Contentment is the key to a happy marriage. When asked what makes us contented in marriage, we inevitably point to things our partner does, or is, that please us. When asked what makes us discontented, we indicate what they do, or are, that displeases us. We focus on what’s right or wrong about them, making ourselves happy or unhappy. But contentment is an inside job! It’s how we react to others. Our attitude is the real issue. The problem’s not what we see or hear, it’s how we see or hear it. “The eye is not satisfied with seeing, or the ear…with hearing” (Ecc 1:8). The eye and ear—our perceptions—are the culprits. That’s why God says, “Be content with such things as ye have” (Heb 13:5). Choose to see things differently, in ways that don’t make you unhappy. The controls are in your hands, not your partner’s! Contentment is a choice. “I have learned…to be content” (Php 4:11). You learn contentment by: (a) considering how much harder others have it; (b) asking God how He wants you to use your challenges for the growth of you and your partner; (c) remembering Erma Bombeck’s advice: “The grass usually looks greener over someone else’s septic system.” Benjamin Franklin said of marriage: “Keep your eyes wide open beforehand, and half shut afterwards;” (d) praying for the courage to change what you can, especially your own attitude; the grace to accept what you cannot (most things are acceptable when you stop resenting them); and the wisdom to know the difference.
From
Newlifeoakwood.org
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Make Prayer A Priority
Numerous articles and studies, both Christian and secular, show me a disturbing trend. In just one of them, well-known pollster George Gallup, Jr. has concluded, "Fewer than 10% of Americans are deeply committed Christians."
What disturbs me about that statistic is that far more than 10% of Americans claim to follow Christ when asked about faith or about their beliefs. But studies go on to reveal how most people who claim to believe in Jesus are just as likely to engage in unethical behavior or fall prey to the latest religious fad.
Far too many Christians are not deeply committed to their faith. And if you find yourself struggling today, then I have a suggestion for you. Make prayer a habit of your life!
Nehemiah had a deep and vibrant relationship with God. And that relationship was founded on prayer. In fact, as the book of Nehemiah opens up, we see Nehemiah petitioning God for days because his heart was troubled over his homeland of Judah. And as you read throughout the book of Nehemiah, prayer made all the difference in Nehemiah's life.
Without prayer, you will never stand apart from the world. And if you are to grow in your walk with God, you need to constantly be in communication with Him! So make prayer a priority in your life today!
A fervent prayer life with deepen your relationship with the Lord!
By
Dr. Jack Graham
What disturbs me about that statistic is that far more than 10% of Americans claim to follow Christ when asked about faith or about their beliefs. But studies go on to reveal how most people who claim to believe in Jesus are just as likely to engage in unethical behavior or fall prey to the latest religious fad.
Far too many Christians are not deeply committed to their faith. And if you find yourself struggling today, then I have a suggestion for you. Make prayer a habit of your life!
Nehemiah had a deep and vibrant relationship with God. And that relationship was founded on prayer. In fact, as the book of Nehemiah opens up, we see Nehemiah petitioning God for days because his heart was troubled over his homeland of Judah. And as you read throughout the book of Nehemiah, prayer made all the difference in Nehemiah's life.
Without prayer, you will never stand apart from the world. And if you are to grow in your walk with God, you need to constantly be in communication with Him! So make prayer a priority in your life today!
A fervent prayer life with deepen your relationship with the Lord!
By
Dr. Jack Graham
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Why Not Pray?
My father used to quote an old saying: "The Lord helps those that help themselves." For a long time I thought this was in the Bible. When I got saved and actually read the Bible, I found out it's not. It's a quote from "Poor Richard's Almanac" by Ben Franklin. What the Bible really says is "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18 NIV). That's a long way from the self-reliance Franklin was teaching.
The Bible teaches that we are dependent on God, and God commands us to pray. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened" (Matthew 7:7-8). Why does God command us to pray? Because prayer vocalizes our dependence on Him.
