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Real Prosperity

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Photo: Timothy Smith

There is no doubt that the Bible talks about prosperity. God wants to prosper His people. Notice what David wrote: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers” (Psalm 1:1-3).

According to this a person who is “planted” in the Lord’s ways will prosper. The word literally means to “push forward.” We talk about those who “get ahead” in life. In reality those who truly “get ahead” are those who have learned who to hang around, what advice to follow and where to “plant” oneself.

This verse talks of “movement” in life. Those who start walking with the wicked will eventually begin to settle in with them. Their movement leads to standing around sinners and sitting with mockers. This leads nowhere.

A friend of mine talks about being careful who we hang with and where we hang out. He says that if we frequent the barbershop we will eventually get a hair cut. He isn’t against barbers. He says this to remind us that no matter how wise or strong we may think we are…if we hang out with the wrong people it will affect us.

Planted trees

On the other hand, those who find pleasure in God’s ways and concentrate on them will be like a tree planted by an ever flowing source of refreshment. They will be fruitful in life and never dry up. They will prosper.

Paul talks about the fruit of the Holy Spirit who is sent from God (outside) to dwell in us (inside). The Holy Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness and self-control inside all of us. I’d say that is being fruitful! And, having the Holy Spirit live inside us enables us to withstand anything that life can throw at us. No matter how tough things get, no matter how barren life seems, we need never dry up and die (wither). Rather our lives will make a difference. We will prosper (push forward).

The prosperity God wants us to have, may or may not have anything to do with money, success or fame. But, it will have everything to do with being a loving, consistent man or woman. And that is worth more than gold.

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By Chad McComas. Copyright © 2006 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®.

Read more at the source: Real Prosperity

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Bible Says.

Show Them Your Love

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Photo: Lisa Zanchi

Ever feel like your love life, family life, and community life are in the doldrums? Here are some easy tips that will lift your spirits and show others you care:

 

1. Greet your husband at the door with a big smile, a big hug and a fifteen-second kiss, and tell him how happy you are that he is home.

2. Find ways to laugh with your husband – not at him.

3. If you have “let yourself go” since tying the knot, work on your appearance. Does your husband like your hair long? Does he like a particular perfume? Make a point to freshen your face, wear clean clothes, and brush your hair before he arrives home.

4. Surprise your husband with a spontaneous foot rub.

5. Once every week or so place little love notes in various places he will find them: in his briefcase, in his lunch, in his coat pocket, or in his Bible. Vary the day and place so it is always a surprise. Write a love note in red lipstick on the bathroom mirror and make a date for that evening.

6. Do not nag your husband.

7. Compliment your husband to others – especially when he is present.

8. Pray for your husband and children. Sometimes it is nice for them to hear your prayers.

9. Send lunch love notes to your kids on important days, such as test days, field trip days, etc. Or just send them for fun.

10. Have a special snack ready for your children when they walk in the door from school. Or have supper ready at an early hour so no one goes hungry.

11. Have story time everyday with your children. Snuggle under a comfy blanket and have some laughs.

12. Teach your children how to love others by working with them to reach out to the hurting in your community.

13. Invite a new family over for supper and board games.

14. Take your children door to door and collect cans to donate to your church food basket program or to a local food bank.

Sometimes life gets so busy we just forget to show our love, but the blessings are tremendous! Remember the words of Jesus, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12).

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By Melissa Ringstaff. Copyright © 2006 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION © 1982.

Read more at the source: Show Them Your Love

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Family First.

Its Gotta Be Brisk

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Photo: Carl Dwyer

You can get fit by walking. But it needs to be “determined,” or brisk walking. What’s brisk? If you’re just starting out, walk at a 3.5 mph pace (one mile in just over 17 minutes). Work up to a 4 mph pace (a mile in 15 minutes).

Archives of Internal Medicine

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Reprinted with permission from Vibrant Life, November/December 2004. Copyright © 2005 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines.

Read more at the source: Its Gotta Be Brisk

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Staying young.

Friends with God

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Photo: Christopher Bruno

If you aren’t a Christian, you may have asked yourself, “Why should I be a Christian?” You may wonder what it is about Christianity that causes so many people to “join up.” One benefit that Miguel Valdivia sees is that:

Christians Are Friends With God

The world is a marketplace, not only of consumer goods and living standards, but also of ideas. Ideologies drive wars and economies. They impact history and help shape our individual lives. Most of us have a primary ideology by which we live. I have chosen Christianity, and here are some of the basic spiritual truths I’ve discovered.

1. God is good. A careful reading of the Bible shows that God is involved in a cosmic  confrontation with an enemy who wants to harm you and me, and one of the ways he does that best is by getting us involved in doing bad things—what we call sin. The Bible says that “the wages of sin is death.” 1 But God doesn’t want us to die, so He came up with a plan to rescue us: “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” 2

2. God has a purpose for our lives. God has an eternal plan of salvation for humanity as a whole and for each of us as individuals. The biblical God is a personal God. He pleads, “My son [my daughter], give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways.” 3 The Holy Spirit has been promised to guide us and teach us God’s saving truths: “When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.” 4

3. God wants to free us from guilt. One of Christianity’s greatest gifts is God’s free offer of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. An Old Testament prophet expressed God’s offer: “ ‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’ ” 5 The New Testament tells us this renewal is possible through Christ’s sacrifice. “In him [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according with the riches of God’s grace.” 6

4. God wants to be our Friend. The Bible teaches that God is not distant or disinterested in our affairs. He wants to be our Friend! Jesus said, “I have called you friends.” 7 Life isn’t perfect, but knowing we have a Friend in high places can help us to walk through life’s darkest passages without fear.

1 Romans 6:23. 2 John 3:16. 3 Proverbs 23:26. 4 John 16:13. 5 Isaiah 1:18. 6 Ephesians 1:7. 7 John 15:15.

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Miguel Valdivia is the managing editor of Signs of the Times ®. He writes from Nampa, Idaho. Reprinted with Permission. Copyright © 2015 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®.

Read more at the source: Friends with God

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Bible Says.

The Mighty Wind

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Photo: iStock

I was startled in my hotel room by an unusual noise that I didn’t recognize and so I crept to the window to take a peek. Looking out of my third story window, I noticed that the flag pole was flexing like a reed in a storm, and the flag was flapping violently. I got dressed and made my way down to the hotel lobby where I met the manager helplessly watching through the front window.

The park bench in the breezeway toppled over, and the potted shrubs that lined the front of the entrance skittered here and there across the parking lot. This wind was stronger than anything that I had ever encountered, and I learned later that sudden gusts of 80 mph had been tabulated in many areas that evening. I never saw the wind that night, but I witnessed its effects as I watched the tangible evidence that it was rushing through.

Later, as I reflected on that blustery experience, I was reminded of an analogy that Jesus brought to a Pharisee named Nicodemus. This man was a genuine seeker of truth, but was having difficulty in wrapping his thoughts around heavenly things. He sought Christ in the darkness of night, and as he struggled to understand, Jesus explained the experience that one has when the Holy Spirit is at work in their life.

The Wind and the Spirit

“Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:6-8).

When the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives something tangible and miraculous takes place. This invisible presence visibly affects who we are, the choices that we make, and who we become if we allow it to blow through our lives. The effect can be quite startling, not only to us, but to the world that watches. Positive changes occur in our spiritual experience when the invisible Spirit wind blows.

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By Michael Temple. Copyright © 2015 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®.

Read more at the source: The Mighty Wind

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Bible Says.

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