John 7:37
"On the last day, that great day of the feast,
Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone
thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
LISTEN
Open wide the ears of your heart,
Drink deep the WORD of the LORD;
Choose this day to claim your part,
In the inheritance of God's reward.
Open full the ears of your soul,
Drink deep the Blood of the Cross;
Choose this day to be made whole,
In the promise of the love of God.
Open right the ears of your life,
Drink deep the Holiness of Scripture;
Choose this day to believe in Christ,
The faith of God who is perfectly pure.
Open clear the ears of your mind,
Drink deep the \W/arning of Jesus;
Choose today not to be left behind,
When the skies open up and He comes!
JEFFREE
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said,
out of his heart will flow rivers of living water' " (–38).
---------- Forwarded Message ----------
 | Water for Your Soulby Max Lucado
Where do you find water for the soul? Jesus gave an answer one October day in Jerusalem. People had packed the streets for the annual reenactment of the rock-giving-water miracle of Moses. Each morning a priest filled a golden pitcher with water from the Gihon spring and carried it down a people-lined path to the temple. He did this every day, once a day, for seven days. "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water' " (John 7:37–38). He "stood and shouted" (NLT). The traditional rabbinic teaching posture was sitting and speaking. But Jesus stood up and shouted out. Forget a kind clearing of the throat. God was pounding his gavel on heaven's bench. Christ demanded attention. He shouted because his time was short. The sand in the neck of his hourglass was down to measurable grains. In six months he'd be dragging a cross through these streets. And the people? The people thirsted. They needed water, not for their throats, but for their hearts. So Jesus invited: Are your insides starting to shrivel? Drink me. Internalize him. Ingest him. Welcome him into the inner workings of your life. Let Christ be the water of your soul. Toward this end, I give you this tool: a prayer for the thirsty heart. Carry it just as a cyclist carries a water bottle. The prayer outlines four essential fluids for soul hydration: God's work, God's energy, his lordship, and his love. You'll find the prayer easy to remember. Just think of the word W-E-L-L. Lord, I come thirsty. I come to drink, to receive. I receive your work on the cross and in your resurrection. My sins are pardoned, and my death is defeated. I receive your energy. Empowered by your Holy Spirit, I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength. I receive your lordship. I belong to you. Nothing comes to me that hasn't passed through you. And I receive your love. Nothing can separate me from your love. Don't you need regular sips from God's reservoir? I do. I've offered this prayer in countless situations: stressful meetings, dull days, long drives, demanding trips, character-testing decisions. Many times a day I step to the underground spring of God and receive anew his work for my sin and death, the energy of his Spirit, his lordship, and his love. Drink with me from his bottomless well. You don't have to live with a dehydrated heart. Receive Christ's work on the cross,
the energy of his Spirit,
his lordship over your life,
his unending, unfailing love.
Drink deeply and often. And out of you will flow rivers of living water.
From
Come Thirsty
© (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004) Max Lucado
| | 
|
BEEN THINKING ABOUT: LISTENING
"Houston, we've had a problem."
Two days into the Apollo 13 moon landing mission, and almost 200,000 miles from earth, a spacecraft oxygen tank exploded. Cabin air, water, and power supply were suddenly in danger. Mission Control had to overcome enormous challenges to get the crew home.
Since that crisis in space, the expression "Houston, we have a problem" has taken on a life of its own. Usually we say it with a smile, but always with the echo of a life-threatening moment.
Is heaven our Houston? The Apollo astronauts' words come to mind while thinking about this question: What if we see heaven as the mission control whose instructions will get us safely home if we follow directions? Here's my reaction: If getting "home" safely depends on our ability to do what we are told to do, then "Houston, we really do have a problem."
I can't think of one law of Moses, Christ, or Paul that I have not, in principle, broken or left undone. There's no way I can respond, "Patience? Done. Don't worry? Done. Love enemy? Done." If the checklist is important, mine is a mess.
How can we get home safely? For these reasons and more, I have a hard time understanding those who—for either salvation or spiritual growth—seem so focused on obeying the commandments of Moses, Jesus, or Paul. It seems to me that the people who are really honoring the spirit of the law are those who have been overwhelmed by God's grace, forgiveness, and patience despite our unwillingness and inability to faithfully and fully obey Him (Luke 18:10-13).
So what then is our part in the mission? It's important to understand the spirit behind the commandments of the Bible. When the Old and New Testaments urge us to "obey" God, the first meaning of the original Hebrew and Greek words is often "to listen" or "to give attention to." For instance, the Hebrew word that frequently shows up as "obey" in English Bibles is translated "hear" in the famous, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!" (Deuteronomy 6:4).
