Matthew 6:25-34 (New International Version)
Do Not Worry
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
venerdì 25 giugno 2010
giovedì 24 giugno 2010
God loves us and forgives us
This is taken from a novel I have written about what happened to the disciples after Jesus died called 'Third Star'. This is a conversation between Peter and other disciples in which Peter tells of his betrayal of Christ. It is told from John's point of view.
Peter was also depressed, but for a different reason. It was after lunchtime, although Mary had refused to join us and stayed in her room. We hadn’t much to eat, but a few fish and unleavened bread. Most of the disciples left the table, save for Peter, his brother Andrew, Thomas and I.
“Have you any idea how it is for me?” he said in anguish. He was not one to demand attention, so his outburst surprised me greatly. “I am sorry. Everyone is hurting,” he replied in his usual calm voice and he got up to leave, but his brother caught his arm.
“What happened, Peter?” he asked, frustrated. He had sense something was especially wrong with Peter.
“We are your closest friends, we can help,” I insisted.
“Can you erase my sin? Can you stop the sands of time and make them fall to the sky?”
“Peter, you obviously have something on your mind. You cannot expect sympathy from ignorant people,” I said in a whisper.
“I denied him.”
“What do you mean?” Thomas asked.
Peter continued, as if he hadn’t heard the query, since his mind had elapsed back to the incident and it was as if we were not in the room with him anymore. “And it was not just a slip of the tongue. I denied him three times and I was well aware of what I was doing. Being afraid is one thing, but disloyalty to God is quite another. I can still hear the cock crowing in my mind.”
“What cock? Honestly Peter, start from the beginning and make sense!” I said, desperately.
He came out of his trance-like state of mind and turned to me with an intense stare. “The high priests caught me yesterday. I was on the edge of the crowd and they pulled me roughly away to question me. I was too afraid to cry out, I knew that would just make things worse.
“Do you remember what Jesus had said- that I would deny him three times before the cock crowed? Well, I did, and he knew all along that I would let him down and yet he loved me all this time. He sat there calmly foretelling my destiny and explaining my shameful treachery to you all and he forgave me before it even happened without a second thought. I lied to the priest officials, so they would let me go. They recognised my face and…and I panicked, I suppose. I listened to my fear and not to my heart. I was a fool and a coward. And, they believed me. It was so easy, but lies are often easier than the truth. Well, easier at the time, but then in the long run, they hurt more. Dying then would have been a blessing compared to the pain I am in now. I heard a cock crowing. It was quiet as it was in the distance, but it pounded in my head and became ear-piercingly loud. I feel to my knees and wept bitterly. I am not proud of what I have done.”
There was a pause. I then said, “God chose to test you. He tested Judas. Had you been Judas, you would not have failed. Judas’ sin was far greater than your own. God chose to test me. I failed and ran away. I came back, but it was little comfort. Had I been in your place, I have no guarantee than I too would not have forsaken my beliefs for the sake of my life. God has a reason for you to still be alive…” I stopped myself. I was contradicting myself. I had just said to everyone how none of us had any purpose to our lives anymore and yet here I was saying there was a reason that we had not been captured by the Jewish authorities. It was almost habitual to reassure others just as Jesus used to reassure us.
“Maybe I don’t want to be alive,” he muttered.
“It is not for you to decide when your life will end. We all have to help each other through this hard time. My brother taught me that last night. He is becoming a very wise young man,” I smiled weakly at James, who blushed, then said:
“Jesus forgives all those who repent for their sins and you have clearly done that. He forgave you before you even committed the sin let alone apologised for it. Don’t you see? He loves you so much that he forgave you unconditionally and accepted the fact that you would betray him.”
Peter was also depressed, but for a different reason. It was after lunchtime, although Mary had refused to join us and stayed in her room. We hadn’t much to eat, but a few fish and unleavened bread. Most of the disciples left the table, save for Peter, his brother Andrew, Thomas and I.
“Have you any idea how it is for me?” he said in anguish. He was not one to demand attention, so his outburst surprised me greatly. “I am sorry. Everyone is hurting,” he replied in his usual calm voice and he got up to leave, but his brother caught his arm.
“What happened, Peter?” he asked, frustrated. He had sense something was especially wrong with Peter.
“We are your closest friends, we can help,” I insisted.
“Can you erase my sin? Can you stop the sands of time and make them fall to the sky?”
“Peter, you obviously have something on your mind. You cannot expect sympathy from ignorant people,” I said in a whisper.
“I denied him.”
“What do you mean?” Thomas asked.
