The Length Of God's Love

By Rick Warren
“I know that your love will last for all time, that your faithfulness is as permanent as the sky” (Psalm 89:2 TEV).
There’s a limit to human love. It wears out. It dries up.
That’s why you have to have God’s love in all your relationships if they are going to last. God’s love never wears out. God’s love is patient, persistent, and persevering.
Isn’t it good news to know that God never gives up on you? No matter what you do, his love never gives up. It’s wide enough to include everybody, and it’s long enough to last forever.
God will never love you any more than he does right now. But he also will never love you any less than he does right now.
He loves you on your good days. He loves you on your bad days. His love is not conditioned by your response. God is love, and his love is given freely. It cannot be earned, and it is not deserved.
Accept his love and worship him, knowing that his love is long enough to last for all time: “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully” (Ephesians 3:18-19a NLT, second edition).

Following Leads to Honor

If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor. (John 12:26)

The highest service is imitation. If I would be Christ's servant I must be His follower. To do as Jesus did is the surest way of bringing honor to His name. Let me mind this every day.

If I imitate Jesus I shall have His company: if I am like Him I shall be with Him. In due time He will take me up to dwell with Him above, if, meanwhile, I have striven to follow Him here below. After His suffering our Lord came to His throne, and even so, after we have suffered a while with Him here below, we also shall arrive in glory. The issue of our Lord's life shall be the issue of ours: if we are with Him in His humiliation we shall be with Him in His glory. Come, my soul, pluck up courage and put down thy feet in the blood-marked footprints which thy Lord has left thee.

Let me not fail to note that the Father will honor those who follow His Son. If He sees me true to Jesus, He will put marks of favor and honor upon me for His Son's sake. No honor can be like this. Princes and emperors bestow the mere shadows of honor; the substance of glory comes from the Father. Wherefore, my soul, cling thou to thy Lord Jesus more closely than ever.

The Width Of God's Love

By Rick Warren

“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (Ephesians 3:18-19 NLT, second edition).

The width of God’s love extends across the entire world and includes everyone he has created: “The Lordis righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does” (Psalm 145:17 NIV).

God never made a person that he didn’t love. He made you and he loves you — and God doesn’t make junk! He loves you unconditionally. He loves you very, very much.

Everybody matters to God. In fact, we see in the life of Jesus that he even loves the unlovely and those who may feel unlovable. Do you want to know the secret of self-esteem? Here it is: If you want confidence, then understand how much you matter to God. If God loves you, who cares what anybody else thinks?
Because God loves you, there’s no need to prove your self-worth. We don’t have to wear certain kinds of clothes to make us feel like we’re OK or drive a certain kind of car to prop up our faltering egos. We don’t need status symbols anymore.
God loves you!

The Lord Our Companion

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)

Sweet are these words in describing a deathbed assurance. How many have repeated them in their last hours with intense delight!

But the verse is equally applicable to agonies of spirit in the midst of life. Some of us, like Paul, die daily through a tendency to gloom of soul. Bunyan puts the Valley of the Shadow of Death far earlier in the pilgrimage than the river which rolls at the foot of the celestial hills. We have some of us traversed the dark and dreadful defile of "the shadow of death" several times, and we can bear witness that the Lord alone enabled us to bear up amid its wild thought, its mysterious horrors, its terrible depressions. The Lord has sustained us and kept us above all real fear of evil, even when our spirit has been overwhelmed. We have been pressed and oppressed, but yet we have lived, for we have felt the presence of the Great Shepherd and have been confident that His crook would prevent the foe from giving us any deadly wound.

Should the present time be one darkened by the raven wings of a great sorrow, let us glorify God by a peaceful trust in Him.

God Wants To Give You Freedom

By Rick Warren
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36 NIV).
The world defines freedom as a life without any restraint: “I can do anything I want to do and say anything I want to say without anybody telling me what to do.” Everybody else may get burned by you, but you get to do it your own way. The world says you can have your freedom, but only by being totally selfish.
Yet, the Bible says the only way to true freedom is through Jesus: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36 NIV).
Real freedom is freedom from fear, where you’re truly free from guilt, worry, bitterness, and death. You’re free to quit pretending because you’re free to be yourself.
How do you get rid of those kinds of fears? By letting God love you! The apostle John teaches that “there is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18a).
When you realize how much God loves you, you’ll begin to live in true freedom. In fact, you worship God when you recognize that “God is love.” It is an act of worship to agree that he is a loving, caring, generous God and that we can “rely on the love God has for us” (1 John 4:16a).

How To Show Love To A Demanding Or Selfish Person

By Rick Warren
“Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (>1 Corinthians 13:7 NLT, second edition).
Love can be absolutely exhausting. Don’t let anyone fool you. The kind of love that really makes a difference in this world will zap everything out of you.
Sometimes you just don’t feel like you have any more love to give. Maybe you’re in a people-intensive job, such as teacher, salesman, or waitress, and you come home and think, “I just can’t face another need, another problem, or another heartache.” So you just shut down.
Or you need to show love to a particular person who is demanding, selfish, and never returns your love. And you just think to yourself, “I’m done. No more.”
While that’s perfectly natural and perfectly human, it’s not the standard of love God calls us to in the Bible. The Bible says, “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (1 Corinthians 13:7 NLT, second edition). Love never gives up.
How can you have that kind of persistent love for another person? You get refueled.
When my kids were young, I remember taking the family to a nearby air show. It was so impressive to see how they would hook up a tanker to a jet in flight to refuel. I’ll never forget that.
But, can you imagine someone flying a jet saying, “I don’t need to refuel!” The jet would crash and burn. In a long distance flight, a jet has to refuel.
To give the kind of persistent love that God wants you to give, you have to refuel your love tank. Look around at society, and you’ll see it’s littered with debris from relationships that have crashed and burned because people didn’t refuel their love.
How do you refuel your love tank? You start by letting God love you. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NIV). When you’re worn out, tired, and can’t imagine showing love to anyone else, remember that God loved you so much that he sent his Son to die for you.
Now that’s real fuel. That’s what keeps you going when you want to quit.

Christian Liberality

Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. (Psalm 41:1)

To think about the poor and let them lie on our hearts is a Christian man's duty; for Jesus put them with us and near us when He said, "The poor ye have always with you."

Many give their money to the poor in a hurry, without thought; and many more give nothing at all. This precious promise belongs to those who "consider" the poor, look into their case, devise plans for their benefit, and considerately carry them out. We can do more by care than by cash, and most with two together. To those who consider the poor, the Lord promises His own consideration in times of distress. He will bring us out of trouble if we help others when they are in trouble. We shall receive very singular providential help if the Lord sees that we try to provide for others. We shall have a time of trouble, however generous we may be; but if we are charitable, we may put in a claim for peculiar deliverance, and the Lord will not deny His own word and bond. Miserly curmudgeons may help themselves, but considerate and generous believers the Lord will help. As you have done unto others, so will the Lord do unto you. Empty your pockets.

Godly Stability

And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brazen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 15:20)

Stability in the fear and faith of God will make a man like a wall of brass, which no one can batter down or break. Only the Lord can make such; but we need such men in the church, and in the world, but specially in the pulpit.

Against uncompromising men of truth this age of shams will fight tooth and nail. Nothing seems to offend Satan and his seed like decision. They attack holy firmness even as the Assyrians besieged fenced cities. The joy is that they cannot prevail against those whom God has made strong in His strength. Carried about with every wind of doctrine, others only need to be blown upon and away they go; but those who love the doctrines of grace, because they possess the grace of the doctrines, stand like rocks in the midst of raging seas.

Whence this stability? "I am with thee, saith the Lord": that is the true answer. Jehovah will save and deliver faithful souls from all the assaults of the adversary. Hosts are against us, but the Lord of hosts is with us. We dare not budge an inch; for the Lord Himself holds us in our place, and there we will abide forever.

How Big Are God's Hands?

By Rick Warren

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish …. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29 NIV).

When I was growing up, one of the things that impressed me about my dad was his big hands. I have big hands now, but my dad had huge hands! When he would do carpentry, the hammer just looked so small in his hands.

My heavenly Father has really big hands. He’s got the whole world in his hands!
How big are God’s hands?

God’s hands are big enough to bless you.Jesus often touched people in order to bless them. He would lay his hands on people and bless them. He does the same for you. Isaiah 62:3 says, “The Lordwill hold you in his hand for all to see — a splendid crown in the hand of God” (NLT, second edition).

God’s hands are scarred to never forget you. In Heaven, the only scars will be on Jesus. Do you think God can forget you? He has a constant reminder in his nail-scarred hands. The Bible says, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion for the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands” (Isaiah 49:15-16a NIV).

