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A Better Place

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The top of Mt. Everest is littered with used oxygen tanks and other unnecessaries that climbing aficionados have unloaded before their final ascent to the top of the world.

Space ships dump human waste, garbage and excess fuel into the deep blackness of the galaxy during missions, sending thousands of pounds of trash swirling in the reaches of the universe.

Endless stretches of Belizean beach are cluttered with aluminum cans, plastic diapers, trash bags and other refuse that come from land and ocean alike, marring the perfection of God’s nature.

Highway volunteers flock to clean up stretches of interstate lined with litter from passing vehicles.

Wherever the human race goes—be it land, water or outer space—we leave a trail of trash behind.

Pack It In, Pack It Out

My husband loves to spend his free hours and days biking, hiking and climbing. He knows the number one rule for enjoying nature: leave it better than you found it. That means not only packing out every iota of waste you might personally bring or create, but also cleaning up where others haven’t been as responsible.

Before plastic bottles and bags of trash, sin made a mess of our perfect earth. Strewing death, destruction and hate in its wake, there was only one way to sweep the planet clean from evil—a one-Man clean up crew.

Jesus ventured to earth to reassemble the wreckage Satan made of the human race, bringing hope to a hopeless people. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). Better than simply cleansing the earth from sin, God is creating a place better than we can ever imagine. In John 14:2 (b)-3, Jesus comforts his disciples, “ I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also..”

Through his sacrifice, we have future to look forward to. No longer covered in the filth of sin, Christ’s people can shine with the light of his perfect love.

He came to earth and left it better than he found it. And that’s good news for all of us.

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By Lauren Schwarz. Copyright © 2015 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: A Better Place

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

Growing in Faith

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Before my car accident this past December I loved to stay busy. I had a full time job plus I had a couple side jobs that I made some money on here and there. I depended on myself to make money, pay the bills, put money away in savings, and have a little extra for spending. My whole world changed when I learned I wouldn’t be able to go back to work until the middle of April. That would mean I would be without a job and income for four months!

The first few weeks were stressful and I was full of anxiety. I didn’t know how I would make it through this. I prayed and prayed and I heard God tell me to trust in him. From then on I knew that God would take care of me and my wife so I didn’t worry about my financial situation any more.

I came to realize that my faith in the Lord was not as strong as it should be and that God allowed me to face a situation where my faith could grow stronger. And my faith has grown tremendously in these last few weeks. God is opening up new doors for me.

Unexpected Wake-Up Call

You may think you are doing things right and walking the way Christians are supposed to walk. Then one day you get a wake up call. It might not be pleasant, but God uses these situations to mold us into stronger Christians.

Jesus had the perfect personality. Though we will never be perfect like Him, we can strive to be like Him. Sometimes we will find ourselves in situations that are out of our comfort zone. But what we do in these situations is what will enable us to become more mature in our Christian walk.

Look to God for guidance in everything you do. Paul tells us that “my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Do not despair. You will make it through the hard times and become stronger and more faithful. Keep your trust in Jesus.

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By David Wolstenholm. 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: Growing in Faith

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

Use Your Personality

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Photo: iStock

When you look around at other people you readily notice that everyone has a different personality. One person may love to be the center of attention; that person talks a lot, enjoys other people, and has a bubbly personality. Another person seems to be bossy, makes quick correct judgments, and desires to be in control of everything. Another person likes to keep things organized, wants things done correctly, analyzes things, and is always setting goals. Still another person may go to great lengths to avoid a conflict, keep peace. They lack decisiveness and enthusiasm, but have a pleasing personality, and a dry sense of humor. You may fall into one or more of these categories, as I do.

Researchers and scientists devote their whole lives plus millions of dollars trying to figure out how personalities work, where they come from, and predicting what a person will do in a certain situation. They often ask, why are people different and why do people do the things they do? Many theories have been made from these questions. But does it really mean anything?

Why do we all need to be different anyway? Let’s take a look at what the Bible has to say. Paul gives a list of spiritual gifts including wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, prophecy and more (1 Corinthians 12:8-11). Paul then goes on to explain that there are different parts of the church body that require members to do different things (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). God made us different in order to perform the whole workings of the church. One person can’t do everything. But when the people are brought together in the body of the church, all things can be done.

You Are Special

Don’t be discouraged when you see one person doing great things for the Lord that you can never see yourself doing. God made you specifically to do something special. Use what you know you are good at instead of dwelling on what you are not good at. Paul thought of himself as a timid man (2 Corinthians 10:1) and not a good public speaker (2 Corinthians 11:6). Yet the Lord still made him great and used his personality strengths to the fullest.

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By David Wolstenholm. Copyright © 2015 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines.

Read more at the source: Use Your Personality

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

008 United Prayer Paul and Barnabas UKR

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Read more at the source: 008 United Prayer Paul and Barnabas UKR

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Revival and Reformation.

Noah and the Flood iPad App

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An iPad app based on the popular My Bible Friends books makes the story of Noah interactive for pre-schoolers. Available at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/noah-and-the-flood/id897653651

Read more at the source: Noah and the Flood iPad App

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from ReviewandHerald.

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