Forever Young

Many times when we think about God, we picture Him as the old, white-haired dude with the cane and the rocking chair.

I like to think of God differently.

1 Corinthians 15:45 says that God is a quickening spirit. John 6:63 says that He has the ability to give life to things that are dead. Matthew 18:20 says He has the ability to be in multiple places at one time.

I don't know about you, but that does not sound like an old, gray-haired guy who's on the verge of death. That sounds like a young, sprite guy who has the power of life in His hands.

Because of that, I believe in a God whose forever young!

Which image of God do you choose to believe today?

God bless,

J.W.

Wonderful Counselor

"And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." ~ Isaiah 9:6

Often times, when we find ourselves in sticky situations, we run to people for advice - our parents, our siblings, our friends, television talk show hosts (see Dr. Phil).

Sometimes, in these situations, we won't even have to run to others - the advice flows freely without solicitation.

But the fact of the matter is there's only One who has all the answers to our problems.  There's only One who is the Ultimate Problem Solver. Like Isaiah 9:6 says, He's called Wonderful Counselor.

Seek His answers today!

God bless,
J.W.

Gratefulness

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful..." ~ Hebrews 12:28

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to share this with you. Thought it was extremely powerful.

Enjoy!

God bless,
J.W.


I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel showed me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. The angel stopped in front of the first section and said, "This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received."

I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.

Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.

The angel then said to me, "This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them." I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.

Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor, we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. "This is the Acknowledgment Section," my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed "How is it that there is no work going on here?" I asked.

"So sad," the angel sighed. "After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments."

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." ~ Psalm 139:13-14

Recently, I read an article about a girl named Heidi Montag.  For those that don't know, she's a reality TV star from the MTV show "The Hills."  The show was a spin-off of the hit show "Laguna Beach," which followed the dramatic lives of a group of teenagers from Laguna Beach, CA.  Most had parents who were beyond wealthy.  All were spoiled rotten.

In the article, it was revealed that Heidi, who is a professing Christian and now pursuing a career in music, had over 10 plastic surgeries to correct what she thought to be imperfections with her body.  Her picture is above.

When asked whether her excessive concern about her looks somehow contradicts her faith, she responded, "maybe God gave me extra because He knew what I would be doing and my career and blessing me with such a great doctor."


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPmbVBfPc94

Let's be clear - God doesn't make exceptions for certain people's careers.  He doesn't particularly care that Heidi Montag has chosen a career in music over being a doctor or a lawyer.  The Bible says He is no respector of persons.  What He does care about is people loving Him enough to respect and honor that which He "fearfully and wonderfully made."

To challenge God's creations is to question His judgment.  Moreover, it questions whether He really loves us or not.  God has promised to supply all of our need according to His riches in glory.  So, why do we always seek to take things into our own hands?

God wants us to trust Him, not "fix His mistakes."  After all, He doesn't make any mistakes.

God bless,
J.W.

Leaving Your Legacy

"The wise shall inherit glory, But shame shall be the legacy of fools." ~ Proverbs 3:35

God is a God of generational legacy.  That means, whether good or bad, the things we do today have an effect on the lives of others for years and years to come.

The life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a perfect example.  By being a leader for civil rights for all people, Dr. King had a profound effect on the lives of every person reading this post.  He understood that the things he did 60 years ago would affect our lives in 2010 and beyond.  He understood the concept of generational legacy.  It's what his "I Have A Dream" speech was all about.

So, like Dr. King, I challenge you all today to make the most of every day God gives you.  The lives of millions and millions of people may depend on it.

God bless,
J.W.

Who's In Your Fave 5?

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful" ~ Psalm 1:1

A few years ago, wireless carrier T-Mobile started a new cell phone plan called The MyFaves Plan. The idea was to offer an unlimited calling cell phone plan to your 5 "faves," i.e. the five people you talked to the most.

Essentially, these people were your inner circle - your parents, your spouse, your siblings, your best friends - and the plan would allow you to talk to these 5 people whenever you want for one low monthly cost.

In conjunction with the new plan, T-Mobile launched an advertising campaign entitled "Who's In Your Fave 5?" In the running series, young NBA star Dwayne Wade tries desperately to get in veteran hall-of-famer Charles Barkley's Fave 5, only to regret it once Barkley lets him in (see video below).


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnYPJDpgLIw

So... My question to you today is, "who's in your fave 5?" More importantly, who's fave 5 are you trying to get in?

They say you are the company you keep, so who are those 5 people you talk to the most, hang out with the most, communicate with the most, trust the most? More importantly, who are those 5 people who influence you the most?

Show me your fave 5 and I'll show you where your life is headed.

You are the company you keep!

