Betrayals

Betrayals
Os Hillman

If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend. -Psalm 55:12-13

"You will always be attacked in the place of your inheritance," said the man sitting across the breakfast table. "God has called you to bring people together and to impact other people's lives as a result of this anointing in your life. You must make sure that you seek to maintain righteousness in all of your relationships." Those words came from someone who had the wisdom and authority to speak them to me.

I have had a number of close relationships that ended in betrayal. I am very loyal to my friends and those with whom I have covenant relationships. Yet there are times that no matter how righteous you are, when someone means to betray you, he will do it. Loving those who betray you is "graduate-level Christianity." The religious community and one of His closest friends betrayed Jesus. Those who were closest to David betrayed him. Joseph's own family betrayed him. Loving our enemies cannot be accomplished by mustering it up. It can only happen when we have come to a death in ourselves so that Christ can love through us. It is truly one of those acts of identifying with the cross.

If you are a leader, you can be sure God will allow you to experience betrayal. It is one of those courses in the Kingdom that may not be required until God has seen that you have successfully passed other tests. It is the most difficult and most gut wrenching of all tests. A godly response goes against all that is in us. Our natural response is to protect, retaliate, and retain unforgiveness and bitterness. Our natural response is satan's most powerful weapon; to overcome it requires much grace from God. Ask God to build His nature in you now so that when such attacks come, you will be aware that it is a test and you will respond in righteousness.

Changing Your Behavior

Changing Your Behavior
Neil Anderson

Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh -Galatians 5:16

A careful distinction must be made concerning your relationship to the flesh as a Christian. There is a difference in Scripture between being in the flesh and walking according to the flesh.

As a Christian, you are no longer in the flesh. That phrase describes people who are still spiritually dead (Romans 8:8), those who live independently of God. Everything they do, whether morally good or bad, is in the flesh. You are not in the flesh; you are in Christ. You are no longer independent of God; you have declared your dependence upon Him by placing faith in Christ.

But even though you are not in the flesh, you may still choose to walk according to the flesh (Romans 8:12, 13). You may still act independently of God by responding to the mind-set, patterns and habits ingrained in you by the world you lived in. Paul rebuked the immature Corinthian Christians as "fleshly" because of their expressions of jealousy, strife, division and misplaced identity (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). He listed the evidences of fleshly living in Galatians 5:19-21.

Unbelievers can't help but live according to the flesh because they are totally in the flesh. But your old skipper is gone. You are no longer in the flesh and you no longer need to live according to its desires. Getting rid of the old self was God's responsibility, but rendering the flesh and its deeds inoperative is our responsibility (Romans 8:12). God has changed your nature, but it's your responsibility to change your behavior by "putting to death the deeds of the body" (Romans 8:13).

You will gain victory over the flesh by learning to condition your behavior after your new skipper, your new self which is infused with the nature of Christ, and learning to transform your old pattern for thinking and responding to your sin-trained flesh by renewing your mind (Romans 12:2).

Prayer: Lord, knowing that I am no longer controlled by sin is such a liberating concept. I can walk today in freedom from my old self, the world system, and the devil. Praise Your name!

This is the Church.

This Is The Church
Help For Today

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship,to the breaking of bread and to prayer. -Acts 2:42

I hope you're already part of a church family -- not as a spectator but as a committed, involved participant in a community of followers of Jesus Christ. But if you're not, here are five things you should look for as you consider establishing yourself in a church. If you're already an active member and any of these things are lacking in your congregation, consider what you can do and how you can be praying for these characteristics to blossom there:

1. Is it anchored in the Scriptures? Is the Bible clearly taught as the authoritative Word of God? Is the gospel of Jesus Christ the anchor, motivating you to live and proclaim the transforming grace of God in every area of your life?

2. Does it have a sense of community? Is there a connectedness between people when the service is over on Sunday morning? Does there seem to be authenticity and honesty in the relationships?

