Encourgement from God

FAITH:

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Has it been a while since you stared at the heavens in speechless amazement? Has it been a while since you realized God’s divinity and your carnality?

If it has, then you need to know something. He is still there. He hasn’t left. Under all those papers and books and reports and years. In the midst of all those voices and faces and memories and pictures, he is still there.

Do yourself a favor. Stand before him again. Or, better, allow him to stand before you. Go into your upper room and wait. Wait until he comes. And when he appears, don’t leave. Run your fingers over his feet. Place your hand in the pierced side. And look into those eyes. Those same eyes that melted the gates of hell and sent the demons scurrying and Satan running. Look at them as they look at you. You’ll never be the same.

A man is never the same after he simultaneously sees his utter despair and Christ’s unbending grace.

To see the despair without the grace is suicidal. To see the grace without the despair is upper room futility But to see them both is conversion.

Come meet the God of encouragement. He loves you. He never gives up on you, especially when life is hard, because he has been there. The hand that reaches out to comfort you is a pierced one. by Max Lucado

FRIENDS:

Father, guide us and help us to stay the perfect path you have laid out for our lives. Help us to identify the areas where we get off course. Help us to resist the temptations that enter our lives, that push us off Your will and plan for our lives. Lord, help us all slow down and spend more time with You. Help us make the moment-by-moment decisions in our lives that are pleasing to You. Lord, forgive us for veering off. In Jesus' name, Amen.

DAILY BIBLE CHALLENGE

17. LUKE 18:18-30; 2 TIM 4; PROVERBS 13:13-25; NEHEMIAH 11
18. LUKE 18:31-43; TITUS 1:1-9; PROVERBS 14:1-18; NEHEMIAH 12

~Titus~
The letter to Titus was the result of two storms.

The first was a storm which left Paul on the Island of Crete. (Acts 27). The second was a storm of relativism which left the Cretans with little values.

"Cretans are always liars, evil animals, and lazy people who do nothing but eat." The words didn't originate with Paul but might as well have. He used them to summarize the state of affairs on the island (1:12).

He had reason to lament. by the time of Paul the society had a despicable reputation. Greed was god. Schemers were admired. Cheating was wrong only if you got caught. Right and wrong were determined by the situation, and rape was not a crime.

The economy was so bad that boys were sold as mercenaries as young as the age of twelve. Hence, the people were left with few male role models and fewer abiding beliefs.

Paul established the church in the society and sent Titus to "finish doing the things that still needed to be done..." (1:5). Since Paul had definite ideas as to what still needed to be done, we are given definite principles of a healthy church. Strong leadership is the first item. Titus is instructed to select elders and to do so carefully (1:4-16).

Strong character is the next. Judging from the style of life in Crete, it would have been easy for the Cretan Christians to compromise their convictions. Paul urges them not to.

Judging from the style of life in our world, we could do with the same reminder.

By the way, don't miss Paul's eloquent paragraph on grace (2:11-14). We're familiar with grace which saves, but grace does much more. It trains us, "to live now in a wise and right way...".

Something told Paul the Cretans needed such instruction. Something tells me, we do, too.


FOOD:

"Faux" Key Lime Pie
1 small box vanilla (cook) pudding
1 small box lime Jell-O
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups water
Mix dry ingredients in a 2 quart saucepan. Add water slowly stirring until
smooth; cook to a full boil.
ADD: 2 T. fresh lime juice
1 t. zested lime rind
Put into a large bowl and let cool.
FOLD IN: 2 1/2 cups Cool Whip
Put into a 9 oz. (Keebler 2 extra servings) purchased graham cracker crust
and chill for at least 3 hours. Garnish with additional Cool Whip. May
also add more lime zest. Enjoy!!

FUN:

Kids and School

TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?

SIMON: No sir, I don't have to. My Mom is a good cook.

__________

TEACHER: Clyde, your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?

CLYDE: No, teacher, it's the same dog.