LONG

Are you thankful for what you have or are you always wishing you had something else, something better?

Perhaps there is a fine line between the two. We need to be thankful for what we have and yet, it is okay to desire something better, especially when it is promised to us by the very One who created us, the Lord God Almighty.

¹ How lovely is your dwelling place,

O LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

² I long, yes, I faint with longing

to enter the courts of the LORD.

With my whole being, body and soul,

I will shout joyfully to the living God. Psalms 84:1 - 2 (NLT)

The place God has given us to live, whether it is a twenty-room mansion or a simple one-room house, is a precious gift as long as He is with us.

Do you long with your entire being to be with God as the Psalmist did? Do you live each and every day thinking of Him and being thankful for what He has already given you?

Think about it…

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HELL

There is a growing movement in the world today. I’m not talking about the Democratic or Republican Party. Nor am I speaking of Greenpeace or the conservationist movements. I am talking about the large mass of people who deny the existence of hell.

Good and evil, God and satan, Heaven and hell…..

Not only does it seem logical to accept hell’s existence because of the opposites that we see all around us, but it is also talked about in the Holy Scriptures, the Bible.

⁷And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, ⁸in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. ⁹They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. ¹⁰When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him. 2 Thessalonians 1:7 - 10 (NLT)

Some of you are saying, “I didn’t see the word ‘hell’ anywhere in that passage.” You’re right, it wasn’t there…but “hell” was. Look at verse nine:

⁹They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated

from the Lord and from his glorious power.

Hell is separation from God. Whether you want to believe in a physical location or not is irrelevant. HELL is being separated from the One who made us, loves us and gave His only Son to die in our place so that we could be with Him.

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ABANDONED

“Why did God let this happen to me?” “He can’t be a loving God since He allows evil to exist.”

Do statements like these sound familiar to you? When you have accepted Christ as your Savior, you understand that things happen to you to grow your character, to make you more Christ-like and less self and world centered. Evil exists because God’s way (the opposite of evil) has been rejected.

Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Romans 1:28 (NLT)

Evil would not exist if man and other created beings had not abandoned God. He is the Creator and deserves our respect, love and obedience. When we ignore His ways, evil is allowed to thrive. God is good. Evil is the absence of good.

God will not force us to do the right thing. He desires us to willing follow Him.

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OVERFLOW

Do you think that people naturally love each other? Perhaps we might find in ourselves the capacity to love one or two others as long as they are like us. To go beyond that point to loving others as ourselves I propose that it takes the power of God…

And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. 1 Thessalonians 3:12 (NLT)

Paul knew that it took the Lord to “make” our love for each other and for “all” people grow and even overflow. To allow God to work like that in our lives requires surrender to His will and ways and a close, daily commune with Him.

Try it and see if your love for others doesn’t begin to overflow far beyond your human capabilities.

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SUPERFICIAL

Have you ever given “lip service” to someone or some particular topic? You know, when you say something but don’t really mean it. You’re basically saying it to get that person to go away.

News Flash! God is not going to go away. He is the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. Hear the word of the Lord:

² You planted them, and they have taken root.

They have grown and produced fruit.

You are ever on their lips,

but far from their conscience.

¹⁵ Listen and pay attention. Do not be proud,

for the LORD has spoken.

¹⁶ Give glory to the LORD your God

before He brings darkness,

before your feet stumble

on the mountains at dusk.

Jeremiah 12:2, 13:15-16a (HCSB)

God has given you life. Thank Him. Heed His word to you today. He sent His only Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for your sins.

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OPPORTUNITIES

Opportunities present themselves all the time to be a good example to others. Of course, we also have the opportunity to be a bad example just so we can “fit in” with the crowd.

For those of us that claim Christ as Savior we have not only opportunity, but a responsibility to set forth a good example.

⁵Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. ⁶Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. Colossians 4:5 - 6 (NLT)

If we consider ahead of time how we will respond in certain circumstances and purpose in our hearts to model Christ, many may be won over to the Lord Jesus by a kind word or act of love.

The United States Army used to have a slogan, “Be all you can be.” That would be a great slogan for Christians with the addition of “for Christ.”

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SUPREME

If you had the opportunity to be the smartest, richest person in the world and best friends with the king of all the earth, would you jump at the chance?

For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. ¹⁰So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. Colossians 2:9 - 10 (NLT)

The head over every ruler and authority….the president, the congress, the senate, the governor, the United Nations, the Queen of England, demons, satan…Jesus Christ is SUPREME…and

He died for you and me. Accept Him, trust Him, listen to Him today.

