HotCouponWorld - Blogs

HotCouponWorld - Blogs - meggers http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/ Coupons, coupon forum, printable grocery coupons, grocery store coupon matchups, printable coupons, coupon trading, coupon database, coupon trading, deals en Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:07:04 GMT vBulletin 720 http://static.hotcouponworld.com/forums/images_hcw/misc/rss.jpg HotCouponWorld - Blogs - meggers http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/ Charles Spurgeon http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4263-charles-spurgeon.html Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:47:33 GMT "I will help thee, saith the LORD." Isaiah 41:14

This morning let us hear the Lord Jesus speak to each one of us: I will help thee. It is but a small thing for Me, thy God, to help thee. Consider what I have done already. What! not help thee? Why, I bought thee with My blood. What! not help thee? I have died for thee; and if I have done the greater, will I not do the less? Help thee! It is the least thing I will ever do for thee; I have done more, and will do more. Before the world began I chose thee. I made the covenant for thee. I laid aside My glory and became a man for thee; I gave up My life for thee; and if I did all this, I will surely help thee now. In helping thee, I am giving thee what I have bought for thee already. If thou hadst need of a thousand times as much help, I would give it thee; thou requirest little compared with what I am ready to give. Tis much for thee to need, but it is nothing for me to bestow. Help thee? Fear not! If there were an ant at the door of thy granary asking for help, it would not ruin thee to give him a handful of thy wheat; and thou art nothing but a tiny insect at the door of My all sufficiency. I will help thee.

O my soul, is not this enough? Dost thou need more strength than the omnipotence of the United Trinity? Dost thou want more wisdom than exists in the Father, more love than displays itself in the Son, or more power than is manifest in the influences of the Spirit? Bring hither thine empty pitcher! Surely this well will fill it. Haste, gather up thy wants, and bring them here thine emptiness, thy woes, thy needs. Behold, this river of God is full for thy supply; what canst thou desire beside? Go forth, my soul, in this thy might. The Eternal God is thine helper!

Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismay.
I, I am thy God, and will still give thee aid.

]]> meggers http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4263-charles-spurgeon.html Greg Laurie - The Greatest Gift of All http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4244-greg-laurie-greatest-gift-all.html Sat, 17 Dec 2011 15:45:52 GMT *The Greatest Gift of All* I heard that someone actually tried to calculate how much it would cost to give the gifts named in the classic... The Greatest Gift of All

I heard that someone actually tried to calculate how much it would cost to give the gifts named in the classic Christmas song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas." The grand total came to about $15,000.

Some items were affordable, like a partridge in a pear tree for $34.99. Six turtledoves will run you somewhere around $50. Six geese-a-laying will cost around $150.

But the price soars when you add 11 pipers piping. That is $1,000 right there. Then there are the 12 drummers drumming. With current union scale for musicians, they will run you another $1,000.

The price really soars when you get 12 lords-a-leaping. We are talking $3,000 for them. Granted, I don't know where you would find them, but they are very expensive.

But the real message of Christmas is not the gifts we give each other. Rather, it is a reminder of the gift that God has given to each of us. It is the only gift that truly keeps on giving, so I want to point out four things about it.

First, it is surprising. When Christmas rolls around, you often try to figure out if certain people have bought that gift you really wanted. Maybe you already know what they bought, because they didn't hide it very well. Or maybe you uncovered it by accident—or maybe not. But when the day comes and you open the present, you have to pretend you're surprised. Yet all along, you knew what it was. God's gift to us, however, was a complete surprise. It was not expected and, as you examine it more carefully, you realize how great a gift it actually was.

Second, God's gift came to us in the humblest of wrappings. What would you think if you saw a gift under your Christmas tree that was wrapped in newspaper and tied up with string? At first, you would probably assume that a guy wrapped it.

But think about God's gift to us. Jesus was not born in a palace of gold; He was born in a stable. He was clothed in rags. He was laid in a feeding trough. Yet these things do not, in any way, diminish the story of Christ's birth. If anything, they help us realize the great sacrifice God made for us. God's gift to humanity, the ultimate gift of eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ, came in the simplest and humblest of wrappings.

