Our Daily Bread:
Psalms 116:1-19
[1]I love the Lord because he hears my voice
and my prayer for mercy.
[2]Because he bends down to listen,
I will pray as long as I have breath!
[3]Death wrapped its ropes around me;
the terrors of the grave overtook me.
I saw only trouble and sorrow.
[4]Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Please, Lord, save me!”
[5]How kind the Lord is! How good he is!
So merciful, this God of ours!
[6]The Lord protects those of childlike faith;
I was facing death, and he saved me.
[7]Let my soul be at rest again,
for the Lord has been good to me.
[8]He has saved me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.
[9]And so I walk in the lord’s presence
as I live here on earth!
[10]I believed in you, so I said,
“I am deeply troubled, Lord.”
[11]In my anxiety I cried out to you,
“These people are all liars!”
[12]What can I offer the Lord
for all he has done for me?
[13]I will lift up the cup of salvation
and praise the Lord’s name for saving me.
[14]I will keep my promises to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
[15]The Lord cares deeply
when his loved ones die.
[16]O Lord, I am your servant;
yes, I am your servant, born into your household;
you have freed me from my chains.
[17]I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of the Lord.
[18]I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people—
[19]in the house of the Lord
in the heart of Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy reading...Blessing
The Victors
The righteous will ultimately win. Read the Bible and see. Satan and his angels will be cast into hell. Jesus and the redeemed will be in Heaven for eternity. Evil cannot win and right cannot lose. You need to know this before you make a choice to do something wrong. No matter how tempting it may be to sin right now, on down the road it will be a bad decision, and you will wish you had never made it.
Why do you make bad decisions? Many times it is because some friend asked us to. We were with someone and it seemed like the thing to do at the time. Literally, lives are ruined every day because of nothing more than circumstances. Put your decisions in perspective. At least let them be yours and not the decisions of others. Even though someone else wants to do something bad doesn't mean that you have to do it, too. Think for yourself and decide for yourself. And always remember that you have to give an account for yourself. In the judgment no one can blame others for the decisions he has made. You will stand on your own before the Lord. Since the responsibility is yours, shouldn't the decisions also be yours? If you are not making your own decisions, who is making them for you?
Building Blocks
One of the best choices you can make is in the choice of friends. You can be a friend to anyone, and Christians should always show the same spirit that Jesus showed in this regard. Jesus was the friend of sinners, but He was never, never influenced by them. He was an influence on them. Instead of letting evil men entice Him to sin, Jesus encouraged those who had done evil to go and sin no more. We can be like a thermometer. We can go up or down as the temperature around us changes. We can constantly act and react in response to the things others do, or we can be like a thermostat. A thermostat changes things. It controls the machinery that makes it hot or cold. Christians have that power. A right word or a simple no can change the situation for the better.
Evil is progressive. The more we give in, the easier it gets to give in more. So is doing right. When we make a big commitment to always follow the Lord, and we live by it, it becomes easier and easier to be light to others. What do you think the world needs? Do we need more who will tempt and entice others to sin? Do we need more who will yield to temptation and walk in the way of sinners or do we need someone to stand up for decency and morality and say stop to all the evil around us? You have a choice, not only about whom you want to follow but also about whom you want to lead.
The climax
Don't I have the right to choose my own friends? Yes, of course you do, but be sure you do just that-choose them. Take a look at who they are and what they are. Are they going to be a friend to you or do they want you to be a friend to them? Will they be there when you need them, or are they using you to get what they want? Are they friends you would choose, or are they the people close at hand? Think about all these things before you begin to follow the influence of others. There is a friend that you absolutely will never need to worry about. No matter what, He will not let you down. He will be there for you forever, and He has the power to do what you need. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a friend like that? It is and I do, and you can, too. That friend is Jesus. Jesus is not imaginary; He is real, and He will and can help you. He is a friend who is closer than a brother or sister. He will be there to help you when everyone else has gone, and He has the power to literally move mountains. No matter which other friends you choose to have, choose this one first. Compared to Jesus, are the others really friends at all? Having a good friend is one of the best things in the world, but having a bad friend can horribly complicate your life.
Any thought?
Let's have a coffee
Hari
When Friends Hurt You
We are acquaintances by accident but should always be friends by choice. Some of these people were wonderful, and became our friends, but some of them were not, and I had to learn to leave them alone. Often our friends are not the products of choice or rational decision but of circumstance. Friends have a great power to help us and to hurt us. No one is exempt from peer pressure, and we should make sure that we get encouragement to do good, not temptation to do evil, from our friends. Keep in mind that it is far easier to choose friends than to change friends. If you see that you have a friend who is leading you in the wrong path, you should stop following him, bit it is far less painful to simply choose good fiends to begin with.
Ponder:
Wisdom is making right choices, and the first choice to make is to realize that you have a choice. Everyone in the world could be your friend. You do not have to "settle" for those who live in your neighborhood or those who sit next to you in class. We have wonderful means of communicating across long distances, and we can choose whether or not to expand our horizons.
If you have a choice, how are going to make it? You have learned that God is the source of wisdom (James 1:5). If you have trouble making a right choice or making a choice at all, ask the Lord to help you. He gives wisdom freely and never makes you feel small for asking. The main way God has given us wisdom is through His word. We do not need to ask God to supply us with information when He has already done so in the Bible. We do need to open our Bibles and consider what it says about choosing our friends wisely.
Don't be governed by Temptation.
We cannot avoid being tempted, but we certainly can avoid yielding to the temptation. We can be enticed, or tempted into sin, but we don't have to consent to it. This is a situation where knowledge is power. As the text puts it, the net is spread in vain in the sight of the bird. If we want to trap a bird and we show him the net, he will have enough sense to fly away. So should we. Satan knows this, and he doesn't show us the death and destruction that are at the end of the path. He only shows us the enticements at the beginning.
The process begins with ENTICEMENT. The word means "things" that are attractive and desirable. We want them and easily fool ourselves into thinking we can get these things in underhanded and evil ways. The promises of sins are always grand. We are told that we can "fill our houses with spoil" or have everything we ever wanted. Of course, it is tempting to be offered every precious thing in the world.