Ask...seek...knock. Those are commands. In the Bible we often see strong invitations or commands to pray. For instance, Jeremiah 33:3 says, "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3). Yet, we neglect prayer, and that's more than just self-reliance; it's sheer pride. It's saying, "I'm fine. I can handle this by myself," rather than humbling yourself and telling God, "I really need Your help."
Sometimes we forget to pray. We do everything else first, and relegate prayer to a last resort: "There's nothing left to do but pray." But we should think of God first. Prayer should be our first resort. We may think that prayer needs to be done in some special place--in a church, for instance. But of course God can answer prayers offered to Him in an office, on a surfboard, at the park, while driving down the road. Anywhere.
And, sadly, sometimes we don't pray because we're in despair and we want to give up. We say, "What good will it do? I've prayed a long time and nothing has happened." But as the evangelist George Mueller said, "Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance; it is laying hold of God's willingness."
Of course, we always need to remember that God is sovereign, and He decides how He will answer our prayers. But He does answer. We're dealing with a God who wants to give, who desires to bless. And He invites, encourages, and even commands us to pray. So why not pray?
By
Skip Heitzig
The Bible teaches that we are dependent on God, and God commands us to pray. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened" (Matthew 7:7-8). Why does God command us to pray? Because prayer vocalizes our dependence on Him.
Ask...seek...knock. Those are commands. In the Bible we often see strong invitations or commands to pray. For instance, Jeremiah 33:3 says, "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3). Yet, we neglect prayer, and that's more than just self-reliance; it's sheer pride. It's saying, "I'm fine. I can handle this by myself," rather than humbling yourself and telling God, "I really need Your help."
Sometimes we forget to pray. We do everything else first, and relegate prayer to a last resort: "There's nothing left to do but pray." But we should think of God first. Prayer should be our first resort. We may think that prayer needs to be done in some special place--in a church, for instance. But of course God can answer prayers offered to Him in an office, on a surfboard, at the park, while driving down the road. Anywhere.
And, sadly, sometimes we don't pray because we're in despair and we want to give up. We say, "What good will it do? I've prayed a long time and nothing has happened." But as the evangelist George Mueller said, "Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance; it is laying hold of God's willingness."
Of course, we always need to remember that God is sovereign, and He decides how He will answer our prayers. But He does answer. We're dealing with a God who wants to give, who desires to bless. And He invites, encourages, and even commands us to pray. So why not pray?
By
Skip Heitzig
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
How's Your Prayer Life?
Prayer is not a monologue where one person does all the talking, or a ritual where we must say things in the right order, or a chore to get out of the way like brushing our teeth before going to bed.
Jesus rejects this performance-based understanding of prayer: "Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace" (Matthew 6:6 The Message).
For many, prayer has little to do with the realities of life. They think of it like the National Anthem at a game: a nice opening, but nothing to do with what happens on the field afterwards. Other people treat prayer like a rabbit's foot you pull out and rub when things are tough: "A prayer a day keeps the devil away." Paul writes, "Pray without ceasing." That doesn't sound like something you do once in a while, or a flare you shoot up during a crisis.
Try substituting the word "breathe" for the word "pray": "breathe without ceasing" - doesn't that sound like a good idea to you? We don't breathe only when we feel like it. Or decide, "I'm not into oxygen today," and stop breathing. Or get frustrated and say, "This isn't getting me anywhere. I'm not going to do it any more." No, we cling to the breath in our bodies like it's life. So, just as breathing is an indispensable part of your natural life, prayer is an indispensable part of spiritual life. Without it you die spiritually. So, how's your prayer life?
By
Bishop Donald Hilliard
Jesus rejects this performance-based understanding of prayer: "Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace" (Matthew 6:6 The Message).
For many, prayer has little to do with the realities of life. They think of it like the National Anthem at a game: a nice opening, but nothing to do with what happens on the field afterwards. Other people treat prayer like a rabbit's foot you pull out and rub when things are tough: "A prayer a day keeps the devil away." Paul writes, "Pray without ceasing." That doesn't sound like something you do once in a while, or a flare you shoot up during a crisis.
