Weathermen reported that there will be 4 to 5 more typhoons that will hit our country before the year ends. Just as we’re still in the rehabilitation stage from Ondoy’s aftermath it seems the nation is yet to brace for another calamity. God forbid. I pray not. And as much as prayer can make a difference, there are things in this life that only God knows why they are allowed to happen. But as I was contemplating on this, with a burdened heart, I can’t help but think of the worst storm that will befall upon the earth…soon!
“Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near.” Zephaniah 1:7
I’m reminded of Rev.8:1, “When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” It is right before the final series of judgment that is to come upon the earth. It is a strange, eerie, but awesome silence as if all of Heaven is holding its breath. It’s the lull before the storm. I believe that what they see at the opening of the 7th seal is so terrible, so horrendous, so incredibly frightening, that no one in heaven dares to breathe a word— like the silence in the courtroom, just before the verdict is read — it’s like the silence in the executioner’s chamber, just before he pulls the switch, or administers the lethal injection!
Zephaniah 1:7 “Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near.” Zechariah 2:13 - Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.” And also, Habakkuk 2:20 – “But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.” At that point in the book of Revelation, judgment is about to come to the earth like never before. The storm is about to break in all of its fury, and the enormity of what is about to happen causes even God to pause!
Beloved, a great storm is coming…but in Christ you are safe in His hands, washed by His blood and surrounded by His mercy! When things are not going well, when you are down and discouraged, when you are overwhelmed with the pressures and pain of this life — take heart! In a flash…in the twinkling of an eye…in a moment…everything can change. So, the next time someone says “in a moment” – be reminded. That’s all it takes for everything to change.
To be ready is to simply trust Him each moment of your day, to seek to please Him and live godly lives… 2Pet.3:11-13
But in the meantime, what are we to do? We’re to be always ready! And to be ready is to simply trust Him each moment of your day; to seek to please Him and live godly lives (2Pet.3:11-13). 1Jn.3:3 – “Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” And we’re to help others get ready for Jesus’ return. How? By sharing the gospel. What about family members and friends who would be left behind? Are we doing the best we can to influence them to accept Christ as their personal Savior? Time is getting shorter. Look up, for your redemption draws near!
Sounds familiar? Facebookers see this all the time in their Facebook account. And there they write whatever is on their mind. Glad that there is still some control of what is only allowed to be written there. Can you imagine if everything that goes on in our mind is written there? If you’re honest, it’s not all pleasant. And so, speaking of the mind, don’t you know that the greatest conflict taking place in the world today is the battle for control of our minds? So much of the walk of the Christian comes down to our minds.
The greatest conflict taking place in the world today is the battle for control of our minds…
You see, what feeds our fears and anxieties are an unhealthy thinking. What intensifies our worries is having negative and bad thoughts. It’s in the mind where worries and fears find their nest. The battle is in the mind. Wrong thinking leads to wrong feelings and before long the heart and mind are pulled apart and we are strangled by worry and paralyzed by fear. Somebody wrote, “Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.”
The battle for any temptation in your life begins in your mind; regardless of what the temptation is, the battle begins in our mind. What we think about, we will eventually feel, and what we feel we will eventually act on. Beloved, pay attention to what you are thinking about. Don’t allow your mind to wander in all kinds of directions. Instead we are to think of whatever is “true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Phil.4:8)!
Here are 8 filters. Everything we hear & everything we see need to pass through them. And if it doesn’t make it through these 8 filters then it shouldn’t be in our mind & in our heart. These are guidelines for us to have good discernment in a world that is full of lies and impurities! There is so much garbage in this world. And the old saying “garbage in, garbage out” is true. So think about it.
We are commanded to have pure thoughts, to have minds focused on what pleases God…
Church, we are commanded to have pure thoughts, to have minds focused on what pleases God. The Christian life is to be marked by a holy mind-set – that leads to holy living. We of course do this through the Word of God, giving regular, focused attention to the Bible, opening our minds to its truths, wanting God to mold our thinking by His Word. We do this through fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, building each other up. And through the working of His Holy Spirit in us!
