Good morning once again from sunny and finally warm Arizona,
I pray all is well with you and yours. We have had a few of you share prayer needs with us. I want you to know that we do pray and continue until you tell us the results. If you have prayer concerns please let us know so we can pray with you.
The sermon last sunday was on love and I would like to share a little more on that subject today.
Illustration: A salesman complimented a young woman on her well-behaved son, adding, "I have eight children of my own."
"Eight kids," she exclaimed in disbelief. "I can't imagine dividing my love by eight."
"I don't divide my love, I multiply it."
This reminds me of God's love, John 3:16. His love is unlimited and all inclusive. We would never know how much He loved us until it was seen in Jesus and stated in scripture. Love began with God, was seen in Jesus and ends with us.... we can help multiply His love by sharing it with others.
Illustration: Everyone seems to love Charlie Brown. One day he and Lucy were strolling along when she stopped and picked a flower and began to pluck the petals one by one saying "He loves me! He loves me not" Plucking the last petal she said, "He loves me! Charlie Brown you love me!"
"Well , he said, I could have told you that."
Sadly she asked, "But why didn't you?"
We are commanded to love one another. So I urge you to look to someone today and tell them you love them. It may be your spouse, neighbor or a stranger, but whoever, tell them "I Love You!"
Have a great day, I love you, pass it on.
Don
Showing posts with label Christ's love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christ's love. Show all posts
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Sunday's Coming
Good morning,
It seems like Wednesday gets here faster every week.
We pray all is well with you and if not we would love to pray with you; please let us know how.
Since it is Valentine's Day week, I am compelled to say something about love. I preached two weeks ago on the the Greatest Love Story Ever, John 3:16. This morning, I want us to focus on our love to Him.
Illustration: A little girl showed me her doll. She pulled a cord and it said, "Hello." She pulled it again and it said "I love you."
God could have made us like that, but He doesen't want playthings. He wants people who really love Him.
God has given you free will. You may choose to love Him and serve Him or to seperate yourself from Him. That is why the bible says; "Choose this day whom you will serve." (Joshua 24:15)
Will you choose to love and serve the Lord?
Have a Happy Valentine's Day and remember to show that same love you have for God to those around you. "And this is his command; to believe in the name of his son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us." I John 3:23
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
It seems like Wednesday gets here faster every week.
We pray all is well with you and if not we would love to pray with you; please let us know how.
Since it is Valentine's Day week, I am compelled to say something about love. I preached two weeks ago on the the Greatest Love Story Ever, John 3:16. This morning, I want us to focus on our love to Him.
Illustration: A little girl showed me her doll. She pulled a cord and it said, "Hello." She pulled it again and it said "I love you."
God could have made us like that, but He doesen't want playthings. He wants people who really love Him.
God has given you free will. You may choose to love Him and serve Him or to seperate yourself from Him. That is why the bible says; "Choose this day whom you will serve." (Joshua 24:15)
Will you choose to love and serve the Lord?
Have a Happy Valentine's Day and remember to show that same love you have for God to those around you. "And this is his command; to believe in the name of his son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us." I John 3:23
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Sunday Is Coming
Good morning,
We are fast approaching the end of this year and the beginning of a new one. I pray all is well with you and may God Bless you in the coming year.
We hear of people making New Year resolutions but seldom do they keep them. So, this year I have a suggestion for a New Year’s resolution that we ought to be able to remember and keep. It is kind of broad & very general, but here it is - let’s promise ourselves & God that we will make a change for the better. One change is seeing others as God sees them.
I was reading this morning and came upon the following it's a little long but so worth the read.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
F. Jim Cymbala preaches at a church in the slums of New York. He tells the following story:
It was Easter Sunday and I was so tired at the end of the day that I just went to the edge of the platform, pulled down my tie and sat down and draped my feet over the edge. It was a wonderful service with many people coming forward. The counselors were talking with these people. As I was sitting there I looked up the middle aisle, and there in about the third row was a man who looked about fifty, disheveled, filthy. He looked up at me rather sheepishly, as if saying, “Could I talk to you?” We have homeless people coming in all the time, asking for money or whatever. So as I sat there, I said to myself, though I am ashamed of it, “What a way to end a Sunday. I’ve had such a good time, preaching and ministering, and here’s a fellow probably wanting some money for more wine.”
He walked up. When he got within about five feet of me, I smelled a horrible smell like I’d never smelled in my life. It was so awful that when he got close, I would inhale by looking away, and then I’d talk to him, and then look away to inhale, because I couldn’t inhale facing him. I asked him,
“What’s your name?”
“David.”
“How long have you been on the street?”
“Six years.”
“How old are you?”
“Thirty-two.”
He looked fifty- hair matted; front teeth missing; wino; eyes slightly glazed.
“Where did you sleep last night, David?”
“Abandoned truck.”
