QUIET TIME; May 24, 2009

May 24, 2009

How's Your Heart?
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24, NIV

It's easy to be fooled into thinking that your heart is in pretty good condition. And so perhaps you've had thoughts like this:

I'm a good person.

I attend church twice a week.

I go to a weekly Bible study.

I keep up with my daily devotionals.

I volunteer in my community.

I tithe to my church.

I'm kind to my family.

I pray for my friends.

Sound familiar? We can focus on the peripheral so much so that we forget to dig a little deeper and see what's really going on inside our hearts.

Well, I've discovered a sure-fire method that will quickly expose the condition of the heart. That's right. Here it is: it's driving. Yes. D-R-I-V-I- N-G.

When you're driving, its seems like the real you comes out to play. I know that I would never want someone to record the thoughts that go through my mind or the words that exit my mouth when I'm driving. They're not R-rated, but I sure wouldn't want them inscribed on my tombstone.

These thoughts happen fairly regularly. Like recently, as I made my way through a sketchy part of the city. I encountered folks driving way below the speed limit. Other folks cut me off while trying to get in front of other slow drivers in other lanes. And another driver took up two lanes while trying to make a left-hand turn (!!!).

In these incidents, what I thought really shocked me. Afterward, I immediately wondered, Did I really think that? My heart is so ugly. Oh dear God. Please help me!

I'm not telling you what I was thinking, because I am ashamed. But I will tell you this: it enlightened me. My thoughts shone a light in the dark corners of my heart. I saw how horribly corroded and nasty it was-like what you experience when you pull up the stopper from your kitchen garbage disposal. Foul!

I saw the judgment. I saw the pride. I saw the lack of love and forgiveness. It's gunk that needs to be cleaned out-really bleached out-on a consistent basis. But bleach smells, it's strong and it stings. Who wants to willingly submit to that? It's hard to do, but it's absolutely essential if we are to stay spiritually healthy and heart smart.

While I'm disappointed in my condition, I'm thankful that driving is doing such a good job of testing me and exposing what's in my heart. And until I'm old and decrepit and can't maneuver a moving vehicle anymore, I know that my next heart check is just one keyed ignition, one gear change and one gas pedal away.

Intersecting Faith & Life: If not driving, are there other situations or activities in your life that "put the squeeze" on you and really show what's going on in your heart? Maybe it's an individual who just knows how to push your buttons. Or perhaps the ugliness comes out when you're dealing with customer service personnel. Whatever it is that exposes the ugliness, ask the Lord to examine what is there and to change you from the inside out.

QUIET TIME: May 21, 2009

May 21

Today's Reading: 1 Chronicles 10-12; John 6:45-71

Today's Thoughts: He Wears Your Picture Badge

So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before the Lord continually. Exodus 28:29

Have you ever watched the news broadcast of a missing person? As I saw a report on a missing teenager, the family being interviewed all wore picture badges displaying the person’s face. They not only wanted this face in public view for possible recognition but also they wanted this reminder close to their own hearts. Just having this type of memorial helped this grieving family pursue their hopes of finding their child.

As discussed in Exodus Chapter 28, Aaron wears a garment that has the names of each of the twelve tribes of Israel etched in precious stones and placed over his heart. This robe is worn by Aaron as he enters the most holy place in the presence of the Lord. Aaron represents the people to the Lord and is a continual reminder of who they are to the Lord. Today, we have Jesus Christ who is our High Priest and who bears our names before the Lord. We, too, are considered as precious stones before the Lord as our names are placed over the heart of our Savior Jesus.

How many of us truly realize how precious we are to the Lord? When life’s ups and downs seem to dominate our time and thoughts, we may not realize that we have a High Priest who is continually presenting us and our needs to our heavenly Father. Sometimes, we, as believers, stray from our Father’s presence, maybe fall out of fellowship or a regular time of prayer and Bible reading. During those times, I can picture Jesus going before the Father with a picture badge over His heart reminding the Lord of His child who has gone astray. More than anything else, the Lord desires a personal relationship with us and never wants us to be lost or to be away from Him.

