TODAY'S DEVOTIONAL

The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.--Proverbs 28:1

If the devil can’t discourage and defeat you by slander or false accusations, he’ll try to bring you down by tempting you to commit outright sin. And it takes incredible, God-given discernment to avoid Satan’s traps.

That’s the situation Nehemiah faced in verses 10-14 of chapter 6. The plot against him was very clever. A false prophet said to Nehemiah, “God told me that your enemies are coming to kill you. Quick! Run and hide in the temple.”

But Nehemiah was a discerning man. He knew God had not sent this so-called prophet. Nehemiah also knew if he listened to this man and hid in the inner recesses of the temple, that act would break the commandment of God and expose Nehemiah to all the people as a sinner.

So Nehemiah replied, “Should such a man as I run away?” (Nehemiah 6:11). It was a statement of holy boldness, not one of human braggadocio. Sometimes God’s people are gullible and respond to any so-called message from Him. But Nehemiah knew the Word of God, so he could spot a sin when he saw one. Consequently, he wasn’t fooled.

The same applies in your life today. Knowing God’s Word gives you incredible discernment. So don’t go to bed tonight without spending time in your Bible today!

Knowing god’s word will help you avoid the traps of satan.

TODAY'S DEVOTIONAL

“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

--Matthew 12:36-37

A famous pop song from the sixties said, “I heard it through the grapevine.” May I suggest that in the Church of Jesus Christ , that vine needs to be pruned! Phrases like “I heard” and “they said” are potent ways to spread slander, innuendo, and rumors.

Nehemiah’s enemies tried to slander him into quitting his work. The charge they leveled against him in chapter 6 was designed to destroy him, because treason was punishable by death!

As believers, we need to be very careful with our words, because words can kill. Jesus was talking about the Day of Judgment when He said we will give an account of every careless word we speak.

Paul also warns us in Ephesians 4:29, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Or in other words, ask yourself this question when you’re tempted to gossip: “Does passing this information along honestly help solve the problem or help the parties involved?” If you can’t answer with an affirmative “yes,” then keep it to yourself!

You and I shouldn’t pass on any information we can’t sign our name to and stand behind. Determine in your heart today that the next rumor you hear will stop with you!

WE NEED TO BE RUMORS-STOPPERS RATHER THAN RUMOR-MONGERS

TODAY'S DEVOTIONAL

I stationed the people by their clans….

--Nehemiah 4:13

Isn’t it great to have family and close friends who encourage and uplift you? We all need people in our lives who are encouragers, enablers, and energizers.

But it’s also very important for followers of Christ to have close friends who are also believers. We need fellowship with God’s people! I’m talking about people who pray for us, love us unconditionally, and urge us on in our walk with Christ. We need the Lord, but we also need others who stir us up to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24).

The Scripture says in Proverbs 17:17 that “a brother is born for adversity.” My favorite definition of a friend is someone who comes in when the entire world goes out.

Nehemiah understood the importance of this principle. He placed friends next to friends and families next to families as they worked on the walls of Jerusalem in order to get the most out of them. Everyone gets more done when they have the support of someone who loves and cares about them.

Are you walking in fellowship with other believers today? Are there people in your life right now who are aware of your spiritual victories and struggles?

If not, I want to encourage you to pray that the Lord would give you the determination and courage to invite people like this into your life. Because we all need the support of good, godly friends!

We all need others who stir us up to love and good works.

TODAY'S DEVOTIONAL

Half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail.

--Nehemiah 4:16

As a Christian, God expects you and I to be productive.

What a great example we have of this in the fourth chapter of Nehemiah. Once the plot to stop the work of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem was foiled, everybody went back to work with renewed energy.

Even those who weren’t actively rebuilding the walls kept armor and weapons ready in case the enemy attacked. Nobody sat around idly!

First Corinthians 15:58 tell us to “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord….”

And what exactly does “abounding in the work of the Lord” mean? For one, it means we’re actively looking for ways to serve God and serve others. It means we’re so busy thinking about what we can do next for the Kingdom that we have little time to think about ourselves, worry, and become discouraged!

Today I want to challenge you to go out of your way to serve someone. And don’t just do it to do it. Let that person know you’re helping them out because your service pleases the Lord you love! It will be a great testimony of a life that’s sold out for Christ.

