Lovely

To the lover of my soul, Jesus. This song is for you. You're the center of my universe. I love you.

( This song is a love song in kind. But the songwriter/singer intended it for the great God himself not to a particular person. Michelle Tumes is a contemporary Christian musician.) 

Susie and the Pearls

At the age of six Susie’s most treasured possession was a string of pearls.  

The fact that they were fake didn’t bother her.  She wore them everywhere and played with them every day.  She loved the pearls.  

    She also loved her daddy.  His business often took him away for days at a time.  The first day home would always be one of celebration.  As an adult Susie can still remember the time he spent a week in the Orient.  When he finally returned, the daddy and daughter played all afternoon.  As he put her to bed, he asked this question, “Do you love me?”  

        “Yes, Daddy.  I love you more than anything.

        “More than anything?”

        “More than anything?”

        He paused for a moment.  “More than the pearls?  Would you give me your pearls?”

        “Oh, Daddy,” she replied.  “I couldn’t do that.  I love my pearls.”

        “I understand,” he told her and kissed her good-night.

        As she fell asleep, she thought about his request.  When she awoke, she thought about it some more.  It was on her mind that morning and later in the day.  Finally, that night, she went to him with her pearls.  “Daddy, I love you more than these.  Here, you take them.”

        “I’m so glad to hear that,” he said, standing and opening his attache’ case.  “I brought you a gift.”

       She opened the small flat box and gasped.  Pearls.  Genuine pearls.

       You suppose your Father wants to give you some as well?  He offers authentic love.  His devotion is the real deal.  But he won’t give you the genuine until you surrender the imitations.”  (p.39-40)

Absolute Surrender

"God comes and offers to work this absolute surrender in you. All these searchings and hungerings and longings that are in your heart, I tell you; they are drawings of the divine magnet, Christ Jesus. He lived a life of absolute surrender, He has possession of you; He is living in your heart by His Holy Spirit. You have hindered and hindered Him terribly, but He desires to help you to get hold of Him entirely. And He comes and draws you now by His message and words. Will you not come and trust God to work in you that absolute surrender to Himself? Yes, blessed be God, He can do it, and He will do it." - Andrew Murray

He wants all our heart - all the time - not just when we think we need Him.

Wherever you go, whatever you do, no matter how far or how long, Jesus Christ will always be there for you.Our mind gather the dirt and dust of human opinion everyday..........
but God's words are like waterfalls that wash and purify our hearts & minds ....................

Allow God to be God For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His." -
( 2 Chronicles 16:9 )

All of us enjoy applause. Whether it be on the athletic field, the stage, the classroom or in the more insignificant events of life, every one of us enjoy being praised. Our confidence is bolstered when a person of authority or that we respect supports us and is on our side. Getting that pat on the back or that word of encouragement makes us want to do even better. We work harder. We take on our problems with more determination and vigor. We are infused with "want to".

Scripture reminds us that God wants to be our cheerleader. The Creator of this Universe desires to support us, and support us strongly. He is simply looking for that person that will allow Him to be God. He wants all our heart - all the time - not just when we think we need Him. And He is even looking for us. It is not a question of being found by God; He knows exactly where we are. It is a matter of completely giving our heart to Him. With Jesus Christ on our side, we have it all.

When you trust in the Lord, you'll feel as if the weight of the world has been lifted off your shoulders.
The pressure's off you now and on God, and he can handle it perfectly.

May Christ shine in everything you do today.You may not know where life's road will lead you. But keep moving. God is walking with you.If you keep God inside your heart, there is nothing that will come into your life that you won't be able to handle.Wherever you go, whatever you do, no matter how far or how long, Jesus Christ will always be there for you.

Trust His Heart

The Kingdom Agenda: The Key to living a worry-free life

By Bro Ray Fuentes

CCF St. Francis

http://www.ccf.org.ph/the-kingdom-agenda/

What are the things you tend to worry about? Is it having food on the table? How to pay the rent? Your kids? Your work? Your health? The future? What consumes you?

Most people have three areas on which they worry the most.

The first is basic necessities (Mt 6:31-33). The Bible says that God is concerned about all our needs. Our physical or material needs are just as important to Him just as our spiritual needs. As children of God, we can stop worrying about where to get our next meal because we are assured that He will take care of all our needs.

Secondly, we tend to be anxious about our treasures. Matthew 6:20 says, “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” So we should not fret about our earthly treasures but instead focus on storing treasures in heaven.

The last thing we worry about is money. This is the most critical area of worry because it has the ability to become our master (Mt 6:24). Most of us struggle in giving because we cannot walk away from money. It has become God’s main competitor for our hearts. The Bible clearly states that we cannot serve two masters. Most of Jesus’ teachings were about money. He knows exactly what the dangers of falling in love with money are. God desires us to be free from such attachment.

But how do we live a life free of worry?