I keep in my back pocket a money clip that also holds some credit cards. I fumbled to pick one out thinking; I’ll give him some money. I won’t even get a volunteer. They are all busy talking with others. Usually we don’t give money to people. We take them to get something to eat. I took the money out. David pushed his finger in front of me. He said,
“I don’t want your money. I want this Jesus, the One you were talking about, because I’m not going to make it. I’m going to die on the street.”
I completely forgot about David, and I started to weep for myself. I was going to give a couple of dollars to someone God had sent to me. See how easy it is? I could make the excuse I was tired. There is no excuse. I was not seeing him the way God sees him. I was not feeling what God feels. But oh, did that change! David just stood there. He didn’t know what was happening. I pleaded with God,
“God, forgive me! Forgive me! Please forgive me. I am so sorry to represent You this way. I’m so sorry. Here I am with my message and my points, and You send somebody and I am not ready for it. Oh, God!”
Something came over me. Suddenly I started to weep deeper, and David began to weep. He fell against my chest as I was sitting there. He fell against my white shirt and tie, and I put my arms around him, and there we wept on each other. The smell of His person became a beautiful aroma.
Here is what I thought the Lord made real to me: If you don’t love this smell, I can’t use you, because this is why I called you where you are. This is what you are about. You are about this smell.
Christ changed David’s life. He started memorizing portions of Scripture that were incredible. We got him a place to live. We hired him in the church to do maintenance, and we got his teeth fixed. He was a handsome man when he came out of the hospital. They detoxed him in 6 days. He spent that Thanksgiving at my house. He also spent Christmas at my house. When we were exchanging presents, he pulled out a little thing and he said,
“This is for you.”
It was a little white hanky. It was the only thing he could afford.
A year later David got up and talked about his conversion to Christ. The minute he took the mic and began to speak, I said,
“The man is a preacher.”
This past Easter we ordained David. He is an associate minister of a church over in New Jersey. And I was so close to saying,
“Here, take this; I’m a busy preacher.”
We can get so full of ourselves.
We are fast approaching the end of this year and the beginning of a new one. I pray all is well with you and may God Bless you in the coming year.
We hear of people making New Year resolutions but seldom do they keep them. So, this year I have a suggestion for a New Year’s resolution that we ought to be able to remember and keep. It is kind of broad & very general, but here it is - let’s promise ourselves & God that we will make a change for the better. One change is seeing others as God sees them.
I was reading this morning and came upon the following it's a little long but so worth the read.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
F. Jim Cymbala preaches at a church in the slums of New York. He tells the following story:
It was Easter Sunday and I was so tired at the end of the day that I just went to the edge of the platform, pulled down my tie and sat down and draped my feet over the edge. It was a wonderful service with many people coming forward. The counselors were talking with these people. As I was sitting there I looked up the middle aisle, and there in about the third row was a man who looked about fifty, disheveled, filthy. He looked up at me rather sheepishly, as if saying, “Could I talk to you?” We have homeless people coming in all the time, asking for money or whatever. So as I sat there, I said to myself, though I am ashamed of it, “What a way to end a Sunday. I’ve had such a good time, preaching and ministering, and here’s a fellow probably wanting some money for more wine.”
He walked up. When he got within about five feet of me, I smelled a horrible smell like I’d never smelled in my life. It was so awful that when he got close, I would inhale by looking away, and then I’d talk to him, and then look away to inhale, because I couldn’t inhale facing him. I asked him,
“What’s your name?”
“David.”
“How long have you been on the street?”
“Six years.”
“How old are you?”
“Thirty-two.”
He looked fifty- hair matted; front teeth missing; wino; eyes slightly glazed.
“Where did you sleep last night, David?”
“Abandoned truck.”
I keep in my back pocket a money clip that also holds some credit cards. I fumbled to pick one out thinking; I’ll give him some money. I won’t even get a volunteer. They are all busy talking with others. Usually we don’t give money to people. We take them to get something to eat. I took the money out. David pushed his finger in front of me. He said,
“I don’t want your money. I want this Jesus, the One you were talking about, because I’m not going to make it. I’m going to die on the street.”
I completely forgot about David, and I started to weep for myself. I was going to give a couple of dollars to someone God had sent to me. See how easy it is? I could make the excuse I was tired. There is no excuse. I was not seeing him the way God sees him. I was not feeling what God feels. But oh, did that change! David just stood there. He didn’t know what was happening. I pleaded with God,
“God, forgive me! Forgive me! Please forgive me. I am so sorry to represent You this way. I’m so sorry. Here I am with my message and my points, and You send somebody and I am not ready for it. Oh, God!”
Something came over me. Suddenly I started to weep deeper, and David began to weep. He fell against my chest as I was sitting there. He fell against my white shirt and tie, and I put my arms around him, and there we wept on each other. The smell of His person became a beautiful aroma.
Here is what I thought the Lord made real to me: If you don’t love this smell, I can’t use you, because this is why I called you where you are. This is what you are about. You are about this smell.
