Gas Prices, Car Repairs...and Peace

Why is it that owning a car can be such a financial drain? First, there's the high purchase price of the car itself, then the high gas ($4.11 per gal at the time of this writing), then the repairs, and so on.

This morning, I had to take my car into the repair shop for a brake job and to fix the air conditioning. I'm not a happy camper. But wait! There is something to be grateful for! My mechanic took me to work and I sit here ready to put in a full day's work...car or no car.

It's often hard for us to be grateful. Sometimes we need to be nudged back into reality...the reality of God over us.

So, this morning in my mostly ungratefulness, even with me being safely at work, I read an email from a friend. It is mostly a cut and paste job from the first few paragraphs of a book.

It's not about you.

The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by His purpose and for His purpose.

It's not the first time I read these words from Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life. But they came again at a perfect time.

It's not about my brakes, my car, my finances, my job...it's not about me!

I rest in Him...regardless of what is going on with me or around me. You too, can have peace in Him...simply begin with knowing it's not about you.

Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. - Psalm 119:165 (NIV)

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Rick Warren's book, "The Purpose Driven Life" is one of the top-selling books of all time. The book has been used as study material for Bible and book studies around the world.

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Alexander is a writer in the online spiritual battlefield. You can also find him at The Scrooge Report.

Today's Evidence

Origin of the Bible - The Reliability of Ancient Manuscripts

Today, we will be looking at the origin of the Bible. In proving or disproving God's existence, it is important to discuss "God's Manuscript," as some would call it. I've taken the following from AllAboutTruth.org. Stay tuned for more of Today's Evidence. Have a blessed day everyone! - Alexander

Another challenge against the origin of the Bible is the reliability of the manuscripts from which today's Bibles are translated. Remarkably, there is widespread evidence for absolute reliability. There are more than 14,000 existing Old Testament manuscripts and fragments copied throughout the Middle East, Mediterranean and European regions that agree dramatically with each other. In addition, these texts agree with the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, which was translated from Hebrew to Greek some time during the 3rd century BC.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in Israel in the 1940's and 50's, also provide phenomenal evidence for the reliability of the ancient transmission of the Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) before the arrival of Jesus Christ. The Hebrew scribes who copied the Jewish Scriptures dedicated their lives to preserving the accuracy of the holy books. These scribes went to phenomenal lengths to insure manuscript reliability. They were highly trained and meticulously observed, counting every letter, word and paragraph against master scrolls. A single error would require the immediate destruction of the entire text.

Source: www.allabouttruth.org/origin-of-the-bible.htm

When Life is Overloaded

Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light." - Matthew 11:28-30

Do you feel overwhelmed at times? How about overloaded? I do. I'm in the middle of making some tough, life-changing decisions. Career choices, relationship commitments, geographical moves...all these kinds of things that we face in life. Then there's the other stuff...getting behind in bills, health issues, time conflicts, and it goes on and on...and on.

Maybe it's time to get back to our first love. I remember when I truly accepted Jesus Christ as my personal saviour. I physically felt lighter...like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders.

Could it have been His yoke upon me for the first time? I believe so. A yoke is generally thought of as a wooden bar or frame by which two draft animals (as oxen) are joined at the heads or necks for working together.

Today, let's walk under His yoke...knowing that it fits perfectly and the burden becomes light.

Alexander is a writer in the online spiritual battlefield. You can also find him at The Scrooge Report.

Right Where You Are

The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. — 1 Kings 17:6

It's easy to be discouraged. You don't make enough money. You're not happy with where you work or live. Or your health or that of a loved one is not good. This world can really get us down. However, there is hope.

We just need to reach for it and find it in the one that will meet us right where we are at.

This from Today's Devotion with Greg Laurie:

When the Bible says that ravens brought Elijah food, it doesn't mean they took his order, flew through the local fast food restaurant, and then delivered his meal. Ravens are scavengers. They would've brought little bits of meat and bread to Elijah. What's more, the water in the brook from which he drank probably would have been dirty and somewhat polluted. It was not an easy situation.

