I WILL NEVER FAIL OR FORSAKE YOU

Genesis 9:13

I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my permanent promise to you and to all the earth.

Rainbows are beautiful natural works of art, aren’t they? They have a full spectrum of colors that will mesmerize anyone that should gaze upon them. God's promise in Genesis 9:13 is symbolic of the beautiful and full extent of God's faithfulness that 2 Timothy 2:13 speaks of: “If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.” Soon after my wife and I were married, we wanted to start a family and just 3 months after our wedding day we learned that my wife was pregnant. That excitement ended just one month later as she miscarried. The news was devastating, but it was during those days that God’s sweet presence assured her with words from Hebrews 13:5: “Be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never forsake you.’” In keeping with His promise, God has given us two beautiful children and we are always reminded when we see them that He is a Promise Keeper. Just like the spectacular rainbows, promises that are kept are always beautiful.

THERE ARE BIG PLANS FOR YOU

Hebrews 13:14

For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our city in heaven, which is yet to come.

A military officer and his family were forced to live in cramped quarters at a hotel because of a housing shortage at their assigned base. He overheard one of his 6 year old daughter's friends telling his daughter, “That’s too bad that you don’t have a home.” His bright little daughter responded quickly by saying, “Oh, we’ve got a home; we just don’t have a house to put it in.” Wouldn't it be nice to have a big and fully furnished home just like one right out of the pages of a fancy living magazine? Sometimes, however, we struggle just to get by, let alone to strive forward. Because of this, Jesus taught us in John 14:1-4, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” In the meantime, refrain from envying those that seemingly have more than you at this moment. Keep in mind that your all-powerful Father in heaven has big plans for you and that he's got a mansion waiting for his obedient children.

10 RULES FOR LIVING

Proverbs 19:21

You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail.

Have you made plans for your life? Check out Thomas Jefferson’s 10 Rules for Living:

1. Never put off ‘til tomorrow what you can do today
2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself
3. Never spend your money before you have it
4. Never buy what you do not want because it is cheap
5. Pride costs more than hunger, thirst and cold
6. We never repent of having eaten too little
7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly
8. How much pain have cost us the evils which have never happened
9. Take things always by the smooth handle
10. When angry, count 10 before you speak; if very angry, count to 100

I believe that when you fail to plan, you’ve planned to fail. These plans, however, must be guided by principles of the Word of God. Therefore, take your plans and principles, and align them with God's purpose for your life. When everything's aligned properly, the blessings will follow oh so easily.

GOTTA GIVE TO RECEIVE

Luke 6:38

If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving – large or small – it will be used to measure what is given back to you.

When my family and I immigrated to the United States, I knew that God brought us to a new place to start a new life. Initially, life was very demanding and the culture fast paced. It seemed like everybody was moving as fast as possible to attain their proverbial "American Dream." In our desire for blessings, my family and I made a decision to offer my entire first paycheck to God. Sounds pretty risky, right? I knew, however, that in order to succeed in a new country and culture, I’d need to do the wisest thing possible and be obedient to God. Today, we’ve been provided with everything a family needs and we have it to the fullest. I can never complain because there’s nothing to complain about. I know it might feel risky at times, but if you work on being obedient to our Creator, His blessings for your obedience can be so abundant that they'll literally feel pressed down and shaken together.

YOU GOTTA HAVE HEART

Jeremiah 17:9

The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?

Jeremiah 17:9 is an eye opener for everyone, but let me also share Proverbs 23:26 with you, "O my son, give me your heart. May your eyes delight in my ways of wisdom." God's asking us to give Him our hearts, the symbolic seat of our emotions. When we rule over our own hearts we become subject to some very negative possibilities, but when we allow God to rule over our hearts good things begin to happen in our lives. I once heard somebody say of the human heart that, "the heart of the problem, is a problem of the heart." Jesus responds to this challenge of ours in Matthew 12:35 when He teaches us that, "A good person produces good words from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil words from an evil heart." If we would truly give our hearts over to God, our deceitfully wicked hearts would become good hearts producing good words and blessings all around. I don't know about you, but I like the idea of blessings all around my life.

TOO BUSY TO SAY THANK YOU

Mark 12:17

Give to Caesar what belongs to him. But everything that belongs to God must be given to God.