3. Is it characterized by worship? Today's culture is incredibly self-centered. You need an interruption in your week to jerk you out of that stream and say, "There's something much bigger than me going on here. Life is not about me; it's about who God is and what He's doing."

4. Is there opportunity for involvement? Is this a church where you're encouraged to minister to others? One of the greatest joys of life is to be used by the Lord God Almighty in another human being's life.

5. Does it build men? I'm not minimizing ministry to women and children, but a lot of the struggles in our families and culture could become points of victory if men were equipped with a vision for manhood and were living it out.

Discuss: Give your church -- or the church you are considering -- a letter grade in each of these five areas. Compare grades and talk about how you can help your church become more effective.

Pray: Pray that God will make your church experience one filled with blessing, opportunity and community.

Hungering for God

Hungering for God
Os Hillman

God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. -Psalms 53:2

"I really don't understand why I should come to this. How can I really benefit?" was his response. At that moment, I realized that I was wasting my time with this man on whom I had invested much throughout his Christian walk. He was often like a roller coaster-up one minute, down the next.

"You simply aren't hungry enough," I commented to my friend.

Whenever someone must always rationalize and examine whether the things of God are beneficial to them, you know that they are not hungry enough for God. I recall one time when I was in a difficult place. I received an audiotape from a man who gave me some insights into my problem. I was hungry enough to book a flight to a city 500 miles away just to meet him and find out more. My finances were at a very low point, so it took some real faith to do this. That meeting turned out to be a divine appointment and became a turning point in my life.

God is looking for men and women who hunger to know Him. When we believe that we know all we need to know, we are in a dangerous place. God has placed men and women in the Body of Christ who have had different experiences and gifts that can be helpful in our own spiritual pilgrimages. It requires humility of heart to realize that we can learn from others. We can easily rationalize our business pressures and time commitments to discount such opportunities.

No Manna Stores

No Manna Stores
Os Hillman

Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow My instructions." -Exodus 16:4

When God took the nation of Israel through the desert, there was one thing the people simply could not do outside of God alone: They could not provide for themselves. They could not plant. They could not harvest. They could not manufacture. It was a place and time where nothing but complete dependence was the rule. God gave manna one day at a time. The manna spoiled the day after, so they could never store it. They could not go to the manna store to get more. They couldn't start a manna business to capitalize on all the free manna.

I can tell you from personal experience that when God takes you to the desert, there is nothing you can do to change it until He wants to change it, so do not strive against God in the desert place. Has God taken you into the desert? Is He forcing you to depend wholly on His provision?

Pray that you will learn the lessons God desires you to learn in the desert place. He will bring you out when He has accomplished all He wants to build in your life. Remember that it is a season; you will not be there forever. He understands that no one can stay in a desolate place forever.

Disappointments

Disappointments
Os Hillman

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
-Proverbs 13:12

Life is filled with disappointments. Many of God's greatest servants experienced deep disappointment in their journeys of faithfulness to God. Joseph, after spending years as a slave and in jail for crimes that he did not commit, revealed deep disappointment when he was forgotten another two years in prison. John the Baptist, when awaiting execution, doubted whether Jesus was, in fact, the Christ because he was sitting there awaiting his death. Elijah, losing all hope and despondent to the point of death, asked God to take his life in the desert; and Peter, who left his fishing business and invested three years of his life only to watch his Savior crucified, wondered whether the purpose of those three years could be justified.

When life doesn't add up, it leaves the heart sick. When we have done all we know to do and the formula has not worked, it leaves us questioning. These are times that try the very souls of men. There is no human sense to be made of it. We are left with a choice: to cling or not to cling. There are times when holding on to our Master's robe is all that we can do. It is all that He wants us to do.

The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not obtained by sudden flight;
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.
Standing on what too long we bore,
With shoulders bent and downcast eyes,
We may discern-unseen before-
A path to higher destinies!
~Longfellow

There is only one answer to life's disappointments. Like the psalmist, we must "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken" (Psalm 62:5-6).