We live in the generation of Information Overload. Have any question, a topic to research, a subject to study…just google it and boom…not one, not two, but hundreds of links for answers right before your eyes! And sometimes hours are spent just to get into all that! Now I wonder…how many followers of Christ spend time in their Bible reading it, meditating on it, studying it with the desire to apply it in their lives? I know one thing based on observation – there are many who are ignorant of the Scriptures. Just to give you an example of the Bible ignorance, here’s an excerpt from an article — in it contains real answers given on a Bible knowledge test —
People who said they knew their Bible gave the following answers: 1) Noah’s wife was Joan of Ark; 2) Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by the day and a ball of fire by night; 3) Moses went to the top of Mount Cyanide to get the Ten Commandments; 4) The seventh commandment is, “Thou shalt not admit adultery;” 5) Jesus was born because Mary had an immaculate contraption; 6) The people who followed Jesus were called decibels; 7) The epistles were the wives of the apostles; 8 ) Paul preached acrimony, which is another name for marriage; 9) David fought the Finklesteins, which is a race of people who lived in Bible times; 10) A Christian should have only one wife. This is called monotony!
I know it’s funny…but it’s serious at the same time! How can we expect to make a difference in this fallen, self-centered world when the very thing that can bring a change, God’s Word, is not known by those who claim to be followers of it? The members of a certain Chinese church used to have a saying, “No Bible - No Breakfast.” If we follow that motto, I wonder how many of us would go hungry!
For the unbelievers you cannot really expect them to have the right answers. But it is tragic when a person who calls himself a Christian is ignorant of the Word. Ignorance of the Word is ignorance of the Lord. Not knowing the God of the Word is an invitation for deception. And of course, it’s even more tragic when we claim we’re Christian, attend Bible studies and even occupy positions in church yet completely live lives that are opposite biblical teachings. We can know our doctrines, the Bible characters, know the Greek and the Hebrew, but if it’s not translated into daily living and becoming more like Jesus, it’s indeed a tragedy. In this situation, the opposite of biblical knowledge is not ignorance but simply disobedience!
So beloved, log off from Facebook, Myspace, Multiply, Twitter, etc…and be logged on to His Word! It’s a shame to have all the knowledge and infos the internet provides but so lacking and “niwang” about His life-giving and life-changing personal encounter with His UNCHANGINGWORD!
It’s been raining hard, floods in some parts of Manila, classes and offices suspended at the time of this writing. And there I was missing my kids terribly, can’t wait to go home. It was a good time with my family though. Nice to minister and spend time with my Dad and Mom who are not getting any younger. Well your life may be in a storm right now and the flood waters are engulfing you. If you are, let me remind you that God has the whole world in His hands.” Remember the old gospel song? He’s got the wind, the rain, the tiny little baby, yes, even you and me in His hands.
He’s got the Middle East in His hands (that’s a relief, isn’t it?), not to mention North Korea and Iran…
His Sovereign Hands
How easy it is to forget that! And it isn’t limited to our geography or our culture, you know. He’s got the Middle East in His hands (that’s a relief, isn’t it?), not to mention North Korea and Iran, Cuba and India, Indonesia and Russia—all right there in the palms of His sovereign hands. And while we’re at it, He’s got our future, our children, our circumstances, our friends, and our foes in His hands … within His grasp … under His control. He’s there—in charge.
God Knows Your Ways …
But there are times when we find it really hard to believe that our circumstance is truly in His hands. Not only are the wind and the rain and the tiny little baby in His hands, but so are life’s minor interruptions as well as major calamities. In fact, would you believe they never leave His attention? There will be times we will need the reminder of the wise prophet named Isaiah, “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.” (Isaiah 49:16) In other words, God sees us exactly as we are … warts and all, needs and all. He sees everything. And how close does He view it? It’s in the palms of His hands. God knows your ways … and He knows them continually. That includes your responses, your experiences, your reactions, what you call your calamities, your dead ends, your so-called impossible situations.
