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It's a curious thing how many people fail to make use of the largely unclaimed gift that provides us with the highest "feel good" return present in God's creation: Love. The act of giving as well as receiving love, for some individuals, seems to be as effortless as taking their next breath. Although for others it is just as difficult to receive and feel loved as it is to offer it.

According to the Bible, God is love and He freely provides love (1 Jn. 4:16) However, receiving His love is our responsibility, since we must respond to His love by embracing it. The two acts together, giving and receiving, form the most notable of all of our relationships on this as well as the other side of the grave. Additionally, it is here where we find one of the most significant, as well as free, benefits for our lives: PEACE. You see, the very moment we begin our relationship with God, through His Son Jesus, we can claim the gift of peace... daily peace as well as eternal peace!

Daily peace provides you with the peace of God and with eternal peace you obtain peace with God.


Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS (Mat. 11:28-30).


Do not be anxious about nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7).


Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1).



Daily peace is where you will find contentment for your everyday life. This does not mean that living a life as a follower of Christ will always be easy...God doesn't promise freedom from trouble. What He does promise is not the elimination of trails but His presence and peace to carry you through them. As humans, we all thirst for infinite fulfillment, but the problem is a finite can never satisfy and infinite thirst. Human, or finite, love cannot completely fulfill us. Each of us, regardless of what family we were or were not born into, came into this world with an internal "God-shaped" vacuum that cannot be filled apart from God. Blaise Pascal affirmed this:


What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are , though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God Himself.


You see, in a futile attempt to satisfy this unquenchable need, many find they are, as the saying goes, "looking for love in all the wrong places," as they eventually discover that worldly pleasures cannot ultimately provide us with the intimacy our hearts long for. This is because the finite things of life are a poor substitute for the infinite, for only the infinite can bring infinite fulfillment.


In other words...


AN ULTIMATE COMMITMENT TO ANYTHING LESS THAN THE ULTIMATE WILL NOT ULTIMATELY SATISFY YOU!


We learn this from perhaps the only human that ever lived who had the position and resources to test this principle: King Solomon in Ecclesiastes (see Ecc. 1-3) Solomon experienced wine, women, works, worldliness, and wealth on a level that we will never witness. After tasting the "fruits" that most would die for, Solomon was left confessing that "all is vanity!" Meaning there is no ultimate (complete or lasting happiness) in the temporal things, since God has set eternity in our hearts (Ecc. 3:11).







Continued...

Hi everyone

(3) Jesus was not very good of inference
Jesus not just didn't know consideration calculated on the amount (part 2), but sometimes His words go against the conventional wisdom of man. For example:

In The Parable of the Great Banquet, He said also to the man who had invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just." (Luke 14,12-14)

---> Oh! In reality, have we ever done like that? (!)

In The parable of the Lost Coin (Luke 15, 8-10), a woman has 10 coins, but one night, she had lost one, "She light a lamp, sweep the house, trying to to look for it. ..."

---> Again! In reality, have we ever done like that? (!). And more, after it (the lost coin) was found, then she was not care the night hours rest of neighbors, friends, but she had invited them to come cheer with her!!! Was she crazy?!
But Jesus said:
"Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." (Luke 15,8)

So, what do you think?

Then one of the seven angels … talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife." And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great City, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of Heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Revelation 21:9–11

And if you "abide in Him & He abides in you, then you shall bring forth fruit." (John 15:5) You can't help it! If you are genuinely saved, if you are genuinely born again, if you really have God in your heart, if you have Salvation, if you have Jesus, you're a new creature & you will be different. You don't have anything to do with it, all you do is ask Him to come in & He does it all!

SO EXPECT THINGS TO BE DIFFERENT!--Not totally different perhaps, as you're still human, you're still in the flesh. But you'll find a change in your spirit, in your thoughts, in your heart & in your direction. You'll be happy & overflowing with love! Because if you have Jesus, you have Love!--For "God is Love!" (1John 4:8)

JESUS SAID, "BEHOLD, I STAND AT THE DOOR & KNOCK: if any man hear My voice, & open the door, I will come in to him, & will sup with him, & he with Me." (Rev.3:20) Salvation is so powerful, but God will not force it on you. His Love is all-powerful, but He won't make you receive it. Jesus knocks at the door, He doesn't kick it in! He could break it down or pulverize it with one look, but He refuses to force His way into your heart.