Third, we don't deserve this gift. At Christmas, we give gifts to the people we care about, the ones who have been kind to us over the past year, or the ones who have given us a gift first. We don't give gifts to the person who has been slandering our name, or to the angry neighbor who never has a kind word to say. Yet God gave us His gift when we were His enemies. He didn't give this gift to us because we deserved it. In fact, it was just the opposite. The Bible tells us, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8 NKJV).

Fourth, the gift tells us something about the giver. When you want to give someone a gift, you start thinking about it ahead of time. Hopefully, you try to find what that person wants or needs. When God decided to give us the gift of eternal life, it wasn't something that He just thought of on the fly. Long before there was a town called Bethlehem, a garden called Eden, or a planet called Earth, a decision was made in eternity that God would send forth His Son, born of a woman, to redeem those who are under the law.

The Bible says that He was slain from the foundation of the world (see Revelation 13:8). Make no mistake about it: this gift that God has given to us was the most sacrificial thing He possibly could have offered.

So Christmas isn't about those gifts that you have under your tree right now. All of those things will be gone one day. All that will be left after this life is the human soul, and that will live forever. We will put so much stock in what we have, but this is all going to pass away.

Life is about what happens beyond the grave. Life is about knowing the God who made you and who gave you the greatest gift you will ever receive.

]]> meggers http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4244-greg-laurie-greatest-gift-all.html Oswald Chambers Devotional http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4184-oswald-chambers-devotional.html Wed, 15 Jun 2011 17:25:15 GMT Also . . . add to your faith . . . —2 Peter 1:5 *In the matter of drudgery.* Peter said in this passage that we have become “partakers of the... Also . . . add to your faith . . . —2 Peter 1:5

In the matter of drudgery. Peter said in this passage that we have become “partakers of the divine nature” and that we should now be “giving all diligence,” concentrating on forming godly habits (2 Peter 1:4-5). We are to “add” to our lives all that character means. No one is born either naturally or supernaturally with character; it must be developed. Nor are we born with habits— we have to form godly habits on the basis of the new life God has placed within us. We are not meant to be seen as God’s perfect, bright-shining examples, but to be seen as the everyday essence of ordinary life exhibiting the miracle of His grace. Drudgery is the test of genuine character. The greatest hindrance in our spiritual life is that we will only look for big things to do. Yet, “Jesus . . . took a towel and . . . began to wash the disciples’ feet . . .” (John 13:3-5).

We all have those times when there are no flashes of light and no apparent thrill to life, where we experience nothing but the daily routine with its common everyday tasks. The routine of life is actually God’s way of saving us between our times of great inspiration which come from Him. Don’t always expect God to give you His thrilling moments, but learn to live in those common times of the drudgery of life by the power of God.

It is difficult for us to do the “adding” that Peter mentioned here. We say we do not expect God to take us to heaven on flowery beds of ease, and yet we act as if we do! I must realize that my obedience even in the smallest detail of life has all of the omnipotent power of the grace of God behind it. If I will do my duty, not for duty’s sake but because I believe God is engineering my circumstances, then at the very point of my obedience all of the magnificent grace of God is mine through the glorious atonement by the Cross of Christ. ]]> meggers http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4184-oswald-chambers-devotional.html Max Lucado: The Sufferings of His Broken Heart http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4108-max-lucado-sufferings-his-broken-heart.html Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:40:59 GMT *The Sufferings of His Broken Heart* by Max Lucado Go with me for a moment to witness what was perhaps the foggiest night in history... ... The Sufferings of His Broken Heart

by Max Lucado

Go with me for a moment to witness what was perhaps the foggiest night in history...

The scene is very simple; you’ll recognize it quickly. A grove of twisted olive trees. Ground cluttered with large rocks. A low stone fence. A dark, dark night.

Now, look into the picture. Look closely through the shadowy foliage. See that person? See that solitary figure? What’s he doing? Flat on the ground. Face stained with dirt and tears. Fists pounding the hard earth. Eyes wide with a stupor of fear. Hair matted with salty sweat. Is that blood on his forehead?

That’s Jesus. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Maybe you’ve seen the classic portrait of Christ in the garden. Kneeling beside a big rock. Snow-white robe. Hands peacefully folded in prayer. A look of serenity on his face. Halo over his head. A spotlight from heaven illuminating his golden-brown hair.
Now, I’m no artist, but I can tell you one thing. The man who painted that picture didn’t use the gospel of Mark as a pattern.

