"Let's Give a Little Jesus"

Let’s Give a Little Jesus,

a thoughtful word or deed,

An act of generosity

for someone who’s in need.

Let’s Give a Little Jesus,

to everyone we meet~

The salesclerk or the server,

the person on the street.

Let’s Give a Little Jesus,

to everyone, large or small…

For Jesus, Lord and Savior,

is the greatest Gift of All!

By Lisa O. Engelhard

Dear Lord, please fill me with Your Spirit and the desire to share a Little Jesus with those I interact with today, that lives may be blessed and You receive the glory. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Speaking Volumes When Facing Hardships

"That is why, in Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" ~ 2 Corinthians 12:10, NIV

I have learned that the Christian life involves hard work. It requires us to give up anything that will get in the way of our relationship with God, to run the race of life patiently, and to fight sin with the power of the Holy Spirit. To follow Jesus does not mean that we will not face conflict or struggle in the race. Believers and non-believers alike will face hardships and discouragement, but it is how we respond to those circumstances that will set us apart from those who don't know God.

When we choose to live for Christ, we become ambassadors for Him and the way we live our lives will speak volumes to those around us. The way we live and treat others will be a testimony of God's work in our lives and in our hearts. Others will follow our example, particularly those closest to us (our children, spouses, family, friends) and we have a responsibility to them if we are living for Christ, as we claim to be.

The way we respond to and deal with struggles and discouragement will demonstrate our Christian faith and character. We will be able to accomplish and endure anything as we follow Jesus and draw on His strength. Then we can use our growing strength to set a example for, help, and encourage those around us who may be weak and struggling.

We can speak volumes to others without having to say a word. The way we live and respond to the circumstances in our lives will speak volumes to those around us and even to those watching from a distance. We never know how our gestures and our actions will affect someone. Our actions could be a blessing or a discouragement to others.

No matter what you are going through today, believe that you can and will endure all things through Christ. As you trust Jesus and draw on His strength, make it a point to be a blessing to someone today.

Dear Lord, please help me to be a blessing to others and to live in a way that will speak volumes about You to those around me. Thank you for being the source of my strength, courage, and endurance. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

POWER VERSES

Acts 14: 22, NIV ~ "We must go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God"

2 Corinthians 12: 10, NIV ~ "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong"

2 Corinthians 6: 4, NIV ~ "As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance, in troubles, hardships and distresses..."

Encouragement For Today

What have you been worrying about lately?

Our fast-moving and changing society can cause crippling anxiety and worry if we don't make a conscious effort to learn how to deal with situations that tend to frustrate us and produce anxiety. I will be addressing worry and anxiety, in relation to what Scripture says about them, in more detail on a later post. For today, I just wanted to share these words from the apostle Paul (Philippians 4:4-9); words that provide us with some specific steps to help us deal with any thing or situation which would tend to frustrate us and produce anxiety.

Philippians 4: 4, 6-9, NIV:

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you"

Dear Lord, please free me from worry and anxiety. Teach me and help me to dwell on and put into practice whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and of praiseworthy. And may You receive the honor, glory and praise for it all. Thank you Father for the power in Your Word. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

"Who You Are When No One's Looking: Choosing Consistency, Resisting Compromise" By Bill Hybels

"Character is what we do when no one is looking...the courage to do what needs doing, the discipline to make decisions and carry them out; the vision to see far into the future and deep into people’s hearts; and the endurance to keep going in spite of ridicule, discomfort or simple boredom" ~ Bill Hybels

We are all at our best when it counts. But what are we like when no one's looking? That's where character comes in - being consistent even when it doesn't seem to matter. Courage. Discipline. Vision. Endurance. Love. These character qualities are quickly becoming endangered. All too often we hear of marriages falling apart, governments lying, businesses cheating and scandals rocking the church. But with God's guidance and strength, we can maintain character that lasts despite temptations and troubles.

Character: Preserving Endangered Qualities

Character – the word is seldom used in the Bible, and we don’t see it very often in newspapers or hear it on television. Yet we know what it means, and we immediately recognize its absence.

