We, the care-takers, and all of the orphan children are so happy on this occasion to write to you about Grace Place . We give much thanks to the Lord for the great blessings and financial support that all of you from Wooster Grace have been to our big family of 40 kids. We really appreciate all of you for your wonderful generosity and big love that without it, would not be this chance for these kids. All of us are excited and keep praying for you, for Pastor Bob and all the congregation of Wooster Grace church to have prosperity in all the ministries of our Lord for reaching the world for Christ.

We are very proud of all of you.  You are the great Daddies and Mommies of the orphan kids of Grace Place .  You are building them up in educational knowledge and spiritual knowledge to gain useful resources to serve the Lord and to be the ones to develop their future country.

They are now studying hard.  Four kids study in High School and 36 in Primary School.  In every term, I check on their studies.  The information that I receive is that their school masters admire all of them because they study hard, they are obedient and have good morals.  I will let you know more later how they are scoring in their classes.”

Please pray for us:
1.       For kids’ health.
2.       For kid’s wisdom and studies.
3.       For kids’ future- to have funds to pursue university.
4.       For fellowship during their vacation.

Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice foods and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared.  This day is sacred to our Lord.  Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength’.

– Nehemiah 8:10

God wants His children to enjoy life.  He wants us to enjoy life to the fullest.  What we need is a positive mindset. It is better to choose joy while living in this world.  Set our minds on the things that are above.  Let us think of our minds that receive deposits of things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, good repute, positive thoughts that will produce wisdom, wealth and wellness in us.

Christ said, “Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- His good, pleasing and perfect will.”  His will is to bestow upon us a positive mindset.

We can always choose to be joyful even in the midst of the cruelest circumstances.

We can begin to face each new day with joyful thoughts and thankful spirit.  Remember all the happy memories and the countless blessings He has bestowed upon us. Consider each day as sacred and dedicate it to the Lord.  Face each new task with a thankful heart and always rejoice in His presence.  In His presence there is fullness of joy.

Put our confidence in Christ and allow His love to overrule us. Thus, we can learn to forgive even our enemies and to love the people who wronged us.  Love God wholeheartedly and dedicate our lives to Him.  Dedicate to Him all that He entrusted: our lives, time, talents, treasures and everything that He has given us.

Love our work. We may wake up early in the morning and finish our daily tasks but without love, we may end up always forlorn and dissatisfied. Like a river, our love needed banks to keep it within its proper boundaries.  Pour out our love on the proper people, in the right time, and in fitted places.

A generous man will always be joyful in giving.  His merry heart does well like a medicine. In contrast with a miser and stingy men who always keep frowning and allow annoyances to creep in when all the solicitors and beggars come around. He who waters himself, will he himself be watered also.  His rivers of joy will abound to those who are willing to give and share His bounty with others.

One of life’s greatest pleasures is meeting godly and joyful people. The secret of joyful living is praising and thanking God always for each new day.  Like the birds that sing amidst the storm and heavy rains, we can also sing with joy in our hearts.  We can be involved in the most serious of earthly tasks, yet maintain a sense of humor, a ready smile, a thankful heart and a contagious joy.

What is your legacy? People want to leave a mark on the world. Many people did. Michael Jackson left a legacy as the most popular and most talented singer and performer in the world. Muhammad Ali was hailed as one of the greatest boxers in his time. Princess Diana left a legacy by being a member of a royal family who served thousands of people in the world.

What is your legacy? Everyone wants to be remembered in some way. For some people, especially for some athletes, there are record books. Most of the people would even want to have a story and a mark in the very popular Guinness Book of World Records (who would not want that by the way?) Some people just focus on their career. They may do a remarkable job, be wildly known for a job well done, and discover new things that impacts people’s way of life.

Some people want to leave a legacy to receive rewards. Their rewards might be monetary, fame or just simply being recognized for a job well done. But even if these people made something great and extraordinary, as time goes on, people will still slowly forget them because there would be new names that will appear, greater discoveries, more excellent records, and their names might still be remembered but that is just about it.

How do you define legacy? As defined in Dictionary.com, it is, “Something handed down from an ancestor or a predecessor or from the past: a legacy of religious freedom”. It only means it is something you inherited or learned from people in the past.

What is your legacy? What is something that people will remember when you die? Will it be something that will have a great impact on other people’s lives? Will your name be remembered? Will you be significant? Or will you just be considered as one of the others?

Sometimes we need to realize that one of the most important things in life is to have significance, a legacy that you will leave to people you’ve been with, people who have heard of your name. And the most important legacy that will make us significant is something that we do to serve people and the Lord. These records will never be broken; these great things will never be forgotten. These are all recorded in the Lord.

The Lord remembers all the things that we do for the glory of his name, just as how he appreciated the woman on Matthew 26:13. The Lord shows how he gives importance on the things that we do. If we will take a look at that story, that woman anointed Jesus with a very expensive perfume placed in an alabaster jar. The disciples did not understand why did that woman wasted a very expensive perfume just to pour on Jesus’ head, but the Lord defended what the woman had done and even appreciated the act of worship that woman had shown when she offered something expensive and significant to the Lord. And the Lord became true to his promise when he said, “Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her” (Matthew 26:13).