Look what Mark wrote about that painful night, he used phrases like these:

“Horror and dismay came over him.” “My heart is ready to break with grief.” “He went a little forward and threw himself on the ground.”

Does this look like the picture of a saintly Jesus resting in the palm of God? Hardly.

Mark used black paint to describe this scene. We see an agonizing, straining, and struggling Jesus. We see a “man of sorrows.” (Isaiah 53:3 NASB) We see a man struggling with fear, wrestling with commitments, and yearning for relief.
We see Jesus in the fog of a broken heart.

The writer of Hebrews would later pen, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death.” (Hebrews 5:7 NIV)

My, what a portrait! Jesus is in pain. Jesus is on the stage of fear. Jesus is cloaked, not in sainthood, but in humanity.

The next time the fog finds you, you might do well to remember Jesus in the garden.
The next time you think that no one understands, reread the fourteenth chapter of Mark. The next time your self-pity convinces you that no one cares, pay a visit to Gethsemane. And the next time you wonder if God really perceives the pain that prevails on this dusty planet, listen to him pleading among the twisted trees.

The next time you are called to suffer, pay attention. It may be the closest you’ll ever get to God. Watch closely. It could very well be that the hand that extends itself to lead you out of the fog is a pierced one. ]]> meggers http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4108-max-lucado-sufferings-his-broken-heart.html Max Lucado - Dear Friend http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4107-max-lucado-dear-friend.html Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:35:40 GMT Week of March 18

Dear Friend
by Max Lucado

Dear Friend,

I'm writing to say thanks. I wish I could thank you personally, but I don't know where you are. I wish I could call you, but I don't know your name. If I knew your appearance, I'd look for you, but your face is fuzzy in my memory. But I'll never forget what you did.

There you were, leaning against your pickup in the West Texas oil field. An engineer of some sort. A supervisor on the job. Your khakis and clean shirt set you apart from us roustabouts. In the oil field pecking order, we were at the bottom. You were the boss. We were the workers. You read the blueprints. We dug the ditches. You inspected the pipe. We laid it. You ate with the bosses in the shed. We ate with each other in the shade.

Except that day.

I remember wondering why you did it.
We weren't much to look at. What wasn't sweaty was oily. Faces burnt from the sun; skin black from the grease. Didn't bother me, though. I was there only for the summer. A high-school boy earning good money laying pipe.

We weren't much to listen to, either. Our language was sandpaper coarse. After lunch, we'd light the cigarettes and begin the jokes. Someone always had a deck of cards with lacy-clad girls on the back. For thirty minutes in the heat of the day, the oil patch became Las Vegas—replete with foul language, dirty stories, blackjack, and barstools that doubled as lunch pails.

In the middle of such a game, you approached us. I thought you had a job for us that couldn't wait another few minutes. Like the others, I groaned when I saw you coming.

You were nervous. You shifted your weight from one leg to the other as you began to speak.

"Uh, fellows," you started.

We turned and looked up at you.

"I, uh, I just wanted, uh, to invite … "

You were way out of your comfort zone. I had no idea what you might be about to say, but I knew that it had nothing to do with work.

"I just wanted to tell you that, uh, our church is having a service tonight and,
uh …"

"What?" I couldn't believe it. "He's talking church? Out here? With us?"

"I wanted to invite any of you to come along."

Silence. Screaming silence.

Several guys stared at the dirt. A few shot glances at the others. Snickers rose just inches from the surface.

"Well, that's it. Uh, if any of you want to go … uh, let me know."

After you turned and left, we turned and laughed. We called you "reverend," "preacher," and "the pope." We poked fun at each other, daring one another to go. You became the butt of the day's jokes.

I'm sure you knew that. I'm sure you went back to your truck knowing the only good you'd done was to make a good fool out of yourself. If that's what you thought, then you were wrong.

That's the reason for this letter.

Some five years later, a college sophomore was struggling with a decision. He had drifted from the faith given to him by his parents. He wanted to come back. He wanted to come home. But the price was high. His friends might laugh. His habits would have to change. His reputation would have to be overcome.

Could he do it? Did he have the courage?
That's when I thought of you. As I sat in my dorm room late one night, looking for the guts to do what I knew was right, I thought of you.

I thought of how your love for God had been greater than your love for your reputation.
I thought of how your obedience had been greater than your common sense.

