Pray for the wisdom to know what to do, and the humility and forgiveness to do it.
-Be open to God's will
-Have a spiritual adviser
-Courage and trust in God
“Discernment is one step at a time, pray for discernment on the next step in your life.” -Deacon Bryan Duggan
"Your romantic expression should never exceed your confidence in marriage." -via Bryan Abas
Jesus
"It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is He who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is He who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is He who reads in your heart your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle.
It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal." -Pope John Paul II
“The human heart hungers for what is beautiful, perfect and everlasting. And that is what Jesus is.” -Father Larre
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." -Colossians 1:15-20
"Christ is around us, Christ is behind me, Christ is in front of me, Christ is beside me, Christ is on the other side of me, Christ is below me, Christ is above me, Christ is on my left, Christ is on my right. Christ is in the eyes of the people who see me, Christ is in the mouth of people who speak to me, Christ is in the ears of people who hear me. Christ is everywhere, eager for us to take away our sins and always bring us back to where he is." -Anonymous
"The greatest Man in history: JESUS
Had no servants, yet they call Him Master.
Had no degree, yet they call Him Teacher.
Had no medicines, yet they call Him Healer.
Had no army, yet kings feared Him.
He won no military battle, yet He conquered the world.
He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.
He was buried in the tomb, yet He lives today." -via Gerry Pagal
"Would you lay down your life for even those who hate you? 'Cause Jesus Christ was capable of doing that. He's the real definition of Love." -Jonah Cabasang
"Jesus is not one of many ways to approach God, nor is He the best of several ways; He is the only way." -A. W. Tozer
"Do not be afraid of Christ!
Are we not perhaps all afraid in some way? If we let Christ enter fully into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to him, are we not afraid that He might take something away from us? Are we not perhaps afraid to give up something significant, something unique, something that makes life so beautiful? Do we not then risk ending up diminished and deprived of our freedom? … No! If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation. And so, today, with great strength and great conviction, on the basis of long personal experience of life, I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life. Amen." -Pope Benedict XVI
"..So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." -Ephesians 3:17-19
"In Nazareth He was known only as Jesus, the son of Joseph. You can be sure He was respected in the community He was good with his hands. He had many friends. He was a favorite among the children. He could tell a good joke and had a habit of filling the air with contagious laughter.
I wonder if He wanted to stay. He could do a good job here in Nazareth. Settle down. Raise a family. Be a civic leader.
I wonder because I know He had already read the last chapter. He knew that the feet that would step out of the safe shadow of the carpentry shop would not rest until they’d been pierced and placed on a Roman cross.
You see, He didn’t have to go. He had a choice. He could have stayed. He could have kept his mouth shut. He could have ignored the call or at least postponed it. And had He chosen to stay, who would’ve known? Who would have blamed Him?
He could have come back as a man in another era when society wasn’t so volatile, when religion wasn’t so stale, when people would listen better.
He could have come back when crosses were out of style.
But His heart wouldn’t let Him. If there was hesitation on the part of His humanity it was overcome by the compassion of His divinity. His divinity heard the voices. His divinity heard the hopeless cries of the poor, the bitter accusations of the abandoned, the dangling despair of those who are trying to save themselves.
And His divinity saw the faces. Some wrinkled. Some weeping. Some hidden behind veils. Some obscured by fear. Some earnest with searching. Some blank with boredom. From the face of Adam to the face of the infant born somewhere in the world as you read these words, he saw them all.
And you can be sure of one thing. Among the voices that found their way into that carpentry shop in Nazareth was your voice. Your silent prayers uttered on tear-stained pillows were heard before they were said. Your deepest questions about death and eternity were answered before they were asked. And your direst need, your need for a Savior, was met before you ever sinned.
He left because of you." -Max Lucado
"Let God have you, and let God love you - and don’t be surprised if your heart begins to hear music you’ve never heard and your feet learn to dance as never before." -Max Lucado
Jesus is all you need.