In the New Testament, the Greek word translated "obey" means to be persuaded. According to Vine's Dictionary, the emphasis is not on submission to authority, but on action resulting from being convinced by reason and truth. Letting ourselves be persuaded by the truth is the idea the author of Hebrews is communicating when he says, "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls" (Hebrews 13:17).
How could the shift from authority-based thinking affect our response to God? Would it make a difference if, instead of saying, "Obey Me," Jesus said, "Listen to Me. For your sake, I want your attention. I don't just want your dutiful compliance. I want you to love Me because I love you."
For example, picture the husband and wife who keep talking past each other. With growing frustration, one says, "Look, just tell me what you want me to do, and I'll do it. Be specific. Don't make me guess what you are looking for." The other responds, "No, I'm not going to tell you what to do. I don't just want your grudging compliance. I want your heart."
That's the kind of talk that drives some of us crazy. But it's what we need. Even God Himself doesn't tell us exactly how to show our patience, self-control, and love for Him in the specific moments of our lives. He shows us how much He loves us, gives us general principles, and then asks us to respond to His heart from our own.
What would a life and theology of listening look like? To hear more rather than less of God, what if we asked Him to help us hear more than our moral obligation to Him? What if we stopped talking long enough to hear Him whisper, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). What if, while trying to get His help and favor, we began to listen, really listen, to one another, to our spiritual and political enemies, and even to our own hearts? Would we be more likely to hear Jesus say, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27)?
This kind of following is so different from proud or self-righteous rule keeping. When I listen carefully to His voice in Scripture, I don't hear someone consumed by authority and control. Instead, I hear a love that says, "Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).
Even though Jesus has every right to demand our immediate and unqualified obedience, He approaches us gently, appealing not only to our will but to our minds and hearts. In the last chapters of the Bible, He is still saying to His stubborn and distracted family, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20).
Father in heaven, we need You so much more than our astronauts needed Mission Control. You understand our problems infinitely better than we do. You have every right to demand our obedience and submission to Your authority. Your commandments are perfect. Your laws are right. Yet You see far better than we do how unable we are to keep even one of Your laws, let alone all of them. Thank You for giving us Your Son instead of demanding something we couldn't give You. Thank You for asking us to listen to Your heart—and for giving us reason to trust You—instead of just telling us to blindly obey. — Mart De Haan
Click here to share your thoughts on Mart's article or visit us online at www.rbc.org. We value your feedback.
Been Thinking About Blog
Hey, I've been thinking. . . and am always looking for ways to come together around ideas that too often divide us. If you have a minute, stop by and look around
my blog. I hope you'll want to return often, for a quick read, or to join in a conversation that has already begun. —Mart
THE GREAT PROBING
Ye cannot serve the Lord.
Joshua 24:19
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=jos+24:19&sr=1 Have you the slightest reliance on anything other than God? Is there
a remnant of reliance left on any natural virtue, any set of
circumstances? Are you relying on yourself in any particular in this
new proposition which God has put before you? That is what the
probing means. It is quite true to say - "I cannot live a holy life,"
but you can decide to let Jesus Christ make you holy. "Ye cannot
serve the Lord God"; but you can put yourself in the place where
God's almighty power will come through you. Are you sufficiently
right with God to expect Him to manifest His wonderful life in you?
"Nay, but we will serve the Lord." It is not an impulse, but a
deliberate commitment. You say - But God can never have called me to
this, I am too unworthy, it can't mean me. It does mean you, and the
weaker and feebler you are, the better. The one who has something to
trust in is the last one to come anywhere near saying - "I will serve
the Lord."
We say - "If I really could believe!" The point is - If I really will
believe. No wonder Jesus Christ lays such emphasis on the sin of
unbelief. "And He did not many mighty works there because of their
unbelief." If we really believed that God meant what He said - what
should we be like! Dare I really let God be to me all that He says He
will be?
MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST - Chambers
http://www.heartlight.org/devotionals/my_utmost
| CLICK TO SEE!!
| Psalm 119:77, NLT "Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live, for your instructions are my delight. " Find me in my lostness, holy Shepherd, Take my empty life and make it Yours; Carry me back to the sheepfold of grace, God, forgive me again for running away. Cup me in Your hands, O God, Bring me to the foot of the Cross; Cut this old heart with Your living Word. Leave me there dying to myself, O Lord, Help me in my weakness, Lord Jesus, Heal me through the power of Your Cross; Lift me up when my struggling finally ends, Redeem me so I may live in Your Strength. Keep me under Your watch-care my Father, Crush me if that's what it takes to be Yours; Fashion me into a man of God fit for Your purpose, Fill my new heart with a true love of righteousness. J. E. POLLOCK JULY 7, 2008 -- 1. "Present Help" -
www.Victorstephens.com/victorstephenswebsite_055.htm
2. "Life Is Fragile" -
www.Victorstephens.com/victorstephenswebsite_060.htm
3. "Life Is Fragile (Handle With Care)" -
www.Victorstephens.com/victorstephenswebsite_061.htm
I've added your blog to my "Links" page
(www.Victorstephens.com/victorstephenswebsite_029.htm) under "Blogs."
--
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. --Psalm 46:1 | | |
FREEDOM
Freedom
takes
courage
Red, White, and Blue,
Enduring prayerfulness Enveloped
by the Truth - Dancing before God
Out of love
not routine
or fear -
Man is
free only
when Christ
is revered.
JEFFREE!
07042008
"Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged." -- Ronald Reagan
"The church is his body; it is made full and complete
by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself."
Ephesians 1:23, NLT
ONETWOTHREE
1. The church is His Body
2. It is made full and complete by Christ
3. JESUS fills all things everywhere with Himself
-----Original Message-----
From: Air1.com <
remove-bj518766@list.air1.com>
To:
jepollock777@aol.com Sent: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 4:16 am
Subject: Air 1 Daily Verse - Ephesians 1:23 (NLT) - Thursday, 6/26/2008
|
Air 1's Verse of the Day 6/26/2008 "And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself."
| | | Matthew 16:25a "If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it." ONE TRUE LIFE Open your eyes To life's pure Light Let go of fear and worry Plant the Truth Grow Spiritual Fruit Don't be in such a hurry Give God a chance Life is a slow dance Full of precious memory Hold on tight To the ONLY True Life And you will not be sorry jeffreyepollock June 30, 2008 "But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life." Matthew 16:25b NLT ++++++++++++++++++++ http://jeffree7.wordpress.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++ Secure in His Presence Jehoiakim was king of Judah just prior to the first Babylonian invasion in 605 B.C.. He had become comfortable in the security of the palace, and an alliance with the Egyptians made him feel even more protected. But Jehoiakim led the people of Judah further away from God; "he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his fathers had done" (2 Kings 23:37). God sent the prophet Jeremiah to warn Jehoiakim and the people of Judah that disaster would come if they did not repent; "If you do not listen to Me and follow My law…, then I will make this city an object of cursing among all the nations of the earth" (Jeremiah 26:4,6). But with his every need and desire fulfilled, and every fear removed, Jehoiakim did not see a reason to listen. Jeremiah 22:21 "I warned you when you felt secure, but you said, 'I will not listen!' This has been your way from your youth; you have not obeyed." We spend the majority of our lives building security in our job, finances, and relationships. But security within the world system is extremely shallow and deceptive; "Do not store up for yourselves treasures {security} on earth, where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal" (Matthew 6:19). We ought to be thankful for every one of our earthly blessings, but we should NEVER receive our "security" from the world. Our complete dependence must always remain on our Heavenly Father, and our eyes and ears continually open to His leading. Our daily walk is made one slow step at a time as we "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). Usually, we are allowed to see only the next few steps; "Your Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light for my path" (Psalm 119:105). But our true security, peace and comfort, comes from simply knowing we're on His path, not from feeling we control the direction or pace of the journey. True security begins with faith in Jesus Christ and builds on a pure love which flows from the innermost part of our heart. Even activities such as church attendance, Bible study, or work in various ministries mean nothing without a faith based love; and these well-intended actions become a false security when they replace the need to abide in the presence of God or daily seek His direction. Let's not allow our lives to develop a sense of security which shuts out the need for God and the absolute hunger for His presence. Our walk of faith will always require stepping into the unknown where all we have is what He provides. And a loving trust in God is confident that His provision is always enough! Let's lean on Him, love Him, and draw ever closer. Let's seek true security by only being secure in His presence. Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries Subscribe/Unsubscribe by email to closerwalk@gdwm.org
Subscribe via web: http://www.gdwm.org/subscribe.htm
|
--- On Sat 06/28, J. E. Pollock < jeffreyevelyn@yahoo.com > wrote:
From: J. E. Pollock [mailto: jeffreyevelyn@yahoo.com]
To: jeffree7@myway.com
Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2008 23:02:56 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Fw: PROTESTANT
--- On Fri, 6/27/08, jeffree7@elp.rr.com <jeffree7@elp.rr.com>wrote:
From: jeffree7@elp.rr.com <jeffree7@elp.rr.com>
Subject: PROTESTANT
To: jeffree7@myway.com
Date: Friday, June 27, 2008, 11:22 PM
  
PROTESTANT ON HIS LEFT IS A MAN; A SINNER LOST TO GRACE, WHO WON'T STAND.