He has inscribed you and me on His palms. Things aren’t out of control…
Unshockable
Not only does He have you and me, the wind and the rain, and the tiny little baby in His hands, He has yesterday’s failures. He has today’s challenges, He has tomorrow’s surprises right there in His hands. And not one of them causes God to gasp. Not one causes Him to react with surprise, “Ah! I never knew that.” Not one. He is unshockable, He is immutable.
He’s got the whole world in His hands. What’s more, He has inscribed you and me on His palms. Things aren’t out of control.
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1Timothy 4:12
This is the welcome letter the campers received from Glen and Abba Tantio, a young couple who are youth ministry leaders in Calvary Chapel Dumaguete.
LIVINGSTONESYOUTHMINISTRYOFCALVARYCHAPELDUMAGUETE
WELCOMESYOUTOYOUTHCAMP 2009!
Dear Camper,
I want you to know from the start that we are so excited you are here! You may be here for the first time and not too sure what to expect. You may have come unwillingly, or you may have come before and are expecting more of the same. Whatever it may be, God has brought you here for a purpose. He wants to speak to you. I encourage you to lay all your expectations aside and be open to whatever the Lord may want to do in and through you this week.
God desires that you would know Him not just as some spiritual force or creator but as a loving, caring Father who loves you so much that He sent His only Son Jesus to die for your sins. This intimacy is only possible through Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.
My prayer is that through this Camp God would develop in you an unquenchable hunger and thirst for more of Him. I pray you will surrender your life to Him and allow Him to transform you by His awesome power.
We have an exciting week ahead of learning, worship, fun activities and building new friendships so don’t miss out by holding back. Let go and let God have His way! I promise…you will never be the same again!
In His Grip,
Glen and Abba Tantio
Congrats to Glen and Abba on the new addition to their family! Zar is now a ‘Kuya’ to baby Selah…
The Apostle Paul: “Rejected” Based on Bill Britton’s classic; modified and expanded by Dean VanDruff. From Acts 17:11.com
MYSTERYBABYLONDENOMINATION FOREIGNMISSIONSBOARD
To: Rev. Saul Paul
First Christian Church
Antioch, Syria
Dear Mr. Paul:
I have your application for missionary appointment before me, and will be as frank as possible concerning your qualifications as a foreign missionary. We have to be very careful in choosing our missionaries, and our Missions Board has reviewed your case thoroughly. We have decided that it would be unwise to send you to the foreign field for the following reasons:
It has come to our attention that you are doing secular work on the side. We do not feel that making tents and full time ministry go together very well. [1Th 2:9] It seems that you do not have enough experience in trusting the Lord for your income. You should make up your mind whether you want to preach or continue your profession.
Your previous actions have been very rash and unseemly for a minister. We learned that in a public meeting you opposed Dr. Simon Peter, an esteemed minister with a high reputation. [Ga 2:11-14] We also hear that you refused to compromise with other ministers such that a special council meeting had to be called in Jerusalem to prevent a serious split in the churches. [Ac 15:1-30] We frown on putting ideology before people. For your own good, I am enclosing a copy of Daius’ Carnegus book on “How to Win Jews and Influence Greeks.” [Ga 1:10, 1Th 2:4-6]
You have conflicted with mature Jewish brethren in nearly every city you have visited who simply want to encourage the converted Pagans to be properly circumcised. Mr. Paul, you must know that these men are our most learned sages with a deep sense of the roots and history of our faith. As well, and more importantly, these men control the synagogues you could be ministering in if you would simply tone down your dialog into a more friendly and respectful exchange. [Gal 5:2-12]
In checking back, we discovered your Christian education consisted of a three year course in Arabia. [Ga 1:15-20] We find that the Arabian school has not been approved by our accreditation board.
Further, you admit to being an unskilled public speaker. [2Co 10:10, 11:6] Paul, surely you must know that people expect fine elocution from men of God, and that as a denomination we stand for the highest levels of excellence in the pulpit. Yet instead of going to much-needed oratory classes you spend your time making tents instead. From your correspondence, you also appear to be spending a considerable amount of time writing letters to insignificant little “churches” that meet in homes. [Ac 28:3-6] Honestly now; do you really think that such misguided activities are what will lead to your success in the world of religion? We strongly suggest that you put down your tools and set aside your pen, and instead practice hand gestures, facial expressions, and voice modulation in front of a mirror for several hours a day until you come up to par.
