Do not let sin reign !!!

Romans 6:11-12 (NIV). In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires....... 
Thoughts on This Verse...
If we have been cleansed from perversity, if we have died with Christ in baptism and have been cleansed thoroughly and completely by the Holy Spirit, then let's live for God! 
Let's resist sin, and our inclination to sin, with all our might, knowing that as we do, the Holy Spirit will empower us to a much greater righteousness than we could ever live on our own. 

Let's begin each day with a conscious decision to be dead to our sinful past and alive to the goal of the holy character of God! 

Have a great and blessed saturday !!!

Friends18.com Saturday Scraps

"And all the children of Israel murmured."

"And all the children of Israel murmured."

Numbers 14:2

There are murmurers amongst Christians now, as there were in the camp of Israel of old. There are those who, when the rod falls, cry out against the afflictive dispensation. They ask, "Why am I thus afflicted? What have I done to be chastened in this manner?" A word with thee, O murmurer! Why shouldst thou murmur against the dispensations of thy heavenly Father? Can he treat thee more hardly than thou deservest? Consider what a rebel thou wast once, but he has pardoned thee! Surely, if he in his wisdom sees fit now to chasten thee, thou shouldst not complain. 


After all, art thou smitten as hardly as thy sins deserve? Consider the corruption which is in thy breast, and then wilt thou wonder that there needs so much of the rod to fetch it out? Weigh thyself, and discern how much dross is mingled with thy gold; and dost thou think the fire too hot to purge away so much dross as thou hast? Does not that proud rebellious spirit of thine prove that thy heart is not thoroughly sanctified? Are not those murmuring words contrary to the holy submissive nature of God's children? Is not the correction needed? But if thou wilt murmur against the chastening, take heed, for it will go hard with murmurers. 


God always chastises his children twice, if they do not bear the first stroke patiently. But know one thing--"He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." All his corrections are sent in love, to purify thee, and to draw thee nearer to himself. Surely it must help thee to bear the chastening with resignation if thou art able to recognize thy Father's hand. 


For "whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons." "Murmur not as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer."

DON'T LET THE ENEMY OF YOUR SOUL KEEP YOU TRAPPED, DO NOT MURMUR 

Today's reading is from "Morning and Evening" by Charles Spurgeon. Find out more: http://click.lists.biblegateway.com/?qs=314ba9c0b6267f6e94e5621bf746c0a5eeddb992dd6e4233d4fc1a4dee1c17cd

SHOUT OF JOY, HE IS COMING SOON !!!

Psalm 98:6 (New International Version, ©2011)

with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn— shout for joy before the LORD, the King.

None can compare with you !!!

Psalm 40:5 (New International Version, ©2011)

 Many, LORD my God,
   are the wonders you have done,
   the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
   were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
   they would be too many to declare.

Thank you Lord for your Light !!!

Psalm 18:28 (New International Version, ©2011)

You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; 

my God turns my darkness into light.

Psalm 112:4 (New International Version, ©2011)

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, 

for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.

Let the Holy word !!!

Stand firm. Let nothing move you !!!

1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV). Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain....... 


Thoughts on This Verse...


Our financial investment opportunities can be fickle. Friends can disappoint you. Nothing is truly sure except one thing, or better yet, our very special Someone! If we build our lives on his work and his plan, we can hang in, persevere, and even triumph regardless of what happens in this life. 

"Thou art my hope in the day of evil."

"Thou art my hope in the day of evil."

Jeremiah 17:17

The path of the Christian is not always bright with sunshine; he has his seasons of darkness and of storm. True, it is written in God's Word, "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace;" and it is a great truth, that religion is calculated to give a man happiness below as well as bliss above; but experience tells us that if the course of the just be "As the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day," yet sometimes that light is eclipsed. 


At certain periods clouds cover the believer's sun, and he walks in darkness and sees no light. There are many who have rejoiced in the presence of God for a season; they have basked in the sunshine in the earlier stages of their Christian career; they have walked along the "green pastures" by the side of the "still waters," but suddenly they find the glorious sky is clouded; instead of the Land of Goshen they have to tread the sandy desert; in the place of sweet waters, they find troubled streams, bitter to their taste, and they say, "Surely, if I were a child of God, this would not happen." Oh! say not so, thou who art walking in darkness. 


