WHY DID GOD CREATE YOU?
What we have seen and [ourselves] heard we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have (which is a distinguishing mark of Christians) is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ, the Messiah. – 1 John 1:3
Man is something really special. He is made in the image of God. He is made to have fellowship with God.
Some people get the idea that God made man so He'd have someone to dominate. But God is not a dominator. God is love and love needs to give to someone. That's why God made man. He made him so He could give him His love.
God could have given His love to the angels, and He did that. But giving to angels didn't provide total fulfillment. Why? Because angels aren't made in His image.
You're the same way. Let's say, for example, you have a puppy as a pet. You can fellowship with that little pet just so much, but then there comes a time when you need to talk to somebody. There comes a time when you need to have communication on your own level.
The reason you're like that is because you're created in the image of God. That's how He is. He has a desire to fellowship with someone like Himself.
Dare to believe you're something really special today--a one-of-a-kind creation made by God in His very own image. Dare to receive His love and dare to love Him back!
Every problem is preceded by a PROMISE FROM GOD. Our GOD is the ULTIMATE PROMISE KEEPER. The greater the problem, the GREATER THE PROMISE. His promise will BRING YOUR PROVISION.
LET THE LORD BE YOUR PROMOTION
Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her. -Esther 2:15
When King Ahasuerus was looking for a new queen, the most beautiful women in the land were all brought into the palace. All the women were given the opportunity to adorn themselves with whatever they desired from the women’s quarters before they were brought for an audience with the king.
But when it was Esther’s turn, she “requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised.” And look at the results: “Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her,” and the king “loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen” (Esther 2:17).
While the other women probably tried to outdo one another by relying on their own efforts, Esther wisely submitted to the one person who knew the king’s preferences best, and the results speak for themselves. I want you to see how Esther depended on the Lord’s unmerited favor. She did not strive to win. She rested in the Lord and humbled herself, and the Lord promoted her and exalted her above all the other beautiful women.
My friend, when you humble yourself and cease from your efforts to promote yourself, and depend on Jesus alone, the Lord Himself will be your promotion and increase. Like Esther, you will stand out in a crowd and obtain grace and favor with God and man!
LOVE TO TELL HIS STORY
Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! —1 Chronicles 16:8
When noted author Studs Terkel was looking for a topic for his next book, one of his friends suggested “death.” While he was resistant at first, the idea gradually began to take shape, but its voice became all too real when Mr. Terkel’s wife of 60 years passed away. Now the book was also a personal search: a yearning to know what lies beyond, where his loved one had just gone. Its pages are a poignant reminder of our own search for Jesus and the questions and concerns we have about eternity while we walk our faith journey.
I’m thankful for the assurance we can have that we will be with Jesus after we die if we have trusted in Him to forgive our sin. There is no greater hope. It is now our privilege to share that hope with as many as we can. First Peter 3:15 encourages us: “. . . always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” We have the opportunity from God, as David said, to “call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples” (1 Chron. 16:8).
The stories of so many people we love are not yet ended, and the privilege to tell them about the love of Jesus is a gift most precious.
I love to tell the story; more wonderful it seems
Than all the golden fancies of all our golden dreams.
I love to tell the story, it did so much for me;
And that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.
Let our days be filled with a longing— and the opportunities—to tell our story of Jesus.
HARD WORK :
'Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.' Ephesians 6:7 NIV
The story is told of a jockey who won more races than anybody else. When asked how he did it, he said before every race he went into the stables and read this poem to his horse: 'Roses are red, violets are blue; horses that lose are made into glue!' Fortunately, God doesn't take that approach with us! But since He was the first employer in the universe, His Word has a lot to say about the responsibilities and rewards of hard work. 'Slaves, obey your masters here on earth... just as you obey Christ... With all your heart you must do what God wants as people who are obeying Christ. Do your work with enthusiasm. Work as if you were serving the Lord, not as if you were serving only men and women. Remember that the Lord will give a reward to everyone...for doing good. Masters, in the same way, be good to your slaves. Do not threaten them. Remember that the One who is your Master and their Master is in Heaven, and He treats everyone alike.' (Ephesians 6:5-9 NCV) If you're the boss, Andrew Carnegie offers the following insights:
(1) Organise. Always make sure you have the right person in the right slot.
(2) Deputise. Don't micro-manage. Give a man or woman full authority to do the job you hired them to do, then give them the freedom to do it.