It has come to the attention also that you often emphasize “the power of God” and “the gifts of the Spirit.” [1Co 2:3-5, 12:1-7] Also that you speak in tongues a great deal. [1Co 14:18] Surely you realize that such as this only drives off the better class of people, and attracts only the riff-raff. It would be better to tone down those more sensational forms of worship. You sound as though you are “off the deep end.” [1Co 3:18]
It has been proven to our satisfaction that you had hands laid on you at Antioch with prophecy going forth, [Ac 13:1-3] with none of the Apostles or Headquarters brethren present to conduct this ordination service in the prescribed manner.
We see here that you have a jail record in several places. [2Co 11:23-27] If this is true, it puts you in a bad light, for our denomination has always stood for a high standard of civic responsibility. I fear it would damage our reputation to have someone representing us that had served time in jails and prisons. Frankly, Mr. Paul, we seriously doubt you could have been innocent and the judge wrong in so many cases. It just doesn’t look right.
It seems that you are a troublemaker, Mr. Paul. Several business men of Ephesus have written us that you were the cause of severe loss of business to them and even stirred mob violence. You must learn to cultivate the friendship and influence of men such as these. [Ac 16:16-22]
We also have some details of a shameful “over the wall in a basket” episode at Damascus, [2Co 11:30-33] plus a stoning at Lystra, and several other violent actions taken against your ministry. [2Ti 3:11] Haven’t you ever suspected that conciliatory behavior and gentler words might gain you more friends?
We have learned through channels that following some trouble with a preacher on the island of Cyprus, you began to allow yourself to be known by the Gentile pronunciation of your name rather than the proper Hebrew. [Ac 13:4-11] Yet another conflict, and then a name change. This does not seem to us to be conduct becoming to the ministry.
You admitted in your application that in the past you neglected such needy fields as Bithynia, just because “the Spirit didn’t lead that way,” and that you undertook a hazardous journey on the strength of a dream you had at Troas. [Ac 16:6-10] Mr. Paul, surely you don’t expect us to go along with such flimsy and fantastic excuses for your seemingly purposeless wanderings.
Many times you did not stay long enough, in our opinion, to get a church properly established. You left your converts many times without even a pastor to guide them, and without setting the church in order in some good hierarchical denomination. [Ts 1:5]
We hear also from Troas that you preach too long, one sermon lasting almost twenty-four hours, even to the extent that a young man fell asleep and was seriously injured. [Ac 20:7-12] We understand that you claim to have restored his life and raised him from the dead by falling on him and embracing him. What nonsense! We need practical men in the ministry, Mr. Paul, not high strung emotional radicals. Our advice is for you to shorten your sermons considerably. We find that about twenty minutes is the longest a minister can hold the attention of his audience these days. Our motto is “Stand up, speak up, and shut up.”
It is reported from your home church that you could not get along with your fellow ministers; that John Mark — a commendable young man and nephew of one of our highest leaders — had to leave your party in the middle of a journey; and that you had a sharp quarrel with gentle, good natured Barnabas. [Ac 15:36-40] Now these men are well thought of in Jerusalem and we wonder why you are always having trouble with your fellow workers?
We have notarized affidavits from four very popular and influential preachers: Diotrephes, Demas, Hymenaeus, and Alexander; to the effect that it is impossible for them to cooperate with either you or your program. [1Ti 1:20]
From what we hear, you seem to think that you have some direct sanction from on-high, boasting about your revelations and that God has chosen you to reveal some “Mystery”. [Ep 3:3-4] Can’t you realize that any truth that is to be revealed would come through Headquarters to the recognized, established brethren, and that after it had been checked by our Procedure and Doctrine Committee that we would distribute it on to the field workers?
