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         "THE FACE OF LOVE"

Bonnie Jensen
Senior Writer - DaySpring Cards

"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.  Now I know in part' then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love."
                                                                I Corinthians 13:12, 13 NIV

What will it be like to see love face to face?  When we think of love do we imagine words that define it, or do we consistently see a picture of Jesus in our mind's eye?  I Corinthians chapter 13 gives us a description of love.  It begins with two qualities referring to what love is, followed by a long list of what love is not.  I've often wondered why God chose o emphasize the negatives in the description.  There is a reason.  God knows us more fully than we can ever hope to know ourselves.  He understands our weaknesses beyond out ability to even recognize all of them - or how often we allow them to prevail.

As I read through each admonishment regarding what love is not, I see my weaknesses bubble to the surface..."love does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs..." (I Cor. 13:4, 5).  I'm guilty of each of these antonyms of love.  At one time or another, I've allowed my weaknesses to overcome God's directive to love.  But there is beauty in falling short.  It's a constant reminder that we are powerless to do anything worthy of praise without the lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives.  Our heart's desire and ability to love others is directly related to our willingness to surrender to Him.  He is love.

If we begin to look into the eyes of others and picture our Lord looking at us, our perspective will change.  God looks at us through eyes of love.  Every morning He sees us through the filter of His infinite mercy -- He sees us falling repeatedly, yet is never tempted to be impatient or unkind; He sees our wrongdoings, but doesn't record or remember them in light of His grace.

God alone exemplifies the absolutes of love -- He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres -- He never fails.  He is the One we should see when we look at others...and we need look no further than God's clearest reflection -- His Son, Jesus --to truly see the face of love. 

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P.U.S.H.

Author Unknown

Once a man was sleeping in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared.  The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin.  The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might.  So, the man did, day after day.

For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might.  Each night the man returned to his cabin sore, and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.  Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, the adversary decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man's weary mind: "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't budged.  Why kill yourself over this?  You are never going to move it."  Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure.  These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.  "Why kill myself over this?" he thought.  "I'll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort and that will be good enough."  And that is what he planned to do until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.

"Lord" he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked.  Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter,  What is wrong?  Why am I failing?"

The Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength which you have done.  Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it.  Your task was to push, and now you come to me, with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed.  But, is that really so?  Look at yourself.  Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard.

Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have.  Yet you haven't moved the rock.  But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom.  This you have done.  I, my friend, will now move the rock."

At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him...  By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God who moves the mountains.

When everything seems to go wrong, P.U.S.H.!  When the job gets you down, P.U.S.H.!  When people don't react the way you think they should, P.U.S.H.!  When you want to tell them off for whatever the reason, P.U.S.H.!  When people just don't understand you, P.U.S.H.!

P.U.S.H. - Pray Until Something Happens!!!!

            
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FIVE FINGER PRAYER

Author Unknown

1. Your thumb is nearest to you, so begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you.  They are the easiest to remember.

2. The next finger is the pointing finger.  Pray for those who teach, instruct, and heal.  This includes teachers, dentists, physicians, and ministers.  They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction.  Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger.  It reminds us of our leaders.  Pray for the president, our state officials, leaders in business and industry, and administrators.  These people shape our nation and guide public opinion.  They need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger.  Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger; as any piano teacher will testify.  It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain.  They need your prayes day and night. 

5. And lastly comes our little finger; the smallest finger of all.  Which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others.  As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you."  Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself.  By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

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GIVING THANKS

Dr. Charles Stanley

Psalm 92:1-5

Do you spend more time asking God for things or thanking and praising Him for who He is?  Psalm 92 tells us it is beneficial to give thanks to God. (v. 1)  Let's look at five important questions about expressing gratitude to our heavenly Father: Who?  What?   How?  When?  And why?

Who benefits from our gratefulness?

* The Lord is magnified, glorified, and pleased when His children thank Him.  (Psalm 69:30)

* People who observe our thankfulness are reminded that God is their source of blessing, too.  (Psalm 145:4)

* We benefit because expressing thanks strengthens our faith by calling to mind His blessings.  (Psalm 103:2; Deuteronomy 4:9-10)

What are the benefits of praise and thanksgiving?

* Thanksgiving readjusts our focus from ourselves back to God.

* It reminds us of our dependence upon Him for everything.

* Heartfelt gratitude releases us from our anxieties.

* It refreshes our relationship and our intimacy with God.

* Thanking God refines spiritual perception by sharpening our understanding of who He is.

* Offering thanks reinforces our faith by reminding us of past blessings while strengthening us for what He wants to do in the future.

* It rejoices our spirit.

How and when are we to express gratitude toward God?