God’s hands are strong enough to keep you eternally secure. John 10:28-29 says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish …. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (NIV).

Once you put your life in God’s hands, nobody can snatch you out. You may wonder, “Can’t you just jump out?” How big do you think God’s hands are? You’re never going to get to the edge of his hands. Every aspect of your life is in his hands.

When my kids were little, I used to stand at the edge of the pool in the water and say, “Trust me. Jump to me.” They were always afraid. Is he strong enough to catch me? Are his hands slippery? What happens if he doesn’t catch me? But finally they would get up enough faith to jump into my arms, and of course I would catch them. Then they’d want to do it a hundred more times!

Your Father is waiting for you to jump today. He’s saying, “Trust me. I can be trusted. I’m working behind the scenes. And I can handle anything you give me.” Don’t you want God’s hand to be on your life? Don’t you want your life to be in God’s hands? You can trust him with your life and your future.

Why Should In Trust God With My Plan?

By Rick Warren

“I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return” (2 Timothy 1:12 NLT, second edition).

When you’ve got something that is very precious to you, whether it’s rare, expensive, or an heirloom, and you don’t want it to be stolen, broken, or burned up, you take it to the bank and entrust it to the protection of a safety deposit box.
Even more than a locked box in your bank, whatever you entrust to God, he’s going to take care of. You can count on it. He has a track record. Other people may not have a consistent track record of taking care of things for you. But whatever you entrust to God, he will take care of.

So, what do you need to entrust to God today? I’ll tell you what it is — it’s whatever you’re worrying about. Whatever you’re worrying about, you need to entrust it to the safety deposit box of God’s love.
Worry is practical atheism, because it’s acting like you don’t have a Father in Heaven who loves you and who can be trusted, like you’re a spiritual orphan. Worry is unbelief; it’s saying you don’t believe the 6,000 promises God made in the Bible.

The most difficult time for you to put stuff in God’s safety deposit box is when you’re in pain. When you are suffering, you don’t want to trust even God. You want to pull it back and hold it to yourself.
Paul knew this, but he also knew that when you’re in pain, that’s when you need to trust God the most. He said, “I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return” (2 Timothy 1:12 NLT, second edition).
I talk to people sometimes who say, “I’m afraid to give my life to Jesus Christ because I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep the commitment.”

Let me just be honest with you: You can’t keep your commitment. You will mess up! Fortunately your salvation isn’t based on your keeping the commitment. It’s based on Christ keeping his promise and taking care of what you’ve committed to him.

A Quiet Heart

In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength. (Isaiah 30:15)

It is always weakness to be fretting and worrying, questioning and mis-trusting. What can we do if we wear ourselves to skin and bone? Can we gain anything by fearing and fuming? Do we not unfit ourselves for action and unhinge our minds for wise decision? We are sinking by our struggles when we might float by faith.

Oh, for grace to be quiet! Why run from house to house to repeat the weary story which makes us more and more heart-sick as we tell it? Why even stay at home to cry out in agony because of wretched forebodings which may never be fulfilled? It would be well to keep a quiet tongue, but it would be far better if we had a quiet heart. Oh, to be still and know that Jehovah is God!

Oh, for grace to be confident in God! The Holy One of Israel must defend and deliver His own. He cannot run back from His solemn declarations. We may make sure that every word of His will stand though the mountains should depart. He deserves to be confided in; and if we would display confidence and consequent quietness, we might be as happy as the spirits before the throne.

Come, my soul, return unto thy rest, and lean thy head upon the bosom of the Lord Jesus.

Who Can You Trust?

By Rick Warren

“For the word of the Lordholds true, and we can trust everything he does” (Psalm 33:4 NLT, second edition).
One of the great questions of life is, “Who are you going to trust?” The way you answer that question will determine whether you’re happy or miserable, whether you succeed or fail, whether you make something of your life or you waste your life.
Who always has your best interest in mind? Who will help you make decisions important to your life? Should you trust popular opinion? That may not be a good idea since it constantly changes. Should you trust celebrities who set the latest trends? Trends change, and fads fade. Should you make critical life decisions based on what you read on social media? Just because it’s online doesn’t mean it’s truly trustworthy or reliable.
What about trusting yourself? The truth is, our emotions can lie to us. The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV). When we live by our emotions, we can be easily manipulated by other people and by our changing moods.
If you’re going to entrust your life and your future to someone or something, you’d better choose someone who has your best interest at heart, knows everything, is perfect, and will never lie to you. That kind of limits your options — to God.
No one is ever going to always tell you the truth. They’re going to shade it. They’re going to filter it. They’re going to make it sound nice. They won’t tell you what you need to hear. But what you need to hear is the truth, because it is the truth that sets you free. Lies about yourself, others, the world, and how life really is only keep you in bondage.
To be set free, you must have the truth. As I’ve said many times, the truth will set you free, but first it makes you miserable. We don’t like the truth. We don’t want to hear that most of the problems in our lives were brought on by poor decisions. We don’t want to hear that it’s our own stubbornness and ego and insecurity that cause the stress in our lives, but it’s true.
Psalm 33:4 says, “For the word of the Lordholds true, and we can trust everything he does” (NLT, second edition).
God said it, and that settles it — whether or not you believe it. God isn’t waiting on your opinion to figure out what’s right and what’s wrong. If God says it, it’s true.
You can trust God.

Enemies at Peace

When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. (Proverbs 16:7)

I must see that my ways please the Lord. Even then I shall have enemies; and, perhaps, all the more certainly because I endeavor to do that which is right. But what a promise this is! The Lord will make the wrath of man to praise Him and abate it so that it shall not distress me.

He can constrain an enemy to desist from harming me, even though he has a mind to do so. This He did with Laban, who pursued Jacob but did not dare to touch him. Or He can subdue the wrath of the enemy and make him friendly, as He did with Esau, who met Jacob in a brotherly manner, though Jacob had dreaded that he would smite him and his family with the sword. The Lord can also convert a furious adversary into a brother in Christ and a fellow worker, as He did with Saul of Tarsus. Oh, that He would do this in every case where a persecuting spirit appears!

Happy is the man whose enemies are made to be to him what the lions were to Daniel in the den, quiet and companionable! When I meet death, who is called the last enemy, I pray that I may be at peace. Only let my great care be to please the Lord in all things. Oh, for faith and holiness; for these are a pleasure unto the Most High!

How To Satisfy Your Spiritual Thirst

By Rick Warren

“Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life” (John 4:13-14 NLT, second edition).
If you feel unsatisfied with your life and you want to live a fulfilled, meaningful life, you need to stop looking for satisfaction somewhere besides Jesus.

We’re always looking around, trying to find something to make our lives happy and significant. We think, “If I could just wear this kind of clothes, then I’ll be cool. If I could just have plastic surgery and get this fixed, then life would be grand. If I could just get this job, I’ll be satisfied.”
The Bible says in Jeremiah 2:13, “My people have done two evils: They have turned away from me, the spring of living water. And they have dug their own wells, which are broken wells that cannot hold water” (NCV).

Not only have we rejected God and not looked to him to meet all our needs and satisfy our lives. We’re also trying to meet our needs on our own. These wells we’ve dug called a career or good looks or a golf game aren’t going to hold water.
In John 4:13-14, Jesus says, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life” (NLT, second edition).
Sin is addictive. It only makes you thirstier! If you don’t believe that, ask anybody who’s looked at pornography — once is not enough. If you are addicted to prescription medication, one pill is not enough. If you have a problem with anger, you’re not going to get angry just once. Sin creates greater thirst for satisfaction.
But Jesus offers living water that will permanently satisfy your thirst.

If you feel unsatisfied with your life, that’s called spiritual thirst. And the only one who can quench that thirst is the one who said, “I thirst.” Jesus thirsted on the cross so you don’t have to thirst. He paid for what you don’t have to pay for. He became thirsty so you never have to be thirsty again.

A Wonderful Guarantee

I will strengthen thee. (Isaiah 41:10)

When called to serve or to suffer, we take stock of our strength, and we find it to be less than we thought and less than we need. But let not our heart sink within us while we have such a word as this to fall back upon, for it guarantees us all that we can possibly need. God has strength omnipotent; that strength He can communicate to us; and His promise is that He will do so. He will be the food of our souls and the health of our hearts; and thus He will give us strength. There is no telling how much power God can put into a man. When divine strength comes, human weakness is no more a hindrance.