I remembered how you had cared more about making disciples than about making a good first impression. And when I thought of you, your memory became my motivation.

So I came home.

I've told your story dozens of times to thousands of people. Each time the reaction is the same: The audience becomes a sea of smiles, and heads bob in understanding.

Some smile because they think of the "clean-shirted engineers" in their lives. They remember the neighbor who brought the cake, the aunt who wrote the letter, the teacher who listened …

Others smile because they have done what you did. And they, too, wonder if their "lunchtime loyalty" was worth the effort.
You wondered that. What you did that day wasn't much. And I'm sure you walked away that day thinking that your efforts had been wasted.

They weren't.

So I'm writing to say thanks. Thanks for the example. Thanks for the courage. Thanks for giving your lunch to God. He did something with it; it became the Bread of Life for me.

Gratefully,

Max

P.S. If by some remarkable coincidence you read this and remember that day, please give me a call. I owe you lunch.

]]> meggers http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4107-max-lucado-dear-friend.html Greg Laurie: The Secret to Spiritual Growth http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4088-greg-laurie-secret-spiritual-growth.html Sat, 26 Feb 2011 18:35:44 GMT *The Secret to Spiritual Growth* We all want to experience spiritual growth and success. Sadly, we all know people who have been spiritual... The Secret to Spiritual Growth

We all want to experience spiritual growth and success. Sadly, we all know people who have been spiritual failures in life. Perhaps we regard ourselves that way.

Some have grown in leaps and bounds spiritually, while others have not grown at all. Some have done great things for God and His Kingdom, while others have done nothing.

You might say, "Well, Christianity just didn't work for me!" Listen, Christianity is not a product that works for some and not for others. Plain and simple: Christianity is Christ. He can and will work in any life that is truly dedicated to Him. G. K. Chesterton said, "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. It's been found difficult and not tried."

Why do some succeed spiritually, while others fail? The short answer: Because they choose to. They want it, so they go for it. Others don't really want it, so they don't go for it.

You might protest, "That sounds like you think living the Christian life is human effort." I am not saying that. Scripture clearly says that it is not by works of righteousness that we have done, but by His mercy He has saved us (see Titus 3:5).But clearly there are some things that only God can do, and some things that only you can do.

Paul reminds us that we are to work out our own salvation "with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). That does not say that you should work for your own salvation but work out your salvation. Another translation says to "carry to the goal and fully complete with self distrust."

The following verse explains it: "For it is God who works in you both to will and do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). As the Beatles famously sang, "We can work it out." We need to work out what God has worked in. God enables us to do this, but we must also apply ourselves.

Let me say it again, there are some things only God can do, and some things only I can do. Only God can save a person. Only God can forgive and forget our sins. Only God can change the human heart. But at the same time, only I can believe. Only I can repent. Only I can follow. God will not do those things for me, as He has given me a free will to choose. ]]> meggers http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4088-greg-laurie-secret-spiritual-growth.html Two Gardens http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4076-two-gardens.html Fri, 18 Feb 2011 16:43:05 GMT Two Garden... Max Lucado “The Son gives life.” John 5:21 The Bible is the story of two gardens: Eden and Gethsemane. In the first, Adam... Two Garden...
Max Lucado

“The Son gives life.” John 5:21

The Bible is the story of two gardens: Eden and Gethsemane. In the first, Adam took a fall. In the second, Jesus took a stand. In the first, God sought Adam. In the second, Jesus sought God. In Eden, Adam hid from God. In Gethsemane, Jesus emerged from the tomb. In Eden, Satan led Adam to a tree that led to his death. From Gethsemane, Jesus went to a tree that led to our life. ]]> meggers http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4076-two-gardens.html Jack Graham: Why you still need the Gospel today... http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4073-jack-graham-why-you-still-need-gospel-today.html Mon, 14 Feb 2011 18:17:04 GMT *“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now... “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine… Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

-- Luke 10:30-37

If I’m having a conversation with someone and I want to better understand their spiritual state, I’ll often ask, “If you died and God asked, ‘Why should I let you into heaven?’, what would you say?”

And almost always, I get one of three answers: “Because of grace,” “Because of my good works,” or “I don’t know.” Now, I love the first answer and appreciate the honesty of the third, but when someone tells me they believe they’re good enough to make it to heaven, I know they’re a long way from God.

