FAITH

HEBREWS 11:6

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him:

for he that cometh to God must believe that he is,

and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek

Him."

F OCUSING

A LWAYS

I N

T HE

H OPE THAT LIVES WITHIN YOU, JESUS CHRIST, WHO WILL NEVER FORSAKE YOU.

IN HIS COMPANY

IN HIS COMPANY

(by: Tyararr Jones)

In His company, I bow before Him as King,

Master and Sustainer, the giver of all things.

In His company, I listen to Him in awe as my loving master,

He protects and guides me through all of life's disasters.

In His company, I follow Him as shepherd and guide,

I long for Him to beckon me to be by His side.

In His company, I kneel in silence, for He is God,

My thoughts, my heart, He daily prods.

In His company, there is grace and bountiful peace,

When I am tried, broken and burdened, to Him I release.

In His company, I confide in Him as Saviour and friend,

Upon His loving promises I can always depend.

In His company, I am a recipient of His love that has no measure,

To be loved by Him is truly a priceless treasure.

O to be in His company, I do not deserve,

I focus all that I am and have toward Him to serve.

One day in His company we all shall be,

Singing His praises all throughout eternity.

A LITTLE SOMETHING FROM A MENTOR OF MINE

JOHN 3:16

John 3:16 ---Greatest Verse

For God ---Greatest Lover

So Loved ---To the Greatest Degree

The World ---The Greatest Number

That He Gave ---The Greatest Act

His Only Begotten Son ---The Greatest Gift

That Whosoever ---The Greatest Invitation

Believeth ---The Greatest Simplicity

On Him ---The Greatest Person

Shall Not Perish ---The Greatest Deliverance

But ---The Greatest Difference

Have ---The Greatest Certainty

Eternal Life ---The Greatest Possession

THE DIFFERENCE .......

THE DIFFERENCE

(AUTHOR UNKNOWN)

I got up early one morning

and rushed right into the day,

I had so much to accomplish

That I didn't have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me,

And heavier came each task.

"Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered.

He answered, "You didn't ask."

I wanted to see joy and beauty,

But the day toiled on, gray and bleak;

I wondered why God didn't show me.

He said, " But you didn't seek."

I tried to come into God's presence;

I used all my keys at the lock,

God gently and lovingly chided,

"My child, you didn't knock."

I woke up early this morning

And paused before entering the day,

I had so much to accomplish

That I had to take time to pray.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

Today, may you be driven with a fresh new pursuit to know God, seek God, talk to God, love God, be used of God, tell others about God, include God, think of God, trust God, depend on God, serve God.......to do this, it will take you putting aside what you think is your time and giving God all your time.

ECCLESIASTES 3: 1,11,14

There is an appointed time for everything, and there is a time for every event under heaven--He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him.

THE DIFFERENCE .......

THE DIFFERENCE

(AUTHOR UNKNOWN)

I got up early one morning

and rushed right into the day,

I had so much to accomplish

That I didn't have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me,

And heavier came each task.

"Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered.

He answered, "You didn't ask."

I wanted to see joy and beauty,

But the day toiled on, gray and bleak;

I wondered why God didn't show me.

He said, " But you didn't seek."

I tried to come into God's presence;

I used all my keys at the lock,

God gently and lovingly chided,

"My child, you didn't knock."

I woke up early this morning

And paused before entering the day,

I had so much to accomplish

That I had to take time to pray.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

Today, may you be driven with a fresh new pusuit to know God, seek God, talk to God, love God, be used of God, tell others about God, include God, think of God, trust God, depend on God, serve God.......to do this, it will take you putting aside what you think is your time and giving God all your time.

ECCLESIASTES 3: 1,11,14

There is an appointed time for everything, and there is a time for every event under heaven--He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him.

HIS NAME IS JESUS

His Name Is Jesus

Do you know Him, this man of whom I humbly speak,

He meets the needs of the strong, the rich, the poor and the weak?

I was a lover of many men when I met Him at the well,

He forgave my wicked sin and saved me from a greedy hell.

His voice I heard, before my eyes could vastly see,

Not knowing at first who it was that stood in front of me.

Lame since birth lying here in everyone's dust,

The day I walked, I gave to Him my trust.

A leper among men, a stranger to my family and land,

He cleansed me of my filth and led me by the hand.

A victor over a giant when I was just a lad,

He made me a king, gave me more than I ever had.

