We just exist when we aren't serving

by Rick Warren

Each of us will have to give a personal account to God. Romans 14:12 (NLT) "If you aren't serving, you're just existing, because life is meant for ministry. " At the end of your life on earth you will stand before God, and he is going to evaluate how well you served others with your life. The Bible says, "Each of us will have to give a personal account to God." (Romans 14:12 NLT) Think about the implications of that. One day God will compare how much time and energy we spent on ourselves compared with what we invested in serving others. At that point, all our excuses for self-centeredness will sound hollow: "I was too busy" or "I had my own goals" or "I was preoccupied with working, having fun, or preparing for retirement." To all excuses God will respond, "Sorry, wrong answer. I created, saved, and called you and commanded you to live a life of service. What part did you not understand?" The Bible warns unbelievers, "He will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves," but for Christians it will mean a loss of eternal rewards." (Romans 2:8 NLT) We are only fully alive when we're helping others. Jesus said, "If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live." (Mark 8:35 (LB); see also Matthew 10:39; 16:25; Luke 9:24; 17:33) This truth is so important that it is repeated five times in the Gospels. If you aren't serving, you're just existing, because life is meant for ministry. God wants you to learn to love and serve others unselfishly.

A modern day Solomon, the wise Doctor

A worried woman went to her gynecologist and  said:
'Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your  help! My baby is not even 1 year old and I'm pregnant again. I don't want kids so close together.  

So the doctor said: 'Ok and what do you want me to do?'
She said: 'I want you to end my pregnancy, and I'm  counting on
your help with this.'
 
The doctor thought for a little,  and after some silence he said to the lady: 'I think I have a better  solution for your problem. It's less dangerous for you too.'

She  smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request.
 
Then he continued: 'You see, in order for you not to have to take care 2 babies at the same time, let's kill the one in your arms.

This way,  you could rest some before the other one is born. If we're going to kill  one of them, it doesn't matter which one it is.

There would be no risk for  your body if you chose the one in your arms.

The lady was horrified and said: 'No doctor! How  terrible! It's a crime to kill a child!
 
'I agree', the doctor replied.  'But you seemed to be OK with it, so I thought maybe that was the best  solution.

The doctor smiled, realizing that he had made his point.
He convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a child that's already been born and one that's still in the womb.

The crime  is the same!

If you agree, please forward.  Together we can help save precious lives!
 
Learn from Yesterday,  live for Today, hope for Tomorrow.. 

__._,_._
"Love says I sacrifice myself for the good of the other person. Abortion says I sacrifice the other person for the good of myself. ..."

Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life USA

The Cross in Our Bodies

This is a pretty neat story and an interesting thing that few of us know. It's brief, so please read. (FROM A DOCTOR)   A couple of days ago I was running (I use that term very loosely) on my treadmill, watching a DVD sermon by Louie Giglio... And I was BLOWN AWAY!  I want to share what I learned....

He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is... How He spoke the universe into being... How He breathes stars out of His mouth that are huge raging balls of fire..  Etc. Etc. Then He went on to speak of how this star-breathing, universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder. At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know.) . And I was remembering how I was constantly amazed during medical school as I learned more and more about God's handiwork. I remember so many times thinking..'How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this???'

Louie went on to talk about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart...how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.
 

And then I lost my breath. And it wasn't because I was running my treadmill, either!!!
 

It was because he started talking about laminin. I knew about laminin.. Here is how Wikipedia describes them: 'Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue' You see.... Laminins are what hold us together... LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. And I knew all this already. But what I didn't know is what they LOOKED LIKE..
 

But now I do.  And I have thought about it a thousand times since (already)....Here is what the structure of laminin looks like... AND THIS IS NOT a 'Christian portrayal' of it.... If you look up laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see....

 

  Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!!  Amazing.  The glue that holds us together.... ALL of us..... Is in the shape of the cross.  Immediately Colossians 1:15-17 comes to mind.

           'He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible And invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or Authorities;    All things were created by him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him All things HOLD TOGETHER.'                                         Colossians 1:15-17

Call me crazy. I just think that is very, very, very cool. Thousands of years before the world knew anything about laminin, Paul penned those words. And now we see that from a very LITERAL standpoint, we are held together... One cell to another.... By the cross.

You would never in a quadrillion years convince me that is anything other than the mark of a Creator who knew EXACTLY what laminin 'glue' would look like long before Adam breathed his first breath!!

 What I found when I googled laminin !!!!!!!!!!! 

         

 

The cross is supposed to  be swinging when you receive this.   I  hope it still is. This is cool - had to pass it on.  I think we could all use a miracle.  I know I certainly can!  

You are in my 7 X 7 X 7.   Just repeat this prayer and see how God moves! 

'Lord, I love you and I need you, come  into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name.   Amen.

Giving Birth to Your Dreams

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world”
(John 16:21, NIV)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

Years ago when we first found out that Victoria was pregnant, we were so excited. Even though she didn’t look any different on the outside, we began planning and preparing for our new baby. Then as time went on, we moved out of the fun, easy stage of conception and into that much more difficult stage of development. That’s when the mother becomes uncomfortable, swollen, can’t sleep at night, her back aches. Things seem to get the hardest right before the birthing begins.

In a sense, it’s the same way in our spiritual lives. When we conceive something in our hearts from God, it’s so exciting. It’s easy to stay encouraged and full of faith during that time. But the real test is when we go through the development process. Are we willing to keep a good attitude even when we’re uncomfortable and things aren’t going our way? Are we willing to stand and fight the good fight of faith until we give birth to our dreams?

