No Greater Love

A volunteer at Stanford Hospital, was present when a little boy decided to give the ultimate sacrifice because he loved his sister Liza. The volunteer said the little girl was dying of a rare disease, with only one chance for survival—a blood transfusion from her five-year-old brother. After the doctor explained what would happen during the transfusion, the little boy agreed to give his blood to save his sister. He peacefully laid still during the transfusion. After a while, he asked the doctor a question that gave great insight into his character, "Will I start to die right away?" Apparently, the boy thought he would have to give all his blood, but was willing to do so to save his sister. John 15:13 "No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.”

Energy Vampires

Click here to read great article. Good reminder to keep the main thing the main thing.

The Mind of God

“This Book is the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding; its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s character. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. Follow its precepts and it will lead you to Calvary, to the empty tomb, to a resurrected life in Christ; yes, to glory itself, for eternity.”(Unknown)

Why Blood?

On February 16, 1989 the lives of George and Vera Bajenksi of Ontario, Canada were changed forever. It was a very normal Thursday morning. The phone rang at 9:15 a.m. There was an accident involving their son Ben. As they approached the intersection of Adelaide and Simcoe Streets near the high school, they could see the flashing lights of the police cars and ambulance units. Vera noticed a photographer and followed the direction of his camera lens to the largest pool of blood she had ever seen. All she could say was, "George, Ben went home--home to be with his Heavenly Father!"

Her first reaction was to jump out of the car, somehow collect the blood and put it back into her son. "That blood, for me, at that moment, became the most precious thing in the world because it was life. It was life-giving blood and it belonged in my son, my only son, the one I loved so much." The road was dirty and the blood just didn't belong there.

George noticed that cars were driving right through the intersection--right through the blood. His heart was smitten. He wanted to cover the blood with his coat and cry, "You will not drive over the blood of my son!" Then Vera understood for the first time in her life, one of God's greatest and most beautiful truths...why blood? Because it was the strongest language God could have used. It was the most precious thing He could give--the highest price He could pay. Through God's amazing love we were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ.

(Victor Knowles, Peace on Earth Ministries, Joplin, MO. George and Vera Bajenski minister with Global Missionary Ministries, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. From Leland Patrick's Sermon "When God Changed His Address")

Wranglers and Stranglers

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Heb. 10:25

Years ago a group of brilliant young men at the University of Wisconsin, with amazing creative literary talent, met regularly to read and critique each other's work. They were merciless in their criticism. They dissected the most minute literary expression into a hundred pieces. Their critique sessions became such arenas of literary criticism that the members of this exclusive club called themselves the Stranglers.

At the same time, the women of literary talent in the university formed a comparable club. They called themselves the Wranglers. They, too, read their works to one another and critiqued them. However, their criticism was much softer, more positive and encouraging. Every effort, even the most feeble one, was encouraged.

Twenty years later, an alumnus of the university was researching the careers of this particular class when he noticed the vast difference in the literary accomplishments of the Stranglers as opposed to the Wranglers. Of all the bright young men in the Stranglers, not one had made a significant literary accomplishment of any kind. But from the Wranglers had come six or more successful writers, some of national renown.

The talent level of the men and women was probably about the same. Their level of education was similar. The difference was that the Stranglers strangled out hope, while the Wranglers wrangled from each writer their most hidden gifts through their words of encouragement.

[Zig Ziglar, Over the Top. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1994, p. 241)

You Can't Get Away

As part of my job, I monitor the police and sheriff's department's radio transmissions. Recently I listened as a person fled by car from an officer and a manhunt ensued. They didn't chase him (they don't do that here). They put a BOLO out and even sent a helicopter up to see if they could locate him but to no avail. The cops never seemed all that worked up about it because they knew who the person was. His tag revealed who the owner of the car was and unless this person never returned home again they knew they would catch up to him eventually.

The thought I had as I listened is that God knows where we live. We can run from Him all we want. We can ignore or neglect Him... we can live just like we choose... we can not communicate with Him or when we do cover up our issues with rationalizations... but the fact is He knows where you are and everything about you.

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. [Psalm 139:7-10]

Now for some this would be terror. The thought that an all seeing God who is holy is checking out our lives is not a pleasant thought to the one who has not made their peace with God through Jesus Christ. For the believer who is backsliding into sin it also would be unsettling for the same reasons I suppose. Even as a believer faithfully serving Christ it can be a little concerning as we often think, do and say things that are not the most Christlike. No one can escape His sight. No one. There is no place in all of creation that one can be hidden from Him. He's God and He is everywhere.

But let's consider this: He knows all about us and yet He loves us. He may be grieved and He may be working overtime to change us but He loves us (Romans 5:8). He can take the challenge. We can be honest and upfront with Him about our lives.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. [1 John 1:9-10]

Let me be clear, this is all with a view towards His changing us for our own good but the one thing I believe expresses our belief that God is indeed God is that we are honest and open about our lives instead of running from Him or covering them up or rationalizing/justifying our sins. We should talk to Him often of our lives and then trust His grace and His power to work out His will in our lives.

Running from God is really silly. Just stop, pull over and throwing yourselves on His mercy, tell Him the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. You will be glad you did.

What Opportunity Reveals

Thus [Potiphar] left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate.

Genesis 39:6a

In July of this year, a bank teller pled guilty to embezzling nearly two million dollars from the State Bank of Lincoln where she worked as a head teller. She pulled off her crime by having access to the bank's vault and by changing audit numbers. Because she had worked at the bank for nearly two decades, she was trusted.