Try substituting the word "breathe" for the word "pray": "breathe without ceasing" - doesn't that sound like a good idea to you? We don't breathe only when we feel like it. Or decide, "I'm not into oxygen today," and stop breathing. Or get frustrated and say, "This isn't getting me anywhere. I'm not going to do it any more." No, we cling to the breath in our bodies like it's life. So, just as breathing is an indispensable part of your natural life, prayer is an indispensable part of spiritual life. Without it you die spiritually. So, how's your prayer life?
By
Bishop Donald Hilliard
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The Duty of the Parent is to Love
Duty means “responsibility.” The first responsibility of parents is to love their children. The thing most people do not fully understand is that everyone has to be taught to love. We think of love as some sort of emotion that happens spontaneously, a feeling that comes out of nowhere like lightning and strikes you.
God is love. The Word says so (1 John 4:7-8). Therefore, love is a characteristic or a character development; a state of being. I know that sounds strange, because we are so conditioned through novels, movies, television, and so forth to think of love as an emotion that erupts within us.
Love is not an emotion; love is expressed through emotions. But it is much more than emotion. We have gotten the idea that if you do not have the emotion of love, then there is no obligation on your part to be involved with someone, even with your children, parents, mate, or other Christians. As a result, you do not relate to other people, because you do not have any emotional feeling for them. Well, that is a fallacy.
The Bible shows us that love has to be taught, or developed in children just as patience, or self-control. If you do not agree with this, you will have to argue with God, not me—He wrote the Word.
Titus 2:1-4 says: “But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,”
Now if everything were working according to God’s plan, then the older women could fulfill this instruction. But if the older women have not been taught to love, how are they going to teach the younger women? And, that is where the whole thing breaks down: the Church has not taught this. If you have been attending church any length of time, I will guarantee you that you hardly ever heard a preacher tell you that the Word says “teach” your children to love.
Too many Christians go along with the idea of love as an emotion. What is spontaneous, however, is the capacity for love. Everyone is born with the capacity or potential. However, the capacity has to be trained, taught, governed, controlled and finally expressed.
The word sober in verse 4 is from the Greek word sophronizo, which means “sober minded” or “to voluntarily place limitations on their own freedom,” in other words, self-discipline or self-control. The apostle was not talking about keeping them from getting drunk. He would have assumed that Christian women would not be out getting drunk.
Further, there must be a difference between loving your husband and loving your children. If there were no difference, it would not have been said that way. So there must be a difference between martial love and parental love. And, I believe that the greatest example of teaching love to children is from what happens between their mothers and fathers in their own homes.
Children absorb into their own personalities the behavior learned in the home during the early years of their lives. Ninety-nine times out of a 100, someone who is a wife beater or a child abuser will be a child of fathers or mothers who were wife beaters and or child abusers.
If all they have is emotion, then love will never do them any personal good. Look at one of the most famous scriptures of all, John 3:16: For God so loved the world… Now if the verse had stopped there, what good would it have done us? God would have been sitting in Heaven saying, “I love you, I love you,” while all of us went to hell!
No, the verse goes on: “that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
That verse says that God did something, He gave. Giving of yourself in some way, shape, form, or fashion is what love is all about. Love is demonstrated in giving. It is not just a condition, but an action. And, we are supposed to teach our children how to love. How can you teach your children how to love if you do not love your husband and he does not love you? If you are in conflict and strife all the time, and that is what the children see, they will end up thinking that is what love is.
By
Dr. Frederick K.C Price
God is love. The Word says so (1 John 4:7-8). Therefore, love is a characteristic or a character development; a state of being. I know that sounds strange, because we are so conditioned through novels, movies, television, and so forth to think of love as an emotion that erupts within us.
Love is not an emotion; love is expressed through emotions. But it is much more than emotion. We have gotten the idea that if you do not have the emotion of love, then there is no obligation on your part to be involved with someone, even with your children, parents, mate, or other Christians. As a result, you do not relate to other people, because you do not have any emotional feeling for them. Well, that is a fallacy.
The Bible shows us that love has to be taught, or developed in children just as patience, or self-control. If you do not agree with this, you will have to argue with God, not me—He wrote the Word.