There are so many people in the world today who think that the Gospel is only for the thief, the murderer, or the prostitute. They think they’ve outgrown their need for the Gospel.

On one occasion when Jesus taught the about the greatest commandment, to love God and love your neighbor, an expert in the Jewish Law asked, “Who is my neighbor?” So Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan in which a man was beaten and robbed. He was passed, ignored by a priest and a Levite, both of whom were highly involved in Jewish worship. But then a Samaritan, from one of the most despised races of people in Israel, stopped and helped.

This is a clear picture of the Gospel. It doesn’t matter how many times you go to church or how many email devotionals are in your inbox. What matters is whether or not you love others.

So don’t ever feel like you’ve outgrown your need for the Gospel because all ground is level at the foot of the cross! ]]> meggers http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4073-jack-graham-why-you-still-need-gospel-today.html The Great Tribulation http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4049-great-tribulation.html Thu, 27 Jan 2011 12:25:23 GMT January 27

The Great Tribulation

Matthew 24:21 -- "For then there will be a great tribulation, such as not has occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will."

There is coming a day when God will pour out His unbridled wrath upon this earth and its inhabitants. Jesus called that time the "Great Tribulation." It is a seven-year period of "hell on earth" that will begin immediately after Christ comes for His Church in the Rapture.

Revelation 6-19 describes the events of this horrible time. Seven seals of judgment will be broken by Jesus to unleash the wrath of God on sin and sinners. War, famine, disease, and death in unprecedented proportions will be the worldwide norm. The future will no longer appeal to anyone. Man will prefer death instead of life.

After the seven seals, seven trumpets of judgment will sound forth. Among the plagues from these trumpet blasts will be a five-month period during which literal demons will torture mankind relentlessly. Following the trumpets, God will pour out seven bowls of judgment. Every mountain and island will disappear, and the oceans and fresh water will be turned into blood. Malignant sores will plague all people. Antichrist will rise to power and will rule the world, issuing a "mark" without which no one can purchase anything. He will demand to be worshiped and will blaspheme God. At the end of those seven years, Jesus will return with the Christians who were raptured, defeat the Antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon, and be crowned King of kings and Lord of lords!

Gratefully, those of us who know Jesus Christ as Savior will escape this time of tribulation that the Bible also calls "the wrath to come" (1 Thessalonians 1:10). But millions of lost people will be left behind at the Rapture to face the horrors of the Great Tribulation! What about you? Will you go up in the Rapture or will you be left behind? ]]> meggers http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4049-great-tribulation.html <![CDATA[Dr. Charles Stanley: God's Love]]> http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4025-dr-charles-stanley-gods-love.html Mon, 10 Jan 2011 11:47:34 GMT *January 10* *Our Love Life* Matthew 7:7-11 (http://www.crosswalkmail.com/mqtbqscdbwblcpdkltgvzlmzcslpyggpwnczqqkcstycbsq_fdbbyhbsqdgb.html) ... January 10

Our Love Life
Matthew 7:7-11

God's love is without limit, but that doesn't mean His children have no boundaries. While the world argues that Christianity's rules stifle the individual, any good parent will attest that setting limits is part of caring for one's kids. And so is continuing to love them when they break the rules.

This may bring two questions to mind:

• Why does the Lord have so many rules?Scriptural principles are designed to protect us and bring peace. But God does not force obedience. The Bible neither says nor implies that we have to live up to the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount in order to be loved. God's children discover that following those rules is the path to joy, security, and a sense of well-being. In contrast, disobedience brings heartache and suffering into one's life.

• What happens when I sin?
Our obedience is not required for God to love us. He cares for even the most evil and murderous man, which means that no one is able to sin beyond the Lord's redemptive grace. He will always forgive. But do not fall for the opposite error either. Grace is not a license to sin. God allows us to experience the consequences of wrongdoing. That's what a loving parent does to be sure a child learns the value of doing right.

God loves without condition. To show His great care, He gave solid principles on which people are to build their lives. His affection is in no way diminished toward those who ignore biblical rules, but His heart is grieved by their defiance. He delights in believers who seek and follow His will (1 Thess. 4:1). ]]> meggers http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4025-dr-charles-stanley-gods-love.html <![CDATA[Praying In Jesus' Name]]> http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4021-praying-jesus-name.html Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:25:49 GMT January 6

John 14:13-14 -- "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it."