Do we not remember seasons of labor and trial in which we received such special strength that we wondered at ourselves? In the midst of danger we were calm, under bereavement we were resigned, in slander we were self-contained, and in sickness we were patient. The fact is that God gives unexpected strength when unusual trials come upon us, We rise out of our feeble selves. Cowards play the man, foolish ones have wisdom given them, and the silent receive in the selfsame hour what they shall speak. My own weakness makes me shrink, but God's promise makes me brave. Lord, strengthen me "according to thy word."

Victory in Reverses

Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. (Micah 7:8)

This may express the feelings of a man or woman downtrodden and oppressed. Our enemy may put out our light for a season. There is sure hope for us in the Lord; and if we are trusting in Him and holding fast our integrity, our season of downcasting and darkness will soon be over. The insults of the foe are only for a moment. The Lord will soon turn their laughter into lamentation and our sighing into singing.

What if the great enemy of souls should for a while triumph over us, as he has triumphed over better men than we are; yet let us take heart, for we shall overcome him before long. We shall rise from our fall, for our God has not fallen, and He will lift us up. We shall not abide in darkness, although for the moment we sit in it; for our Lord is the fountain of light, and He will soon bring us a joyful day. Let us not despair or even doubt. One turn of the wheel, and the lowest will be at the top. Woe unto those who laugh now, for they shall mourn and weep when their boasting is turned into everlasting contempt. But blessed are all holy mourners, for they shall be divinely comforted.

Have You Ever Gone Thirsty To Benefit Someone Else?

By Rick Warren

“After this, Jesus knew that everything had been done. So that the Scripture would come true, he said, ‘I am thirsty.’ There was a jar full of vinegar there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth” (John 19:28-29 NCV).

The Bible says that as Jesus hung on the cross, he “knew that everything had been done. So that the Scripture would come true, he said, ‘I am thirsty.’ There was a jar full of vinegar there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth” (John 19:28-29 NCV).

When Jesus said, “I’m thirsty,” it shows how much he really loves you and me.
Jesus was willing to suffer and thirst for you so that you can go to Heaven. This is called redemptive suffering — when you suffer not for your own sins but on behalf of other people. Jesus had done nothing wrong. He was perfect, yet they killed him. Why? He died for the redemption of others. He was thirsty for our benefit.
Have you ever gone thirsty for anybody else’s benefit? Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (NIV).

Back in 1987, my brother Jim was sitting in a plane on the tarmac at the Detroit airport, waiting to take off. He was looking out the window, watching the plane in front of his, which happened to be Northwest 225. My brother watched as the plane took off and then 20 seconds later crashed and killed 155 people.
Only one person on that plane survived the crash — a 4-year-old girl named Cecilia from Tempe, Ariz. They couldn’t figure out why she lived when everybody else died until they asked her what happened. When the plane began to decline and everybody realized they were going to crash, Cecilia’s mother took off her seatbelt, turned around, and got in front of her child. She surrounded her with her arms and legs and body, smothering her in her love, protecting her little girl. The mother gave her life for another.

That’s exactly what redemption is. It’s what Jesus did for you! He went through Hell on the cross so you don’t have to go through Hell for eternity. He covered you and protected you from the punishment, the flames, and the pain.

God demonstrated his love for us by thirsting and dying on the cross.

Love In Action

By Rick Warren

“The time is surely coming … when I will send a famine on the land — not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from border to border searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it. Beautiful girls and strong young men will grow faint in that day, thirsting for the Lord’s word” (Amos 8:11-13 NLT, second edition).

The Bible says in John 19:28-29, “After this, Jesus knew that everything had been done. So that the Scripture would come true, he said, ‘I am thirsty.’ There was a jar full of vinegar there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth” (NCV).

The phrase “I thirst” was the life verse and the theme of Mother Teresa, who founded the Order of the Missionaries of Charity and Mother Teresa’s Home for the Dying. In every Home for the Dying around the world, where they take in the poorest of the poor, there is a picture of Jesus hanging on the cross and underneath the words “I thirst,” because Mother Teresa said that is our duty — to quench the thirst of Christ by helping those in need.

We cannot help Jesus on the cross. That’s long past. Can you imagine being that soldier who gave Jesus the drink? What a privilege! We can’t do that. But we can help those around us.
The aim of our existence is to satiate the thirst of Jesus on the cross for every soul, and it is shown by our love in action.
Love in action is when we meet the needs of other people in their thirst — physical, emotional, or spiritual — out of love for Christ, who was thirsty for us.
There are people all around you who are spiritually thirsty, but nobody ever uses that term. Here are some synonyms for spiritual thirst: boredom, unhappiness, dissatisfaction, stress, and desperation.
People who are spiritually thirsty have a need for meaning, purpose, and significance. They want to hear a word from God. They want to know what to do with their lives.

“The time is surely coming … when I will send a famine on the land — not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from border to border searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it. Beautiful girls and strong young men will grow faint in that day, thirsting for the Lord’s word” (Amos 8:11-13 NLT, second edition).

Is that not a perfect description of our society today? People look good on the outside, but they’re empty on the inside. They’re depressed, discouraged, defeated, in despair, unsatisfied, hopping from thing to thing, looking for what’s going to give them fulfillment and quench their thirst.
What is your responsibility as a believer to these people, to the world?
The only way you can serve God is by serving people and helping others in his name. Help quench their thirst by sharing with them what God has done to make them whole.

Grow Up

And ye shall go forth, and grew up as calves of the stall. (Malachi 4:2)

Yes, when the sun shines, the sick quit their chambers and walk abroad to breathe the fresh air. When the sun brings spring and summer, the cattle quit their stalls and seek pasture on the higher Alps. Even thus, when we have conscious fellowship with our Lord, we leave the stall of despondency and walk abroad in the fields of holy confidence. We ascend to the mountains of joy and feed on sweet pasturage which grows nearer heaven than the provender of carnal men.

To "go forth" and to "grow up" is a double promise. O my soul, be thou eager to enjoy both blessings! Why shouldst thou be a prisoner? Arise, and walk at liberty. Jesus saith that His sheep shall go in and out and find pasture; go forth, then, and feed in the rich meadows of boundless love.

Why remain a babe in grace? Grow up. Young calves grow fast, especially if they are stall fed; and thou hast the choice care of thy Redeemer. Grow, then, in grace and in knowledge of thy Lord and Savior, Be neither straitened nor stunted. The Sun of Righteousness has risen upon thee Answer to His beams as the buds to the natural sun. Open thine heart; expand and grow up into Him in all things.

Today Is The Day To Be Saved!

By Rick Warren

“I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 NLT, second edition).

When the criminal hanging next to Jesus on the cross asked Jesus to remember him, Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 NLT, second edition). With his response, Jesus was also giving us four characteristics of salvation that we can trust and believe in.

First, he said “today.” That means salvation is immediate. The moment you ask Jesus Christ to save you, it is done. When you die, you either go straight into the presence of God or you go straight into separation from God.

Second, salvation is certain. He said, “Today you will.”
Not “You might,” not “I hope.” Not “Let me think about it.” When God says, “You will,” you will. When you accept Christ, you can be certain of your salvation.

Third, salvation is a relationship. He said, “You will be with me.”
Salvation is not a religion. It’s not rules or regulations or rituals. Salvation is a relationship. That relationship doesn’t begin when you get to Heaven. It begins here on Earth. Jesus Christ wants to be your best friend, and he wants to talk to you all the time. God made you for a relationship with him!
Fourth, Jesus said, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Heaven is a real place, and it is forever.

There were two criminals crucified with Jesus, one on either side. Jesus gave them the choice of salvation, and he gives you the same choice. He’s not going to force you to love him. He’s not going to force you to trust him, and he’s not going to force you to accept Heaven. There are two responses. One of those criminals rejected Jesus, and the other turned to him in faith. You can make the same choice.

Romans 10:13 says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” If you’re ready to call on the name of the Lord and you acknowledge these truths about salvation, then settle this issue of your eternal destiny once and for all.
“This is the hour to receive God’s favor; today is the day to be saved!” (2 Corinthians 6:2b TEV)

Confidence Not Misplaced

"The LORD God will help me" (Isaiah 50:7).

These are in prophecy the words of Messiah in the day of His obedience unto death, when He gave His back to the smiters and His cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. He was confident in divine support and trusted in Jehovah.

O my soul, thy sorrows are as the small dust of the balance compared with thy LORD's! Canst thou not believe that the LORD God will help thee? Thy LORD was in a peculiar position; for as the representative of sinful men — their substitute and sacrifice — it was needful that the Father should leave Him and cause Him to come under desertion of soul. No such necessity is laid upon thee: thou art not bound to cry, "Why hast thou forsaken me?" Did thy Savior even in such a case still rely upon God, and canst not thou? He died for thee and thus made it impossible that thou shouldst be left alone; wherefore, be of good cheer.

