindness,
All along my way.

I'm afraid that I have failed,
I could not pass the test.
Deep inside my heart I know,
I haven't done my best.

I have had to fight my flesh,
Since the day that I was born.
It's always causing trouble,
And being such a thorn.

That's why His Spirit dwells in me,
He's helping me to learn.
In every situation,
Where I need to turn.

He knew I'd never pass the test,
That's why He took my place.
He gave His life to save my soul,
He suffered my disgrace.

Now I try to be like Him,
I must present Him well.
So other folks will want His gift,
And turn their backs on hell.

Other folks should see the joy,
That Christ has given me.
They should want to have it too,
Especially since it's free.

They should begin to ask me,
What is it they must do.
Just how it is they go about,
Getting Jesus too.

Then I get to tell them,
This wondrous gift is free.
It only takes a humble heart,
A prayer on bended knee.

Someday when I'm face to face,
With the Lord who set me free.
Will He see His own reflection,
Or will He just see me.

Chick Velasco
http://www.daily-blessings.com/bless4007.htm

[Annon Ashera]

that is so true.

[sincereheart]

Where is Your Church?
by Rubel Shelly

It appears to me that more people who claim to be Christ-followers in
this world are caught up in doing church over being church. Church
isn't a place. It isn't a set of ritual acts. It isn't the performance
abilities of teachers or musicians. Church is the life of Jesus on
display through his people -- with Jesus functioning as head and all
his people as various parts of his body in the world.

Jerry Cook tells a story about Richard Halverson that illustrates the
contrast between "doing" and "being" as the people who confess Christ.

Dr. Halverson was chaplain of the United States Senate for several
years. He would occasionally visit the seminary where Cook was a
student. After one of those visits to speak to students, he joined a
group of them for coffee and made himself available for informal
conversation. "Dr. Halverson," began one of the seminarians, "where is
your church?" The student was asking about the street location of the
Presbyterian Church Halverson served, but he got a deeper and more
insightful answer. "Well, it's three o'clock in Washington, D.C. The
church I pastor is all over the city right now. It's driving buses,
serving meals in restaurants, sitting in board meetings, having
discussions in the Pentagon, deliberating in Congress." He proceeded
with a long list of roles and responsibilities where his church was
functioning that day. "And periodically we get together at a building
on Fourth Street," he added, "but we don't spend a lot of our time
there."

The pastor-chaplain was not naïve with his answer. He was brilliant.
And he had the clear intent to challenge a young would-be pastor to
raise his sights above the Sunday event of church as an assembly. Or
even church as programs and budgets and organization. The church was
never intended to be isolated from the world but to penetrate it as
salt does food. Jesus wants his people to be "in the world" but not "of
the world" -- functioning as light to dark places.

Where will you be today? In meetings? On the phone? Calling on clients?
Teaching algebra? Cleaning house? Delivering product? Delivering
speeches? Delivering babies? Wherever you will be and whatever you are
doing there, you will be part of the spread-out,
scattered-over-the-world church. Your role is to be a stand-in for
Jesus to make the world a better, less-threatening place.

Whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord
Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father. (Colossians
3:17 NLT)

---------
(c) 2006 From Rubel Shelly's "FAX of Life"printed each Tuesday. See Faith Matters http://www.faithmatters.com/ for previous issues of the "FAX of Life."

[sincereheart]

WHAT JESUS DID! -- http://www.heartlight.org/

A Barrier Breaker

A Samaritan woman came to that well to get some water. Jesus said to her, "Please give me a drink of water." (This happened while Jesus' followers went to town to buy some food.) The Samaritan woman answered, "I am surprised that you ask me for a drink! You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman!" (Jews are not friends with Samaritans. )
                            -- John 4:7-9

KEY THOUGHT:
Asking for a drink doesn't seem like a big deal. In this case, however,
it is a huge deal! Jesus is a Jew. Jews considered Samaritans unworthy
and unclean cousins. Simple fellowship with a Samaritan would defile a
righteous Jew. Jesus is a Rabbi, a male teacher of Israel. A "real"
Rabbi didn't talk publicly with women in Jesus' day. But this woman was
seeking. This woman was alone. This woman was thirsty for living water.
This woman needed Jesus. Jesus let nothing stand in his way of reaching
her. Jesus is always a barrier breaker. Are we?

TODAY'S PRAYER:
O Father, give me a heart to treat people as Jesus did. Fill me with
your Spirit. Open my heart to your concern. Use me to break through
barriers and establish connections so that others can come to know
Jesus, find his living water, and share that gift with others. I ask
this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

[sincereheart]

"I had a worse problem than any prostitute or drug addict ever dreamed of. I had a worse problem than homosexuality in my life. You see, I suffered from the most severe of all sins:

I was consumed with self-righteous religious pride.

