O Lord helps me be what you wants me to be

 

 

How many times have you said, even cried out to God, ‘What do You want me to do? If you just show me, I’ll do it.

I lost count of the number of times I spoke to God in this way when I was a new Christian but despite my pleading He did not give me a specific task or job to do.  In hindsight it’s quite funny because what makes me think that God needs my help anyway?

When we become Christians and meet with the risen Lord Jesus Christ we often want to do things for Him. OK, everyone is different, but quite often, new Christians will want or feel called, to give up their jobs and work full time for God. There is nothing wrong with having zeal for God’s work but we first of all have to grow in our discipleship of Jesus and get our Christian roots firmly embedded in the rock (Mathew 7:24-25).

Me and Pat became Christians together in 1999 and it quickly became our life purpose to worship God and be disciples of Jesus. We were led to a Christian fellowship approximately 16 miles from our home and after a while we felt the Lord telling us to sell our house in Liverpool and move to Haydock where our church was situated. We did just that and moved into our new home in March 2000.

As we were growing in our Christian walk we had our times of trial and tribulation along with times of blessing. Difficult times should not come as a surprise to Christians as Jesus told us they would come (John 17:33) and many other references in the Bible tell us that hardship is the training ground for Christian maturity (e.g. Hebrews 12:1-11, Zechariah 13:9)

We know that God has a plan for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11) and we know that He is in control but we began pushing Him into revealing His plans to us NOW – not according to His good and perfect timing.

Anyway, we so much wanted to do things for God that we lost our peace and became frustrated with our church leaders and fellow Christians, who didn’t seem to have the same burden for our community as us. This judgemental attitude and bitterness towards others can be a blockage in our relationship with the Lord.

I struggled so much with this for quite a while until I was eventually led to John 6:28-29, which tells of the crowds of people questioning Jesus about doing the works of God.

‘Then they said unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God. Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.’ 

His answer is so simple – believe in Him! 

These words from Jesus hit me between the eyes and reminded me that we are ‘human beings’ not ‘human doings’. It’s not what we do, it’s who we are and what we believe in our hearts that is important to God. 

‘For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.’  Hosea 6:6

Jesus himself quoted this scripture to the Pharisees when they asked why He ate with tax collectors and sinners (Mathew 9:10-13).

Believing in Jesus, however, involves much more than belief – why, even the demons believe in Him (James 2:19). No, it means actively trusting Jesus in all areas of our lives.

Anyway, we repented of our bitterness and our judgemental attitudes towards others and we received our Father’s forgiveness. We realised that we have to stop striving and simply trust in God and His perfect timing. If we are living as disciples of Jesus there are many ‘things’ to be doing.

In Mathew 25:34-40 Jesus tells the parable about the sheep and the goats and describes the mercy we can all do every day. By doing these things for others Jesus said that we do them for Him. 

‘For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me……. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my bretheren, ye have done it unto me.’  . Mathew 25:35-40

This parable tells us that we should love every person and serve anyone we can. You see, as disciples, Jesus demands our personal involvement in caring for others’ needs and this theme also runs throughout the Old Testament. 

In this next passage the Lord is asking what is true fasting?

‘Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, thou shalt cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh.’. Isaiah 58:7

If we can be trusted with the ‘small’ things God promises to trust us with more (Mathew 25:21) but we must not be anxious and we must wait on God’s perfect timing.

The Lord taught me a vital lesson during this period – He doesn’t need me to work for Him. He wants me to be faithful in the ‘small’ things, to be content and have a serving heart.

Above all we are all called to love each other and show the love of Jesus to others. Amen.

As the penny finally dropped in all this the Holy Spirit led me to Psalm 37. This is a Psalm I’ve read many times before but it was only now that verses 3-8 jumped out of the page at me.

‘Trust in the Lord and do good;
so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily shall thou be fed.
Delight thyself also in the Lord;
and he will give thee the desires of thine heart.
Commit thy way unto the Lord;
trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light,
and thy judgement as the noonday sun.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:
fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way,
because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath:
fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.’ 

Isn’t God great!