Finally, we hear that you claim to be an Apostle. We know nothing of this being passed upon by the proper authoritative channels and wonder how you could back that claim up, when the last Apostle was voted into office right here in Jerusalem. [Ac 1:26] Now that our denomination is firmly established, why do you imagine there would be any need for God to continue the Apostolic gifting?
As you see, Mr. Paul, we feel definitely after close scrutiny of your case, that you are undoubtedly the most unqualified applicant we have ever seen, and my advice for you is to find a church where you can work in harmony, and use your past education as perhaps a Sunday School teacher.
I hope I have prevented you from making a terrible mistake in your life.
A colorful rainbow brings to light the interconnected nature of one of the world’s most familiar books.
The Bible’s 1,189 chapters are plotted along the horizontal axis at the bottom of the image, with each bar’s length determined by the number of verses.
The arcs above the graph show the 63,779 cross-references between each chapter.
“It almost looks like one monolithic volume,” said Carnegie Mellon’s Chris Harrison, who — along with Christoph Romhild of North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hamburg, Germany — won an honorable mention for illustrations in the 2008 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge.
Additional Information:
This diagram arose from a collaboration between a Carnegie-Mellon Ph.D student and a Lutheran pastor to create a grand map of Biblical cross-references: “We wanted something that honored and revealed the complexity of the data at every level –- as one leans in, smaller details should become visible. This ultimately led us to the multi-colored arc diagram… The bar graph that runs along the bottom represents all of the chapters in the Bible. Books alternate in color between white and light gray. The length of each bar denotes the number of verses in the chapter. Each of the 63,779 cross references found in the Bible is depicted by a single arc - the color corresponds to the distance between the two chapters, creating a rainbow-like effect.”
“Although the Bible is made up of 66 individual book written by several different people, a scientific graph of the intersection of the content shows it to be so united that it appears to virtually be the work of one hand. Just another proof of the veracity of the Word.” - Ed Hodge
Take a look and see why his promising career as a lifeguard did not flourish…
Smile and have a blessed day with our Lord and Savior!
Moses did not make it as a lifeguard, he failed! He also had his own share of run-ins on several very serious setbacks. Read the following post about how God gave Moses second chances. If you’re experiencing failures like Moses did, there too, is hope for you:
If you have anything that we can use for “Things that Make You Smile and Think”, please give us the link or email us at calvarychapel.dgt@gmail.com (this is the CCD email address exclusively for website matters), and we will post it here with the name of the contributor…We however, reserve the right to edit and choose which contributions will finally be published.
Have you ever wondered, “Where will I spend eternity?” God’s Word gives only two ultimate destinations for all humans. The first one is called hell and the Bible describes another ultimate destination called Heaven.
The question may at first make you smile…”“How will you spend eternity-Smoking or Non-smoking?” But seriously, think for a moment and ask yourself the question…
No, I’m not talking about evolution’s missing link…there’s no missing link - that’s why it’s still missing! Read on. God offers instruction, but then it’s our move. We must accept His instruction and apply it to our lives. Then, and only then, can we expect to cash in on the benefits of His instruction. So you see, application is the essential link between instruction and change.
Imagine, if you will, that you work for a company whose president found it necessary to travel out of the country and spend an extended period of time abroad. So he says to you and the other trusted employees, “Look, I’m going to leave. And while I’m gone, I want you to pay close attention to the business. You manage things while I’m away. I will write you regularly. When I do, I will instruct you in what you should do from now until I return from this trip.”
Everyone agrees. He leaves and stays gone for a couple of years. During that time he writes often, communicating his desires and concerns. Finally he returns. He walks up to the front door of the company and immediately discovers everything is in a mess — -weeds flourishing in the flower beds, windows broken across the front of the building, the lady at the front desk dozing, loud music roaring from several offices, two or three people engaged in horseplay in the back room. Instead of making a profit, the business has suffered a great loss.
