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Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.
(John 4:14) |
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And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev 22:1) |
For His Glory!
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If My people… We are facing horrendous worldwide problems; how do you see them?
There are three basic worldviews of these crisis’:
What is your opinion? Can you back it up with Scripture? What if all the above is true? Consider this view: In Deuteronomy we have what is called ‘The Blessing and Curses’ chapter - It is recommended to read the whole chapter to get a full understanding of what is happening to our nation and the world. Here is a shortened account: The Blessings: Deuteronomy NAS 28:1 (Bolding and highlighting by MEM) "Now it shall be, if you will diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 "And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the LORD your God.3 "Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.4 "Blessed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.5 "Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.6 "Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.7 "The LORD will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they shall come out against you one way and shall flee before you seven ways.8 "The LORD will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you.9 "The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you will keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and walk in His ways.Now who or what nation obeys The LORD God and walks in His ways? The Curses: Deut 28:15 "But it shall come about, if you will not obey the LORD your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.16 "Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country.17 "Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.18 "Cursed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.19 "Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.Deut 28:20 "The LORD will send upon you curses, confusion, and rebuke, in all you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me.21 "The LORD will make the pestilence cling to you until He has consumed you from the land, where you are entering to possess it.22 "The LORD will smite you with consumption and with fever and with inflammation and with fiery heat and with the sword and with blight and with mildew, and they shall pursue you until you perish.Deut 28:35 "The LORD will strike you on the knees and legs with sore boils, from which you cannot be healed, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head.Deut 28:39 "You shall plant and cultivate vineyards, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes, for the worm shall devour them.Deut 28:43 "The alien who is among you shall rise above you higher and higher, but you shall go down lower and lower.Deut 28:47 "Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things; 48 therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD shall send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.On it goes through verse 69 - if you think otherwise try explaining why this sounds like our day and age - which will only get worse. What can we do? Solomon gives us a clue in his Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple 2Chronicles 6:1 Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud. 2 I have built Thee a lofty house, And a place for Thy dwelling forever."2Chr 6:3 Then the king faced about and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. 4 And he said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David … 6… I have chosen Jerusalem that My name might be there…'2Chr 6:14 And he said, "O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no god like Thee in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Thy servants who walk before Thee with all their heart…2Chr 6:18 But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Thee; how much less this house which I have built.2Chr 6:21 And listen to the supplications of Thy servant and of Thy people Israel, when they pray toward this place; hear Thou from Thy dwelling place, from heaven; hear Thou and forgive.2Chr 6:28 "If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, if there is locust or grasshopper, if their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities, whatever plague or whatever sickness there is, 29 whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Thy people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own pain, and spreading his hands toward this house, 30 then hear Thou from heaven Thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart Thou knowest for Thou alone dost know the hearts of the sons of men, 31 that they may fear Thee, to walk in Thy ways as long as they live in the land which Thou hast given to our fathers.YHVH’s answer to Solomon’s prayer 2Chr 7:12 Then the LORD appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence (Plague) among My people, 14 and [if] My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 15 Now My eyes shall be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. 6 For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.2Chr 7:19 But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you and shall go and serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will uproot you from My land which I have given you, and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 21 As for this house, which was exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?' 22 And they will say, 'Because they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who brought them from the land of Egypt, and they adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them, therefore He has brought all this adversity on them.'"Yet there is the love of the LORD God in the midst of judgement. Ezek 14:12 Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, 13 "Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it…Ezek 14:21 For thus says the Lord God, "How much more when I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague to cut off man and beast from it! 22 Yet, behold, survivors will be left … and you will see their conduct and actions; then you will be comforted for the calamity which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought upon it. 23 Then they will comfort you when you see their conduct and actions, for you will know that I have not done in vain whatever I did to it," declares the Lord God."By their conduct and actions" Let our Conduct and actions reflect our Lord Matt 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.Philippians Phil 1:27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ… standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 in no way alarmed by your opponents -- …Phil 2:3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.Christ our example Phil 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped…Phil 2:12 So then… work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. 14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing; 15 that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life…Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!Phil 4:5 Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men… 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.Different ways to express the same concept: Phil 4:5 KJV Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.Phil 4:5 CJB Let everyone see how reasonable and gentle you are. The Lord is near!Phil 4:5 NLT Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.Phil 4:5 NJB Let your good sense be obvious to everybody. The Lord is near.Finally: Heb 13:16 ….do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.Conclusion: In the face of all the above, are we asking the right question? Instead of asking why or who should we be asking what is God trying to show us?2Chr 7:13 If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence (Plague) among My people, 14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.For the Church of God - "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." |
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Be Diligent in Godly Values Proverbs 12:24 The hand of the diligent will rule…Proverbs 21:5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.Proverbs 27:23 Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds;Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. |
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"A sure way of retaining the grace of heaven is to disregard outward appearances, and diligently to cultivate such things as foster amendment of life and fervor of soul, rather than to cultivate those qualities that seem most popular." ― Thomas ΰ Kempis, The Inner Life To succeed do the best you can, where you are, with what you have. |
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Our little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his mom dried her hands-on her apron, she read it, and this is what it said:
For cutting the grass…………………………………… $5.00 For cleaning up my room this week……………… $1.00 For going to the store for you………………………. $ .50 Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping……………………………………. $ .25 Taking out the garbage………………………………. $ 1.00 For getting a good report card……………………. $ 5.00 For cleaning and raking the yard…………………. $ 2.00 Total owed………………………………………………... $ 14.75 Well, I’ll tell you, his mother looked at him standing there expectantly, and boy, could I see the memories flashing through her mind. So, she picked up the pen, turned over the paper he’d written on, and this is what she wrote: For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me, No Charge. For all the nights that I’ve sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you, No Charge. For all the trying times, and all the tears that you’ve caused, there’s No Charge. When you add it all up, the cost of my love is No Charge. For all the nights that were filled with dread, and for the worries I knew were ahead, No Charge. For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose, there’s No Charge, Son. And when you add it all up, the full cost in real love is No Charge. Well, friends, when our son finished reading what his mother had written, there were great big old tears in his eyes, and he looked straight up at his mother and said, "Mom, I sure do love you." And then, he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote, "Paid in Full." M. Adams Taken from "A 3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul" |
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By our actions and conduct… You can throw these things out from your life and home:
Not all items verified by MEM |
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Sign of the times … |
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Procrastination Procrastination is presuming on tomorrow. If you put off till tomorrow what you can do today, how do you know that nothing will intervene to take away the opportunity to do it tomorrow? For you do not know what tomorrow will bring. Yeshua (Jesus) told us not to worry about tomorrow, for the troubles of today are enough for it. But neither are you to postpone things till tomorrow, for the opportunities of today are also enough for it, to do what He has called us to do. Consider the emphasis in His word on obedience without hesitation and be as faithful servants who did not delay action. (Adopted from a blog post by Dale Cresap) |
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Diligence Psalm 77:6 I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, And my spirit makes diligent search.Conduct Psalm 50:23 "He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God."Purpose Psalm 20:4 May He grant you according to your heart's desire, And fulfill all your purpose.Blessed be YHVH (Genesis 14:20 And blessed be God Most High…) |