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May the Lord draw you to Him today. He is the only Way to have peace and purpose.
- dr joe
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Food for Thought...
I believe our nation is headed for very hard, even disastrous times. I do not believe politics will fix our economy - it's too far gone - too much debt to ever pay back. We depend completely on our fragile technological infrastructure for food, water, shelter, transportation, and entertainment. Any number of events could cause a sudden collapse of our system e.g., electric grid collapse from terrorism, natural event like solar flare, simple breakdown from lack of modernization, or Israel attacks Iran and the price of oil skyrockets, or China stops buying our treasury bonds. I am feeling called to prepare for such disaster by working to be less dependent and more self-sufficient. If you have interest in or questions about this line of thinking, please e-mail me by replying to this e-mail. Below are some of my favorite links:
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Mark 10:15
15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
How can you "receive the Kingdom of God like a child"? Adults considering the Christian faith for the first time will have life experiences that take them way past the ability to be as innocent as children. Jesus does not ask us to put aside our experiences, but he does require a change of attitude: adult self-sufficiency must recognize its need for the sovereign God; adult moral defensiveness must humble itself before the holy God; and adult skeptical toughness must soften before the loving God. Children do not feel supremely powerful, perfectly righteous, or totally autonomous. These are adult fantasies. Coming to Jesus means to accept his goodness on your behalf, confess your need, and commit your life to his tender guidance.
AMEN!
Verse and commentary above is copied from the Life Application Study Bible Reading Plan on YouVersion. Check it out at: http://www.youversion.com/ .
Any Dr JOE comments will be in BLUE :0)
Acts 16:6-12
6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. How did they know that Holy Spirit didn't want them to do these things? Was it circumstances or dangers or visions or feelings? How do we know what the Spirit wants us to do? Some people make the mistake of going solely with their feelings. Feelings can be deceiving. The first step is to surrender to Jesus and ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Next is to pray for guidance from God. The Spirit certainly works through thoughts, feelings, circumstances, and other people. Confirmation of what the Spirit wants us to do at any given time will come through studying the Bible and wise counsel of mature Christians. Before acting, wait for the Spirit of God to make it clear to you in these ways.
8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Or... if God gives you a vision. However, I'll bet Paul and his companions prayed and discussed his vision before acting on it. He didn't have the New Testament to consult but he knew the Jewish scriptures well as a pharisee. He was also inspired by God to write most of what we now call the New Testament!11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district[a] of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
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Questions?
Please email me with any questions about today's scripture message or anything related to the Bible or Christianity.
I might not know the answer but I'll try real hard to find it.
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