Staying Full of God

Do you ever feel like you and God have drifted apart and that the love and joy you once experienced with Him has faded? If you do, you’re not alone. Most Christians feel like the experiences they have with God diminish over time and that they need another touch. But that is not what the Bible teaches.

The Bible says God will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). If that is true—and it is—who moved? As born-again believers, we are all capable of living in the fullness of God every day of our lives. God is continually pouring out His love, joy, peace, revelation knowledge, and every other blessing. But we can get to a point where we’re not receiving and “feel” like He has drifted away.

Romans 1:21 says,

“When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

GIVE THANKS DAILY

Luke 17:18 "There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger."

LUKE 17:11-18

Relatively few people who receive the goodness of the Lord return to give Him thanks for what He has done. That does not keep the Lord from doing what is right for us. He healed all ten of these lepers according to their request - not just the one who was thankful. However, there was only one out of the ten that was made "whole."

The Lord desires that we prosper in spirit, soul, and body. He wants us to be whole - not just healed. Part of the reason God meets our physical needs is to prove to us His willingness and ability to meet our emotional and spiritual needs. The Lord is concerned about our temporal needs (Mt. 6:30), but He is even more concerned about our eternal needs. All of these lepers needed physical healing and the Lord was moved with compassion and met their need.

From Overpowered to Empowered

Lysa TerKeurst

"But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

It was one of those days. I was driving to the airport in the pouring rain. The skies were grey. The day felt a bit gloomy. And honestly, so did I.

There were just a lot of little things swarming my thoughts. Feelings of inadequacy stinging. "There are so many things I'm responsible for and never enough hours in the day. I do enough to keep things from sinking. But I just wonder if I'm doing anything well. I don't think I am ... doing anything well."

Give thanks for all things...

By Fred Gillett, Crystal Cathedral Pastor

"O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good; for His mercy is forever." -1 Chronicles 16:34

It takes a lot of self-control to let thankfulness be the cornerstone of all my thoughts. I often don't center my thoughts in thankfulness. Being thankful for all things helps me keep in touch with my God.

It is hard to be thankful when you're sick or you are standing next to a bed where there is pain and suffering. You think, "I know God hates to hear me grumble. I shouldn't dare to question his sovereignty and wisdom."

TRAPPED IN THE TIDE POOLS OF LIFE

by dianegates

The morning was bright, the tide low, and a gentle breeze stirred along the shoreline. Gulls strutted the water’s edge and my heart soared as patterns of foam danced up the sand while pelicans glided just above the sunlit waves.

I splashed through the pools of salt-water left along the beach from the receding tide. Some were slim and shallow. Others wide and deep. Various shapes and sizes. Each one cut off from the ocean, left to evaporate as the sun rose and the tide shrunk back to the sea.

A glance ahead revealed two shapes lying just inside the ridges of the next tidal pool—starfish—trapped from their retreat along the ocean’s floor. Their source of existence ebbed with each taunting ripple of the next swell. They would bake in the heat of the rising sun and drying sand.

Attitude of Gratitude

“The LORD said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron, “Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs—and they will turn to blood.” Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone.’”—Exodus 7:19

This Torah portion for this week, Vaeira, is from Exodus 6:2—9:35 and Ezekiel 28:25–29:12.

Moses and Aaron had clearly defined roles. Moses would be the leader of the children of Israel, but Aaron would be his mouthpiece since Moses felt limited by his speech impediment. Aaron would speak; Moses would take action. Aaron would make promises; Moses would deliver. The two brothers were a team bringing their strengths to the table and compensating for each other’s weaknesses.

This being the case, the Sages are puzzled when Aaron, not Moses, is commanded to bring about the first three plagues after warning Pharaoh. Wasn’t this Moses’ arena? Moses brought about the remainder of the plagues, so why not the first three?

Thankful for Air

by Louise Willms

It was Thanksgiving 2009. Our Church was having a sharing time. We were asked “What are you thankful for”? I remember simply saying “air”.

I had just recently been diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis. It was becoming very difficult for me to breathe. I loved to sing during worship time. I would start to sing and after two or three words into the song I had no air. It was a very scary time for me because my brother died from this disease.

The Teacher's Hand

Bruce Howell

A SCHOOL TEACHER asked her first graders to draw a picture of something they were thankful for. She thought of how little these children from poor neighborhoods actually had to be thankful for. She reasoned that most of them would no doubt draw pictures of turkeys on tables with lots of other food.

She was surprised with the picture that Douglas handed in. It was the picture of a human hand, poorly drawn. But whose hand? The other children tried to guess. One said it was the hand of God because He brings the food to us. Another said it was the hand of a farmer because he raises and grows the food.

Finally, when the others were back at their work, the teacher bent over Douglas’ desk and asked whose hand it was. "Why, its your hand, teacher," he mumbled.

Finding Joy in Difficulties?

Gail Rodgers
Are you confused and not sure what to do or where to turn?

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

I have always been a bit uneasy with James 1:2 where Jesus followers are encouraged to “consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds”. When I find things in God’s word that are hard to understand I “camp” on them for a time and ask God to reveal His wisdom.

Recently I taught four sessions at a weekend women’s retreat. One of the sessions included the wise counsel of 2 Corinthians 12: 9 & 10 where Paul tells us the words the Lord spoke to him when he asked about something that was deeply challenging him in his life. The Lord’s reply was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”

Paul goes on to say that because of God’s promise to be his strength right in the midst of his weakness, he can “delight in difficulties”!