The Value of our Confessions

The Value of our Confessions
Timrufus

“For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” -Romans 10:10

People of the world today like to interpret the bible in many ways, with many quote from saints of yesterday but the best way I believe is that we would directly quote from God’s word, digest it and ask The Author and Perfecter of our faith to reveal it to us His Word, for all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness... (2 Tim 3:16) Without faith it is impossible to please God. There are people who come for prayer, some just want to test the power of God, other just want to see whether you have this “power” in you. Still there are also other people who come to prayer meetings, just wanting to see whether are there really spiritual beings on the earth or that if there really is a god talking. Without faith it is impossible to please God. When we put God to the test, we become double-minded. Double-minded peoples should not think that they should receive anything from The LORD; be it wisdom or even a word of revelation. But we know that as Christian, we do not have any power. We are merely Christ’s ambassadors and the only power that we have are God’s delegated power, (for warring against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.) and the power of unity, “for where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (~ Matthew 18:28)

1. Confess right, Confess God.

When days seem gloomy. I don’t like to sing song like, “days are hard, life is harsh but God is always there….” Nope, lyrics like this can only be so paradoxical. It makes me feel that though God is there, He doesn’t want to bless us or help us and maybe because He just want to put us through the mill on purpose so that we may know Him better. Hence, what hope is there for men on what God had already decreed in the first place?

We are to give thanks in all situations for this is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus. But if it is an spiritual warfare, we cannot rejoice over it, we cannot be glad in it. We must fight it, overcome it, and by God’s grace rise above it. It does not mean that I can always pray and think like this confidently every day. We are mortal, He is God. But even if we do not tell God how mean on earth we felt today, He knows it because He is God, He is immortal.

Whenever I am alone or in the dark, I will always ask the blood of Jesus Christ to cover every corner of the room and it always gives me peace when I do that. Come morning when I ask the Holy Spirit to come, take control of all the situation in the office and thing will end up fine. Everyone knows where God is. God is everywhere. We can’t hide ourselves from him. The Psalmist says, “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” But if we cannot believe who God is and what He is really capable of doing, and when God tells us something He really means it; how then could we have even utter it in the first place?

Confessions that we once force ourselves to say or try to make ourselves believe, are not true confessions at all. In his distress he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And when he prayed to him, the LORD was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God. (2 Chronicles 33:12-13)

Manasseh didn’t know that the LORD is God but The LORD listened to his entreaty. Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6) And Manasseh now know that The LORD is God. Wasn’t there any prophet during Manasseh’s time? I believe there were prophets during Manasseh’s time, but there were also the prophets of Baals and the prophets of Asherah and all kinds of evil practice like divination and witchcraft, mediums and spiritists. (2 Chronicles 33:3-6) Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Looking at miracles, signs and wonder cannot set a person free. It is only by knowing the Truth that we will be set free ultimately. And if there is anyone who can set us free, it is God himself.

Secondly, King Hezekiah did not have any word of faith knowledge. All he knew was The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. How does one make a confession? Does he do it quietly in a corner of his heart or does he confess it out aloud with his mouth? In Acts 19:19-20, many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

In order for us to confess right, we must first know that there is a God. Confession here meaning, the atheist must first believe there exists a God and the double-minded man must doubt no more. “God cannot do this and God cannot do that, He is bound by our circumstances!” No, Word from God revealed will never say anything like that. What God speak to us will never imply anything that is capable of rivaling against His power. For no matter how many promises God has made, they are always a “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. The promise of God is always a Yes and amen, for He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, (to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever). –Ephesians 3:20


2. Conviction that follows confession.

The Centurion said to Jesus, “For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.” (Luke 7:7-10)

We cannot separate out faith and confession. I can confess what I firmly do not believe or I can confess what I firmly believe. But rightly, I confess because of my belief. I do not confess because of my unbelief nor have I been unbelieving in the first place. And if my heart cannot agree with what I am saying, it cannot be confessions in the first place. Confession that is no confession at all is the most powerful confession of all times. Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment. (Matthew 9:20-22)

“Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.” (1 John 3:21-22) We cannot be confessing without faith and we cannot create faith with our confession. But if we think that we can create miracles by just thinking and speaking words into the air, by all means do so. And if it really does work even once or twice, God has been faithful and God has been merciful.