We are then asked to cast our lot in with sinners, to "have one purse". Here the good man has agreed to and become a part of the ways of the evil man. This is the result of evil. It never lifts the bad man up, it drags the good man down.
Would you get on a plane without knowing where it was going ? Would you get on a boat without knowing that you could get back to shore? I wouldn't. Neither should we commit our lives to any course of action without knowing where it will eventually lead. How do we find out?
Don't go down the wrong path.
In Proverbs 4:14, we are warned about actually doing what we are tempted to do. Temptation can result in only two outcomes. We will either give in to the temptation, or we will resist it. If we resist temptation to do evil, we are okay. If we don't then we, enter into the path of the wicked. This is not so much a single incident of wrongdoing as it is a choice of a lifestyle of evil. One of the ways one becomes evil is to be led astray by evil friends. Isn't it odd that evil always seeks more evil? We make fun of good people and laugh at righteousness and with the same breath glorify evil. Bad men are always recruiting.
Good choices help us avoid bad ones.
One of the best ways to keep from making a bad choice is to make a good one first. Wise choices are compared to lamps, light and the way of life. These are all accessed through the word of God. It is a commandments of God, the laws of God and the instruction of God, that offer us the benefits of righteousness. There are always temptations, but before you yield consider the outcome of your decisions. You always have a choice. You might not want to make it, but it is there for you. There may be a price to pay for making a right choice, but you can make it if you want to.
The big choices can help us avoid the little ones. If you will commit your life to Christ, you can decide at an early age that you are going to make all your choices based on His will and word. That big choice can help you when temptation comes along. You can tell the "friends" who wants you to do evil that you have already given your heart to Christ.
Any thought?
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy reading....Blessing
Our Daily Bread:
Psalms 119:41-48
[41]Lord, give me your unfailing love,
the salvation that you promised me.
[42]Then I can answer those who taunt me,
for I trust in your word.
[43]Do not snatch your word of truth from me,
for your regulations are my only hope.
[44]I will keep on obeying your instructions
forever and ever.
[45]I will walk in freedom,
for I have devoted myself to your commandments.
[46]I will speak to kings about your laws,
and I will not be ashamed.
[47]How I delight in your commands!
How I love them!
[48]I honor and love your commands.
I meditate on your decrees.
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy...the day ahead
The Feminine Need for Self-Esteem
Inferiority and self-doubt lead to feelings of inadequacy, lack of confidence, thoughts of worthlessness, and despair. A woman sometimes feels alone and wonders if anyone cares. The woman with inferior feelings experiences fear when speaking with her peers and may feel foolish afterwards. Such experiences result in her feeling that the best of life is passing by without her really enjoying it or achieving anything worthwhile. Depression causes one to feel unloved, unlovable, lonely, and sad and to conclude that others have more talent.
Low self-esteem can threaten any member of the family. It causes persons to feel that they are not respected by others. What persons think others think about them affects their emotions significantly. If it is concluded that others think they are dumb, ugly, or lazy, they cannot live with themselves. An eminent physician recently stated that a man who believes he has no further worth or purpose in living will be dead in eighteen months. Rebellious, hostile teenagers are usually those who are bitterly disappointed with who they are and with what they are becoming.
Low self-esteem afflicts men as well as women, but it has been aggravated among women by the demeaning criticisms of the traditional role of housewife. No serious woman wants to waste her life with insignificant activities. In recent years, traditional responsibilities of raising children and maintaining a home have been attacked with disrespect and ridicule. These attacks have caused more women to become disenchanted with their roles and to question whether they are being used by men to do the lowly and undesirable tasks. They are being told that normal women do not like domestic duties and responsibilities and cannot be happy at home. If the husband likewise communicates the view that the wife's work at home is less important than his, her self-esteem is sure to suffer.
Dobson points out that another cause for decline in self-respect has to do with the physical attractiveness of the woman. If a woman conceives of herself as ugly, she is almost certain to feel inferior to her peers. With society's placing so much emphasis on sex, physical beauty is idolized; therefore, the opposite of the approved sublimes said scorned. Advertisers make women aware of the slightest physical flaws in order to sell their products which claim to be remedies. The constant calling attention to certain textures of skin and complexions causes women to feel inferior and inadequate over the least physical imperfections.
Although there is no fundamental difference in the level of intelligence between men and women, men in the business or professional world have been deducted as more intelligent than housewives. Unfortunately in many societies, greater attention is given to the education of boys than girls. Generally, men score high on tests in mathematics and philosophy, but women excel in verbal skills. Intellectual ability varies greatly within each sex. Usually men gain higher levels of education because of the need to develop skills for their occupations. Society pays homage to intelligence. Intellectual pride may cause persons to conclude that those occupying positions which require advanced education are making a greater contribution to life than those that do manual labor or tend to home affairs.
Recent psychologist have concluded that personality, human growth, and happiness center in relationships and not in a person's accumulation of facts. If mankind is the climax of creation and humanness depends on social relation, then life centers in relationships. The mother whose personality and love largely shape the lives of her children functions in society's most important role.
A person who feels inferior tends to withdraw and refuses to participate where risks are involved. Many persons who have significant contributions to make to a group or to a project refuse to get involved because of their fear of what others might think. Every person has felt I'll at ease in the presence of a highly trained professional or s person of wealth. A young preacher probably will feel inferior at times in the presence of a doctor, lawyer, or political leader. The political leader may know no more or not as much, but his position has given to him self-confidence. The traditional role of woman in the home has not provided her with many opportunities to mix with community and state leaders, therefore, she tends to feel insecure and develops a low self-esteem of her abilities. This view of herself produces anxieties when she mixes with others, and her safest resource is to withdraw and not risk ridicule
If the husband fails to understand the situation of his wife, he also will likely conclude that she is limited in ability and thus will add to her feelings of inferiority. Women of this movement have concluded that the solution to their feelings of inferiority and inadequacy is to attack the traditional role of women and to deny their inherent characteristics. Militant feminists today are attacking everything about the home, childrearing, marriage, and sexual morality. Anger and hostility are poor solutions for feelings of inferiority and inadequacy. To deny one's God-given nature will not eliminate feelings of inferiority. Rather, women need to understand that their personal worth is the same as that of men. Those who have self-esteem and a healthy view of personal worth do not feel the need to be equal with men in every aspect of society. Women have the instinctive tendency to desire a family and home. Humanistic and materialistic philosophies are ignoring this innate desire of womanhood and are suggesting that higher fulfillment comes in the professional and economic realms. Lasting happiness is impossible until a woman learns to accept herself. Frustrated and insecure women may deny this natural longing and substitute lesser desires, but the woman who admits this longing should be unashamed that God has made her this way.
