To Know and Not to Do

To Know and Not to Do

I like what a Buddhist monk once said, "To know and not to do is not yet to know." To translate that into our Christian terminology it could be, "To believe and not to act is not yet to believe." In other words, if I say that I believe that without Christ people are eternally lost, and never do anything to point or even to help point others to Christ, do I really believe that people without Christ are lost? And if I say that I believe that Jesus is coming again and that the lost will be left behind, and I never do anything to help point them to Christ, do I really believe that Jesus is coming again and that the non-Christians will be left behind?

So I agree with the monk who said: "To know and not to do is not yet to know."

To help share the gospel become a People Power for Jesus Partner. Click on http://www.actsweb.org/people_power02.php for more information.

    -- Dick Innes

Comfort & Ease & Pleasure

WHEN comfort and ease and pleasure are put AHEAD of duty and conviction, progress is ALWAYS set back.

 

I read this statement & it really stuck with me...  So I thought I better share it along with where it came from. It is a good read.  Something to take time to think about & see where it leads you in thought.  Hope it blesses you just as it did me!

 

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. -1 Peter 5:8 When I was in the hospital in Hawaii, I read again of the shocking events which led up to the destruction of the United States fleet at Pearl Harbor. On that fateful day of December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked. We know now that that attack was invited by our failure to be always vigilant. The result was the destruction of our fleet—the cause was tragic indifference. When comfort and ease and pleasure are put ahead of duty and conviction, progress is always set back.

http://www.billygraham.org/dailydevotion.asp?articleid=7245
#Bible http://j.mp/m1UFIu

Above is a link that I just love that I found & down loaded on my cell phone.  There are Bible readings on there, quotes, teachings from Joyce Meyer's & devotionals! = )

Have a Blessed Day!
--
Tina

Something to Think About

Starla & I were asking ourselves these questions on Easter Sunday, very thought provoking....& some were tough to answer to!

 

Thought question:

 

What are he top 3 qualities you look for in a friend?

 

What is your favorite sound?

 

What makes you feel secure?

 

What's the number one change you need to make in your life in the next 12 months?

 

What was the most defining moment in your life during the past year?

 

In one sentence how would you describle your relationship with your Mother?

 

What's something new you recently learned about yourself?

 

Let God Arise

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
"Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered..."
(Psalm 68:1, NKJ)

TODAY'S WORD from Joel and Victoria
Let me ask you today, what are you letting arise in your life? In other words, what are you focusing your words, energy and thoughts on? You might say, "Oh, Joel, it's just so hard right now. I've lost some money." "My health doesn't look good." "Somebody walked out on me." No, you're focusing on the wrong things. You're letting defeat, discouragement and self-pity rise up. Why don't you turn that around and say, "God is still in control. Somebody may have walked out on me, but I know God is going to bring me somebody better." "I may be hurting right now, but I know God is the restorer of my soul." "I may have lost money in the stock market, but I'm not worried. I know God is my provider. He is supplying all of my needs. He is fighting my battles."
When you start giving God glory and letting Him arise in your life, you can't stay defeated. Your enemies will be scattered! They'll tremble at your words of faith. Begin right now by declaring God's goodness in your life and let Him arise so that you can move forward in the victory He has for you.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father in heaven, I repent right now for allowing any negative, self-defeating thoughts or attitudes rise up in my life. You alone are my God, and I put my trust in You. I bless You today and always and choose to look for the good things You have for me. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
— Joel & Victoria Osteen

My Soap Box

 

Dear friends, Again, I have stepped off My Soapbox because Barbara wrote a piece that I really felt you should read. See if this isn't instructive and applicable for where you and your spouse live. Dennis Do you know that unwinnable "Whack a Mole" game at your local kids' pizza place—the one where the machine pops up plastic moles and your mission is to beat them back down as fast as they pop up? Conflicts in marriage are like that game; they keep popping up even when you don't want to play anymore. A week ago, my husband and I were in another unwanted skirmish in our marriage. Same topic, same emotions, round gazillion! I've been disappointed many times that our issues are not resolved cleanly. They aren't black and white. Over the decades of our marriage, our repeated disagreements have settled into several categories: parenting values, decision making, money, sex, and travel. Victory, a conditional one, was declared in only one of these: parenting … and that was simply because time ran out. The others demand ongoing engagement. Your own recurring marital battles may be over finances, in-laws, jobs or other situations. No two marriages battle the same combination of issues. Yet there are similar patterns. The "we're traveling too much" conflict was the one that caught us once again last week. My husband's mother affectionately called her son a "road runner" after the cute cartoon character that was off in a flash everywhere he went. I thought it was sweet. I should have paid attention to the truth she was speaking. Not that it would have changed my decision to marry him. But his road-runner enthusiasm for travel, adventure, discovery, and conquering enemy territory has caused more ongoing stress and conflict in our marriage than any of the other areas I mentioned earlier. (By the way, I love to be home.) Our recent conflict began when I realized we were over-committed. Again. Somehow the schedule monster had eaten up more days than we realized and suddenly we were facing the enemy of miscommunication with no escape. Feelings of mistrust, lack of protection, lack of support, and anxiety resurfaced as we confronted the fact that I need more time at home than he does, but he needs me to go with him, and support him, and do life with him. Neither is wrong. It's what we do with the clash of those colossal differences that matters. Like peeling an onion At the core of this conflict, and at the core of any other recurring conflict, is fear. For me it's fear that I am not really valued for what is important to me. If I perceive that Dennis is constantly scheduling us to the brink, pushing me to my limits, then I come to believe he hasn't heard me, that he doesn't get it, and therefore that he doesn't love me. At the same time, if I refuse to adapt, to grow, to risk the stress of following him, then he perceives that I haven't heard what he needs, that I don't get it, and therefore I don't really care about him as a person. It's like peeling the layers of an onion, rather than declaring victory. Each time we clash over this issue, and others, we are in different circumstances in our lives. I needed margins for different reasons twenty years ago when I was parenting full time. He needed my partnership for different reasons, too. Each conversation can peel another layer off our individual coverings so that we can see ourselves and our spouse more clearly than we did before. Our perceptions of ourselves and of each other are vastly flawed. We forget that most of the time. So while I don't believe we declared victory this time, that we'll never argue or disagree over travel ever again, I do believe we peeled away another layer. I see more clearly that I need to work on my attitude about following my husband, that I need to rejoice that my husband wants me with him, and that I should trust God with this situation that He has given me for my good. During a recent snow storm, our office building closed for the day. Dennis and I decided to enjoy every minute of the glittering snow-covered day, so we donned our winter gear and went hiking in the woods. On the way back, which was all uphill, I paused to catch my breath. As we stood there panting, my husband said to me, "I'm not going to push you anymore." It had nothing to do with the travel issues, but I realized in that promise that he heard my words to him. He allowed me to be who I was in that moment—needing a pause in the action when he didn't. Next time you are chopping an onion, remember that those layers represent more than a pungent cooking ingredient. To the one who perseveres in marriage, each layer pulled back takes you closer to the heart. Though often accompanied by tears, as happens with onions, the progress made is satisfying.

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This was so good I had to share! 

 

God Bless!

--
Tina