Peter continued, as if he hadn’t heard the query, since his mind had elapsed back to the incident and it was as if we were not in the room with him anymore. “And it was not just a slip of the tongue. I denied him three times and I was well aware of what I was doing. Being afraid is one thing, but disloyalty to God is quite another. I can still hear the cock crowing in my mind.”
“What cock? Honestly Peter, start from the beginning and make sense!” I said, desperately.
He came out of his trance-like state of mind and turned to me with an intense stare. “The high priests caught me yesterday. I was on the edge of the crowd and they pulled me roughly away to question me. I was too afraid to cry out, I knew that would just make things worse.
“Do you remember what Jesus had said- that I would deny him three times before the cock crowed? Well, I did, and he knew all along that I would let him down and yet he loved me all this time. He sat there calmly foretelling my destiny and explaining my shameful treachery to you all and he forgave me before it even happened without a second thought. I lied to the priest officials, so they would let me go. They recognised my face and…and I panicked, I suppose. I listened to my fear and not to my heart. I was a fool and a coward. And, they believed me. It was so easy, but lies are often easier than the truth. Well, easier at the time, but then in the long run, they hurt more. Dying then would have been a blessing compared to the pain I am in now. I heard a cock crowing. It was quiet as it was in the distance, but it pounded in my head and became ear-piercingly loud. I feel to my knees and wept bitterly. I am not proud of what I have done.”
There was a pause. I then said, “God chose to test you. He tested Judas. Had you been Judas, you would not have failed. Judas’ sin was far greater than your own. God chose to test me. I failed and ran away. I came back, but it was little comfort. Had I been in your place, I have no guarantee than I too would not have forsaken my beliefs for the sake of my life. God has a reason for you to still be alive…” I stopped myself. I was contradicting myself. I had just said to everyone how none of us had any purpose to our lives anymore and yet here I was saying there was a reason that we had not been captured by the Jewish authorities. It was almost habitual to reassure others just as Jesus used to reassure us.
“Maybe I don’t want to be alive,” he muttered.
“It is not for you to decide when your life will end. We all have to help each other through this hard time. My brother taught me that last night. He is becoming a very wise young man,” I smiled weakly at James, who blushed, then said:
“Jesus forgives all those who repent for their sins and you have clearly done that. He forgave you before you even committed the sin let alone apologised for it. Don’t you see? He loves you so much that he forgave you unconditionally and accepted the fact that you would betray him.”
God loves us ALL no matter what we''ve done!
John 4
Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman
The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
Now he had to go through Samaria. 5So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])
Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"
Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."
He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."
"I have no husband," she replied.
Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."
"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."
Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."
Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."
Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman
The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
Now he had to go through Samaria. 5So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])
Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"
Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."
He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."
"I have no husband," she replied.
Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."
"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."
Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."
Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."
mercoledì 23 giugno 2010
GOD IS STILL IN THE FIGHT
This is a song I wrote a few years ago...
When the final petals have fallen,
A dark void grows within.
Raising your head seems impossible when
All you want to do is give up.
But
God is still in the fight with you,
Holding you close as you cry.
God is still watching over...
You.
The warring of men tears you apart,
Greed corrupting them all.
Divine inspiration seems to be lost,
But wait and pray.
God is still in the fight with you,
Holding you close as you cry.
God is still watching over...
You.
Bridge: Don't give up, hold on.
Closer than you think.
Don't let go, be strong.
Jesus Christ will bless you yet,
Will bless you yet.
God is still in the fight with you,
Holding you close as you cry.
God is still in the fight with you,
Holding you close as you cry.
God is still watching over...
You.
When the final petals have fallen,
A dark void grows within.
Raising your head seems impossible when
All you want to do is give up.
But
God is still in the fight with you,
Holding you close as you cry.
God is still watching over...
You.
The warring of men tears you apart,
Greed corrupting them all.
Divine inspiration seems to be lost,
But wait and pray.
God is still in the fight with you,
Holding you close as you cry.
God is still watching over...
You.
Bridge: Don't give up, hold on.
Closer than you think.
Don't let go, be strong.
Jesus Christ will bless you yet,
Will bless you yet.
God is still in the fight with you,
Holding you close as you cry.
God is still in the fight with you,
Holding you close as you cry.
God is still watching over...
You.
