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God's Words For US
by Cecelia Lester
Praying for the Lord’s Will
“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways, my ways,’ declares the Lord.”
Isaiah 55:8
She came into our Sunday school class to update us about her husband’s condition after emergency major surgery.
This wife painted a truthful, yet grim, picture of her husband’s physical state. He has been through several extended hospitalizations in the past few years.
I asked her, “How do you want us to pray?”
She explained that they had traveled this road several… ( Click for more )
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he will direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)
I found this verse as I prepared a Sunday school lesson for a group of middle grade children in the mid 1980’s. I paused and reread it. The words resonated in my mind. I had come through a time of deep depression. I had, at the request of my husband, taken a 30 day leave of absence from my job. At the end of the leave, I decided to resign. A few years earlier, during another time of confusion,… ( Click for more )
His Grace Keeps Us
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions
and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great
God and Savior, Jesus Christ . . . .” Titus 2:11-12 (NIV)
God’s grace for us gives us the strength to say, “No”, to the ways of the world. We try to not do things just because everyone else is doing it. His grace… ( Click for more )
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)
I heard this story several years ago. Our pastor at the time called on a woman who had attended our church; she and her husband were residents of a nursing home.
She shared with the pastor her desire to give the church an offering. She promised to have a dollar when he came the next time. The pastor thanked her; they visited awhile longer.
On his next visit, she presented him with two dollars for the church. When I heard this,… ( Click for more )
“persecuted but not abandoned;” (2 Corinthians 4:9a)
We who live in the United States live in a relatively free place where we can practice our faith with no fear of punishment for our actions. This is not true in other parts of the world.
People who practice Christianity in these certain other nations risk their very lives. When they accept Christ as their Lord and choose to follow Him they lose their homes, their families, and, if they are men, their source of income, or even their very lives. At the very least, they become dead to their families… ( Click for more )
“Hard pressed on every side but not crushed;” (2 Corinthians 4:8a)
Have you ever felt as if you were pressed by a difficulty or an issue that caused pain on your life?
Have you ever been in a crowd that moved you forward even when your purpose was to go in another direction?
When my husband and I have had a member of our extended family in the hospital I have felt pressed be there for the patient and for his or her nuclear family. Most times I have completely altered my schedule to be available to do what I can to alleviate the stress… ( Click for more )
“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings,
because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character; and character, hope.
And hope does not disappoint us, because
God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
whom he has given to us.” Romans 5:3-5 (NIV)
“. . . we also rejoice in our sufferings. . .” What is Paul saying here? We don’t like to have things go wrong. When we have illness-personal or family- we go through times where our schedules change. Our strength lessens… ( Click for more )
“Whatever is admirable. . .”
When children are young they can say things that endear them to us. Some of those cute thoughts become family lore and parents remember those words and bring them up as ways to look back fondly onto past events.
When we teach our children new things, we have to praise them for their attempts to learn. Some people have never received praise for anything they tried to do.
When I was growing up I was clumsy; I am still not coordinated. It took me a long time to learn how to roller skate. Also, I had a hard time mastering a bicycle.… ( Click for more )
“Whatever is lovely. . .”
When we see someone looking very nice, we sometimes say, “You look lovely.” When we had a delightful time at an event, we say, “We had a lovely time.” Do we realize that we also can apply that adjective to our thoughts and our manner of speaking?
When we pray for another person, we ask God for His best for him or her. When we harbor bad feelings toward another, we should give them and our feelings over to God and let Him deal with that person and with us.
In the New Testament, Jesus tells us what comes… ( Click for more )
When people talk, how do they converse? Do they share needed information with others? Do they tell innocent jokes? Do others look forward to hearing from them? Or do they carry tales (gossip) about people? Do the tell jokes that cross the line into the area of being coarse? Do other people cringe when they open their mouths?
What is the purpose of conversation? Believers use it to proclaim Christ to the world. If we believers become offensive in their speech habits, we dishonor God and ruin our witness. We become just like the world we want to see redeemed. We should use… ( Click for more )
We don’t hear of the word ‘noble’ any more. Webster’s New World Dictionary gives us several definitions: adj. 1.) famous or renowned. 2.) having or showing high moral qualities. 3.) having excellent qualities. 4.) grand; stately; or magnificent; as a noble view. 5.) of high rank or title aristocratic. N. one having hereditary rank or title; noble man; peer.
When the apostle Paul used the word, he most likely meant it to be ‘having or showing high moral qualities.
In our world today, we hear very few instances of what we deem noble. Television… ( Click for more )
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