Biblically, it is the most grievous kind of iniquity. Paul is saying here that all of us are to have empathy for all who do not know the Lord because we all were consumed with the sinfulness of sin before we met the Lord. We are not to sit back in our smug evangelical chairs and condescendingly, with theological scorn, treat with religious disdain and arrogance those who do not know the Lord. Those who may have AIDS. Listen "His mercy should not be restrained." How dare we pass judgement on another who has not Christ rather than share the powerful message of hope in the gospel of grace?

Are we willing to risk our carefully cultivated reputations for another? Are we willing to risk our very lives in sharing the gospel with another? To paraphrase Amy Carmichael, "if we are not, then we know nothing of Calvary love."

In other words, "don't tell them Jesus loves them, until you're ready to love them too." "

~SJ Camp

[sincereheart]

WHAT JESUS DID!

Getting to the Heart of the Matter


    Jesus told her, "Go get your husband and come back here." The
    woman answered, "But I have no husband." Jesus said to her,
    "You are right to say you have no husband. Really you have
    had five husbands. But the man you live with now is not your
    husband. You told me the truth." -- John 4:16-18
 
KEY THOUGHT:
While the conversation had focused upon water and remained a bit
confusing to the woman, Jesus now is going to get to the heart of the
matter. It's not about coming to wells for water; but it's about
parched souls broken by life. While some portray this woman as a woman
of questionable morals, we must remember that Samaritan women, like
Jewish ones, did not have the right to divorce their husbands. This is
a woman who had been rejected by five men and now lived with a man who would not legitimize their relationship. She came to the well in the
middle of the day because she was shunned. This was a woman alone.
Jesus wants to get to the heart of the issue so he can bring his
"living water" to the barren and parched recesses of her soul. He comes
to do the same for us today. What question would Jesus ask to get to
your hurt? Remember, he's asking it so you will ask him to help you
address it.

TODAY'S PRAYER:
Father, forgive me for my sins. Even more, Father, please give me the
strength to quit hiding my brokenness, weakness, and sin from you and
myself. Please bring Jesus' living water to the parched and broken
areas of my soul. I pray this, in the name of Jesus. Amen.




http://www.heartlight.org/

[sincereheart]

When Jesus Looks
When Jesus looks upon my life,
What picture does He see.
Does He see His own reflection,
Or does He just see me.

Does He see His likeness,
The product of His hand.
Or just another Christian,
Who never took a stand.

Does He see a child of God,
A child that He set free.
Living life to honor Him,
Or does He just see me.

What about the other folks,
I meet along the way.
Do I show them Jesus,
To brighten up their day.

When someone looks into my eyes,
Can they truly see.
That calm and gentle peace of God,
That dwells inside of me.

When I reach out and shake a hand,
Is He right there in my grip.
Can they feel that strength from God,
That steadies when I slip.

When folks are in my presence,
Do they know His Spirit's there.
Can they see that He's the one,
Who guides me everywhere.

When other people think of me,
What is on their mind.
Do they think of Jesus Christ,
So gentle and so kind.

I try to be like Jesus,
Every single day.
Spreading love and kindness,
All along my way.

I'm afraid that I have failed,
I could not pass the test.
Deep inside my heart I know,
I haven't done my best.

I have had to fight my flesh,
Since the day that I was born.
It's always causing trouble,
And being such a thorn.

That's why His Spirit dwells in me,
He's helping me to learn.
In every situation,
Where I need to turn.

He knew I'd never pass the test,
That's why He took my place.
He gave His life to save my soul,
He suffered my disgrace.

Now I try to be like Him,
I must present Him well.
So other folks will want His gift,
And turn their backs on hell.

Other folks should see the joy,
That Christ has given me.
They should want to have it too,
Especially since it's free.

They should begin to ask me,
What is it they must do.
Just how it is they go about,
Getting Jesus too.

Then I get to tell them,
This wondrous gift is free.
It only takes a humble heart,
A prayer on bended knee.

Someday when I'm face to face,
With the Lord who set me free.
Will He see His own reflection,
Or will He just see me.


Chick Velasco
http://www.daily-blessings.com/bless4007.htm

[sincereheart]

I'D RATHER SEE A SERMON

I'd rather see a sermon, than to hear one, any day.
I'd rather one should walk with me, than merely show the way.
I can soon learn how to do it, if you'll let me see it done;
I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run!
All the speeches you deliver, may be wise and true,
But I'd rather get my lessons by observing what you do.
Though I may not understand you, and the fine advice you give,
There is no misunderstanding how I see you act and live!

~Author Unknown
(Originally posted on CU by Crusader)