I have personally seen people go literally from rags to riches. I know of a businessman that had fallen into bankruptcy that began praying to God for a broad blessing that could only come from Him. He began serving the Lord through his church and gave freely of his time to a large variety of church activities. To nobody's surprise, the Lord started to pour out blessings upon this man's business. Later on, however, because of time constraints from the blessings upon his businesses, he began retreating from his church responsibilities, activities and ministries. His response reminds me of a story about a little boy walking to church with two nickels, one for the Lord and one for himself. On the way to church he accidentally dropped one of the nickels into a sewer and said, “Well, there goes the Lord’s nickel.” Sadly, it seems that time spent focusing on God is what's at stake when we become busy managing the blessings bestowed to us. Get your priorities straight and give to God what must be given to God: His fair share.

CHEW ON THIS

Psalm 59:16

But as for me, I will sing about your power. I will shout with joy each morning because of your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety in the day of distress.

I've been told time and time again that breakfast is our most important meal of the day. Some folks start their day off simply with a hot coffee and newspaper, while others gorge on pancakes and waffles to get their engines going. While breakfast provides energy and nutrients to our bodies physically, it doesn't do much for us spiritually. I’d once read story about a grade school teacher who would ask her class every morning if there were any students who hadn’t eaten breakfast. One morning a 9-year old boy raised his hand, so this teacher asked the boy why he hadn’t eaten. The boy replied, "In our home we don’t eat ’til we've eaten spiritual food. I was late getting up this morning and I had to leave right after the spiritual food, so I missed out on breakfast.” Make time for yourselves to get some spiritual food into your systems everyday. Just having that short time with God could make all the difference in how the rest of your day goes.

MAJOR MIRACLES & MINOR RULES

John 5:10,11

So the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, "You can't work on the Sabbath! It's illegal to carry that sleeping mat!" He replied, "The man who healed me said to me, 'Pick up your sleeping mat and walk.'"

John 5:10-11 focuses upon a man that had been crippled for 38 years. He would sit beside a pool where an angel would come stir the waters and the first person that would go down into the water after the stirring would be healed. However, since this man was crippled others would always pass him by and go before him. For 38 years he was there hoping and waiting until Jesus came with a compassionate voice asking the man, “Do you want to get healed?” The man immediately replied, "Yes," which prompted Jesus to reply, "Stand up, pick up your sleeping mat, and walk!" Now THAT’s a miracle! A cripple waiting next to a pool for 38 years for healing was now walking! The Jewish leaders of the day, however, told him, "You can't work on the Sabbath! It's illegal to carry that sleeping mat!" Now wait just a moment here. Did they miss the fact that the crippled man was actually walking? Some people choose to see the negative in situations, and they end up missing out on the good that's so obvious. Put some real effort in seeing the good in people and situations. After all, you wouldn't want to miss a major miracle because you we're busy thinking about a minor rule.

SPEAK NO EVIL & TELL NO LIES

Job 27:4

My lips will speak no evil, and my tongue will speak no lies.

Almost every word that comes out of our mouths comes from the heart, manifesting who and what we truly are. The Bible says that as a man thinks, so is he. Well, there was a minister who had a friend that was an actor who was drawing large crowds while the minister was preaching to just a handful of congregants in the church. The minister asked his actor friend, “How is it that you draw great crowds, and I’ve barely an audience at all? Your words are total fiction while mine is the unchangeable Truth.” The actor gave the simplest of replies: “I present my fiction as though it were truth while you present your truth as though it were fiction.” Christians, do you want to know how to influence many people? Just present the truth by speaking and living the truth.

MIRACLES ARE FOR THE FAITHFUL

John 20:29

You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me and believe anyway.

I read this funny story about a clergyman who was delivering a sermon to his parishioners that mentioned how in Matthew 14:21 our Savior fed five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two small fish. Instead of saying "five thousand" though, he accidentally said "five hundred". One of the altar boys told him after the service that he had made a mistake because the Gospel says "five thousand". The clergyman said to him, “Be quiet – they’re already having a hard time just believing in five hundred.” We can all identify with that at some level, can’t we? Reading a story about a miracle is one thing and living out your life believing in miracles is another thing entirely. A lack of faithful belief is why miracles don’t happen to many people. The bold truth is that miracles really do happen, but you have to faithfully and sincerely believe.

SLOW TO SPEAK & SLOW TO ANGER

James 1:19

My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

Matthew 15:11

You are not defiled by what you eat; you are defiled by what you say and do.

