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WatchIn our daily conversational language, we hardly use this word, "Appropriate".
So, to some of us, its meaning might not be very clear.
The Webster Handy College Dictionary gives the word, "appropriate" as a verb, meaning:
(1) allot (money) for a specific use [such as for, tithing, emergency days, etc.]
(2) take possession of. [citizenship granted to immigrants]
And as an adjective, the meaning is "suitable, applicable".
The subject that I wish to share with you all is, "how to take possession of someone's love for you".
Let me start with a reference to the gospel according to John. In passages of 13:23, 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20, we read a common refrain, "the disciple Jesus loved".
This is an adjective clause of himself, John, the author of the book, Gospel of John.
You would be forgiven, if you were to secretly say to yourself, "Wasn't John a bit thick skinned to self-claim as "...the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved". (John 20:2a)
Some preachers would even emphasize that among the 12 disciples, indeed, John must have been the most loved by Jesus, for that is what the Bible recorded in prints.
I have mulled over this expression, "the disciple Jesus loved ".
Actually, the writer, John could have just written, "myself or I" in those instances. But, no, he wrote 4 words instead of just one word to refer himself to the readers of the book.
Why? Let us find out.
The following are the resultant thoughts of my deliberations.
Firstly, it is erroneous to believe and worse still, to teach an erroneous application that Jesus had loved John more than the other disciples because the Bible has categorically
stated that "For God does not show favoritism." (Romans 2:11).
Therefore, it is very safe to believe and teach that Jesus loved all the disciples equally, even, the very one, who would betray Him with a kiss in the garden of Gethsemane, for the reward of mere thirty pieces of silver.
Secondly, this unique reference of "the disciple Jesus loved" is found only in the gospel of John and not in all the other books.
This shows us that the allusion of John being the especially loved disciple of Jesus, was of his own citation /authority, and not a perception upheld by the other disciples.
In other words, the other disciples did not sense or feel it that way (that Jesus loved John more than others).
Therefore, it has to do with how John appropriated Jesus' love for him, in order, for him to come forth to declare himself as, "the one whom Jesus loved".
Herein is a precious lesson for all of us - how to take possession of love from another person?
Needless to say, John would have known, realized and sensed keenly that Jesus loved equally everybody else. Yet, at the same time, he had felt the full force/weight of Jesus' love, as if, intentionally /calculated just for him alone /solely.
I am inclined to believe that whenever John interacted with Jesus, he must have savored the preciousness and greatness of Jesus' love for him.
John had, in essence, tasted and enjoyed Jesus' love as an invaluable /costly, beyond any price commodity; and the converse consequence was being humbled and felt very undeserving.
[I reckon, when John wrote the book, he had already known that Jesus was the Son of God, sent to be The Sacrificial Lamb for the sins of the world. In the same way as declared by Peter, "It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God." (1Peter 1:19)]
And as he grew in appreciation for Jesus' love, he had not for a moment felt that he was a recipient of only a shadow fraction of love from Jesus.
I would not be surprised at all that his experience was similar to the multiplication of the 5 loaves and 2 fish that finally fed over 5,000 men (not counting the women and children).
Or, he could have felt Jesus' love oozing and filling him all over him with warmth, much like the froth that overflows from a mug of beer /lager.
You could be like me, if you give careful thoughts to identify /determine the underlying factors for John to appropriate /take possession of Jesus' love in such awesome manner.