3. Our Spiritual Authority in the Lord.

As spiritual adopted sons and daughters of God, we have God’s spiritual authority in warring against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Coming on face to face in a combat warfare, we tend to believe that in order to pre-empt our enemies, we must be swifter, ruthless and be the most accurate of all. But it is not true of the spiritual realm because Jesus has already won the victor’s crown. Here, even spirits submit, because Christ's authority remains on all who believe in the name of the Son and the power of The Word.

Demons recognize those who belong to God and those who do not belong to God. (Luke 10:17) But it does not means that we can think that it is just a name that is being mention here and that we can use it anyhow. There in Acts 19, the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing casting on demons using Jesus name. But one day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

Jesus said, … I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. (Luke 10:19-20)


4. Understanding and Confessing God’s Word.

When we get into problems, the first thought that come to our mind would probably be, “What will be the shortest way to get it done once and for all?” A churchgoer said to his pastor, “Pray that God will remove this person from before me.” The pastor replied, “As a pastor I cannot say such prayer.” We do not speak into a problem without first knowing how God see this matter. While I agreed totally that it is not wrong to be rich, and how wonderful if only you and I can be like Abraham. I am worried, but what if the whole world own factories and plantations, who will be left to tend the flocks and till the land? There will come a point whereby even with money we cannot buy milk, tea and barley. God is a God of order.

“Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower….” (James 1:9-10) It is not wrong to be rich or to ask God for wealth and blessings. But the motives here are not that we can spend it on good pleasures. Many faith preachers love to associate word of faith and healing with prosperity. I never need to confess anything, but I know God is the one who always provide for me. And this is what I heard some preachers taught about Word of faith confession. To receive from God, you need to confess your faith.

And you know, I can get really work up whenever I confess God’s word. Being totally convicted and believing, I cannot hold it in. And so this is what I will do, I will look at that person and speak such word of faith. “In the Name of Jesus, I curse and bind the devil’s work out of you.” Probably I want to make that person shut up, but You know it’s not right. Naman went down the Jordan river and dipped himself seven times and his skin was restored like a baby. Jesus spit into some mud and put it on the man’s eyes and it healed him. There is no formula in God’s Word really, but one man’s food may be another man’s poison.


5. The Value of our Confession.

Confession has value only when your confession, pleases the Lord. James says, “Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” (James 3:6)

Here, knowing how to tame the tongue is of utmost importance, TRULY not word confession. The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. If a man will always claim peace, peace and more peace but then keep warring with his tongue, how then can such confession and faith brings him peace? (James 2:14) Word that comes out of the mouth has the power of life and death because unclean word can sparks fire and causes disputes.

While David confessed, it is The LORD who executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed, it is also the same God who forgives all his iniquities and healed all his diseases. He knows that it is God who redeems his life from destruction, and so he confessed the love of God who crowns him with loving kindness and tender mercies. (Psalm 103:3-5)

How do you love to hear your spouse to speak such word of confession? God loves it when we confess we love him. But even if our confession cannot match our commitment to Him, how does it matter to Him? Are we any stronger than Him? Job confessed his sins and the sin of his children frequently whether known or unknown. There is an indigenous people whose sin left them alone for more than half a century so that the people may confess it one day and so be denounced of their guilt. But instead they were hoping that time will one day erase off everything. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. But when we kept silent, bones wasted away through groaning all day long. (Psalm 32:2-5)

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16) And if we have not been forgiving, let’s forgive. So come, let’s confess our sin to The LORD today.