GOD HAS LEFT THE MAJESTY OF CHOICE UP TO YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL, & nobody can ever force you to accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour. You alone can make that choice, if & when you want to. He certainly wants to be your Saviour & He will come in, just as soon as you ask Him. But you must make the decision, not us, not even Jesus! He's left that choice up to you!

WILL YOU ACCEPT GOD'S LOVE IN JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR OWN PERSONAL SAVIOR? Do you have Jesus in your heart?--Then you are saved forever & bound for Heaven & will never be lost! Are you saved?--If you're not sure, make sure right now & receive Him personally as your own Lord & Saviour by sincerely praying this simple prayer:

"LORD JESUS, PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR ALL MY SINS. I believe You died for me. I believe You are the Son of God, & I now ask You to come into my life. I open the door & I invite You into my heart. Jesus, please come in & help me to love others & tell them about You, that they may find You too. Help me to read Your Word & understand it by Your Spirit. In Jesus' name I ask, amen."

IF YOU PRAY THIS PRAYER & MEAN IT, JESUS WILL COME IN! Jesus promised that if you open the door to your heart, if you ask Him to come in, He will come in!--Period! So once you do that, once you believe His Word, His promise, you are saved!

TRUE SALVATION IS JUST PURE FAITH IN GOD'S WORD, NOT FAITH IN FEELINGS! Your feelings may change from day to day, sometimes good, sometimes bad, but the Bible, God's Word, never changes! So put your faith in His Word, for "faith comes by hearing the Word of God!" (Rom.10:17) The Bible is definite, so no matter how you feel, if you ask Jesus to come in, He comes in, because He said so!

OF COURSE BEING BORN AGAIN, RECEIVING JESUS, WILL RESULT IN A CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE, AS YOU SHOW YOUR FAITH BY YOUR WORKS. (Jam.2:18) But it is not necessarily always manifested at the moment by a big emotional feeling or outward show--although it often is. But regardless of your feelings, God's Word is always the same & Jesus will always come in when asked!--So receive Him now!

"BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST & THOU SHALT BE SAVED!" (Acts 16:31) God bless you with His Love & Salvation!--Now & Forever!




TFI [Posted Video - Come Waltz With Me - Demis Roussos]

Haiku, unrhymed poetic form consisting of 17 syllables arranged in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively. The haiku first emerged in Japanese literature during the 17th century, as a terse reaction to elaborate poetic traditions, though it did not become known by the name haiku until the 19th century.
-- Encyclopedia Britannica



So, you have three lines.

First line, five syllables.
Second line, seven syllables.
Final line, again five syllables.

Popular in Japan for describing the Cherry Brossoms and mist along the mountains.

But one of my favorites is:

You never feed me.
Perhaps I'll sleep on your face.
That will sure show you.

Okay. Now you try.

"Love needs no reference – that's the beauty of love and the freedom of love. Hate is a bondage. Hate is imprisonment – imposed by you upon yourself. And hate creates hate, hate provokes hate. If you hate somebody you are creating hate in that person's heart for yourself. And the whole world exists in hate, in destructiveness, in violence, in jealousy, in competitiveness. People are at each other's throats either in reality, actuality, in action, or at least in their minds; in their thoughts, everybody is murdering, killing. That's why we have created a hell out of this beautiful earth – which could have become a paradise.

"Love, and the earth becomes a paradise again. And the immense beauty of love is that it has no reference. Love comes from you for no reason at all. It is your outpouring bliss, it is your sharing of your heart. It is the sharing of the song of your being. And sharing is so joyful – hence one shares. Sharing for sharing's sake, for no other motive.

"But the love you have known in the past is not the love Buddha is talking about or I am talking about. Your love is nothing but the other side of hate. Hence, your love has reference: somebody has been beautiful to you yesterday, he was so nice that you feel great love for him. This is not love; this is the other side of hate – the reference proves it. Or somebody is going to be nice to you tomorrow: the way he smiled at you, the way he talked to you, the way he invited you to his house tomorrow – he is going to be loving to you. And great love arises.

