GOD GIVES US COURAGE

Scripture:

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.
But take heart, because I have overcome the world. John 16:33

Reflection:

This verse reminds us that
God doesn't promise to protect us
from problems on this earth. Instead
he promises to give us the courage to
face our problems with his strength.
Use the strength that God gives you
to over come the over riding problems
that surrounds you. He is there for
you, HAVE COURAGE!!!!!!!!

Prayer:

Thank you oh Lord forgiving us the
strength to overcome our problems.
Thank you God for being there for
us. In Jesus name AMEN!

WHAT WILL THEY SAY ABOUT YOU

Scripture:

We give thanks to God the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard that
you trust in Christ Jesus and that you love
all of God's people. Colossians 1:3-4

Reflection:

I'm not sure why I was thinking about this,
but the other day I was thinking about my funeral.
I know it sounds kind of morbid, but do
you ever do that? Anyway I was wondering
what people would say about me and what
I would want them to say about me. This
verse came to my mind. I would like to be
remembered for two things, nothing more
and nothing less. I would like to be
remembered for my faith in God, the Father of'
my Savior Jesus Christ and my love for others.
You see I really do love God the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit. I'm still excited about the
words, and wonders of God, God is very
personal and up close with me, and I like
sharing my God with others. I love being with
people, people who share my faith, people who
have other faiths, and people who have very little
faith. I love being with people, talking with them,
listening to them, and most of all being of service
to them. That's it and nothing else. How about
you? How do you want people to know and
remember you? Those questions certainly
make you evaluate and think about your life

Prayer:

Sweet Jesus, I praise Your name and I shout out
with joy for Your presence in my life, and for the
anointing power of Your Holy Spirit which is helping
me to go deeper in Your truths and soar higher in
Your power. I turn my eyes to the heavens anticipating
new wisdom and deeper insights into Your sacred truths.
Thank You oh God for my faith and my love. In Jesus
Name Amen.

A GIFT FOR YOU

Reflection:

I would like to make a gift
for you. My gift is to share
the following verses with you.
And I would like you to do
something for me. For the
next week, first thing in the
morning, read these verses
and think and pray about
them for just five minutes,
and ask God to make them a
part of your life. It will make
a difference in your life.
God Bless You.

Pastor Kim


1 Peter 5:7-11 (New Century Version)

7 Give all your worries to him,
because he cares about you.

8 Control yourselves and be
careful! The devil, your enemy,
goes around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to eat
.9 Refuse to give in to him, by
standing strong in your faith.
You know that your Christian
family all over the world is
having the same kinds of
suffering.

10 And after you suffer for
a short time, God, who gives
all grace, will make everything
right. He will make you strong
and support you and keep you
from falling. He called you to
share in his glory in Christ, a
glory that will continue forever.
11 All power is his forever and ever. Amen.

THE CREATIVE BOND

Scripture:

God looked over all he had made,
and he saw that it was excellent in
every way. Genesis 1:31

I have filled him with the Spirit of God,
giving him . . . skill in all kinds of crafts.
Exodus 31:3

Reflection:

Have you ever experienced God's
creation? I mean really felt and
observed His awe inspiring
creative ability. It is something you
will always carry with you. God's
own character is seen in His creative
activity.
Have you ever been to the Louvre in Paris,
or any art gallery. We see that God also
graces us with the ability to create beauty.
That makes an unbreakable bond with our
creative force, our God.

Prayer:

Thank You Almighty God, for your creation.
Thank You that Your Character is seen in
Your creative activity. Thank You for gracing
us with that creative ability. Thank You for
that unbreakable bond. In Jesus Name AMEN!

CAN I TAKE CRITICISM

Scripture:

If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty
and disgrace; if you accept criticism, you will
be honored. Proverbs 13:18

Reflection:

It can be hard to take criticism, but criticism
offered in love with wisdom can be a true
blessing in disguise. Ask God to help you
be gracious when others offer strong advice.
This can sometimes be difficult to do, but
certainly rewarding in the end.

Prayer:

Lord grant me patience when I am
criticized. I know that You honor me.
In Jesus Name AMEN!

YOU AND I HAVE A BOND

Scripture:

2 Always be humble, gentle, and patient,
accepting each other in love.3 You are joined
together with peace through the Spirit, so
make every effort to continue together in this
way.4 There is one body and one Spirit, and
God called you to have one hope.
Ephesians 4:2-4 (New Century Version)

Reflection:

In a special way, gentleness and patience
are what we show with others with whom
we are united in Christ. We have a bond
with other believers that makes us one
with each other as we are in Christ.
Do you feel that bond? I know I do.

