Tag Archives: success

Determination To Know God

 

The Determination to Serve

From: My Utmost For HIs HIghest

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve . . .—Matthew 20:28

Jesus also said, “Yet I am among you as the One who serves” (Luke 22:27). Paul’s idea of service was the same as our Lord’s— “. . . ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5). We somehow have the idea that a person called to the ministry is called to be different and above other people. But according to Jesus Christ, he is called to be a “doormat” for others— called to be their spiritual leader, but never their superior. Paul said, “I know how to be abased . . .” (Philippians 4:12). Paul’s idea of service was to pour his life out to the last drop for others. And whether he received praise or blame made no difference. As long as there was one human being who did not know Jesus, Paul felt a debt of service to that person until he did come to know Him. But the chief motivation behind Paul’s service was not love for others but love for his Lord. If our devotion is to the cause of humanity, we will be quickly defeated and broken-hearted, since we will often be confronted with a great deal of ingratitude from other people. But if we are motivated by our love for God, no amount of ingratitude will be able to hinder us from serving one another.

Paul’s understanding of how Christ had dealt with him is the secret behind his determination to serve others. “I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man . . .” (1 Timothy 1:13). In other words, no matter how badly others may have treated Paul, they could never have treated him with the same degree of spite and hatred with which he had treated Jesus Christ. Once we realize that Jesus has served us even to the depths of our meagerness, our selfishness, and our sin, nothing we encounter from others will be able to exhaust our determination to serve others for His sake.

Limitless Love

From: Our Daily Bread
Read: Psalm 36
Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. —Psalm 36:5
Bible in a Year:
Numbers 7-8; Mark 4:21-41

Recently, a friend sent me the history of a hymn that I often heard in church when I was a boy:

Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade;

To write the love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry;

Nor could the scroll contain the whole

Though stretched from sky to sky.

These words are part of an ancient Jewish poem and were once found on the wall of a patient’s room in an insane asylum.

Also, Frederick M. Lehman was so moved by the poem that he desired to expand on it. In 1917, while seated on a lemon box during his lunch break from his job as a laborer, he added the words of the first two stanzas and the chorus, completing the song “The Love of God.”

The psalmist describes the comforting assurance of God’s love in Psalm 36: “Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens” (v.5 esv). Regardless of the circumstances of life—whether in a moment of sanity in a mind otherwise muddled with confusion or during a dark time of trial—God’s love is a beacon of hope, our ever-present, inexhaustible source of strength and confidence.

You are loved with everlasting love.

My Only Hope

 From: Getmorehelp.org
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions” Psalm 51:1Any Star Wars fans out there? Remember the opening scenes of the first movie that begin with a laser battle between a little spaceship (the good guys) and this huge, ominous Imperial Star Destroyer—you guessed it, the bad guys. The camera cuts to the inside of the ship and we see Princess Leia and her loyal fighters quickly overpowered by Darth Vader and his minions. The situation is dire and our heroine has time only to pass a message on to her faithful robot R2D2, who is then jettisoned to safety on a nearby planet along with his uptight buddy C3PO.

The droids end up in the care of Luke Skywalker, who discovers Leia’s message. R2D2 projects an image of the princess pleading, “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope!” The message is repeated over and over: “Help me . . . you’re my only hope!”

That simple little phrase encapsulates David’s plea in the first verse of Psalm 51. After fighting a year-long battle against the forces of darkness in his own heart, he had reached a point of desperation. Finally, he admitted that he could not overcome the guilt of his sin by his own cleverness, charm, or position. Nor could his inner turmoil be quieted by a clever spin from a PR department. In the face of the mess he had made of his life—adultery, deception, murder—he was left with only one hope: a plea for mercy from God who held all the cards regarding David’s cleansing.

I have to tell you, whether it’s the overwhelming force of life’s struggles or the guilt of our sin, our only hope is that God in His mercy will forgive and deliver us. As David writes in Psalm 42:11, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? . . . Put your hope in God!”

The good news for David—and for those of us who need to come to this same tipping point in our walk with Christ—is that our hope is never misplaced when we place it entirely and completely in God. And our confidence in His willingness to bestow delivering mercy is grounded, as David said, in the fact that God is a God of unfailing love and great compassion. We don’t need more meds or self-help positive spins on life when we are beyond ourselves. We need God! David said it best when he penned the words of Psalm 25:3, “No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame.”