The best of God's saints must drink the wormwood; the dearest of his children must bear the cross. No Christian has enjoyed perpetual prosperity; no believer can always keep his harp from the willows. Perhaps the Lord allotted you at first a smooth and unclouded path, because you were weak and timid. 


He tempered the wind to the shorn lamb, but now that you are stronger in the spiritual life, you must enter upon the riper and rougher experience of God's full-grown children. We need winds and tempests to exercise our faith, to tear off the rotten bough of self-dependence, and to root us more firmly in Christ. The day of evil reveals to us the value of our glorious hope.

Today's reading is from "Morning and Evening" by Charles Spurgeon. Find out more: http://click.lists.biblegateway.com/?qs=630cfc11fb937a39bf9b77382ce48d83b590d6f7f7b9dd518b0b2aaba0323891

A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places !!!

Isaiah 58:11 (The Message)

A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places

 "If you get rid of unfair practices, 

   quit blaming victims, 

   quit gossiping about other people's sins,

If you are generous with the hungry 

   and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,

Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, 

   your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.

I will always show you where to go. 

   I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places— 

   firm muscles, strong bones.

You'll be like a well-watered garden, 

   a gurgling spring that never runs dry.

You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, 

   rebuild the foundations from out of your past.

You'll be known as those who can fix anything, 

   restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, 

   make the community livable again.

Thanks Jesus for your prophetic word given to me 04/28/2011

Jeremiah 17:8 (New International Version, ©2011)

 They will be like a tree planted by the water 

   that sends out its roots by the stream. 

It does not fear when heat comes; 

   its leaves are always green. 

It has no worries in a year of drought 

   and never fails to bear fruit.”

I am convinced !!! Aleluya........

Romans 8:38-39 (NIV). For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord....... 


Thoughts on This Verse... 


Nothing could keep Jesus from coming to save you and me --
not the distance between heaven and earth, not the difficulty of an unexpected pregnancy for his unmarried mother, not a city full of travelers and parents tired from a long journey, certainly not a maniacal king who sought to snuff out his life, not jeering mobs crying crucify him, not disciples that abandoned him, not soldiers that mocked him, not a scourge that raked his flesh, and not a cross that claimed his physical life. 

So what makes you think he would let you go or give up on you after his love has captured your heart? 

"Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope."

"Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope."

Psalm 119:49

Whatever your especial need may be, you may readily find some promise in the Bible suited to it. Are you faint and feeble because your way is rough and you are weary? Here is the promise--"He giveth power to the faint." When you read such a promise, take it back to the great Promiser, and ask him to fulfil his own word. 


Are you seeking after Christ, and thirsting for closer communion with him? This promise shines like a star upon you--"Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." Take that promise to the throne continually; do not plead anything else, but go to God over and over again with this--"Lord, thou hast said it, do as thou hast said." Are you distressed because of sin, and burdened with the heavy load of your iniquities? Listen to these words--"I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions, and will no more remember thy sins." You have no merit of your own to plead why he should pardon you, but plead his written engagements and he will perform them. 


Are you afraid lest you should not be able to hold on to the end, lest, after having thought yourself a child of God, you should prove a castaway? If that is your state, take this word of grace to the throne and plead it: "The mountains may depart, and the hills may be removed, but the covenant of my love shall not depart from thee." If you have lost the sweet sense of the Saviour's presence, and are seeking him with a sorrowful heart, remember the promises: "Return unto me, and I will return unto you;" "For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee." Banquet your faith upon God's own word, and whatever your fears or wants, repair to the Bank of Faith with your Father's note of hand, saying, "Remember the word unto thy servant, upon  which thou hast caused me to hope."

Today's reading is from "Morning and Evening" by Charles Spurgeon. Find out more: http://click.lists.biblegateway.com/?qs=e9fd69e14be8491b254a97efd3db09133693fce57bde55849b73db9d0656d68e

Follow me !!!

Proverbs 16:19 (NIV). Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.......


Thoughts on This Verse... 
What is your source of significance? This proverb challenges us to view the world upside down to the rest of culture. 
Humility and association with the lowly and oppressed are valued by God. 
Abusive power and arrogance are not. God didn't just give us this proverb; he sent us his Son to demonstrate it. 
Now if we can only learn to live it. 
Ah! But Jesus does give us the opportunity to demonstrate it when he says,''Follow me!'' (cf. John 13) 

"God, even our own God."

"God, even our own God."