If you’re standing for something today, keep standing. Keep believing even when you don’t see anything happening. Hold on to that promise even when it’s uncomfortable because soon you will give birth to every dream and desire the Lord has placed in your heart!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, thank You for the dreams and desires You’ve planted in my heart. Give me the strength to persevere even when times are hard. Give me Your peace and joy so that I can stand strong until I see those dreams and desires come to pass. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

— Joel & Victoria Osteen

The Tremendous Value of the Holy Mass

At the hour of death the Holy Masses you have heard devoutly will be your greatest consolation. Every Mass will go with you to Judgement and will plead for pardon for you. By every Mass you can diminish the temporal punishment due to your sins, more or less, according to your fervour.

By devoutly assisting at Holy Mass you render the greatest homage possible to the Sacred Humanity of Our Lord. Through the Holy Sacrifice, Our Lord Jesus Christ supplies for many of your negligences and omissions. He forgives you all the venial sins which you are determined to avoid. He  forgives you all your unknown sins which you never confessed. The power of Satan over you is diminished.

By piously hearing Holy Mass you afford the Souls in Purgatory the greatest possible relief. Through Holy Mass you are preserved from many dangers and misfortunes which would otherwise have befallen you. You shorten your Purgatory by every  Mass.

Through the Holy Mass you are blessed in your temporal goods and affairs. When you hear Holy Mass devoutly, offering it to Almighty God in honour of any particular Saint or Angel, thanking God for the favours bestowed on him, etc., you afford that Saint or Angel a new degree of honour, joy and happiness, and draw his special  love and protection on yourself.  Every time you assist at Holy Mass, besides other intentions, you should offer it in honor of the Saint of the day.

"The Mass is the most perfect form of  prayer!"
~Pope Paul VI~

For each Mass we hear with devotion, Our Lord sends a saint to comfort us at death.
~revelation of  Christ to St. Gertrude the Great~

Once, St. Teresa was overwhelmed with God's Goodness and asked Our Lord "How can I thank you?" Our Lord replied, "ATTEND ONE MASS."

The Blessed Virgin Mary once told Her faithful servant Alain: "My Son so loves those who assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that, if it were necessary He would die for them as many times as they've heard Masses."

"The Holy Mass would be of greater profit if people had it offered in their lifetime, rather than having it celebrated for the relief of their souls after death."
~Pope Benedict XV~

A great doctor of the Church, St. Anselm, declares that a single Mass offered for oneself during life may be worth more than a thousand celebrated for the same intention after death. St. Leonard of Port Maurice supports this statement by saying that one Mass before death may be more profitable than many after it.

"When we receive Holy Communion, we experience something extraordinary - a joy, a fragrance, a well being that thrills the whole body and causes it to exalt."
~ Saint Jean Vianney~

"The celebration of Holy Mass is as valuable as the death of Jesus on the cross."
~Saint Thomas Aquinas~

"If we really understood the Mass, we would die of joy."
~ Saint Jean Vianney~

"There is nothing so great as the Eucharist. If God had something more precious, He would have given it to us."
~ Saint Jean Vianney~

"It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do without Holy Mass. "
~St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), stigmatic priest~

"When we have been to Holy Communion, the balm of love envelops the soul as the flower envelops the bee."
~ Saint Jean Vianney~

"The heavens open and multitudes of angels come to assist in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. "
~Saint Gregory~

"The angels surround and help the priest when he is celebrating Mass."
~ St. Augustine ~

"When Mass is being celebrated, the sanctuary is filled with countless angels who adore the divine victim immolated on the altar."
~  St. John Chrysostom~

The Apple of His Eye

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Keep me as the apple of Your eye...”
(Psalm 17:8, NIV)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

In this day and age, people are considered to be important for so many different reasons—titles, position, possessions, where you go, what you drive. But God’s value system is very different from the value system of the world. God cherishes and values you so much today simply because He made you. You are the apple of His eye; the center of His world!

If you’ve ever thought that God has too many other important things on His plate to be concerned with you and your life, know this today—you are God’s number one priority. And there’s nothing you can do to be more important or less important to Him. He values you today and your value will never change. You are significant. Your life is significant. The things that concern you, concern God. He carefully watches over every detail of your life, and there is nothing too big or too small for His attention.

Today, don’t be afraid to take your concerns and cares to the Father. He loves to hear you call upon Him. He is waiting to show Himself strong on your behalf.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, thank You for loving me today. Thank You for keeping me the apple of Your eye. I open my heart and mind to You and cast every care on You. I receive Your love for me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

— Joel & Victoria Osteen

God Wants You to Enjoy Life by Rick Warren

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy 6:17 NIV). "The way you fight fear is with truth and the truth says God "richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy 6:17b NIV). " You may be under a lot of stress right now because of the economy, but God still wants you to enjoy life. He doesn't want you to live without fun. The apostle Matthew spent three years with Jesus and he wrote, "[Jesus] came, enjoying life" (Matthew 11:19 PH). As a Christian, you can enjoy life because your conscious is clear. You can enjoy life because you are secure within God's love. You can have fun, laughing in church. You can enjoy friends who don't manipulate you --- because they are learning to be like Jesus and that means they are learning to look out for the interests of others. Unfortunately, there are many people who do not want to let God into their lives because they fear God will make them give up anything that is fun. In other words, they think that to become a Christian is the same as saying the party's over, that to be spiritual is to be miserable. People are frantically looking for fun fixes, but that means they operate under the law of diminishing returns. They spend more time, more money, and more energy to get less and less of a thrill. They go around asking, "Are we having fun yet?"  The way you fight fear is with truth and the truth says God "richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy 6:17b NIV). God wants you to enjoy life!