Any thought?
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy...reading..Blessing
Our Daily Bread:
Philippians 2:1-18
[1]Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate?
[2]Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
[3]Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
[4]Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
[5]You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
[6]Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
[7]Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
[8]he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
[9]Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,
[10]that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
[11]and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
[12]Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.
[13]For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
[14]Do everything without complaining and arguing,
[15]so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.
[16]Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.
[17]But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.
[18]Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.
Let's have a coffee...
Hari
Enjoy...reading...Blessing
Have a pleasant a successful day to all!!!
The Physiological Distinctives of Women
The Physiological functions of women cause emotional, social, and psychological responses which men do not have. A women's maternal instinct and motherly feelings are associated with theenstrual period. Although eighteen percent of women will be menstruating at any one time, autopsies reveal that fifty percent of female suicides occur during the menstrual period. A large majority of women's crime (63% in an English study and 84% in a French study) occur just previous to this period. Number of accidents, quality of school work, intelligence test scores, and relfex actions are affected by the menstrual cycle.
Feminine Fatigue
Often husbands are unaware of the amount of energy that a woman expends in being a wife and mother. Upon conception, her body must provide nutrition and minerals not only for her own body but also for the unborn fetus. Both menstruation and childbirth are cause loss of tissue and blood which have to be replaced. If children are conceived too frequently, her body does not have opportunity to regain it's strength and her health is endangered. The birth of the child does not end the expenditure of energy but often is just the beginning, especially if the child is hyperactive. Her body continues to produce nourishment for the infant, and her tasks are greatly increased in caring for the infant. When the child becomes a toddler, the mother must constantly watch after him, carry him around when he refuses to walk, and discipline him in order to train properly. Of course, a mother finds much joy in caring for her children, but the joy does not replace the expended energy.
Although the husband may work hard in the field, the factory, or an office all day, he must not conclude that his wife has been idle, and, therefore, should be available to serve his every need. In addition to caring for children, her day has been filled with house cleaning, caring for the clothes for the entire family, and preparing meals. Often her full schedule does not leave time for social contacts with other women, while the husband has had opportunity to socialize while at work.
Fatigue makes a person less able to cope with noisiness of children and other irritations which arise everyday. Fatigue causes a person to complain and criticize those whom he or she loves most.
Dr. James F. Dobson suggests that wives depression, which is the result of busy lives and fatigue, can be reduced significantly if the husband will comprehend and accept three ideas:
Human beings tolerate stress and pressures much more easily if at least one person knows they are enduring it. Housewives can manage their domestic and family duties if their husbands understand their situation. Human understanding is essential for proper self-esteem. Everyone needs to be respected for the way he meets his responsibilities. Husbands, emotions are nurtured through job promotions, raises in pay, and the incidental praise during the workday. Wives must depend on their husbands for respect concerning their performance in the home.
Most wives can handle the daily household activities if husbands will provide help for the additional periodic tasks of cleaning appliances, waxing floors, and cleaning windows.
Families should constantly guard against overcommitment. Women as well as men need some time of their own to do the things that interest them.
Feminine Emotions
The majority of women experience recurring times of despair, discouragement, disinterest, distress, despondency, and disenchantment with their circumstances. Men become depressed over specific problems which arise in business and in personal and family life, but women experience a cyclical pattern of emotional ups and downs.
The variation between emotional highs and lows will be less in some women than in others. Those who do not get very excited about anything likely will not descend as deeply into depression as those who are excitable. An experience which produces an extreme "high" will also set the state for an emotional experience. Persons who understand this pattern will be able to endure depression more easily. Emotional experiences require more physical energy. An increase in emotions causes the adrenal glands to produce more adrenaline which speeds up the metabolism of the body. This process prepares the body to respond more rapidly and efficiently during fear, excitement, or tension. As long as the emotional response is above normal, the body will be using an abnormal amount of energy. When the emotions return to normal, the body is left exhausted, therefore, periods of emotional excitement are followed by periods of fatigue and depression. The condition is corrected when the body is rested and energy is restored.
Any thought?
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy...reading..Blessing
Our Daily Bread:
Psalms 104:1-35
[1]Let all that I am praise the Lord.
O lord my God, how great you are!
You are robed with honor and majesty.
[2]You are dressed in a robe of light.
You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;
[3]you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds.
You make the clouds your chariot;
you ride upon the wings of the wind.
[4]The winds are your messengers;
flames of fire are your servants.
[5]You placed the world on its foundation
so it would never be moved.
[6]You clothed the earth with floods of water,
water that covered even the mountains.
[7]At your command, the water fled;
at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away.
[8]Mountains rose and valleys sank
to the levels you decreed.
[9]Then you set a firm boundary for the seas,
so they would never again cover the earth.
[10]You make springs pour water into the ravines,
so streams gush down from the mountains.
[11]They provide water for all the animals,
and the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
[12]The birds nest beside the streams
and sing among the branches of the trees.
[13]You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home,
and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.
[14]You cause grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for people to use.
You allow them to produce food from the earth—
[15]wine to make them glad,
olive oil to soothe their skin,
and bread to give them strength.
[16]The trees of the Lord are well cared for—
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
[17]There the birds make their nests,
and the storks make their homes in the cypresses.
[18]High in the mountains live the wild goats,
and the rocks form a refuge for the hyraxes.
[19]You made the moon to mark the seasons,
and the sun knows when to set.
[20]You send the darkness, and it becomes night,
when all the forest animals prowl about.
[21]Then the young lions roar for their prey,
stalking the food provided by God.
[22]At dawn they slink back
into their dens to rest.
[23]Then people go off to their work,
where they labor until evening.
[24]O Lord, what a variety of things you have made!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your creatures.
[25]Here is the ocean, vast and wide,
teeming with life of every kind,
both large and small.
[26]See the ships sailing along,
and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea.