In this day's labors or trials say, "The LORD God will help me." Go forth boldly. Set your face like a flint and resolve that no faintness or shamefacedness shall come near you. If God helps, who can hinder? If you are sure of omnipotent aid, what can be too heavy for you? Begin the day joyously, and let no shade of doubt come between thee and the eternal sunshine.

Ho Do I Know I'm Saved?

By Rick Warren

“It is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).

In Luke 23:42, one of the criminals hanging next to Jesus on the cross prayed, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (NIV).

Notice that he didn’t ask Jesus to stop his pain, although he would have been in excruciating pain on the cross. By that time, Jesus was famous for doing miracles, but the man didn’t ask Jesus to save him from death, either.

He said, “Jesus, remember me.” Why? Because he knew that his deepest need was salvation from sin — not just salvation to get into Heaven. He believed in Jesus.
The Bible says in Acts 16:31, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”
So how do you know for sure that you’re saved? How do you know you’re going to Heaven when you die? How can you be certain? How can you eliminate your doubt?
Your assurance of salvation is not by your works, because you can’t earn your salvation. Your assurance of salvation is not by your feelings, because feelings come and go.

What is your assurance of salvation? The promise of God’s Word. If God says it, that settles it, because God cannot lie. You can trust the promise of God’s Word. You can rest in it.

Jesus replied to the criminal hanging on the cross, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43b NLT, second edition). Your assurance of salvation is the same: God’s promise that you will be in Heaven with him one day if you believe in faith.

He will Carry Us Home

 

And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you. (Isaiah 46:4)

The year is very old, and here is a promise for our aged friends; yes, and for us all, as age creeps over us. Let us live long enough, and we shall all have hoar hairs; therefore we may as well enjoy this promise by the foresight of faith.

When we grow old our God will still be the I AM, abiding evermore the same. Hoar hairs tell of our decay, but He decayeth not. When we cannot carry a burden and can hardly carry ourselves, the Lord will carry us. Even as in our young days He carried us like lambs in His bosom, so will He in our years of infirmity.

He made us, and He will care for us. When we become a burden to our friends and a burden to ourselves, the Lord will not shake us off, but the rather He will take us up and carry and deliver us more fully than ever. In many cases the Lord gave His servants a long and calm evening. They worked hard all day and wore themselves out in their Master's service, and so He said to them, "Now rest in anticipation of that eternal Sabbath which I have prepared for you." Let us not dread old age. Let us grow old graciously since the Lord Himself is with us in fullness of grace.

Christ and His Children

When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. (Isaiah 53:10)

Our Lord Jesus has not died in vain. His death was sacrificial: He died as our substitute, because death was the penalty of our sins. Because His substitution was accepted of God, He has saved those for whom He made His soul a sacrifice. By death He became like the corn of wheat which bringeth forth much fruit. There must be a succession of children unto Jesus; He is "the Father of the everlasting age." He shall say, "Behold, I and the children whom Thou hast given me."

A man is honored in his sons, and Jesus hath His quiver full of these arrows of the mighty. A man is represented in his children, and so is the Christ in Christians. In his seed a man's life seems to be prolonged and extended; and so is the life of Jesus continued in believers.

Jesus lives, for He sees His seed. He fixes His eye on us, He delights in us, He recognizes us as the fruit of His soul travail. Let us be glad that our Lord does not fail to enjoy the result of His dread sacrifice, and that He will never cease to feast His eyes upon the harvest of His death. Those eyes which once wept for us are now viewing us with pleasure. Yes, He looks upon those who are looking unto Him. Our eyes meet! What a joy is this!

Forgiveness:There's A Right Way And A Wrong Way To Ask

By Rick Warren

“Yet now God declares us ‘not guilty’ of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins” (Romans 3:24 TLB).

When you confess your sin to God, he does not rub it in. He wipes it out!
But, there’s a right way and a wrong way to ask for forgiveness. Let me tell you the wrong way.

First, don’t beg. God wants to forgive you more than you want to ask for it. You’re not waiting on God. He’s waiting on you.
Second, don’t bargain. Bargaining is saying, “God, if you will forgive me, I will never do this again!” If that’s your area of weakness, you will be back in that area of sin in a matter of hours or days. Don’t bargain with God and say, “I’ll never do it again,” because you will.

Third, don’t bribe. Bribing is saying, “God, if you’ll just forgive me for this, I will …” You’ll go to church every week. You will read your Bible every day. You will tithe 15 … 20 percent! But God doesn’t want or need your bribe.

So what do you do?

You don’t beg, bargain, or bribe. You just believe.

You believe the many promises of God that tell you if you confess your sins, he will forgive your sins. Period.

Another great verse of promise is Romans 3:24: “Yet now God declares us ‘not guilty’ of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins” (TLB).

I know what some of you are thinking: “Rick, you don’t know what I’ve done.” And you’re right. I don’t know what you’ve done. I don’t need to know what you’ve done. But I can tell you this: It doesn’t matter what you’ve done.

Your forgiveness is not based on how little or how much you’ve sinned. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. What matters is what Jesus has done for you. That’s what the cross is all about! When Jesus said, “It is finished,” he meant it. It’s done. The price has been paid. You can be forgiven today.

Obedience Brings Blessing

Observe and hear all these words, which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord thy God. (Deuteronomy 12:28)

Though salvation is not by the works of the law, yet the blessings which are promised to obedience are not denied to the faithful servants of God. The curses our Lord took away when He was made a curse for us, but no clause of blessing has been abrogated.

We are to note and listen to the revealed will of the Lord, giving our attention not to portions of it but to "all these words." There must be no picking and choosing but an impartial respect to all that God has commanded. This is the road of blessedness for the Father and for His children. The Lord's blessing is upon His chosen to the third and fourth generation. If they walk uprightly before Him, He will make all men know that they are a seed which the Lord has blessed. No blessing can come to us or ours through dishonesty or double dealing. The ways of worldly conformity and unholiness cannot bring good to us or ours. It will go well with us when we go well before God. If integrity does not make us prosper, knavery will not. That which gives pleasure to God will bring pleasure to us.

When We Confess,We Begin To Heal

By Rick Warren

“Admit your faults to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16a TLB).

The first step in forgiveness is admitting your guilt. Then, you have to accept responsibility for your sin.

What’s the best way to ensure that you are really accepting responsibility for your sin? You’re not going to like the answer, but you need to hear it anyway: The best way to get over your guilt is to tell one other person who loves you unconditionally and who will listen and not judge you.

This is important: You don’t have to confess to another person to be forgiven. All you have to do is confess your sin to God, and you’ll be forgiven. But many of you have already been forgiven, and you still feel guilty. If you want to be forgiven, you tell God. If you want to feel forgiven, you’ve got to tell one other person. That’s the way God wired it. Revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing. We only get well in community! You don’t have to tell a bunch of people. You really only need to tell one person. If your sin is between you and another person, you go to that person.

James 5:16 says, “Admit your faults to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (TLB). It doesn’t say “so that you may be forgiven” but so that you may be healed. Forgiveness comes from God. Healing comes in relationships.

So why do you need to drag another person into your own personal sin?
Because the root of all of our problems is relational. We are dishonest with each other. We play games with each other. We wear masks all the time. We fake it. We pretend to have it all together when everybody knows we don’t have it all together. We’re all broken.

There are only two kinds of people in the world: people who are broken and sinful and know it and people who are broken and sinful and won’t admit it. When we refuse to be real with each other, it creates all kinds of fears in our lives and isolates us from each other. It is a roadblock to intimacy, and it creates insecurity.

God wired us to need each other. You need a friend who’s going to love you unconditionally and won’t think less of you when you share your guilt. If you’re not in a small group, you probably don’t know anybody like that. If you’re in a small group, you need to find one person you can share your heart with.

Why Remain Captive

The Lord thy God will turn thy captivity. (Deuteronomy 30:3)

God's own people may sell themselves into captivity by sin. A very bitter fruit is this, of an exceeding bitter root. What a bondage it is when the child of God is sold under sin, held in chains by Satan, deprived of his liberty, robbed of his power in prayer and his delight in the Lord! Let us watch that we come not into such bondage; but if this has already happened to us, let us by no means despair.

