Jesus Christ Blog

Compassion is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back.

from PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE

Keep on praying when there’s no answer, because persistent praying helps me focus on God. God wants me to remember that He alone is the source of my answers to prayer.       The Bible says in Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

God wants us to see Him alone as the source of our needs. When we have to pray about something over and over, who do we look to?  We look to the Lord.  Persistent prayer focuses our attention.  Have you discovered that we like to look to everybody else to solve our problem except the Lord?  We look to our friends, we look to our family, we look to counselors, we look to the government, we look to anybody — except the Lord. God often delays an answer to force you to focus on Him. 

Persistent praying also clarifies my requests. A delayed answer a lot of times gives me time to clarify what do I really want. Time separates deep longings from mere whims. I’ve prayed for things and sometimes during the delay decided I didn’t really want them after all. 

God delays the answer to test you. It’s not that He doesn’t want to give it to you, He wants to know if you really want it.  Do you want it enough to keep praying?  Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek me and find me when you seek for me with all your heart.”  Nothing worthwhile is accomplished with half-hearted prayers. 

Persistent prayer will prepare me for the answer. God usually wants to do more than you are praying for. Surprise! God wants to do it greater and He needs time to get you ready for it. There are changes God wants to make in you. Ephesians 3:20 “Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us, is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.” 

People say, “Prayer changes things.”  Of course we know it is God who does the changing.  But prayer changes you.  And God is more interested in you than He is in circumstances. Often as soon as you’ve made the change in your life the doors of heaven open and the answer comes.  Expect a miracle.

Persistent praying strengthens and develops your faith. A mark of maturity is how long can you wait.  Galatians 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”  God’s saying, “Hang on!  Be patient!  The harvest is coming.  Don’t give up!  Look up!”

We want to encourage you to take time daily focusing on God, reading His word and talking to Him.  We liken this to dating, in which we spend time with someone to get to know them better, to learn more about her/him.  Likewise, we spend time with God daily to know Him better. 

bit long…………….but worth the read

 When I drove up in my taxi cab at 2:30 a.m., the building was dark

 except for a single light in a ground floor window.

 Under these circumstances, many taxi drivers would just honk once or

 twice, wait a minute, and then drive away.

 But  I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as

 their only means of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of

 danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who

 needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself.

 So I walked to the door and knocked. ‘Just a minute’, answered a

 frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the

 floor.

 After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90’s stood

 before me. She was wearing a -print dress and a pillbox hat with a

 veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.

 By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no

 one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with

 sheets.

 There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the

 counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and

 glassware.

 ‘Would you carry my bag out to the car?’ she said. I took the suitcase

 to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

 She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

 She kept thanking me for my kindness. ‘It’s nothing’, I told her. ‘I

 just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother

 treated’.  ‘Oh, you’re such a good boy’, she said.

 When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, ‘Could

 you drive through downtown?’

 ‘It’s not the shortest way,’ I answered quickly.

 ‘Oh, I don’t mind,’ she said.

 ‘I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a

 hospice’.

 I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were  glistening. ‘I don’t

 have any family left,’ she continued. ‘The doctor says I don’t have

 very long.’ I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

 ‘What route would you like me to take?’ I asked.

 For the next two hours, we drove through the city.

 She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator

 operator.

 We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived

 when they were newlyweds.

 She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once

 been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

 Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or

 corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

 As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said,

 ‘I’m tired. Let’s go now.’

 We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low

 building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed

 under a portico.

 Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were

 solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been

 expecting her.

 I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman

 was already seated in a wheelchair.

 ‘How much do I owe you?’ she asked, reaching into her purse.

 ‘Nothing,’ I said.

 ‘You have to make a living,’ she answered.

 ‘There are other passengers,’ I responded.

 Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me

 tightly.

 ‘You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,’

 she said.   ‘Thank you.’

 I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.

 Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

 I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly

 lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What

 if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to

 end his shift?

 What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven

 away?

 On a quick review, I don’t think that I have done anything more

 important in my life.

 We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great

 moments. But great moments often catch us unaware–beautifully wrapped

 in what others may consider a small one.

 People may not remember exactly what you did,  or what you said, but

 they will always remember how you made them feel.

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but

 while we are here we might as well dance.

http://www.makeadifferencemember.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=245_19_3_1

NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

1.    Take a 10-30 minute walk every day & while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2.    Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

3.    Buy a DVR & tape your late night shows & get more sleep.

4.    When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, “My purpose is to ________________ today.”

5.    Live with the 3 “E’s” – Energy, Enthusiasm & Empathy.

6.    Play more games & read more books than you did in 2008.

7.    Make time to practice mediation & prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8.    Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6 for true honesty, sincerity & innocence.

9.    Dream more while you are awake.

10.                       Eat more foods that grow on trees & plants & eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

11.                       Drink green tea & plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12.                       Try to make at least 3 people smile each day.

13.                       Clear clutter from your house, your car your desk & let new & flowing energy into your life.

14.                       Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, or issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

15.                       Realize that life is a school & you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear & fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16.                       Eat breakfast like king, lunch like a prince & dinner like college kid with a maxed out charge card.

17.                       Smile & laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away.

18.                       Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

19.                       Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20.                       Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21.                       You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22.                       Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.

23.                       Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

24.                       No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

25.                       Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In 5 years, will this matter?”

26.                       Forgive everyone for everything.

27.                       What other people think of you is none of your business.

28.                       REMEMBER GOD HEALS EVERYTHING.

29.                       However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30.                       Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends & family will. Stay in touch.

31.                       Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

32.                       Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

33.                       The best is yet to come.

34.                       No matter how you feel, get up, dress up & show up.

35.                       Do the right thing!

36.                       Call your family often, or email them to death!

37.                       Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for_____________. Today I accomplished____________________________.

38.                       Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

39.                       Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World & you certainly don’t want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it & enjoy the ride.

40.                       What would happen if you just said….”YES!”

41.                       May your troubles be less, May your blessings be more. May nothing buy happiness come through your door!

by Jon Walker

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. 1 John 4:16 (NIV)

*** *** *** ***

We were singing when I noticed the typo. The lyrics to the praise tune were supposed to be, “I’m hopelessly in love with you.” But someone accidentally typed: “I’m hopefully in love with you.”

The first suggests an abandonment to love: “God, I’m in this relationship head-to-toe, no matter where it leads.”

The second suggests tentativeness: “Gee, I hope I can love you God.”

We express a desire to deepen our relationship with God and there he stands in the deep end calling us to jump in and join him. There we stand, testing the living water with our toes, hesitating to take the plunge that would require a fully immersed abandonment to God.

The thing is this: The only thing stopping you from a deep, abiding relationship with God is … you.

Our objective-in-Jesus is to fall hopelessly in love with God. Ask yourself what hinders you from a deeper relationship with God, and ask God to remove any obstacles that are in the way.