BioJeSSiC

Tonight, I read a lot of devotionals, articles and excerpts again. I had a great time learning from christian authors and of course, the glory goes to God– the center of it all. I placed here some of the nice thoughts that I read. It may not have a great impact on you but it sure made a lot of sense to me. We all know that God speaks to different people in different ways. We also have different things to deal with everyday. So, I am keeping these to remind myself of what I learned tonight. You may click the links (their names), if you want to read the articles or get to know who they are. I hope I can do this all the time so I won’t forget what God has reminded me about. This is also a great way for me to share His goodness and wisdom. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (James 1:5,KJV)

A season of suffering is a small assignment when compared to the reward. By: Max Lucado This tells me that trials are like seasons. They come and they go. They are temporary. Most of my worries today won’t matter months from now. God does not stop with the trials. He is just in the process of making all things beautiful. The results matter to Him. I matter to Him. Thus, the process is necessary. Difficult times won’t last long but the effects are eternal.  

Coach George Karl was sick to death at the collapse of his team.  When interviewed the following day, he said in essence, “I could not feel sicker.  Yet when I woke up early this morning and saw the sunrise, I knew it was going to be okay, and I was going to get through this.  The sun had still come up.”  From the devotional of Jeff Schreve. Hope. Hope. Hope. I am glad our God is a God of hope.

As we read the Bible, we should pray, worship God, speak to Him about our needs, and listen to His answers. This should be a time of communication between two spirits that sets the order of events for each day. By: Pat Robertson. Before we do anything.. Before we make decisions.. Before we make plans.. Before we begin anything.. We should speak to our Lord first. Again, I am not in charge. I am not my own. This means that I should not act as if I have no Master. There is a Guide and a Maker who longs to tell me, ” I know the way”.

If you think it’s all about you, and I think it’s all about me, we have no hope for a melody. By: Max Lucado This hits the nail on the head. This is the reason why some relationships don’t work. Whether it be a family or a couple, the point is to focus on God and make Him the center.

The UpWords Weekly Email Devotional
MaxLucado.com/newsletter/
3/16/06
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HIS FINAL PRAYER WAS ABOUT YOU - - -
by Max LucadoAs Jesus stepped into the garden, you were in his prayers. As Jesus 
looked into heaven, you were in his vision. As Jesus dreamed of the 
day when we will be where he is, he saw you there.

His final prayer was about you. His final pain was for you. His final 
passion was you.

He steps into the garden, and invites Peter, James, and John to come. 
He tells them his soul is “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of 
death,” and begins to pray.

Never has he felt so alone. What must be done, only he can do. An 
angel can’t do it. No angel has the power to break open hell’s gates. 
A man can’t do it. No man has the purity to destroy sin’s claim. No 
force on earth can face the force of evil and win—except God.

“The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” Jesus confesses.

His humanity begged to be delivered from what his divinity could see. 
Jesus, the carpenter, implores. Jesus, the man, peers into the dark 
pit and begs, “Can’t there be another way?”

Did he know the answer before he asked the question? Did his human 
heart hope his heavenly father had found another way? We don’t know. 
But we do know he asked to get out. We do know he begged for an exit. 
We do know there was a time when if he could have, he would have 
turned his back on the whole mess and gone away.

But he couldn’t.

He couldn’t because he saw you. Right there in the middle of a world 
which isn’t fair. He saw you cast into a river of life you didn’t 
request. He saw you betrayed by those you love. He saw you with a 
body which gets sick and a heart which grows weak.

He saw you in your own garden of gnarled trees and sleeping friends. 
He saw you staring into the pit of your own failures and the mouth of 
your own grave.

He saw you in your Garden of Gethsemane—and he didn’t want you to be 
alone.

He wanted you to know that he has been there, too. He knows what it’s 
like to be plotted against. He knows what it’s like to be confused. 
He knows what it’s like to be torn between two desires. He knows what 
it’s like to smell the stench of Satan. And, perhaps most of all, he 
knows what it’s like to beg God to change his mind and to hear God 
say so gently, but firmly, “No.”

For that is what God says to Jesus. And Jesus accepts the answer. At 
some moment during that midnight hour an angel of mercy comes over 
the weary body of the man in the garden. As he stands, the anguish is 
gone from his eyes. His fist will clench no more. His heart will 
fight no more.

The battle is won. You may have thought it was won on Golgotha. It 
wasn’t. You may have thought the sign of victory is the empty tomb. 
It isn’t. The final battle was won in Gethsemane. And the sign of 
conquest is Jesus at peace in the olive trees.

For it was in the garden that he made his decision. He would rather 
go to hell for you than go to heaven without you.