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PRAYER | | |
Heavenly Father, holy is thy name. Thank you, Father, for your love and care and for providing for all my needs.
Father, I pray that you restore my spirit and give me the passion and fervor I had at the time I first obeyed the gospel and was baptized.
I pray that I will awaken each morning looking forward to helping win souls like the Christians in the New Testament and being a huge blessing wherever I go.
Thank you, Father, for listening to me and answering this prayer. I love you. In Jesus' name. Amen. |
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The Godly Woman's Guide: Weekly Inspiration
Zealous for the Church
Monday, May 14, 2012 |
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Not long ago I saw an interesting documentary on PBS about pumpkin farmers. The program was exciting, especially considering the lengths the farmers went to in order to raise gigantic pumpkins. Some of the pumpkins grew as large as a thousand pounds! Those farmers ate, breathed, and slept pumpkins. From sunrise to late at night, sometimes even through sleepless nights, their minds were fixated on their pumpkin patches. Those pumpkins were their babies. Some of the farmers owned shotguns and would shoot at anything that threatened their patches (usually small animals). The majority of the farmers excelled at growing their pumpkins so they could enter them into the annual (and very popular) pumpkin contest. The smallest pumpkin in the contest weighed in at 324 pounds. The winner weighed around 1,200 pounds.
The passion and zeal of those farmers caught my attention. I thought, wouldn't it be great if the church was that dedicated? That's what the church in the book Acts was like. They slept, ate, and breathed the Lord. They were consumed with church activities, and they cheerfully met together every day.
"All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved" (Acts 2:42-47 NLT). The church today should be as much in awe of what the Lord is doing as the church in the New Testament was.
A few years ago, while I was out of town and visiting with a local church's Bible class, I sat near the back row. Every once in a while, I said amen out loud when I heard a Bible quote from the teacher that I wholeheartedly agreed with. I felt a bit guilty, because nearly everyone in that group seemed to tense up a bit when I said it. Even the people at the congregation I attended back home barely uttered the word. But I could not control my zeal. One morning after class, a lady seated in front of me turned and said, "I just love your enthusiasm." That woman made me realize that I was being encouraging to others. She was such a blessing to me, I will never forget her. We need to not hold back our zeal during Bible class, worship service, and other church activities because we could be inspiring someone who needs it without even realizing it. |
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FOCUS SCRIPTURE
[Jesus] gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. (Tit. 2:14 NKJV) |
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Don't let negative influences keep you down and spoil your positive witness for Christ and his church. Squash fear and worry, depression and grief now! Don't suffer any longer!
In BE HAPPY NOW! you will discover nearly 200 inspirational activities, Scriptures, and messages (with full-color photos) that will instantly uplift any Christian's spirit, including yours!
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CLOSING
Ladies, the Bible is clear that we are to be zealous for the Lord and his kingdom. Unlike those pumpkin farmers, we don't need to seek thrills in other places. The church is enough. And it desperately needs our adoration and full attention. I encourage you to boost your zeal for the Lord. You don't have to shout amen, like I do. But step it up some if your conscious is telling you to. Get on fire for the Lord. Wake up each morning excited about the Lord and what he is doing in the church and around the world. Excel at doing good works and be an enormous blessing, like the Christians in the book of Acts, not only on the Lord's day but every day.
If you'd like to be inspired daily then follow me on Twitter (TheeGodlyWoman) or friend me on Facebook where I post Today's Spiritual Insight for Godly Women, Mon - Fri.
In the meantime, please don't hesitate to contact me if you are in need of prayer. (I appreciate your requests for prayers - so keep 'em coming!) Also, email me or call me at 702-785-2189 to let me know what I can do to serve you better. May God our holy Father in heaven continue to bless you and keep you so that you may always be a blessing wherever you go!
P.S. Before I go I would like for you to know that this ministry is a labor of love for me and I believe a gift from God to me, the Lord's church, and godly women everywhere according to Titus 2:3-5 and 1 Corinthians 14:12. Therefore I will continue to publish The Godly Woman's Guide and my Weekly Inspiration as long as women desire to read it, even if I never make a penny from it, and as long as Father gives me the strength. Thank you for listening. God bless you! |
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Genuinely,
Terri Temple
The Godly Woman's Guide |
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ABOUT THE FOUNDER
Terri Temple is a godly woman and devout Christian wholeheartedly devoted to God and his church. She is also a Christian author, publisher, and speaker and is a full-time servant and minister to women internationally. She edited and published two popular magazines (one an award-winning publication) that were distributed in Arizona, California, and Nevada. She authored her first book, 31 Days to a New You in Christ in 2007, and just recently released her first eBook entitled Be Happy Now! She also has a new, upcoming TV show, plus more books scheduled to be published this year. She has been married and a member of the Lord's church for nearly three decades.
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