[27]They all depend on you
to give them food as they need it.
[28]When you supply it, they gather it.
You open your hand to feed them,
and they are richly satisfied.
[29]But if you turn away from them, they panic.
When you take away their breath,
they die and turn again to dust.
[30]When you give them your breath, life is created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
[31]May the glory of the Lord continue forever!
The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made!
[32]The earth trembles at his glance;
the mountains smoke at his touch.
[33]I will sing to the lord as long as I live.
I will praise my God to my last breath!
[34]May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
[35]Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth;
let the wicked disappear forever.
Let all that I am praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy meditation... Blessing
Differences in Men and Women
Dr. Paul Popenoe, founder of the American Institute of Family Relations in Los Angeles, notes several differences between men and women. :
Their cells differ in the chromosome combinations; this fact accounts for the development into maleness and femaleness.
Women have greater constitutional vitality and outlive men three or four years.
The basal metabolism of women is normally lower than that of men.
In skeleton structure, women have shorter heads, broader faces, shorter legs, and longer trunks. Often the first finger of a woman's hand is longer than the third, but this condition is reversed in men. Women have larger stomachs, kidneys, liver, and appendices, but smaller lungs.
Unique functions in women which relate to childbearing, such as menstruation, pregnancy, and lactation, influence behavior and feelings. Of course, these functions are not found in men. A woman has more hormones than a man does, and the same glands behave differently in the two sexes. A woman's thyroid is larger and more active and enlarges during pregnancy and menstruation. It is more prone to goiter, provides her with greater resistance to cold, and is associated with smooth skin and a thin layer of subcutaneous fat which contributes to greater emotional variation in women; thus, a women laughs and cries more easily than a man.
Women's blood contains more water and less red cells, therefore, less oxygen is available to body cells. This condition results in quicker physical fatigue and greater susceptibility to fainting.
Men are fifty percent above women in brute strength.
A woman's heart beat is approximately ten percent faster than a man's but her blood pressure is about ten points lower. Women have less tendency to high blood pressure than men.
Women can stand higher temperatures better than men, and their metabolism slows down less.
These physical differences contribute significantly to emotional and psychological differences between men and women. Since these differences are not always understood, conflicts often arise between husbands and wives because of ignorance. A recognition of these differences should lead to greater acceptance of wives by husbands, and vice versa, even though the emotions and attitudes at times are somewhat distasteful.
Any thought?
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy reading...Blessing
How to say NO!
Today we will learn one of the most powerful words in our language and the concept behind it. The word is NO, and the concept is CHOICE. We have a choice because we are made in the image of God. Other creatures have limited or no choices at all. Most of creation is programmed to respond in preset ways to certain conditions. We call this instinct, but in reality it is simply the way God made the world.
Human beings are not another species of animal, a kind of hairless ape. We are made in the image and the likeness of God. Because we have physical bodies, we also have instinct. We are programmed to breathe, and our hearts are programmed to beat without any choice or thought. Our choices makes the difference in happiness and tragedy.
There are two choices, YES and NO. Either can be easy. We can simply choose to let someone else make the choice for us. If the other person is making good choices, we may be all right, but, if the other person is making a bad choices, our choices will be bad, too.
Remember two things. One is that we are not neutral creatures. We are sinners by nature, even when we are not sinners by choice. This means that our inclination is toward sin, not righteousness. Did you ever have a class in school lying? Did anyone ever have to tell you how to lie and get you to practice so that you became good at it? Probably not.
Say no to Evil men.
The first thing you have to keep in mind is that you always have a choice. You never have to do wrong. Evil may be tempting, and evil men may change. The consequences of not "going along" may be severe, but you can always choice. The conditions that will help you make a good choice are spelled out plainly.
Saying no involves saying no to evil men. Your choices are seldom choices of Philosophy. Every choice is in some way personal. How does anyone come to rejoice in evil, to delight in wickedness or to walk a crooked way? It is through choices gradually made over a period of time.
Say no to flattering temptation.
When we choose friends, there needs to be a conscious choice, not just the accidental paring of people in various situations. All of us like to be flattered, even when we know the flattery is wrong. The sinful world leaves God out and paints a pretty picture of sin. We see it portrayed as a wonderful way to live. We are told that we all need to decide is whether of not something feels good. We never see the death and destruction that result from flattery.
At the time anyone gives in to temptation, it makes sense to him. We go through a process called rationalization, where we can make evil seem good and good seem harmful. No matter how serious the sin, someone can rationalize it and talk himself into thinking that he needs to commit it. It all begins with flattery. These lies, and remember that flattery is always based on a lie, lead us into making choices that we would not make if we had all the facts and used good judgment.
Do you want to die? Do you enjoy pain? Do you wake up every morning looking forward to another day of intense suffering? Of course not, no one does, but these things are the carefully disguised outcome of the flattery that leads us to sin. No one is immune to flattery. The only way to avoid it is to recognize it for what it is, a door to destruction. When someone tells you that you are better, brighter or prettier than you know you are, look out. They are going to try to get you to set aside your better judgment and start down a path of destruction.
Satan is a liar. He deliberately misleads us so that we end up on the road to death and hell. The first step is to forsake the things that are right and substitute the things that are wrong. Never take the power of choice lightly. We can make choices casually, but the consequences are never casual. It is easy to forsake and forget. These are not carefully considered decisions, they are the kinds of choices that we often make in spiritual matters. No matter what your choice, at least be aware that you are making one.
Any thought?
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy reading....Blessings
Our Daily Bread:
Psalms 98:1-9
[1]Sing a new song to the Lord,
for he has done wonderful deeds.
His right hand has won a mighty victory;
his holy arm has shown his saving power!
[2]The Lord has announced his victory
and has revealed his righteousness to every nation!
[3]He has remembered his promise to love and be faithful to Israel.
The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
[4]Shout to the Lord, all the earth;
break out in praise and sing for joy!
[5]Sing your praise to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song,
[6]with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn.
Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!
[7]Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
Let the earth and all living things join in.
[8]Let the rivers clap their hands in glee!
Let the hills sing out their songs of joy
[9]before the Lord,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice,
and the nations with fairness.