Without hesitation he calls everyone together and with a frown asks, “What happened? Didn’t you get my letters?” You say, “Oh, yeah, sure. We got all your letters. We’ve even bound them in a book. And some of us have memorized them. In fact, we have ‘letter study’ every Sunday. You know, those were really great letters.” I think the president would then ask, “But what did you do about my instructions?” And, no doubt, the employees would respond, “Do? Well, nothing. But we read every one!”
In the very same way, God has sent us His instruction. He has preserved every word of it in a Book, the Bible. It’s all there, just as He communicated it to us. When He returns for His own, He is not going to ask us how much we memorized or how often we met for study. No, He will want to know, “What did you do about my instructions?” Be NOT hearers only but DOERS of the Word (Jam.1:22). What instructions from the Lord that you’ve not been doing? Do it now…and change will surely come.
If there’s one attitude families are guilty of more than any other when it comes to mothers, it’s presumption … taking them for granted … being nearly blind on occasion to the load moms carry. From a Mother’s Day Greeting card: “Forget the housework, Mom. It’s your day. Besides, you can always do double duty and catch up on Monday!”
Another one: On the front of the card was a beleaguered mother. Draped over her neck were three unmatched socks and at her feet was an enormous stack of unwashed clothes. On the stove was a hot skillet burning the food. A cold, stained coffee pot needed attention. The refrigerator door was ajar and milk had spilled in it. The dishes, naturally, looked like a homemade tower reaching out of the sink. Inside the card was scribbled: “Look, lady, nobody said it was gonna be a free ride!” But my favorite was a great big card that looked like a third-grader had printed it. On it was a little boy with a dirty face and torn pants pulling a wagonload of toys. On the front it read:“Mom, I remember the little prayer you used to say for me every day …” and inside, “God help you if you do that again!”
There’s an old song entitled “I Owe You.” In the song, a man is looking through his wallet and comes across a number of long-standing “I owe yous” to his mother … which he names one by one. Borrowing that idea, I suggest you who have been guilty of presumption unfold some of your own “I owe yous”. Consider the priceless value of the one woman who made your life possible—your mother. Think about her example, her support, her humor, her counsel, her humility, her hospitality, her insight, her patience, her sacrifices. Her faith. Her hope. Her love.
Somebody once said, “He is not poor who has had a godly mother.” Indebted, but not poor.
“If you don’t watch it, you’ll be planning lunch during the sermon (hahaha).”
Moms, on Mother’s Day Sunday we rise up and call you blessed. But knowing you, you’ll feel uneasy in the limelight. You’ll probably look for a place to hide. True servants are like that. If you don’t watch it, you’ll be planning lunch during the sermon (hahaha). But that would be a waste of time. Especially since you’re going to be taken out to lunch (which will add to our indebtedness!). But in all honesty, it won’t come anywhere near expressing our gratitude. So, live it up today. It’s all yours. My advice? Shake up the family for a change. Order your most favorite food and have an all-body massage!
May 1- Labor Day, a day the Nation honors the laborers of the different sectors of society. Indeed they are to be recognized and commended, especially those who are diligent and honest, those who are devoted to their work. Without them there will be no progress. Same is true in the spiritual realm! Everyone involved in God’s work is to be recognized and commended (though that should not be the motive). Paul the Apostle, who once said that he forgot those whom he baptized (1 Cor.1:16), never forgot to mention those men and women who have labored with him one way or another. In Romans 16 and his other epistles, he mentioned by name and commended those wonderful believers. Like Paul, I greatly rejoice in the Lord for you who have been co-laboring with me in this work God has entrusted to us. God knows who you are. But there is so much work to be done; many lands to conquer, souls to save and disciple.
The harvest is great but the workers are few. What a contrast to the physical realm! In the physical, there are many workers but no jobs available (how many jobless Filipinos today?). But in the spiritual, there is a great work to be done but few workers! Jesus said, “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field (Matt. 9:37-38).” Have you been asking? If so, then maybe you yourself are the answer to that prayer! Are you willing not just to pray, but to be the answer? Why not - when Jesus through His Spirit gave His church gifts? You are included. Every believer has a gift. You are to simply be humble and available, willing to do the humblest of things. And when you step out in faith He will enable and empower you to do that work.
