“And [Jesus] did not permit him but said to him, ‘Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.’ And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marvelled.”  Mark 5:19-20

The place held a lot of bad memories for him. Leaving town to start a new life somewhere else would be so much easier than staying. Everyone in the area knew about him, had seen him naked. The people had shackled him with chains and watched how, in a crazed frenzy, he’d wrenched himself free and broken his bonds in pieces. He had made his home among the tombs because only the dead could tolerate him. How many people had he hurt when the voices controlled him? No wonder people feared and avoided him.

So, after Jesus had healed him, the man previously possessed by a legion of evil spirits (Mark 5:1-20), begged Jesus to let him go with him. But Jesus said no.

You see, the miracle terrified the local people. They begged Jesus to leave. So, Jesus told the restored man to stay. Jesus instructed him to go and tell his story — how God had healed him — to everyone who knew him. He wanted the man to explain his transformed life and tell how God had mercy on him.

The man obeyed Jesus. He freely shared his shameful past, God’s great mercy, and Jesus’ incredible healing power. Everyone who heard his story marvelled.

God wants to use your story too, no matter how much pain it involves. Tell how the Almighty God freed you from your bad behavior, the anger that controlled you, or your feelings of inadequacy.

Go — by God’s power — and live differently among the people who know you.

Thank you, Lord God, for having mercy on me and saving me. May your Holy Spirit make me bold in telling everyone what you have done for me. Amen.

By Suzanne Benner
Used by Permission

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FURTHER READING

Living Like Jesus

Love Like Jesus

Jesus Recycles

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Generosity is the currency of life. Generous people generate things… they produce and create. Choose today to give. Hold your hands open and offer yourself to God first. Let His wisdom, strength and power flow through you. Offer to be His conduit.

Then give yourself to others. Give your time, give your attention, give your resources and give your care.

God’s word speaks the truth when it says,

“The world of the generous gets larger and larger – the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller” (Proverbs 11:24).

Be generous today and just see if your own world doesn’t expand in some way.

Think about stingy-ness. The mark of the stingy person is the attitude of fear that convinces him there never will be enough. Ask yourself if you are stingy in any area. Making a change will enhance your life.

Choose wisely. If you are a manager and have people working under you, be deliberate in having a generous attitude as you respond.

Surprise yourself today as you reach out to make a generous choice in some unexpected way.

Are you a generous person? Are you stingy in any way?

Lord, fill my heart to overflowing with gratitude for Your love and faithfulness. Help me to pass Your love on in some way today. Amen.

– Think of one area of your life where you find it hard to be generous. What is one thing you can to do today to be more giving?

by Gail Rodgers
used by permission

FURTHER READING

A Cheerful Giver

Heavenly Investments

Joyful Generosity

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Obeying God’s will in our lives should not be a burden but a thrilling adventure that we walk through with Him each day.

^“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.  Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me.  I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:6-8

Some Christians view obeying God only as a way to avoid the negative consequences of disobedience. But if this is our thinking, then obedience becomes a heavy burden rather than an exciting adventure motivated by love for Jesus Christ and a desire to please Him.

The reason some of us see following the Lord as a burden is because we tend to think of His will in terms of big and potentially costly decisions. But doing God’s will isn’t just about large issues; it’s also daily obedience in small matters of life. Philippines 4:6 tells us not to be anxious about anything but to pray about everything. In bringing even fairly mundane concerns to the Lord, we’re being trained to trust and obey Him in more critical matters.

The Christian life is a walk of faith—one step of obedience after another. Though we may think the situations we face are unrelated, the Lord moves us through a variety of circumstances toward His ultimate purpose. If, for the sake of safety, we back off from obeying, we’ll miss the opportunity to experience His awesome power working in and through us. Small choices may seem insignificant, but they lead to a thrilling lifelong journey with God.

By Dr. Charles Stanley
Used by Permission

Further Reading

• Going Deeper with God

• The Re-Knitting Hand of God – What God taught me about ‘little sins’

•  Salvation Explained

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Dr. Christopher Spencer is a dentist who fills more than cavities, he helps to fill the “God-shaped vacuum” in the lives of his patients.

It all began on a short-term medical mission in 1987. Dr. Spencer began to pray for his patients in a remote area. Then he realized, I should pray for my patients at home.

So now he does. And it’s revolutionized his practice and the people he sees.  Dr. Spencer has had the opportunity to lead people into a relationship with Jesus Christ. Imagine going in to have your teeth cleaned, but finding the One who washes away your sins for all eternity. https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws

Dear friend, God has planted you in a unique place where only you can have an impact.  Start today by praying for those around you.  It’ll revolutionize your world

By Vonette Bright
used by permission

FURTHER READING

How to invite God into your life and live for him

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“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Thoughts on today’s verse

God wants to hear our prayers, but to keep them from becoming too self-focused, God wants us always to remember to give thanks. It is so easy for us to turn prayer into a request line. We are the ones who are left bereft when thanksgiving and praise are robbed from our prayers.