The Bible is truly a love letter from Him to us and the truths in it will set us free (James 1:25)- if only we can see them and put them into practice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90iHUVcqhkI

http://ajtony.wordpress.com/christian-teachings/ok-lord-what-do-you-want-me-to-do/

THE POWER OF DREAMS

“Sebab itu haruslah kauketahui, bahwa TUHAN, Allahmu, Dialah Allah, Allah yang setia, yang memegang perjanjian dan kasih setia-Nya terhadap orang yang kasih kepada-Nya dan berpegang pada perintah-Nya, sampai kepada beribu-ribu keturunan..” (Ulangan 7:9)

Suatu pagi di bulan Mei sekitar 100 tahun lampau, seorang anak lelaki sedang berjalan gontai menyusuri jalanan desa Iwata-Gun, di pulau Honsu, Jepang. Soichiro HONDA baru saja dihina dan diusir dari suatu pesta perayaan di rumah temannya karena ia miskin. Ayahnya yang bekerja hanya sebagai tukang tambal panci, kasihan melihatnya. Ia mencoba menghibur anak kecil ini dengan menceritakan kisah Napoleon Bonaparte, seorang rakyat biasa yang akhirnya menjadi Jenderal penakluk Eropa dan Kaisar Perancis. Honda merasa terhibur dan terpesona. Dan setelah melihat gambar figur sang jenderal yang kecil dan pendek, ia pun terinspirasi untuk meraih sukses sebagaimana Napoleon karena karena kesamaan kondisi : pendek dan miskin.

Sejak itu, Honda sering bemimpi dan bergaya seperti Napoleon. Perlahan pengalaman imaginer dengan tokoh idolanya ini membentuk sikap positif dalam diri Honda, khususnya memotivasi dirinya untuk meraih sukses. Kelak terbukti kemudian meskipun mengalami tantangan dan jatuh-bangun berkali-kali, Honda berhasil membangun usaha bisnisnya menjadi salah satu perusahaan otomotif terbesar di dunia yang dikenal dengan keunggulan mutunya. Ketika meninggal, nama Honda dikenal sebagai pemegang lebih dari 100 hak paten dan mewariskan ilmunya yang masyhur: The Power of Dreams (kekuatan Impian).

Sahabat NK, ketidak-berdayaan dan kondisi kekurangan tidak menghalangi kesuksesan. Tetapi, keyakinan atas mimpi akan membangun sikap positif untuk meraih keberhasilan. Mimpi yang dibangun atas kepercayaan yang benar, kepercayaan kepada janji Allah yang setia. Dan seperti kata Honda :”..Impian akan berubah menjadi kenyataan…

Percayalah! [SM]

http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/renungan-harian-nilai-kehidupan/the-power-of-dreams/10150113866227092

God's Purpose For Your Life

The best place to be for any human being is in the middle of God's plan for his or her life. That is when you are in the right place, at the right time, with the right people and enough provision to accomplish your purpose.

Actually, that is the only place you will ever experience fulfillment and success in, because you were created to be there! You were designed with a unique combination of gifts and talents to fulfill a specific purpose while you are here on earth!

Any other plan you might have in your life will never satisfy you, because, sooner or later, God's plan will be tugging at your heart and you will feel deeply dissatisfied.

Nevertheless, there are a number of obstacles between you and the wonderful life God has prepared for you. And they are not on His side.

God longs to walk with you and to communicate the plans He has for you. He yearns for each one of us to invite Him into our lives. That is what we were created for!

You were not designed to live your life according to your limited human abilities. Your mind was not meant to cope with the daily burdens of your life. God created you to live with Him!

So, how then can we surmount the obstacles that lie between us and the awesome life He has planned for us?

Contact God

First of all, we have to contact Him. We have to slow down, change direction and search for Him. He promises to always come to those who search for Him with all their heart (Jeremiah 29:13).

Learn About God

Second, we have to learn about Him. God has a much higher way of thinking than we have, and He wants to teach us to think that way. Failure, lack, worry and defeat are not part of His vocabulary, and He does not want it to be part of yours! The best way to renew your mind to God's way of thinking is by reading His Word and by hearing anointed messages about Him!