Joseph, in a much shorter time, grew to be totally trusted by his master, Potiphar, a wealthy official in Egypt. In fact, Potiphar turned over so much responsibility to Joseph -- managing everything he owned -- that all he knew about his property was the food he ate every day. Joseph managed everything else. How easy in such a situation -- complete, trusted access to great wealth -- would it have been for Joseph to line his own pockets with Potiphar's goods? What the playwright Oscar Wilde said -- "I can resist anything except temptation" -- was not true of Joseph. His integrity was not changed because of his privileged position.

Circumstances don't create character; they reveal character. Arm yourself today with the integrity of Christ.

David Jeremiah

"The three most important ingredients in Christian work are integrity, integrity, integrity." Charles Colson

No Power

My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. Proverbs 1:10

Temptation has been around since the days of Adam and Eve, but it's never been as virulent as today. Sexual temptation, especially, has been intensified by technology, and it tends to reach people earlier in life. Still, we read in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that no temptation has overtaken us except what is common to humanity; and God is faithful to provide pathways of escape. He did this for Joseph in Genesis 39. When tempted by Potiphar's wife, Joseph was able to say "No" because he had established his convictions before the crisis. His moral principles were set in advance, so Joseph instinctively resisted the lure of lust.

Temptation has many guises, but God gives power over temptation. Our greatest weapons are: (1) a preset determination to obey God; (2) memorized Scripture on needed topics; and (3) prayer. Jesus told us to watch and pray so we don't fall into temptation (Matthew 26:41).

Don't wait until the moment of crisis. Plan ahead, hide God's Word in your heart, and pray in advance for victory, holiness, and a life pleasing to God.

Are you protecting yourself, your family, and your church from falling into temptation through active prayer to the Father?

Henry and Norman Blackaby, in Experiencing Prayer with Jesus

For All Have Sinned

Some years ago in a church in England, the pastor noticed that a former burglar was kneeling at the communion rail beside a judge of the Supreme Court of England, the very judge who, years before, had sentenced the burglar to seven years in prison. After his release the burglar had been converted to Christ and had become a Christian worker.

After the service, as the judge and the pastor walked home together, the judge asked, “Did you see who was kneeling beside me at the communion rail?” “Yes,” replied the pastor, “but I didn’t know that you noticed.” The two men walked on in silence for a few moments, and then the judge said, “What a miracle of grace!” The pastor nodded in agreement, “Yes, what a marvelous miracle of grace!”

Then the judge said, “But to whom do you refer?” The pastor replied, “Why to the conversion of that convict.” The judge said, “But I was not referring to him. I was thinking of myself.” “What do you mean?” the pastor asked.

The judge replied, “That burglar knew how much he needed Christ to save him from his sins. But look at me. I was taught from childhood to live as a gentleman, to keep my word, to say my prayers, to go to church. I went through Oxford, took my degrees, was called to the bar and eventually became a judge. Pastor, nothing but the grace of God could have caused me to admit that I was a sinner on a level with that burglar. It took much more grace to forgive me for all my pride and self-righteousness, to get me to admit that I was no better in the eyes of God than that convict whom I had sent to prison.”

Unknown Source

Practice His Presence

Frequently remind yourself that God is with you, that He will never fail you, that you can count upon Him. Say these words, "God is with me, helping me." –Norman Vincent Peale

7 Simple Steps to Banish Stress From Your Life Forever

BY Peter Economy @bizzwriter

Stress can be a killer--in more ways that one. Take some simple steps to kick stress out of your life once and for all.

While some let themselves get overwhelmed and shut down, others use stress to motivate and push them to greater heights. Without the proper stress management tools, it's easy to give in and find ourselves overcome by stress. By following these seven steps, you can banish stress from your life--once and for all.

1. Look at the big picture.
While you may be coming uncomfortably close to a deadline, your lack of progress is not your wife's or your children's faults, and probably not your coworkers' or employees' either. It's very important to remember what's most important in your life, and to be aware when you're blaming others for your problems and then taking it out on those closest to you. Sometimes we get so stressed that we blow up, which just causes more stress and drama in our lives.Try to keep things in proportion and you will see your stress level diminish daily.

2. Exercise.
Being active is healthy for the body and the mind. When you're feeling stressed, take a quick break and go for a walk outside your office. This short interruption will give you a fresh perspective while removing immediate sources of stress. And as an added benefit, the endorphins released in your brain from the physical activity will make you feel better and at peace.

3. Eat healthy.
Sugar crashes are a real thing, and with sugar hiding out in most every kind of processed food, it's extremely important to be aware of what you put in your body. Start out your mornings with a big, healthy breakfast--something along the lines of eggs and vegetables--and be sure to take breaks for lunch no matter how busy your day is. Keeping your brain fueled with healthy foods helps to keep stress from creeping up on you.

4. Keep track of progress.
Write down how much you've accomplished on a project. Keep track of your average progress and make a goal for when you can and will complete it. Through this process, you can truly see how much is left to be done and plan accordingly instead of feeling overwhelmed inside because you aren't sure how much is left to accomplish.

5. Stay organized.
Disorganization in any form causes the brain to feel stressed. Organize your work, your surroundings, and your activities in a way that gives you the most breathing room. If you are sitting in a room of clutter, your brain won't be able to focus on the task at hand. The more organized you are, the better you feel subconsciously. If you are feeling disorganized, spend 10 minutes a day on organizing different areas of your office and the work itself, and set a schedule for yourself.

6. Remain positive.
Don't let yourself hang onto negative thoughts that you won't accomplish whatever it is that you need to to do. Tell yourself that you can and will finish on time, get organized, and get healthy. Make a goal, write it down, and hold yourself accountable.

7. Make time for fun.
The old saying is work hard, play hard, but if you're focused on only work and set aside no time for fun, you will get stressed and burned out. Be happy, and spread some of that happiness around. Plan non-working vacations, get-togethers with your employees outside of your office, and fun-filled activities for everyone to participate in within your office.