"This is not the love buddhas talk about. This is hate disguised as love – that's why your love can turn into hate any moment. Scratch a person just a little bit, and the love disappears and hate arises. It is not even skin-deep. Even so-called great lovers are continuously fighting, continuously at each other's throats – nagging, destructive. And people think this is love…

"Your love is not really love: it is its very opposite. It is hate disguised as love, camouflaged as love, parading as love. True love has no reference. It thinks not of the yesterdays, it thinks not of the tomorrows. True love is a spontaneous welling up of joy in you, and the sharing of it, and the showering of it – for no other reason, for no other motive, than just the joy of sharing it."

"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to the Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:6)."


Everyone wants to know the secret to something. Golfers want to know the secret to playing golf like Tiger Woods. Investors want to know the secret to making a fortune on Wall Street. Parents want to know the secret to raising healthy, happy kids. And Christians desperately want to know the secrets to effective prayer. So what are the secrets to real intimacy with God?

The first secret to effective prayer is secret prayer. And Jesus provided the ultimate example. As Dr. Luke puts it, he "often withdrew to lonely places and prayed" (Lk. 5:16). Unlike the religious leaders of his day (Matt. 6:5-7), Jesus did not pray to be seen by men. Rather, he prayed because he treasured fellowship with his Father. Jesus knew the secret to deep and true relationships is time alone together. He took that time with God. You can, too. A further secret is to recognize the connection between prayer and meditation. Our prayers are only as inspired as our intake of Scripture. Scripture feeds meditation, and meditation gives food to our prayers. Meditating on Scripture allows us to more naturally transition into a marvelous time of meaningful prayer.

Donald Whitney, who rightly refers to meditation as the missing link between the intake of Scripture and prayer, notes that if there was a secret to the prayer life it was his discovery of the connection between meditation and prayer.

A finale secret is to discover your secret place, a place where you can drown out the static of the world and hear the voice of your heavenly Father (Matt. 6:6). The issue of course, is not location but motivation. We are all unique creations of God. Thus, your secret place will no doubt be different than mine. The point is that we all desperately need a place away from the evasive sounds of this world so that we can hear the sounds of another place and another Voice.


Lord teach us Now to pray

You can almost see the sense of urgency sketched on the faces of the disciples as they circle around the Master Teacher. One of them, perhaps Peter, assumes the role of spokesman. His words were both eager and expectant. Over and over again he has watched his master withdraw to secluded places to pray. And he has seen the serenity Jesus exuded in the aftermath. He may have been uncertain of what made Christ's face seem as though it glowed, but of one thing he was certain: Whatever it was, he wanted it, and he wanted it now!

There were hundreds of Scriptural prayers Jesus could have drawn their attention to that day. For example, Jesus might have responded by pointing his disciples to the prayers of Joshua, Jephthah, or, yes, Jabez. But he didn't. Jesus knew that his disciples would never properly understand "examples" of prayer without first understanding "principles" of prayer. And that's exactly why he gave us "The Prayer of Jesus."


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Hank Hanegraaff: Teach us Now to Pray



Will continue on this topic in my next blog. God bless everyone, at CS! Serendipity

When the great Crystal Ball, all sparkling and blue,
Appeared in the Earth’s starry skies,
The people below who bathed in its glow
Were thrilled as they feasted their eyes!

Within the great Globe, a glorious sight
Inspired the praises of men!
–The City of Gold which lit up the night
Caused hearts to look upward again!

All the World’s squabbles, cruel warring and fights,
Were now but a thing of the past!
For Love had come down from the City of Lights,
And the Earth was at peace at last!

(Continued Pt. 2)

THE EARTH ITSELF ALSO UNDERWENT A MIRACULOUS TRANSFORMATION when the Flying-People took over: All thorns, thistles and poisonous plants suddenly quit growing and died! Barren deserts and wastelands suddenly became green and fertile! All dangerous and bothersome insects, spiders, reptiles, etc. ceased to exist!–And as we mentioned, the formerly ferocious wild beasts suddenly became calm and playful, no longer meat-eating, but vegetarian!

