The Fruit of Brokenness, Part II. (via Rivers of Hope)

Posted by Red on

I, particularly, liked the following thoughts about kindness: “True kindness is the fruit of brokenness.It is more than being nice; we can be manipulative and still be nice.
It is more than being courteous; we can be manipulative and courteous because we hope to achieve something.
Niceness and courtesy are mere imitations, the fruit without the root.”

… love is kind. —1 Corinthians 13:4 There is another demonstration of the fruit of brokenness—kindness. Most of us know what this word means. We certainly know when we are not treated with kindness. Kindness is a positive action. Whereas patience shows how we react, kindness shows how we act. But how do we show this positive action of kindness?. True kindness is the fruit of brokenness. It is more than being nice; we can be manipulative and sti … Read More

via Rivers of Hope

Tapping Into The Power of the Holy Spirit. (via Rivers of Hope)

Posted by Red on

I like the clear language of this blogger. And, of course, I’ve been tapping into God’s power for some time now, but like my toddlers, I get into all sorts of stuff that short-circuit God’s plan 4 me.

My wife and I have a toddler. Over the past two months, we spent several weeks hoping that he’d start walking. Now that he has started, we spend days reflecting on the time when he was stationary. He’s reached a point where he gets into everything. Anything on or near the floor is fair game. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy that he’s beginning to explore and discover new things. ^But that comes with a cost:  baby proofing. Corners of tables, ca … Read More

via Rivers of Hope

A Noticeable Difference. (via Rivers of Hope)

Posted by Red on

I appreciate not only what this blogger said, but how he/she said it: concisely.

Have you ever been forced to do something that you didn’t want to do?. If you have, in most cases, you were going through the motions without any depth of involvement. When your heart is not in it, there’s no investment on your part. There’s no real commitment to the outcome of your actions. You are doing it because you’re forced to do it. On the other hand, when you do something and your heart is in it, there’s a significant personal investment … Read More

via Rivers of Hope

What Are Your Credentials? (via Even More Undignified)

Posted by Red on

Sometimes I have to stop and truly listen to the talking head in front of me. As Hamlet stated: “words, wors, words. . . ” [ad nauseum]. And so I dance around this “person,” evading his message. Why? Because I’ve been barraged with rhetoric from day one. Hyperbole?

Information overload might be an understatement. Regardless, I move ahead; I move acccording to my agenda; I move beyond this talking head and maybe miss important content. Would that be ignoring the plain truth?

But the author of “What Are Your Credentials” discusses significant content. I advise you to stop & pay attention. Am I being too forceful here?

What Are Your Credentials? I've been asking myself lately, what possible reason should someone listen to me in regards to their eternal souls. What credentials do I lend that might qualify me to speak into a person's spiritual life in the name  of an almighty God? I have many friends who are doctors and masters in their various fields. Their education and titles give them varying degrees of credibility and authority to officially have something to say on pretty much every … Read More

via Even More Undignified

“Christ Reigns” by David Wilkerson

Posted by Red on

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

CHRIST REIGNS!

 Often people write to us saying, “I have no one to talk to, no one to share my burden with. Nobody has time to hear my cry. I need someone I can pour my heart out to.”

King David was surrounded by people. He was married, with a large family, and had many companions at his side. Yet we hear the same cry even from David: “To whom shall I go?” It is in our very nature to want another human being, with a face, eyes and ears to listen to us and advise us.

When Job became overwhelmed by his trials, he cried out with grief: “Oh that one would hear me!” (Job 31:35). He uttered this cry while sitting before his so-called friends. Yet those friends had no sympathy for Job’s troubles. Instead, they were messengers of despair.

In his sorrow, Job turned only to the Lord: “Behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high… Mine eye poureth tears unto God” (Job 16:19-20). In the Psalms, David urged God’s people to do likewise: “Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us” (Psalm 62:8). David also wrote in Psalm 142:

“I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living” (142:1-5).

I believe in my heart this message is an invitation to you from the Holy Spirit to find a private place where you can frequently pour out your soul to the Lord. David “poured out his complaint,” and so can you. You can speak to Jesus about everything – your problems, your present trial, your finances, your health – and tell him how overwhelmed you are, even how discouraged you are. He will hear you with love and sympathy, and he will not despise your cry.

God answered David. He answered Job. And for centuries he has answered the heart-cry of everyone who has trusted his promises. Likewise, he has promised to hear you and guide you. Indeed, he has pledged by oath to be your strength. Go to him, and you will come out renewed. http://davidwilkersontoday.blogspot.com/