I have no shadow of a doubt that John,
never looked /compared himself with others; for if Jesus were to love someone else more, what is that to him?
would not begrudge Jesus, the benefactor for what He would endow on others; and may even rejoice for them;
was grateful for whatever that was on the receiving end with which he was landed with;
that comes with an attitude/ true sense of being undeserving of Jesus' love; after all, he was just a mere fisherman, while Jesus was Son of God;
probably he would be telling his own soul, that in reality, Jesus did not need to love him, if He does not want to; such a stance would orientate him to appreciate hugely whatever love he could receive from Jesus;
was able to look out, recognize and note tokens of love from every word /action from Jesus in his every day's occurrences.
must have felt so special and exceptional, much akin to what my 2+-year-old granddaughter, Isabelle, who told off her young girl, who came visiting and was coming close to me, she stood and said, "this is my grandma" (with increased tone emphasizing on "my". Implying that I was her grandma and not anybody else's, much less for that girl; and after her declaration, she validated with a gesture. She moved from where she was sitting, walked passed that little girl to where I was sitting on the floor, and took a seat on my lap with her back leaning very close to my chest, much like settling a territorial dispute ritual!
Yes, we ought to feel possessive of Jesus' love for us to the extent that we would declare to the world that "I am the One whom Jesus loved".
God Bless You All!
Best Regards,
mary
Read"And let us be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if you faint not." Galatians 6:9 (KJV)
My grandson Omari had finally achieved his long sought after goal of playing high school football, in which he hoped would one day be the precursor to a great college football career. Every since he could hold a football he trained in the summer's heat, winter's cold, and everything in between for as long as I can remember. Everyone in our family knew Omari would reach his goal one day because of the dedication to his passion. Senior year is important especially for athletes because it's the last opportunity to showcase talent for college scouts looking to recruit for scholarships. During his senior year Omari was not given much playing time because his team had recruited new players. Omari's team made the championship that year but he and other long time teammates would not be playing in the biggest game of the year. The new recruits would play instead and Omari would be among others who would be on the sideline even though their hard work in earlier games had helped get the team to that point. My grandson was hurt beyond words, felt it was unfair and wanted to give up. I prayed and God gave me these words for him. "Omari, this is like a relay race and some are a better fit for positions than others. Someone has to be the first, second, third and fourth leg." "You and others have been the first, second, and third leg to get your team to this point. Now you must gladly hand off the baton to someone else who may be stronger, faster and has a better chance to first cross the finish line. You and the other teammates are still an important part of the team and need to be there to encourage the players when they are tired, weary, and may feel like giving up. " "And if your team wins the championship every team member will get the exact same championship ring." I went to that big game and it bought tears to my eyes to see Omari on the side line yelling, encouraging and motivating his teammates who seemed at one point to be knocked completely out of the water. But in spite of what looked like a losing situation in the beginning, Omari's team pulled through and won the state championship! Omari was estactic and so was I as I watched Omari, his teammates, coaches and fans run onto the field in total hysteria!!!! And in spite of Omari not getting much playing time on the field that year he was recruited by a Christian college and given a scholarship to play college football! Lesson learned.
So it is in our Christian walk when we put our own feelings of hurt and disappointment aside to encourage someone else. We will always reap God's bountiful blessings when we lay aside our own earnest desires to motivate others who may be better at getting the job done. God does not forget our labor of love when we sacrifice through our own tears to applaud the efforts of others. It may seem as though all our hard work has been overlooked by man but they will always be noticed by our God.
Father, when it seems we are overlooked, hurt and disappointed help us to put our own feelings aside to encourage those who may need a kind word or a gentle touch. Help us to push aside our own goals at times to help others reach theirs in Jesus name. Amen.