God bless,
J.W.

Why Do Bad Things Happen?

"For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." ~ Matthew 5:45

Yesterday, on his CBN telecast "The 700 Club," tele-evangelist Pat Robertson suggested that the earthquakes of Haiti were retribution for the Haitian people selling their souls to the devil.

Specifically, he said:

"And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, 'we will serve you if you'll get us free from the French.' True story. And so, the devil said, 'okay it's a deal.' And they kicked the French out. The Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other."

If we were to accept Robertson assumption and take his premise as true, we would have to assume that whenever bad things happen to people, the victims must have somehow earned or deserve it.

Dr. King, then, must have deserved to be assassinated. Likewise, the nearly 3,000 people who died on 9/11 must have done something to deserve to be killed. Surely, Jesus must have done something to deserve crucifixion.

Clearly, this is absurd. In actuality, we know that none of these things are true. In fact, the entire Book of Job specifically calls out this line of thinking.

Job, a man who the Bible calls "blameless and upright," is relentlessly and consistently attacked by Satan for no other reason than for Satan to prove to God that Job's worship wasn't genuine or sincere. Much like Pat Robertson, Job's friends blame Job for the mess he finds himself in. "If you were pure and upright, surely now He would awake for you, and prosper your rightful dwelling place" (Job 8:6).

But in Isaiah 55, God says "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways."

Bottom line: Pat Robertson's remarks are in no way in line with Scripture. We don't know why God allows bad things to happen to certain people. What we do know is Matthew 5:45: "For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."

To help in the relief efforts in Haiti, visit http://www.yele.org/ or text YELE to 501501. By donating through text, a $5 charge will appear on your cell phone bill. 100% of the proceeds go to helping those affected by the tragedy.

God bless,
J.W.

The Master Archer

"Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it." ~ Proverbs 22:6

"You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth." ~ Khalil Gibran

The quotes above are typically used to describe the role that parents play in the lives of their children. Parents are supposed to be like archers. They are there to lead and guide their children, to point them in the direction they are supposed to go and give them the force they need to get there.

Well, much like earthly parents, God has the same relationship with His children. He points, aims, and shoots us in the right direction and gives us the push we need to succeed. However, once we leave the bow, it's up to us to use the tools and gifts He's given us to hit our target.

Make no mistake - it takes tremendous focus and determination for one to accomplish great things in life. But with a master archer guiding our path, we can't fail.

God bless,
J.W.

The Game of Life

"Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." ~ Matthew 7:14

Every day, I see people take life too lightly. They treat it as if it were a game, as if you could simply hit the restart button whenever you feel like it and start it all over again.

Unfortunately for them, life is not a game. What we do here on earth has serious repercussions - both now and in the next life.

It's time for the people of this generation to wake up and recognize what life is all about!

Get serious about life before it gets serious about you.

God bless,
J.W.

Food For The Soul

"Make time for the quiet moments as God whispers and the world is loud." ~ Author Unknown

Being in the presence of God is like food for the soul.

It nourishes you. It energizes you. It reinvigorates you. It heals you. It inspires you. It empowers you. It motivates you. It cleanses you.

No matter what, never neglect those private moments alone with God.

It's what will get you through those long days and dark nights.

God bless,
J.W.

Do What You Love, Love What You Do

A friend of mine has a saying - "Do What You Love, Love What You Do!"

Each one of us has an obligation to pursue that to which God has called us. Even if you're stuck in a career or job you don't like or don't think you should be in, all it takes is small baby steps to bring you from where you are to where you want to be.

God has called each of us to do something special. We owe it to the people who will be positively affected by what we do to pursue our calling. Those things that you love to do are key to finding your purpose.

Do what you love and love what you do!

God bless,
J.W.

Past, Present, and Future

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." ~ Matthew 6:34

Some people get so hung up on the past - past hang-ups, past failures, past relationships - that they forget about the future and the hope that it brings.

Others, like me, focus so much on the future that they forget the past and how the Lord has brought them over.

The key is to find the proper balance - that is, to live in the present.

Yesterday is gone and tomorrow's not promised, so make the most of every day!

God bless,
J.W.

"This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." ~ Psalm 118:24

"Let A Man Examine Himself..."

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” ~ John 8:32

The most dangerous lie in the world is the one we tell ourselves.

God not only wants us to be real with ourselves, but He wants us to be real with Him as well. But we can't be real with Him, until we get real with ourselves. It's a Catch-22.

So examine yourself today. Is there some aspect of your life you need to work on? Is there an area of your life that God has called you to change in the new year? If so, be truthful with Him and yourself. It'll change your life.

God bless,
J.W.

"But let a man examine himself..." ~ 1 Corinthians 11:28