We were probably given two ears and only one mouth because God knew that listening would be two times more difficult than speaking. It may also mean that listening is twice as important as talking. Imagine the negative possibilities of what might happen if we had two mouths - we could very well destroy ourselves in less than 24 hours. I found this joke in Reader's Digest about listening: A police officer in a small town stopped a motorist who was speeding down Main Street. "Officer, I can explain", the man said. "No explanation needed!" snapped the Officer. "I'm going to let you cool your heels in jail until the chief gets back." The man tried again. "But Officer, I have to tell you something." "Just keep quiet! You're going to jail and I'm not interested in what you have to say!" the Officer said as he grew angrier. A few hours later the Officer looked in on his prisoner and said, "Lucky for you the chief is at his daughter's wedding. He'll be in a good mood when he gets back." "Don't count on it," answered the fellow in the cell. "I'm the groom." Life would truly be easier for everybody, if only we would all be willing to take the time to stop and listen.

THE POWER OF COMPASSION

Jude 1:22

And of some have compassion, making a difference.

If you want to make a difference in the world, try being compassionate. Time and time again, Jesus showed compassion for those in need, making a difference in their lives by healing them, forgiving them of their sins and performing an array of miracles. Jesus' actions mirrored what He felt for the painful lives of others. When we show compassion toward others, we don’t need to offer products or services to others to make a difference because our actions speak boldly. After all, we’ve already got something in us that others don’t have. Whenever we extend a Godly compassion to people, it’s a miracle for anybody that receives it. Have you shown how compassionate you can be today?

BAD COMPANY CORRUPTS GOOD CHARACTER

1 Corinthians 15:33

Bad company corrupts good character.

I’m sure we've all heard at least a few of the following sayings: “Birds of a feather flock together”; “Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are”; “He that goes with wolves learns to howl”; or, “He that lays with dogs gets fleas”. These little pearls of wisdom were developed over time through people's personal experiences. It's a simple concept that doesn't require a deep explanation. I'm reminded of a story about a banquet honoring President Ulysses S. Grant in Houston where Texas’ most distinguished men and women were present. After everyone had taken their seats, the headwaiter approached President Grant’s table, and just as he was about to pour out the first glass of wine for the Guest of Honor, Grant reached forward and turned his empty glass upside down rejecting the alcoholic beverage. With the true spirit of Texas pride, every person present reached forward and turned their glass upside down; with a simple twist of Grant's wrist, a distinguished dinner was served without a drop of alcohol being imbibed. You too can lead or be led as you choose your friends carefully and wisely.

YES MEANS YES & NO MEANS NO

James 5:12

Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned for it.

How often do you find yourself making excuses for things that don't need excusing? We all need to be leery of making excuses for things because excuses typically lean toward lying, and lying leads to eventual separation from God. I’d once read a story about a teenager in counseling for alcoholism who said to a counselor, “I’m sixteen and I made up my mind not to drink… but people make it very hard for me to refuse. They keep insisting and pressing, and some even get angry if I say, ‘I’m sorry, I’d rather have a soda.’ So what’s the best way to refuse?” His counselor replied, “No need to say, ‘I’m sorry’ because you’re inviting them to persuade you if you sound like you’re apologizing. All you need to say is ‘Thanks, but I only drink soda.’ We all need to be more comfortable, proud and grateful for being able to hold up good standards without feeling awkward or intolerant. Do this and you’ll be a nice example of a human being.” Let your yes be yes and your no be no. There's no need to make excuses and there's no need to apologize for holding up good standards.

THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO

Matthew 6:14-15

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

During the Korean War, a South Korean Christian man and his teenaged son, both civilians non-combatants, were arrested by the North Korean military and ordered to be executed. A young communist military leader learned that the older prisoner was in charge of an orphanage that cared for young children, so he decided to spare the father and to just have the teenager executed - while the boy's father watched. As the fortunes of war changed, the young military leader would later be captured by UN forces, brought up on charges, and be sentenced to death. Before the sentencing could be carried out, however, the Christian man whose son was executed pleaded for the life of his son’s murderer. The grieved father declared that, "He was young and that he really didn’t know what he was doing. Give him to me and I’ll train him." The UN tribunal granted the request, and that very man took his son’s murderer into his own home and cared for him. That young man found guilty of murder would later go on to became a Christian pastor dedicated to sharing the holy Gospel. The moral of the story is that if we don’t forgive, we could miss an opportunity to see a life change before our very eyes. So what happens if you don’t forgive? Well, Matthew 6:14-15 is pretty clear about what will happen the next time you ask for forgiveness.

HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW

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Matthew 10:29-31

Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.

Abortion is at the center of what appears to be a never ending legal and political debate over whether a human embryo has the right to life or does a woman carrying that very embryo have the right to choose to abort an unwanted pregnancy? The moral dilemma that emerges for people when opting for abortion might be answered by the laws already in place for wildlife. Note the following law protecting an eagle embryo: "Federal protection of eagles is not limited to the live birds. It extends to their eggs, nests and dead carcasses as well. Not only is it especially unlawful to kill these birds, but federal law also prohibits the mere possession of one feather from an eagle without a government permit." When lined up for comparison, it’s apparent that an eagle's embryo has better legal protection than a human embryo. The laws protecting eagles are certainly reasonable, but how much more sense would it make to value the life of a person?

GET YOUR PARTY ON!

Luke 15:7

In the same way, heaven will be happier over one lost sinner who returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away!

I firmly believe that everybody loves a great party with close friends and loved ones. The Bible even teaches us what a loud and happy party feels like in Psalm 100:1-4, “Shout with joy to the LORD, O earth! Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name.” There was one church where I'd inherited a struggling youth ministry with just a handful of members. My family prayed long and hard on how to grow spiritually and numerically. We were led to hold a Bible study almost every night of the week teaching the youth group how to fall in love with the Jesus. Less than a year and a half later, that group was in love with Jesus in great part to the continual studying of the Word. That small handful began an evangelistic crusade which multiplied the youth group by over 12 times where the group would gather monthly to throw a big party where many young souls would be saved. When those souls returned to God, it triggered a party in heaven – the kind of happy and loud party where the angels in heaven rejoice.

THE PRICELESS GAIN OF KNOWING

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Ecclesiastes 1:8

No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.

There’s a story that I'd heard about a pauper who went to see the king to complain about being poor. He said to the king, “These rags are all that I have.” The king proceeded to offer the beggar riches, pleasures and honor with one condition: “You must give up half of what you now possess. Give up one of your two sons, one of your eyes, one ear, one hand, one foot, etc.” Thinking it through, the poor man realized that he had more than just the rags on his back and that he had failed to appreciate what he had. The Apostle Paul was a legal expert and I believe that at the height of his career he was likely a wealthy lawyer. However, when he met Christ on the road to Damascus, his view of wealth was changed as we learn in Philippians 3:8, “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ.” If you’re looking for more out of your life, you’re going to find that the best that you have in you begins not with grades, jobs or a wealthy standard of living, but rather it begins with a life in Christ.

WORDS CAN MAKE OR BREAK PEOPLE

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Colossians 4:6

Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

There was a pilot that gave his passengers a rather rough and bumpy landing. As part of his job, he was required to stand by the terminal door to say goodbye to the passengers as they exited the airplane. He was afraid that someone might say something about his rather less than perfect landing, but everyone left without saying a word except for one passenger, an elderly lady that slowly approached the pilot after most passengers had exited the plane. She sarcastically asked, "Did we land or were we shot down?" Our words are powerful, and they can make or break the people that we speak to. Everything was created by God through the Word as mentioned in John 1:1-3, “In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. He was in the beginning with God. He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn't make.” The Word here is Jesus, the Truth and the Life. If we would let Jesus live in our words, from our lips would emerge love, truth and life, not brokenness, pain or anger. That said, be careful of the words that come from your mouth.

LIGHT THE PATH

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Psalm 119:105

Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.

I was once invited to speak at a church that was located a few hours away from where my family lives. A church member lent me two of his traveling must-haves: 1. an EZ-Pass which gets you through tolls without delay; and 2. a GPS that maps and leads you to your destination. While driving on the interstate, there was an accident which forced traffic to exit off the interstate onto small local streets. Immediately after I exited, the GPS recalculated my position and began telling me where to go. While the places were still foreign to me, I trusted the GPS and just enjoying the view of mountains and fields, and the beauty of God’s creations without worrying about directions. Thank God for the GPS when it comes to travel, but regarding life, I recommend the God Positioning System - the Bible. Just like a GPS, the Bible guides you through life. The Bible says in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.” Now that’s a GPS worth having.

GIVE IT AWAY, GIVE IT AWAY NOW

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Matthew 19:21-22

'If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.' But when the rich man heard this, he went away sadly because he had many possessions that he didn’t want to give up.