Read"And let us be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if you faint not." Galatians 6:9 (KJV)
My grandson Omari had finally achieved his long sought after goal of playing high school football, in which he hoped would one day be the precursor to a great college football career. Every since he could hold a football he trained in the summer's heat, winter's cold, and everything in between for as long as I can remember. Everyone in our family knew Omari would reach his goal one day because of the dedication to his passion. Senior year is important especially for athletes because it's the last opportunity to showcase talent for college scouts looking to recruit for scholarships. During his senior year Omari was not given much playing time because his team had recruited new players. Omari's team made the championship that year but he and other long time teammates would not be playing in the biggest game of the year. The new recruits would play instead and Omari would be among others who would be on the sideline even though their hard work in earlier games had helped get the team to that point. My grandson was hurt beyond words, felt it was unfair and wanted to give up. I prayed and God gave me these words for him. "Omari, this is like a relay race and some are a better fit for positions than others. Someone has to be the first, second, third and fourth leg." "You and others have been the first, second, and third leg to get your team to this point. Now you must gladly hand off the baton to someone else who may be stronger, faster and has a better chance to first cross the finish line. You and the other teammates are still an important part of the team and need to be there to encourage the players when they are tired, weary, and may feel like giving up. " "And if your team wins the championship every team member will get the exact same championship ring." I went to that big game and it bought tears to my eyes to see Omari on the side line yelling, encouraging and motivating his teammates who seemed at one point to be knocked completely out of the water. But in spite of what looked like a losing situation in the beginning, Omari's team pulled through and won the state championship! Omari was estactic and so was I as I watched Omari, his teammates, coaches and fans run onto the field in total hysteria!!!! And in spite of Omari not getting much playing time on the field that year he was recruited by a Christian college and given a scholarship to play college football! Lesson learned.
So it is in our Christian walk when we put our own feelings of hurt and disappointment aside to encourage someone else. We will always reap God's bountiful blessings when we lay aside our own earnest desires to motivate others who may be better at getting the job done. God does not forget our labor of love when we sacrifice through our own tears to applaud the efforts of others. It may seem as though all our hard work has been overlooked by man but they will always be noticed by our God.
Father, when it seems we are overlooked, hurt and disappointed help us to put our own feelings aside to encourage those who may need a kind word or a gentle touch. Help us to push aside our own goals at times to help others reach theirs in Jesus name. Amen.
ReadMuch of what we see depends on our points of vantage. The same object appears to be different when viewed from different angles or directions, even at different periods of…
WatchHoly Spirit Calling
I love that I have learned to listen to the Holy Spirit and to follow it’s leading. I also love to recognize how God set us up to use us like this experience with my broken iPhone.
Right before Thanksgiving the screen on my iPhone shattered. My wonderful friends the Drakes surprised me with an early birthday/Christmas present and gave me the money to have it fixed.
The Tuesday before Thanksgiving I called to make an appointment to have it fixed at the Knox Street Apple store. I was informed the soonest I could get an appointment would be at the North Park Mall store at 3:25 pm on Sunday. The Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend at North Park Mall. Holy cow, I am pretty darn sure that would be like one of Dante's nine levels of hell, but I accepted it. The Apple operator also told me I could walk in off the street and chance getting an appointment. That oh so familiar “still small voice” said “go now.”
Off I went to the Knox Street Apple store with high hopes. I patiently stood in line and was told I could come back in three and a half hours and have it fixed. BINGO! That was perfect. I could go do my Thanksgiving grocery shopping as well as some other errands and get my phone fixed all in the same day.
Upon my return to the Apple Store I was guided to a communal table where the Apple tech would be helping me and a young lady. A beautiful young lady, a brunet in her late twenties, with a pixie haircut, two full sleeves of tattoos and a pierced nose.
As the tech expertly simultaneously handled both of our phone issues I noticed the young lady was really discombobulated. I noticed she was in tears and said “Honey, what is wrong?” She proceeded pour her heart out to me and tell me she never thought she’d be getting herself out of an abusive situation. I am guessing her broken phone had something to do with the abusive man. I asked her if she talked to God and told if she didn’t this would be a good time to start and that He would protect her.
Her name was Laura and she told me she was trying to be a writer to which I responded “Me, too!” She said also wrote poetry and I responded “ Me, too!” She then said she had been chaste before this relationship to which I laughed and said “Me, too, I still am.” I asked her if she would like to go have coffee and talk while our phones were being fixed. She replied “ Yes!” and the Apple tech quietly said under his breath “This is cool.”