Look for ways to serve and love others today…and every day.

From Jack Graham's Power Point

TODAY'S DEVOTIONAL

Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on….

--Philippians 3:13-14

One of Satan’s strongest weapons against Christians is to bring up our past failures and embarrassments to discourage us and tell us that we can’t go on for Christ. The devil wants to pile up the rubbish and ruins from our past to block our progress.

Nehemiah and his fellow Jews who went back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city’s walls encountered mounds of rubble and other debris from the city’s destruction. The fourth chapter of Nehemiah describes the physical rubbish the workers faced, but the principle remains the same in the spiritual world.

The debris they were working around was a reminder of past failures and defeats for Jerusalem. But Nehemiah was there to claim victory, not moan over the past. Many times we must do as Nehemiah did—stand in the area of previous defeat and claim victory for Christ!

If you get caught up in all of the junk of the past, you’ll get weighed down and not move forward. Many times we let the evil one remind us of our failures…instead of focusing on the blessings of God in our life.

Have you lost confidence today because of failures that still haunt you? If so, I encourage you to follow Peter’s advice and cast your anxieties on God. Because He cares for you!

Don’t let the piles of rubble from your past keep you from pressing on for Christ.

TODAY'S DEVOTIONAL

An unemployed graduate woke up one morning and checked his pocket. All he had left was $100. He decided to use it to buy food and then wait for death as he was too proud to go begging. He was frustrated as he could find no job, nobody was ready to help him. He bought food and as he sat down to eat, an old man and two little children came along and asked him to help them with food as they had not eaten for almost a week.

He looked at them. They were so lean that he could see their bones coming out. Their eyes had gone into the socket.With the last bit of compassion he had, he gave them the food. The old man and children prayed for him that God will bless and prosper him and then gave him a very old coin. The young graduate said to them "you need the prayer more than I do".

With no money, no job, no food, the young graduate went under the bridge to rest and wait for death. As he was about to sleep, he saw an old newspaper on the floor. He picked it up, and suddenly he saw an advertisement for people with old coins to come to a certain address. He decided to go there with the old coin the old man gave him.On getting to the place, he gave the proprietor the coin.

Alas, the proprietor screamed, brought out a big book and showed the young graduate a photograph. This same old coin was worth $3M.The young graduate was overjoyed as the proprietor gave him a bank draft for $3M within an hour.

He collected the Bank Draft, went in search of the old man and little children. By the time he got to where he left them eating, they had gone. He inquired room the owner of the canteen who told him that they even left a note for him.He quickly opened the note thinking it would lead him to find them But alas, the words in the note reads thus: "You gave us your all and we have rewarded you back with the coin"SignedGod the Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost.

1 Kings 17:10-16;Matthew 11:28-30

Have you given your all to Jesus Christ?

TODAY'S DEVOTIONAL

“Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar.”
Psalm 120:5

As a Christian you have to live in the midst of an ungodly world, and it is of little use for you to cry “Woe is me.” Jesus did not pray that you should be taken out of the world, and what he did not pray for, you need not desire. Better far in the Lord’s strength to meet the difficulty, and glorify him in it. The enemy is ever on the watch to detect inconsistency in your conduct; be therefore very holy. Remember that the eyes of all are upon you, and that more is expected from you than from other men. Strive to give no occasion for blame. Let your goodness be the only fault they can discover in you. Like Daniel, compel them to say of you, “We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.” Seek to be useful as well as consistent. Perhaps you think, “If I were in a more favourable position I might serve the Lord’s cause, but I cannot do any good where I am”; but the worse the people are among whom you live, the more need have they of your exertions; if they be crooked, the more necessity that you should set them straight; and if they be perverse, the more need have you to turn their proud hearts to the truth. Where should the physician be but where there are many sick? Where is honour to be won by the soldier but in the hottest fire of the battle? And when weary of the strife and sin that meets you on every hand, consider that all the saints have endured the same trial. They were not carried on beds of down to heaven, and you must not expect to travel more easily than they. They had to hazard their lives unto the death in the high places of the field, and you will not be crowned till you also have endured hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Therefore, “stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”

TODAY'S DEVOTIONAL

Today's Devotional

Charles R. Swindoll

The more the grace of God is awakened in a marriage, the less husbands will attempt to control and restrict and the less wives will feel the need to "please no matter what." It makes marriage easier to manage.