In the midst of the turmoil of life and in the mire of our own sin, one simple prayer offers us the promise of rescue and deliverance. “Help me, Lord Jesus. You’re my only hope!”

Hands Of The Master

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Hands Of The Master

 

From: heavensinspirations.com

Wishing to encourage her young son’s progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted an old friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked “NO ADMITTANCE.” When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing.

Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy’s ear, “Don’t quit.” Keep playing.” Then, leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child, and he added a running obligato. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed what could have been a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was so mesmerized that they couldn’t recall what else the great master played. Only the classic, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”

Perhaps that’s the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren’t always graceful flowing music. However, with the hand of the Master, our life’s work can truly be beautiful. The next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You may hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, “Don’t quit.” “Keep playing.” May you feel His arms around you and know that His hands are there, helping you turn your feeble attempts into true masterpieces. Remember, God doesn’t seem to call the equipped, rather, He equips the ‘called.’ Life is more accurately measured by the lives you touch than by the things you acquire.

-Author Unknown

 

From: heavensinspirations.com

Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

His mother in the house was looking out the window saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him.

From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go.

A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother’s fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, “But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn’t let go.” You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic. But the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go.

In the midst of your struggle, He’s been there holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You are a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way.

But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril – and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That’s when the tug-of-war begins – and if you have the scars of His love on your arms be very, very grateful. He did not and will not – let you go.

~ Author Unknown ~
 

The Call of the Natural Life

From: My Utmost for His Highest

When it pleased God . . . to reveal His Son in me . . . —Galatians 1:15-16

The call of God is not a call to serve Him in any particular way. My contact with the nature of God will shape my understanding of His call and will help me realize what I truly desire to do for Him. The call of God is an expression of His nature; the service which results in my life is suited to me and is an expression of my nature. The call of the natural life was stated by the apostle Paul— “When it pleased God . . . to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him [that is, purely and solemnly express Him] among the Gentiles . . . .”

Service is the overflow which pours from a life filled with love and devotion. But strictly speaking, there is no call to that. Service is what I bring to the relationship and is the reflection of my identification with the nature of God. Service becomes a natural part of my life. God brings me into the proper relationship with Himself so that I can understand His call, and then I serve Him on my own out of a motivation of absolute love. Service to God is the deliberate love-gift of a nature that has heard the call of God. Service is an expression of my nature, and God’s call is an expression of His nature. Therefore, when I receive His nature and hear His call, His divine voice resounds throughout His nature and mine and the two become one in service. The Son of God reveals Himself in me, and out of devotion to Him service becomes my everyday way of life.

Dreams vs Success

 

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dreams vs success

 

I am a dreamer
how many of us who manage to say these words above.
I have dreams to achieve.
do we have dreams as individuals or we dream as a crowd
we need to serve our dream, feed it and sharpen it.
how many of us who dream each and everyday but fail to serve the dream in order for it to grow daily. we don’t take actions towards our dreams is there anything we afraid of or we live in the environment that destroys our characteristics and what we capable of.

most of us start to dream at a young age, we always want to be doctors ,nurses , police man.
were is the same confident that we had in childhood , it faded away just like that no. don’t panic when you fail to achieve your dreams. failure is to begin again more intelligently.
take the required actions for your dreams, don’t look at your dream coming to an end without pushing hard for it to not fade away.

a dream is something that we all want to achieve in future, the future starts today , it doesn’t start after ten years. you start to build your future now, you don’t have to seat back and relax because you think that time is by your side. time and time waits for no man, the time you waste today will cause you tomorrow. dreaming without actions is like telling a car to start without a key, is very important to drive our dreams, let us be the driver of our success as well. success doesn’t come to those who seat back and think that success will follow them. follow your success today, it doesn’t matter what kind if a family you come from. the ball is in your court you can turn that two room house into a mention house, that shack into a double story building.

forget about your yesterday and think about your today and tomorrow. the journey of success isnot as easy as we think is a hard journey that need us to be strong enough to face the upcoming storms like an eagle. the eagle it doesn’t fly away from the storms but it face it and come out as a champion. you can also achieve your success and dreams if only you can keep your eyes to the rewards and never turn away from it.