* Praising His name. (Psalm 92:1) Every one of God's Hebrew names is rich in meaning: Jehovah (the everlasting, uncaused cause), Elohim (the primary one), Adonai (Master, Lord). 

* Music as one way to offer thanks. (Psalm 92:3) 

* Holy living. (Leviticus 11:44)

* Generosity to others. (Matthew 25:40)

* Public worship and day-long private worship. (Psalm 92:2-3)

Why do we praise Him?

Since God's will is that we give thanks in everything (I Thessalonians 5:18), our motivation for gratitude should not be simply the good things God has done for us - that would mean we are sometimes grateful and sometimes not.  Instead, our praise should be prompted by demonstrations of God's power, shown in His 

    * creation (Psalm 148)

    * redemption (Exodus 15:1-3)

    * providential care (Psalm 23:1)

Question for reflection: How will you be more intentional in your praise of the Lord?

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THE STORMS OF LIFE: GOD'S PURPOSE

Dr. Charles Stanley

Psalm 119:67-72  -  Psalm 119:73-75

   Our God is a God of purpose, which means that even the storms of life have a reason.  So what does God have in mind for the tempests we encounter?  We will take a look at some of His purposes.

   Cleansing.  Through our difficulties and hardships, ungodly attitudes and habits will surface - ones that God wants to purify.  Some of them will surprise us; others will be sins that we are struggling to eliminate or that we are ignoring.  King David experienced this truth when the prophet Nathan confronted him about his sin. (2 Samuel 12:1-15)  David later said, "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word" (Psalm 119:67).

   Companionship.  If we were to ask the Lord, what do You want from me most of all, He would say, "I want an intimate relationship with You.  I want you to experience My love and love Me in return.  I want you to surrender yourself to Me so we can walk closely together all your like.  I want to reveal Myself to you as God."  God uses trials to reveal to us everything that competes with our love, loyalty, and devotion to Him.  He alone is to have first place in our lives.

   We would prefer to learn the lessons of the Christian life through pleasant times, wouldn't we?  But God, who knows us well, sends or permits just what we need so we might walk in purity at His side.  Is there thunder booming in your life?  Look to your heavenly Father and trust His purposes in it.  At this point in our life, we may be in the midst of a raging storm with zero visibility, but we can cling to the truth that the Lord never sends a storm that He will allow to sink us.  His purposes are trustworthy, and they include:

   Conformity.  The truth is, when we become Christians, we are like jewels in the rough.  Through His Holy Spirit, God sets in motion those things necessary to conform us to Jesus' image.  God is building Christlike character into our lives. (Galatians 5:22-23)

   Conviction.  Every single one of us has a belief system, and it is revealed in times of hardship.  Do we truly believe God will supply all our needs?  Do we believe His promises when circumstances indicate otherwise?  We discover the deeper truths of His Word through the struggles we have.  We then can speak with conviction about our God and His character.

   Comfort.  This is one purpose that immediately makes sense to us.  When we're hurting, God's comfort is a precious thing.  Yet there is more to it than simply our sense of well-being.  God wants us to receive His comfort in our trials so we can comfort others in their afflictions.

   Trials do have a way of getting our attention, don't they?  If we respond to our hardships in a godly way, they can help us refocus on Jesus and line up with His way of living.  Storms are God's tools in our lives to equip us and train us.  When you next feel like lightening has struck, take heart.  Even there, God will accomplish His purposes.

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Thank you for visiting our website and please check out our Events page to see what we have on our 3 month calendar.  Please visit our Contact page to email any questions you may have about our church, any need whether spiritual or material, prayer requests, or just to let us know you visited our website. Below are some links to other Baptist sites that may be of interest to you and also other links which do not endorse our website but are Christian family oriented sites.

      Focus On The Family - Dr. Charles Dobson

      The CyberHymnal -  Thousands of Christian hymns
                                                and Gospel songs from many
                                                denominations, lyrics, Midi files,
                                                scores, pictures, history and more.
                                                Searchable, advanced Autoplay
                                                features and free downloads.

                                                                                         
        Lifeway: Biblical Solutions for Life - Various articles for
                                                                            all walks of life

        Got Life Ministries - Evangelist site offering music,
                                              resources and much more.

        In Touch Ministries - Dr. Charles Stanley

        CrossDaily.Com - A site full of Christian information

        Voice of the Martyrs - A global perspective on the 
                                                  persecution of God's Children.

        Bible Gateway Search - Offers a variety plus search 
                                                     in the Bible and Bible reading
                                                     online.                                    

        Kaboose - A safe, fun site for children offering several 
                            links, games and fun things to do.

        Kids Explorer - A great Christian fun site for children.

  
          May God richly bless each of you this day!