For an hour and a half she talked about her life and I talked to her about God and how He would see her through all of this. I told her my own experiences and how God took care of me. Laura asked me where I went to church and although she wasn’t Catholic she had always wanted a rosary. She asked me if there was a Mass on Thanksgiving and would I go with her? I told her “Honey, if you show up I will go with you.”
As we exchanged contact information her mother called and she said “Mom, I met a lady and we’ve been talking about God. I’ll be home soon” We hugged goodbye and she was on her way. I texted her later to make sure she got home to Ft.Worth in time to pick up her little boy. She texted that she was stuck in traffic and “Thank you for walking into that store today.” God sure knew what He was doing when my iPhone screen shattered.
I didn’t hear from Laura on Thanksgiving but I sent her a rosary, a booklet on how to say it, a copy of Jesus Calling, a journal for her poetry and told her to keep in touch. I hope she does. I’m also glad I keep in touch with the Holy Spirit and follow its promptings. You never know where God is going to lead you.
So this morning I spent some time repairing an old drill I have. (I currently have 3 but I like this one) I had acquired this tool when someone had written it off years ago because it had a frayed cord. I used this drill for years before the cord finally gave up (and probably would have shocked me. So this morning I sat down to repair it. I realized when I was putting this too back together after my tinkering that I had been using a screwdriver, someone had thrown away and that I actually found in a bag of leaves. Leaves that were set at the curb to be disposed of but I took home for compost in my garden. I don't say all this to brag or boast but it made me think that someone out there might feel beyond repair, broken, thrown away, and disposed. But there is One out there to fix you, repair you, give you a purpose and use you!
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!
I married at 27 to a fellow who never told me prior to the marriage, he had mental health issues. 6 years into this marriage, I was informed he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and had been hospitalized and diagnosed. As time progresses, my son was put in a religious school. His insanity pushed this young boy to act out and refused to attend. Throughout his schooling problems continued to escalate. I was as a horse in blinders, unable to see where this unacceptable behavior came from. Prior to the husband appearance, we attended church regularly, we were happy and adjusted and with God.
Forward to 2013 I discovered he was sleeping with my son step granddaughter of21 years. Became angry and acted out in unhealthy behavior, unable to say the words of accused actions. He had me in such tremors and gained weight from stress, always his way. Under his thumb, no God in the marriage, no amount of begging would allow me to seek our maker. Since that time a 35 years of union, I have been abandoned, he initially lived with her, now apart. When I got my first apt, one morning I was woken up with a loud voice. "The devil has left you" this was the voice of God, freeing me of decades of emotional abuses and realizing what I had wasted my son & I mental sanity. Now on the verge of 2017. I'm happier with Jesus tha I could imagine. My current problem is anixity dreams of his abuse, lies, thieving and financial ruin. I awake in the middle of night praising Jesus to clear my mind. Have attended Celebrate Recovery and will attend again. I told him ( through voice mail) I could of chosen drugs. alcohol or immoral lifestyle, I choose God instead. He won't speak to me, find it hard to pay lawyer for divorce, as I enjoyed being married may be the reason I don't want a divorce. I must get one as he has medical bills, that find me. Wisconsin in no fault state, that would be one big reason. I will not take him back as he is the devil and my eyes are open now. I have been blessed so much from God, thank Him 24/7/365 please advise
A Christmas to Remember
The true meaning of Christmas was revealed to me years ago. That Christmas found me as a newly single mother of a beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed daughter of three. Trying to juggle rent, utilities, groceries, bills, and a child was putting a serious strain on finances. Many times I would skip meals so my child would have a full meal to eat.
Every parent wishes to give their child the best that they can. So it is no wonder that my heart was breaking when I had no choice but to pull her onto my lap and tell my little girl that there was no Santa. I explain to her while holding back my tears that I was Santa and I could not afford to put any presents under the tree for her or feed her a real Christmas dinner.
