Does Time Heal the Pain?

*You know you are healed, when you can Thank God for the pains of the Past!
…”Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:50).
“But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 30:17)

God’s Love is dependent only upon God, who is eternally faithful, trustworthy and reliable.
* “For I, the Lord, do not change…”
Malachi 3:6

May we strive for excellence in all that we do for the Master of the universe.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:23-24).

When was the last time you sat and wrote out a plan and revisited your vision? (Read Habakkuk 2:1-3).
The Enemy focuses us on what we can’t do instead of focusing us on what we CAN do.

Time heals nothing.
** It is what YOU DO with the TIME that matters.
*****You know you are healed, when you can Thank God for the pains of the Past!  God is so patient with us and keeps His promises.  (2 Peter 3:9).

Proverbs 1:33 But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.”
John 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

Don’t wait until the time is just right to take the first step toward achieving your goals.
**The time will never be just right. Make the resolution to start where you are now and go for what matters most in your life as you stive to move forward.  Where you end up one year from now IS up to YOU!
We have explosive power inside of us. It’s time to revert back to the power inside of you for excitement in your life. (John 15:9-15 Joy is available).

Act like who you are. YOU are the child of a king. You are His Masterpiece! It’s a matter of time to come out of the pits, bushes, or wherever you are and fight. Fight the good fight of faith. We are God’s workmanship. We are his pottery.
Allow Jesus to mold us. We were created for good works so its time to dream big. Be excited about your future.  God has plans for you for His Glory! (Jer. 29:11).
2 Peter 1:4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

Matthew 11:28-29 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

The meaning of life lies in relationship!!
*First and foremost is our relationship with God,
* and then our relationship with each other.
*We each have these relationships, most likely one more than the other, But let’s get a Balance of the Two for God’s Glory!
* “We love, because He first loved us.”
1 John 4:19

When we come to KNOW the Lord we will begin to see that He wants us to truly love our neighbor just as we love ourselves.
Mark 12:29 Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Here is how the Bible describes God’s Love:
* “God’s Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. God’s love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-6 (Living Bible)

The 4 Love’s we have!
The natural human loves inspired by friendship (phileo), family (storge), or romance (eros), are awesome blessings from our Creator, BUT Agape is the only love essential to human survival. Only God’s Divine Love can give us the Identity and Purpose we need to live life to the fullest.
* “If I have not (God’s) Love, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:2

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35).
*  What Jesus did do was to tell them the true way to greatness.
**“It is NOT by seeking to be first,” He said.
**It is by a willingness to be last.
** It is not by getting people to serve you; it is by becoming a servant of all.

There are two kinds of ambition. There is the ambition to be approved and applauded by people, and the ambition to be approved and applauded by God.

There are those who want to gain fame and attention and influence and power. The measurement of the ambition to be great before people is always “How many serve me? How much power do I exercise over others? How wide is the extent of my influence?”
* Who of us has not suffered many times from this desire to be known, to be admired, to be considered great?

But Jesus points out that true greatness is never found there. The measure of true greatness is:
***How many do I serve? How many can I help?” This is the mark of greatness in the eyes of God.
Christianity is a radical faith! It is exactly the opposite of the natural instincts of the heart.
Our natural inclinations will get us deeper and deeper into trouble. Though we may achieve a form of greatness in the eyes of people, it will turn into cobwebs and ashes in our hands.

Lord, Teach me the meaning of Your words in the depths of my heart. Help me to strive for that greatness that will shine throughout eternity.  Help us Lord this day to see ones in need, be it loneliness, depression, fear, cancer, unforgiveness, guilt or shame and come along side them and show them Your Love.  Help us be examples to show that, Christianity does not produce a changed life but an exchanged life. Like Jesus, grow in your wisdom and understanding of who we now are in Christ.
We know we are healed, when we can Thank God for the pains of the Past! Lord, help us share Our Testimony of what You, Jesus have done for US.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new Creation; the old is gone, the New has come!
Psalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
Romans 12:13 Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Come Holy Spirit Come!!! Amen

***Jan. 24 at Christ Church at 7PM will be an informational meeting to kick off our NEW Moving Forward Group. Come for a great night of testimonials of “what God is doing in and through individuals.
**Revelation Bible study starting Jan 26. Go to web address below and go to calendar-scroll down to Thurs. And open  “Community Wide Bible Study”.