But we cannot be held in slavery forever. The Lord Jesus has paid too high a price for our redemption to leave us in the enemy's hand. The way to freedom is, "Return unto the Lord thy God." Where we first found salvation we shall find it again. At the foot of Christ's cross, confessing sin, we shall find pardon and deliverance. Moreover, the Lord will have us obey His voice according to all that He has commanded us, and we must do this with all our heart and all our soul, and then our captivity shall end.

Often depression of spirit and great misery of soul are removed as soon as we quit our idols and bow ourselves in obedience before the living God. We need not be captives. We may return to Zion's citizenship, and that speedily. Lord, turn our captivity!

Time To Tell Yourself The Truht

By Rick Warren

“The Lord gave us mind and conscience; we cannot hide from ourselves” (Proverbs 20:27 TEV).

The best way to get off a guilt trip is to first admit your guilt. Don’t bury it, don’t deny it, and don’t ignore it. Just own up to it!

Even when we know this truth, we still try to run from our guilt. But when you run from guilt, it’s going to catch up with you. The problem with always moving is that you take you with you. The problem is in your mind! No matter how busy you are or where you run, you’re going to be just as stressed if your stress is coming from regrets, shame, or guilt. When you finally slow down, all those feelings come crashing back in again. God doesn’t want you to live that way.

The Bible says you can’t run from yourself: “The Lord gave us mind and conscience; we cannot hide from ourselves” (Proverbs 20:27 TEV). You may be able to hide your guilt from everybody else, but you can’t hide it from yourself.

We as human beings have an amazing ability to lie to ourselves. You say it’s not bad when it really is bad and it’s getting better when it isn’t getting better. You tell yourself you’re really further along and better than you really are.

To stop defeating yourself, you have to stop deceiving yourself. You have to tell yourself the truth.

What is it that defeats us? All kinds of things. Worry defeats us. Envy defeats us. Bitterness and jealousy and guilt defeat us. Fear and anxiety and insecurity defeat us.

I suggest you do a little spiritual spring cleaning. A lot of people take time in the spring to go through the house and give it an extra scrubbing or organize things that are normally neglected. At least once a year, you should also do an extended personal inventory of your spiritual condition.

How do you do that?

Implicit Trust

For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 39:18)

Behold the protecting power of trust in God. The great men of Jerusalem fell by the sword, but poor Ebed-melech was secure, for his confidence was in Jehovah. Where else should a man trust but in his Maker? We are foolish when we prefer the creature to the Creator. Oh, that we could in all things live by faith, then should we be delivered in all time of danger! No one ever did trust in the Lord in vain, and no one ever shall.

The Lord saith, "I will surely deliver thee," Mark the divine "surely." Whatever else may be uncertain, God's care of believers is sure. God Himself is the guardian of the gracious, Under His sacred wing there is safety even when every danger is abroad. Can we accept this promise as sure? Then in our present emergency we shall find that it stands fast. We hope to be delivered because we have friends, or because we are prudent, or because we can see hopeful signs; but none of these things are one-half so good as God's simple "because thou hast put thy trust in me." Dear reader, try this way, and, trying it, you will keep to it all your life. It is as sweet as it is sure.

Can God Love You More Than He Does Now?

By Rick Warren

“I know that your love will last for all time, that your faithfulness is as permanent as the sky” (Psalm 89:2 TEV).

Human love wears out — that’s why we have so many divorces. I know a lot of people who are not divorced, but they don’t love their spouses anymore. There’s a limit to human love. It dries up!
That’s why you have to have God’s love in your marriage — in every relationship — if it is going to last. God’s love never wears out. God’s love is patient, persistent, and persevering.

Isn’t it good news that God never gives up on you? No matter what you do, his love never gives up. It’s wide enough to include everybody, and it’s long enough to last forever.

God will never love you any more than he does right now. But he also will never love you any less than he does right now.

He loves you on your good days. He loves you on your bad days. His love is not conditioned by your response. God is love, and his love is given freely. It cannot be earned, and it is undeserved.

Accept his love and worship him, knowing that his love is long enough to last for all time: “I know that your love will last for all time, that your faithfulness is as permanent as the sky” (Psalm 89:2 TEV).

Necessary Knowledge

Thus shall they know that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord God. (Ezekiel 34:30)

To be the Lord's own people is a choice blessing, but to know that we are such is a comfortable blessing. It is one thing to hope that God is with us and another thing to know that He is so. Faith saves us, but assurance satisfies us. We take God to be our God when we believe in Him; but we get the joy of Him when we know that He is ours and that we are His. No believer should be content with hoping and trusting; he should ask the Lord to lead him on to full assurance, so that matters of hope may become matters of certainty.

It is when we enjoy covenant blessings and see our Lord Jesus raised up for us as a plant of renown that we come to a clear knowledge of the favor of God toward us. Not by law, but by grace do we learn that we are the Lord's people. Let us always turn our eyes in the direction of free grace. Assurance of faith can never come by the works of the law. It is an evangelical virtue and can only reach us in a gospel way. Let us not look within. Let us look to the Lord alone. As we see Jesus we shall see our salvation.

Lord, send us such a flood-tide of Thy love that we shall be washed beyond the mire of doubt and fear.

Life:a Lesson in Love

By Rick Warren

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: ‘Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39 TLB)
If you want your life to count, you have to focus it. You don’t have time for everything, and not everything is of equal value.

Matthew 22:37-39 says, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: ‘Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself’” (TLB).

Jesus said there are two things that are more valuable in life than anything else: loving God and loving each other.
Have you ever wondered why God didn’t just take you to Heaven when he created you? Why did he put you on Earth? You’re only here for 100 years at the most, and you’re going to live for eternity in Heaven or Hell. Why didn’t God just take everybody to Heaven?

The Bible is very clear that God put you here on Earth to do two things: to learn to love God and to learn to love other people. Life is not about acquisition, accomplishment, or achievement. It’s not about all the things the world tells you it’s about. You’re not taking your career to Heaven. You’re not taking your car to Heaven. You’re not taking your house to Heaven. But you are taking your character. You’re taking you.

God put you on Earth for 80 to 100 years so you can learn to love him with all your heart and learn to love others. Life is one giant lesson in love.

Look and Live

And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shalt come to pass, that everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. (Numbers 21:8)

This is a glorious gospel type. Jesus, numbered with the transgressors, hangs before us on the cross. A look to Him will heal us of the serpent-bite of sin; will heal us at once–"When he looketh upon it, he shall live." Let the reader who is mourning his sinfulness note the words–"Everyone that looketh upon it shall live." Every looker will find this true. I have found it so. I looked to Jesus and lived at once, I know I did. Reader, if you look to Jesus you will live, too. True, you are swelling with the venom, and you see no hope. True, also, there is no hope but this one. But this is no doubtful cure–"Everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live."

The brazen serpent was not lifted up as a curiosity to be gazed upon by the healthy; but its special purpose was for those who were "bitten." Jesus died as a real Savior for real sinners. Whether the bite has made you a drunkard, or a thief, or an unchaste or a profane person, a look at the great Savior will heal you of these diseases and make you live in holiness and communion with God. Look and live.

Three Questions To Ask Of Any Bible Passage

By Rick Warren

“Does the LORD really want sacrifices and offerings? No! He doesn’t want your sacrifices. He wants you to obey him” (1 Samuel 15:22b CEV).

If you aren’t experienced in applying God’s Word to your life, you might be frustrated. How do you do it? Today I want to give you three questions you can ask of any passage that will help you apply the Bible to your life. Here are the three questions:

1. What did this Scripture mean when it was written?

2. What is the timeless truth behind what God is saying?

3. How does it apply now to me?

We call this the “application bridge.” We’re building a bridge between the world of the Bible and our world. Let’s try to build this bridge when applying what Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 8 about eating the food sacrificed to idols. Read 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, and then ask yourself the questions above.

1. What did this Scripture mean when it was written? There were people in the church of Corinth who knew that idols meant nothing and that the food offered to them had no magic power. It was just hamburger or a good steak. There was no harm in eating it because the idols to which they were sacrificed weren’t real.

So this group would eat freely but with no regard to what other people might think. Yet there were also new believers who were offended by that practice. They didn’t think that believers should eat food sacrificed to gods of other religions. Paul tells the mature believers not to allow their freedom in Christ to offend their brothers.

2. What is the timeless truth behind what God is saying? Don’t use your freedom in Christ to offend others. Freedom must be used in love.