Verse For Meditation: Mark 11:22-24, 25

The Last Thought At Night

The Last Thought At Night
Selwyn Hughes
For reading & meditation: Psalm 4:1-8

"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone,O Lord, make me dwell in safety." -Psalm 4:8

Let your last thought at night be a thought about your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The last thoughts that lie on our minds at night are powerful and determinative, for the door into the subconscious is opening and they drop in to work good or evil. It's bad enough struggling with evil thoughts while you are awake; don't let them take control while you are asleep.

Your conscious mind may be inactive while you are asleep, not so the subconscious. The last thoughts lying in your mind as you go to sleep usually become the "playthings" of the subconscious, and it works on these during the hours you are asleep. If it is true that your mind is active while you are asleep - and there certainly seems to be plenty of evidence to support this theory, then make your mind work in a positive and not a negative way.

Satan delights in dropping an evil thought into your mind during the moments immediately prior to sleep, because he knows that it will work destructively all through the night, influencing your attitudes and most likely preventing you from enjoying a peaceful night's sleep. Then when you wake, you find that not only do you have to face the problems of another day, but you also have to face them without having drawn fully on the resources available to you through sleep. Thus begins a recurring pattern which cannot help but drag you down.

So learn to elbow out any evil thought that enters your mind just before sleep, and let your last thought be a thought of Christ.

Prayer:Father, if it is true that my mind works when I am asleep, then help me to make it work for good and not for evil. Teach me the art of holding a thought about You on my mind immediately prior to going to sleep. I shall begin tonight, Lord. Amen.

God's Five Investment Funds

Teach Your Congregation God’s 5 Investment Funds
Rick Warren

Your congregation can invest in eternity by using their money for God’s purposes. It is secure. It is risk free. It comes with guaranteed interest. It yields dividends forever.

The Bible says, “Tell people to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give happily to those in need, always being ready to share whatever God has given them. By doing this they’ll be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven. It is the only safe investment for eternity and they will be living a fruitful Christian life down here as well.” (1 Timothy 6:18-19, TLB)

1. Invest in God’s treasury fund (worship).

This is the investment fund most of your congregation will know about – tithing. We invest in the treasury fund by using some of our money to express worship. There’s nothing we can give God that he needs. And God certainly doesn’t need our money. But when we give an offering to God – an undesignated, planned, and proportional offering where and when we worship – we’re saying, “God I love you.” The Bible says, “Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income.” (Proverbs 3:9 TLB) We honor God when we tithe. It’s an act of worship. God wants us to give to this fund before we invest in any other fund. He doesn’t want our money; he wants what it represents.

2. Invest in God’s mutual fund (fellowship).

God also wants us to use some of our money to encourage fellowship, to show love to other believers, to build relationships. Anytime I give my money to God, it draws me closer to God. Anytime I give my money to another person, it draws me closer to that person. When I give money to people in my small group or I invest in my small group, I grow closer to those in the group. Anytime I buy a nice card and write a note of encouragement, I’ve just invested in the mutual fund. When another believer is discouraged, and I take him or her out for lunch, I’ve just invested in the mutual fund. Investing in this fund brings in dividends from elsewhere as well. The Bible says, “When you extend hospitality to Christian brothers and sisters, even when they are strangers, you make the faith visible” (3 John 1:5 MSG). When we invest our money in developing relationships within the church, it points others to God. Investing in the fellowship of your church helps bring people to Christ.

3. Invest in God’s growth fund (discipleship).

God wants us to take some of our money and invest it in ourselves – in personal and spiritual improvement. The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:18, “Grow in spiritual strength and become better acquainted with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (TLB) There are many ways to waste your money instead of using it to grow. But God wants us to use some of our money to grow spiritually, to develop skills, and to educate ourselves – so that we can become the kind of person God has shaped us to be. The Bible says, “Buy truth and don’t sell it for love or money. Buy wisdom, buy education, buy insight” (Proverbs 23:23 MSG). Anytime we use our money to buy a Christian book or a CD that helps us grow, we’ve invested in this fund. Or whenever we use our money to take a class or to learn something that makes us more of what God wants us to be, we’re investing in our growth fund.