++++++++++++++++++++++++ IN THE CENTER IS THE MAN THE ONLY WAY FOR HUMANS TO OBEY GOD'S COMMAND
++++++++++++++++++++++++ ON HIS RIGHT IS A MAN A SINNER SAVED BY GRACE WHO WILL STAND ++++++++++++++++++++++++ IN THE END JESUS GAVE UP HIS OWN SPIRIT SO WE MIGHT KNOW GOD WHO SENT HIS SON TO BE VICTORIOUS OVER SIN
+++ JEFFREE7
JUN262008 | | | |
THE MORE I PRAY
It is obvious to me
The weaker I get
The more prayer
I'm going to need
But Jesus says
Keep watch & pray
So you don't fall in
Temptation today
It is obvious to me
The more I watch
The more I am Able to see
But Jesus says
Seek first His Kingdom
And the wisdom you gain
Will be treasure found in Heaven JEFFREE
6/18/2008
| | | | | | This fear, this quaking fear, Shoved aside but always near;
Close enough to take my breath,
Unholy enough to cause my death. This denial, this closet denial,
Stored away but always on trial;
Light enough to barely annoy,
But heavy enough to steal my joy. This hope, this living hope,
Alive inside and always near;
Close enough to touch my soul,
Holy enough to cancel all my fear.
This repentance, This true repentance;
Easy enough to simply say,
But real enough to renew my balance. This love, this precious love,
Given through pain and Jesus' blood;
Human enough to suffer and die on a cross,
Perfect enough to give everyone access to God.
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
| | | | Thanks for the poem and article. May we keep our eyes on Christ..to have the balance we need. God bless you today!! Craig and Marilyn Craig and Marilyn Hanscome
BP 19
Koutiala, Mali
tel: 223-264-14-22
Mobile: 223-454-27-07
----- Original Message ----- Sent: Monday, June 02, 2008 4:24 AM Subject: BALANCE ME
BALANCE ME
Lord Jesus, when I'm falling
When I've crossed the line
When I lean on almost anything
Because all I have is mine all mine
Take me by the hand dear God
Lead me to the Savior's Cross
Steady me so I won't stay lost
Hold me faithful or I will fall off
_________________________ Lord Jesus, when I'm standing
When I've fallen to my knees
When I need you more than anything
For all I have You've given me
Make me a new heart dear God
Lead me in the Way of the Cross
Balance me so I won't feel lost
Hold me Father or I'll forget the cost JEFFREE
06012008
__________________________________________________
"Come, Take and Eat"
Jill Carattini
A powerful story emerged from the bombing raids of World War II where thousands of children were orphaned and left to starve. After experiencing the fright of abandonment, many of these children were rescued and sent to refugee camps where they received food and shelter. Yet even in the presence of good care, they had experienced so much loss that many of them could not sleep at night. They were terrified they would awake to find themselves once again homeless and hungry. Nothing the adults did seemed to reassure them, until someone thought to send a child to bed with a loaf of bread. Holding onto bread, the children were able to sleep. If they woke up frightened in the night, the bread seemed to remind them, "I ate today, and I will eat again tomorrow."(1)
I love this story and the image it sets boldly in my mind. But I first heard it as a young woman in the throes of an eating disorder, and I just could not relate. For a growing number of lives around the world, the thought of bread is far from a source of comfort. Eating disorders are a
rapidly escalating epidemic no longer thought to be solely an American phenomenon. According to one psychologist, "[R]eports have emerged of an increased incidence of eating disorders in the Middle East, Africa, India, and various countries in southern Asia, including Hong Kong, China, Singapore, and South Korea."(2) For many individuals, the thought in the
night that they will face food again in the morning is terrifying.
There was a time long after recovery in a clinical sense of the word when fear of food was still what centered me. I realized this in my aggrieved reaction to a seminary professor's pronouncement. "Heaven is a feast," he said in class, "and God is the one preparing it." Later he added a similarly troubling thought, "The image of the banquet is central to our communing with God." His words were hurtful, largely because I knew they were right. The table is intricately connected with the faith we profess in remembrance of Christ. The call of God is resounding and specific: "Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find" (Matthew 22:9).