A persecutor and bystander was I when Stephen was laid to rest,

He changed my name to Paul and I think you know the rest.

I needed to see His hands and feet to believe that He fulfilled His promise,

The man who died upon the cross, even for me, doubting Thomas.

At the bottom of the ship He slept as the sea tossed and roared,

He calmly awoke and spoke a word, the waves bowed to Him as Lord.

Possessed I was by demons, my actions I could not control,

He spoke to them with authority to release their binding of my soul.

I am just a sinner saved by His marvellous grace,

What a day that will be when I see His blessed face

....His name is Jesus.

WHEN WHAT YOU NEED AND WHAT YOU WANT COLLIDE

Philippians 4:11-13NASB

"Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

What do you really want out of life? What is it that tears at you daily that you just have to have? How often have you asked God to give you what you need and not what you want? How often have we asked God to help us pursue what we need? How many of our wants are based off of temporary pleasures? How often do our wants get the best of us and control our emotions for that day?

I am not saying that there is anything wrong with desiring different things. But we must be careful not to let those things consume us. As Solomon reminds us in the book of Ecclesiastes: "the things of this world are all vanity and vexation of spirit." This means that everything here is only temporary. As Christians, we must remember that living right and doing right is what we need to do and what we ought to want with all of our heart. Far to often we let the wants of the flesh control and consume us. Since the Fall of Man there has been an ever continuing struggle of the heart not to be consumed with its wants.

I pray that today you will along with me, take a look at your life. Ask yourself if you are letting your wants have reign in your life. Secondly, sincerely ask the Lord to help you desire the things that you truly need. I leave you with this final thought by

Dr. Dennis Frey of Master's Divinity School.............

"IT IS AN UNCHANGEABLE LAW OF GOD THAT THOSE WHO ARE CONTENT WITH ANYTHING LESS THAN WHAT THEY KNOW TO BE RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF GOD WILL SOONER OR LATER COME TO RUIN."

NEVER FORSAKEN

NEVER FORSAKEN

Bewildered for direction on a path I cannot see,

Trusting in your guidance waiting patiently for thee.

Standing in silence listening to the calming of your voice,

Tired of waiting, shall I press on and make a choice?

My prayers are becoming constant for an answer I wish to know,

Burdened with anxiousness that my knees and heart are brought low.

Seeking for satisfaction in how live and in what I do,

Holding on to your promises that are everlasting and true.

All my life many chances I have cautiously taken,

Faithfully knowing that with you, I shall never be forsaken.

Psalms 37:23-25

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

For for Thought: Today, if you have been praying and seeking the Lord, and you have not recieved an answer: Do not lose faith! God is near and never leaves His children forsaken. Stay faithful and trust Him even when there is barely a drop of faith left in your soul. Press on! God is Faithful.

THE NEW YEAR IS HERE -2006

My mind and heart is caught in a trance as I reflect on the many blessings and challenges that crossed my path in 2005. As I reevaluate myself, I see the scars from the mistakes I made and from the challenges that sought to refine me beyond my comprehension. The canvas of my life was speckled with numerous expreriences and situations that taught me lessons which at times I did not want to learn. I still find myself in the classroom of patience waiting for direction. I am encouraged that this class of learning is not graded by a scale but is a process of daily living.
I do not know what this year holds for me. I do know who holds the future. My God is still in control. I dedicate this post to my God and King. I only hope and pray that I can be more faithful to Him this year than last. My walk with Him has been quite adventurous. I have not always followed Him closely. The stones of doubt, pride, stubborness, loneliness, etc. were the familiar hurdles that sought to trip me along my journey. I press on into this New Year with a refreshed spirit and a divine motivation. May my mind and heart be constantly clouded with Job's question as he suffered through the trial of his life: "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?"(Job 2:10)
The reigning thought that I cannot keep to myself that lifts me to the rock that is higher than I is this: Though my family change, my friends change, my circumstances change,
and though I change....God and God's love for me never changes!!! I pray that that thought and promise will encourage you to walk faithfully with our God, no matter what you may endure in this New Year. I would like to leave you with my favorite verses that I cherish deeply through the blessings and challenges of my life.

Jeremiah 32:27 - Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for Me?

I Thessalonians 5:24 - Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.

Philippians 1:21 - For to me to live is CHRIST and to die is gain.

I Samuel 12:24 - Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things He hath done for you.