WHEN THINGS SEEM IMPOSSIBLE

WHEN THINGS SEEM IMPOSSIBLE

Scripture:

Jeremiah 32:17-22

17 “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made
the heavens and the earth by your great
power and outstretched arm. Nothing is
too hard for you. 18 You show love to
thousands but bring the punishment for
the parents’ sins into the laps of their
children after them. Great and mighty
God, whose name is the LORD Almighty,
19 great are your purposes and mighty
are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the
ways of all; you reward everyone according
to their conduct and as their deeds deserve.
20 You performed signs and wonders in
Egypt and have continued them to this day,
both in Israel and among all nations, and
have gained the renown that is still yours.
21 You brought your people Israel out of
Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty
hand and an outstretched arm and with
great terror. 22 You gave them this land
you had sworn to give their ancestors, a
land flowing with milk and honey.
Today's New International Version (TNIV)

Reflection:

God what are you going to do?


To ask this question and to
truly pray this prayer, you must
be willing to surrender all your plans into
His hands. Not only does He know what
to do and how to accomplish it, but He can
also make a way through any impossibility.
Your job is simply to trust Him and
obediently follow His directions.

(from In Touch "The Prayful Life")

TO FORGIVE, WHAT A GIFT

Scripture:

"Lord, how often must I forgive my
brother if he wrongs me? As often
as seven times?" Jesus answers,
"Not seven, I tell you, but seventy
seven times" (Mt. 18:21-22).

Reflection:

A certain Scripture scholar always
introduces his seminary course of
studies on the New Testament with
a story from his own life. It seems
that years and years ago he had
told a lie to his father that had caused
the parent to be deeply hurt. For years
the matter went unresolved. But the guilt
and the remorse kept gnawing away at
him until, finally, he wrote his father a
letter. Because he was not even sure
that his father would remember, he
reviewed the entire episode and asked
his father to forgive him. A few days later
he received a reply in which the father
said, "Of course I remember, and of
course I forgive you." The son said it
was like a great weight falling from his
shoulders and it made all the difference
in his life. Years later when both his
mother and father died within a short
time of each other he went to their house
and was going through their things. Up
in the attic he found a box containing
little treasures his parents had kept
through the years: treasures from their
marriage, treasures from his childhood.
As he looked through the box his eyes
welled up with tears because he felt so
close to them and the things that had
been most important to them. Then he
found the letter that he had written,
asking for forgiveness. He opened it
and began to read, and with tears
running down his cheeks, he turned
it over. And there, in his father's hand,
was one word: "Forgiven!" Underlined!
And he realized that his father had really
let go of the thing that had come between
them. He had written "Forgiven!" on the
letter, then put it aside in the box of
treasures because it was over. There
was no unfinished business.

What a great gift it was for that son to
discover that his father had relinquished
all traces of the hurt and the resentment
and the bitterness! What a gift it is when
we are able to forgive and to let go; to
forgive and forget! That is the way God
acts with us. When we are forgiven by
God it is as if we had never done what it
was that had caused our estrangement
from Him. And so we pray that God will
give us the gift of relinquishment.

(Sunday Sermon Online)

CHRISTIAN HOSPITALITY

Scripture:

When God's people are in need, be
ready to help them. Always be eager
to practice hospitality.
Romans 12:13, NLT

Reflection:

Christian hospitality differs from social
entertaining. Entertaining focuses on
the host--the home must be spotless;
the food must be well prepared and
abundant; the host must appear relaxed
and good-natured. Hospitality, by contrast,
focuses on the guests. Their needs--whether
for a place to stay, nourishing food, a
listening ear, or acceptance--are the primary
concern. Hospitality can happen in a messy
home. It can happen around a dinner table
where the main dish is canned soup. It can
even happen while the host and the guest
are doing chores together.

Don't hesitate to offer hospitality just
because you are too tired, too busy, or
not wealthy enough to entertain.

(Life Application Daily Devotion)

THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION

THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION

11 Since, then, we know what it is to
fear the Lord, we try to persuade people.
What we are is plain to God, and I hope
it is also plain to your conscience.
12 We are not trying to commend
ourselves to you again, but are giving you
an opportunity to take pride in us, so that
you can answer those who take pride in
what is seen rather than in what is in the
heart. 13 If we are “out of our mind,” as
some say, it is for God; if we are in our
right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ’s
love compels us, because we are
convinced that one died for all, and
therefore all died. 15 And he died for all,
that those who live should no longer live
for themselves but for him who died for
them and was raised again.