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FOOLED

We can get lulled into a false sense of security. Just as many may believe they are “Christian” because they were born in a “Christian” country as the United States once was.

Hear the word of the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah…

⁸“‘Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. It’s a lie! ⁹Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal and all those other new gods of yours, ¹⁰and then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant, “We are safe!”—only to go right back to all those evils again? Jeremiah 7:8 - 10 (NLT)

Now substitute the word “church” for the word “temple” and read the paragraph again. It’s a powerful reminder that we need to “live” for Jesus, trying to be more like Him, all the time and not just on Sundays and Wednesdays!

Don’t be fooled into thinking that everything is cool between you and God if you’re just going through the motions. Get straight with Him now and walk in the path that He would set before you.

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RETURN

Have you ever been in a relationship where you messed up, not once but more than once? Sometimes people can be forgiving, but it’s hard. Your boyfriend or girlfriend says that he or she loves you, but you see (or hear about) him or her out with someone else and it hurts. It’s tough to forgive, forget and continue on with that person in the same way you did before. It’s not impossible but it’s not easy either.

Our relationship with God is much the same way. He loves us very much, but we have a responsibility in the relationship…to be honest with Him and follow the path that He has laid out for us. The “road map” to the path is found in His written word, the Bible.

When we “mess up” in our relationship with God, He simply wants us to admit it and stop doing that wrong thing that we were doing.

¹²Therefore, go and give this message to Israel. This is what the LORD says:

“O Israel, my faithless people,

come home to me again,

for I am merciful.

I will not be angry with you forever.

¹³ Only acknowledge your guilt.

Admit that you rebelled against the LORD your God

and committed adultery against him

by worshiping idols under every green tree.

Confess that you refused to listen to my voice.

I, the LORD, have spoken! Jeremiah 3:12 - 13 (NLT)

Turn back to God. Fix your relationship with Him. He loves you very much.

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COURAGE

Perhaps when you were young you had nightmares that woke you in the night. Your mom or your dad came into the room and comforted you so that you weren’t afraid anymore. They were your security, your protector and defender from all that was scary.

When you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, He becomes your protector and defender. The good news is that He has already won the victory in the war against evil and all that might bring feelings of fear. He defeated Satan when He gave Himself for us at the cross of Calvary. His victory was made evident by His rising from the dead. We who are in Christ are conquerors with Him.

Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. Philippians 1:28 (NLT)

As the Lord said to Joshua,

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 (NKJV)

There are those who do not wish for the SPRING Student Center to succeed, but we cannot and will not be intimidated by them because the Lord is on our side. He is the Source of our strength, our Shield and Protector.

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ABOVE

Every day we are faced with choices. We choose how to react to circumstances and we choose how to live our lives on a regular basis. What is most important to us guides the way we act or react.

Just the other day, somebody told me that they thought someone had taken money out of the donation can at the Student Center. I had a choice right then, to say that money was important or to say that what really mattered was that the individual who may have done this particular deed mattered even more in the overall scheme of things. I chose to believe in the value of the person rather than the value of the money.

Here’s something the Apostle Paul said that affects my thinking on the subject:

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. Colossians 3:2 (NASB)

You see, what matters most is that person’s relationship with God, not a few dollars. We need to pray for and touch people’s souls. We need to let them know that they are more important to us than money or material things are. That’s real love.

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WORK

What type of work do you do? Are you a steel worker, a carpenter, an administrative assistant or something else? Let me challenge you to share in a most, THE most important work that can be done on the face of the earth, the work of helping people to a wonderful relationship with Jesus Christ.

That was Paul’s work…

So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. ²⁹That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me. Colossians 1:28 - 29 (NLT)

That is my work and that is your work. Take it seriously.

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ONCE

I once was young. I once knew nothing about music. I once lived for myself.

Each of you can probably relate what I’m saying because once upon a time you were not who you are today. All of us grow, learn and become changed people simply with the passage of time.

The same is true for those who call themselves followers of Jesus Christ:

This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Colossians 1:21 (NLT)

Even though now you may be a Christian, there was a time in your life when you did not live for Christ. Instead, you lived for yourself. You were “lost.”

Just thinking about that, should cause you to have more compassion for those you know who do not have Christ in their lives. Love them. Be Christ to them. Pray for them, just as someone once loved you so much that He died for you and people around you prayed for you, even if you weren’t aware of it. Don’t be a “snob” or an “elitist” Christian…it turns people away from God rather than to Him.

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GIFT

If someone were to give you an iPod for your birthday, would you leave it in the box and forget about it? What if someone gave you a new car, would you simply park it in the garage and ignore the gift?