4. Invest in God’s equity service fund (ministry).

God wants us to use some of our money to help people in need. God didn’t put us on this earth to live for ourselves. This is all part of God making us more like himself. God is generous. Everything we have in life is because of God’s generosity. We wouldn’t have anything – we wouldn’t even be alive – if it weren’t for God’s generosity. And God wants us to be generous like he is. God particularly wants us to be generous with the poor. All throughout the Bible, God tells us he is watching how we help the poor. For example: “Give to the poor, and you will never be in need. But if you close your eyes to the poor, many will curse you.” (Proverbs 28:27 TEV) “When you give to the poor, it is like lending to the Lord, and the Lord will pay you back.” (Proverbs 19:17 TEV)

5. God wants the people of your church to invest in his global fund (missions).

God wants us to use some of our money to take the Good News to the whole world. Luke 16:9 is one of the most misunderstood verses in the entire Bible. Jesus says, “Use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves so that when it is gone you will be welcomed in eternal dwellings.”

What in the world does he mean by that? I believe Jesus is telling us that he wants us to take some of our money and use it to help other people get into heaven. So when you die and get to heaven, those same people will welcome you there and say, “Thank you for investing in me. I’m in heaven because of you. I’m not your friend for life; I’m your friend for eternity. I’m in heaven because you cared enough. You bought me a Bible. You bought me a ticket for an event. You did something with your money to help spread the Good News to my village. Because you gave, I’m now a follower of Christ, and I’m in heaven because of you.”

That’s the greatest possible use of our money! We can use the money from this fund locally or we can use it globally. Are there people in your church who want to participate in short-term missions, but they don’t think they can afford it? Encourage them to invest (or save) a little money each month for their global fund, so they can take the Good News of Jesus Christ to another country. Investing in these five funds is eternally important. If your church members invest their treasure on earth, all they’re doing is piling up treasure here. But if we invest in eternity – in God’s eternal purposes – we’ll enjoy our investment forever and ever and ever.

This article is adapted from Rick Warren’s message, Enabling the Vision – Purpose Driven Giving.

The Spirit of Competition

The Spirit of Competition
Os Hillman

"I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me." -John 17:23

A story is told about F.B. Meyer, the great Bible teacher and pastor who lived a century ago. He was pastoring a church and began to notice that attendance was suffering. This continued until he finally asked some members of his congregation one Sunday morning why they thought attendance was down. A member volunteered, "It is because of this new church down the road. The young preacher has everyone talking and many are going to hear him speak." His name was Charles Spurgeon.

Meyer, rather than seeking to discourage this, exhorted the entire congregation to join him and go participate in seeing this "move of God" as he described it to his congregation. "If this be happening, then God must be at work."

Meyer, even though he was an accomplished preacher and teacher, recognized where God was at work and joined Him in it. [The author heard this on a radio show from Key Life Ministries with Steve Brown, based in Orlando, Florida.] Can you imagine this story taking place in our competitive world today?

Competition has penetrated the Church so much that many churches and Christian organizations approach ministry like a sports event. They view their mission as a business that seeks to gain market share among Christians - donors, members, influence - all under the name of God. I am sure God looks down at us and asks, "Whatever happened to John 17:23?"

Sometimes we must remind our fellow servants that we are all on the same team! We should be seeking to impact the Kingdom of God, not increase our own market share. When Jesus made this statement about unity in John 17:23, it represented the key to bringing salvation to many. He was saying that when His Body is unified, the non-Christian would be able to see who Jesus really is - the Son of God. Are you contributing to unity in the Body of Christ? Or are you contributing to a spirit of competition? Ask God where you can be an instrument of unity in His Body.

Getting Tired Of Each Other?