How easily Elijah could have said, "Well, Lord, I don't really want to be in this crummy little place. I kind of like being in front of people. I like the limelight." But the Lord was preparing Elijah for something beyond his wildest dreams. Not long after this, Elijah would be standing on Mt. Carmel in that great showdown with the false prophets (see 1 Kings 18:20–39).

Sometimes, we don't like where God has put us. We say, "Lord, I don't like this situation. I don't like where I am. I want to do something great for You. I want to make a difference in my world." Maybe the Lord wants you to be effective right where you are. Maybe He wants you to take advantage of the opportunities in front of you and be faithful in the little things. Who knows what God has in store for you?

If God has you by some muddy little brook, so to speak, just hang in there. Be faithful, do what He has already told you, and wait on Him and His timing. God will do something wonderful for you or with you. Just be available and open to do what He would have you to do.
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Books by Greg Laurie can be found at Amazon.com.

Failure is Part of the Deal

Sometimes, I cry out for God's plan for me. I do OK with the short term stuff...like I know He wants me to show up to work today and do my best. But, it's the long term stuff I wish I had a "heads up" on.

When will it be the right time for marriage? Do I make a career change now or later? What type of ministry do I need to be involved in? What's my purpose?

Whether or not you're asking yourself and God these particular questions, or other important ones, there's one thing for certain...there will be failures.

So, how do we deal with failures? This morning I found a way...a very good way. First, know that failure is part of the deal of living. Second, give it up to God...He already factored failure into your life and has planned a way for you to come out of it...on the victorious side!

This from Henry Blackaby's Day by Day:

FACING FAILURE

Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written..." - Mark 14:27

As you follow Jesus you will face moments of great distress. At times it will seem that events conspire to cause you to stumble in your relationship with Him. You do not initiate them, but they arise from opposition or the intensity of your circumstances. Nevertheless, failure is the end result. The disciples faced such fierce opposition to their Lord that they all failed Him on the night Jesus was crucified.

Peter boasted that he was incapable of forsaking Jesus (Mark 14:29–31). Yet Jesus assured the disciples even before their failure that it was inevitable. The Scriptures had prophesied it. God always knew the disciples would fail His Son; He wasn’t caught by surprise. He had made provision for their shortcomings, knowing He would eventually develop them into apostles who would fearlessly preach the gospel, perform miracles, and teach others. Later, when the risen Christ encountered Peter on the seashore, He did not ask Peter for a confession of his sin, but a confession of his love (John 21:15–17).

You may fear that your failure has caught God by surprise. Perhaps you promised, like Peter, to stand with the Lord, but you failed. God was just as aware that you would fail Him as He was with the original disciples. He has made provision to respond every time you stumble. Don’t think that somehow your failures are bigger or more complex than any God has dealt with. If you are facing challenges that seem overwhelming, don’t be discouraged. God has already foreseen them and prepared for them. (1 Cor. 10:13).

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Gold Medallion Award winner "Experiencing God Day-By-Day" is based on Henry Blackaby’s multi-million selling Experiencing God book and Bible study. Find insight and grace in this 365-day devotional focused on the divine presence in each life. This book will help you see what God has instore for you while sustaining the essential habit of turning to God on a daily basis.

Take a look at these top devotionals

Peace Beyond Understanding

It's Monday, the work week has just started, and I'm already stressed. Thankfully, I can pause, read God's Word for a bit and move on with a sigh of relief...and yes, even peace.

I pray your day is one of peace!

This from Max Lucado's Grace for the Moment: Volume 2:

PEACE THROUGH PRAYER

God’s peace…will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:7

The worrisome heart pays a high price for doing so. Worry come from the Greek word that means “to divide the mind.” Anxiety splits us right down the middle, creating a double-minded thinker. Rather than take away tomorrow’s trouble, worry voids today’s strength. Perception is divided, wasting your energy. Who can afford to lose power?

But how can we stop doing so? Paul offers a two-pronged answer: God’s part and our part. Our part includes prayer and gratitude. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done” (Phil. 4:6 NLT, emphasis mine).

God’s part? “If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand” (Phil. 4:7 NLT).

