PART 2
None of these things move me...
Acts 20:24
We don't hear much about Abraham Lincoln's defeats because his victories were so notable. But for much of his life the odds were against him. His mother died when he was nine. In 1832 he lost an election to the Illinois State Legislature. In 1849 he was rejected as Commissioner of the General Land Office. He lost Senate races in 1855 and 1858, and in between failed to win a vice-presidential nomination. However, his most painful losses were the deaths of his four-year-old and twelve-year-old sons. Born in the backwoods of Kentucky, Lincoln had only a few months of 'blab school' - one without books where students repeated the teacher's words. He taught himself mathematics, read the classics and worked on his writing and speaking skills using the Bible as his model. His philosophy was, 'I'll study and prepare, and when the time comes I'll be ready.' He told a friend, 'Bear in mind, your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.' His Gettysburg Address is one of the most notable speeches in history. During the darkest days of the Civil War he said, 'I do the very best I know how… and I mean to keep on doing it to the end.'
Paul didn't say, 'None of these things hurt me,' he said, 'None of these things move me.' Big difference! Paul refused to let life's problems derail him. He understood that what happens in you is more important than what happens to you. He also understood that when you look to Jesus as your role model and draw strength from Him each day, He'll give you all that's needed to overcome in life.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Turning Stumbling Blocks Into Stepping Stones (1)
FROM THE VINE DEVOTIONALS
We are more than conquerors...
Romans 8:37 NKJV
How would you describe somebody who was an accomplished pianist at ten, a professional organist at eleven, had compositions published at thirteen, and was a member of the royal court musical staff at fourteen? Privileged? Born with a silver spoon in his mouth? Hardly! Ludwig van Beethoven was a black-haired, swarthy-complexioned, pockmarked boy who endured taunts and name calling in his hometown along the Rhine River, an area of mostly blond, fair-skinned children. His alcoholic father decided that Ludwig would support him, so he made him a slave to the keyboard. Looking back, Beethoven couldn't recall a single moment of childhood happiness. His life was comprised of work, tears, beatings and angry tirades. In his twenties he encountered another more insidious enemy deafness. When he could no longer play publicly he put all his energies into composing. His years of deafness were his most prolific. Although at the time his works weren't well received, he influenced many of the great composers like Brahms, Wagner and Schubert. Nearing death and recognising that the world had never fully understood or appreciated him and his music, he said with a smile, 'I shall hear in heaven.'
When life knocks you down don't stay down, bounce back! Everybody stumbles or gets knocked off their feet from time to time; the winners are just the ones who keep getting back up! That's what Paul meant when he said, 'In all these things we are more than conquerors.' If you pray and look hard enough, you'll find the seed of good in every adversity (Genesis 50:20). The difference between winners and losers, is their ability to turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones.
We are more than conquerors...
Romans 8:37 NKJV
How would you describe somebody who was an accomplished pianist at ten, a professional organist at eleven, had compositions published at thirteen, and was a member of the royal court musical staff at fourteen? Privileged? Born with a silver spoon in his mouth? Hardly! Ludwig van Beethoven was a black-haired, swarthy-complexioned, pockmarked boy who endured taunts and name calling in his hometown along the Rhine River, an area of mostly blond, fair-skinned children. His alcoholic father decided that Ludwig would support him, so he made him a slave to the keyboard. Looking back, Beethoven couldn't recall a single moment of childhood happiness. His life was comprised of work, tears, beatings and angry tirades. In his twenties he encountered another more insidious enemy deafness. When he could no longer play publicly he put all his energies into composing. His years of deafness were his most prolific. Although at the time his works weren't well received, he influenced many of the great composers like Brahms, Wagner and Schubert. Nearing death and recognising that the world had never fully understood or appreciated him and his music, he said with a smile, 'I shall hear in heaven.'
When life knocks you down don't stay down, bounce back! Everybody stumbles or gets knocked off their feet from time to time; the winners are just the ones who keep getting back up! That's what Paul meant when he said, 'In all these things we are more than conquerors.' If you pray and look hard enough, you'll find the seed of good in every adversity (Genesis 50:20). The difference between winners and losers, is their ability to turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Sirviendo a Dios y a tu pareja!