God truly blessed me with a daughter that is my earth-bound angel. In the beautiful innocence of a child, she told me, “It’s ok Mom. You can just wrap up some of my stuffed animals from my room and put them under the tree. I’ll forget what is under there by Christmas.” I was amazed and humbled by her response to our situation. So I told her to get into my jewelry box and cosmetics and wrap up some of my things for a present for me.
Christmas day came. I managed to purchase cornbread mix and macaroni and cheese in a box for $.25 per box each. After we ate our dinner of macaroni and cheese, and cornbread, we sang “Happy Birthday Jesus”, we spent the evening trying to outdo each other with every present we opened with “It is just what I wanted!” and expressions of surprise. The laughter grew throughout the processes until our sides hurt.
Later that night after she had gone to sleep and I could reflect on the Christmas we shared, I cried for not being able to give her what I thought she deserved and spoiling the “Santa” fairytale, but then it dawned on me what a great present God had given me and I cried for joy.
How often do you find the true meaning of Christmas? The pure and innocent spirit of a child reminded me that it isn’t about the presents, but the sharing the love that Christ has for us that is Christmas.
The following year was not much better financially. Preparing for another barren Christmas, my daughter and I went to the Christmas service at church to worship the one who’s birthday we celebrate. When we arrived home from church and walked to the front door of our mobile home, I noticed a bag of trash on our front doorstep. Irritated that someone could be cruel on the holidays, I went to throw the bag to the side. But as I reached for the bag, a label caught my eye. The label read my daughter’s name. We looked at each other curious. I helped her open the bag. Inside was a new dress, an easy bake oven, and several color books and games.
If you have ever wondered if the donations you give make a difference, let me assure you they do. Although I know Jesus is the reason for the season, those toys and clothes relieve the stress of a mother that cannot provide and joy to a child that had come to expect nothing.
You were Jesus to someone in need.
Fifteen years passed since that time. We have been blessed and have much more than we could ever have expected. We both remember it as one of the best Christmas’ we ever had. I pray you have Christmas to remember.
Jamie Nicolelli
ReadI started doing drugs at an early age and after a while I started hearing voices. Things got so bad I tried to kill myself. The doctors couldn't help me. No one could. I remember one night I was so lost and I prayed to God and I surrendered to Him and i said I was tired of making wrong decisions and asked Him to guide me. For a while things got worse. One day I talked to my pastor and told him my situation. He told me there's hope and prayed for me and when I'm ready I should come to church. So the next week I went to church. One day he asked if anyone needed prayer and I went up and the whole church prayed for me. Little by little things got better. Now I have a job and I'm clean and my family is proud of me. I owe all this to God. He rescued me from a hopeless situation. If there is anyone else with this simular problem God will help you out. All you have to do is ask Him. There's no way I could have done it without Him.
ReadI am a 71 year old lady and had been physically active and independent. I was diagnosed with osteoporosis many years ago but over time the osteoporosis only got worse and did not respond to treatment. After several falls, my ability to care for myself was severely restricted. I never married and therefore have no children to help me. I do have 3 younger siblings. We are very close spiritually but not geographically.
I had to sell my home and move into an Assisted Living Residence. The residents, of the Assisted Living, come from a variety of backgrounds, living experiences and have various levels of hearing and understanding.
As I look back on my last few months I realize that the Holy Spirit always was with me to help me make the decisions that would change my life . I also believe that the Holy Spirit continues to support and guide me as the residents and staff of the Assisted Living Home have became "my family".
Prior to this medical situation and life style change, I had been volunteering as a Stephen Minister at the local hospital. Before entering a patient's room I prayed to God for guidance and was comforted knowing that the Holy Spirit would be with me.
I am still getting used to meeting new residents but truly believe that God has planted me here to help lead others to salvation through Christ. The Holy Spirit continues to guide me to those residents who have not yet turned their hearts and lives to our Lord.