Jesus is looking for open hearts to which He could conform to His and hands through which He could perform His task. What a privilege to be co-laborers with Christ! There’s no greater task to do than do those things that last — those things which have eternal value! Praise God for His unsearchable wisdom and grace that we are made worthy for such great a task!
“Please Lord, be with me when I’m fearful, to make me faithful. Be with me when I’m faithful, to make me fruitful. Be with me when I’m fruitful, to make me humble. For it is only by Your grace that I was chosen to serve You; only by Your strength that I am even able to serve; only by Your faithfulness that I am still serving You today. Amen.”
One word I can describe our recently concluded Senior Pastor and Wives Conference is this word, “Overflowing!” Spiritually, the messages were awesome, full, solid, encouraging, overflowing. And literally, the food was overflowing too! The fellowship and the fun – faith building! I remember what David wrote in Psalm 23:5 – “…You anoint my head with oil, my cup OVERFLOWS! God not only fills our life but overflows our life. The overflowing cup. What a beautiful apt description of the Christian life. Not just peace, peace that passes human understanding. Not just joy, joy indescribable and full of glory. In fact, our Lord gives us everything we could need and more. Paul expressed that thought in this way, “Now to him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to power that works within us.” (Ephesians 3:20).
Think about it: He is able to do…“Immeasurably more than” - This word carries with it the meaning of a river or lake with a water level that is above capacity, or at flood stage. The flood of God’s power is over and beyond all reasonable limits. It literally means, “Superabundantly, with more added to that.” God has enough power to do immeasurably more than we can ask or think with more added to that. In fact, in the original language…Paul uses a double compound word…he makes up his own word phrase. He is so caught up in the BIGNESS and AWESOMENESS of God, he creates a new word phrase to make his point…He stacks these words upon each other in an attempt to say how God is so immensely, infinitely big! Paul is saying that God is — Incredibly Incredible. Extravagantly Extravagant. Awesomely Awesome in His Awesomeness. Outrageously Outrageous. Fantastically Fantastical. Amazingly Amazing. Infinitely Infinite – all the time! There Ain’t no box Big enough – to hold our God! And His ability? Super able! God is Ably Able in His Ability. Our words cannot fully Express what we know and Feel. There’s no such word that can contain ALL of WHOHE is and ALL of what He can do. Our God is Indescribably indescribable. God Can! God is! God is Able to do! That would be enough to have our hearts beat with Confidence and Faith. Sure it’s impossible… Sure it’s outside of our power…Sure it seems hopeless… Sure it’s beyond our ability. BUTOHPRAISETHELORD… HEISABLE! Our God is Able to do FARMOREABUNDANTLYBEYONDALL!
Indescribable Louie Giglio
There are No Limits to His Love. No Boundaries to His Blessing. No Fences withholding His Faithfulness. No Lines drawn separating us from His Salvation. No Guard Rails against His Grace. No Containers holding His Compassion. No Restrictions to Experiencing His Righteousness! God is Able to do far more and abundantly beyond ALL we ask or think. Aren’t you glad that God is not limited to what we ask or think? I’m glad that God is God and I’m not. I don’t get it - all the time and I don’t get it all – most of the time. I don’t know what God knows. I don’t see what God sees. I don’t understand what God understands. I’m not sure where God is… I’m OK with that. I’m OK with letting God be God – because I really don’t think I have a choice in that matter anyway. God is God and God is Able! My cup overflows! Beloved, O, may we overflow with His love, joy and peace in the midst of an empty, dry and troubled world!
Besides the political unrest going on in Bangkok Thailand, weeks ago the BBC News had an amusing story. An autistic boy in Bangkok was on his first day at a special needs school. He started crying for some reason and crawled out a window. Trouble was, the class was on the third floor, so he ended up sitting outside on a ledge. As the firemen tried to get the boy to come back inside, one of them overheard the boy’s mother saying he liked comic book superheroes. So the fireman got a brilliant idea. He dashed back to the station and donned a Spider-Man costume that he wore at schools to liven up fire drills. Then, when he beckoned, the little boy eagerly went to “Spider-Man.”