Titus 2:1-4 says: “But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,”
Now if everything were working according to God’s plan, then the older women could fulfill this instruction. But if the older women have not been taught to love, how are they going to teach the younger women? And, that is where the whole thing breaks down: the Church has not taught this. If you have been attending church any length of time, I will guarantee you that you hardly ever heard a preacher tell you that the Word says “teach” your children to love.
Too many Christians go along with the idea of love as an emotion. What is spontaneous, however, is the capacity for love. Everyone is born with the capacity or potential. However, the capacity has to be trained, taught, governed, controlled and finally expressed.
The word sober in verse 4 is from the Greek word sophronizo, which means “sober minded” or “to voluntarily place limitations on their own freedom,” in other words, self-discipline or self-control. The apostle was not talking about keeping them from getting drunk. He would have assumed that Christian women would not be out getting drunk.
Further, there must be a difference between loving your husband and loving your children. If there were no difference, it would not have been said that way. So there must be a difference between martial love and parental love. And, I believe that the greatest example of teaching love to children is from what happens between their mothers and fathers in their own homes.
Children absorb into their own personalities the behavior learned in the home during the early years of their lives. Ninety-nine times out of a 100, someone who is a wife beater or a child abuser will be a child of fathers or mothers who were wife beaters and or child abusers.
If all they have is emotion, then love will never do them any personal good. Look at one of the most famous scriptures of all, John 3:16: For God so loved the world… Now if the verse had stopped there, what good would it have done us? God would have been sitting in Heaven saying, “I love you, I love you,” while all of us went to hell!
No, the verse goes on: “that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
That verse says that God did something, He gave. Giving of yourself in some way, shape, form, or fashion is what love is all about. Love is demonstrated in giving. It is not just a condition, but an action. And, we are supposed to teach our children how to love. How can you teach your children how to love if you do not love your husband and he does not love you? If you are in conflict and strife all the time, and that is what the children see, they will end up thinking that is what love is.
By
Dr. Frederick K.C Price
Monday, February 28, 2011
The Turning Point In Prayer
Prayer is both the most exhilarating and the most frustrating experience in life. When God answers your prayer, it's a feeling like no other. You stagger around for days, awestruck because the Creator of the Universe reached down and worked in your life. You know a miracle happened, big or small, and that God did it for just one reason: because he loves you. When your feet finally touch the ground, you stop bumping into walls long enough to ask a crucial question: "How can I make that happen again?"
So often our prayers don't get answered the way we want. When that's the case, it can be so disappointing it drives you to tears. It's especially hard when you asked God for something undeniably good—someone's healing, a job, or mending an important relationship. You can't understand why God didn't answer the way you wanted. You see other people getting their prayers answered and you ask, "Why not me?"
Then you start to second-guess yourself, thinking maybe some hidden sin in your life is keeping God from intervening. If you can think of it, confess it and repent of it. But the truth is that we are all sinners and can never come before God totally free of sin. Fortunately, our great mediator is Jesus Christ, the spotless sacrifice who can bring our requests before his Father knowing God will deny his Son nothing.
Still, we keep looking for a pattern. We think about times we got exactly what we wanted and try to recall everything we did. Is there a formula we can follow to control how God answers our prayers? We believe praying is like baking a cake mix: follow three simple steps and it comes out perfect every time. Despite all the books that promise such a thing, there is no secret procedure we can use to guarantee the results we want.
With all that in mind, how can we avoid the frustration that commonly accompanies our prayers? I believe the answer lies in studying the way Jesus prayed. If anybody knew how to pray, it was Jesus. He knew how God thinks because He is God: "I and the Father are one." (John 10:30, NIV).
Jesus demonstrated a pattern throughout his prayer life all of us can copy. In obedience, he brought his desires in line with his Father's. When we reach the place where we are willing to do or accept God's will instead of our own, we have reached the turning point in prayer. Jesus lived that: "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me." (John 6:38, NIV)
Choosing God's will over our own is so hard when we want something passionately. It is agonizing to act as if it doesn't matter to us. It does matter. Our emotions try to convince us there is no possible way we can give in. We can submit to God's will instead of our own solely because God is absolutely trustworthy. We have faith that his love is pure. God has our best interest at heart, and he always does what is most beneficial for us, no matter how it appears at the time.
