Journey
Through The Bible e-letter
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Friday, March 19,
1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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From God's
Word:
A Slap In
the Face
"Understand,
then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord
your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a
stiff-necked people." (Deuteronomy 9:6 NIV)
How quickly we fall into the
very trap which ensnared the Pharisees and religious leaders of
Jesus' day. The Israelites, we see, had been lulled into
thinking they too were righteous and that was why God was blessing
them. Such was not the case, however, as Moses
explained. His words must have hit those who heard him like an
unexpected slap on the face. It should strike us in the same
way too.
What "good things" has God entrusted to you?
My children come to mind as does the home in which I live, the car I
drive, the food I eat, the work I do as a Pastor, and so much
more. Why has God entrusted these things to me? Because
I am "good"? Because I am
"righteous"? I often think so but such is not
so! In fact, the Bible tells us "for ALL have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God" (cf Romans 3:23). The
"all" in that verse includes me . . . and
you.
Indeed, I have been busy counting my blessings
of late for which I have often perceived to be a manifest sign of
God's great pleasure with my life. Such may be, but it is more
likely, however, as this passage of Holy Writ reminds, that God is
merely using me in my unrighteousness to bring the unrighteousness
of others into accountability.
"Does God reward
righteousness?" I asked myself. Or is righteousness
expected -- especially from those of us who profess to trust in the
redemptive name of the Lord Jesus Christ? . . . It was a "slap
in the face" reality for me too!
O
Lord, how could I have been so blind? I am, like the
Israelites, a stiff-necked sinner too. I do not deserve your
grace, not even for a moment. I do not merit your favor.
My life has not been justified by the things I have done.
Indeed, I remain lost without your unceasing grace and mercy.
Forgive me, O Lord, for even thinking I have been blessed for my
righteousness. I am nothing without you. And thank you,
precious Lord, for showing me the errors of my ways and the
falsehoods of my thinking. As a Father you have disciplined me
and taught me. In Jesus' name I pray . . .
Amen.
Together We Pray
For
a son who continues on the road to
destruction; please pray even harder for this young man and his
family.
For a friend and her students as they
travel to a music camp Thursday and Friday.
For a father's long
awaited approval by Social Security.
For homeless boys and girls.
Pray also for Baptist Homes which shelter these beautiful children
from homelessness.
For a daughter and other FCA members
on a missions trip during spring break.
In thanksgiving for our children's
sight -- many children are blind.
For a couple with the
flu.
For a lady's uncle who fell this
week.
For a Christian woman who is
considering a career change.
For a neighbor who lost a brother this
week.
For a dear friend who has been turned
down by a church this week. Pray that he and his family will
see this as a revelation from God and not a
rejection.
In great gratitude for a six-year old girl who
has recovered from a tumor in her back.
For God to richly
bless the 1999 Annie Armstrong Easter Offering
which supports North American
Missions.
For God's very near presence through good and
bad times. Amen.
Internet
Corner
What's the one store you have
to shop at every week? No, it's not Wal-Mart although we would
like to! We all have to buy groceries. And now you can
use your internet connection to save money when you go.
How? With "Value Pages"!
Value Pages
are internet web sites that work like rebates for your next shopping
trip. Several national grocery chains now offer them with a
wide selection of items which changes each week. Here's how it
works.
You sign up
for value pages by visiting a grocers web site. For example,
www.bi-lo.com, www.foodlion.com, www.shopthepig.com (Piggly
Wiggly). We didn't see where Winn-Dixie was offering such
yet. Once you've signed up, the store will e-mail you a notice
that a new Value Page is available. You simply go to the web
site and print the page using your explorer's print command.
You then take the page with you when shopping, present it BEFORE the
order is scanned, and the computer will automatically print
"web dollars" that may be purchased anything
on your next trip. It's that
easy!
What makes
Value Pages so much fun, besides saving money, is that you can
customize your selection. For example, if your children are
past the baby years, you can delete coupons for baby
food.
Check out Value Pages today. It's
some of the good stuff on the
Internet. -- by Carla
Williams
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Living By Faith:
10-year Quest Culminates In A Father's Confession and a Changed Family By Connie Cavanaugh (Baptist Press, March 12, 1999)
Ministry
Needs
What's Needed?
This simple question harbors the key to ministry service.
Unfortunately, far too many people -- and churches especially, tend
to overlook the necessity of this question when deciding what
ministry to become involved with. This week, I challenge you
to look around your community and ask "what's
needed?" Maybe you'll discover a street corner with
prostitutes, aging senior citizens, families in need, houses in
disrepair. And when you do, you'll have a good idea of what
YOU need to do.
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Want
More?
e-mail Pastor Williams at pastor_wms@oocities.com.
You may also want to visit us on the World Wide Web at www.oocities.org/~jttb
for the latest updates on Service/Ministry opportunities, the
complete one year Bible reading plan, links to web sites that help
you grow in Christ, biographical data on Pastor Williams, and
more.
God loves you! (cf John
3:16)
(c) 1999 Charles J. Williams, Jr., M.Div. All rights reserved. Preview subscribers will automatically become subscribers
unless we hear from you otherwise. Send
an e-mail to Journey
Through the Bible to unsubscribe from this free
ministry. Submitted testimonies and prayer requests are
subject to editing by Pastor Williams for length and content.
Bible readings alternate between Old and New Testament selections so
as to journey the reader through the Bible in one year.
Reflection verses are suggestions for daily spiritual growth.
When reflecting, ask yourself: "What is God saying to
'me' in the this passage?" Then ask "What will I say
to God in response?"
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