Do you want to leave a legacy that will really be significant and will never be forgotten? The key is, just leave a legacy for the Lord and he will be the one to account every good thing that you do for the glory of His name. And one thing is for sure, you will never be happier than to receive a divine commendation from your God most high. And to start with, why not entrust your life to Jesus? This will leave a significant mark in heaven as much as your life here on earth.

– Abraham Maslow

Every person has his own needs. According to Maslow, there are 5 levels of needs:

First, the physiological needs. This includes our needs for breathing, food, water, sex, sleep and other things that our physical bodies look for.

Second is our safety also called our security needs. That includes our needs for security of employment, of resources, of health and of property.

Third, is the need for love or belongingness that includes our need for friendship, family, and of sexual intimacy.

The fourth one is the need for self-esteem which includes the need for confidence, achievement, and respect for others.

Fifth is the need for self-actualization which is considered as the highest of all needs and is considered as the final need that manifests when lower level needs have been satisfied.

Each of us tries our best to meet the needs depending on our priorities. Some of us rely on our own abilities to provide for our own necessities. We become preoccupied with these things that we spend all our time and efforts thinking of ways on how to satisfy our different needs.

What we do not understand is that God is all we need. He owns everything, he owns the universe, and he owns us. Therefore he has all the resources and there is nothing that He cannot provide. With God, the resources are unlimited. It is never ending and even beyond our expectations. He is greater than all our needs. All we need to do is come to Him and ask. But most of the time, that very simple thing that we can do to make our lives easier seems so hard for us to practice. Instead of relying on God, we depend on our own wisdom, strength and will to fulfill our needs. We fail to realize that we, humans have limitations when it comes to being able to provide for our needs. We cannot fully satisfy ourselves if we do not rely on God no matter how hard we try or how strong our will is. There will always be a hollow part within us, no matter how successful we are in our career, relationships, and financial standing which only God can fill.

God is all we need. In John 15: 5 it says, “Without Him, you can do nothing.” If we really want to be satisfied and happy with our lives, then what seems so hard to do in just humbling ourselves to God and ask for his help and providence? If we will only come to Him, He has wide-opened arms to accept us, listen to us and provide for us. As the Lord says in Matthew 7:7-12, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” God is just waiting for us to call for help. And He will always be there to listen if we will draw near to Him and realize that all we need is just Him.

]]> http://greatisthelord.net/blog/475/are-you-in-need/feed/ 0 http://greatisthelord.net/blog/462/a-stair-up/ http://greatisthelord.net/blog/462/a-stair-up/#comments Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:15:39 +0000 Bobbie http://greatisthelord.net/blog/?p=462 “Try not to be a man of success, but rather to be a man of value.” That is what Albert Einstein tells about success. There are a lot more wonderful meanings of success in the web, in books, and in newspapers. And different people have different ways on seeing it, or defining it.

How do you define success? Some see success as earning a lot of money, owning a million-dollar house or being able to buy anything at anytime you want.

Some see it as being popular, being known over the world as a person of wisdom, talent and importance.

Everyone has his own idea of success depending on what makes him happy or satisfied. And we definitely have our own unique way of planning how to reach our goals- our moments of success.

But more than anyone else, our God has his own plans for us, and he as well would want us to be successful and prosperous. The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This verse only means one thing. Before we even cared for our future, before we even had dreams for our success and prosperity, the Lord has already prepared his plans for us. And his plans do not include failure.

Then why is it that sometimes though we are on our way headed to our goal and we almost have everything that we wanted, we still feel incomplete or unsatisfied? Could it be that what we desire is not what is right for us? Could it be that not what we want is best for us? Then how will we be able to determine what is right and what is best? The key is listening to God’s plan in our lives.

Jamie Buckingham states in her book, “Power for Living”,

“For some reason—maybe it’s because we don’t understand God’s language in the Bible, we get off at the wrong destination. We equate money, security and prestige with success. We don’t understand that true success is found in having our spiritual needs met. Our problem is not that we don’t have goals. Our problem is having the wrong goals.”

Sometimes all it takes is to listen to the Lord’s voice, allowing Him to direct our paths. We must be sensitive with God’s call and God’s plan in our lives. Most of the times we just follow our own will. We do what we want and we try to get what we think we need without asking for confirmation if that is based on the Lord’s plan in our lives. And when we fail, when we are hurt, we put the blame back to God. To Him who never designed our lives to be a failure. To Him who only wants the best for us.

If we will go back to God’s word in Jeremiah 29:11, we will understand that the Lord has wonderful plans for everyone. And that He wants us to be prosperous and full of hope. All we need to do is to be sensitive and listen to Him and ask Him to lead us. After all, there is no way that we will fail with Him because that is not how He designed our future. If we will only rely on Him, then we will never go wrong. And when we do, that is when we will clearly understand what success really means. Then we can move at least a stair up in our lives.

A Christ-centered family is truly a foretaste of heaven. It is composed of a Christ-centered husband who submits to the Lord, a Christ-centered wife who submits to her husband and Christ-centered children who obey and honor their parents. While we cannot impose Christ-centeredness on others, we can model it by our own obedience to Christ beginning right in our very homes.

