From: "Dwayne Savaya" <[email protected]> God's Work Ministry E-mail
Dear Friend, The love, joy and happiness that we have in our hearts should never be dependent upon what we have in our pockets. Many times we base our moods on what we are holding physically. If we have enough money this week, then we are more susceptible to being in a better mood or if we had a good time yesterday, then we find ourselves complaining less. That should not be because our mood should be steady and constant because we have the Joy of the Lord in our hearts. He is our portion of all good things and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit should keep our mood constant and filled with good, encouraging and overcoming thoughts of victory. Yes, it is normal to have moments of struggle, doubt and a sense of questioning, but when those moments come, we can answer them by saying we are not moved by what we see, but rather we are moved by the Word of God which says all things will work together for good to them that love God, to them who are call according to His purposes. (Nehemiah 8:10) (Romans 8:28) (Isaiah 26:3) No matter what may come our way, we can have peace in our hearts because God is still able to bring the answers to our hearts desires. He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or even think. Let us remain steadfast in Him and keep our love, joy and happiness knowing that all of these will remain with us if we only keep our eyes focused upon the Lord. (Ephesians 3:20) (Psalm 89:1-2) (Isaiah 12:2-6) I hope this message challenges your heart to see that it is not always in receiving that we are blessed, but many times it is when we freely give of ourselves that we receive the biggest blessing. A GIFT OF LOVE I have always loved Nativity scenes ever since I was a boy. I remember growing up seeing the great care my Grandma always took unwrapping ours. She would gently lift each ceramic statue out of the box and lovingly arrange them in the tiny, wooden barn. The baby Jesus was always the last one lifted out and she would always smile before placing Him in the manger. It was at another manger too that I saw the most beautiful picture of the real meaning of Christmas. This was years ago when public Nativity scenes were everywhere at Christmastime. It was before the fear of offending others made most of them sadly disappear from parks and town squares. I remember taking a moment to look at one of these public Nativity scenes during a cold, December day. A snow was gently falling on each of the statues and even in the manger. About this time a mother walked up with her young son. The boy couldn't have been more than three years old. As they too stopped to stare at the beautiful sight the little boy removed his scarf and walked over to the Nativity. Then he folded it and placed it over the manger. He smiled as he walked back and said, "Baby Jesus looked cold." I thought that his mother would make him go back and retrieve the scarf, but thankfully she was made of wiser stuff than me at that time. She just smiled, wiped away a tear, and kissed her son on top of his head. Then leaving his gift of love, they slowly walked down the snow covered street together while the boy happily sang all the words he knew to "Silent Night." It took a lot of years for me to grow as wise as that child, but when I did I realized that Christmas truly is about Love. It is about a love that is both joyfully shared and unconditional. It is about a love that sacrifices, cares, and gives. It is about loving each other just as much as God loves us at Christmastime and always. By Joseph J. Mazzella Read and meditate on these scriptures: James 1:2-5 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." 2 Corinthians 4:15-17 "For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Jeremiah 29:11-14 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD..." Psalm 37:23-25 "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and He delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with His hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible. Today's Selected Poem: I WILL PAINT YOU A RAINBOW Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/inpoem7.htm Today's Selected Testimony: JESUS IS THE FAITHFUL PROVIDER Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony96.htm ======================================== God's Work Ministry E-mail Dear Friend, We should always carry a healthy self image of ourselves and realize how special we really are. We should always see ourselves as beautiful, magnificent, lovable, and worthy to receive every good and perfect gift that comes from God. No matter our physical age, we should always remain young at heart. We should keep our zeal for life and do our best to enjoy every moment that God has given us on the Earth. We should never become lackadaisical in our enthusiasm for life and believe the lie that our best days are behind us and nothing ahead of us is worth looking forward to. As long as we are alive, we have this day and the days ahead to enjoy the beauty of God's creation to the best of our ability. The Lord has said that man is of few days and many troubles, but troubles should not keep us from enjoying life because the Lord Jesus said that in the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world for you. All that was required for us to have peace was accomplished on the Cross when Jesus was crucified. He became our peace, our comfort, our strength, our joy and our hope. And now all who believe in Him and receive Him as Savior and Lord have secured their salvation and an eternity in Heaven. Knowing of the joys that we have ahead of us in Heaven, let us also strive to have the same joy, peace and happiness now in this time on the Earth. Let us look forward to each new day with a refreshed outlook knowing that we can do great things for ourselves as well as for those around us. No matter how old you are physically, you can still retain the joy of a child who sees things from a renewed and refreshed point of view. (Isaiah 53:4-7) I hope this message inspires and challenges your heart to see life with refreshed eyes. No matter your physical age, your real inner self is ageless and can always see things with a refreshed outlook. Try to do so today if you haven't recently. GROWING YOUNG As I have moved into my forties now I have begun to see more and more that body age has very little to do with soul age. My body keeps telling me again and again that I am getting older. My soul, however, seems to laugh at the thought. Just this morning I awoke to an aching back and stumbled into the bathroom. I stretched and popped