People who never use the word character look around them at junior-high promiscuity, busy abortion clinics and the current epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases, and they mourn the passing of morality. They see elected officials taking bribes, business leaders demanding kickbacks and investors parlaying inside information into untold wealth, and they lament the demise of integrity. Or they read about battered wives, jobless husbands and abused children, and they wonder what is happening to caring.

Character, a wise person once said, is what we do when no one is looking. Character is not what we have done, but who we are.

Endangered Character Qualities

People give evidence of strong character in hundreds of ways every day:

• A woman confronts her terror of public speaking so she can tell her church congregation about her miraculous answer to prayer. That’s courage.
  

• A man vows to get up twenty minutes early every morning to jog around the block, and he keeps his vow. That’s discipline.

• A high-school teacher patiently draws out an inattentive student and discovers she is a gifted writer. That’s vision.

• A college student, overwhelmed by tests and term papers, considers dropping out, but decides to stay and study instead. That’s endurance.

These four traits are all on my “endangered character quality” list. They aren’t glamorous, and they aren’t easy. Therefore a lot of people try to get along without them. But the most endangered quality of all is the one that we all think we want – love.

Unfortunately, when we say we want the character quality of love, most of us mean only that we want to be loved. We hope people will admire us and treat us affectionately, and we will try to do the same for them. But people of character go beyond the warm fuzzies to the hard work of loving. They do this in many different ways, often without realizing that they are showing strength of character:

• A woman refuses to make any more excuses for her husband when he misses work because of a hangover. That’s tough love.

• A man notices his daughter’s tear-stained face, and so he sits down and encourages her to tell him what’s on her heart. That’s tenderhearted love.

• A parent gives up an attractive job promotion so the family can stay in the town where they have made friends and put down roots. That’s sacrificial love.
  

• A young widow offers forgiveness to the drunken driver who hit and killed her husband. That’s radical love.

Love, says the apostle Paul, is the most important Christian character trait (1 Corinthians 13:13), and it is probably the least understood. It is extremely difficult to learn to love unless we also have other character traits: the courage to do what needs doing, the discipline to make decisions and carry them out; the vision to see far into the future and deep into people’s hearts; and the endurance to keep going in spite of ridicule, discomfort or simple boredom.

Developing a Strong Character

Character cannot be developed through good resolutions and checklists. It usually requires a lot of hard work, a little pain and years of faithfulness before any of the virtues are consistently noticeable in us.

Developing character, however, does not have to be a grim task. There are secrets to developing each of the character qualities. More important, Jesus Christ – the only person who has ever consistently excelled in every virtue we could name – offers to develop his character in us as we follow Him. This is an offer we can hardly refuse.

Salvation Is Free

No matter how wonderful your character is, it will never be wonderful enough to earn God’s approval. As important as character is, it is not a way to earn salvation. That is because salvation cannot be earned – not even by courage, discipline, vision, endurance and love.

Salvation is a gift from the heavenly Father to us. It cost Him everything – the death of His beloved only Son. It costs us nothing. Hard work cannot earn it; neither can good behavior or sterling character. The only way we can enjoy a relationship with God is by coming to Jesus Christ, our hands outstretched and empty, and saying, “Lord, I want to follow you. Please take me into your family, scrub me, give me new clothes and make me like you.” And Jesus will do exactly that. He will take us as we are and assure us that we are His forever. Then – slowly at first, but surely – He will mold us and shape us until we resemble Him.

This book is for two kinds of people. First, it is for you who, whether Christian or not, admire character strength and see the urgent need for it in our society and in yourself. Second, it is for you who, having given your life to Christ, yearn for spectacular transformations and dazzling displays of virtue.

Character is our world’s most pressing need. If all five billion of us had strong characters, there would be no wars, no hunger, no family breakups, no crime, no poverty. We will not live in such a perfect world until Christ returns and the earth is made new, but, in the meantime, we should not despair. To the extent that our own characters grow stronger, the world will be a better place.

