Contemporay Considerations compiled by Rev. E. Anderson

June 10, 2008 at 8:37 pm (Contemporary Considerations)

                                                    

Rev. E. Anderson

Fruit from Spiritual Seed
by Rick Warren

 “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” John 12:24 (NIV)


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When you think about your walk with Jesus, some days you may wonder, “Why is this so hard? I’m still struggling with so many problems. When will I finally get it right?”

In my journey as a pastor, I’ve learned that spiritual growth is often like the growth we see in nature – the best fruit ripens slowly. In John 12:24, Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” (NIV)

The problem is we tend to get impatient, so we dig up the seed to check the progress of its growth, and that slows down our growth! If you’re not seeing as much fruit as you’d like, don’t despair. Growth takes time.

In the meantime, try these steps for spiritual growth:

 

  • Nurture growth with God’s Word – I know you’re already doing this, but when you read the promises of God, again and again, it helps you remember that he is at work, even when you can’t see him at work: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV).

  • Cooperate with God as he prunes – Praise God for the work he’s doing in your life, remembering “he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more” (John 15:2 NLT).

  • Pray through the “fruit list” – Pray through the “fruit list” (the fruit of the Spirit) from Galatians 5:22-23. The NIV Bible lists the fruit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Ask God to help you grow this fruit in your life.

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Powerful Quotes arranged by Rev. L. Goodwin

June 10, 2008 at 8:34 pm (Quotes)

                                              

Rev. L. Goodwin

QUOTES

 

LEADERSHIP QUOTES FOR HIGHLY EFFECTIVE LEADERS

THE MESSAGE OF PROVERBS (Eugene H. Peterson)

 

“Leaders who know their business & care keep a sharp look out for the shoddy & the cheap, For who among us can be trusted to be always diligent & honest?”

 

“Love & truth form a good leader; sound leadership is founded on loving integrity.”

 

“Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God; He directs it to whatever ends He chooses.”

 

“Remove impurities from the silver & the silversmith can craft a fine chalice;

Remove the wicked from leadership & authority will be credible & God-honouring.”

 

“Lead good people down a wrong path & you’ll come to a bad end; do good and you will be rewarded for it.”

 

“Among leaders who lack insight, abuse abounds, but for the one who hates corruption, the future is bright.”

 

“A leader of good judgement gives stability; an exploiting leader leaves a trail of waste.”

 

“Don’t dissipate your virility on fortune hunting women, promiscuous women who shipwreck leaders lives.”

 

“Leaders can’t afford to make fools of themselves, gulping wine & swilling beer, lest hung over, they don’t know right from wrong, & the people who depend on them are hurt.”

 

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Knowing the Truth presented by Rev. A. Hocking

June 10, 2008 at 8:31 pm (Knowing the Truth)

                                          

Rev. A. Hocking

BROKEN LIVES

 

Years ago, when a great cathedral was nearly completed, an unknown craftsman asked if he might be allowed to fill one of the windows with coloured glass.  He pleaded so earnestly that when he added he would do it without payment, the master builder agreed to let him do as he wished.  “After all,” he thought to himself, “if it is no good, we can always knock it out and do it again”.

 

So the unknown craftsman set up a screen round the window and for months laboured at his self appointed task.  At last the window was finished.  The screens were moved away and there before them was a window richer and more glorious than all the other windows in the cathedral.  So wonderful was it that people came from far and near to admire it.

 

“But where did you find all this exquisite glass?” asked the amazed master builder.

 

“Oh”, said the unknown craftsman, “I picked it up here and there inside and outside the cathedral”.  The window had been made of fragments that had been thrown away as useless.

 

There are times when all of us feel that we aren’t any use any more.  Perhaps sickness lays us on one side and we feel we’re a burden to others.  Maybe tragedy strikes and we feel there is no point in carrying on any longer.  There have been cases of people who have gone to great lengths to commit suicide because they felt that they were no longer of any use to their family or friends.  Pain, sickness, loneliness, or other circumstances made them feel they had come to ‘the end’ and that life was no longer worth living. 

 

To you Jesus says, “give me your life and I will make of it something great and glorious”. He wants to pick up the pieces of your shattered life and make them something beautiful. 

Someone once wrote:

“Something beautiful, something good,

All my confusion, He understood.

All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife

but He made something beautiful of my life”.

 

That could be your testimony if you will give Jesus Christ your life – just as it is.

 

This prayer may help: “Lord Jesus, my life is a mess, please pick up the pieces and make it worthwhile.  Forgive my sin and give me a new start”.

 

 

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