Prayer:

Oh God thank you for Your Son
Who gives me that bond, that
special bond that I feel with You
and with others who know You
as there Lord and Savior.

HOW HAS GOD PROTECTED US IN THE PAST

Before the mountains were created, before
you made the earth and the world, you are
God, without beginning or end.

You turn people back to dust, saying,
"Return to dust!"
Psalm 90:3-4 NLT

Our help in ages past

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home!
O God, Our Help in Ages Past,
ISAAC WATTS (1674-1748)

In 1714, the people of England were
anxious. Queen Anne lay dying, and
she had no son or daughter to succeed
her. Who would be the new monarch,
and what changes would that make?
Isaac Watts had reason to worry. His
father had been imprisoned under the
previous regime because his views did
not please the ruling family. As a young
child, Isaac has been carried by his
mother to visit his father in jail. But
Queen Anne had brought a new
tolerance, and freedom for the elder
Watts. Now that she was dying,
what would happen?

Isaac Watts turned to Psalm 90 on this
occasion and penned what may be the
greatest of his more than six hundred hymns.
In essence, it is a poem about time. God
stands above human time, and in Him all
our anxieties can be laid to rest. The
greatness of our eternal God was a favorite
theme of Watts. When the events of the
day bring worry, the God of all ages remains
our eternal home.

adapted from The One Year® Book of Hymns
by Mark Norton and Robert Brown, Tyndale
House Publishers (1995), entry for January 29

A person can respond to suffering like an
egg, or like a potato. A potato goes into
the boiling water hard, but comes out
pliable. An egg goes into the boiling water
soft and comes out hard.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN

TO BE CHILDLIKE

Scripture:

Therefore, anyone who becomes
as humble as this little child is the
greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 18:4

Reflection:
In your personal relationships, are you
childlike or childish? There is a difference.
The difference, according to the verse, is
humility. Have you ever noticed the humility
of a child. There is an innocence about it.
Children approach relationships, not to better
themselves, not to stroke their own ego's,
but just for the sheer pleasure of the relationship,
In complete humility. That's how we should be
with others, not to benefit ourselves but
to experience the joy of the relationship,
to be childlike. Our reward is to be among
the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Prayer:

Thank you God for my relationship with
You. Because of that relationship I
experience a childlike relationship with
others. Thank you Lord for making those
relationship so precious in my life.
In Jesus Name I pray AMEN.

GREED

It's a sad state of affairs.....isn't it!

GREED

The Funeral Stone

Sam died. His will provided $30,000
for an elaborate funeral. As the last
guests departed the affair, his wife
Sarah turned to her oldest and dearest
friend Jody and said, "Well, I'm sure
Sam would be pleased".

"I'm sure you're right," replied Jody,
who lowered her voice and leaned in
close. "How much did this really cost?"

"All of it," said Sarah . "Thirty thousand."

"No!" Jody exclaimed. "I mean, it was
very nice, but $30,000?"

Sarah answered, "The funeral was
$6,500. I donated $500 to the church.
The whiskey, wine and snacks were
another $500. The rest went for the
Memorial Stone."

Jody computed quickly. "$22,500 for a
Memorial Stone? My word, how big is it ?"

"Two and a half carats."

LOVING GOD

Scripture:

"We know how much God loves us,
and we have put our trust in his love.
God is love, and all who live in love live
in God, and God lives in them. And as
we live in God, our love grows more
perfect. So we will not be afraid on the
day of judgment, but we can face him
with confidence because we live like
Jesus here in this world. Such love has
no fear, because perfect love expels all
fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of
punishment, and this shows that
we have not fully experienced his perfect
love. We love each other because he
loved us first. If someone says, "I love God,"
but hates a Christian brother or sister, that
person is a liar; for if we don’t love people
we can see, how can we love God, whom
we cannot see? And he has given us this
command: Those who love God must also
love their Christian brothers and sisters."
(1 John 4:16-21)

Reflection:

We realize that though we can’t see or touch
God, we can see and touch and serve other people.
We love God back by loving others he loves,
particularly fellow Christians.
Learning to love God is a lifetime process that
starts with an acknowledgment of his love for
us and grows as we learn to serve and love
our neighbor.