Labels:
God
Sight
"Why do we close our eyes when we pray? When we cry? When we dream? Or when we kiss? Because we know that the most beautiful things in life are not seen, but felt by the heart." -Anonymous
“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” -Colossians 3:2
"To see the world of what it could truly be, you need the eyes of Christ." -Matt Maher
"It is no good just gazing out into the open space hoping to see the Lord; instead we have to look closely at our neighbour, someone whom God has willed into existence, SOMEONE GOD HAS DIED FOR." -via Kuya Gelo
"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." - C.S Lewis
"God gave us real eyes to realize real lies." -Anonymous
"I saw that." -God
"It’s practically human nature for us to forget.
“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” -Colossians 3:2
"To see the world of what it could truly be, you need the eyes of Christ." -Matt Maher
"It is no good just gazing out into the open space hoping to see the Lord; instead we have to look closely at our neighbour, someone whom God has willed into existence, SOMEONE GOD HAS DIED FOR." -via Kuya Gelo
"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." - C.S Lewis
"God gave us real eyes to realize real lies." -Anonymous
"I saw that." -God
"It’s practically human nature for us to forget.
God is so perfectly good and beautiful. And so is His plan and His sight.
He knows exactly what we need and when we need it; what our minds need, the nourishment our bodies need, the protection our hearts need - everything. Regardless of how many times He reminds us through the big and little things every day that He’s got this, we forget. Or maybe rather we get distracted and lose sight.
We lose sight of God’s perfect sight.
We don’t choose how our journey will unfold or in the time it will unfold so doing His will and waiting for His will take patience.
But don’t you love those moments when things fall together so perfectly and you think, “THAT is why this or that happened. It was worth it. All of it from beginning to end, from good to bad to ugly was worth it. God is good!”
God really does have our best interest at heart, ALWAYS. We just forget. We lose sight." -Isay Amante
"You can see God from anywhere if your mind is set to love and obey Him." -A. W. Tozer
Labels:
Hope
Signs
"Do you look for signs and wonders before you look to Me?"
"A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Jesus then left them and went away." -Matthew 16:4
"He has to keep results that are encouraging away from us until we learn to trust Him without them. Then He loves to make His word as real to us in actuality as it is in our faith." -A. B. Simpson
"A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Jesus then left them and went away." -Matthew 16:4
"He has to keep results that are encouraging away from us until we learn to trust Him without them. Then He loves to make His word as real to us in actuality as it is in our faith." -A. B. Simpson
Labels:
Faith
Obedience
"In CfC-YfC I find that we serve a God who really loves us. If you know God at all, you will see the level of love he has poured out on you and me through his Son Jesus. However there is something that comes from us that we must do before God is going to pour out his Love, grace and mercy into our lives. You will find Jesus in his very first sermon called to men and women and did not sugar coat what must be done. He called for you and me to turn from our sin and repent. So what’s that all about? This is a very simple explanation for what is repentance. It means Turn around. Jesus did not overlook sin in our lives people, he came to help us deal with it and find a better way to live our life.
So once again How? Turn around, repent…
Having a relationship with God and Jesus requires us to do our part. Faith is going to be darn difficult without repentance. We need to put our ego and pride away and live life the way he has called us to live.
