Fellowshipping & Praise the Lord with Doc329 (23)

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doc329

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Psalm104:29 Thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.

The average person in the world today, without faith and without God and without hope, is engaged in a desperate personal search and struggle throughout his lifetime.
He does not really know what he is doing here. He does not know where he is going.

The sad thing is that everything he is doing is being done on borrowed time, borrowed money and borrowed strength—and he already knows that in the end he will surely die!
It boils down to the confession of many humans that they have lost God somewhere along the way.

Man, made more like God than any other creature, has become less like God than any other creature.
Created to reflect the glory of God, he has retreated into his cave—reflecting only his own sinfulness.

Certainly it is a tragedy above all tragedies in this world that love has gone from man's heart.
Beyond that, light has gone from his mind.
Having lost God, he blindly stumbled on through this dark world to find only a grave at the end!
 
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doc329

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Psalm 97:2
Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation for His throne.

A man who has not been born of the Spirit of God will tell you that the teachings of Jesus are simple.
But when you are baptized with the Holy Ghost, you find "clouds and darkness are round about Him."
When we come into close contact with the teachings of Jesus Christ we have our first insight into this aspect of things. The only possibility of understanding the teaching of Jesus is by the light of the Spirit of God on the inside.

If we have never had the experience of taking our religious shoes off our religious feet, and getting rid of all the undue familiarity with which we approach God, it is questionable whether we have ever stood in His presence.
The people who are flippant and familiar are those who have never yet been introduced to Jesus Christ. After the amazing delight and liberty of realizing what Jesus Christ does, comes the impenetrable darkness of realizing Who He is.

Jesus said: "The words that I speak unto you," not the words I have spoken, "they are spirit, and they are life."
The Bible has been so many words to us - clouds and darkness - then all of a sudden the words become spirit and life because Jesus re-speaks them to us in a particular condition.
That is the way God speaks to us, not by visions and dreams, but by words. When a man gets to God it is by the most simple way of words.
 
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doc329

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We have to think.
If we would estimate the ''manner of this love,'' that through and in the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ there comes to us the gift of a divine life like His own.
Perhaps it may be too great a refinement of interpretation; but it certainly does seem to me that that expression ''to bestow His love upon'' us, is not the same as ''to love us,'' but that there is a greater depth in it.
There may be some idea of that love itself being as it were infused into us, and not merely of its consequences or tokens being given to us; as Paul speaks of ''the love of God shed abroad in our hearts'' by the spirit which is given to us. This communication of divine life, which is divine love—for God’s life is God’s love—is His great gift to men.

These two are the great tokens, consequences, and measures of God’s love to us—the gift of Christ, and that which is the sequel and outcome thereof, the gift of the Spirit which is breathed into Christian spirits. These two gifts, which are one gift, embrace all that the world needs. Christ for us and Christ in us must both be taken into account if you would estimate the manner of the love that God has bestowed upon us.

We may gain another measure of the greatness of this love if we put an emphasis—on one word, and think of the love given to ''us,'' such creatures as we are.
Out of the depths we cry to Him. Not only by the voice of our supplications, but even when we raise no call of entreaty, our misery pleads with His merciful heart, and from the heights there comes upon our wretchedness and sin the rush of this great love, like a cataract, which sweeps away all our sins, and floods us with its own blessedness and joy.

The more we know ourselves, the more wonderingly and thankfully shall we bow down our hearts before Him, as we measure His mercy by our unworthiness.
 
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barb754

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For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust
suffering because he is conscious of God.
-- 1 Peter 2:19


Unjust suffering! Ouch, even the sound of those words sends a chill
up and down my spine. Such a thing doesn't seem fair or
appropriate -- and it isn't. Yet we have many brothers and sisters
bearing up under pain and unjust suffering because of their
commitment and loyalty to the only True God and to his Son, Jesus
Christ. Wouldn't it be incredible if those of us who are not
touched by terrible persecution or hardship would begin each day
praying for those in our spiritual family who do face hardship,
persecution, suffering, and mistreatment? As they display the grace
of Christ to honor God in the face of such difficulty, let's pray
that our Father will not only give them strength to endure, but
that he will also deliver them soon!



Holy and merciful Father, please bless your children today who
suffer pain and hardship while displaying the grace of Jesus.
Whether these problems are because of persecution or because of
life's difficulties, I pray that you strengthen my brothers and
sisters who are suffering. But Father, I know the only permanent
answer for this suffering is for Jesus' return, so please send him
soon. In the name of the Coming Lord Jesus I pray. Amen.
 
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doc329

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1 John 2:14
“I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong,
and the word of God abideth in you,
and ye have overcome the wicked one."

Is the question that presses upon young people stepping out of the irresponsibilities of childhood into youth.
But, unfortunately, the question is generally supposed to be answered when they have fixed upon a trade or profession.
It means, rightly taken, a great deal more than that. ‘What am I going to make of myself?’ ‘What ideal have I before me, towards which I constantly press?’