But sometimes to surrender to God’s will, we also have to cry out as the father of a sick child did to Jesus, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24, NIV). Like that father, most of us surrender our will to God only after we hit rock bottom. When we have no alternatives and God is the last resort, we grudgingly give up our independence and let him take over. It doesn't have to be that way. You can begin by trusting God before things get out of control. He will not be offended if you test him in your prayers. When you have the all-knowing, all-powerful Ruler of the Universe looking out for you in perfect love, doesn't it make sense to rely on his will instead of your own puny resources?
Everything in this world that we put our faith in has the potential to fail. God does not. He is consistently reliable, even if we do not agree with his decisions. He always leads us in the right direction if we give in to his will. In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus said to his Father, "…your will be done." (Matthew 6:10, NIV). When we can say that with sincerity and trust, we have reached the turning point in prayer. God never abandons those who trust him.
It's not about me, it's not about you. It's about God and his will. The sooner we learn that, the sooner our prayers will touch the heart of the One to whom nothing is impossible.
By
Jack Zavada
So often our prayers don't get answered the way we want. When that's the case, it can be so disappointing it drives you to tears. It's especially hard when you asked God for something undeniably good—someone's healing, a job, or mending an important relationship. You can't understand why God didn't answer the way you wanted. You see other people getting their prayers answered and you ask, "Why not me?"
Then you start to second-guess yourself, thinking maybe some hidden sin in your life is keeping God from intervening. If you can think of it, confess it and repent of it. But the truth is that we are all sinners and can never come before God totally free of sin. Fortunately, our great mediator is Jesus Christ, the spotless sacrifice who can bring our requests before his Father knowing God will deny his Son nothing.
Still, we keep looking for a pattern. We think about times we got exactly what we wanted and try to recall everything we did. Is there a formula we can follow to control how God answers our prayers? We believe praying is like baking a cake mix: follow three simple steps and it comes out perfect every time. Despite all the books that promise such a thing, there is no secret procedure we can use to guarantee the results we want.
With all that in mind, how can we avoid the frustration that commonly accompanies our prayers? I believe the answer lies in studying the way Jesus prayed. If anybody knew how to pray, it was Jesus. He knew how God thinks because He is God: "I and the Father are one." (John 10:30, NIV).
Jesus demonstrated a pattern throughout his prayer life all of us can copy. In obedience, he brought his desires in line with his Father's. When we reach the place where we are willing to do or accept God's will instead of our own, we have reached the turning point in prayer. Jesus lived that: "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me." (John 6:38, NIV)
Choosing God's will over our own is so hard when we want something passionately. It is agonizing to act as if it doesn't matter to us. It does matter. Our emotions try to convince us there is no possible way we can give in. We can submit to God's will instead of our own solely because God is absolutely trustworthy. We have faith that his love is pure. God has our best interest at heart, and he always does what is most beneficial for us, no matter how it appears at the time.
But sometimes to surrender to God’s will, we also have to cry out as the father of a sick child did to Jesus, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24, NIV). Like that father, most of us surrender our will to God only after we hit rock bottom. When we have no alternatives and God is the last resort, we grudgingly give up our independence and let him take over. It doesn't have to be that way. You can begin by trusting God before things get out of control. He will not be offended if you test him in your prayers. When you have the all-knowing, all-powerful Ruler of the Universe looking out for you in perfect love, doesn't it make sense to rely on his will instead of your own puny resources?
Everything in this world that we put our faith in has the potential to fail. God does not. He is consistently reliable, even if we do not agree with his decisions. He always leads us in the right direction if we give in to his will. In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus said to his Father, "…your will be done." (Matthew 6:10, NIV). When we can say that with sincerity and trust, we have reached the turning point in prayer. God never abandons those who trust him.
It's not about me, it's not about you. It's about God and his will. The sooner we learn that, the sooner our prayers will touch the heart of the One to whom nothing is impossible.
By
Jack Zavada
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