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Newsletter -- Winter 2007 Edition, Vol. 2 Content:
A Drop of Meditation Posted on Feb. 1, 2007 "But let justice roll down like waters
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."
Amos 5:24 (NASB)
This verse uses a flowing river as an analogy for justice and righteousness. The ground over which the river flows would be people. A river does not flow by its own force but falls from the higher plane to the lower plane by gravity. And gravity, in this sense, represents the power of God. The ground becomes rich when watered by the river that flows down in harmony with gravity, and in time the ground brings forth the fruits of justice and righteousness.
Clearly, what is requested of us is that we let the river flow over us -- without endeavoring to withstand such a force, but instead reveling in the wondrous power of God. ~S.H.~
Prayer Tips: Take the Spiritual Types Test Posted on Feb. 1, 2007 "Pray As You Are"
It is often felt that prayer is a difficult thing to do. Perhaps this is because many of us believe that prayer must be conducted in a certain way. The truth is, prayer is not an action we perform simply by scheduling it within the regimen of our daily lives. For Christians who died with Christ and rose again into the Life of Christ (Romans 6:3-5), it is a way of life; a fountain of life, where we can "breathe" in the eternal grace of God. It's a time of communion with our Heavenly Father, when we can present ourselves as we are, with complete humility and freedom from deceit.
This is why it's so important to know who we are. Different personalities and spiritual characteristics mean that we encounter the world, relationships and spirituality in different ways. Click the link below to take the Spiritual Types Test by MethodX. This exercise offers an opportunity to experience prayer in the manner of four spiritual types -- Sage, Lover, Mystic and Prophet. MethodX suggests that we try all four exercises (which will be discussed in the March issue) in order to determine our own, unique style of prayer. Please don’t be afraid about whether God is going to like your type or not. After all, it was He who implanted it within your soul!
Take the Spiritual Types Test » Note: If you have a problem accessing or taking the test, please feel free to contact Snow Hirose.
Listen to the Coach! Posted on Feb. 1, 2007 Early in February two of the country’s best professional football teams will play against one another to determine who is number one. This is known as the Super Bowl. All across the world people will sit in front of their televisions and watch two teams—each with some of the very best quarterbacks, runningbacks, receivers and linebackers—challenge one another in two hours of grueling competition. There are many things that must work right for a team to win this game. Good players are very important, but the most important person in the game is the coach. The coach knows all the plays and understands the opponent. No matter how good the players on a team might be, they know they won’t play their best and aren’t likely to win unless they listen to their coach.
Life is like a football game, except that we’re the players and God is the coach. We play the game of life best when we listen to the coach. Listen to God, read the Bible, and ask for his guidance every day. ~By Charlene Williams~
It’s Up To You ......... Posted on Feb. 1, 2007
“This is the day which the Lord hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118: 24
Imagine being asked the question, “What would you do if you knew you had only twenty-four hours to live?” What answer would you give?
Perhaps if there was an unsaved member of your family, you would want to take enough of those precious twenty-four hours to plead with that person to trust Christ. That would be the most important thing you could do if your own heart was right with God. Certainly most of us would have little loose ends, or business left unattended, that we would want to tidy up for those we leave behind.
There was a lady who made a trip across several states visiting her brothers and sister. Just before leaving the home of a sibling, she would say she loved them and that they would not meet again until they met in Heaven. She had been told that she had an incurable disease and would soon pass away. What a happy time her relatives had enjoying her visit, at least until it came time for her to leave. She was an inspiration to all who knew her in those last months. She happily explained that she was ready to meet God, and that she had no fear.
Every spring when I was a child, my mother would plant a garden. If she looked at the clouds and predicted that it would rain soon, she would put everyone in the family to work finishing the remaining rows. “Hurry, before the rain starts,” she would say. Sometimes it would sprinkle on us a little as we hurriedly pushed the tender plants into the ground. When the garden was finished and the rain was falling, mother would look out the window and say, “Isn’t it good to have the garden all planted and getting the benefit of this wonderful rain?”
When our last days on earth come, are we going to spend them frivolously eating and drinking, or will we, to the very last, plant seeds for good? I wonder if we’ll be able to look down from Heaven and see the seeds as they sprout from the earth, growing and doing good in the world.
There are people who have many talents, lots of time and even money. Do they use them for good to bring joy and blessings? For some, the gifts they have are wasted and dulled by the passing of time. Like fine china on a shelf, these gifts are never used – they just sit there collecting dust and dirt. How unfortunate that is, when a life that should be sparkling and happy is allowed to become almost useless. Could such a person be satisfied with the harvest he reaps from all that wasted time?
Then, there are others who have neither much talent nor much in the way of worldly goods to give, but they sparkle and shine in the glow of usefulness to the delight of all who meet them. What is life to you? Is it just time to be spent? Is it a precious gift to be used to the best advantage each day? Time is running out for every person alive today. How are we spending those precious moments, hours and days?
God showed how much he loved and trusted the human race when he gave us time. The richest man in America cannot buy a minute of time. Time is the precious possession bestowed upon each of us. We can’t call it back when we squander it. We can’t call it back when we use it well. We only reap the results of how we have spent it.
Today is our day. God gave it to us. Let us be glad in it!
“This is the day which the Lord hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.” （Psalm 118: 24）
IT’S UP TO US!!!…………………
~By Charlene Williams~ The editorial services of this newsletter is provided by TransPros.Net
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