POWER VERSE

1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13, NIV ~ "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love"

Dear Lord, please give me the guidance and strength to develop and maintain a strong character that lasts despite temptations and troubles. Please help me to choose consistency and to resist compromise in order to grow in love, courage, discipline, vision and endurance. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Encouragement For Today

When you grow tired and weary, remember that. . .

"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grown weary, they will walk and not be faint"
(Isaiah 40:30-31, NIV)

Whatever trial you may be facing today, remember that
GOD IS BIGGER THAN YOUR PROBLEM.

"With God all things are possible"
(Matthew 19:26, NIV)

"In all your ways acknowledge Him and
He will make your paths straight"
(Proverbs 3:6, NIV)

Dear Lord, please give me more of You and less of me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

"Your Reaction Shows Your Christianity"

"People are known not by how they act when they're in control, but by how they react when things are beyond their control" ~ John C. Maxwell

“Your Reaction Shows Your Christianity”

From Think On These Things: Meditations For Leaders

By John C. Maxwell

The mind is a powerful thing. How you think determines who you are. That’s why Scripture directs us to be careful about where we focus our attention. A leader’s ability to achieve anything great for God begins in his/her heart and mind.

Jesus experienced misunderstanding, ingratitude, and rejection. But He was never bitter, discouraged, or overcome. To Him, every obstacle was an opportunity.

Brokenheartedness? An opportunity to comfort. Disease? An opportunity to heal. Hatred? An opportunity to love. Temptation? An opportunity to overcome. Sin? An opportunity to forgive.

How do we react when criticized? There’s always someone in the crowd who will criticize. By the way, some people find fault so freely you would think they were getting paid for it. Many people have been hurt under the banner of constructive criticism. Here’s an interesting observation: It’s constructive criticism when I criticize you; it’s destructive criticism when you criticize me.

Whether criticism is unjust or just, a person shows his or her true mettle by how he or she responds. The best way to lose an enemy is to treat him like a friend. It would help each of us to realize that there are times we make errors and display shortcomings. In our relationship with our Heavenly Father, we don’t need justice – we need mercy. In our relationships with others, we should be quick to give mercy and slow to demand justice.

When tempted to react in an unchristian manner, we should do the following:

1. Realize that everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

The other person’s life is no easier than yours. Perhaps today he or she is lonely, misunderstood, and hurt. A sure indication that a person hurts inside is the confirmation by what he or she says on the outside. Such a person may hurt you by what he or she says or does because of inward hurt.

2. Reacting in a positive, reassuring manner will produce better results.

Recently I hit another car while traveling on a four-lane highway. The driver of the other car was frightened and angry. Immediately I apologized, assured her that I had an excellent insurance company, and told the patrolman I was at fault. I made a friend out of the person whose car I had bumped. How? By a positive reaction to a negative situation.

3. There’s no better way to witness for Christ than by your Christian reactions.

The fruit of the Spirit, as listed in Gal. 5:22-23, is not to be displayed only during the easy times. These attributes are given so that they will become a part of daily life and be in evidence even when things go wrong. If someone is hungry and become irritable toward you, give him/her a piece of bread and butter. That’s showing kindness. But at the same time, why not spread a little jam on it? That’s lovingkindness. That’s the right reaction. That’s genuine Christianity.

POWER VERSES

Galatians 5:22-23, NIV ~ “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law”

Philippians 4:6-9, NIV ~ “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you”

Dear Lord, please help me to dwell on what is good and to live out my faith. In my relationship with others, help me to be quick to forgive and to give mercy and slow to demand justice. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Encouragement For Today

Whatever trial you may be facing today...

"Put on the full armor of God

so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes"

(Ephesians 6:11, NIV)

And remember that...

"God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times,

having all that you need, you will abound in every good work"

(2 Corinthians 9:8, NIV)

As you interact throughout this day, put your faith into action.

Seek God's approval and not that of men.

"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?

Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men,

I would not be a servant of Christ"

(Galatians 1:10, NIV)

Passage Lookup: http://www.biblegateway.com

Dear Lord, please keep me mindful that I have all I need in You. Give me strength and wisdom as I seek Your will and not that of men. Be my shield of protection when the enemy strikes and tries to bring me down. In Jesus' Name, Amen.