Grace releases and affirms. It doesn't smother.

Grace values the dignity of individuals. It doesn't destroy.

Grace supports and encourages. It isn't jealous or suspicious.

I know whereof I speak. For more years than I care to remember, I was consumed with jealousy. I was so insecure and fearful it wasn't uncommon for me to drill Cynthia with questions—petty, probing questions that were little more than veiled accusations. It is amazing she endured it. Finally, we had one of those famous showdown confrontations every married couple has had. No need to repeat it, but she made it painfully clear that I was smothering her; I was imagining things she never even thought of doing . . . and it had to stop. Her words hurt, but she did the right thing. I took her seriously.

I went to work on this ugly side of my life. I confessed my jealousy to Cynthia. I assured her I would never again treat her with such a lack of trust. I asked God for grace to help, for relief from the destructive habit I had formed, for the ability to love and give myself to this woman without all the choking conditions. I distinctly recall how much an understanding of grace helped. It was as if grace were finally "awake" in my life, and I could appropriate its power for the first time. It seemed to free me, first in small ways, and finally in major areas. I can honestly say today that I do not entertain a single jealous thought. Grace literally wiped the slate clean.

Taken from The Grace Awakening Devotional: A Thirty-Day Walk in the Freedom of Grace from the Bible-teaching ministry of Charles R. Swindoll (Nashville, Tenn.: W Publishing Group, 2003), 157–158

TODAY'S DEVOTIONAL

Today's Devotional

One characteristic of a grace awakening ministry deserves special attention: release from past failures. A ministry of grace doesn't keep bringing up the past for the purpose of holding it over people. There is an absence of shame. Paul addresses this in 1 Timothy 1:12–14:

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.

You may be surprised to know that the apostle Paul had every reason to feel ashamed. He was one whose past was dreadful: "formerly a blasphemer . . . persecutor . . . violent aggressor." Then how could the same man write, "I am not ashamed" (2 Timothy 1:12)? He gives us the answer here in 1 Timothy 1:14: Grace was more than abundant. Blasphemy had abounded in his past, but grace superabounded. Violence and brutality had abounded, but grace superabounded.

What if it read "divorcee"? What if it read "homosexual"? What if it read "addict"? I realize it reads "blasphemer, persecutor, aggressor." But what if it read "prostitute" or "ex–con" or "financial failure" or "murderer"? In a grace–awakened ministry, none of those things in the past are allowed to hold those people in bondage. They are released, forgiven, and the believer is allowed to go on to a new life in Christ.

Grace releases people, not only from sin but from shame. Do you do that in your ministry? Or do you make a note of those things and keep reminding yourself when that particular name comes up: "Well, you know, you'd better watch her" or "You've gotta watch him." Do you give people reasons to feel greater shame? Who knows what battles of shame most folks struggle with? It is enormous.

Taken from The Grace Awakening Devotional: A Thirty-Day Walk in the Freedom of Grace from the Bible-teaching ministry of Charles R. Swindoll (Nashville, Tenn.: W Publishing Group, 2003), 152–153.