3. How does it apply to me now? It’s not very common to come into contact with food being offered to idols where I live in Southern California. I’m guessing it doesn’t happen in your area, either. So does that mean it’s irrelevant for us? Of course not! If the timeless truth is: “Don’t use your freedom to offend others; freedom must be used in love,” then I need to be sensitive to people around me, because that’s how we demonstrate love. Ask yourself, “Lord, am I doing anything out of selfishness, arrogance, or deliberate insensitivity to other people that could be causing a fellow brother or sister to stumble? Am I being puffed up by my own knowledge of freedom, or am I building up others in love?”

No Cause to Blush

Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed. (Isaiah 54.4)

We shall not be ashamed of our faith. Carping critics may assail the Scriptures upon
which we ground our belief, but every year the Lord will make it more and more clear
that in His Book there is no error, no excess, and no omission. It is no discredit
to be a simple believer; the faith which looks alone to Jesus is a crown of honor on
any man’s head and better than a star on his breast.

We shall not be ashamed of our hope. It shall be even as the Lord has said. We shall
be fed, led, blest, and rested. Our Lord will come, and then the days of our
mourning shall be ended. How we shall glory in the Lord who first gave us lively
hope and then gave us that which we hoped for!

We shall not be ashamed of our love. Jesus is to us the altogether lovely, and
never, never, shall we have to blush because we have yielded our hearts to Him. The
sight of our glorious Well-beloved will justify the most enthusiastic attachment to
Him. None will blame the martyrs for dying for Him. When the enemies of Christ are
clothed with everlasting contempt, the lovers of Jesus shall find themselves honored
by all holy beings, because they chose the reproach of Christ rather than the
treasures of Egypt.

God Doesn't Leave You In The Dark

By Rick Warren

“No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11b NIV).

Have you ever heard someone say, “Well, that’s just your interpretation of the Bible”? It’s as if that little phrase disproves everything that’s been said. But it really doesn’t disprove anything.

There are right ways and wrong ways to interpret Scripture. Here are six principles of interpretation that are accepted just about everywhere.

1. You need faith and the Holy Spirit to interpret Scripture. The Bible doesn’t make sense to non-believers. It is God’s love letter to believers. When an unbeliever reads the Word, he is reading someone else’s mail. The Bible is a spiritual book that must be understood by spiritual people. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:11, “No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (NIV).

2. The Bible is its own best commentary. Scripture interprets Scripture. Practice this principle by getting a Bible with cross-references in the margin. By looking up cross-references, you’ll get a much bigger and clearer picture of what God has said in all of his Word, not just that one context.

3. Read the Old Testament with the New Testament in mind, and read the New Testament with the Old Testament in mind. The New Testament is hidden in the Old Testament. The Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament.

4. Always interpret unclear passages in the light of clear passages. Look at the full counsel of God in Scripture to get a clear understanding when you find a passage that seems contradictory or confusing. For example, 1 Corinthians 15:29 has a very obscure reference to baptism for the dead. It’s the only time the idea is mentioned in Scripture. Paul isn’t condoning this. Nothing in Scripture condones it. Let clear passages about salvation and baptism interpret this unclear one, not vice versa.

5. Don’t form a doctrine based solely on a historical event. Take historical passages of the Bible for what they’re meant to be: good lessons. Don’t build your doctrine upon them. For example, in Mark 1:35, the Bible says Jesus got up very early, went to a place of solitude, and prayed. Does that mean you must get up every morning at 4 a.m., leave your house, and go somewhere and pray? Of course not! God may convince you that it’s a good idea, but it’s not a command. Use doctrinal passages to base doctrine on. Use narratives to teach lessons.

6. Never interpret Scripture based on your own experiences. The point of Bible study is not to shape Scripture to agree with your subjective opinions or your experiences. Feelings lie. Emotions lie. Instead, discover God’s timeless truth, and let it shape your life. Study the Bible with an open heart, and invite God to conform you to his will.

God doesn’t want to leave you in the dark when you study Scripture. Following these basic rules of Bible study can help to ensure you read the Word from God’s perspective.

Nothing to Alarm Us

But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. (Daniel 12:13)

We cannot understand all the prophecies, but yet we regard them with pleasure and not with dismay. There can be nothing in the Father's decree which should justly alarm His child. Though the abomination of desolation be set up, yet the true believer shall not be defiled; rather shall he be purified, and made white, and tried. Though the earth be burned up, no smell of fire shall come upon the chosen. Amid the crash of matter and the wreck of worlds, the Lord Jehovah will preserve His own.

Calmly resolute in duty, brave in conflict, patient in suffering, let us go our way, keeping to our road, and neither swerving from it nor loitering in it. The end will come; let us go our way till it does.

Rest will be ours, All other things swing to and fro, but our foundation standeth sure. God rests in His love, and, therefore, we rest in it. Our peace is, and ever shall be, like a river. A lot in the heavenly Canaan is ours, and we shall stand in it, come what may. The God of Daniel will give a worthy portion to all who dare to be decided for truth and holiness as Daniel was. No den of lions shall deprive us of our sure inheritance.

You Need Spiritual Food For Spiritual Strength

By Rick Warren

“Search for the LORD and his strength. Always seek his presence” (1 Chronicles 16:11 GW).
Just like you need physical food for physical strength, you need spiritual food for spiritual strength. The Bible describes itself as spiritual food — the water, milk, bread, and meat of our spiritual lives. It’s everything you need for sustenance.
If you were a construction contractor, you wouldn’t consider sending out a guy who hadn’t eaten anything in two weeks. If you were a commander in the Army, you wouldn’t send a person into battle who hadn’t eaten in a month. Right? We need to feed ourselves to have the strength to accomplish the tasks ahead of us.
You’re not going to have much success in winning the spiritual battles you face if you’re starving yourself to death. That’s why we need to feed on the Word of God.
Unlike eating physical food, whenever I feed on God’s Word, I get even hungrier. The more I taste and see how good God is, the more I want.
The Bible says in Colossians 3:16a, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly” (NIV). Paul is telling us to let the Bible take up residence in our lives in a rich, profound, and life-giving way.
So how do we feed ourselves on the Word of God and allow that to happen?
Receive the Word with your ears. Commit yourself to go to church and listen to God’s Word being preached.
Read the Word with your eyes. Having a Bible in your house is not going to bless your life. You have to have the Bible in your heart.
Research the Word with your hands and mouth. When studying the Word of God, keep a pencil in your hand. Write down what God teaches. Talk about what you’re discovering with other believers in a small-group environment.
Reflect on the Word with your mind. Think about and chew on God’s Word.
Remember the Word with your heart. You’ll rarely have a Bible with you when you need it. Commit God’s Word to memory.

God's Word

By Rick Warren

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24 NIV).
The foundation of a house tells you how big the house can get. You can’t put a big house on a small or faulty foundation. It’ll collapse every time.
The same is true for our lives. You can’t become what God wants you to be on a faulty foundation. We’re given a lot of different options for what will be the foundation of our lives:
Popular culture. Some people think they’ll simply do what every other person is doing. If it’s popular, that’s what they do, too. Yet what’s popular today won’t be popular tomorrow. Basing your life on popular culture is like building a house on a constantly moving foundation. It doesn’t work!
Tradition. Other people build their lives on what has always been done or how their parents did it. That does make a little sense. Tradition becomes tradition because it works. But no tradition lasts forever. It eventually wears out, becomes obsolete, and is invalid. In Mark 7:8 Jesus tells the Pharisees never to put tradition before truth. It’s a good reminder for all of us.
Reason. God gave us the ability to reason; we need to use it. But our reason isn’t infallible. Proverbs 16:25 says, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death”(NIV). The smartest among us will falter at times; it’s to be expected. Only God can be trusted all the time.
Emotions. Some build their lives on a feeling. If it feels right, they do it. But feelings lie — they lie all the time! You lie to yourself more than anyone else. If you live by your feelings, you’ll spend your life manipulated by your moods.
If it doesn’t work to build your life on popular culture, tradition, reason, or emotion, what should you build your life upon? God’s Word.
Jesus says this in Matthew 7:24: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (NIV).
Popular culture changes, traditions grow stale, reason can be faulty, and emotions lie. Yet God’s Word never changes.
You may not always understand his Word. You may not always like it. It won’t always be politically correct.
But it’s the only thing stable enough to build our lives upon.

WATCH EXPECTANTLY FOR GOD

Micah 7:7 (NASB) But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.

Our God hears us, and we hear Him.  Each day, as we hunger for Him, His Word declares that we will be filled.  I have found that there is living for God, and then there is watching expectantly for the Lord.  When we show God a hunger and a thirst for Him, it changes everything.

James said in James 5:16, ”The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”  Prayer is good, but effective, fervent prayer is a whole lot better. 