Have you ever experienced financial difficulty or been in need of money? Interestingly, being in that situation may not be that bad a thing for you. In fact, when I was a kid, being broke was just about the only thing that I understood when it came to money. If I had a penny when I was a kid, I’d feel like a rich man. I remember at one Christmas, we had a youth fellowship where everyone was asked to bring a gift and the only gift that I could afford to buy was a small bar of soap. During our Secret Santa gift exchange, I felt terrible as I heard the sarcasm from the person who got my little bar of soap. Being broke, or better yet, broken, is God’s way of getting your attention. He shows you that there are things that are more important than money, possessions or your own personal desires. You might even have plenty today, but your life may very well be quite empty. If you're truly interested in the price of happiness, be obedient in following the Lord and your life will be filled in ways that cannot be quantified.

VACATIONS, REST and RELAXATION

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John 14:1-4

Don't be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father's home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know where I am going and how to get there.

Do you rest well? Is rest difficult for you to find? Isn't interesting how people relentlessly search for a peace that they already possess? Believe me when I say that I wish that I could take a vacation every time I felt I needed one and maybe even experience a few escapades in far away land. Truth be told, there probably isn't enough vacation time in our lives, but don’t worry – Jesus prepared a heavenly place of eternal happiness for us. A place where true happiness and some much needed rest can be found. After facing pressures and challenges for a lifetime, an eternity of rest and relaxation at the Father's house sounds just about right.

EXPERIENCE MAJOR SUCCESSES IN LIFE

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Luke 14:26,33

If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters — yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. So no one can become my disciple without giving up everything for me.

To experience major successes in your life, you're going to need a proven strategy. In 1934, Joe Louis became the heavyweight boxing champ and successfully defended his title twenty five times over fifteen years. Bill Stern, who was the sports voice of Louis’ day, asked Louis how he’d been able to knock out his opponents so quickly in almost every fight. After a few moments, the champ answered, "Two things – first, I study my opponent until I know him better than he knows himself; and second, I make a plan of attack." Jesus told the disciples and his followers a classic and effective strategy to attain victory which starts with making a full commitment of allegiance to God. To do that, however, means that there’s got to be an end to your own personal desires and plans for success. Have you already taken the first step towards the best successes that you'll ever achieve?

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

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Colossians 1:15

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation.

Do you like having your photo taken? Do you like being the person behind the camera taking the photos? Can you remember the funniest photo ever taken of you? A picture really is worth a thousand words when you get down to it. I know several people that are plainly addicted to photography (my daughter’s one of them and she’s certainly not alone!) and I’m sure nearly everyone has been to an event, celebration, outing or activity where photos have been taken. Walter Baxendale once wrote a story about William Cowper, a poet, which expressed Cowper’s warm memories of his mother. After she passed away, Cowper was given a photo of her as a remembrance. Cowper said of that photo, "I would rather possess that picture than the richest jewel on the British crown." According to the Bible, Jesus is a picture of God Himself and having Him in your heart is priceless. Whatever you’re facing today, know that Christ in your heart makes your life truly valuable and worthy to face whatever challenges or situations lay before you.

SURVIVING THE HARD TIMES

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Psalm 37:19

They will survive through hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough.

Every single day, we feel the pressure of life's challenges. There are those that don’t survive these challenges and many others that just falter ending up depressed. I'm reminded of a story about a crow that was dying of thirst. He spied a water pitcher with a little bit of water left in it. In fact, the water was so low that the crow was unable to reach it with his long beak. The crow even thought to try and break the pitcher by turning it over, but his strength was already tapped. The weak bird, however, refused to give up. Nearby, he spotted a number of small pebbles and he wisely began to drop them into the pitcher one by one. Once the water had risen just high enough, he was able to easily quench his thirst. Discouragement is the biggest hindrance blocking our eyes from seeing the simplest of answers to the challenges before us. It’s the reason why Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “that is why we live by believing and not by seeing.” Believe in Jesus and refuse to be discouraged about the challenges before you, and you will survive all the challenges that come your way.

GREEN WITH ENVY

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Matthew 27:18

He knew very well that the Jewish leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.

What do others have that you’re envious about? Envy is a pretty extreme experience and I think it's safe to say that envy typically leads us down a path toward all the wrong things. I'm reminded of a cartoonist that once drew a field with two mules separated by a fence. Both fields were the same size and each had plenty of the same kind of green lush grass. Even then, each mule had his head through the fence eating grass from the other mule’s pasture even though they both had fields with plenty of grass. What happened next is that each mule ends up with their head caught in the barbed wire fencing unable to free themselves. Just like people, these mules somehow thought that the grass would be greener on the other side of the fence, even though that grass would be harder to get to. When we look at what others have and compare it sinfully to what we don't have, envy entangles us with all the wrong desires that lead to all the wrongs actions. Put some effort into finding contentment with what you have. After all, it’s probably pretty green right where you are.