Prayer:

Gracious God, I have so many reasons to praise you. In the face of trial and hardship I have your promises to reawaken my hope. In the moment of victory I have you to thank for my abilities. In the boredom of the routine, I have great joys in your surprises. Thank you, God, for being so great and yet so loving. In Jesus name. Amen.

by Phil Ware
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Do You Spend Time Under the Broom Tree?

Prayer: The Great Exchange

The Wellspring of Peace

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I don’t know about you, but I love going to Charity performances, etc., and feel really good about giving my money to a worthy cause.  It makes me feel warm inside and generally, I have a great time with my friends as well.  This week, I had cause to read the passage from Matthew about giving, and it made me stop and question my way of giving.

I asked myself if I would have given that money if I didn’t get anything out of it? Would I have been willing to give a homeless person I met in the street a bed and shelter without the fear that they would take my possessions or dirty my clean house?  I don’t think so.  It is far easier to give to an organization, using the excuse that they are able to deal with the situation much better than I can.

Another question that needs my answer is whether I would give my money to the church if I wasn’t in the planned giving program?  I know I give my time and my talents freely, but would I give my money anonymously during the week and not just on a Sunday when it is time for the offering?

I found these tough questions to answer but think we need to ask them every now and again, keeping in mind these verses and the way we give of our time and our money.

Matthew 6:1-4: “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Prayer: God of Wisdom and Compassion, thank you that you sent your Son to teach us your ways so that we can make your Kingdom here on Earth a better place and also bring us closer to you.  Help us to see all our giving as an act from you and not from ourselves.  Amen

By Terry Stead
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Tithing – The Generosity Habit

Try Tithing

Joyful Generosity

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“He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart.” Psalm 15:2

Singer Bethany Dillon believes that college students value honesty when you’re telling them about Jesus. She said, “If Christ is shared in an honest, no frills, very passionate way, I think [the message] is heard.”

When Deanna heard that, she was puzzled.  All her life she had never let out what she really felt inside. So, her faith on campus seemed all too surreal to her classmates. Most of them thought she came from a loving home. But that wasn’t true.

Dear friend, honesty speaks far louder than the content of your words.  When Deanna decided to admit her emotional scars, the work God had done in her life seemed genuine. Christ’s love, comfort and joy were evident now as Deanna spoke honestly.

Maybe it’s time you shared how Christ has totally changed your life, honestly!   I think the difficulty in sharing with college-aged people is that it’s such a transitional season of life, SO much learning is going on– figuring out who you really are– taking hold of independence for the first time… I just think there are a lot of walls that go up because of it. However, I also feel like people in college really value HONESTY… whatever’s  REAL, you know? And if Christ is shared in a brutally honest, no frills, very passionate way, I think it’s heard.  I think one of the most precious things about His presence in my life is the permission to be HONEST… whether that’s weeping on my floor for hours without saying a word, or dancing around like a fool and not thinking twice about it. For that to be a safe place full of understanding, that’s been such a healing thing.

by Vonette Bright
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Ideas to share Christ’s love

Extending Grace to Others

Love is Patient and Kind – a story of a man on a bus

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‘As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so are sluggards to those who send them.’ – Proverbs 10:26

An apple from a tree, what kind of apple will it be? Apples can produce tasty apple juice or sour apple vinegar. Vinegar means “sour wine” (vin aigre) in French. The Hebrew word translated “vinegar” was applied to a beverage consisting generally of wine or strong drink turned sour.

Jesus was offered sour wine as His last drink, but refused it. Why? Perhaps it resembled all that had gone wrong in the world where good people slouched into sourness.

Look at our world today. We begin life as a completed apple on the tree, but whether we nurture that fullness and remain sweet, by remaining loyal to God, or slouch into sourness and bitterness is up to us. When we fall, as today much of the world has fallen, it grieves God.

We have choices in life…… follow God or follow the world…… live a sweet life or a sour one.

God created us to worship and follow Him. We were born for fellowship with Him. We were created sweet and innocent, but it is our choice to turn sour and follow a fallen world.

Which kind of apple are you?

By John Grant
John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney

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Since we moved close to a shopping area, I usually walk to buy groceries.  Often, in the mornings, there is homeless man sitting on the sidewalk near the store. He sits  hunched over, his hat covers most of his face.  He isn’t asking for money, he just sits there.  So I decide to smile and  greet him with a cheerful, “Good morning!” And he looks up and smiles back – is missing most of his teeth – and answers  “Good Morning!”

As you know, people generally just walk by a homeless person without looking at them – very few people look in their eyes.  Smiling and saying a few friendly words brings them encouragement. Helps them feel better.

One night during my quiet time with the Lord, I read  2 Corinthians 3: 18 “ But we Christians have no veils over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord.  And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him.”

Bill Bright, in his book, Promises, says, “You and I can be mirrors that reflect the glory of the Lord.  As the Spirit of the Lord works within us and we mature, we become more and more like Him”.

Max Lucado, writes, “God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way.  He wants  you to be just like Jesus.”

Years ago, I learned about the power of the Holy Spirit in us as believers. Philippians 2:13 says, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”  He actually changes our attitudes and actions. There are times when I don’t want to change my attitude, but the Holy Spirit reminds me that He even helps me “want to” change.