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy reading...Blessings
The Road Map for Living
If you want to go somewhere and don't know how to get there, the first thing you would do is look at a map. Before you pack and start your journey, you need to know where you are going and how to get there.
As we begin our journey through life, we need guideposts and directions to get us where we want to go. Knowing the right direction will help us every step of the way. Even when things seem to be going wrong, we will know that our feet are on the right paths and that it will lead us to our destinations.
One of the painful things about growing up is that we realize that things are not like we expected them to be. We observe others and think that we would have it made if only we could be like them. Wherever we are in life, it appears that those ahead of us have something we would like to have. When we get there, though, we may find out that, all through the stages of life, we exchange one set of problems for another. The cure for this is to have realistic expectations from the beginning.
All of us can be a victims of our dreams. Our lives aren't bad; yet, they are not like we expected them to be. Unrealistic expectations will lead to bitter disappoinment, and, saddest of all, we can be disappointed when nothing is really wrong.
A Redefinition
We all know what it means to suffer, don't we? We suffer when we don't get our way. We suffer when something or someone causes us pain. Most of us would define the things suffering, but Jesus put a new definition on them. He called them blessings
It is important that we realize that things we may look at as blessings right now may not be good for us at all.
Things we do not like that are Blessings
Remember that Road Map? The important thing is not whether you travel through a swamp or acrossba desert. The important thing is that you get where you want to go and that the destination is pleasant. There are many experiences in life that are not at all pleasant. But when we realize where we are going, these unpleasant experiences become Blessings.
Some things that should make us happy
Every building has a foundation, whether we see it or not, and every journey has a map, whether we look at it or not. Behind every decision we make, there is a philosophy. If we change the building, we must begin at the foundation. If we change our destination, we must take a look at the map.
We may indeed meet with trouble. In fact, trouble is inevitable; it is going to happen to us. The important thing is that we learn how to deal with the trouble that is out there. Remember, we can't possibly avoid it. There will be moments when we are discouraged, but in all these, we must realize that our decision to follow the Lord was right. The map is right, and we will get where we want to go if we follow the right directions. There is no reward for quitting.
Any thought?
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy reading...Blessings
The Uniqueness of Women
Each life is a complex mixture of needs and values, and these may fluctuate from time to time. Some persons may consider prestige, power, and wealth more important, while others may emphasize pleasure and survival. Fulfillment of needs is central in the development of personality.
Some needs grow out of the unique physiological and psychological natures of man and woman while others emerge as a result of ones social situation. The women's liberation movement in the United States has erred by asserting that basic differences between males and females are minimal and are the result of social and economic discrimination. They claim that such differences as exist are merely the result of differences in education and training and, therefore, are not basically inherent differences.
Advocates of this movement fail to recognize the social, psychological, and Theological implications that result from distinction in anatomy, physiological, and emotions of males and females. Even a child is aware of the differences in the animal kingdom. He can easily distinguish between male and female by observing their organs of reproduction and size, and the older child becomes aware of different roles for males and females. Differences in relation of the male and female to the offspring are very obvious in lower animals which have not learned their roles by education or tradition.
Any thought?
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy reading...Blessings
Session V: Solving Potential Problems and Planning the ceremony
Sharing Life together
The partners may be faced with the question of whether they plan to change certain characteristics of their mates after marriage. They should realize, however, that they cannot be assured that any changes will be brought about. The Minister may lead them in a discussion of areas of compatibility and help them to define the activities they plan to share together and those which they desire to do separately.
Review of the Reading Material
The couple should be given opportunity to evaluate the material they have been reading. Perhaps they would want to comment on methods of showing affection to one another, the sensitivity of the husband to the wife, and adjustments during the honeymoon.
The partners need to recognize that controversy cannot be avoided. They must face it and learn how to work through their difficulties. The attitude of each partner is very important during controversies. They arise because of self-interest. They are solved by consideration and concern (love) for the well-being of the partner and by a recognition that one is biased by his self-interest. Both partners must assume the same attitude and be willing to cooperate. Otherwise, one will take advantage of the other.
Incidental Matters
The couple should be given opportunity to review any of the areas discussed, and time should be given to any questions which they still have. By this stage of the counseling session, each should be comfortable in discussing matters freely with his partner and with the counselor. The counselor may feel that some areas need further elaboration.
Planning the Wedding Ceremony
The wedding is a significant event of lifelong consequence to the couple. The wife is usually given the privilege of planning the details of the wedding ceremony. Usually she will need some counsel and guidance. The counselor should be acquainted with marriage customs in his culture and should be available to make suggestions if he is called upon. The Minister as marriage officer should be flexible enough to fit into the plans of the couple concerning the ceremony. However, he should reserve the right to assure that the ceremony honors Christ. Marriage is not just a relationship between a couple but is to be according to the will of God. A successful marriage must be based upon divine will, therefore, the ceremony should reflect God's purpose and plan for marriage.
Any thought?
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy reading...Blessings.
Our Daily Bread:
Proverbs 22:1-16
[1]Choose a good reputation over great riches;
being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.
[2]The rich and poor have this in common:
The Lord made them both.
[3]A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.
The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.
[4]True humility and fear of the Lord
lead to riches, honor, and long life.
[5]Corrupt people walk a thorny, treacherous road;
whoever values life will avoid it.
[6]Direct your children onto the right path,
and when they are older, they will not leave it.
[7]Just as the rich rule the poor,
so the borrower is servant to the lender.
[8]Those who plant injustice will harvest disaster,
and their reign of terror will come to an end.
[9]Blessed are those who are generous,
because they feed the poor.
[10]Throw out the mocker, and fighting goes, too.
Quarrels and insults will disappear.
[11]Whoever loves a pure heart and gracious speech
will have the king as a friend.
[12]The Lord preserves those with knowledge,
but he ruins the plans of the treacherous.
[13]The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion out there!
If I go outside, I might be killed!”
[14]The mouth of an immoral woman is a dangerous trap;
those who make the lord angry will fall into it.
[15]A youngster’s heart is filled with foolishness,
but physical discipline will drive it far away.
[16]A person who gets ahead by oppressing the poor
or by showering gifts on the rich will end in poverty.