Now I have been too many different churches and worships and I always wonder...As worship leaders, we often ask the question "How do we measure success?” This question is more easily answered by a retail store like best buy where it’s all about numbers or a mechanic where the car works or blows up. It can be hard to get your arms around the metrics that should be used to measure success. Is it how many people show up to Ga’s or Church? Is it how many people have their arms raised in worship or say "good job" when you are done? Certainly both of these things can point in a general direction of success, but they leave out the possibility that God may be using you to bring about some other good. If you read the Old Testament, would you say Elijah's ministry was at all successful? He was hated by many people and spent part of his life hiding from people who wanted him dead which kind of sucks. But he was God's voice to a wayward nation or sin and hate. So was he successful? Maybe he was just... Obedient? Definitely. So perhaps the better question to ask is "Am I being obedient to the will of God?" Am I doing my job as a member of a wonderful ministry? If I am a member do I show my support to my chapter? If I am a house hold head am I being that information hwy to my house hold? Do I let them know what is going on and do I support them in all that I can. If I am a chapter head am I supporting my chapter with all that I can? How do you measure success? Not in numbers but in how obedient you can be in your faith. A chapter of 10 obedient members can be more powerful then we can ever imagine...never doubt God’s power...EVER. I was not obedient, but I now try to be..." -Allan Pinto
So once again How? Turn around, repent…
Having a relationship with God and Jesus requires us to do our part. Faith is going to be darn difficult without repentance. We need to put our ego and pride away and live life the way he has called us to live.
Now I have been too many different churches and worships and I always wonder...As worship leaders, we often ask the question "How do we measure success?” This question is more easily answered by a retail store like best buy where it’s all about numbers or a mechanic where the car works or blows up. It can be hard to get your arms around the metrics that should be used to measure success. Is it how many people show up to Ga’s or Church? Is it how many people have their arms raised in worship or say "good job" when you are done? Certainly both of these things can point in a general direction of success, but they leave out the possibility that God may be using you to bring about some other good. If you read the Old Testament, would you say Elijah's ministry was at all successful? He was hated by many people and spent part of his life hiding from people who wanted him dead which kind of sucks. But he was God's voice to a wayward nation or sin and hate. So was he successful? Maybe he was just... Obedient? Definitely. So perhaps the better question to ask is "Am I being obedient to the will of God?" Am I doing my job as a member of a wonderful ministry? If I am a member do I show my support to my chapter? If I am a house hold head am I being that information hwy to my house hold? Do I let them know what is going on and do I support them in all that I can. If I am a chapter head am I supporting my chapter with all that I can? How do you measure success? Not in numbers but in how obedient you can be in your faith. A chapter of 10 obedient members can be more powerful then we can ever imagine...never doubt God’s power...EVER. I was not obedient, but I now try to be..." -Allan Pinto
Labels:
Faith
Complacency
"Complacency is the deadly enemy of spiritual progress. The contented soul is the stagnant soul." -A. W. Tozer
" …when they have the ability to do so much more and be so much more
put His gifts for you to good use, no doubts no questions no laziness." -Missy Reyes
" …when they have the ability to do so much more and be so much more
put His gifts for you to good use, no doubts no questions no laziness." -Missy Reyes
Labels:
Virtues
Judging
"Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!" -James 5:9
"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." -Matthew 7:2
"Judging others is Spiritual Suicide. How can we judge others when we can’t even judge ourselves." -Father Augustine
"Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" -Matthew 7:3
"There was a man who had four sons. He wanted them to learn to not judge things too quickly, so he sent them each on a quest to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. He sent his first son in the winter, his second in the spring, his third in summer and his youngest in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." -Matthew 7:2
"Judging others is Spiritual Suicide. How can we judge others when we can’t even judge ourselves." -Father Augustine
"Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" -Matthew 7:3
"There was a man who had four sons. He wanted them to learn to not judge things too quickly, so he sent them each on a quest to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. He sent his first son in the winter, his second in the spring, his third in summer and his youngest in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no – it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed, he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
After hearing all his son’s responses, the wise father replied, “Sons, you are all right — because you have each seen only one season in the tree’s life. But you cannot judge a tree, or a person, or anything else by only one season. Most things can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons have come to pass”.
I think each of us has judged someone or something prematurely, and we have also probably experienced the pain of being judged that way. Lord, forgive us! We need to give each other the benefit of the doubt! We need to look closely enough and long enough to see the big picture before we rule things out. God does that for us all the time. There’s so much work to be done!
1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God." -man-of-god
Labels:
Virtues
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