Where are you today? Are you in close fellowship with Jesus? Regardless of where you are, know that if you are a child of God, born again in Jesus Christ, then your High Priest is continually presenting you to the Father. You can have the hope and peace today that Jesus is carrying your picture over His heart as a constant memorial. But, even more than that, He is living in your heart and wants to be with you always. Can you say the same? Are you carrying His picture in spirit and truth over your heart today? Are you spending time in worship and fellowship with Him? None are missing in the Lord today…for “I once was lost but now I am found, was blind but now I see”

THE AMAZING LOVE OF GOD

We cannot even begin to imagine how much God really loves us!
"The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing."
God is so beautiful! His love is so deep! The most passionate and intimate expression of true love in our human eyes is only a glimpse of a glimpse of a glimpse of His amazing love! We can never put limits on God!
Let us never settle for the thought that God is just a nice, kind, loving person (which He is). He is so much more than that! He is so deeply in love with all of us! His Spirit whispers to us. But at the same time His love shouts to be heard. We are so deaf! On the cross God Himself gave His everything for me! His arms were outstretched as if to shout, "I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU THIS MUCH AND SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU CAN EVER COMPREHEND! CAN'T YOU HEAR ME? WON'T YOU BEHOLD ME? LISTEN! I LOVE YOU!" Contemplate His love! If only in your imagination can you see a tender God who is deeply and passionately in love with you, then imagine! But it's not just your imagination. It's as real as you are! May He bless you as you learn to love Him as He has been teaching me.

GOD thank you so much for your unfailing LOVE,



AGAPE

WHATS my passion?

WHATS MY PASSION?

My passion is to serve God will all my heart, and to give him back all the glory that is due to him because he is so great and he really deserves it.

"My passions is to encourage you"

Hebrews 10:25 "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Encouragement

Never use force,

Cares what happens to someone else.

Offers love,

Understands, \Really listens,

Always helps,

Gently persuades.

Encouragement is

Making

Each person feel

Needed, and

Taking special care of those who need a little more help


My purpose in life is to encourage my family, leaders, close friends and those who want to succeed in something. In my experience about myself, I was being teased, bullied, and hated in highschool but that did not stop me from moving on. I was even told that I wasn't good at anything, that I was stupid, but God help me overcome those words and turned my life around. I realized that the words that I was speaking to people could either build someone up or bring them down. The discouragement and rejections that I went through taught me a great lesson and showed me that everyone needs encouragements simply because everyone faces one disappointment or more. Since I received the comfort from God, I want to use that comfort to comfort others =). My goal is to is to encourage/support and lift them up to reach their destination. That even when my friends are down, I will be there to lift them up and get them back on track because I love them deeply. I don't want to let them miss out on the great opportunities that God has in stored for them. Also I ask God that he will give all my love ones the desires of their heart and will help them in every situations, all of you will become who God created you to be, he created you to be great.

This is ME, this who I am, I am a servant and an encourager of God.

THANKS AND GOD BLESS


r

"By Your Side"

By Your Side - Tenth Avenue North

Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life

(Chorus 2x)

Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go



Lord as long as you are by my side, i can overcome all my problems! Lord direct me to where you want me to go

LOVE, COURTSHIP, MARRIAGE

"That perfect GIRL will come when you're busy loving GOD"

QUIET TIME: May 1, 2009

Text: "We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing the great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves."

------------------------ L E A R N E D ----------------------------


Many times as we experience some kind of rejection or disappointment, we get discouraged and tend to stop moving. We become stagnant and we stay were we are rather then moving on and forgetting what happened in the past. AND when disappointments knock us down, we should able to get back up, and get GOING AGAIN. DONT give up too easily! because once we do, we start to drift away from God. Sooner or later we start giving up on our dreams, our goals, and next thing you know, we stop pressing forward to what God wants us to do in our lives. BUT we need to understand that maybe the doors(things) that we wanted is not really meant for us. God opens doors, and sometimes closes them. REMEMBER THIS, that when God, closes a door, its always because he has something better in store.So just because you had a disappointment or a failure in life doesn't mean thats the time to stop, doesn't mean that you can give up, ITS NOT OKAY! instead pick yourself up and find a new route and keep pressing forward.

"God did not create anyone without putting something extremely valuable on the inside." God did not create us to be small, but he created me and you to be something GREAT! amen


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