The little autistic boy wouldn’t listen to those strange firemen, but he knew who he could trust! Now think of yourself as that little boy, out on a ledge, in danger. There are people calling to you, but you don’t know them. Then suddenly you see a familiar face and hear a familiar voice, and you know you’ll be saved. John chapter 10, Jesus gives the analogy of the “good shepherd.” He describes the special relationship between Himself and His followers, pictured as sheep. “And the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (v. 4-5).
Sheep come to know their shepherd intimately, down to his manner and the sound of his voice. They trust him because of what he does for them; he has earned their trust. Jesus Christ, the good shepherd, has earned your trust because of who He is and what He has done: “The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (v. 11). Jesus did far more than pull us off a ledge or out of a pit. He took our blame, and accepted the punishment of a righteous God, all so that we wouldn’t have to pay for our sins with our own lives.
“He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out (Jn.10:3).” When you hear Him call your name, follow Him. He will never steer you wrong.
We live in the generation of Information Overload. Have any question, a topic to research, a subject to study…just google it and boom…not one, not two, but hundreds of links for answers right before your eyes! And sometimes hours are spent just to get into all that! Now I wonder…how many followers of Christ spend time in their Bible reading it, meditating on it, studying it with the desire to apply it in their lives? I know one thing based on observation – there are many who are ignorant of the Scriptures. Just to give you an example of the Bible ignorance, here’s an excerpt from an article — in it contains real answers given on a Bible knowledge test — 
He also had his own share of run-ins on several very serious setbacks. Read the following post about how God gave Moses second chances. If you’re experiencing failures like Moses did, there too, is hope for you:
Imagine, if you will, that you work for a company whose president found it necessary to travel out of the country and spend an extended period of time abroad. So he says to you and the other trusted employees, “Look, I’m going to leave. And while I’m gone, I want you to pay close attention to the business. You manage things while I’m away. I will write you regularly. When I do, I will instruct you in what you should do from now until I return from this trip.”
a frown asks, “What happened? Didn’t you get my letters?” You say, “Oh, yeah, sure. We got all your letters. We’ve even bound them in a book. And some of us have memorized them. In fact, we have ‘letter study’ every Sunday. You know, those were really great letters.” I think the president would then ask, “But what did you do about my instructions?” And, no doubt, the employees would respond, “Do? Well, nothing. But we read every one!”
If there’s one attitude families are guilty of more than any other when it comes to mothers, it’s presumption … taking them for granted … being nearly blind on occasion to the load moms carry. From a Mother’s Day Greeting card: “Forget the housework, Mom. It’s your day. Besides, you can always do double duty and catch up on Monday!”
May 1- Labor Day, a day the Nation honors the laborers of the different sectors of society. Indeed they are to be recognized and commended, especially those who are diligent and honest, those who are devoted to their work. Without them there will be no progress. Same is true in the spiritual realm! Everyone involved in God’s work is to be recognized and commended (though that should not be the motive). Paul the Apostle, who once said that he forgot those whom he baptized (1 Cor.1:16), never forgot to mention those men and women who have labored with him one way or another. In Romans 16 and his other epistles, he mentioned by name and commended those wonderful believers. Like Paul, I greatly rejoice in the Lord for you who have been co-laboring with me in this work God has entrusted to us. God knows who you are. But there is so much work to be done; many lands to conquer, souls to save and disciple.
to pray, but to be the answer? Why not - when Jesus through His Spirit gave His church gifts? You are included. Every believer has a gift. You are to simply be humble and available, willing to do the humblest of things. And when you step out in faith He will enable and empower you to do that work.
One word I can describe our recently concluded Senior Pastor and Wives Conference is this word, “Overflowing!” Spiritually, the messages were awesome, full, solid, encouraging, overflowing. And literally, the food was overflowing too! The fellowship and the fun – faith building! I remember what David wrote in Psalm 23:5 – “…You anoint my head with oil, my cup 
between Himself and His followers, pictured as sheep. “And the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (v. 4-5).