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy reading..Blessings
Session IV: Areas of Adjustment
Responsibilities within and outside the home
Their concepts of the role of husband and of wife should indicate what each considers his responsibility and that of his mate to be. Further discussion of the subject, however, enables agreement to be reached on any divergent point. If the husband expects his wife to be housekeeper and cook primarily, then he should expect to provide for the economic needs of the home. If the wife is expected to work and contribute to economic support, then the husband should assume responsibilities within the home.
Work and vocation
By this, the couple should have agreed on whether or not the wife plans to work after marriage. Also, the husband should have made plans concerning his career and the wife should be in agreement with his plans. If a son plans a business career with his father, the future wife should have a clear understanding of the agreement between her husband and his father.
Finances and money management
The budgets will reflect the concepts of each in handling funds. If significant divergences appear, they need to recognize them and reach a common agreement. They should be encouraged to plan carefully the spending if their money, the setting of financial goals, their savings, and provision for unexpected expenses. Gifts to the church, rent, automotive expense, food and clothing, and recreation should be included in the budget. They should be encouraged not to become heavily indebted since undue financial burdens can place strains upon their relationship.
In-laws
The possible problems which might arise in relationships with in-laws have already been discussed briefly with each individual. The man needs to recognize that in marriage his first responsibility is to his wife rather than to his mother or father. The man should continue to respect his parents, but he is to leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. The woman should see that her parents do not interfere with the marriage. Although both the man and the woman can possibly see weaknesses of the future in-laws, they should be careful not to criticize one another's parents. On the other hand, if in-laws tend to to create problems, the couple should agree together to move far enough away in order to reduce the conflicts; otherwise, serious problems can arise which will hinder the relationship of the couple.
The Birth of Children
By this time, perhaps the man and woman have already discussed the number of children they desire and the time when they plan for them. Children's coming too close together is detrimental to the woman's health. At least two years should elapse between the birth of each child. The number of children should be determined by the desires of the parents and their ability to support them. Not only should parents plan to feed and clothe adequately their children, but they should plan to give them as much education as possible. Innocent children of irresponsible parents suffer the consequences if so many are born into the family that all cannot be properly cared for and educate.
Medical examinations and Marital laws
Some countries require a blood test before a marriage license is issued. The wise couple seeks a complete medical examination before marriage. The bride should see a gynecologist and be thoroughly examined for her forthcoming experiences as a wife and as a mother. The doctor can explain birth control to her and inform her of any disorders that may prevent or make difficult her having children. The husband should be examined by a specialist in internal medicine to determine if any disorders may interfere with his capacity to work or function as a husband and father.
Each government has laws relating to marriage. The officiating Minister should informed the couple concerning the legal the legal requirements for marriage. Also they need to learn about laws regarding joint bank accounts, joint ownership property, the need for a will, and other legal matters.
Any thought?
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy...reading..Blessings
Our Daily Bread:
Psalms 37:1-10
[1]Don’t worry about the wicked
or envy those who do wrong.
[2]For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
[3]Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
[4]Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.
[5]Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.
[6]He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
[7]Be still in the presence of the Lord,
and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
or fret about their wicked schemes.
[8]Stop being angry!
Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
it only leads to harm.
[9]For the wicked will be destroyed,
but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.
[10]Soon the wicked will disappear.
Though you look for them, they will be gone.
Have a great and powerful day to all of you..
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy reading....Blessings
God Changed Abram's name to Abraham
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord God appeared again to Abram and reconfirmed that He will soon fulfill His promise. God does not want Abram to doubt. God wanted Abram to walk with him and not listen to Satan so Abram will not lose faith and will receive God's promise. God said:
Genesis 17:5
5] No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.
God changed Abram's name to Abraham , a sign that a divine decision or covenant has already been made to make him a father of many nations. God's decision is final and nothing can change it. Sarai was wrong in thinking that God's promise to her husband will be fulfilled though Hagar.
CIRCUMCISION, sign of God's COVENANT
Then God said to Abraham:
Genesis 17:11
11] You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.
God required circumcision for Abraham and all his male descendants as a physical sign or mark of God's covenant with Abraham. Every day Abraham and his descendants would see their circumcision and it would remind them of God's promises or covenant.
Abraham recieved God's pledge and sign of God's covenant not because he fulfilled certain laws or performed certain rituals, but because he believed and had faith in God and His promises. But any male who remained uncircumcised had shown to God that he had no faith, did not believe or had chosen not to value God's covenant or promises with Abraham. Because of one's unbelief and lack of faith, God will cut him off from God's people.
Any thought?
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy reading...Blessings
Our Daily Bread:
Philippians 3:1-11
[1]Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.
[2]Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved.
[3]For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort,
[4]though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!
[5]I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law.
[6]I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.
[7]I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.
[8]Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ
[9]and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.
[10]I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,
[11]so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
Have a blessful day to all.
Let's have a coffee
Hari
There are many reasons why junior highers have been traditionally neglected. Perhaps the most obvious one in that many, if not most, adult dislike junior high kids. They simply don't like being around them. Others suffer from what has been called EPHEBIPHOBIA, a fear of adolescents. They are frightened by the unpredictability of junior highers and the negative stereotypes they believe about them. Many parents I know would be delighted if somehow their own kids were able to skip the junior high years altogether. Some don't believe that you can actually enjoy your children when they become early adolescents.
Senior highers appear to be, in many ways, a lot like young adults. They are somewhat predictable and are able to communicate on a relatively mature level. They can drive, they have money, and they are often willing to work and to take on many leadership responsibilities-all of which makes the youth worker's job a great deal easier. Junior highers generally offer none of the above, and unfortunately discourages many people from getting involved in junior high ministry.
According to Don Wells, principal of the Carolina Friends School and member of the Task Force on Middle Schools (National Association of Independent Schools). Junior highers ate neglected by adults for the following reasons.
1. Early adolescents defy being defined, and that's irritating. We can set some hazy marks about the on a scale relative to any act, value, skill, or any other single thing, but the result is either as useful as a definitive description of all bubbles, or so definitive as to classify all bubbles, save one, the exception. And those things we can't define, can't make sound predictions about, indeed those things that even resist our efforts to classify them by the effrontery of simply being themselves, we tend to avoid. In the case of the early adolescent, we have avoided.