Soon after I became a Christian, a friend of mine and I began singing and sharing God's Word in various places. We decided that we needed a sound system, so we went to a bank and asked for a loan of two thousand dollars. The loan officer asked us what we planned to use as "collateral" to assure the payment of the loan. Neither of us owned anything. All we could do was promise to pay the loan promptly. As you might have guessed, the bank would not loan us the money without more assurance than our word.

As I dejectedly walked out the door, the officer said something I have never forgotten. "Your parents have several accounts here. If they will guarantee the loan, we will give you the money." I went straight home, told my parents, and they agreed to co-sign the note. We got the money and our sound system, and I learned a valuable lesson. What I could not get from a bank in my name, I could get based on my parents' name.

Jesus taught us to pray to the Father in His name. Our works are insufficient spiritual collateral with God. I am to pray to the Father in Jesus' name because He paid the price for me by shedding His blood and dying for my sins. When I pray based on who Christ is and what He has done, God listens and answers. It is in Jesus' name, in His authority, that I can experience answers to my prayers.

"In Jesus' name" is the only spiritual collateral that heaven will honor. Those simple words should not be a phrase you merely tack on to the end of your prayers. They are absolutely essential! The Father desires to bless you and supply your every need. He is waiting for you to pray and allow His Son to co-sign your requests "in Jesus' name." ]]> meggers http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/4021-praying-jesus-name.html Oswald Chambers - The Forgiveness of God http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/3991-oswald-chambers-forgiveness-god.html Sun, 21 Nov 2010 05:55:58 GMT In Him we have . . . the forgiveness of sins . . . —Ephesians 1:7 (http://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/Ephesians%201.7) Beware of the pleasant view of... In Him we have . . . the forgiveness of sins . . . —Ephesians 1:7

Beware of the pleasant view of the fatherhood of God: God is so kind and loving that of course He will forgive us. That thought, based solely on emotion, cannot be found anywhere in the New Testament. The only basis on which God can forgive us is the tremendous tragedy of the Cross of Christ. To base our forgiveness on any other ground is unconscious blasphemy. The only ground on which God can forgive our sin and reinstate us to His favor is through the Cross of Christ. There is no other way!

Forgiveness, which is so easy for us to accept, cost the agony at Calvary. We should never take the forgiveness of sin, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and our sanctification in simple faith, and then forget the enormous cost to God that made all of this ours.

Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace. The cost to God was the Cross of Christ. To forgive sin, while remaining a holy God, this price had to be paid. Never accept a view of the fatherhood of God if it blots out the atonement. The revealed truth of God is that without the atonement He cannot forgive— He would contradict His nature if He did. The only way we can be forgiven is by being brought back to God through the atonement of the Cross. God’s forgiveness is possible only in the supernatural realm.

Compared with the miracle of the forgiveness of sin, the experience of sanctification is small. Sanctification is simply the wonderful expression or evidence of the forgiveness of sins in a human life. But the thing that awakens the deepest fountain of gratitude in a human being is that God has forgiven his sin. Paul never got away from this. Once you realize all that it cost God to forgive you, you will be held as in a vise, constrained by the love of God. ]]> meggers http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/3991-oswald-chambers-forgiveness-god.html Oswald Chambers - Devotional http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/3990-oswald-chambers-devotional.html Sat, 20 Nov 2010 06:36:11 GMT When He has come, He will convict the world of sin . . . —John 16:8 (http://biblia.com/bible/nkjv/John%2016.8) Very few of us know anything... When He has come, He will convict the world of sin . . . —John 16:8

Very few of us know anything about conviction of sin. We know the experience of being disturbed because we have done wrong things. But conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit blots out every relationship on earth and makes us aware of only one— “Against You, You only, have I sinned . . .” (Psalm 51:4). When a person is convicted of sin in this way, he knows with every bit of his conscience that God would not dare to forgive him. If God did forgive him, then this person would have a stronger sense of justice than God. God does forgive, but it cost the breaking of His heart with grief in the death of Christ to enable Him to do so. The great miracle of the grace of God is that He forgives sin, and it is the death of Jesus Christ alone that enables the divine nature to forgive and to remain true to itself in doing so. It is shallow nonsense to say that God forgives us because He is love. Once we have been convicted of sin, we will never say this again. The love of God means Calvary— nothing less! The love of God is spelled out on the Cross and nowhere else. The only basis for which God can forgive me is the Cross of Christ. It is there that His conscience is satisfied.

