…you serve a risen Savior!

Bible and Quote - April 5-9
     'Bible verse and quote' from Jan Couns

The wicked in his pride will hotly pursue the poor (helpless and needy)… Psalm 10:2a Pride is seldom delicate; it will please itself with very mean advantages. Samuel Johnson, English Poet, Critic and Writer. 1709-84 (David’s prayer) Let wicked men be caught in the plots which they have devised. Psalm 10:2b A praying saint performs far more havoc among the unseen forces of darkness than we have the slightest notion of. Oswald Chambers, 1874–1917 For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire. Psalm 10:3a Depravity longs for legal cultural acceptance…

"Life itself is Grace"
     'God's Words For US' from Cecelia Lester

“Life itself is Grace” My title is from a quote by Frederick Buechner from his book, Now and Then. It was quoted by Bob Benson, Sr. and Michael W. Benson in their devotional book, disciplines for the inner life. I recently injured myself in a nasty fall in our basement. In trying to wait until I could see my doctor or her staff, I was maintaining my practice of devotions in my mornings. On some mornings this was not exactly easy but I did make the time to do them. My devotional book for this year is the book by the Bensons. I found it through…

The Ministry of the Saints
     'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' from Tom Kelley

The ministry is not a profession. It is not a job. It is not a business. The ministry is either who a person is or it is nothing at all. The functions of ministry, the needs of ministry, the demands of ministry; all combine to say live the life or don't live the life. There is a choice. Every now and then something happens that makes this all come to light. There may be an elderly lady in a nursing home. The minister asks someone to go with him to visit the lady. The response? "Well, Preacher, I don't really enjoy going to nursing homes." Guess what? It's not on the…

Warfare Worldview
     ''Winging It' from Stan Smith

The problem of Theodicy is the problem of evil. If there is a Sovereign God, how can there be evil? Conversely, if there is evil, whether moral or just bad things happening, what does that say about God? Lots of people have taken lots of approaches to this from lots of angles. There is the, "See? Proof that your god doesn't exist" on one end and the "The existence of evil proves the existence of God and, oh, by the way, He intends it for His good purposes" on the other. Of course, most people are somewhere in between. It is my conviction that most people are…

It's Your Life That Counts
     'The Way' from Kevin Pauley

Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but they still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven. - Matthew 7:21 We celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ on Christmas. But is it really His birth we should celebrate or His life? What if the Master had been born, but then took the devil up on his offer to make the stones into bread, or to seize the rule of the kingdoms of the earth, or to do some fantastically publicized but self-glorifying deed? It is because…

Justification XV (3-7-11)
     'Today's Little Lift' from Jim Bullington

I Went, I Washed, and I Received My Sight! The beauty of simplicity is illustrated over and over again in John 9 by the story of the blind man whose sight was granted by Jesus. Simplicity gets to the heart of the matter and strips away the irrelevant and incidental details. That is exactly what is done in this story. As a reader, you are challenged to review the entire record of these events as we proceed through this series of messages. We resume today's message just at the point where the blind beggar returned to the presence of people who had routinely seen him with his disability. …

Our God Is So Generous When He Gives
     'Word from Scotland' from Sandy Shaw

As we come to these closing verses in Habakkuk, remember these words in John Chapter 20 - "these are written that you might go on believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." It is the present continuous tense. And……

Desirable
     'Voice of Inspiration' from Andy Castro

The curse of all curses will seek you out, torture and humiliate you. It berates you publicly and entrances you into believing its' sinister story. Its’ ploy is to keep you prisoner within the falsity of your self-perception. It entices you to marry into its extended family; which includes baggage of a hellish, reoccurring nightmare. You eventually begin to think and speak as it thinks and speaks. Before you know it, you’ve lived a lifetime of self-approved and self-reinforced pain, misery, loneliness and despair. Yes it's a dreadful curse spoken over you as a…

Sweet Fragrance
     'Refreshment in Refuge' from Gina Burgess

GOD smelled the sweet fragrance and thought to himself, "I'll never again curse the ground because of people. I know they have this bent toward evil from an early age, but I'll never again kill off everything living as I've just done. (Genesis href="http://www.studylight.org/desk/index.cgi?q1=Gen+8:21&t1=_msg">Genesis 8:21 MSG) Noah was offering the sacrifices that God had told him to bring with him into the ark. Not only were there two of every kind of unclean animal and creepy crawlies in the ark, but there were also seven pairs of clean animals and creepers …

Invisible Love
     ''Christ in You...'' from Dale Krebbs

Love is invisible. We can know what love is only by the fruit of love. This is the reason God is invisible. God is invisible except through that which He has made and what He does, by the results of His existence. Love must be manifested by the consequences of its existence. Words only do not manifest real love. It may be there, but it must be proven by actions. This the reason Jesus came - to prove God's love by His acts of love. He proved His infinite love the an ultimate action on the cross. He was, is, and always will be Love. Because of His action, as well as by His words.…

Our Image Isn't Everything
     'Inspiration For You' from Randy Mitchell

While eating lunch recently, I couldn’t help but overhear this statement coming from the next table, “My husband has never made enough money for me to be happy, I wish he’d change jobs or do something else.” The words were spoken in a disappointing, almost angry tone. This touches on the vast majority of recent surveys and psychological reports pointing to the fact that people are much happier, at least temporarily, when their mates or companions make more money. While listening, I also thought about the image she might see her husband in. Maybe she no…