ReadInspiration for Everyone
Planting the Seeds of Faith
By Lisa Whidden
If you are like me, you believe God can do the impossible. He can comfort you, help you in times of need, and yes, hear you when you pray. We see this in the scripture 2 Corinthians 1:24:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, a about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace. For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.
But God cannot do all the work himself. It is important to prepare for his blessings. In 2 James: 17; it say In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. When preparing for God’s blessings, it requires faith to be put into action. It’s not enough to simply say you’re ready to receive God’s blessings, and yet do nothing to receive them.
Blessings are a funny thing to receive. Sometimes we are so impatient; we do not see his good works. So let me give you a brief background on my own struggles in life:
I lived a particularly challenging life. When I was born, I hit the genetic lottery of health issues. By the time I was 4, I was diagnosed with extreme tibial torsion (hips were not aligned right). It took four years of countless painful surgeries on my legs, which at the time, many performed were experimental which made it even more painful to endure. Because of this, there are many scars and as I’ve grown older, it has caused arthritis in the knees and legs. But my parents were very thankful and praised God for his good works since I was able to walk and play, which was impossible before the surgeries.
Then our home was hit with another struggle. Cancer! About six months after my last surgery on my legs, I became very sick. My mother and father admitted me to the hospital and I was officially diagnosed with cancer of the jaw muscle, which eventually moved into the bone and skin tissue. The doctors made a plan with my parents to do a surgery they thought at the time would cure the problem. My mom and dad stayed steady in their faith and prayed to God this would go away quickly with the surgeries they set up. It did not. It took 32 surgeries and countless chemo treatments. Many times my family prepared for my passing, but by the time I was 14, the cancer was successfully removed (completely). This is a perfect example of God’s mercy. He not only allowed me to survive, but allowed me to grow up and have children of my own. The scripture says in John 14:14 you may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. And he did! However, I want to give advice on how my parents stayed steady in their faith even though it took years and years for them to receive the blessing they were asking for:
The first step is to become your own personal gardener. I know this may be a weird analogy, but bear with me.
You must plant seeds in the ground. The seeds with be various but will always include a seed for purposes for devotion, patience, and dedication to your own spiritual faith. It is you, and only you, who can build your relationship with God. But beware! Be careful on what you are asking for. If you want to become a millionaire and pray very hard for it, then you need to meet him half way in planting the seed of knowledge in the ground by educating yourself on how to obtain the wealth. If pray for a house, your seed might include researching the housing market and finding out what credit score is needed to get approved for a mortgage loan. If you are asking for a miracle for a health issue, you may want plant the seed of research and hit the library for books, microfiche, videos, or even web research on multiple cures or medical staffs throughout the world which can help you. It takes a lot of work on your end, but if you meet him half way, this is the only way you can prepare for the blessing he has to offer. My parents researched multiple hospitals, doctors, and practically lived at the library researching each and every health issue the doctors shared with them, so they could offer questions and suggestions to medical staff, which actually went a long way in my recovery.
The next step is to tend and water your seeds you planted. Watering encourages growth and tending the seeds of your prayers will encourage growth of the expectations you expect to receive. This is the part that can be frustrating because sometimes it takes an extended amount of time to see real results. If there is no growth in your goal or prayer you are asking for, then maybe the seed you are growing need a bit more attention. We can do this all through faith.
Nothing is impossible! But it is important to work on faith. We can see this through Hebrews 11:6: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. If you take action on knowledge and work in life and have faith in the scripture, God promises us an outcome. We can see this in Hebrew 11:40: Since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. These blessings are all brought on by faith. It is important to be patient though, and not question his work. Remember your goals, and remind yourself daily why you’re doing a particular task. If you do not see the work God is doing beneath the surface, you may get discouraged. Remember, it may be us who plants the seeds in the ground in expectation of a harvest, but it is God who determines when we will see results.
But when you do see results, even in the smallest form, it is important to be sure not only to give thanks to God, but to give back too: Second Corinthians 2:8-9 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.