my back as much as I could and then looked in the mirror. My thinning salt and pepper hair was mostly salt. My forehead was lined with deep wrinkles and my frowning face made me look like a tired, middle-aged man. This depressed me but only for a few seconds. Then I remembered that whether I grow old or grow young is very much up to me. I said, "good morning" to God, thanked Him once again for my life and smiled in the mirror. Amazingly, the wrinkles in my forehead disappeared while the laugh lines around my eyes grinned with joy. My sleepy eyes began to sparkle and I watched as fifteen years disappeared from my face in a second. No matter how old this body of mine may get, my soul remains young. This is true for all of you as well. Whether you are 18, 48 or 80, you can still live with the love and laughter of an 8 year old. When it comes to eternity, age is a number and the body is a liar. The only years that matter are the years you spend loving others. Before you get lost looking for the fountain of youth, take a look inside of yourself. You may find that your spirit is still young, vital, happy, and wrinkle free. You may see that the ability to give love and share joy knows no age. You may realize that when it comes to eternity our lives are here for only a brief moment in time. God created your soul and God created the body that carries it around. One is temporary, but one is forever. Don't spend too much time then worrying about the one that won't last when you can be living for the one that will. By Joseph J. Mazzella Read and meditate on these scriptures: Psalm 100:1-3 "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture." James 1:2-5 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." Colossians 3:15-17 "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." Psalm 103:2-5 "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible. Today's Selected Poem: CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/inpoem137.htm Today's Selected Testimony: HE WILL WORK IT OUT Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony68.htm ========================================= God's Work Ministry E-mail Dear Friend, There are many moments in life when we get down on ourselves because of past mistakes or shortfalls and we allow our failures to keep us stagnant and unable to move forward towards a successful future. What we must understand is that making mistakes are a part of life and nobody in this world is immune to mistakes. The most important thing though is learning from those mistakes and becoming better because of them. We must use what we've learned and move forward in life in confidence knowing that even though we have fallen short in the past, we can become better, wiser and stronger because of those lessons and we can use that to better our future. Never get down on yourself because you have failed. If you do, you need to dust yourself off and stand up again knowing that a new beginning is waiting for you. That's the great thing about God. He is willing to forgive us of all of our mistakes, create within us a clean and new heart and most beautifully, He will give us a new beginning. We simply must believe in ourselves again and reach for the blessings that God has prepared for our future. (Psalm 103:17) (Psalm 103:2-5) (Psalm 51:10-13) I hope this message encourages and challenges your heart to stop questioning your past and start believing for a better and brighter future. When we do, great changes take place in our life. GETTING IT RIGHT A young boy was sitting in the back seat of the car eating an apple. He poked his father in the front seat and asked, "Daddy, why does my apple turn brown?" His father answered, "When the skin is removed from the apple, air reaches the flesh of the apple and causes oxidation. This changes the apple's molecular structure and results in a brownish color" After a long pause, a small voice from the back seat asked, "Daddy, are you talking to me?" I know how that boy feels. Sometimes I want answers to some of those confusing problems we all run up against. I want someone to explain how to get through difficult times or tell me what to do in a tough situation. I just want to get it right. But I think I identify a bit more with the father whose daughter asked him if he would help her with some homework. "I'm sorry," he replied. "It wouldn't be right." "Well," she said, "at least you could try." Problem is, I don't always have the answers I need. And nobody else seems too, either. So I blunder ahead worried that I'll never get it "right." But I'm beginning to learn something about not knowing what to do and making a poor choice. That is -- I don't have to always get it right. I don't have to always know what to do all the time. All I really need to do is try my best, learn from the mistakes and go on. The affable Dr. Leo Buscaglia once said, "No one gets out of this world alive, so the time to live, learn, care, share, celebrate, and love is now." Which is pretty hard to do when you're waiting for the answers first. So you got it wrong. You made a mistake. So what? Forgive yourself and try again. Even if you don't get out of this world alive, you can get plenty of life out of this world if you're not too worried about always getting it right. By Steve Goodier Read and meditate on these scriptures: Philippians 4:6-7 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Psalm 56:9-11 "When I cry unto Thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me. In God will I praise His word: in the LORD will I praise His word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me." James 1:2-5 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." Psalm 51:1-3 "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me." All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible. Today's Selected Poem: PRAISE HIM Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/enpoem34.htm Today's Selected Testimony: FROM DARKNESS TO THE LIGHT Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony89.htm In Christ's Service, Dwayne Savaya God's Work Ministry Please feel free to visit the Website to read more Encouraging and Inspirational stories, poems and testimonies. Our E-mail Archives are available as well to read the messages that have been sent in the past. You can also send Free E-cards to friends and loved ones with the many choices available. You are also welcome to post your prayer requests in our Prayer Forum. All this and more available at --- http://www.Godswork.org You can also send prayer requests to --- [email protected] Add your E-mail address if you'd like correspondence with the prayer partners.