(3) Supervise. You don't get what you expect; you get what you inspect. (4)Recognise. Good workers are hard to find. If you want to keep the ones you've got, recognise and reward their efforts.
WHEN THE INTENSITY GETS TURNED UP
Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather and deliver us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise. - 1 Chronicles 16:35, ESV
Whenever life gets difficult and it seems like the intensity has been turned up, that’s a sign you are closer to your victory. When those lies are bombarding your mind, when you’re tempted to get discouraged or feel like throwing in the towel, that’s not the time to back down. That’s the time to dig your heels in and put on a new attitude because you are closer to your victory.
Maybe you’ve had a lot of things come against you. It seems like the more you pray the worse it gets. You’re doing the right thing, but the wrong thing is happening. The easy thing is to say, “Forget it. I don’t have to put up with this.” “This marriage is never going to work.” “I’ll never be able to raise this child.” Or, “I don’t like this job.”
No, instead of getting discouraged, instead of going around sour and bitter, you need to say, “I’ve come too far to stop now. I’ve been through too much to back down. I realize the reason the intensity has been turned up is because I’m about to embrace my victory!” Keep standing, keep praying, keep hoping and stay in faith even when the intensity gets turned up!
OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS IN CHRIST …
And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: - Matthew 22:8-14
In this time, it was customary for the host to provide their guests with wedding garments to wear to the wedding. It was an insult of the highest degree to refuse to wear the clothing provided since the guests were brought in directly from the highways and streets. The wedding garment speaks of the righteousness of Christ that God so graciously provides for all who accept His invitation into the kingdom. It must be put on by both good and bad (Mt. 22:10).
Right standing before a holy God is not to be achieved in keeping the law but in humble trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ. No one, who is trusting in his own righteousness, can have the benefit of Christ's righteousness. The righteousness that gives men relationship with God is the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, and it comes freely through faith in Jesus Christ.
The way we obtain this righteousness is by putting faith in what Christ has done for us. When we place our faith in Christ, then the righteousness that Jesus obtained by His faith becomes ours.
Through faith in Jesus, we can receive the very righteousness of God as a gift. God's righteousness is infinitely more in quality and quantity than man's puny righteousness. No one can ever be justified in the sight of God based on his own righteousness which comes through acts of holiness. One must have God's righteousness which only comes through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Paul said in Philippians 3:9, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." This is "the righteousness of God."
If We Sow the Word, What Will We Reap?
Excerpt from Larry Ollison’s book, “Life is in the Blood.”
Isaiah 55:10-11 says, "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."
In Luke 6:38, Jesus said, "Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."
Here Jesus shared one of the great principles of the spirit realm. What you sow is what you will reap. And the greatest thing to sow is the Word.
In Mark 4:14 Jesus said, "The sower sows the Word." With this in mind, if we sow the Word, what will we reap?
Well, here it is. We will reap what we sow. If we sow words of prosperity, then we will reap prosperity. If we sow words of healing, we will reap health. If we sow words of love, we will reap love. If we sow words of peace, we will reap peace. That's the way it works. If we sow the Word, we will reap what the Word says.
Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."
When the Hebrews were in the wilderness just after they came out of Egypt, they became discouraged. The Bible says that they went to their tents and complained against Moses. Not only did they complain, they began to make rash statements. They began to speak negatively. They said, "We will never get out of the wilderness. We were better off in Egypt. We are going to die here."
That's what they said and that's what they got. Not a single Hebrew that complained went into the Promised Land. The Bible says the entire generation died. Only the children and Joshua and Caleb entered into Caanan. They spoke it and it happened. Death and life are in the power of the tongue.
Thousands of years have passed since then, but God's Word is still the same. Death and life are still in the power of the tongue.
In Mark 11:23 Jesus said, "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says." Jesus put a lot of emphasis on words.
We as Christians cannot speak defeat and expect victory. We cannot speak sickness and expect healing. We cannot speak death and expect life. We will get what we speak. God's Word speaks victory. God's Word says we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
The Word says in James 5:15, "And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up."
When we sow our words, we must speak words that agree with God. We must sow good seed. When we say we are defeated, we are disagreeing with God. When we are sick and do not believe we can be healed, we are disagreeing with God.
That's what the Hebrews did in the wilderness. I suggest it's not good to disagree with God.