16 So from now on we regard no one
from a worldly point of view. Though we
once regarded Christ in this way, we do
so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is
in Christ, the new creation has come:
The old has gone, the new is here!
18 All this is from God, who reconciled
us to himself through Christ and gave
us the ministry of reconciliation:
19 that God was reconciling the world to
himself in Christ, not counting people’s
sins against them. And he has committed
to us the message of reconciliation.
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors,
as though God were making his appeal
through us. We implore you on Christ’s
behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God
made him who had no sin to be sin[a]
for us, so that in him we might become
the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 6:11-21

THE GREAT COMMISSION

Scripture:

Matthew 28:18-20

Then Jesus came to them and said,
“All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me. Therefore go
and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, and teaching them to
obey everything I have commanded
you. And surely I am with you always,
to the very end of the age.”

Reflection:

Jesus Christ had died! He had been
executed, He had been killed on a
cross. The executioners were the
leaders of our faith and the current
ruling government. He was ridiculed
humiliated, tortured and killed.
But then the miracle happened,
He arose from His grave. That's
right, "HE IS ALIVE AND WITH OUR
FATHER!"
Before He went to His Father, before
the transformation, He left us with
these words.
" I have been given all authority in
heaven and on earth.19 Go, then,
to all peoples everywhere and make
them my disciples: baptize them in
the name of the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit,20 and teach them to
obey everything I have commanded
you. And I will be with you always, to
the end of the age."

In other words, God, the creator of
the world, has given to me all power
and authority, not only over earth
but also in heaven. Therefore go into
every nation, visit all the people and
make followers of Me. And baptize,
bring them anew, into my Fathers
name, and into My name, and into
my Spirit. And teach them what
I have taught you. And if you do this,
I will with you forever and ever.

I THINK I WANT TO DO IT, HOW
ABOUT YOU?

HAVE YOU MET HIM THERE?

Scripture:

"For where two or three meet in My Name,
I shall be there with them" (Matthew 18:20)

Reflection:.

The pastor of an inner-city Church tells
about an unexpected, but beautifully
enriching experience of Christ's Presence
in his life. He says ... When I learned that
I was to be the new pastor of this Church
located in a so-called "War Zone"
neighborhood, I regarded it as "mission"
territory. My purpose was to bring Christ
there. But, to my shame, I soon discovered,
quite unexpectedly, that Christ already was
there, in the honesty and generosity and
love of the people I had come to change.
Through them, the experience of the Christ
Presence came to me as never before.
Through them, Christ had changed me.
Through them, I realized, as never before,
that Jesus Christ makes His Presence
known to us in the most unexpected places.

Who could have expected that the
promised Messiah of God would first present
Himself to the world in a lowly stable?

It was summer. The days were long and the
heat of the desert wastes blew in on
Caesarea Philippi. Jesus turned aside from
the crowds and went away to the mountains
with a few close friends. The tall pines
swayed in the cool breeze. A clear stream
flowed at their feet, splashing against the
boulders in its path. The Apostle Peter
marveled at the beauty of the everlasting
hills as he said, "Surely God is in this place.
" But Jesus said, "If you really want to see
God working, come with Me." To Peter's
dismay they were going down from the
mountain, back to the heat, the dust, and
the sweaty crowds at Caesarea. As they
came down from the mountain, a man was
waiting with an afflicted son. Jesus touched
the boy and made him well again. And
Peter said to himself, "It's hard to get used
to the idea that we're closest to God when
we meet him in the needs of our sisters
and brothers."

HAVE YOU MET HIM THERE?

(from Sunday Sermons Online)

WHAT IS A GRANDPARENT?

The following were taken from papers
written by a class of 8-year-olds:

WHAT IS A GRANDPARENT?

Grandparents are a lady and a man
who have no little children of their own.
They like other people's.

A grandfather is a man, & a grandmother
is a lady!

Grandparents don't have to do anything
except be there when we come to see
them.. They are so old they shouldn't play
hard or run. It is good if they drive us to
the shops and give us money.

When they take us for walks, they slow
down past things like pretty leaves and
caterpillars.

They show us and talk to us about the
colors of the flowers and also why we
shouldn't step on 'cracks.'

They don't say, 'Hurry up.'