Spend Time With God

The third step is to spend time with Him daily. Just like in any friendship, you have to invest time and effort to get to know God intimately. It is only then that God will reveal His secrets to you.

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8)

You can find out what God's plan is for your life and change the course of your life forever. Learn how to flow with God's plan for your life, and how to successfully develop the talents.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4yzZJ3lcV8

http://ezinearticles.com/?Gods-Plan-For-Me---Discover-How-to-Find-Gods-Purpose-For-Your-Life&id=2395717

Responsibility

Ada seorang anak gelandangan yang diadopsi oleh seorang bos kaya raya.

Selain anak itu bersyukur karena keberuntungannya diadopsi juga ia dituntut untuk berperilaku seperti layaknya anak bos. Ia harus belajar budi pekerti, etika, sopan santun untuk menjadi serupa dengan anak bos.

Seorang pelajar lulusan SMU mendapat beasiswa ke universitas ternama di luar negeri. Hampir dapat dipastikan masa depannya cerah karena mendapat pengetahuan, pengalaman, dan juga kesempatan untuk belajar di lingkungan yang mendukung. Selain anak itu bersukacita karena mendapat 'hadiah' yang tidak akan didapat sembarang orang, ia juga mendapat tanggung jawab untuk belajar segiat mungkin, dan lulus dengan standar nilai tertentu.

My friends, seperti seorang anak Tuhan yang diberi anugrah keselamatan dari Bapa. Dengan percaya dan menerima anak-Nya sebagai Tuhan dan juruselamat pribadi maka ia mendapat anugrah keselamatan. Sudah seharusnya kita bersyukur dan bersukacita mendapat anugrah itu, seperti anak gelandangan dan pelajar pada ilustrasi di atas. Tetapi jangan hanya berhenti sampai di sana. Ingat juga bahwa ada sisi lain dari keselamatan, dan ini sebenarnya juga adalah tanda / bukti bahwa kita telah diselamatkan. Alkitab mengajarkan kita untuk mengerjakan keselamatan.

Filipi 2:12

Hai saudara-saudaraku yang kekasih, kamu senantiasa taat; karena itu tetaplah kerjakan keselamatanmu dengan takut dan gentar, bukan saja seperti waktu aku masih hadir, tetapi terlebih pula sekarang waktu aku tidak hadir,

Di tempat lain, penulis kitab Ibrani juga menulis bahwa setelah diselamatkan kita diwajibkan untuk mengikuti perlombaan iman.

Ibrani 12:1

Karena kita mempunyai banyak saksi, bagaikan awan yang mengelilingi kita, marilah kita menanggalkan semua beban dan dosa yang begitu merintangi kita, dan berlomba dengan tekun dalam perlombaan yang diwajibkan bagi kita.

Ibrani 12:2

Marilah kita melakukannya dengan mata yang tertuju kepada Yesus, yang memimpin kita dalam iman, dan yang membawa iman kita itu kepada kesempurnaan, yang dengan mengabaikan kehinaan tekun memikul salib ganti sukacita yang disediakan bagi Dia, yang sekarang duduk di sebelah kanan takhta Allah.

Karena sesungguhnya panggilan kita diselamatkan adalah supaya kita menjadi serupa dengan gambaran anak-Nya.

Roma 8:29

Sebab semua orang yang dipilih-Nya dari semula, mereka juga ditentukan-Nya dari semula untuk menjadi serupa dengan gambaran Anak-Nya, supaya Ia, Anak-Nya itu, menjadi yang sulung di antara banyak saudara.

Dan target keselamatan kita adalah menjadi sempurna.

Matius 5:48

Karena itu haruslah kamu sempurna, sama seperti Bapamu yang di sorga adalah sempurna

Renungkanlah ayat-ayat di atas, dan pikirkanlah berapa besar usaha yang perlu dilakukan untuk memenuhi target tersebut.

Don't get me wrong here. Hal ini tidak berarti bahwa keselamatan adalah usaha manusia. It's totally a gift from Him and Him alone. And I'm not saying that we have to (or even can) do this with our own strength. Hanya oleh penebusan darah Kristus, perubahan pola pikir karena kebenaran Injil, tuntunan dan pimpinan dari Roh Kudus setiap hari. 