Getting Tired Of Each Other?
Dr Harold J. Sala

"Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them." -Colossians 3:19

In his book Making Life Rich Without Any Money, Phil Callaway tells of an elderly couple celebrating their 50th anniversary. When the cake was cut, it seemed only fitting that the husband comment on those wonderful years together. He looked tenderly at his wife and tried to express himself. Lifting his glass in a toast to his wife, he began, "My dear wife, after 50 years I've found you tried and true."

Everyone smiled except the wife who struggled with her hearing. Cupping her hand behind her better ear she said, "Eh?" This time her husband repeated himself quite loudly, "After 50 years I've found you tried and true!" With a gleam in her eye which was less than angelic she shot back, "Well, let me tell you something--after 50 years I'm tired of you, too!"

A lot of couples--if they were honest with each other--would have to admit that it didn't take a half-century to grow tired of each other. Interested in keeping your marriage from wearing thin? Then put into practice the following ten guidelines:

Guideline #1: Put the other first. Knowing that each of you belongs to the other and you both belong to the Lord takes away the selfish, "Me first!" mentality out of a marriage, which causes it to wear out about as fast as anything.

Guideline #2: Don't insist on winning every round. You married to complete each other, choosing someone much different from you. Don't insist on making the other into a mirror image of yourself. You don't have to fight to the finish every time you disagree.

Guideline #3: Keep some excitement in your marriage. Periodically break the routine by doing something different. Go somewhere you haven't been before. Eat at a different restaurant. Bring home a surprise. It's OK to be unpredictable when your broken routine brings joy or surprise to the one you love.

Guideline #4: Give each other some space. Snuggling is great but sometimes a person needs space to breathe. If you don't like sports, let him take in a ball game while you shop.

Guideline #5: Never look back. This also means you turn loose of the past, including your mistakes and failures along with those of your husband or wife. You can't drive looking in the rear-view mirror of your car. Neither can your marriage succeed when you think much about the past.

Guideline #6: Enjoy the present while you plan for the future. Take advantage of the moment to pause for a cup of coffee, a walk in the early morning, a few moments of uninterrupted leisure; but keep something on your calendar which you can both look forward to doing.

Guideline #7: Verbalize your love every day. Yes, she knows you love her. You told her that when you got married, but reaffirm that, expressing affection and care every day. It fills up that love tank within her heart. Yours, too!

Guideline #8: Forgive quickly. Don't expect the perfection in your mate you don't have, yourself. Gunny sacking, or remembering the faults and failures of your mate, is dangerous business. Life is too short, too precious to hold on to bitterness.

Guideline #9: Compliment quickly. Tell her she is the most beautiful woman in the world, that if you could do it all over again, you would only marry more quickly. You can do more to encourage your mate than anyone else in the world.

Guideline #10: Communicate freely and completely. Charles Dickens, the English author whose own marriage was far from ideal, wrote, "Never close your lips to the one to whom you have opened your heart."

Question: Have you grown tired of the person you married? Then go to work on your relationship, putting into practice these 10 guidelines which will make a big, big difference. I know. I've tried them.

Resource reading: Colossians 3.

The Language of Love and Respect by Dr. Emmerson Eggerichs

Living Forward, Understanding Backward

Living Forward, Understanding Backward
Os Hillman

"The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it." -1 Thessalonians 5:24

When I was in my 20's, I participated in a wilderness-training course in a desert and mountain area. For our "final exam," we were blindfolded, placed in the back of a pickup truck, and taken to a remote area.

We were dropped off and told to meet back at the camp in three days. We did not know where we were. We had to determine our location with our compasses. It was a frightening experience for four young people who had learned to navigate through the use of a compass only a few days earlier.

With our food and water on our backs, we began our trek. It had just snowed that morning, so the way was difficult. We walked through valleys, canyons, snow-covered hills, and forests. In all, we walked more than 60 miles in three days. There were times when we did not think we could go another foot. Exhaustion and frostbitten feet were taking their toll. However, we finally made it to our base camp successfully, and to our surprise, we were the first ones among the other patrols to make it back.