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” The Bible tells us that the key to a worry-free life is coming under the governance of God. We need to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. A kingdom is a form of government that is ruled by a king who has a territory or realm of governance. In this case, God is the King and His dominion encompasses the heaven and the earth and everything in it (Ps 24:1). That includes you and me. Righteousness is God’s nature of being right and doing what is right.

God has an agenda for every area of our lives. Our responsibility, as His subjects, is to submit ourselves to His agenda, knowing that He’s the only one who knows everything. And since He knows the beginning and the end, we can rest assured that His agenda is the best.

To ‘seek first His Kingdom’ is to place our selves under His rule and governance. When we do this, God will give us wisdom about what His will is and how to accomplish it. Prioritizing the kingdom agenda should be our primary concern. When we wake up, we must ask, “Lord, what do you want me to do today?” Prioritizing the kingdom agenda should also be our primary focus, for focus determines the direction of our lives. Lastly, it must be our primary pursuit because what we pursue in life determines what we truly desire.

There are so many areas in our lives that we lose sleep over. If we want a worry-free life, we should focus on God’s agenda. We must focus on what He wants us to do rather than what we want to do for ourselves. He knows what’s best for us. By His grace, He will back us up when we set our hearts and pursue His Kingdom and His righteousness.

A Love Story

One day, I woke early in the morning to watch the sunrise. Ah the beauty of God’s creation is beyond description. As I watched, I praised God for His beautiful work. As I sat there, I felt the Lord’s presence with me.

He asked me, “Do you love me?”

I answered, “Of course, God! You are my Lord and Saviour!”

Then He asked, “If you were physically handicapped, would you still love me?”

I was perplexed. I looked down upon my arms, legs and the rest of my body and wondered how many things I wouldn’t; be able to do, the things that I took for granted.

And I answered, “It would be tough Lord, but I would still love You.”

Then the Lord said, “If you were blind, would you still love my creation?” How could I love something without being able to see it? Then I thought of all the blind people in the world and how many of them still loved God and His creation.

So I answered, “Its hard to think of it, but I would still love you.”

The Lord then asked me, “If you were deaf, would you still listen to my word?” How could I listen to anything being deaf?

Then I understood. Listening to God’s Word is not merely using our ears, but our hearts.

I answered, “It would be tough, but I would still listen to Your word.”

The Lord then asked, “If you were mute, would you still praise My Name?”

How could I praise without a voice? Then it occurred to me: God wants us to sing from our very heart and soul. It never matters what we sound like. And praising God is not always with a song, but when we are persecuted, we give God praise with our words of thanks.

So I answered, “Though I could not physically sing, I would still praise Your Name.”

And the Lord asked, “Do you really love Me?”

With courage and a strong conviction, I answered boldly, “Yes Lord! I love You because You are the one and true God!”

I thought I had answered well, but God asked, “THEN WHY DO YOU SIN?”

I answered, “Because I am only human. I am not perfect.”

“THEN WHY IN TIMES OF PEACE DO YOU STRAY THE FURTHEST? WHY ONLY IN TIMES OF TROUBLE DO YOU PRAY THE EARNEST?”

No answers. Only tears.

The Lord continued: “Why only sing at fellowships and retreats? Why seek Me only in times of worship? Why ask things so selfishly? Why ask things so unfaithfully?”

The tears continued to roll down my cheeks.

“Why are you ashamed of Me? Why are you not spreading the good news? Why in times of persecution, you cry to others when I offer My shoulder to cry on? Why make excuses when I give you opportunities to serve in My Name?”

I tried to answer, but there was no answer to give.

“You are blessed with life. I made you not to throw this gift away. I have blessed you with talents to serve Me, but you continue to turn away. I have revealed My Word to you, but you do not gain in knowledge. I have spoken to you but your ears were closed. I have shown My blessings to you, but your eyes were turned away. I have sent you servants, but you sat idly by as they were pushed away. I have heard your prayers and I have answered them all.”

DO YOU TRULY LOVE ME ?”

I could not answer. How could I? I was embarrassed beyond belief. I had no excuse. What could I say to this? My heart had cried out and the tears had flowed, I said, Please forgive me Lord. I am unworthy to be Your child.”

The Lord answered, ” That is My Grace, My child.”

I asked, ” Then why do you continue to forgive me? Why do You love me so?”

The Lord answered, “Because you are My creation. You are my child. I will never abandon you. When you cry, I will have compassion and cry with you. When you shout with joy, I will laugh with you. When you are down, I will encourage you. When you fall, I will raise you up. When you are tired, I will carry you. I will be with you till the end of days, and I will love you forever.”

Never had I cried so hard before. How could I have been so cold? How could I have hurt God as I had done?

I asked God, “How much do You love me?”

The Lord stretched out His arms, and I saw His nail-pierced hands. I bowed down at the feet of Christ, my Saviour. And for the first time, I truly prayed.

Author Unknown.