Be joyful!

Romans 12:12. 

Be joyful

Because you have hope.

Be patient

When trouble comes

and

Pray at all times

The apostle Paul reminds us that the one reason to be joyful is because we have hope as through Jesus-Christ we have peace with God (being justified by faith Romans 5:1). Somehow, life brings trials and tribulations of all sort whether they affect us personally or our beloved ones, including our dearest friends. How can we be joyful then! Well, trials refine us for the better. Comes to mind theses verses in Zecharia 13: This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'" 

What should we do when we are tested ? 
Grumble? certainly not (I fail the test miserably then).
Be patient! Waiting on the Lord who knows what's best for us is advisable. This is hard enough to do! It takes time to accept a situation that you don't like and/or you don't understand. If this situation is self-inflicted, you may feel even worse. 

The prophet Isaiah 40:31 reminds us of a distinct advantage if we follow this advice!
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Ultimately, talking to our Father in heaven (praying) who listens to our cries is the answer!Notice the phrase 'at all times' not just we are hit by unfortunate circumstances or various troubles, but when we sail by fair weather! Knowing that God loves us and is watching us, we experience complete peace and we rely on Him fully. 

Let us give thanks to the Lord

Perhaps the most difficult thing to do in life is to thank God in difficult times. Ephesians 5:20 says we are to be "giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

Here are seven things that trouble may do to you and for you.

1 Trouble may bring a correcting ministry.

Hebrews 12:6 says, For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives. And Hebrews 12:11 tells us, "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

2 Trouble may bring a deepening dependency.

Troubles bring us to Jesus so that we might depend more upon Him. The apostle Paul had a thorn in his flesh and he said, "For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:8-9). If your trouble causes you to depend more upon God, can't you realize why we are to thank Him for it?

3 Trouble may bring a confirming testimony.

Paul knew much sorrow and he said, "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). If you didn't have tribulation, you wouldn't need comfort and God so graciously gives that comfort.

4 Trouble may bring an increasing maturity.

God's Son was without sin, but not without suffering. James 1:4 says, "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." The word "perfect" does not mean sinless, it means mature. The word "patience" means endurance. You're not going to be mature until you learn patience. And the only way that you can learn patience is to have something to endure. You don't sharpen an axe on a pound of butter.

5 Trouble may bring excelling glory.

1 Peter 4:12-14 says, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified."

How would you like the Spirit of glory and of God to rest on you? How would you like to undergo a fiery trial? But, you see, it is the fiery trial that brings the Spirit of glory upon you. Acts 6:5 describes Stephen as "a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit." While he was being stoned, the Bible says that his face shone like the face of an angel (see Acts 6:15). If your trouble causes you to know God's glory, shouldn't we thank Him for it?

6  Trouble may bring baffling mystery.

Isaiah 55:8-9 says, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." God will give you enough to know to obey Him. Friend, there are some things we may not understand and we don't have to understand them in order to thank God, because God is good.

7 Trouble will bring eternal victory.

Romans 8:18 says, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Paul was not saying the glory offsets the sufferings. Instead, he was saying that there's no comparison. What a day that will be when He turns every tear to a pearl! And then we understand that He has not forsaken us. Now since all of these things are true, then can we not give thanks in everything?

Did you enjoy reading this article written by Adrian Rogers, click here to find out more. Have a blessed week. 

Will money last until pay day?

Are You an Enabling Parent?

Here are a few questions that might help you determine if you are an enabling parent.

1. Have you loaned him money repeatedly, seldom (if ever) being repaid? 
2. Have you paid bills he was supposed to have paid himself?
3. Have you accepted part of the blame for his addictions or behavior?
4. Have you avoided talking about negative issues because you feared his response?
5. Have you begun to worry that the financial burden is more than you can bear?
6. Have you given him "one more chance" and then another and another?
7. Have you wondered how he gets money to buy cigarettes, video games, new clothes, smart phones and such but can't afford to pay his own bills?

If you answered yes to these questions, chances are at some point you have enabled your adult child to avoid his own responsibilities—to escape the consequences of his actions. Rather than help your child grow into a productive and responsible adult, you have made it easier for him to get worse.

What to do?
We can pray for the power to change ourselves.
We can help (not enable) adult children of any age develop wings to fly on their own.
We can find comfort in knowing we are not alone on this journey.
We can take back our life!

Source

Butterfly story

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

~ Unknown

Like the butterfly, our struggles are exactly what God knows we need in our life. There are heartbreaking and tough times we face that God wants us to go through in order to change us into the person He wants us to be. As Christians, the struggles we go though are a part of God's journey for us, so we need to learn to rest in His promise to never forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) as He works everything around for our good (Romans 8:28). He's preparing us for what awaits - He's preparing us to fly.

Source:  thank you Dot

Prayers

The Miraculous Draft of Fishes. Acts of the Apostles.

In peace let us pray.
Be still for the power of the Lord is moving in this place.
Risen Lord as we prepare to receive Holy Communion, we remember with humble thanks the sacrifice you made for us.

We pray for the Queen and the Royal family and especially this morning, we pray for the little girl born to the Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge.

We pray for those affected by the earthquake in Nepal, especially those who have been injured, the homeless and all those who mourn the loss of loved ones, the orphans and the hungry. Lord of tenderness and mercy we ask you to relieve the burden of trauma, worry and pain from the victims of Nepal. We pray that they will find courage to rebuild their lives and their communities.

In our prayers, we remember the work of the aid agencies and volunteers working to help the people of Nepal. Lord of comfort and compassion, bless with humility those who work to relieve the pain and suffering of those affected in the Nepal earthquake, help them to deliver the basics of life and where there is despair let them bring hope.

Almighty God, Shepherd of the sheep, defender of the defenceless, we ask for your blessing on Elisa newly baptised into your Church Family. Hold her in your arms and bless her, shine your light on her path and let her always know her loving presence. Lord we ask you for your blessing on her parents, grandparents and God parents. May they always be ready to listen and to comfrot, to laught, to pray and encourage and to praise and throught their love for Elisa, may they receive your loving kindness.

Finally, we pray for ourselves, for our own discipleship, and in the presence of Almighty God, we take a few moments of silence to talk to him now...

As we work through the tapestry of life, we pull together the threads of our journey - the rich colours of success and shades of sorrow, the stitches of friendship and the design of our destiny. Almighty God, creator of all things, as we weeave through your pattern, let your light shine before us to show us the way; let your hand carry us in times of trouble or doubt and let your love embrace us, helping us to do our best to the glory of your name.

Merciful Lord accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus-Christ. Amen.

Wayne
Sandon Church, Mid-trent churches.

Praying for our children!

Not long ago, I was reading about the armor of God. Tonight, I' m reading a truly inspiring book by Janet Thompson,
Praying for your prodigal daughter. 

Here is what she says: 
 I stand and fasten the belt of truth around my waist and 
I put on the breastplate of righteousness..
as shoes for the feet,  I put on the readiness to proclaim the gospel of peace, .. 
I take up the shield of faith to guard my heart against all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 
I take the helmet of salvation 
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Ephesians 6: 10-18

Do you have any worries about your children or grand-children (I don't have any grand-children..yet!) 

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you, he will never let the righteous fall. Psalm 55:22. 

Rely fully on the Lord who is in charge! 

In the book of Ephesians..