A HIGH PRICE WAS ON YOUR HEAD

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Exodus 26:33

When the inner curtain is in place, put the Ark of the Covenant behind it. This curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.

Except for a high priest once a year, no one was permitted to enter the interior of the Most Holy Place. When Jesus uttered His very last words on the cross, the temple veil that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was ripped into two pieces from top to bottom. Although many interpret the tearing of the veil at Jesus’ death as the provision of access to God for all people, it more likely indicates the departure of God from the temple. The scripture proves that God moved His residency from the man-made temple to every person who would desired to receive Him. The Bible teaches us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." If you've received Him, never forget who you are because you were made holy by God’s presence in your life.

THE ART OF HELPING OTHERS

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Galatians 6:2

Share each other's troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

Helping people in need seems to be a rare act for today’s younger generations. I can remember when as a young boy, I would see kids run to help the elderly to carry something heavy or to cross the streets. I'm reminded of the story about two great painters, Apelles and Protogens. Apelles was known to be far and away the more talented of the two, but Protogens wanted to paint a portrait that would surpass Apelles’ brilliance. Protogens worked night and day until his painting was almost complete. Upon leaving his home on errands, Protogens left the painting for several hours just before he was about to apply his finishing touches. While he was out and about, Apelles stepped in and added a few touches to the painting making it even more beautiful than Protogens had ever dreamed. When Protogens returned home, he was amazed at its perfection saying, “Apelles has been here. No one could have done this but Apelles.” Helping others is a part of God’s perfect will, so work to make helping others a part of your character.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR FUTURE

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Job 33:9

I am pure and without sin; I am clean and free from guilt.

I recently read a tale about a painter who produced a portrait of a little child named Rupert kneeling and praying beside his mother. His palms were reverently folded and his mild blue eyes upturned with an expression of devotion. The painter titled the portrait, "Innocence". Years later, the same artist wanted to produce a counterpart to Innocence that would be titled, "Guilt". The artist visited a nearby prison and found a wretched man lying on a jail cell floor. The prisoner’s body was horribly wasted and his eyes hollowed. In a ironic twist, the painter would come to learn that this prisoner was Rupert, his inspiration for "Innocence". All of us have done things in the past that we feel guilt over and are likely embarrassed about. Some things even haunt us at the mere reminder of the past. In spite of these emotions, we all need to forgive ourselves so that we won’t be imprisoned by our own guilt. After all, the Lamb of God has already forgiven and freed us. You can’t change your past, but you can always choose to do something about your future. Repent and ask God for forgiveness, and forgive yourself as well. Your mental, emotional and spiritual freedom is hanging in the balance.

WANTED: SOMEONE TO MAKE ME LAUGH

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Matthew 3:17

And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with him.’

More often than not, a single woman would say that she's looking for a man with a great sense of humor. Studies have shown that laughter is one of the greatest mental tonics for man. Laughter can break anxiety, help lower stress levels, reverse depression and take the worries away. It provides strong medicinal, psychological, social and even spiritual benefits. Laughter brings out happiness and if we make God happy, we reap the benefits in the same way as an obedient child would from his or her parents. Obey His will and you'll certainly make God happy. And while you’re at it, take a moment to laugh about life. It’ll be worth it.

STOP THE VICIOUS CYCLE

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Ecclesiastes 1:9

History, merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.

Have you ever found yourself trapped in a vicious cycle of sinning the same sin over and over again? The sinful things that we’re doing today are the same sinful things that people have been doing for generations. From history, we've even learned that great civilizations experienced a cyclical journey:

1. people go from slavery to spiritual faith
2. from spiritual faith to courage
3. from courage to liberty
4. from liberty to abundance
5. from abundance to selfishness
6. from selfishness to apathy
7. from apathy to dependence
8. from dependence to repeat where everything started – slavery

Put an end to the vicious cycle of sin by being mindful of what 1 Peter 2:16 teaches us, "You are not slaves; you are free. But your freedom should not be an excuse to sin. Live as servants of God." Make a conscious choice to stop going around and around in circles as slaves to sin, but rather to serve Him and gain your freedom.