…you are the image of your creator!

Bible and Quote - October 5-9
     'Bible verse and quote' from Jan Couns

(in the past) You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer. Psalm 4:1b Humbly lay your request before a loving God. Yet, presume not that all things unfold in the future as they have been manifested in the past. How long, O men, will you turn My glory into shame? Psalm 4:2a Abuse not grace for God’s mercy will stretch only to a point of futility. How long will you love worthlessness And seek falsehood? Selah Psalm 4:2b .examine yourself. What's going on right now? What stage are you at in the process of fooling yourself?…

God Meets Our Needs
     'God's Words For US' from Cecelia Lester

“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 (NIV) The Apostle Paul closes off his letter to the believers at Philippi with this encouraging thought. Paul wrote this letter to them in order to lift their spirits about the state he was in. He was under house arrest in Rome and awaiting word about the final disposition of his case. Let’s look at this closing remark and see how it can bring comfort to new believers even in our 21th Century world. “ . . my God will meet . . .” …

My Son
     'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' from Tom Kelley

It's late morning for me to be doing this. Usually I am up around 4:30 A.M. EST and at the computer around 4:50 preparing to submit this column. Right now it is almost 7:30 A.M. I am late doing this and I apologize. However, I do have a valid reason. My son has come home. My oldest son, John, is in the youth ministry in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He drove down yesterday, having left after a meeting following their morning worship service. He arrived here sometime around 10:30 last night. That's a half hour after my usual bedtime for Sunday. His mother went on the bed and John…

Forgive Me?
     ''Winging It' from Stan Smith

Jesus said, "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him." (Luke 17:3-4) What does "repent" mean? We can use a dictionary and find out that it means "sincere regret or remorse for one's wrongdoing." Okay, fine, but is that what the Bible means with the term? Not exactly. The Old Testament has a couple of words that can be translated "repent". One (nâcham) means literally "to sigh"…

God Beside Me
     'The Way' from Kevin Pauley

I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. Psalm 16:8 Is this verse a reality in your life? When someone is right beside you, don’t you tend to think about them more? Don’t you address them in conversation? How often have you addressed the Lord in the last hour? How prominent has He been in your thoughts? Some of the best times I have spent with the Lord have not been in a church. I have felt His presence while sitting high in a pine tree, listening to the wind sigh in the needles, feeling it sway from side to side,…

Comfort in Penitence VI (12-2-10)
     'Today's Little Lift' from Jim Bullington

When abundance is categorized, it is usually placed in the blessings column in lieu of the curses column. But that is not always the case as we will see in today's devotional. Have you ever tasted something that was absolutely so delicious that you just couldn't stop eating it? Well I did the first time I ate one of Aunt Ethel's fried apple pies. I was about nine or ten years old at the time and to my knowledge, I had never had a fried pie, especially not one of aunt Ethel's. She was an old fashioned southern cook who set a table fit for a king at almost every meal. It was supper…

Help Us To Pay Close Attention To What You Say
     'Word from Scotland' from Sandy Shaw

Isaiah 56 - "This is what the Lord says" - and with these words Isaiah Chapter 56 opens, and this is one of the main reasons why we gather together - to hear what the Living God says. What does the Lord God have to say to us today - as a Fellowship or as individual disciples……

be still
     'Refreshment in Refuge' from Gina Burgess

I get to the screaming point. I want to shout out the truth, But to no avail. I work and work at trying to be what God wants me to be And I fail. Help me, Lord. Carry me over the fjord. The chasm is deep and I weep. Dry my tears. Release me from my fears. Carry the truth to those ears that refuse to hear the truth. Put back that hair that I have pulled out. Rub the steel bands that are supposed to be my shoulders for I am done with things as they are, I no longer look back and pout. Whisper my name, cause me to be still. Tomorrow I shall go…

Battery Power
     'Voice of Inspiration' from Andy Castro

There is a flash light craze going on in about every store you walk into. Some are small enough to fit on a key ring and some come with tri-pods. Some take double "A" batteries and some take 6 Volt batteries. Some are in-bedded in hat rims and some come mounted on glasses. It is really kind of phycotic on the focus put into the creating of uses for light. I had to write and give a speech last week and it seemed everything I was preparing was out of this world boring. I had the concept of what I wanted the audience to go home with but didn't have a compelling visual.…

Is Christ Living In You?
     ''Christ in You...'' from Dale Krebbs

For the last eight years "Christ In you..." has been the column title for articles appearing on the Live As If website. While reminiscing those years, I have felt that an explanation of those words, and what it means for Christ to be living in us, is needed. This is of the utmost importance, because if Jesus Christ is not living in us, we are not saved, and we have no hope of eternal life. Please bare with me for a few related scriptures: "May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted…

What Will Heaven Do With Steve Jobs?
     'Inspiration For You' from Randy Mitchell

Our world lost one of the greatest minds of its time this week, Steve Jobs. So I find it only fitting to say a few things about where he's going from here, at least, in my viewpoint. When you think of the truly great inventors, geniuses, and business pioneers of the worlds history very few names stand out. I'm talking about the ones who REALLY changed the way we live our lives (i.e. Henry Ford, Walt Disney, Edison, The Wright Brothers, Einstein, and now Steve Jobs). They literally altered the course of our history and made things that drastically improved our very existence.…