Please bear this on your mind, bahwa di balik anugrah keselamatan ada tanggung jawab besar yang harus dikerjakan oleh setiap orang percaya. Jangan terpaku hanya pada hore-hore kita telah diselamatkan, tunjukkan dan buktikan bahwa kita telah diselamatkan. And as we get wiser, I pray that the focus on our christian lives will be more on the proving part rather than the hore-hore part.

"... and my love is for You

and my love is for You

and my love is forever..."

GET YOUR MIND RIGHT – How to Accept Yourself!

“Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt

 

“It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else’s eyes.”  ~Sally Field

Are you 100% happy and content with yourself? Do you accept the physical features that God has created you with?

I think if we all answer that question honestly… we would all tend to agree that there are all a few (or many) things we would change about ourselves in many different areas.

And yes — there are many areas in our life, that we can change. If those are areas that we can change for the better… then by all means, go ahead and change them.

But there are many things about ourselves that we CANNOT change.

For instance — you can’t change how short you are or how tall you are… you can’t change the color of your skin… many times, you can’t change how athletic you are… and unless you invest in expensive (and sometimes dangerous surgery) you can’t change facial features such as your nose, ears, teeth, baldness, etc.

So by now, you should already know as a FACT that you are created in God’s image (read Monday’s post)… and that you should have a healthy & positive outlook on your self as a person.

But how do we deal with the insecurities that we ALL have… and accept ourselves as how God created us?

How to Accept Yourself

To solve this problem… I believe the BIGGEST thing we should make up in our mind is to focus on the POSITIVE traits that we do have.

Each one of us have some very special talents and traits within himself or herself. You may not be the best athlete… but perhaps you are a FANTASTIC singer. You may not be very tall… but perhaps you are a SUCCESSFUL business man. You may have a huge nose… but perhaps you are the BEST mother out there!

The possibilities are endless! Focus on your good points... and what you can’t change, leave it be.

Look at the shepherd boy David. The Bible tells us that when Samuel came to annoint the first king over Israel — everybody looked past David because of his physical appearance. He was short, scrawny and ruddy… he just didn’t fit people’s expectations of what a king should like.

But that didn’t matter — because he fit God’s expectations. And guess what… so do you.

David went on to be Israel’s greatest king… and you can go on in life and become GREAT in whatever you aspire to do in this life!

christianinspiration.org

Cerdik seperti ular, tulus seperti merpati

Mat 10:16 "Lihat, Aku mengutus kamu seperti domba ke tengah-tengah serigala, sebab itu hendaklah kamu cerdik seperti ular dan tulus seperti merpati.

Kecerdikan si ular disebut dalam Alkitab sebanyak dua kali, dan masing-masing dinyatakan oleh dua orang nabi besar :

1. Musa
2. YESUS

YESUS adalah nabi yang sama seperti Musa yang dibangkitkan Tuhan

Deu 18:18 seorang nabi akan Kubangkitkan bagi mereka dari antara saudara mereka, seperti engkau [Musa] ini; Aku akan menaruh firman-Ku dalam mulutnya, dan ia akan mengatakan kepada mereka segala yang Kuperintahkan kepadanya.

Gen 3:1 Adapun ular ialah yang paling cerdik dari segala binatang di darat yang dijadikan oleh TUHAN Allah

Kecerdikan si ular
Mengapakah ular direfer sebagai suatu yang cerdik?

Kecerdikan bukan menyangkut tinggi rendahnya suatu intelegensia, namun lebih kepada kemampuan memanfaatkan intelegensi yang dimilikinya secara optimal.

Orang yang memiliki tingat IQ tinggi, belum tentu cerdas (smart), namun orang yang memiliki tingkat IQ yang lebih rendah, mungkin bisa cerdas/cerdik (smart) dibanding orang yang memiliki tingkat IQ lebih tinggi.

Dalam dunia usaha Indonesia pada umumnya, petinggi-petinggi perusahaan dipegang oleh lulusan-lulusan pendidikan jurusan ekonomi (non eksakta) yang secara umum tingkat IQ mereka lebih rendh dibanding lulusan eksakta.