At the conclusion of our journey, we were able to stand on top of a ridge, look behind us and see the beautiful terrain that we had just scaled. The pain of what we had just endured seemed to subside. We could not believe we had actually walked through those valleys and snowcapped hills. There was a sense of accomplishment.

Life is very much like this. It is often lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road a bit that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale and the spiritual deposits He has made in our life as a result. When you begin to realize some of this, you sit back and breathe a sigh of relief because you know that God was in control all along. It didn't seem like it at the time, but He was.

Are you in the midst of a difficult journey that seems almost impossible to continue? Be assured that God is providing grace even now to equip you for that journey. There will be a time when you can say, "Wow, look at what God has done because of what I gained through that valley." Trust Him with the outcome of where you find yourself today.

Obedience-Based Decisions

Obedience-Based Decisions
Os Hillman

"We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him." -Acts 5:32

So often we as a society equate numbers with success. The larger the conference, the more successful we deem it. The larger a church, the more we believe that God is blessing. And so on. I recall planning a conference one time. Registrations were not where I felt they needed to be a few weeks before the date of the event. It wasn't long before I began to get "under the pile" about the level of attendance. My friend, who was organizing this conference with me, called and asked how I was doing. I had to confess where I was. He immediately reminded me of my own teaching in this area. We are all called to be led by the Spirit, not by outcomes. "If God called us to put on this conference, then the outcome is up to Him if we have done our part."

He went on to explain how he learned this lesson in a similar way a few years earlier. He and a friend were led to host a Bible study group. His friend was to speak. It was nine o'clock and they were the only two people there. His friend was discouraged and was ready to leave. "No," said my friend. "We have done what the Holy Spirit directed." He then stood up and began to welcome people as though there were many in the room. (No one was in the room.)

He introduced his friend and they began the meeting. A few minutes later, people began to straggle in. By the time the meeting was over, ten had shown up, and one man in particular was impacted by the meeting. Being led by the Spirit often means we must not use the world's standard for success as our measuring stick. You never know what an act of obedience will yield at the time. We must leave results to God. Our role is to obey. His role is to bring results from our obedience.

Do you make decisions based on the potential outcome or by the direction of the Holy Spirit in your life? Do you overly evaluate the pros and cons without consideration to what the Holy Spirit might be saying deep inside? We are all prone to make decisions based on reasoning alone. Ask God to give you a willingness and ability to hear the Holy Spirit and to obey His promptings.

God's Vessels

God's Vessels
A DEVOTIONAL BY LEROY EIMS
Today's Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:20-26

"Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning;for there are some who are ignorant of God--I say this to your shame. " -1 Corinthians 15:34

Some time ago I heard of a young man who took a job working in a post office over the Christmas holidays. He was grateful for the work and really gave it his best. During slack times, he would get the broom and clean up around his work area. Did his coworkers commend him for his efforts to give the government an honest day's labor? No, they said, "What are you looking for, a gold star on your paycheck?"

This same sort of thing happened to me when I was a student at the University of Washington in Seattle. Some of my friends got wind of the fact that I didn't cheat on exams. They thought that was silly, because everybody did it. When I told them I knew it would displease the Lord, they laughed. But I'd made a commitment to live in such a way that the Lord would be honored. That's a decision every Christian should make.

The person who wants to be used of God will soon discover that a life of holiness is an imperative: "If a man cleanses himself...he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work" (2 Timothy 2:21). Christian, do you want to be used of God? Then remember that a pure man is a powerful man.

The apostle John wrote, "Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God." The boldness we need to serve God is intertwined with a holy life. Remember the Old Testament warning: "The wicked flee when no man pursueth, but the righteous are bold as a lion" (Proverbs 28:1, KJV). Holiness and usability are inseparable.

Prayer: Lord, by Your Spirit, make my life holy so that I may be used by You. Amen.
To Ponder: A holy life is a powerful weapon in the hands of a holy God.

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Yes Father God, the world may move but we'll stay unmovable in Your great love. Help me today I pray. In Jesus mighty name. Amen!