From: www.inspire21.com

Failures and Successes

 

Inspirational Stories of Famous Failures and Their Future Success

So you have tried something and you have failed. Maybe numerous times. You may have been told you have no talent, aren’t cut out for “this business” or are never going to “make it in this line of work”.Well don’t be discouraged. The following are stories of other people who were told the same thing or something similar and went on to be major successes! You might just recognize a few:The Vice President of Columbia told this actor that he was never going to make it in the business. The actor? – Harrison Ford

His first book was rejected by 12 publishing houses and sixteen agents. – John Grisham

Turned down by a recording company saying “We don’t like their sound and guitar music is on the way out” They were talking about the Beatles

Was told by his father that he would amount to nothing and be a disgrace to himself and his family – Charles Darwin

Told by a music teacher “as a composer he is hopeless” – Beethoven

Was told that “he couldn’t sing at all” Enrico Caruso

Fired from a newspaper because he “lacked imagination and had no original ideas” – Walt Disney

Were told by Publishers that “anthologies didn’t sell” and the book was “too positive”

Rejected a total of 140 times. The book? Chicken Soup for the Soul. It now has 65 different titles and has sold over 80 million copies all over the world.

Told by a teacher he was “too stupid to learn anything” Thomas Edison

Failed the sixth grade – Winston Churchill

Wasn’t able to speak until he was almost 4 years old and his teachers said he would “never amount to much” – Albert Einstein

Did poorly in school and failed at running the family farm – Isaac Newton

Was not allowed to wait on customers in the store he worked in because “he didn’t have enough sense” – F. W. Woolworth

Was cut from the high school basketball team, went home, locked himself in his room and cried – Michael Jordan

Producer told her she was “unattractive” and could not act – Marilyn Monroe

This book was rejected 18 times before it was published. It then sold over one million copies the first year. The book was Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

Auditioned for All My Children and got rejected – Julia Roberts

Received 30 rejections and the author threw it in the trash. Luckily his wife fished it out again and encouraged him to resubmit it. The book was Carrie – the author Stephen King

As you can see, these are just a few of the people who refused to listen to the criticism or the “experts”.

If they could do it – so can you!

From:  Janeen Elite, Yahoo Contributor Network.

 

Stories of Joy and Pain

 

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Stories of Joy and Pain

A Significant Session

by Lisa Samson

“Sam and I go into the back primal room, and I’m losing my nerve. I let him know this, and that my fear is about going into some really deep work with a man present. So we talk about it for a bit, and I find I’m getting angry with myself that I’m getting sidetracked. That made my mind up.

I let myself go down into what I’ve always felt was a bottomless black hole, and an image came to me of being a very small baby lying in my crib with someone in the room. The next thing I know, I’m pushing out/away with my legs and arms, and I’m struggling with something, I don’t know what. I scream until I can’t breathe, and as I come fighting back up for air, I say “Stop I mean it!” This was significant, in that I understood my limits and respected them even in the midst of a life-and-death primal.

So we take some time to bring me out and get me more grounded in the present. And then Sam is looking me in the eyes and he says, “I think this is why you’re here, Lisa, this is why you came this weekend.” We talk about what I want to do, that it was very brave and significant for me to be able to stop and stay right where I was and see how I feel. I tell him what my perceptions were, and that I felt like someone was trying to hurt, or possibly kill me, and I decide to go back down. It’s amazing to me now, how easily I made that decision, based on the amount of fear I was feeling, and at that moment I had no idea of the outcome.

So down I go again with a death grip on Sam’s hand and when I can’t breath anymore, instead of the fear ripping me apart there’s this unbelievable strength that comes, and I’m finally fighting and screaming, “NO!!”, and suddenly I let go and come out the “other side.”