It's a question that I would lay upon the hearts of all that now hear me.
For the misery and the reason of the failure of so many lives is simply that people have never looked that question in the face and tried to answer it, but drift and drift, and let circumstances determine them.

And, of course, in a world like this, such people are sure to turn out what such an immense number of people do turn out, failures as far as all God’s purposes with humanity are concerned. The absence of a clear ideal is the misery and the loss of all young people who do not possess it.
 
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doc329

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May you be blessed with warmth in your home, love in your heart,
peace in your soul and joy in your life.
I say that life is neither a curse nor a punishment,
But a rose filled with the beauty of desire
God bless
 
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doc329

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The Joy Of Singing

An important element in our walk with God is the act of singing praises.
We spend nearly a third of our assemblies engaged in this activity.​

It also has a place in our private devotions to God, and rightly so, for it has the potential of reaping great spiritual benefits to those who engage in it properly.
It is clear that those who walked with God in Old Testament times delighted in singing​

Psalm 146:1-2 - Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.​

Christians were taught to respond to the goodness of God in a similar way.
James 5:13 - Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.​

But there are indications in many churches which cause me to wonder if some have lost the joy of singing?
Many Christians sing with virtually no emotion, Some go one step further, and do not sing at all!
I have personally known Christians, who; Complained because time available for classes was taken up by the singing of a few hymns. Will not attend a worship service if they know it will be devoted primarily to singing.
In contrast, it was common in the past for people to travel some distance to attend a service devoted to praising God in song.​

WHY DO SUCH CONDITIONS EXIST?
I suspect it may be a failure to appreciate the true purpose of singing​
 
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doc329

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Every day basics = Don't forget them​

There are times in our life when we have an inner desire to seek the Word of God in a deeper way.We study the scriptures, pray, and respond more to the voice of God in our lives. At these times, God grants us revelations about His Word. and we have a more spiritual understanding about our life in Christ.

During these times, we cannot stop doing the everyday living in faith. We cannot separate the new understanding from basics. We still need to fellowship with other believers and listen to them. While we dig deeply into the Word for understanding, we still need to read and enjoy the stories of God

2 Timothy 3:14-15 But as for you, continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them.
and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Very often, people reach this stage of their growth in Christ, they stop doing the basics. Many Christians leave their churches because the rest of the congregation does not understand the spiritual things they have learned.
They stop reading the Bible for the joy of hearing God's story, spending all there time studing or looking for some spiritual revelation that others do not have.

When you reach that time in your spiritual walk, that time when God gives you the desire to see Him more clearly, "do not forget the basics."
Continue in the life God has given you.
A life of faith, walking in His ways, and doing the things He has called you to do
 
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doc329

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So we have to turn to the work of Christ, and especially to His death, if we would estimate the love of God.
According to John’s constant teaching, that is the great proof that God loves us. The most wonderful revelation to every heart of man of the depths of that Divine heart lies in the gift of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle bids me ''behold what manner of love.'' I turn to the Cross, and I see there a love which shrinks from no sacrifice, but gives ''Him up to death for us all.''
I turn to the Cross, and I see there a love which is evoked by no lovableness on my part, but comes from the depth of His own Infinite Being, who loves because He must, and who must because He is God.

I turn to the Cross, and I see there manifested a love which sighs for recognition, which desires nothing of me but the repayment of my poor affection, and longs to see its own likeness in me. And I see there a love that will not be put away by sinfulness, and shortcomings, and evil, but pours its treasures on the unworthy, like sunshine on a dunghill.

So, streaming through the darkness of eclipse, and speaking to me even in the awful silence in which the Son of Man died there for sin, I ''behold,'' and I hear, the ‘manner of love that the Father hath bestowed upon us, stronger than death and sin, armed with all power, gentler than the fall of the dew, boundless and endless, in its measure measureless, in its quality transcendent—the love of God to me in Jesus Christ my Savior.
 
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doc329

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Father, Please Let Me In
Revelation 3:8 - I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

God never shuts a door in your face! His door is always open!
A mother of a child with a learning disability, had times when she felt as if she would never make it to the next day.
There were times when she was angry with God for what her son and family have been through.She often wonder if He had forgotten them at times.

What I so often forget and am so guilty of, is realizing that God never forgets me! When I am banging my head upon His door, He is waiting patiently for me to realize that I am holding the keys! He is standing there with the promise of his everlasting love and faith!

It is up to me to walk through that door and realize by doing so that I am saying, "Father, no matter how tough it gets, I know I have you to run to, through the door and into your loving arms!"
Taking the risk to walk through that door and live the life God wants me to is not always easy; but our Father is always there, waiting for us to take the keys and open the door!
 