Usually grandmothers are fat but not
too fat to tie your shoes.

They wear glasses and funny
underwear.

They can take their teeth and gums out.

Grandparents don't have to be smart.

They have to answer questions like
'Why isn't God married?' and 'How come
dogs chase cats?'

When they read to us, they don't skip.
They don't mind if we ask for the same
story over again.

Everybody should try to have a
grandmother, especially if you don't have
television because they are the only
grownups who like to spend time with us.

They know we should have snack time
before bed time, and they say prayers
with us and kiss us even when we've
acted bad.

MY GRANDMOTHER LIVE S AT THE
AIRPORT AND WHEN WE WANT HER,
WE JUST GO GET HER. THEN WHEN
WE'RE DONE HAVING HER VISIT, WE
TAKE HER BACK TO THE AIRPORT.

GRANDPA IS THE SMARTEST MAN
ON EARTH! HE TEACHES ME GOOD
THINGS, BUT I DON'T GET TO SEE HIM
ENOUGH TO GET AS SMART AS HIM!

HAPPY GRANDPARENTS DAY!

THE COMPETITIVE EDGE

A husband and wife were walking through
an arcade at a seashore resort. The
husband dropped a coin in a big scale
that not only told his weight, but also
printed out a "character reading." Then he
stepped on the scale and the machine
produced a ticket which said, "You are
the proud possessor of that keen
competitive edge that can leave the whole
world behind." The man beamed as he
handed his wife the ticket. She read the
statement with a smile, and said, "I notice,
dear, that they got your weight wrong, too."

(Sunday Sermons on Line)

YOUR THE ONE!

Scripture:

"You are the Christ, the Son of the
Living God" (Matthew 16:16).

Reflection:

One of the greatest things about my
faith, the reason for my faith, is the man
I have chosen to worship and serve,
Jesus Christ.

Christ, the Son of God, came into our
world, not as a political or military leader.
Jesus came, not to conquer and destroy,
but to heal and save. Jesus came, not
as a king but as a humble servant. My
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, came to
to liberate, not through the power of the
sword, but through the power of love.

So what does that say to me, as one of
His followers. I am not to control but to
serve my God and those in need. In the
name of Jesus, I am to make people
free, to liberate them into the knowledge
and experience of Jesus Christ. Not
through the power of might but through
the power of love.

FEEL THE EXPERIENCE!
FEEL THE LOVE!

LABOR DAY, DIGNITY

On this Labor Day try something different –
pray for the rights and justice for all who work
and the dignity and the success of all who
are seeking work.

MAY THIS BE OUR PRAYER

Creating God,
You made the heavens and the earth and
your work was Good and we praise you.
May we continue your good work through
our own labor – helping to create your
kingdom on earth as in heaven. We pray
on this Labor Day for all those who work.
Whether in the school, the factory, the
mines, the armed services, the business
office, government or on the farm may all
workers carry themselves with honor,
know the respect of their managers, be
kept safe from harm, and be well paid
for hard work so that they might provide
for their family and loved ones. God help
us not to pit workers of one nation against
those of another nation so that one must
suffer if another thrives. Rather help us to
create work in concert so that workers of
all nations might mutually prosper with
decent wages for decent work. Today
we also pray for those who are unemployed
or underemployed. May they not become
discouraged; may they continue to find ways
to learn and grow in their time out of work.
Help us as a nation to provide for those
who are suffering from unemployment
so that they do not lose hearth and home.
May those out of work experience tangible
evidence of our support and may meaningful
work come quickly.

May all the labors of our lives benefit your
creation so that we might be co-creators of
your world filled with peace and enough for all.
AMEN

(beliefnet)

THE GREATEST SERMON I HAVE EVER HEARD

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
Blessed are the patient, they shall inherit the land.
Blessed are those who mourn, they shall be comforted.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for Holiness,
they shall have their fill.
Blessed are the merciful, they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, they shall see God.
Blessed are the Peacemakers, they shall be counted the children of God.
Blessed are those who suffer persecution in the cause of right,
the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs."

Jesus of Nazareth
(the Christ)
Spiritual Teacher and Prince of Peace

Quote:

"The job of the peacemaker is to stop war,
to purify the world, to get it saved from poverty
and riches, to heal the sick, to comfort the sad,
to wake up those who have not yet found God."

Muriel Lester
Social Activist, Gandhian Pacifist
(1883-1968)