2. Because of our inability to define, the holder of the needed information is a child, and what adult wants to be dependent on a child as his resource person? Precious few it seems.
3. The number of persons who had a positive, healthy, happy early adolescence in a supportive, caring environment equals the number of adults presently whole enough to creatively and maturely identify with an early adolescent toward the goal of successful interaction. Such persons were an endangered species long before the blue whale.
4. We all have fragile egos, and we all play to the audience out there. When we have our daughters, we pick good audiences because they tend to make us feel good. Early adolescents are very unpredictable audiences, and many times they aren't sure they like themselves; not because they want to corporately hurt you, but because they aren't thinking corporately but individually; not because they understand and reject, but because they don't understand that you don't understand.
5. To appreciate the world of the early adolescent, one must "become" in the world of the early adolescent. Such total immersion is not as necessary when working with other age groups, for we readily accept that we can never experience early childhood again and we delight in our ability to enjoy, nurture, and support the childhood experience. We also reveal in the fact that we can have adult dialogue with children beyond early adolescence, and although we then have to take full cognizance of their burgeoning physical and mental prowess, they do seem eminently more reasonable than they were just a few years back. Early adolescence cannot be felt with so neatly, for it has been the stage in our lives replete with terror, anxiety, fear, loneliness, hate, love, joy, desperation, all expressed or experience with the intensity of adulthood yet devoid of adult perspective. It is an age of vulnerability, and vulnerability implies potential pain; adults know that pain hurts, and they don't often willingly enter in which they will be hurt.
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy reading...
Our Daily Bread
Psalms 62:1-12
[1]I wait quietly before God,
for my victory comes from him.
[2]He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will never be shaken.
[3]So many enemies against one man—
all of them trying to kill me.
To them I’m just a broken-down wall
or a tottering fence.
[4]They plan to topple me from my high position.
They delight in telling lies about me.
They praise me to my face
but curse me in their hearts.Interlude
[5]Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him.
[6]He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken.
[7]My victory and honor come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
[8]O my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him,
for God is our refuge.Interlude
[9]Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind,
and the powerful are not what they appear to be.
If you weigh them on the scales,
together they are lighter than a breath of air.
[10]Don’t make your living by extortion
or put your hope in stealing.
And if your wealth increases,
don’t make it the center of your life.
[11]God has spoken plainly,
and I have heard it many times:
Power, O God, belongs to you;
[12]unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.
Surely you repay all people
according to what they have done.
Have a blessed Sunday to all...
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Our Daily Bread:
Psalms 96:1-13
[1]Sing a new song to the Lord!
Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!
[2]Sing to the Lord; praise his name.
Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
[3]Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.
Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
[4]Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
He is to be feared above all gods.
[5]The gods of other nations are mere idols,
but the Lord made the heavens!
[6]Honor and majesty surround him;
strength and beauty fill his sanctuary.
[7]O nations of the world, recognize the Lord;
recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.
[8]Give to the Lord the glory he deserves!
Bring your offering and come into his courts.
[9]Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor.
Let all the earth tremble before him.
[10]Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.
He will judge all peoples fairly.
[11]Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice!
Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
[12]Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy!
Let the trees of the forest sing for joy
[13]before the Lord, for he is coming!
He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice,
and the nations with his truth.
Have a Blessed Day everyone.. Stay safe..
Let's have a coffee
Hari
A Case for Junior High
Most people still refer to them as junior highers-after that uniquely American educational institution called junior high school-even though middle schools continue to replace and outnumber junior high schools in many areas of the country. In the middle of the 20th century, young adolescent approximately 10-14 years old were isolated as category, and schools were created especially for them because it was recognized that early adolescence is unique. 10-14 years old are not the same as elementary school children. But neither are they like the adolescents who attend high school. They are the in between group, and they belong in a category all their own.
But simply labeling or categorizing them is not enough. Junior highest need special attention and junior high schools need to be more than mere holding tanks is cake did own versions of the high school where kids wait until they are old enough to transfer into the real thing. It is ironic that there are few people who dispute the significance of early adolescence as a stage of life; yet it is safe to say that junior highest remain one of the most neglected groups of people in society. Grownups don't think you're very important if you are 10 and under 14, a 12-year-old girl wrote. "But if you're than 10 and older than 14, then you're important.
More and more educators, parents, policy makers and researchers are agreeing with each other that early adolescence is the "last best chance" to significantly influence in a positive way the paths that young people will take in their development.
Many high school students have already made a serious life-changing decisions that are beyond intervention or influence. It is simply to late. But this is generally not the case with junior highest. Let's understand deeper how to meet the needs of early adolescent youth.
Any thought?
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy reading...Blessings
The Birth of Ismael
Genesis 16:1
1] Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant name Hagar;
Sarai persuaded Abram to sleep with thinking God will give Abram many descendants through her. Hagar became pregnant and bore Abram a son when Abraham was eighty-six years old. She named him ISHMAEL as the angel told her. This is what the angel told her about her son.
Genesis 16:12
12] He will be a wild donkey of a man, his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.
Who stirred Sarai to tempt her husband to sleep with Hagar?...Remember Eve? Satan tempted her and she also tempted her husband to eat the forbidden fruit. Satan was surely behind this. Satan deceived Sarai into thinking that God will fulfill His promises through another woman. Do you think Isahmael is God's promised son to Abram?
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy...reading..Blessings
Our Daily Bread:
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
[1]If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
[2]If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.
[3]If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
[4]Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud
[5]or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
[6]It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
[7]Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
[8]Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!
[9]Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!
[10]But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.
[11]When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.
[12]Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
[13]Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy ..reading...Blessings
Session III: Personal Inventory and Relating as Companions
Since this is the first meeting of each without the other partner present, time should be permitted for expression of any personal feelings which were suppressed in the presence of the other. A person may not feel free to talk about the other until well into the session. The Minister or counselor may recall some of the questions of the first session which the person was hesitant to discuss in the presence of the other. Adequate time should be allowed to discuss any problems that the person anticipates in marriage.
Discuss the self-evaluation and partner evaluation of the one present only. This review should reveal any possible areas of tension and should suggest the most critical areas of adjustment. Review the person's concept of the role of husband and wife. The purpose of this exercise is to determine if there are dangerous divergencies between the concepts of the two and to help each define what he or she expects of the other.