From Grapes to Wine

"Why have you broken down its walls
so that all who pass by pick its grapes?" —Psalm 80:12

In Psalm 80, the Psalmist has a question for God. Using a grapevine as a metaphor, King David describes how God took the children of Israel out of Egypt and planted them in the Promised Land. There, they took root and flourished, covering the land with their sweet fruit. Yet, over time, the situation changed, causing the Psalmist to write: "Why have you broken down its walls so that all who pass by pick its grapes?" After all that work, why has God allowed his precious vineyard to be pummeled and ravaged? Why has the God of Israel allowed His people to be all but destroyed?

The prophet Hosea, as if answering King David’s question, had this to say: "Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself. As his fruit increased, he built more altars; as his land prospered, he adorned his sacred stones. Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt" (Hosea 10:1–2). Translation: While the Israelites blossomed and thrived in the land of Israel, their abundant blessings led them toward idolatry instead of toward God. In the place of thankfulness, they substituted forgetfulness. They forgot who had blessed them and what they were supposed to accomplish with all that they had been given.

Keeping the Faith: Goats and Gratitude

A man went to his rabbi and complained, “There are ten of us living in one room. Life is unbearable! What can I do?” The rabbi answered, “Go home and take your goat into the room with you.” The man was incredulous; but the rabbi was insistent. “Do as I say. Come back in a week.”

A week later the man returned looking even more distraught than before. ”Rabbi, please, we cannot stand it. The goat is so filthy!” The rabbi then told him, “Very well, go home and let the goat out. Come back in a week.”

A radiant man returned to the rabbi a week later. His perspective had been astonishingly altered. “Life is beautiful,” he cried. “We enjoy every minute of living together without the goat – and there’s only the ten of us!”

Jesus once encountered a group of ten, living together, with little for which to be thankful. These ten had more than a stinking goat in the room. They had leprosy. From a distance they shout to the rabbi Jesus to have mercy on them – life was unbearable.

How to curb your envy What to do when the green-eyed monster bites

By Olivia Yao, Three Moons | Yahoo! SHE


Do you catch yourself lusting after the designer bag your officemate just bought with her bonus? Or wishing your friend would show up to a dinner looking less than perfect—for once? Why is it that you can’t shake these negative feelings? You like these girls and you get along with them, but deep down, you can’t help resenting their seemingly good fortune while you suffer from just plain bad luck.

But have you ever considered that, instead of bad luck, you could be suffering from envy? Former guidance counselor Nympha Banzon says, “Envy stems from a dissatisfaction or discontent of what one has and who one is.” Why not ask yourself: Why do you begrudge your officemate her bag? Is it just because she can afford it while you can’t? Or is it because she works harder and puts in more hours, thus deserving her bonus, while you feel you can’t be bothered? It’s time to stop the envy. Here’s how to do that:

1. Get to the bottom of the problem.
And believe me, it’s not your friend’s perfectly put together look or your officemate’s designer handbag. It’s something in yourself. Are you unhappy about something greater than not having what your friends have? Is there a bigger problem gnawing at your insides? Identify it and you’re on your way to fixing it.

2. Know yourself.
Banzon suggests listing down your strengths and weaknesses. Once you’ve made your list, take a good look at the items and accept each and every one. Then, focus on your strengths and how you can enhance them.

Preacher and bestselling author Bo Sanchez, in his book Don’t Worry, Be Happy, suggests forgetting about what you aren’t good at and making your talents grow instead. If you aren’t good at baking, don’t waste your time trying to perfect a soufflé. If you channel that time into improving your already pretty awesome singing skills, who knows what recording label you might land next year?

However, weaknesses that are detrimental to your growth must be worked on as well. If you’re always late or perennially procrastinating, overcoming these flaws will surely up your productivity and potential for success!

3. Know that you are unique, and embrace that.
It’s easy to envy people we want to be like. Sometimes, you can put a positive spin on it by taking the qualities you admire in someone else and making them your own. But things will go downhill if you fixate on the fact that you aren’t like the person you envy—and even hate her for it. Because this really just means the person you hate is yourself. For not being like her.

Once you realize that everyone is unique, you’ll start to see that there’s no reason for envying someone else. One trick you can use is to think about your goals in life. It’s possible that you and your friends may act the same and even look the same, but do you want the same things out of life? Probably not. Keeping this in mind will help you remember that life is not a competition. At the same time, it will be easier to celebrate what’s special and unique about you.

4. Be thankful.
Oprah was right when she encouraged the world to keep a gratitude journal. She even suggested starting with your breath if you feel there is nothing to be grateful for. Slowly, you’ll be looking at life through a totally different perspective, wanting to find reasons to be grateful rather than focusing on what’s lacking.

5. Distract yourself.
If you can’t seem to get all the negativity off your mind, get out of there! If you’re holed up in the office, at home in front of your computer, or at a suffocating family gathering, make an excuse and take a breather. Then find something to take your mind off it. A yoga class, an art class, or even a movie! You’ll need something to remind you that there is so much more to life than the envy eating you up inside.

6. Do something for someone else.
The best way to battle a lack of something in yourself is to focus your energies outward. Doing something for a person who needs your help will direct your attention away from yourself. You’ll be more concerned about someone else, making you forget about your imperfections and even feel good about yourself. Banzon adds, “There is blessing in giving.”

http://ph.she.yahoo.com/how-to-curb-your-envy.html;