God has given every one of His children, those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, a special gift:

However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. Ephesians 4:7 (NLT)

What are you doing with the gift(s) that God has given you?

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)

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JOB

What is it that you work at? What is your job, your purpose in this life? I’m sure it’s something that is incredibly important to you. If it isn’t, you probably don’t work that hard at it…

but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, Ephesians 4:15 (NASB)

Now that’s a purpose, a job worth working hard at…growing up IN ALL ASPECTS into Christ. He is our model, our “boss”, the one whom we want to please and become like. He is Jesus, the Son of God.

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HISTORY

History was never one of my best subjects in school but as I grew older, I became more interested in it. I still don’t know much but I find it fascinating. Taking a look at which country discovered this or conquered that; which person is considered to be famous or infamous as the case may be, can be a fascinating study.

There is One who existed before all of our known, recorded history and One who will be even after you and I have ceased to live on this planet called earth…

This is what the LORD says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies: “I am the First and the Last; there is no other God. Isaiah 44:6 (NLT)

It may seem incredible to believe but it is even more incredible to try to imagine that intelligent life, if we may thus call humanity, simply “happened.” When man invents something like digital television, a device to open cans or anything else, no one questions or even imagines that those things simply “came into being.”

The Bible starts out, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). It further tells us that this was accomplished through His Son, Jesus Christ, (Colossians 1:16) who said,

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Revelation 22:13 (NLT)

Which is easier to believe, that we just popped into existence by an environmental accident (oh yeah, where did the environment come from?), or that there is a loving God in heaven who made you, loves you and wants you to be with Him forever?

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SHARE

Do you remember when you were young and your parents told you to share your favorite toy with a brother, sister or even a friend? Sharing weaves us together as a society; it helps us identify with each other as being “human.” Sharing problems with each other can knit us together as well. It helps us realize that we are all in this thing called “life” together.

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 (NLT)

What is the law of Christ? Listen to Jesus’ own words…

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. John 13:34 (NASB)

Listen to each other’s problems, empathize, comfort and console. This is love in action, the love of Christ.

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HELP

Do you consider yourself “good”? What makes you good? How about “godly”? Do you consider yourself godly? Paul gives us an example of an action that is considered “godly”:

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. ²Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. ³If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Galatians 6:1 - 3 (NLT)

Notice that being “godly” is not the same as being God! The second half of verse one is the clue….”be careful not to fall into the same temptation…” God cannot be tempted (James 1:13) but we can.

So the next time your thinking you’re too “good” or too important to help someone, rethink it. Do what God would do, and has done for you; help your brother or sister. Don’t beat them up or ignore them…help them in an attitude of love, understanding that you too, have the same potential for weakness.

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HYPOTHETICAL

Here is a passage from Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. Immediately below it is a hypothetical letter to the church in “Anytown,” America. How far off is it?

Romans 2:17 - 24 (NLT) ¹⁷You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him. ¹⁸You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have been taught his law. ¹⁹You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness. ²⁰You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God’s law gives you complete knowledge and truth. ²¹Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? ²²You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples? ²³You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it. ²⁴No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.”

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Anytown 1:1 You who call yourselves Christian’s are relying upon God’s grace, and you boast about your special relationship with him. You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have his Spirit living within you. You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness. You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God’s grace and indwelling Spirit gives you complete knowledge and truth. Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you cheat on your taxes or not return the overage when given too much change? You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you occasionally lust after another in your heart? You condemn idolatry, but do you perhaps worship your car, boat, home or other material possessions just a little too much? You are so proud of knowing what is right, but you dishonor God by ignoring it. No wonder it is said of you, “Those without Christ curse the name of God because of you and your hypocrisy.”

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It doesn’t have to be that way! Pray for each other. Encourage each other. Pray for revival. Seek the face of the Almighty God. Just because you are not acting that way doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be praying for and hurting because others in Christ’s church are.

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)

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JUDGMENT

If you never read the Motor Vehicles guide to safe driving, you would still be subject to the rules of the road. If the police officer stops you for running a stop sign, explaining to him that you didn’t know what it meant will not prevent you from getting a ticket.

In the same way, Paul tells us that ignorance of the law is no excuse before God…

When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it. ¹³ For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. ¹⁴ Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. ¹⁵ They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. ¹⁶ And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life. Romans 2:12 - 16 (NLT)

The day is coming…for those of us that have surrendered our lives to Christ, He is our covering…

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3 (NASB)

Those that have rejected Christ will have to appear before Him

I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. ¹⁴ Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. ¹⁵ And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:12 - 15 (NLT)

Choose today to accept Christ’s sacrifice on your behalf. Your past will melt away in His glorious presence.

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