David was a man hungry for God.  He said throughout the Psalms that He thirsted for God like a deer; that He desired God more than His food, and more than silver or gold.  It is when we get hungry like this that we see how our relationship with God changes.  Remember, God does not change, WE DO!

The woman with the issue of blood said, “I am going to touch Him, no matter what.”  Jarius came to Jesus, and it did not matter what everybody else thought.  His daughter was dying, and he heard that Jesus was a healer, so He pushed through and got His prayer answered.

Now how about us?  Are we watching expectantly for the Lord?  Do we desire Him more than food and the riches of this world?  If we do, then look out!  Our God will hear us, and if we know that He hears us, we know that we have the petitions that we have come to Him for.

I do not know about you, but the thing that I desire more than anything is Him!

Confession:  I desire God, and I am hungry for Him.  He is my life, and my portion.  I want Him more than the wealth of this world, and I know if I seek Him, I will be found by Him.

Today’s Bible Reading

Jeremiah 23:21 – 25:38

2 Thessalonians 2

Psalms 84

Proverbs 25:15

Bible in a Year: 365-Day Reading Plan : English | King James Version (KJV)

WE’RE NEW CREATIONS

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

We are new creations in Christ.  We are not going to be, in the sweet by and by.  We are today!  When Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, He opened the door for everyone in the human race to become, as one translation puts it, “a new species of being that never existed before.”

Think about that for a moment.  Before Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, there was no one who was a new creation, but once He did, it became available to every person that would believe on His work, and receive Him as their personal Lord and Savior.

The Scripture goes on to say in Galatians 6:15, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.”

To God, all He requires of us is to receive the gift of His Son and become new in His sight.  This puts you in the family.  This gives you Zoe: His eternal Life.  So if you have not received this gift, do it now!  I will help you by writing the prayer out for you, but you need to pray it with your mouth and believe it in your heart.  Once you do that, you are a new creation; you are a new species of being that never existed before.  Your body and your mind will not be changed, but your heart will. You will be born-again.  You will have received eternal life, or the Life of God.  So go ahead, pray this prayer, and then let me know you did.

Confession: Heavenly Father, I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died on the cross for me.  Father, I repent of my sins and ask you, Lord Jesus, to come into my heart and be my personal Lord and Savior.  I believe that I am born again, and I have received the Life of God in me.  Amen. 

(If you just prayed that prayer for the first time, please give us a call so we can help you in your new-found faith.)

Today’s Bible Reading

Jeremiah 22 – 23:20

2 Thessalonians 1

Psalms 83

Proverbs 25:11-14

Bible in a Year: 365-Day Reading Plan : English | King James Version (KJV)

5 Best Hot Air Balloon Rides in the World

By Roger Voshall

There is something magical about a hot air balloon ride. Soaring up in the sky, going past the clouds fills the heart with a child-like glee. Since its invention in 1783, hot air balloons have given human the unique opportunity to see the world from high up above. Be it marveling at the beauty of serene landscapes or see the exciting theater of the natural sunset amidst the clouds, hot air balloons help to open a new door of experience for everyone.

The wind tousling your hair, and your eyes feasting on the beauty of nature, hot air balloon rides are a marvelous way to spend your time. They can also be incredibly romantic. Indeed many people have taken the wonderful opportunity to propose to their beloved. A central piece in a Disney movie, hot air balloons capture a child's innocence and excitement with incredible precision.

Here are 5 best Hot Air Balloon Rides in the world that you need to experience with your loved ones or alone:

Napa Valley, California
While most of Napa's pleasures are best delighted in on the ground with a glass close by, a view from above offers another incredible method to encounter California's well-known valley. On the off chance that you set out from Yountville, you'll be able to see landscapes of Mount St. Helena and the Mayacamas Mountains, with clearing vineyards in the closer view; in the correct climate conditions, you'll even have the capacity to see the San Francisco horizon out yonder. Numerous inflatable organizations offer early lunch and wine sampling bundles with their rides to top off the aeronautical experience.

Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Hot air expands in Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve have filled in as the ultra-sentimental scenery of almost every East Africa safari leaflet since the early years of extravagance tourism (we're taking a gander at you, Micato Safaris). Like the Serengeti, here, natural life spotting is achievable year-round; however, the vistas here are most stupendous when the wildebeest have relocated over the Mara River into the Maasai Mara, ordinarily during July and October.

Loire Valley, France
The Edenic valley in the French heartland is best known for its gathering of dazzling ch�teaux, however the pleasant towns, clearing greenery, and winding stream characterize the locale as much as its stately homes. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Loire Valley is just two hours south of Paris, making it a simple side excursion from the city. The spring and summer months see the locale in full blossom, making it the ideal time for a dawn or nightfall ride over the rural scene.

Jaipur, India
The strongholds and royal residences of the Pink City are sufficiently noteworthy, yet getting a flying perspective from elevated inflatable trumps a mobile visit unfailingly. Associate over Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds), Amber Fort and City Palace (to name yet three of the city's engineering treasures), before gliding over provincial towns and remote stone sanctuaries. Book a trip for dawn, and you'll see Jaipur spring up. While a closer look is needed to peer at the spellbinding architecture, an aerial view can help you look at the city from a whole new perspective.

Yangshuo, China
The limestone karst arrangements close Yangshuo and Guilin draw guests from everywhere throughout the world, offering a supernatural scene along the Li River that has been deified in everything from customary Chinese works of art to Star Wars. Most experience the locale by pontoon, yet consider a hot air expand ride as an incredible option for dodging the group. Untethered flights take off to as high as 4,900 feet and take you through the karst crests and encompassing farmland, while fastened flights, picking up an elevation of just around 300 feet, offer a similarly engaging alternative for those hoping to remain nearer to the ground.

Sleepless Nights? Tips to Beat Insomnia and Sleep Better

By David Norman

Sleep is just as important for our health as is fitness and nutrition, according to the Sleep Health Foundation. But you are not alone if you are having difficulties with insomnia - research by the Sleep Health Foundation in 2010 using 1512 people (males and females, of different ages, and from different locations in Australia) found that 20% of respondents had frequent difficulty falling asleep, and 35% reported frequent waking during the night.

Sleep problems are quite common, but there are some things you can do to help. Here are three:

1) Challenge myths about sleep.

Your beliefs about sleep can either help you or get in the way of a good night's sleep. It is important to rethink some of those unhelpful beliefs, as this can produce a real change in your sleep quality. We've listed some of the more common myths and the truth about these below:

Myth 1 - "I need 8 hours of sleep per night"

Eight hours is only an average. Some people can function well with less and some people need more.

Myth 2 - "Napping is not a good idea"

Naps can actually be quite beneficial provided they are short (typically less than 20-30 minutes) and not too close to your normal sleep time.

Myth 3 - "A good sleep is one where I sleep solidly throughout the night"

In fact, there we typically have sleep cycles of approximately 90 minutes' duration, and we can move through up to 4 stages of sleep in each cycle, ranging from light sleep (even brief awakenings that we might not remember) to deep sleep.

Myth 4 - "Successful people don't need much sleep"

You may have heard that famous people like Leonardo Da Vinci or Winston Churchill didn't need much sleep. In reality, it isn't as simple as that. Some people naturally need less sleep. Furthermore, some famous people took catnaps, while others would sleep for long periods of time when the pace of work was slower.

Myth 5 - "Dark rings under my eyes are caused by lack of sleep"

Dark rings can often be caused by food allergies or other factors.

Myth 6 - "Alcohol helps me to sleep"

Alcohol may help sleep onset if it is taken early enough in the evening, but later on, as it is being processed by the body, it can actually decrease the likelihood for a person to enter the deeper, more restorative, stages of sleep.

2) Improve your "sleep hygiene".

Engaging in healthy habits associated with your sleep can make a difference to the quality and length of your sleep. Most of these habits are common sense, but it can be helpful to brush up on them by checking the following list:

• Avoid stimulants such as nicotine and caffeine close to bedtime.

• Check that the conditions for sleep are as best as you can make them. For example, make sure you are not too hot or too cold, your mattress and pillow are comfortable, noise is minimised, and light is minimised.

• Try to get some (sun-safe!) exposure to sunlight during waking hours. This helps to regulate the melatonin levels in your body - an important hormone associated with the sleep cycle.

• Avoid heavy or rich foods before sleep as they can lead to heartburn that disrupts sleep.

• Try not to use electronic devices with screens on the bed. Using a device is likely to increase your emotional and/or cognitive levels, and increase activation because of the increased light. Furthermore, you may be weakening the association the mind makes that "bed = sleep."

• Try to avoid naps if it is less than 6-8 hours before your normal sleep time.

