From: Bayo Afolaranmi Dear Beloved, THEY BROUGHT MORE THAN ENOUGH
"[The workers] said to Moses, 'The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD commanded to be done.' Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: 'No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.' And so the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work" (Exodus 36:5-7, NIV). For forty years, the story of the nation of Israel in the wilderness was littered with their stubbornness. Their stubbornness denied Moses the opportunity of getting to the Promised Land. However, they were not totally bad after all. They willingly brought freewill offerings to the construction of the tabernacle. In fact, they were told not to bring again because they brought more than enough. In the days of Hezekiah, the people also brought more than enough. The priests "had enough to eat and plenty to spare, because the LORD has blessed his people, and this great amount is left over" (2 Chronicles 31:10, NIV). I wonder if such can happen in our churches today. Can people give to the cause of the church and missions in excess? Has the pastor/church leader ever told the people to keep their offerings because the church had had more than enough? Giving should not be a thing that the pastors and church leaders will be monitoring. People should be ready to give willingly, out of their hearts, without compulsion or reluctantly, even beyond their ability "for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7, NIV, see also 8:3, 12; Exodus 25:2; 35:5; 1 Chronicles 29:17; Romans 12:8). Many rewards await anyone who freely gives (Proverbs 11:24-25; 22:9; Acts 20:35; 2 Corinthians 9:6). Are you also ready to give more than enough? In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). =============================================== From: "Bayo Afolaranmi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Dear Beloved, EVERYTHING? "So they pulled their boats up on shore, left EVERYTHING and followed him" (Luke 5:11, NIV). "But all those things that I might count as profit I now reckon as loss for Christ's sake. Not only those things; I reckon EVERYTHING as complete loss for the sake of what is so much more valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have thrown EVERYTHING away; I consider it all as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:7-8, GNB). In spite of all their struggles, Simon Peter and his colleagues could not catch a single fish. But the words of Jesus Christ saved the day, "they caught such a large number of …" (Luke 5:6, NIV). This event changed their life goals. They left everything to become disciples of Jesus Christ! Also, Abraham left what he had to do the will of God (Genesis 22). In his old age, he was ready to give up his only son to God. In fact, the Bible says he did sacrifice the son (Hebrews 11:17). Undoubtedly, Isaac, the son, was everything to him and his wife. Paul was an accomplished scholar, yet he considered it invaluable so that he might experience Christ! All of them prized their faith above the temporal benefits. Can one say that all of them were sensible? How could they abandon what they had toiled for - achievements, status, prestige and the like? Would they gain anything from such actions? In fact, once, Peter asked the same question: "What is our benefit?" (see Mark 10:28). Jesus Christ's answer was captivating: "I tell you the truth… no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields-and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life" (Mark 10:29-30, NIV). Faith is not a gamble. It is giving of what you cannot keep into the hands of Him who keeps and multiplies all things for your own benefits, no matter how painful and unreasonable. What is your "everything" that God asks you to leave for Him today? Probably God has just given you what He asks for. Are you ready to leave it? Think of the outcome of Abraham's faith. Every decision taken due to God's word is a road to life. You will get "everything" back if you leave them for God (see Hebrew 11:19). Everything! In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). +234 805 515 9591 http://www.afolabayo.org/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spiritualdigest2003/ "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. FOR TO ME, TO LIVE IS CHRIST AND TO DIE IS GAIN" (Philippians 1:20-21, NIV). ================================================== From: Suzianty Herawati "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." --Ephesians 3:8 The apostle Paul felt it a great privilege to be allowed to preach the gospel. He did not look upon his calling as a drudgery, but he entered upon it with intense delight. Yet while Paul was thus thankful for his office, his success in it greatly humbled him. The fuller a vessel becomes, the deeper it sinks in the water. Idlers may indulge a fond conceit of their abilities, because they are untried; but the earnest worker soon learns his own weakness. If you seek h! umility, try hard work; if you would know your nothingness, attempt some great thing for Jesus. If you would feel how utterly powerless you are apart from the living God, attempt especially the great work of proclaiming the unsearchable riches of Christ, and you will know, as you never knew before, what a weak unworthy thing you are. Although the apostle thus knew and confessed his weakness, he was never perplexed as to the subject of his ministry. From his first sermon to his last, Paul preached Christ, and nothing but Christ. He lifted up the cross, and extolled the Son of God who bled thereon. Follow his example in all your personal efforts to spread the glad tidings of salvation, and let "Christ and Him crucified" be your ever recurring theme. The Christian should be like those lovely spring flowers which, when the sun is shining, open their golden cups, as if saying, "Fill us with thy beams!" but when the sun is hidden behind a cloud, they close their cups and droop their heads. So should the Christian feel the sweet influence of Jesus; Jesus must be his sun, and he must be the flower which yields itself to the Sun of Righteousness. Oh! to speak of Christ alone, this is the subject which is both "seed for the sower, and bread for the eater." This is the live coal for the lip of the speaker, and the master-key to the heart of the hearer. CH Spurgeon ============================================ From: Denny Teguh Sutandio An Atheist's Holiday ? (good joke for you) HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THIS COURT CASE? In Florida, an atheist became incensed over the preparation of Easter and Passover holidays. He decided to contact his lawyer about the discrimination inflicted on atheists by the constant celebrations afforded to Christians and Jews with all their holidays while atheists had no holiday to celebrate. The case was brought before a wise judge. After listening to the long passionate presentation by the lawyer, the Judge banged his gavel and declared "Case dismissed!" The lawyer immediately stood and objected to the ruling and said, "Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and many other observances. Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah...yet my client and all other atheists have no such holiday!" The judge leaned forward in his chair and simply said, "Obviously your client is too c! onfused to even know about, much less celebrate his own atheists' holiday!" The lawyer pompously said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any such holiday for atheists. Just when might that holiday be, your Honor?" The judge said, "Well it comes every year on exactly the same date---April 1st! Since our calendar sets April 1st as 'April Fools Day,' consider that Psalm 14:1, Psalm 53 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, in my opinion, if your client says there is no God, then by scripture he is a fool, thus April 1st is his holiday! Get it?"