THE SCORCHING HEAT and FREEZING COLD TEMPERATURES THAT HAD PLAGUED MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD WERE NO MORE, and the entire Earth now enjoyed a lovely temperate climate, without any violent storms, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions or other unnatural disasters! The wind no longer wailed or made a mournful sound as it blew through the trees, but everything was now happy and joyful!–Life was wonderful and Earth was a literal Paradise!

MEN HAD LEARNED TO FARM and LIVE OFF THE LAND AGAIN! Grandfather was the Village Elder of the area where he lived and the younger farmers often came to him for advice and counsel. He was greatly respected not only because of his age and many years of experience, but also because of his wisdom in the ways of the Golden City which he had learned from the Flying-People. In fact, on one occasion, the King of the Golden City Himself honoured Grandfather by personally visiting his village and home!

THIS AMAZING LOOK INTO THE WORLD OF TOMORROW IS NOT JUST A DREAM!–For according to the Bible, one day soon the World of Tomorrow will be like this! But first, within the next few years or even months, a great One-World Government will arise, led by a cruel Devil-possessed dictator known as the Antichrist! (Dan.8:23-25) Halfway through his 7-year reign he will declare himself to be God and set up a One-World Credit System in which all members of his System will be permanently branded with his Mark and number in their hands or forehead in order to buy or sell–or die! (Rev.13)

MILLIONS WILL REFUSE TO BOW DOWN to this dictator and will flee from his anti-Christ forces! Entire nations will rebel and war against the Antichrist World Government, bringing on the most trying time of trouble and tribulation that the people of faith have ever endured. (Mat.24:15-21) But millions–maybe billions–will survive!

NEAR THE END OF THE ANTICHRIST’S REIGN, JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD, WILL RETURN "in the clouds of Heaven, with power and great glory!" (Mat.24:29-31) to rescue all of His saved children that love Him! A great resurrection will take place and all of God’s people will rise from off the surface of the Earth in powerful, new resurrected super-bodies, just like Jesus had when He rose from the dead! They will then fly away with the Lord to a great Victory Party in God’s gigantic crystal-gold Heavenly City which will be floating above the Earth! (Rev.19:6-9; 21)

WHILE GOD’S CHILDREN ARE CELEBRATING IN THE HEAVENLY CITY, THE ANTICHRIST WILL GATHER HIS ARMIES TOGETHER to try to destroy the armies of the nations that oppose him in a great battle known as "Armageddon"! It is then that the Lord and His billions of resurrected saints or "Flying-People" will come charging back down to Earth on Heavenly horses from His Heavenly City in the sky to destroy all of the worshippers of the Antichrist! (Rev.16:12-16; 19:11-21)






Deeptruths TFI

There is a door in the space around you
It is a door from which you cannot hide
It's a door that you surely must go through
When it is your turn for the other side

Energy that drives a living body
Will depart from it when that body dies
And on the other side it will become free
What happens then one can only surmise

No matter what one believes takes place then
The fact remains that no one knows for sure
All will experience the answer when
We must exit through that very same door

No one knows the mystery beyond that door
Perhaps it shall be so forever more

The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Jeremiah 31:3 KJV

Words from Jesus Mar 26, 2015

Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue and why that specific color gives you a feeling of peace when you look up at it? Have you ever wondered why the scent of a pine forest or the grass after rain brings calm and refreshing to your spirit? Is there some magical reason why the simple sound of a bird singing makes you feel happy inside? While there are scientific reasons that your body responds to a certain stimulus, the simple truth is that I created these things to have such pleasant effects on you because I love you.

I created your body to respond to certain colors, sights, sounds, and fragrances, and I placed all those things throughout creation that I knew you would enjoy. I placed them all around you in great abundance. Just like a doting parent gives his child all the good things that child wants and needs, so do I, your great and loving heavenly Father, give these abundant gifts to you. If you believe and understand that these are gifts from My hand, then you will increasingly begin to notice all of the wonderful things that I have placed in your life, even the hidden things which might not seem like blessings at first.

When you look up into the night sky, if all you saw was darkness, it might be a bit dismal and foreboding. The shine of the stars I placed in the heavens reminds you that even in the dark times, I am still there for you. In life, you have your dark times when it seems like all around you is black and there’s no way out, and if you’re only looking down, this is all you will see. But when you look up‚ you will see My hand in your times of darkness as well, and My touches of love that will shine as stars to guide you.