Psalm 67:6

It is strange how little use we make of the spiritual blessings which God gives us, but it is stranger still how little use we make of God himself. 


Though he is "our own God," we apply ourselves but little to him, and ask but little of him. How seldom do we ask counsel at the hands of the Lord! How often do we go about our business, without seeking his guidance! In our troubles how constantly do we strive to bear our burdens ourselves, instead of casting them upon the Lord, that he may sustain us! This is not because we may not, for the Lord seems to say, "I am thine, soul, come and make use of me as thou wilt; thou mayst freely come to my store, and the oftener the more welcome." 


It is our own fault if we make not free with the riches of our God. Then, since thou hast such a friend, and he invites thee, draw from him daily. Never want whilst thou hast a God to go to; never fear or faint whilst thou hast God to help thee; go to thy treasure and take whatever thou needest--there is all that thou canst want. 


Learn the divine skill of making God all things to thee. He can supply thee with all, or, better still, he can be to thee instead of all. Let me urge thee, then, to make use of thy God. Make use of him in prayer. Go to him often, because he is thy God. O, wilt thou fail to use so great a privilege? Fly to him, tell him all thy wants. Use him constantly by faith at all times. 


If some dark providence has beclouded thee, use thy God as a "sun;" if some strong enemy has beset thee, find in Jehovah a "shield," for he is a sun and shield to his people. If thou hast lost thy way in the mazes of life, use him as a "guide," for he will direct thee. 


Whatever thou art, and wherever thou art, remember God is just what thou wantest, and just where thou wantest, and that he can do all thou wantest.

You will seek me !!!

Jeremiah 29:13-14 (New International Version, ©2011)

You will seek me and find me 

when you seek me with all your heart. 

I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “

and will bring you back from captivity. 

I will gather you from all the nations and places 

where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “

and will bring you back to the place from which 

I carried you into exile.”

Present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV). ...present your requests to God. 

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus....... 
Thoughts on This Verse... 
What guards your heart? 
What protects your mind? 
Did you know that the peace of God can stand guard over our hearts and minds? 
That's the apostle Paul's promise to us in this passage. If we will present our requests to God, with thanksgiving, then God's peace that is greater than any explanation and that transcends our ability to comprehend it, will stand sentry over our hearts and minds. 


You want an example of how this is true? Look at the book of Job: All that befalls him; all that wounds him. Yet still he doesn't become hard of heart or go insane. 
What is the key to his survival? 
His ongoing conversation with the LORD. He will not relinquish that relationship no matter how badly he hurts, how much he is confused, nor how badly he is ridiculed. 

"This do in remembrance of me."

"This do in remembrance of me."

1 Corinthians 11:24

It seems then, that Christians may forget Christ! There could be no need for this loving exhortation, if there were not a fearful supposition that our memories might prove treacherous. 


Nor is this a bare supposition: it is, alas! too well confirmed in our experience, not as a possibility, but as a lamentable fact. It appears almost impossible that those who have been redeemed by the blood of the dying Lamb, and loved with an everlasting love by the eternal Son of God, should forget that gracious Saviour; but, if startling to the ear, it is, alas! too apparent to the eye to allow us to deny the crime.

Forget him who never forgot us! 

Forget him who poured his blood forth for our sins! Forget him who loved us even to the death! 

Can it be possible? Yes, it is not only possible, but conscience confesses that it is too sadly a fault with all of us, that we suffer him to be as a wayfaring man tarrying but for a night. 

He whom we should make the abiding tenant of our memories is but a visitor therein. 

The cross where one would think that memory would linger, and unmindfulness would be an unknown intruder, is desecrated by the feet of forgetfulness. Does not your conscience say that this is true? Do you not find yourselves forgetful of Jesus? Some creature steals away your heart, and you are unmindful of him upon whom your affection ought to be set. Some earthly business engrosses your attention when you should fix your eye steadily upon the cross. It is the incessant turmoil of the world, the constant attraction of earthly things which takes away the soul from Christ. While memory too well preserves a poisonous weed, it suffereth the rose of Sharon to wither. 

Let us charge ourselves to bind a heavenly forget-me-not about our hearts for Jesus our Beloved, and, whatever else we let slip, let us hold fast to him.

Today's reading is from "Morning and Evening" by Charles Spurgeon. Find out more: http://click.lists.biblegateway.com/?qs=60399717a33561708cac7f2cfb34ea7424b6aed43e456a9031fd623866dd59fb

Prosperidad del que teme a Jehová ……Aleluya.