What we have seen and [ourselves] heard we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have (which is a distinguishing mark of Christians) is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ, the Messiah. – 1 John 1:3
Man is something really special. He is made in the image of God. He is made to have fellowship with God.
Some people get the idea that God made man so He'd have someone to dominate. But God is not a dominator. God is love and love needs to give to someone. That's why God made man. He made him so He could give him His love.
God could have given His love to the angels, and He did that. But giving to angels didn't provide total fulfillment. Why? Because angels aren't made in His image.
You're the same way. Let's say, for example, you have a puppy as a pet. You can fellowship with that little pet just so much, but then there comes a time when you need to talk to somebody. There comes a time when you need to have communication on your own level.
The reason you're like that is because you're created in the image of God. That's how He is. He has a desire to fellowship with someone like Himself.
Dare to believe you're something really special today--a one-of-a-kind creation made by God in His very own image. Dare to receive His love and dare to love Him back!
Every problem is preceded by a PROMISE FROM GOD. Our GOD is the ULTIMATE PROMISE KEEPER. The greater the problem, the GREATER THE PROMISE. His promise will BRING YOUR PROVISION.
LET THE LORD BE YOUR PROMOTION
Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her. -Esther 2:15
When King Ahasuerus was looking for a new queen, the most beautiful women in the land were all brought into the palace. All the women were given the opportunity to adorn themselves with whatever they desired from the women’s quarters before they were brought for an audience with the king.
But when it was Esther’s turn, she “requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised.” And look at the results: “Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her,” and the king “loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen” (Esther 2:17).
While the other women probably tried to outdo one another by relying on their own efforts, Esther wisely submitted to the one person who knew the king’s preferences best, and the results speak for themselves. I want you to see how Esther depended on the Lord’s unmerited favor. She did not strive to win. She rested in the Lord and humbled herself, and the Lord promoted her and exalted her above all the other beautiful women.
My friend, when you humble yourself and cease from your efforts to promote yourself, and depend on Jesus alone, the Lord Himself will be your promotion and increase. Like Esther, you will stand out in a crowd and obtain grace and favor with God and man!
LOVE TO TELL HIS STORY
Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! —1 Chronicles 16:8
When noted author Studs Terkel was looking for a topic for his next book, one of his friends suggested “death.” While he was resistant at first, the idea gradually began to take shape, but its voice became all too real when Mr. Terkel’s wife of 60 years passed away. Now the book was also a personal search: a yearning to know what lies beyond, where his loved one had just gone. Its pages are a poignant reminder of our own search for Jesus and the questions and concerns we have about eternity while we walk our faith journey.
I’m thankful for the assurance we can have that we will be with Jesus after we die if we have trusted in Him to forgive our sin. There is no greater hope. It is now our privilege to share that hope with as many as we can. First Peter 3:15 encourages us: “. . . always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” We have the opportunity from God, as David said, to “call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples” (1 Chron. 16:8).
The stories of so many people we love are not yet ended, and the privilege to tell them about the love of Jesus is a gift most precious.
I love to tell the story; more wonderful it seems
Than all the golden fancies of all our golden dreams.
I love to tell the story, it did so much for me;
And that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.
Let our days be filled with a longing— and the opportunities—to tell our story of Jesus.
HARD WORK :
'Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.' Ephesians 6:7 NIV
The story is told of a jockey who won more races than anybody else. When asked how he did it, he said before every race he went into the stables and read this poem to his horse: 'Roses are red, violets are blue; horses that lose are made into glue!' Fortunately, God doesn't take that approach with us! But since He was the first employer in the universe, His Word has a lot to say about the responsibilities and rewards of hard work. 'Slaves, obey your masters here on earth... just as you obey Christ... With all your heart you must do what God wants as people who are obeying Christ. Do your work with enthusiasm. Work as if you were serving the Lord, not as if you were serving only men and women. Remember that the Lord will give a reward to everyone...for doing good. Masters, in the same way, be good to your slaves. Do not threaten them. Remember that the One who is your Master and their Master is in Heaven, and He treats everyone alike.' (Ephesians 6:5-9 NCV) If you're the boss, Andrew Carnegie offers the following insights:
(1) Organise. Always make sure you have the right person in the right slot.
(2) Deputise. Don't micro-manage. Give a man or woman full authority to do the job you hired them to do, then give them the freedom to do it.