Husbands (Ephesians 5:25-31).In Ephesians 5:25, husbands are commanded to love their wives, just as Christ loved the church. What exactly does this mean? Love is not a feeling but a commitment. As Christ loved the church: the church my friend, is you and me – a group of imperfect people called out by God to live godly lives. Since Christ loves us though we are not perfect, husbands ought to love their wives though they are less than perfect. Just as Christ gave Himself up for the church, the husband’s love is to be sacrificial. Jesus died for us because He wants us to be sanctified. For the husband, this means seeking the best for your wife. You are her spiritual leader and your life must be her best example of a Christ-centered life. You ought to love your wife as you love yourself, nourishing and cherishing her. Communicate your love to her in her unique love language. Her love language may be words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of service or physical touch.

Wives (Ephesians 5:22-24). Wives, submit to your husbands in everything. Being subject to one’s husband has nothing to do with inferiority. The Bible does not teach that women are inferior to men. Galatians 3:28 says, “There is no longer slave nor free man, male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” This deals with an assigned and God-defined role or ranking. It has to do with orderliness. Your husband is not perfect. He will always have flaws, that’s why you are to pray for your husband for him to become more Christ-like. God is fully in charge. He knows best. Submit to your husbands as unto the Lord. As the wife, you have the unique responsibility and privilege of affecting the climate of your marriage. Ask the Holy Spirit to make you a life-giver alongside your husband.

Children (Ephesians 6:1-3). Children, you are commanded to honor your parents. Honoring your parents through obedience and respectful attitude is ultimately obedience to God. Honoring our parents is understanding their heart, what pleases them, without them having to tell this to us. We obey their instructions, helping them on some household chores, and it also means that when they grow old, we take care of and provide for them. Remember that honoring our parents is the first commandment with a promise (Exodus 20:12).

Parents (Ephesians 6:4). Parents, you provoke your children when you are over-controlling, negative, critical; when you compare your children to others and when you break your promises.  Remember, you must adjust your parenting style and pattern it after Biblical principles. As your child grows up and matures, you must loosen your control. Give advice and pray for them. This allows them to become more Christ-like.

Now that you understand what a Christ-centered family is, each role of a family member, and the God-defined role, put this to use and start modeling it inside your home. One important note: your desire to pursue and build a Christ centered family is only attainable if and only if you have Christ living in you. If you don’t know Him yet, I encourage you to seek Him and invite Christ into your heart allowing Him to work through you and be a positive influence in your own family. Pursue and build a Christ-centered family!

As God’s children, God has given us immense and immeasurable blessings. He has adopted us to be part of His family. He has redeemed us, forgiven us of our sins. Most of all, He has given us a gift of eternal inheritance that will never fade, and has sealed us with the promise of salvation through His Holy Spirit. All these He has given us in Christ Jesus our Lord! So let’s respond worthy of our calling: in love. Walk in Light, walk in the Truth, be filled with His Spirit and love other people. We must respond in generosity to all that He has done for us and develop a greater trust and faith in Him so that we can live our lives according to His ways. God calls us not to retaliate but to radical love. There is a new perspective that leads us away from retaliation and towards radical love. We need to develop this new perspective – the perspective of a second mile Christian. Being a second mile Christian, we need to love just like Jesus. He calls us, His followers, to walk on a higher road – the road of love, grace and Christ-likeness. Jesus’ perspective of the 2nd mile this: Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good. Sounds impossible, too good or too idealistic? Here’s how.

By Jesus’ power in the 2nd mile, Jesus gives us the ability to let go of our pride (Matthew 5:39). When you are insulted, criticized, hurt or offended by other people, when your pride is hurt, do you seek ways for revenge? Jesus enables you to look for ways to love and forgive. Only God can give us the strength to forgive and love others the way He does. Pray and ask God for wisdom. We should pray for that person and trust that God is sovereign. Loving just like Jesus means going the extra mile. It means when your wife needs you, you run to her. If your husband needs you, you attend to it. If your child needs you, you do everything you can to be with him. But there are many people who do not deserve your time and your acts of kindness. Yet we are to love them just like Jesus. This goes for your enemies as well…even more so for them because when they see you do this they will have nothing to say against you.

Now after knowing Jesus’ perspective of the 2nd mile which is to overcome evil by doing good, let us understand Jesus’ pattern for the 2nd mile. Jesus is the pattern for going the second mile. Before the crucifixion, Jesus Himself was falsely accused. He was humiliated before the crowd. He was insulted, slandered and slapped left and right. He experienced excruciating pain all the way to death on the cross. Jesus did not deserve it. Instead, He gave His life for us. He gave up His possessions, His pride and His personal interests. He choose to love us. He died in order that we may live.

Today, Jesus is speaking to His true believers, His true followers. He calls us to be 2nd mile Christians in order to show His love through our lives. He wants us to be living testimonies of His grace and mercy for the world to see.

Are you ready to live this radical love, going the 2nd mile?  In order to live this radical love, you need Jesus in your life. Ask Him to come into your life right now. Ask Him to love through you. He will do that because He loved you first.