TODAY'S DEVOTIONAL

Today's Devotional

Friday, September 2, 2006

Who would have guessed that so much trouble could have come from the church in the small town of Thyatira? If that tiny target couldn't escape the aim of Satan's arrows, who can? The truth is, if sin and the tolerance of that sin can invade the church in Thyatira, it can invade your church and your life as well. Consider the four lessons we can learn from Thyatira.
First, big problems can occur in small, obscure places. Don't be surprised. Christians are sometimes shocked when they uncover the sin that takes place in their church families. Sometimes they shift into "denial mode" and turn the other way, hoping the problem will take care of itself. We shouldn't be shocked or dismayed when we encounter sin. Instead, we should always be watchful and alert.
Second, timely words can encourage demoralized people, so don't be hesitant! In Christ's fierce rebuke of both Jezebel & Company and the Toleration Party, He didn't forget the Faithful, the remnant that had remained steadfast in their beliefs and actions. Next to Laodicea, Christ's rebuke of Thyatira was the second longest of the seven messages—but His encouragement and promises to the Faithful were the longest of all. According to Christ's model, it is always appropriate to offer encouragement, even in the midst of correction.
Third, wrong teaching can come from gifted people. Don't be misled. Jezebel of Thyatira was clearly gifted, perhaps even wealthy and influential. Maybe choosing to exercise discipline against her would have meant losing not only Jezebel but all her followers, reducing the already small church to a tiny flock. Today, we must be on the alert for teachers who, by their winsome personalities or worldly positions, can easily cause whopping problems.
Finally, deceptive actions can injure innocent people, so don't be naive. While the Toleration Party and Jezebel & Company claimed to be Christians, their actions sent a mixed message. They combined wrong teaching, impropriety, and deception with a smattering of truth. They misled the naive—perhaps new believers or novices in the faith. Today, with the current wave of toleration in our culture, those who claim to be Christians can send a similar conflicting message to those who lack discernment. By our silence in the face of sin, we may unintentionally deceive younger believers. We must speak a language and live a lifestyle that sends a consistently clear and distinct message not only to the world but also to the church.

Taken from the Bible Companion Revelation—Unveiling the End, Act 1, from the Bible-teaching ministry of Charles R. Swindoll (Plano, Texas: IFL Publishing House, 2006), 79–80.

NO MCF TONITE!!

We have a series break after concluding the series , "The Five Languanges of Love". That means we have no MCF 2nite. Take the opportunity to take your partner to a stroll, go watch a movie, go to the mall and do some shopping (and lots of window shopping :-)) , Mag McDo, or mag-burger, pd rin mag coffee. Apply what you learned and seize the opprtunity, Carpe et Diem.

I want to take this opportunity to thank those people who did their share in making the Church's 14th founding anniversary a memorable one.

To Pastor Mon and Tita Noni - for making us a part of your extended family
To Bro. Manny - for your tireless effort to keep the Art Contest tradition alive and for making the physical improvement in the church
To the MYAF for taking the challenge to take a major part in the anniversary program, and congratulations for a nice song and dance number, you are really No. 1
To the Children and Junior Youth for placing 2nd in the choral competition. Though outnumbered and lacking in resources, you really placed us in pins and needles by giving us a good fight.
To the WSCS/UMM for bringing out their best even in a very short time of preparation... Mabuhay ang mga nanay at tatay!!
To the MYF for being always there when it matters most..There is always a second chance.
To the musicians for sharing their time and talents to the Lord.
To host families who shared their warm hospitality to us and to our guest speakers.
To Ate Joanna for being an inspiration to our kids.
To Pastor Jhun
To Ate Gin Tugas, Pastor Nards Agaloos, DS Lito Tangonan and Pastor Joy Cera for giving us their time in sharing the message of life.
To our liturgists and flower offerers.
To Bro. Roniel , Bro. Nick and Bro. Frank for an impromptu judging chores.
To all of you who made our anniversary a success.
KUDOS!

TODAY'S DEVOTIONAL

August 31, 2006

The Last Word
READ: John 11:17-27
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.” —John 11:25

When Walter Bouman, a retired seminary professor, learned that the cancer in his body had spread and that he had perhaps 9 months to live, he pondered many things. One was comedian Johnny Carson’s quip: “It is true that for several days after you die, your hair and fingernails keep on growing, but the phone calls taper off.” He found that humor to be a wonderful tonic, but it was something far deeper that sustained his soul.
In Bouman’s newspaper column, he wrote of his greatest source of encouragement: “The Christian good news is that Jesus of Nazareth has been raised from death, that death no longer has dominion over Him. I have bet my living, and now I am called to bet my dying, that Jesus will have the last word.”
In John 11, we read what Jesus said to Martha, a close friend who was grieving the death of her brother. He said: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (vv.25-26).
For each “today” we are given, and for the inevitable “tomorrow” that will come, we don’t have to be afraid. Jesus Christ is with all who trust Him, and He will have the last word. —David C. McCasland

To Him I trust my soul, my dust,
When flesh and spirit sever;
The Christ we sing has plucked the sting
Away from death forever. —Anon.

Because Jesus has risen from the dead, He has the last word in life and in death.