• Try to have a regular night-time routine.

• Try not to keep watching the clock if you are having trouble sleeping.

• If you aren't asleep within what feels like 20 minutes in bed, go to another room with minimal stimulation until you feel like sleeping again.

3) Visit a health professional

Sleep disturbances could be associated with a range of psychological, physiological, or medical issues. There has also been increasing awareness that sleep disturbances can be issues in their own right - in fact, the DSM-V identifies 10 sleep-wake disorder groups, such as insomnia disorder, breathing-related sleep disorders, and circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders. If you are concerned about your sleep, then it would be a good idea to talk to your GP or psychologist and they can help to accurately assess your difficulties and provide you with evidence-based treatment options.

For more articles by Clinical Psychologists about sleep, depression, anxiety, stress or more issues visit   https://www.brisbanecitypsychologist.com.au/blog/.

Why Enterprises Are Turning Towards ASP.NET Development Companies

By Zack Will

There are millions of user-friendly websites but only a few of them gain popularity in the online world. Leveraged with engaging features and dynamic pages, only high-performing websites with cross-device compatibility win a race at the verge of cut-throat competition. In the presence of numerous programming languages, developers are quite specific when they choose one for their project. However, considering the tremendous upsurge of ASP.NET web development, the majority of service providers are using this programming language for many reasons.

Defining the rise of ASP.NET development companies

Developed & launched by Microsoft, ASP.NET became the first choice for effortless web development. According to Builtwith report, more than 40 million websites are currently powered by the ASP.NET framework that has been used for their customization & development. Being the most preferred programming language, it rules in the world of agile website development.

The growing demand for this web development reveals several factors to define that why this language is liked by professionals. However, one has to go through the below-mentioned pointers to know more about this popular programming language:

Microsoft released Active Server Pages.NET for the customization of dynamic & interactive webpages. It is used to develop a fully-functional website & web application in compilation with C# & VB.
Apart from using script languages, it enables the use of.NET languages like C#, J#, & more to create high-performing web apps via compatible development tool brought up by Microsoft.
It is inspired by the server-side technology & accessible on Windows server to host robust website based on this framework.

Unquestionably, using this framework is a fruitful way to come up with dynamic websites with lesser efforts & time. Almost every agencies mention the following advantages of utilizing ASP.NET:

Speedy development saves time: Integration of this framework serves the best opportunity for developers to reduce the customization & development time. Developers love using this programming language that significantly cuts down the time required to build large & complex apps embedded with error-free codes.
Great in terms of performance: It offers seamless navigation & uninterrupted accessibility on the cross platforms. With the combination of smart-caching, native optimization, just-in-time compilation, coding your website with this language not only simplifies development but also accelerates the website's performance.
Highly secure: Brought up by Microsoft, ASP.NET comes with built-in Windows authentication & application-based configuration that reduces security threats for a website's safety. Protected by OSI license, it shields an online platform for bugs & technical glitches.
Hassle-free maintenance: ASP.NET framework allows the integration of source code with HTML that makes it easy to use & maintain.

Using    ASP. NET for web development multi-lingual support to developers. From data binding to page formatting, using this framework will be a splendid approach if you're heading to handle a web development project.

Identify the Upcoming Trends

By Arsen Kocharyan

Adaptive planning - catching the wave

A small, quick and weak
A big, slow and strong

In nature the big waves as a rule have a low frequency. And conversely a high frequency waves can not obtain a big amplitudes. The waves with big amplitudes can suppress the waves with small amplitudes. What is a tendency? An informational pulse which is involves more and more people by the viral spread of information. It is a low frequency wave which has a big amplitude! The random fluctuations are high frequency waves. Actually the noise is a series of random fluctuations. A new trend brings a new game rules. And the obsolete plan may crash at the new conditions. Nowadays many companies are applying the Agile concept, which is represent by itself a dynamic or an adaptive planning. For example, according to the Agile concept Scrum Methodology, the company teams participants are periodically gathering on the group meetings to evaluate the factors and if required to adjust the plan to the new circumstances.

The analytical forecast based on the collective behaviour

The window of opportunity

To overcome the complicated labyrinths we need to plan the routes. Which is involves the sufficient consumption of financial and time resources. Meanwhile we can pass through the simple labyrinths even without any plan. The pathway without any obstacle or a fewer obstacles is called a window of opportunity.

Observable - predictable - controllable
Able to foresee - able to manage

By the Google trends tool we can to observe and explore the collective behaviour of human community. According to our keywords requests it shows the visual relative amounts of keyword queries from total Google search queries for the defined time frame and geographical region. For monitoring the complex systems, the data visualization has a crucial meaning. The Google trends tool is visualised data in line/bar/pie charts and in choropleth maps. By analyzing the visual data we can to detect the direction of dominating trend. In other words we can forecast the further developments. We can also to export the Google trends data into excel compatible csv spreadsheet. Since the Google trends tool operates with relational data values, we may also to apply it for comparative analysis and find out the interdependencies. If you would like to get the absolute data values then you should to apply another useful tool - Google AdWords keyword planner. http://lifecourse.xyz/google-trends/latest-hot-trending-world-news.html

A Part by Part Account of Orchha History

By Priyesh Nair

Under the British Raj, the Indian Subcontinent was divided into several Vassal states which were also called as Princely States. Although these states had their own native rulers or kings, they were under the subsidiary alliance with the British Raj. Orchha State was one such princely state under the Bundelkhand Agency of the British Raj situated in present-day Madhya Pradesh. It was surrounded by Jhansi District, Saugor District, the States of Bijawar, Panna, Charkhari and by the Garrauli jagir. Let's take a brief look at Orchha princely state history today.

Origins

The Bundela chief, Rudra Pratap Singh established the Orchha State in 1501and reigned as the first king until 1531. He built the fort at Orchha and shifted the capital from Garhkundar to Orchha. Bharatichand was enthroned as the next king but he died without anyone to continue his kingship. Madhukar Shah was his younger brother who succeeded the throne.

Conflicts and battles

Orchha princely state history witnessed a lot of battles and conflicts during the reign of Bharatichand and Madhukar Shah. The Afghan Islam Shah Suri and the Mughal emperor Akbar constantly attacked the state. As per Akbarnama, Madhukar also surrendered lands to Akbar in 1577 and 1588. Some historians believe that Madhukar allowed Orchha to become a tributary state of the Mughal Empire while other historians have stated that he was a rebel in 1583.

Vir Singh was a vassal of Mughal Empire during the reign of Jahangir. He is known for killing Abu Fazl and his reign which ended in 1626. His son Jhujhar Singh became the next king but was defeated by the Mughals and Orchha was conquered by Mughals from 1635 to 1641. His brother was installed as the King by the Mughals. The state never came completely under the Marathas in the 18th century.

Architecture

The Queen of Orchha built the Chaturbhuj Temple during Akbar's reign. Madhukar Shah built Raj Mandir during his reign. Vir Singh built temples in Mathura and Vrindaban. He also built Phool Bagh garden, and the Lakshmi temple. The beautiful palaces like Jahangir Mahal and Sawan Bhadon Mahal were also built during Vir Singh's reign.

Later Kings

Hamir Singh ruled from 1848 to 1874 and became the Maharaja in 1865. Orchha and Datia attacked Jhansi in 1857 but they were defeated by Rani Lakshmibai's army and her allies in August 1857. Maharaja Pratap Singh who was enthroned as the king in 1874, worked dedicatedly towards the development of the state. He also designed many engineering and irrigation projects that were implemented during his reign.

British Raj

In 1811, the state became a part of Bundelkhand Agency. It was also the oldest and the highest in rank out of the entire Bundela State. Spread over an area of 2,080 square miles, the state received a 15 gun salute by the British authority. Its maharajas also got the esteemed title "First of the Prince of Bundelkhand".

Postage stamps and coins

Copper and silver coins known as Gaja Shahi were produced in   history of Orchha state. These coins featured an image of a mace on the reverse. Datia State also copied the same symbol on their coinage. Separate postage stamps were also issued by the state in 1897, 1913, 1914 and 1939. They carried denominations from half-annas to 10 rupees and some of them featured the maharaja's portrait. These stamps were discontinued after the state became a part of the Union of India in April 1950.

Union

The state became a part of the Union of India on 1st January 1950. It first became a part of Vindhya Pradesh state and later became a part of Madhya Pradesh in 1956.

Orchha State gave a marvelous piece of architecture such as Chaturbhuj temple & Raj Mandir. This state was entitled to 15 gun salutes by the British authority. Get more information about Orchha history.