Relax =)

Psalm 119:105

​

CURRENT RADIO SERIES Living in Hope   CURRENT TV SERIES Unchained

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”   --Matthew 5:7 Yesterday we talked about bitterness and how it can have such a devastating impact on your life. While bitterness can be as a result of some big event, major abuse, or significant mistreatment in your life, too often, it comes from some small hurt that is nourished and nurtured until it grows to be a powerful force and factor in your life. As a pastor, I can tell you—I’ve seen the effects of bitterness again and again and again. And the natural question is, why on earth do people do this to themselves? Well, some people do it because it just feels good. They’re sort of addicted to their anger. Others do it because they have a sense of self-righteous superiority or pride. Whatever the reason, it’s resulted in a lot of angry Christians who are long on mad and short on mercy! And those lives don’t reflect our Savior’s love, mercy, and grace which is infinite. That’s why I encourage you to model Christ today by showing mercy to someone who doesn’t deserve it. Cut someone some slack! Assume that their intentions are good! I think you’ll be amazed how your life will change when you do this on a consistent basis. Make it your goal to be a person who is short on mad and long on mercy! Christ Brings Division by Dr. Paul Chappell “I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” Luke 17:34–36 Donald Barnhouse pastored in Philadelphia during World War I, and a young soldier who had been converted during the war asked him for advice on how to avoid falling back into his old lifestyle. Barnhouse suggested that he simply make his commitment to Christ public. He said, “You will not have to give up improper friends if you do—they will give you up.” When the soldier got off the train at the station, he met a young lady he had known before. When she asked how he was doing he replied, “The greatest thing that could possibly happen to me has happened.” When she asked if he had gotten engaged he replied, “No, it’s better than that. I’ve trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour.” She quickly ended the conversation and went on her way. He had a similar conversation with another pre-war friend, and soon found that those he had known before who would pull him back into ungodly living stopped coming around. The message of Jesus is a message of peace with God through salvation. It is not, however, a message of peace on earth, nor will there ever be such peace until He returns to rule the world. Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). It would be nice if being a good Christian meant that everyone would automatically like us and respond kindly to us, but the reality is the opposite. This vile world is no friend to grace, and if we are to follow Jesus, there will be those who will refuse to come with us. Today’s Growth Principle:  It is impossible to be friends with the world and a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.

Quote of the day =)

Tama =)

​

Living for Eternity

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.”
Luke 17:33
Polycarp was a powerful leader of the early church. It seems that he was a personal disciple of the Apostle John, who ordained Polycarp to be the pastor of the church at Smyrna. After years of faithful service, a great persecution arose against those in the church who refused to offer incense to Caesar. Polycarp was threatened with death if he would not recant his faith in Christ alone. The old Christian replied, “Eighty and six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King and Saviour? You threaten me with a fire that burns for a season, and after a little while is quenched; but you are ignorant of the fire of everlasting punishment that is prepared for the wicked.” The sentence of execution was carried out, but Polycarp’s faith was not extinguished.
While none of us are eager to be martyred for our faith, we should all be willing to give our lives rather than deny the Lord. The real test most of us face is not whether to make the ultimate sacrifice or turn away from God to preserve our lives, but whether or not to make the small sacrifices of doing right when doing wrong would be more convenient or profitable in the short run. If our faith is not strong enough to overcome small temptations and give us the victory over the world that God promises to us, we should not think that it will be strong enough to stand a more serious test. The answer to the question of what we would do if our faith were put to the ultimate test is found in what we love the most—ourselves and our temporary lives or God and His eternal life.

Today’s Growth Principle: 

If our lives are more precious to us than our love of Jesus, we will never serve Him faithfully as we should.

CURRENT RADIO SERIES Life in the Spirit   CURRENT TV SERIES Destiny

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.   --Ephesians 4:26-27 A few years ago, I read an article in the USA Today that talked about the devastating effects of anger. In fact, the article listed hostility and anger (especially in men) as dangerous to our physical health as high cholesterol and obesity! Not only will bitterness chain you to the past, contaminate your personality, and color your relationship with Christ, but it will choke your productivity. This includes your physical productivity, your emotional productivity, and your mental productivity. When you live with bitterness and anger in your life, you can’t be productive in anything you do. Your mind will be distorted and you’ll make all kinds of bad decisions.   What’s funny—and tragic—is that a lot of people call anger and bitterness something else entirely. They call it “righteous indignation” or their “sense of justice.” But I call it something else: sin! When we live with the unrepentant sin of bitterness, it rips us from the inside out. And ultimately, if we don’t root it out of our lives, we become critical and cynical! Take time today to look at your life and see if you are giving place to bitterness and anger.  If so, ask God to help you root it out so that you can live fully for our Lord. If you live with bitterness and anger in your life, you will never be fully productive for Christ.

Kingdom Living

​

The Danger of Turning Back

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot’s wife.”
Luke 17:31–32
The Christian life is meant to be lived in only one direction—forward. Yet we are constantly tempted to look back to the world and the things that we left behind when we trusted Christ as Saviour. The danger is that if we keep looking back, sooner or later we will find a way to go back, regardless of the consequences. This is not new, because the Children of Israel faced the same danger when they left Egypt for the Promised Land. “And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned” (Hebrews 11:15). Rather than looking longingly to the past, we should keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
Charles Spurgeon used this metaphor of mountain climbing for our progress in the Christian life. “The Christian life is very much like climbing a hill of ice. You cannot slide up. You have to cut every step with an ice ax. Only with incessant labor in cutting and chipping can you make any progress. If you want to know how to backslide, leave off going forward. Cease going upward and you will go downward of necessity. You can never stand still. If you begin to slip on the side of a mountain of ice, the first slip may not hurt if you can stop and slide no further. But alas, you cannot so regulate sin! When your feet begin to slide, the rate of the descent increases, and the difficulty of arresting this motion is incessantly becoming greater. It is dangerous to backslide in any degree, for we know not to what it may lead.”

Today’s Growth Principle: 

If we spend our time looking back to the things of the world, it will not be long before we go back to the world.

Kingdom Living

by Joyce Meyer - posted July 31, 2016

[After all] the kingdom of God is not a matter of [getting the] food and drink [one likes], but instead it is righteousness (that state which makes a person acceptable to God) and [heart] peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
—Romans 14:17
God’s kingdom is made up of things far greater and more beneficial than worldly possessions. God does bless us with material possessions, but the kingdom is much more than that: It is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Righteousness is not the result of what we do, but rather what Jesus has done for us (see 1 Corinthians 1:30). He takes our sin and gives us His righteousness (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). When we accept this truth by faith and receive it personally, we are free to live and enjoy the life Jesus died to give us.
Peace is so wonderful—it is definitely kingdom living. This is why we pursue peace, crave it, and go after it (see Psalm 34:14; 1 Peter 3:11). The closer we get to God, the more we understand that Jesus is our peace (see Ephesians 2:14). God’s will for you and me is to enjoy His peace that goes beyond understanding (see Philippians 4:7).
Joy can be anything from calm delight to extreme hilarity. Joy improves our countenance, our health, and the quality of our lives. It strengthens our witness to others and gives us a godly perspective on life (see Nehemiah 8:10).
It is clear in the Word of God: Seek God and His kingdom, and He will take care of everything else (see Matthew 6:33).
There is no better life than life in the kingdom of God.