The information revealed during this session must be kept in strict confidence, and the person must be able to trust the confidence of the Minister or counselor. His purpose is not to point out to each potential problem areas which are revealed since that might lead to loss of respect and open conflict. However, the Minister's knowledge of problem areas will help him to plan for the next session in which adjustments will be discussed. His desire should be to help each person to evaluate candidly his companion and himself. Later, when both are together again, the Minister might bring up the areas where concepts might be in conflict, but he must not reveal what the other person has said.
During the individual conferences, the Minister may inquire what is his or her parent's opinion of the future mate. Then the Minister may ask what he or she believes to be the attitude of the future mate's parents towards him. This discussion should reveal what kind of emphasis will be needed in the next session on areas of adjustment. One of the areas involves relating to in-laws. Perhaps neither the man nor woman has taken time to get acquainted with the future mate's parents. Most in-laws are interested in the welfare of their children's mates, and sometimes this interest may cause them to appear to interfere.
Any thought?
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy reading...Blessings
Our Daily Bread:
Psalms 25:1-22
[1]O Lord, I give my life to you.
[2]I trust in you, my God!
Do not let me be disgraced,
or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.
[3]No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,
but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.
[4]Show me the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for me to follow.
[5]Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you.
[6]Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,
which you have shown from long ages past.
[7]Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
for you are merciful, O Lord.
[8]The Lord is good and does what is right;
he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
[9]He leads the humble in doing right,
teaching them his way.
[10]The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.
[11]For the honor of your name, O Lord,
forgive my many, many sins.
[12]Who are those who fear the Lord?
He will show them the path they should choose.
[13]They will live in prosperity,
and their children will inherit the land.
[14]The Lord is a friend to those who fear him.
He teaches them his covenant.
[15]My eyes are always on the Lord,
for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies.
[16]Turn to me and have mercy,
for I am alone and in deep distress.
[17]My problems go from bad to worse.
Oh, save me from them all!
[18]Feel my pain and see my trouble.
Forgive all my sins.
[19]See how many enemies I have
and how viciously they hate me!
[20]Protect me! Rescue my life from them!
Do not let me be disgraced, for in you I take refuge.
[21]May integrity and honesty protect me,
for I put my hope in you.
[22]O God, ransom Israel
from all its troubles.
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy...the day!!!Blessings
God Promised Abram a Son
After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. God said:
Genesis 15:1
1] "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."
But Abram said:
Genesis 15:2-3
2] "O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?"
3] "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."
Then the word of the Lord came to him:
Genesis 15:4
4] "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir."
He took him outside and said:
Genesisb15:5-6
5] "Look up at the heavens and count the stars- if indeed you can count them."
6]Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
God promised that Abram will have his own son and many descendants though Abram and Sarai are now very old. Abram believed and had faith in God and His promises, so God counted Abram as righteous.
God has revealed to us that through FAITH, God will count us righteous if we believe and trust God and His promises as Abram did. Then the Lord said to him.:
Genesis 15:13-16
13] "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.
14] But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.
15] You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age.
16] In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measures."
God foretold that Abram's descendants will yet become slaves in a foreign land before they can possess Canaan. Abram is yet going to die, but his fourth generation descendants will come back to the promised land. God still waits for the sin of the people now living in Canaan to reach its full measure. Then God will punish them by giving their land to Abram's descendants.
What do you think Satan will do to stop Abram from having descendants? What will Satan do to stop Abram's descendants from possessing Canaan and prevent God from establishing them as His own nation? What country will enslave Abram's descendants? How will God rescue His people and punish that nation? When is He going to punish the people living in Canaan and give their land to Abram's descendants?
Any thought?
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy reading...Blessings
Our Daily Bread:
Psalms 33:1-22
[1]Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord;
it is fitting for the pure to praise him.
[2]Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre;
make music for him on the ten-stringed harp.
[3]Sing a new song of praise to him;
play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.
[4]For the word of the Lord holds true,
and we can trust everything he does.
[5]He loves whatever is just and good;
the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth.
[6]The Lord merely spoke,
and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word,
and all the stars were born.
[7]He assigned the sea its boundaries
and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
[8]Let the whole world fear the Lord,
and let everyone stand in awe of him.
[9]For when he spoke, the world began!
It appeared at his command.
[10]The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations
and thwarts all their schemes.
[11]But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever;
his intentions can never be shaken.
[12]What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord,
whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.
[13]The Lord looks down from heaven
and sees the whole human race.
[14]From his throne he observes
all who live on the earth.
[15]He made their hearts,
so he understands everything they do.
[16]The best-equipped army cannot save a king,
nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.
[17]Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—
for all its strength, it cannot save you.
[18]But the Lord watches over those who fear him,
those who rely on his unfailing love.
[19]He rescues them from death
and keeps them alive in times of famine.
[20]We put our hope in the Lord.
He is our help and our shield.
[21]In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
[22]Let your unfailing love surround us, lord,
for our hope is in you alone.
Let's have a coffee
Hari
Enjoy reading....Blessings
Abraham Rescued Lot
In the course of time war broke out in the land were Lot lived. The enemies plundered Sodom and Gomorrah.
Genesis 14:12-13
12] They also carried off Abram's nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.
13] One who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew.
Because Lot was not in the land where God promised to protect Abram, Lot suffered loss and became the victim of evil people. But Abram continued to prosper and by now he has become well-known as the Hebrew (Gen.14:13). It was by this name that his descendants were later called (the Hebrew race).
Genesis 14:14
When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
Abram will fifth the strong and many enemies with only 318 men. Do you think Abram and 318 men can defeat the thousands? What if Abram dies?
Remember that Abram has no offspring yet and God has a promise to fulfill through Abram and his descendants. If he dies, then Satan can prevent God from keeping His promise. If chose others beside Abram to whom He made the promise, Satan can make God appear as a liar.
Genesis 14:15-16
15] During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.
16] He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.
Abram and his 318 men defeated the enemies. Though Abram had few men, they became very powerful, strong and able to defeat thousands because God was with them. When God is with us, we would be strong, but when we side with the devil, God would be against us...and who can fight God?
Any thought?
Let's have a coffee
Hari
@Hari