It took some time for me to realize what had happened, and even before I could really register that I had gotten past that horrible fear, I was sobbing and asking, “Why, why didn’t they want me?” The pain was somehow a little more bearable, I believe now, because I could feel how incredibly strong I was for making it through. I cried for awhile and told Sam I was having a little trouble with a man being there with me. After some time I was aware of his heart beat and I guess the idea came to me that it was just a heart beat, everything living has one, and I don’t have to compare or feel threatened, or act enticing, or be anything in relation to that heart beat. And for the first time since I’ve been doing this work I looked down into that crib with baby Lisa in it and instead of feeling all the rejection and pain and ugliness – I saw and felt a beautiful baby. Then I was reaching out for her and bringing her up into my arms, feeling her wiggling into me, all of her sweetness and innocence. Then there wasn’t any more division, the little baby was me and I was holding me and feeling how beautiful I was, how wonderful and sweet, so strong and with so much potential. I believe it was the first time I – loved – me.

Then I was aware of a tingling vibration all through my body. I kept wiggling my toes and flexing my muscles as I continued to recognize myself. And as if I could stand anymore joy suddenly I could feel my heart!! And then I cried more tears of joy. It was like tiny celebrations going on all through my body! I lay there for a long time in Sam’s arms crying tears of joy, laughing and smiling, feeling the love I hold for myself. Then after a time I would just think of someone and suddenly I was with them sharing my joy. I felt so wonderful and I said so many prayers. Then I cried more tears when I

realized that the next time I held my children “I” would really be there in a way I had never been before.

I talked and shared with Sam every minute expression of coming through the other side, and he told me about the first time he came through. I remembered saying to him how simple it is to just BE. Getting there is not, it is so much work, but I did it. I dreamed and dared, I planned, I made the decisions every step of the way, I faced the demons and won. I cried from my pain, I felt love for myself, and finally I said a prayer that someday I might help others find their way through to that kind of joy.” (Stories of Joy and Pain, by: Lisa Samson).

A Debtor No More

 

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A Debtor

If any person accepts the Lord as Savior, his/her debt is paid in full. The person is not a debtor anymore and is free in the sight of God. The prison of debt’s doors and windows are tore away and the prisoner is released. Let us express gratitude to Christ for paying this enormous debt.

 — by Anne Cetas
Our Daily Bread Radio is hosted by Les Lamborn
The love of Christ compels us. —2 Corinthians 5:14

As a young man, Robert Robinson (1735–1790) enjoyed getting into trouble with his friends, so the stories go. At age 17, though, he heard a sermon by George Whitefield from Matthew 3:7, and realized his need for salvation in Christ. The Lord changed Robinson’s life, and he became a preacher. He also wrote several hymns, including his best-known “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”

Lately I’ve been pondering God’s amazing grace toward us and the last stanza of that hymn: “O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be!” The hymn brings to mind the apostle Paul’s words: “The love of Christ compels [or constrains] us . . . that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:14-15).

We can’t earn God’s love and grace. But because He has lavished it on us, how can we help but love Him in return by living for Him! I’m not exactly sure what that looks like, but it must include drawing near to Him, listening to His Word, serving Him, and obeying Him out of gratitude and love.

As debtors, we are called to live each day for Jesus who gave Himself for us. Our Daily Bread.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise. —Robinson
Those who know God’s grace show God’s grace.

Time For A Change

 — by Joe Stowell
Our Daily Bread Radio is hosted by Les Lamborn
This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner. —Luke 7:39

A friend once told me, “In my lifetime I’ve seen a lot of things change, and I’ve been against them all!” Perhaps he overstated the point, but many of us would agree that we don’t like change—especially if it involves altering our habits and attitudes.

That’s one reason Jesus was so unpopular among the Pharisees. He challenged their long-established system of good works and self-righteous living. Consider the incident when the town “sinner” entered the home of the town “saint” in Luke 7. Simon the Pharisee wasn’t impressed with the woman’s lavish display of affection for Jesus. Reading Simon’s self-righteous thoughts, Jesus immediately challenged his flawed perception of his own goodness by telling the story of two debtors—one who owed much to his master and one who owed less. “Which of them will love him more?” Jesus asked (v.42). Obviously, the one who had been forgiven more. Speaking to Simon’s I-feel-pretty-good-about-myself attitude, Jesus said, “to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little” (v.47).

The challenge is clear. Lulled into thinking how good we are, our love for Jesus wanes because we have forgotten that we too are among the ones “forgiven much.” And when that happens, ready or not, it’s time for a change!

Forgive us, Lord, for failures past,
Then help us start anew
With strength and courage to obey
And closely follow You. —Sper

When God starts changing things, He usually begins with changing us. Our Daily Bread.