I can use everything in your life for good if you will let Me. There is pain and suffering in life that can be turned into joy and rejoicing when given to Me. I can unshackle your life from the chains of bitterness, hate, envy, jealousy, sickness, and suffering, and turn these things into bright stars that will guide others to Me.

Just as I didn’t create only one tree, or one mountain, or one flower, or only paint one sunset, so too I do not bless only one life or make only one person to shine with My love. I touch each life with My love so that they may be an encouragement to others. So join in the masterpiece of My love! Let My love fill your life, and let others see My light and love shine through you today.

There is so much beauty in the world; take time to enjoy it, and share your enjoyment with others. I take just as much delight in painting the majestic sunsets as I do in creating the tiniest flowers, so enjoy not only the big‚ awesome expressions of My love, but also the smaller, almost unseen things that I bring into your life. As you do, your life will be filled to overflowing with My joy.




Anchor TFI [Video Posted - Gloria Estefan - Everlasting Love]

Written by Michael Sharp September 2014

Victor was a carabinero, or police officer, stationed at the remote Chilean customs compound known as Los Libertadores, high in the Andes on the border with Argentina. Since Victor had received special training in mountain rescue work, he was usually assigned to dangerous areas like this one. He enjoyed the mountains, but missed his family.

It was July 3—the heart of winter in the southern hemisphere—and a snowstorm raged outside. With winds of 100 kilometers (over 60 miles) per hour and the temperature at -15°C (5°F) before the windchill factor, Victor and the 57 other people in the camp were bunkered in for the night.

Suddenly, Victor heard a deep rumbling and instinctively looked at his watch. It was 8:38 pm. Since small tremors are common in that part of Chile, Victor didn’t think much of it at first, but the shaking grew stronger. Then the lights went out.

Seconds later, the roof collapsed and Victor found himself trapped between a wall and a large piece of furniture. The temperature around him dropped quickly, and Victor wondered how he would ever come out of this alive.

As Victor would find out later, the high winds had caused an avalanche at the top of a nearby peak and sent a mountain of snow down on the customs complex.

Victor managed to pry himself free from the rubble and dig his way out of the snow. Once outside, he realized that the other buildings around had also collapsed.

Then Victor heard a child’s cry and he dug through the wreckage until he found a baby girl. The child was wearing only a diaper and a T-shirt, but was otherwise unharmed. Victor quickly put her inside his warm police coat, where she could receive warmth from his chest.

With no heat and almost no shelter, unless help came soon, the survivors would all freeze to death. Before the avalanche, the camp’s only means of communication with the rest of the world had been a two-way radio, and now it was damaged beyond repair. Victor quickly realized that it might be days before anyone would even know of their predicament. Their only hope was for someone to walk to the nearest neighbor, a ski lodge about two kilometers away, and organize a rescue.

Victor asked for volunteers to go with him. No one came forward, so he set off alone, carrying the baby under his coat.

Eight hours later, Victor stumbled into the lodge, exhausted.

After turning the child over to others and then getting a hot shower and a quick meal, he was ready to lead one of the three rescue teams. As a result of his actions, 31 people were saved.

As I listened to Victor tell his story some months later, one important detail was missing. I asked about it, but Victor kept evading the question.

The next day Victor’s wife showed me her scrapbook of newspaper clippings about the avalanche and how Victor received a hero’s commendation from the president of Chile.

At last I persuaded Victor’s wife to reveal his secret. “He doesn’t talk about this,” she explained, “because he thinks people will say he’s crazy...”

“As Victor was walking through the blizzard, a bright light appeared off to one side, almost like a streetlight. But as Victor trudged through the deep snow, it moved with him and it lit the way, more like a spotlight than a streetlight. The light led Victor straight to the lodge. Many times along the way, Victor sank so deep into snowdrifts that he couldn't free himself, but each time he felt someone grab him from behind, pull him up, and set him on his way again.

“And there’s one more thing. The light that guided him was no ordinary light. When Victor looked directly into it, instead of radiating from some sort of bulb, the light was coming from Jesus’ face.”

*Michael Sharp is an English teacher in Colombia and a member of the Family International.


Activated TFI