However we approach the rich imagery of biblical language, the images of table, banquet, and feast are clearly intended to bring something powerful to mind. As the psalmist writes, "The poor will eat and be satisfied... All the rich of the earth will feast and worship!" (Psalm 22:26, 29). But in my understanding of God's house and envisioning of heaven, food was exactly what I had been trying to avoid. To commune over food with people, much less at the table of God, was something that expended everything within me. The table was a symbol of stress and discipline, a daily battle from which I wanted to be released--not invited. Yet how often God invites us to face the one thing we cannot, the very thing that brings us to surrender. God prepares a table in the presence of our enemies, and at times the enemy is us.
Though I had convinced myself that food would one day be a problem fully behind me--even if this meant waiting for eternity--God seemed to be shouting an invitation to the table today. My presence was requested at the banquet; I was invited to the feast. It was an invitation that both startled and confused me. It drove away the hope to which I cleaved on bad days and woke up with each morning: God doesn't care about food; God doesn't care about my battle with it. But one day it will be no more. Yet this lie Christ graciously purged from my altar. Slowly, cautiously, my eyes were opened to life and to the Last Supper, to healing and to his Word.
On the night Jesus was betrayed, he took bread and broke it and gave it to those he loved. Holding onto him, like children with bread, we are given peace in uncertainty, mercy in brokenness, something solid when all is lost. In his severe mercy, we are invited to the table: Come, take and eat. |
Jill Carattini is senior associate writer at Ravi Zacharias
International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.
(1) Dennis Linn, Sleeping with Bread (New York: Paulist, 1995), 1.
(2) Richard Gordon, Eating Disorders: Anatomy of a Social Epidemic
(Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2000), 80.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright(c) 2008
Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM).
Reprinted with permission.
A Slice of Infinity is a ministry of Ravi Zacharias
International Ministries ( http://www.rzim.org ).
---------------------------------------------------------------------
http://members.cox.net/spw1942/spiritual_warfare3.html | | | | | PS 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. PRESENT HELP Help me, Father, I'm letting go, Hold me, Father, when I've lost hold; Help me, Father, when I hit bottom, Hold me through my days of Autumn. Help me, Jesus, I can no longer stand, Hold me, Jesus, when I'm building on sand; Help me, Jesus, when I'm tumbling down, Catch me before I hit the hard ground. Help me, Spirit, I've lost my way, Hold me, Spirit, when I choose to stray; Help me, Spirit, when I've run my farthest, Help me rise up when I'm lying in darkness. God, help me fear losing your holy presence, God, help me hear and encourage my friends, God, help me walk in the brilliance of Jesus, God, help me talk of You more and me less. Jeffree Pollock MAY 30, 2008 "The helper whom I will send to you from the Father will come. This helper, the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father, will declare the truth about me. You will declare the truth, too, because you have been with me from the beginning." JOHN 15:26-27 _____________________________________________ Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah PSALM 46:2, 3 ______________________________
"A very present help." Psalm 46:1 Covenant blessings are not meant to be looked at only, but to be appropriated. Even our Lord Jesus is given to us for our present use. Believer, thou dost not make use of Christ as thou oughtest to do. When thou art in trouble, why dost thou not tell Him all thy grief? Has He not a sympathizing heart, and can He not comfort and relieve thee? No, thou art going about to all thy friends, save thy best Friend, and telling thy tale everywhere except into the bosom of thy Lord. Art thou burdened with this day's sins? Here is a fountain filled with blood: use it, saint, use it. Has a sense of guilt returned upon thee? The pardoning grace of Jesus may be proved again and again. Come to Him at once for cleansing. Dost thou deplore thy weakness? He is thy strength: why not lean upon Him? Dost thou feel naked? Come hither, soul; put on the robe of Jesus' righteousness. Stand not looking at it, but wear it. Strip off thine own righteousness, and thine own fears too: put on the fair white linen, for it was meant to wear. Dost thou feel thyself sick? Pull the night-bell of prayer, and call up the Beloved Physician! He will give the cordial that will revive thee. Thou art poor, but then thou hast "a kinsman, a mighty man of wealth." What! wilt thou not go to Him, and ask Him to give thee of His abundance, when He has given thee this promise, that thou shalt be joint heir with Him, and has made over all that He is and all that He has to be thine? There is nothing Christ dislikes more than for His people to make a show-thing of Him, and not to use Him. He loves to be employed by us. The more burdens we put on His shoulders, the more precious will He be to us. Morning and Evening |
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