Forgiveness doesn’t merely mean that I am saved from hell and have been made ready for heaven (no one would accept forgiveness on that level). Forgiveness means that I am forgiven into a newly created relationship which identifies me with God in Christ. The miracle of redemption is that God turns me, the unholy one, into the standard of Himself, the Holy One. He does this by putting into me a new nature, the nature of Jesus Christ. ]]> meggers http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/3990-oswald-chambers-devotional.html My Testimony http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/3987-my-testimony.html Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:35:30 GMT I am amazed at what God has done in my life. The peace & assurance I have in Him is priceless. He has always taken care of me. By all means, I shouldn't be alive or even with a home. Even after I got saved (rededication), I struggled financially for quite some time, until I began giving back to God a small portion of what He gave to me.

I know that I could go back to struggling at any moment. Tithing isn't a ticket to monetary riches, but God has promised to bless & take care of those that do so & God has been so good to me as a result. He waits eagerly to bless me even more & with things that have NOTHING to do with money. He just can't right now, cause I'm such a gomerhead sometimes.

But more than that, He saved me. He didn't have to & that's what amazes me. He was willing to come to this earth & live as a man & be tempted as we're tempted & become the sacrifice for the sin of the world that would satisfy a Holy God.

It's not that God doesn't love us enough to let all those that are good and kind
into Heaven, it's that He does. He did it through Jesus. A price had to be paid
and Jesus paid it.

Looking back, I was such a rebellious child. I was called, but my pride wouldn't let me walk up that aisle to surrender my life to the One that surrendered all.

I dropped out of high school, went & got into drugs & alcohol. Living life carefree, but always knowing I was doing wrong. I finally got saved in 1993, but I walked away...

I became addicted to crack cocaine & it was only then that I realized that God
delivered me from such a horribly addicting drug the first time I used it in 1988.
It was only after I walked away from God that I realized how much He had protected
me. But the second time, I had to give it up & it was one of the hardest things I've ever done because I was doing it in my own power. He did meet me halfway. I realize
that now. I would've failed, like so many, had He not, but it didn't have to be that hard, if I had just surrendered to Him.

I lost my hearing due to illness. I wasn't using crack at that time, but I
got very angry with God, so I went out & did it again (for the last time) & I nearly died.

When I walked in the door, my mother, without uttering a sound (she just knew), held her hand out & I gave her the crack I had & not another word was ever said about it.

And still, I didn't surrender to Christ. Pride. Anger. I would have to lose everything.
My hearing, my father, mother, sister, my dear aunt.

But finally, on June 7th, 2004, I did. I was reading a book on problems. The readers were directed to put their problems in perspective & in that moment, I knew the only problem I really had was that I had left my first love.

I recalled how it was the sweetest time of my life & yet, I walked away. I still have not gotten it back entirely. Something happens when God has given you such a knowledge & you squander it, but I know God is restoring that to me...

That undying & constant hunger for God's Word; the long prayers that can put you in a place that this world cannot touch; the boldness to die by the hands of another if only they'll let you tell them about the sweet peace that comes from the One who died for them...

If you have that, don't ever let it go. If you want it, it's in Christ Jesus. You simply have to claim it...

Repent of (turn away from) your sin:
Matthew 9:13b for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Believe that Christ died on the cross for your sin, and rose from the dead:
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Receive Christ by faith into your heart for the forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life:
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner. I repent of my sin, and turn to You in faith, believing You died on a cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I ask You to come into my heart and save me.

If you have done this then you've been born again by the Spirit of God and are now a new creature in Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ...That which is born
of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:3-6).

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

@ ]]> meggers http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/3987-my-testimony.html <![CDATA[Max Lucado: Take this Job & Love it!]]> http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/3983-max-lucado-take-job-love.html Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:22:33 GMT *Take Your Job and Love It * by Max Lucado My heart took delight in all my work. Ecclesiastes 2:10 NIV Contrast two workers. The first... Take Your Job and Love It
by Max Lucado

My heart took delight in all my work.
Ecclesiastes 2:10 NIV

Contrast two workers.