(3) Supervise. You don't get what you expect; you get what you inspect. (4)Recognise. Good workers are hard to find. If you want to keep the ones you've got, recognise and reward their efforts.
WHEN THE INTENSITY GETS TURNED UP
Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather and deliver us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise. - 1 Chronicles 16:35, ESV
Whenever life gets difficult and it seems like the intensity has been turned up, that’s a sign you are closer to your victory. When those lies are bombarding your mind, when you’re tempted to get discouraged or feel like throwing in the towel, that’s not the time to back down. That’s the time to dig your heels in and put on a new attitude because you are closer to your victory.
Maybe you’ve had a lot of things come against you. It seems like the more you pray the worse it gets. You’re doing the right thing, but the wrong thing is happening. The easy thing is to say, “Forget it. I don’t have to put up with this.” “This marriage is never going to work.” “I’ll never be able to raise this child.” Or, “I don’t like this job.”
No, instead of getting discouraged, instead of going around sour and bitter, you need to say, “I’ve come too far to stop now. I’ve been through too much to back down. I realize the reason the intensity has been turned up is because I’m about to embrace my victory!” Keep standing, keep praying, keep hoping and stay in faith even when the intensity gets turned up!
OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS IN CHRIST …
And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: - Matthew 22:8-14
In this time, it was customary for the host to provide their guests with wedding garments to wear to the wedding. It was an insult of the highest degree to refuse to wear the clothing provided since the guests were brought in directly from the highways and streets. The wedding garment speaks of the righteousness of Christ that God so graciously provides for all who accept His invitation into the kingdom. It must be put on by both good and bad (Mt. 22:10).
Right standing before a holy God is not to be achieved in keeping the law but in humble trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ. No one, who is trusting in his own righteousness, can have the benefit of Christ's righteousness. The righteousness that gives men relationship with God is the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, and it comes freely through faith in Jesus Christ.
The way we obtain this righteousness is by putting faith in what Christ has done for us. When we place our faith in Christ, then the righteousness that Jesus obtained by His faith becomes ours.
Through faith in Jesus, we can receive the very righteousness of God as a gift. God's righteousness is infinitely more in quality and quantity than man's puny righteousness. No one can ever be justified in the sight of God based on his own righteousness which comes through acts of holiness. One must have God's righteousness which only comes through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Paul said in Philippians 3:9, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." This is "the righteousness of God."
If We Sow the Word, What Will We Reap?
Excerpt from Larry Ollison’s book, “Life is in the Blood.”
Isaiah 55:10-11 says, "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."
In Luke 6:38, Jesus said, "Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."
Here Jesus shared one of the great principles of the spirit realm. What you sow is what you will reap. And the greatest thing to sow is the Word.
In Mark 4:14 Jesus said, "The sower sows the Word." With this in mind, if we sow the Word, what will we reap?
Well, here it is. We will reap what we sow. If we sow words of prosperity, then we will reap prosperity. If we sow words of healing, we will reap health. If we sow words of love, we will reap love. If we sow words of peace, we will reap peace. That's the way it works. If we sow the Word, we will reap what the Word says.
Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."
When the Hebrews were in the wilderness just after they came out of Egypt, they became discouraged. The Bible says that they went to their tents and complained against Moses. Not only did they complain, they began to make rash statements. They began to speak negatively. They said, "We will never get out of the wilderness. We were better off in Egypt. We are going to die here."
That's what they said and that's what they got. Not a single Hebrew that complained went into the Promised Land. The Bible says the entire generation died. Only the children and Joshua and Caleb entered into Caanan. They spoke it and it happened. Death and life are in the power of the tongue.
Thousands of years have passed since then, but God's Word is still the same. Death and life are still in the power of the tongue.
In Mark 11:23 Jesus said, "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says." Jesus put a lot of emphasis on words.
We as Christians cannot speak defeat and expect victory. We cannot speak sickness and expect healing. We cannot speak death and expect life. We will get what we speak. God's Word speaks victory. God's Word says we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
The Word says in James 5:15, "And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up."
When we sow our words, we must speak words that agree with God. We must sow good seed. When we say we are defeated, we are disagreeing with God. When we are sick and do not believe we can be healed, we are disagreeing with God.
That's what the Hebrews did in the wilderness. I suggest it's not good to disagree with God.
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