Prosperidad del que teme a Jehová ……Aleluya.

SPANISH

"Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away."

"Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away."

Song of Solomon 2:10

Lo, I hear the voice of my Beloved! He speaks to me! Fair weather is smiling upon the face of the earth, and he would not have me spiritually asleep while nature is all around me awaking from her winter's rest. He bids me "Rise up," and well he may; for I have long enough been lying among the pots of worldliness. 

He is risen, I am risen in him, why then should I cleave unto the dust? From lower loves, desires, pursuits, and aspirations, I would rise towards him. He calls me by the sweet title of "My love," and counts me fair; this is a good argument for my rising. 

If he has thus exalted me, and thinks me thus comely, how can I linger in the tents of Kedar and find congenial associates among the sons of men? He bids me "Come away." Further and further from everything selfish, grovelling, worldly, sinful, he calls me; yea, from the outwardly religious world which knows him not, and has no sympathy with the mystery of the higher life, he calls me. 

"Come away" has no harsh sound in it to my ear, for what is there to hold me in this wilderness of vanity and sin? O my Lord, would that I could come away, but I am taken among the thorns, and cannot escape from them as I would. I would, if it were possible, have neither eyes, nor ears, nor heart for sin. Thou callest me to thyself by saying "Come away," and this is a melodious call indeed. To come to thee is to come home from exile, to come to land out of the raging storm, to come to rest after long labour, to come to the goal of my desires and the summit of my wishes. 

But Lord, how can a stone rise, how can a lump of clay come away from the horrible pit? O raise me, draw me. Thy grace can do it. Send forth thy Holy Spirit to kindle sacred flames of love in my heart, and I will continue to rise until I leave life and time behind me, and indeed come away.

Today's reading is from "Morning and Evening" by Charles Spurgeon. Find out more: http://click.lists.biblegateway.com/?qs=5f65c6486c594dbf0a82ba63ce065150b426c031cf3c6f22bbfed8bffc24bec2

THE GIFT OF GOD !!!

Romans 6:23 (NIV). For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.......

Thoughts on This Verse... 

Our sin earns us death. 

God's grace gives us life. 

The difference between these two extremes? The Cross of Christ which spans the chasm of our sin and brings us to the mercy, forgiveness, and redemption of God! 

"And because of all this we make a sure covenant."

"And because of all this we make a sure covenant."

Nehemiah 9:38

There are many occasions in our experience when we may very rightly, and with benefit, renew our covenant with God. 

After recovery from sickness when, like Hezekiah, we have had a new term of years added to our life, we may fitly do it. After any deliverance from trouble, when our joys bud forth anew, let us again visit the foot of the cross, and renew our consecration. 

Especially, let us do this after any sin which has grieved the Holy Spirit, or brought dishonour upon the cause of God; let us then look to that blood which can make us whiter than snow, and again offer ourselves unto the Lord. 


We should not only let our troubles confirm our dedication to God, but our prosperity should do the same. If we ever meet with occasions which deserve to be called "crowning mercies" then, surely, if he hath crowned us, we ought also to crown our God; let us bring forth anew all the jewels of the divine regalia which have been stored in the jewel-closet of our heart, and let our God sit upon the throne of our love, arrayed in royal apparel. 


If we would learn to profit by our prosperity, we should not need so much adversity. If we would gather from a kiss all the good it might confer upon us, we should not so often smart under the rod. Have we lately received some blessing which we little expected? Has the Lord put our feet in a large room? Can we sing of mercies multiplied? Then this is the day to put our hand upon the horns of the altar, and say, "Bind me here, my God; bind me here with cords, even forever." 
In as much as we need the fulfilment of new promises from God, let us offer renewed prayers that our old vows may not be dishonoured. 


Let us make with him a sure covenant, because of the pains of Jesus which for the last month we have been considering with gratitude.

Today's reading is from "Morning and Evening" by Charles Spurgeon. Find out more: http://click.lists.biblegateway.com/?qs=3a9a44513165c46c666e0f2b878af3c8a5a1735e933229259e51ff30637d494a

JUST FOR YOU !!!

John 3:16 (New International Version, ©2011)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

HE IS RISEN !!!...........ALELUYA !!!

Matthew 28:1-4 (New International Version, ©2011)

Matthew 28

Jesus Has Risen

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.