He Still Loves Me – Beyonce and Walter Williams
Took me a while
But I'm finally here
I just wanna testify
Make it crystal clear
See I've been picked out
To be picked on
Talked about out my friend's mouth
I've been beat down
'Til he turned my life around
(turned my life around)
Seems like I always fall short of being worthy
'Cause I ain't good enough
but he still loves me
I ain't no superstar
The spotlight ain't shining on me
(no no no no no)
'Cause I ain't good enough
but he still loves me
Loves me
I used to wake up some days
and wish I'd stayed asleep
'Cause I went to bed on top of the world
today the world's on top of me
everybody's got opinions
(they share)
They ain't been in my position
(they don't care)
that it breaks my heart when I hear what they have to say about me yeah
(what they say)
seems like I always fall short (falling short)
of being worthy (Lord I ain't worthy)
Cuz I aint good enough (no no)
but he still loves me (still loves me)
I aint no superstar
(I wanna be for you)
The spotlight aint shinin on me
cuz I aint good enough
but he still loves me
I'm not perfect
(I'm not perfect)
Yes I do wrong
(yes I do wrong)
I'm trying my best
(trying my best but)
But it aint good enough
(just aint good enough)
Shunned by the world
If I don't succeed
Cuz I aint good
But he still loves me
(I just aint good enough)
If you aint worthy just raise your hands
And let me know that you understand
That we are all so blessed
To be loved, loved
Stand for him and fall for anything
Cause through his eyes we all look the same
What would we do without blame?
Feels like we always fall short
Of bein worthy (we are not worthy)
Cuz I aint good enough
But he still loves me
I aint no superstar
(I aint no superstar but I wanna be for you Lord)
The spotlight aint shinin on me
Cuz I aint good enough
(Oh)
But you still love me
I'm not perfect
Yes I do wrong
I'm tryin my best but
(tryin my best)
It aint good enough
(I'm not good enough)
Shunned be the word
(shunned by the world)
If i dont succeed
(i dont succeed-ceed-ceed)
Cuz I aint good enough
But he still loves me
(child sing with me)
I'm not perfect
Yes I do wrong
I'm tryin my best but
It aint good enough
(But the Lord's been so good to me)
Shunned be the word
(Shunned by the world)
If i dont succeed
Cuz I aint good enough
(I aint good enough)
But he still loves me
(The Lord still loves me)
No I aint good enough
But He still loves me
(Raise your hands if ya understand)
No I aint good enough
(How he blessed you cuz he blessed you too)
but He still loves me
(even though I aint worthy)
No I aint good enough
(you aint worthy, He's there for you)
but He still loves me
(no matter what I do)
No I aint good enough
(I aint good enough)
but he still loves me
(but the Lord still loves me)
But I'm finally here
I just wanna testify
Make it crystal clear
See I've been picked out
To be picked on
Talked about out my friend's mouth
I've been beat down
'Til he turned my life around
(turned my life around)
Seems like I always fall short of being worthy
'Cause I ain't good enough
but he still loves me
I ain't no superstar
The spotlight ain't shining on me
(no no no no no)
'Cause I ain't good enough
but he still loves me
Loves me
I used to wake up some days
and wish I'd stayed asleep
'Cause I went to bed on top of the world
today the world's on top of me
everybody's got opinions
(they share)
They ain't been in my position
(they don't care)
that it breaks my heart when I hear what they have to say about me yeah
(what they say)
seems like I always fall short (falling short)
of being worthy (Lord I ain't worthy)
Cuz I aint good enough (no no)
but he still loves me (still loves me)
I aint no superstar
(I wanna be for you)
The spotlight aint shinin on me
cuz I aint good enough
but he still loves me
I'm not perfect
(I'm not perfect)
Yes I do wrong
(yes I do wrong)
I'm trying my best
(trying my best but)
But it aint good enough
(just aint good enough)
Shunned by the world
If I don't succeed
Cuz I aint good
But he still loves me
(I just aint good enough)
If you aint worthy just raise your hands
And let me know that you understand
That we are all so blessed
To be loved, loved
Stand for him and fall for anything
Cause through his eyes we all look the same
What would we do without blame?
Feels like we always fall short
Of bein worthy (we are not worthy)
Cuz I aint good enough
But he still loves me
I aint no superstar
(I aint no superstar but I wanna be for you Lord)
The spotlight aint shinin on me
Cuz I aint good enough
(Oh)
But you still love me
I'm not perfect
Yes I do wrong
I'm tryin my best but
(tryin my best)
It aint good enough
(I'm not good enough)
Shunned be the word
(shunned by the world)
If i dont succeed
(i dont succeed-ceed-ceed)
Cuz I aint good enough
But he still loves me
(child sing with me)
I'm not perfect
Yes I do wrong
I'm tryin my best but
It aint good enough
(But the Lord's been so good to me)
Shunned be the word
(Shunned by the world)
If i dont succeed
Cuz I aint good enough
(I aint good enough)
But he still loves me
(The Lord still loves me)
No I aint good enough
But He still loves me
(Raise your hands if ya understand)
No I aint good enough
(How he blessed you cuz he blessed you too)
but He still loves me
(even though I aint worthy)
No I aint good enough
(you aint worthy, He's there for you)
but He still loves me
(no matter what I do)
No I aint good enough
(I aint good enough)
but he still loves me
(but the Lord still loves me)
martedì 22 giugno 2010
God loves EVERYONE; no matter their background!