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While there are many talented and successful Christians in the
world today, they are merely vessels for God's message of grace,
hope, and power. Our focus should never be on the container for the
message. Instead, what is most important is the integrity of the
messenger no matter the situation, so that the message can be seen
without distraction. God's power, not our own, is what sustains us;
we are simply a vessel, a tool, in the hands of the Lord.
 
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doc329

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It invades our lives in a variety of forms. In grief, as well as separation from loved ones, we encounter emotional loneliness.
In frictions at work, at church, and with family, we find we are temporarily socially alone.
Through such despair comes spiritual desolation as pain and shock replaces the presence of God.
The loneliness that produces a lasting hurt is not usually that which flows as a natural consequence of our age of mobility, nor is it the desertedness that surfaces because of the spirits of independence and competitiveness that surround us.

It is the aloneness that results from human frailty as people, through their words and actions or lack of them, wound themselves and each other.
Loneliness can produce aggression, hatred or low selfesteem.
However, it need not be altogether negative; it may be an opportunity to assess our lives and to address the origin of our anguish. It is also a time to draw close to Jesus; to rediscover him as a friend, not just in programmed religious activity, but in everyday life
 
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doc329

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My friends
We all have a wonderful story to tell. A story of power, of love, of grace and of a Savior who laid down His life for sinners. He came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. They that are whole need not a physician, but they who are sick.

We are all sick. Sick with and through sin. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
It is the Word of God that we seek to declare. Our words are vain at best. His Word is life!
Speak the word, in season, out of season.
Throw your loved one, your son, your daughter, your friends and your enemies a lifeline.
Tell them today about Jesus.
Tell them what He has done for your soul.
 
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doc329

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As Christians who are filled with the Holy Spirit, we should be kind to others as a way of life.
Our God-given affection for them should motivate us to treat everyone fairly, with concern for their welfare.
The Bible is our manual; our heavenly Father and Christ are our models.
 
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doc329

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What is it that we learn of the Father that is for His glory and praise?

We read in 1Thessalonians 4:6-9:
“That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness
He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit. But as touching brotherly love you need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another
 
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doc329

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This love that God has for us is to become the pattern for how we live our lives as believers. Unfortunately, one of the most distressing things about us is how often we are selfish. We are to have the same love toward one another that Christ has for us. This type of love knows no bounds.
1 John 3:16 says, "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."
The picture here is of a complete, self-sacrificing love. We are to allow ourselves to be molded into the character of Jesus Christ, manifesting His perfect, love, and meeting the needs of other believers.

Where do we get the ability to love in this manner?
1 John 4:7 says, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and every one who loves is born of God and knows God."
God is the source of this self-sacrificing love.
The issue is that the very character of God is love. When one becomes a believer in Jesus Christ, and partakes in the character of God, that character is seen in him. The understanding that Christ loved us enough to die for us should change the way we live our lives.
The focus needs to be off ourselves and towards the needs of other believers in the body
 
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doc329

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Our faithfulness toward God is a top requirement.
Our heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are faithful toward us,
and they have given us the Holy Spirit to help us be faithful to Them.
Let's learn and do what is necessary to fulfill our responsibilities.
 
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doc329

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IT is of great importance, to have and to cherish right views of our own littleness and insignificance; of our vileness and unworthiness; and of our own absolute and constant dependence on the mercy of our God.

Is a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price; that so we may be humble under cross providences, considering our sin and ill-deservings, how we have requited the Lord; seeing the hand of God working all in all; acknowledging Divine providence.

Not, with such things as we have, uniting godliness with contentment; to be habitually looking at the Lord Jesus, what He was in His ancient glory—what He became for us—what He now is—and what we shall soon be with Him.

Humility is the best garment for a justified sinner to wear, for God has said He will look to and dwell with the humble. He giveth grace unto the humble. He that humbleth himself shall be exalted. He will hear the cry, grant the desire, and save the humble person
 
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doc329

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If God's Word is believed and obeyed
God's will can be fully accomplished in one's life.

Sadly many reject eternal life which is the gift of God. That means they refuse His presence in their lives and thereby in reality do not have true life as God intended them to have.

These who decline God's grace are physically alive, but spiritually dead.
They live their lives apart from God's plan and come to the end of their lives never knowing the wonderful salvation that Jesus Christ as provided.
Yet, God has provided in His clear written Word how we might be saved and receive eternal life which begin with our belief and salvation.
Many come close. having known the truth, some even professing salvation, but live defeated lives not being willing to fully trust the Lord and obey Him.
God's plan for each of us is simple and easy to understand, if we will submit ourselves to Him. He is our God and Creator...certainly we should believe and put our trust in His plan for our lives.

No man, no matter how much of the world he tries to enjoy he will find that it is all in vain, and temporal. It can never bring satisfaction, salvation or true peace
God created us to be spiritual beings, not just physical ones.
 
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