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If 9/11 are the numbers of terror and despair, then 3:16 are the numbers of hope. Best-selling author Max Lucado leads readers through a word-by-word study of John 3:16, the passage that he calls the "Hope Diamond" of Scripture. (Amazon.com)

Get 3:16: The Numbers of Hope now!

Expect Great and Mighty Things

Reading excerpts of Henry T. Blackaby's book Experiencing God and his subsequent Day by Day devotional has always been an eye-opener for me. It's incredible to think about the fact that God is so much more than simply the God of the Bible. He is more than someone or something you put on a shelf and pull out every so often. He is as real today as He ever was...and we can see Him work in and around us with just a little bit of faith.

It is an ever maturing faith that I long for so that I can become more aware of His presence...and those "God moments" come more an more often.

This from Blackaby's Day by Day:

RAISING OUR EXPECTATIONS

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. - Jeremiah 33:3

Too often we settle for much less than what God wants to do through us. We read in Jeremiah 32:27: “I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for Me?” and we answer, “No Lord.” Yet, when we face difficult situations we begin to qualify our belief in God and lower our expectations of what God will do. It is one thing to believe God could perform a miracle in the Bible, or a thousand years ago, or even in the life of a friend; it is quite another matter to wholeheartedly believe God can do anything He chooses to do in our lives!

When almighty God speaks to us, what we do next proves what we believe about Him, regardless of what we say. God revealed to Moses His plan to orchestrate the greatest exodus in human history, and He wanted to use Moses to accomplish it. Moses responded by arguing with God! Moses was overwhelmed by what he heard and began to make excuses for why he could not participate_in God’s activity. Moses would have readily acknowledged his belief in God’s power, he simply did not believe God could do His miraculous work through his life. Moses’ argument with God limited his ministry for the rest of his life (Exod. 4:13–16).

Do you sense there may be far more that God wants to do through your life than what you have been experiencing? Ask God to show you what it is, then be prepared to respond in faith and obedience to what He tells you.

Gold Medallion Award winner "Experiencing God Day-By-Day" is based on Henry Blackaby’s multi-million selling Experiencing God book and Bible study. Find insight and grace in this 365-day devotional focused on the divine presence in each life. This book will help you see what God has instore for you while sustaining the essential habit of turning to God on a daily basis.

Take a look at these top devotionals

When the Fun is Over

Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. - Ephesians 4:19

For most of my life I had not thought about God. My Russian-born parents had taken me to Russian Orthodox Sunday school in Los Angeles when I was a child. For a few elementary school grades I went to a Catholic school. However, as near as I can tell, sitting in those classrooms, the church, and the pews, never brought me closer to God. At least I was not aware of Him.

You see, I was on a mission to have fun in life and that was my number one priority. I put God not just in the backseat of my life or even the trunk, but probably somewhere out on the curb.

I look back on those years through childhood, teenage, young adult, and thirty-something and cringe. How could I have been so lost?

I did have fun, but I paid the price. Emotional instability, insecurity, lack of responsibility, and other manifestations held me back in many areas of my life. While I lived in the real world -- somewhat functioning while pursuing more and more pleasure -- I had grown older without facing reality for much too long.

Was God real? I don't even recall asking the question. It wasn't until the fun was running out and my fear, anxiety, and real life problems kicked in that I began looking... and God began appearing.

By the grace of God, I became aware that I could have a relationship with Him... and it was and is the most comforting.

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ. - Philippians 3:8

Alexander is a writer in the online spiritual battlefield. You can also find him at The Scrooge Report.

He Loves You With an Everlasting Love

As high as the sky is above the earth, so great is his love for those who respect him. - Psalm 103:11

This from Max Lucado's 'Grace for the Moment, Volume 2:'

The big news of the Bible is not that you love God but that God loves you; not that you can know God but that God already knows you! He tattooed your name on the palm of his hand. His thoughts of you outnumber the sand on the shore. You never leave his mind, escape his sight, flee his thoughts. He sees the worst of you and loves you still. Your sins of tomorrow and failings of the future will not surprise him; he sees them now. Every day and deed of your life has passed before his eyes and been calculated in his decision. He knows you better than you know you and has reached his verdict; he loves you still. No discovery will disillusion him; no rebellion will dissuade him. He loves you with an everlasting love.