Prayer:

Thank you for loving me oh God,
help me to love and serve others.
Through Jesus Love AMEN

PRAYING THROUGH THE FIRST 100 DAYS

Day Forty-Five: March 6, 2009

For President Obama to have God’s
wisdom as he works with members
of his team to solve our country’s
economic crisis

Who, then, is the man that fears
the LORD? He will instruct him in
the way chosen for him. He will
spend his days in prosperity, and
his descendants will inherit the land.
--Psalm 25:12-13 (NIV)

Mighty God, all resources and all
wealth have You as their origin.
I praise You for Your greatness
and power; for the awesome and
vast wealth and wisdom that are
found in You. You are the source
of all wisdom, and You kindly
promise to give wisdom to Your
children when we humble ourselves
and ask You for it! I praise and bless
You for this today, Lord!

I bring before You the great need in
our nation for economic recovery,
asking that You guide President
Obama and his economic advisory
team as they work together to bring
a turnaround in our nation’s troubled
economy. Lead them with Your wisdom,
gracious Lord, and let them be eager
to seek Your guidance as they
discern how to help our economy
and, in turn, those most deeply
impacted by the current troubles.
I ask this in Your holy name,
Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

I'LL PRAISE MY MAKER

Scripture:

But happy are those who have the God
of Israel as their helper, whose hope is
in the Lord their God.
Psalm 146:5 NLT

I'll praise my Maker while I've breath;
And when my voice is lost in death.
Praise shall employ my nobler pow'rs;
My days of praise shall ne'er be past,
While life, and thought, and being last,
Or immortality endures.

Happy the man whose hopes rely
On Israel's God! He made the sky,
And earth, and sea, with all their train;
His truth for ever stands secure;
He saves the oppressed, He feeds the poor,
And none shall find His promise vain.
I'll Praise My Maker While I've Breath
(v1,2), ISAAC WATTS (1674-1748)

In Westminster Abbey stands a
statue of Isaac Watts with a pen
in his hand. Not far from Watts,
John Wesley is also honored.
This hymn has connections to
both men.

As John Wesley lay dying, he
surprised his friends gathered
around his bedside by singing
in a clear voice this hymn of
Isaac Watts: "I'll praise my Maker
while I've breath, and when my
voice is lost in death, praise shall
employ my nobler powers."

The next day he tried to sing the
hymn again, but he could not. Two
or three times he began, but could
only say the words "I'll praise."
That was all he could get out of
his mouth. Then, with those words
on his lips, he was ushered into glory.

adapted from The One Year® Book
of Hymns by Mark Norton and Robert
Brown, Tyndale House Publishers (1995),
entry for February 27

THIS IS MY PRAYER FOR YOU

KNOW THAT THE LORD GOES WITH YOU

Know that the Lord goes with you. Let Him lead you each
day into the quiet place of your heart, where He will speak
with you; know that He loves you and watches over you-
that He listens to you in gentle understanding, that He is
with you always, wherever you are and however you feel;
and the Blessings of God be yours forever.

-Author unknown

GOD IS ALWAYS FAIR AND JUST

What do you do in the face of injustice?

Scripture:

Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing!
The faithful have vanished from the earth!
Neighbors lie to each other, speaking with
flattering lips and insincere hearts.
May the Lord bring their flattery to an end
and silence their proud tongues…
Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed,
preserving them forever from this lying
generation, even though the wicked strut
about, and even is praised throughout the land.
Psalm 12:1-3, 7-8 NLT

Reflection:

Doesn't it really bother you, that it seems those
who get ahead almost always seem to be the
people who lie, cheat, and steal? It sure
bothers me. And what makes it even worse
is that they not only get away with their evil deeds,
there actions are admired and glorified for the
whole world to see.

Daydreaming about wicked people getting their
just desserts may bring a smile to your face, but
thinking about revenge isn't healthy for your soul.
Instead, we should commit the wicked and the evil
they do to God in prayer. We can't stop others from
speaking lies or taking advantage of us, but we can
and should cry out to the Lord who watches over his
people. God knows the truth about all people, and he
hears and responds to the cry of his people. This
truth can give us peace amidst all the evil of those
around us.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank you for watching over me as those
around me plot evil…

Quote:

"We may see non-justice in God, which is mercy,
but we never see injustice in God."
R C SPROUL