The first one slices the air with his hand, making points, instructing the crowd. He is a teacher and, from the look of things, a compelling one. He stands on a beach, rendering the slanted seashore an amphitheater. As he talks, his audience increases; as the audience grows, his platform shrinks. The instructor steps back and back until the next step will take him into the water. That's when he spots another worker.

A fisherman. Not animated, but frustrated. He spent all night fishing, but caught nothing. All night! Double-digit hours worth of casting, splashing, and pulling the net. But he caught nothing. Unlike the teacher, the fisherman has nothing to show for his work. He draws no crowds; he doesn't even draw fish. Just nets.

Two workers. One pumped up. One worn-out. The first, fruitful. The second, futile. To which do you relate?

If you empathize with the fisherman, you walk a crowded path. Before you change professions, try this: change your attitude toward your profession.

Jesus' word for frustrated workers can be found in the fifth chapter of Luke's gospel, where we encounter the teacher and the frustrated fisherman. You've likely guessed their names—Jesus and Peter. Peter, Andrew, James, and John made their living catching and selling fish. Like other fishermen, they worked the night shift, when cool water brought the game to the surface. And, like other fishermen, they knew the drudgery of a fishless night.

While Jesus preaches, they clean nets. And as the crowd grows, Christ has an idea.
He noticed two boats tied up. The fishermen had just left them and were out scrubbing their nets. He climbed into the boat that was and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Sitting there, using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd. (vv. 2-3 MSG)
Jesus claims Peter's boat. He doesn't request the use of it. Christ doesn't fill out an application or ask permission; he simply boards the boat and begins to preach.

He can do that, you know. All boats belong to Christ. Your boat is where you spend your day, make your living, and to a large degree live your life.

Your boat is God's pulpit.

I have a friend who understands this. By job description she teaches at a public elementary school. By God's description she pastors a class of precious children. Read the e-mail she sent her friends:

I'm asking for your prayers for my students. I know everyone is busy, but...
On and on the list goes, including nearly deaf Sara. Disorganized-but-thoughtful Terrell. Model-student Alicia. Bossy-but-creative Kaelyn.

Does this teacher work for a school system or for God? Does she spend her day in work or worship? Does she make money or a difference? Every morning she climbs in the boat Jesus loaned her. The two of them row out into the water and cast nets. My friend imitates Peter.

Suppose you were to do what Peter did. Take Christ to work with you. Invite him to superintend your nine-to-five. He showed Peter where to cast nets. Won't he show you where to transfer funds, file the documents, or take the students on a field trip?

Holy Spirit, help me stitch this seam.

Lord of creation, show me why this manifold won't work.

King of kings, please bring clarity to this budget.

Dear Jesus, guide my hands as I trim this hair.

Pray the prayer of Moses: "Let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us, confirming the work that we do. Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do!" (Ps. 90:17 MSG).

Hold it there. I saw you roll those eyes. You see no way God could use your work. Your boss has the disposition of a hungry pit bull; hamsters have larger work areas; your kids have better per diems. You feel sentenced to the outpost of Siberia, where hope left on the last train. If so, meet one final witness. He labored eighteen years in a Chinese prison camp.

The Communist regime rewarded his faith in Christ with the sewage assignment. The camp kept its human waste in pools until it fermented into fertilizer. The pits seethed with stink and disease. Guards and prisoners alike avoided the cesspools and all who worked there, including this disciple.

After he'd spent weeks in the pit, the stench pigmented his body. He couldn't scrub it out. Imagine his plight, far from home. And even in the prison, far from people. But somehow this godly man found a garden in his prison. "I was thankful for being sent to the cesspool. This was the only place where I was not under severe surveillance. I could pray and sing openly to our Lord. When I was there, the cesspool became my private garden."

He then quoted the words to the old hymn:

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice so clear whispers in my ear
The Son of God discloses.
And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known.

"I never knew the meaning of this hymn until I had been in the labor camp," he said. God can make a garden out of the cesspool you call work, if you take him with you.

For Peter and his nets, my friend and her class, the prisoner and his garden, and for you and your work, the promise is the same: everything changes when you give Jesus your boat. ]]> meggers http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/blogs/meggers/3983-max-lucado-take-job-love.html