Marvin and I both have put this wonderful promise into practice and it has helped us have a great marriage.

He helps us to be nice to a grumpy clerk.  We can be calm when drivers are going to slow. We can be thankful when things are not going the way we expected.

So I encourage you to put into practice the wonderful promise in Philippians 2:13 – at home, with the family, at work –anytime of the day or night – god is always  listening.

Lord, thank you for changing us so we become more and more like Jesus.  Thank you for giving us everything we need to be mirrors that reflect Him.  Amen

By Katherine Kehler
used by permission

The post Just Like Jesus appeared first on Thoughts About God.

As Jesus was preparing to make His triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, a prophecy given by Zechariah many years before, would have been on His mind. Jesus therefore asks two of His disciples to go to a nearby village, where they would find a tied colt that no man had ridden. He then tells the two disciples to untie the colt and bring it to Him with the words, “

If anyone asks you, ‘why are you doing this?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it’…..” (Mark 11:1-3).

That colt became a symbol of the Palm Sunday story and became part of the fulfillment of the prophecy given by Zechariah which said,

“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).  ‘The Lord had need of it’ and thankfully, the people released it to the disciples (Mark 11:4-6).

Thus began Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Mark 11:7-10).

Today, as we remember Palm Sunday, what is Jesus asking from you? What does He need from you, to fulfill some part of His great plan in this broken world and in this prophetic age we are living in? Is it a gifting, a special talent, your time, your career, maybe part of your finances? Does He need your knowledge, your wisdom or your work experience? Whatever He may ask, as He speaks to you, do not hold it back, but release it freely, just like the village folk released the colt. If ‘The Lord needs it’, and you release it, He will do amazing things through what you offer Him!

Illustration:

I remember reading Pastor David Wilkerson’s powerful book ‘The Cross and the Switchblade’. In it, Pastor Wilkerson shares about how, on a conviction from God, he took a decision to give up his time of relaxation in the evening so that he could use that time to seek God’s face in a deeper way. As he kept honoring that commitment to God, one night God spoke to him about ministering to street gangs. The rest is history, as that was the moment when the worldwide ministry of Teen Challenge was birthed!! It all happened because he responded to what God was requiring from him.

Give to Jesus what He needs and be amazed at what He will do!

By Rev. Palitha Jayasooriya
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

• Heart Fully Committed to Him
• Don’t Limit God

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

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“The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 NLT

For far too long, we have allowed feelings of inadequacy to stop us in our tracks. Today, I challenge you to shatter the lies that have held you captive. Shatter, destroy, smash into pieces every negative belief that you have held about yourself over the years. It is now time to believe what God has said about you. It is now time to believe the best.

You are good enough.

You are worthy enough.

You are smart enough.

You do deserve the best out of your life and your relationships.

You do have what it takes to succeed in life, business, ministry etc.

You were uniquely designed to give life to those that God has called you to reach.

You are an asset to those around you. You are a gift to this world.

Whatever God has assigned your hands to do, go forth with all your might knowing that God has given you everything that pertains to life and godliness.

Lord, open our eyes to what you see. Help us to see the truth about ourselves. Help us to see not through the eyes of our failures or even our feelings but take confidence in the gifts, talents, abilities and the strength You have given us.

By Mary Pinckney
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

God Sees You

God Sees, He Knows

All About Me

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“To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” 1 Corinthians 9:22 (TNIV)

Owen and Mzee are an odd pair. Owen is a baby hippopotamus, while Mzee is a 100+ year old tortoise.

In the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, Owen (the baby hippo) was found, orphaned from his mother, and transferred to Haller Park in Kenya. There he was put into an enclosure with many other animals, but no hippos. Distraught and needing guidance and companionship, the young hippo quickly formed a bond with Mzee, a 130-year-old Aldabran tortoise. Owen quickly began mimicking his unusual adopted parent’s actions, following him wherever he went. “They swim, eat and sleep together,” said ecologist Paula Kahumbu. “The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it followed its mother.”

What an unexpected and marvelous friendship! In our passage today, the apostle Paul explains how he became “all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” This does not mean that Paul was faking who he was, for elsewhere he admonishes us not to lie (Colossians 3:9). Nor does it imply that Paul himself is the one doing the saving. Our commission is not to “convert” anyone. God Himself alone saves by His grace (Ephesians 2:8); our commission is to be witnesses to the truth and show people the truth.

Paul was willing to meet people where they are. Although unwilling to compromise on the essentials of the faith (1 Corinthians 15) he welcomed everyone to learn from him, and came alongside others to patiently disciple them (Acts 28:30).

Let’s be on the lookout for others who could use a friend, even if they seem quite different from us. These often will become the most amazing of friendships, like Owen an Mzee. Through such unlikely friendships, our hope will be that some may come into a saving faith in Jesus.

Let us become weak to those who are weak, so that we may together become strong in the redeeming sacrifice and love of Christ!

By Darren Hewer
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

How to Foster True Friendships

Building Lasting Friendships

Friendships –  more articles

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