Hola Chicas! este devocional me llego hoy y lo encuentro muy bueno para todas las chicas casadas o comprometidas. Bueno las solteras tambien pueden aprender algo para el futuro. Disfrutenlo..y perdon que no lo tenga en espanol.
bendiciones,
Nady ^_^
Serving God - And Your Mate! ( www.thevine.co.nz)
A married man... has to... 1 Corinthians 7:33 NLT
Paul writes: 'An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord's work and thinking how to please him. But a married man can't do that so well. He has to think about… how to please his wife.' Gayle Urban tells of browsing in a bookstore and discovering a shelf with reduced-price items. Among the gifts was a little figurine with a man and woman, their heads lovingly tilted toward one another. 'Happy 10th Anniversary,' read the inscription. It appeared to be in perfect condition yet its tag indicated 'damaged.' Examining it more closely, she found another tag underneath that read, 'WIFE IS COMING UNGLUED!'When you marry somebody, you marry everything they are and everything they have been through. It's a package deal! And if you ask God, He'll give you the grace to minister to your mate. You may not see immediate change. It takes time for even a small cut to heal. But if you allow Him, God will give you the oil of compassion and the wine of love to pour into their wounds. Never become so spiritual that you become unavailable. Your first calling is to your mate and your family. Your priorities should start there, then spread to your career, your vocation and other pursuits. Paul says, in effect, 'I release those who are married from the level of consecration I expect from those who are single, so that they'll be able to spend time working on their relationship.' You say, 'But I need to spend time with the Lord.' That's true, and the Bible doesn't release you from your responsibility to God, it just sets some priorities. You're called to serve the Lord; and your mate!
bendiciones,
Nady ^_^
Serving God - And Your Mate! ( www.thevine.co.nz)
A married man... has to... 1 Corinthians 7:33 NLT
Paul writes: 'An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord's work and thinking how to please him. But a married man can't do that so well. He has to think about… how to please his wife.' Gayle Urban tells of browsing in a bookstore and discovering a shelf with reduced-price items. Among the gifts was a little figurine with a man and woman, their heads lovingly tilted toward one another. 'Happy 10th Anniversary,' read the inscription. It appeared to be in perfect condition yet its tag indicated 'damaged.' Examining it more closely, she found another tag underneath that read, 'WIFE IS COMING UNGLUED!'When you marry somebody, you marry everything they are and everything they have been through. It's a package deal! And if you ask God, He'll give you the grace to minister to your mate. You may not see immediate change. It takes time for even a small cut to heal. But if you allow Him, God will give you the oil of compassion and the wine of love to pour into their wounds. Never become so spiritual that you become unavailable. Your first calling is to your mate and your family. Your priorities should start there, then spread to your career, your vocation and other pursuits. Paul says, in effect, 'I release those who are married from the level of consecration I expect from those who are single, so that they'll be able to spend time working on their relationship.' You say, 'But I need to spend time with the Lord.' That's true, and the Bible doesn't release you from your responsibility to God, it just sets some priorities. You're called to serve the Lord; and your mate!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
"...Y te confiero un título de honor..."
Hola... Desde CR quiero compartir un pasaje que estubimos discutiendo en el grupo de jóvenes de mi Igle mientras hablabamos sobre una verdadera amistad con Dios como la tubo Abraham y Moisés al punto q Dios les permitió tanto darle consejos (Abraham a Dios ) como ver aunque fuera su espalda (Moisés), realmente me impacto y sentí compartirlo con uds Se encuentra en Isaías 45...
Así dice el Señor a (PON TU NOMBRE), su ungido, a quien tomó de la mano derecha
para someter a su dominio las naciones y despojar de su armadura a los reyes, para abrir a su paso las puertas y dejar abiertas las entradas:
para someter a su dominio las naciones y despojar de su armadura a los reyes, para abrir a su paso las puertas y dejar abiertas las entradas:
«Marcharé al frente de ti, y allanaré las montañas; haré pedazos las puertas de bronce
y cortaré los cerrojos de hierro. Te daré los tesoros de las tinieblas, y las riquezas guardadas en lugares secretos, para que sepas que yo soy el Señor, el Dios de Israel, que te llama por tu nombre. Por causa de Jacob mi siervo, de Israel mi escogido, te llamo por tu nombre y te confiero un título de honor, aunque tú no me conoces. Yo soy el Señor, y no hay otro; fuera de mí no hay ningún Dios. Aunque tú no me conoces, te fortaleceré, para que sepan de oriente a occidente que no hay ningún otro fuera de mí. Yo soy el Señor, y no hay ningún otro.
Yo formo la luz y creo las tinieblas, traigo bienestar y creo calamidad; Yo, el Señor, hago todas estas cosas. »¡Destilen, cielos, desde lo alto! ¡Nubes, hagan llover justicia! ¡Que se abra la tierra de par en par! ¡Que brote la salvación! ¡Que crezca con ella la justicia! Yo, el Señor, lo he creado.»
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