Many of you will be familiar with this passage, but what a great passage it is!! No matter your race, gender, or social background, we are all Christ's children.
Galations 3: 26-29
New International Version
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Full passage: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%203&version=NIV
Galations 3: 26-29
New International Version
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Full passage: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%203&version=NIV
God loves EVERYONE, even those who don't love themselves!
This song below illustrates so well the fact that God loves people who don't even love themselves or see their own worth. Everyone is unique and different and exactly as God intended them to be. We're not ment to all look like carbon copies of each other like the way some celebreties try just to look like Barbie girls instead of embracing their own originality. God bless x
Mary Mary: Little Girl
She was just 13 and I just don't think
That she ever seen her own beauty
And she didn't think she'd be anything
And that little girl she used to be me
Little girl, little girl
Wonder are you listening
Little girl, little girl
Struggling with your confidence
Little girl, little girl
God made you so beautiful
Little girl, little girl
I just thought that you should know
Sometimes you feel like you don't fit in
'cause you don't look like
all your other friends
Got your own thing going on
Girl you are so unique you are just
That way that
God intended for you to be
Little girl, little girl
Wonder are you listening
Little girl, little girl
Struggling with your confidence
Little girl, little girl
God made you so beautiful
Little girl, little girl
I just thought that you should know
Tell you what you should do
When you get up
In the morning look yourself in the
Mirror and say
I love me
Even with all of your flaws and all of your downfalls
Just be your best 'cause to him you
Already are
Little girl, little girl
Wonder are you listening
Little girl, little girl
Struggling with your confidence
Little girl, little girl
God made you so beautiful
Little girl, little girl
I just thought that you should know
Listen to this song here:
http://www.lastfm.it/music/Mary+Mary/_/Little+Girl
Mary Mary: Little Girl
She was just 13 and I just don't think
That she ever seen her own beauty
And she didn't think she'd be anything
And that little girl she used to be me
Little girl, little girl
Wonder are you listening
Little girl, little girl
Struggling with your confidence
Little girl, little girl
God made you so beautiful
Little girl, little girl
I just thought that you should know
Sometimes you feel like you don't fit in
'cause you don't look like
all your other friends
Got your own thing going on
Girl you are so unique you are just
That way that
God intended for you to be
Little girl, little girl
Wonder are you listening
Little girl, little girl
Struggling with your confidence
Little girl, little girl
God made you so beautiful
Little girl, little girl
I just thought that you should know
Tell you what you should do
When you get up
In the morning look yourself in the
Mirror and say
I love me
Even with all of your flaws and all of your downfalls
Just be your best 'cause to him you
Already are
Little girl, little girl
Wonder are you listening
Little girl, little girl
Struggling with your confidence
Little girl, little girl
God made you so beautiful
Little girl, little girl
I just thought that you should know
Listen to this song here:
http://www.lastfm.it/music/Mary+Mary/_/Little+Girl
What is the most important message of the Bible?
What is the most important message of the Bible?
Answer: that God loves us.
The Bible has many messages that are important to us, but the most important of these is that He loves us. Just trying to get our heads around that unconditional, incredible love is a good starting point to trying to understand the Bible as a whole. God's love, in short, really is mindboggling! How many fathers would sacrifice their sons, especially if that son were perfect? And that is just one example of His love.
We think that because we are x or becuase we are y, God loves us less than other people. No! God loves everyone the same. Don't forget that Jesus said: "I have come not to call the righteous but to call sinners." (Matthew 9:13). It is by His grace that He loves us and not because we are worthy of His love.
So when you feel weak and unworthy, take His strength and His worth and start your day!
- H Pugh. 22/06/10
Answer: that God loves us.
The Bible has many messages that are important to us, but the most important of these is that He loves us. Just trying to get our heads around that unconditional, incredible love is a good starting point to trying to understand the Bible as a whole. God's love, in short, really is mindboggling! How many fathers would sacrifice their sons, especially if that son were perfect? And that is just one example of His love.
We think that because we are x or becuase we are y, God loves us less than other people. No! God loves everyone the same. Don't forget that Jesus said: "I have come not to call the righteous but to call sinners." (Matthew 9:13). It is by His grace that He loves us and not because we are worthy of His love.
So when you feel weak and unworthy, take His strength and His worth and start your day!
- H Pugh. 22/06/10
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