Christ changed David’s life. He started memorizing portions of Scripture that were incredible. We got him a place to live. We hired him in the church to do maintenance, and we got his teeth fixed. He was a handsome man when he came out of the hospital. They detoxed him in 6 days. He spent that Thanksgiving at my house. He also spent Christmas at my house. When we were exchanging presents, he pulled out a little thing and he said,
“This is for you.”
It was a little white hanky. It was the only thing he could afford.
A year later David got up and talked about his conversion to Christ. The minute he took the mic and began to speak, I said,
“The man is a preacher.”
This past Easter we ordained David. He is an associate minister of a church over in New Jersey. And I was so close to saying,
“Here, take this; I’m a busy preacher.”
We can get so full of ourselves.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Sunday's Coming
It's that time of the week, time sure is going by fast. We will be leaving here in a few weeks going to Texas for a couple of weeks then off to Arizona.
We have had a great summer and God has not only blessed us but has used us. I was privileged to preach in several churches and to share our ministry in several others.
I have a few meetings this week with pastors of some local churches to share what God is doing in our lives and hopefully plant the concept of free medical clinics.
As always I urge you to continue praying for us. Since my return from the Iowa trip I have been down, physically. The last few days, I am back on my feet so thanks again for your prayers.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Romans 12:9-14
Ashley Smith had a very unusual day on March 12, 2005. She was returning from a convenience store in the middle of the night, when accused rapist and murderer Brian Nichols took her hostage. What happened in the next few hours was simply a “God-thing.”
As the night wore on, Smith remained calm and took the opportunity to get to know her captor by making conversation. At one point, she asked him if she could read aloud a book she had sitting out. The book was Rick Warren’s "The Purpose Driven Life."
In the midst of an unimaginable situation, Ashley Smith practiced what she preached. Perhaps she didn’t know it came from the book of Romans, but she showed Nichols a sincere, brotherly love as she talked with him about his family and his life. At the same time, she also was straightforward with him, suggesting he turn himself in and stop hurting people. She saw through his hardened eyes and saw a man who needed hope. Through her sincere kindness, love and peace, she was an example of Christ. Somewhere in the night Nichols looked at Smith and told her that she must be an angel and, according to People magazine (March 28, 2005), “that he was lost, and God led him right to [Smith] to tell him that he had hurt a lot of people.”
It is so much easier to show kindness and love to those who return our kindness and love. It is easy to go through the motions of etiquette and, speak kindly to someone or pretend to have compassion, when in reality our minds are elsewhere. God calls us to a higher standard. He calls us to genuinely love others around us. This kind of love requires deliberate action and personal involvement. It is this kind of love that brings people to their knees. It is this kind of love that helps people see Jesus in Christians. I believe it is this kind of love that helped save Ashley Smith’s life.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Think about a person in your life who is hard to love. How can you spend time this week praying for him or her?
2. Why is it so important to be an example of Christ’s love to others?
(Jim Burns)
We have had a great summer and God has not only blessed us but has used us. I was privileged to preach in several churches and to share our ministry in several others.
I have a few meetings this week with pastors of some local churches to share what God is doing in our lives and hopefully plant the concept of free medical clinics.
As always I urge you to continue praying for us. Since my return from the Iowa trip I have been down, physically. The last few days, I am back on my feet so thanks again for your prayers.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Romans 12:9-14
Ashley Smith had a very unusual day on March 12, 2005. She was returning from a convenience store in the middle of the night, when accused rapist and murderer Brian Nichols took her hostage. What happened in the next few hours was simply a “God-thing.”
As the night wore on, Smith remained calm and took the opportunity to get to know her captor by making conversation. At one point, she asked him if she could read aloud a book she had sitting out. The book was Rick Warren’s "The Purpose Driven Life."
In the midst of an unimaginable situation, Ashley Smith practiced what she preached. Perhaps she didn’t know it came from the book of Romans, but she showed Nichols a sincere, brotherly love as she talked with him about his family and his life. At the same time, she also was straightforward with him, suggesting he turn himself in and stop hurting people. She saw through his hardened eyes and saw a man who needed hope. Through her sincere kindness, love and peace, she was an example of Christ. Somewhere in the night Nichols looked at Smith and told her that she must be an angel and, according to People magazine (March 28, 2005), “that he was lost, and God led him right to [Smith] to tell him that he had hurt a lot of people.”
It is so much easier to show kindness and love to those who return our kindness and love. It is easy to go through the motions of etiquette and, speak kindly to someone or pretend to have compassion, when in reality our minds are elsewhere. God calls us to a higher standard. He calls us to genuinely love others around us. This kind of love requires deliberate action and personal involvement. It is this kind of love that brings people to their knees. It is this kind of love that helps people see Jesus in Christians. I believe it is this kind of love that helped save Ashley Smith’s life.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Think about a person in your life who is hard to love. How can you spend time this week praying for him or her?
2. Why is it so important to be an example of Christ’s love to others?
(Jim Burns)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