Hal ini dipengaruhi oleh sistem pendidikan di Indonesia, dimana sejak banku sekolah SMA, siswa-siswa dengan tingkat IQ tinggi diarahkan dan mengarahkan diri ke jurusan eksakta, dmikian pula saat mereka memasuki dunia perguruan tinggi.

Kondisi ini berbalik 180 derajat saat memasuki dunia usaha, dimana pada level managerial sangat dibutuhkan orang-orang yang memiliki kualifikasi management yang baik - dan kenyataannya kemampuan ini banyak dimiliki oleh ara lulusan non eksakta (ekonomi).

Sementara itu, para lulusan eksakta lebih menyukai bidang-biadang keahlian khusus yang notabene level nya berada di bawah management.

Disinilah apa yang saya sebut sebagai 'smart', suatu kemampuan untuk mengolah tingkat intelegensia nya dan memanfaatkan nya untuk mengelola orang-orang yang memiliki tingkat IQ lebih tinggidari mereka sendiri. Mereka sanggup 'memanfaatkan' keahlian orang lain untuk dirinya sendiri (dalam arti luas kepentingan usaha yang dia pegang).

Orang Jawa bilang:
"Pinter ora cukup, kudu pinter-pinter "

Demikian pula, si ular yang hanya seekor binatang yang tingkat inteleensi nya lebih rendah dari manusia, ia sangat cerdas untuk mengelabuhi manusia (Adam da Hawa) watu itu.

Lalu dimanakah letak kecerdasan (kecerdikan) si ular tadi?

Kecerdikan ular :

1. Dia mampu berganti kulit secara periodik, hal ini memungkinkan ia untuk melepaskan diri dari parasit-parasit yang menempel pada kulitnya.
Karena kemampuan renewal inilah, ia dijadikan lambang kesehatan.
2. Kemampuan untuk mendeteksi mangsa dengan penglihatan infra merah
3. Kemampuan untuk mendeteksi keberadaanmangsa dengan indra penciuman.
4. Kemampuan untuk mengelabui mangsanya


Tulus seperti merpati

Mengapa merpati direfer sebagai suatu ketulusan?

Ketulusan menandakan hatinya murni, tidak ada kepahitan sedikitpun dalam hidupnya.
Akar kepahitan pun tidak ada, sebab ia tidak membiarkan benih-benih kepahitan masuk dalam dirinya.

Deu 29:18 Sebab itu janganlah di antaramu ada laki-laki atau perempuan, kaum keluarga atau suku yang hatinya pada hari ini berpaling meninggalkan TUHAN, Allah kita, untuk pergi berbakti kepada allah bangsa-bangsa itu; janganlah di antaramu ada akar yang menghasilkan racun atau ipuh.

Deu 29:18 lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from Jehovah our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;

Act 8:23 sebab kulihat, bahwa hatimu telah seperti empedu yang pahit dan terjerat dalam kejahatan."

Act 8:23 For I see that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.

Demikian juga, meskipun merpati adalah salah satu keluarga burung (avian family), ia tidak seperti burung-burung lainya, ia tidak memiliki sumber kepahitan ddalam dirinya.

Merpati tidak memiliki : empedu

forumkristen.com

Give Yourself a Gift - Forgiveness

 Become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you.                

— Ephesians 4:32
 
Unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, or offense of any kind can render us unable to hear from God. The Word of God is very clear on this subject. If we want God to forgive our sins and offenses against Him, we must forgive others their sins and offenses against us.

Ephesians 4:30–32, the passage that contains our verse for today, teaches that we grieve the Holy Spirit when we harbor negative emotions such as anger, resentment, and animosity in our hearts. When we hold unforgiveness against anyone for any reason, it hardens our hearts and prevents us from being sensitive to God’s leading in our lives.

I once heard someone say that holding unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping your enemy will die. Why spend your life being angry and bitter toward someone who is probably enjoying his or her life and does not even care that you are upset? Do yourself a favor—forgive those who hurt you! Give yourself the gift of forgiveness. It will bring peace to your heart and enable you to hear God’s voice and follow His leading in your life.

God’s word for you today: Give yourself the gift of forgiving others.

www.joycemeyer.org