2- Gods been teaching me a lot about loving others as Christ loved us. What does it really mean to love. We can write a lot of books and read a lot of scripture but until we really put love into action we are just going through the motions. We should get back to loving people like it cost us something. Chapter 1:9-10 I pray that your LOVE will overflow more and more and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. 10 for I want you to understand what really matters so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.

Hope this helps somebody today, if so tell someone else.
Chasen Callaahan

My mom should me this thought it would be great for all you musicians and artist out there.

“Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.” – 1 Kings 3:7

Think back to the time when you finally got out of the military or college, and you were taking that first job. Or maybe it was when you had your first child, and all the sudden you realized you had to act like an adult. I’ll never forget those feelings when I finished college, moved to Augusta, and took a job in corporate America. This was before Anne and I got married, and years before I went into the ministry. For several weeks, I’d wake up in the morning, and think, “You know, I’m supposed to be an adult, but I feel like a kid.” I was scared to death.

That’s what Solomon felt like when he unexpectedly and suddenly became the King of all Israel. He felt overwhelmed, yet he had all this responsibility. He was called to lead a great nation that began with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph – a nation with extraordinary, godly leaders like Moses and Joshua, and even his own father, David. Solomon reflected on all of this, and said, “I feel like a little child.” Now think about that for a minute. Children are utterly dependent on their parents. So Solomon, since his earthly father had died, spoke to his Heavenly Father (since his earthly father had died), all he could say was, “I feel as a little child.” He expressed an utter dependence on his Heavenly Father. Now, that is not a bad place for a king to begin. And it’s not a bad place for all of us to be, either. Approach your life as a little child, completely dependent on your Father. He will provide; He will never disappoint. With the faith of a child, we can live like mature adults.
Rightfromtheheart.com

“He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 1:6

Most everyone is interested in discovering his or her purpose for living – the reason for being born and the reason for existing.

Well, I have good news. God has put that desire within you, for as your Creator, He has a purpose and plan for your life. Your role is to discover it and use the gifts and the talents and opportunities that God has given you to make the most of your life. God’s ultimate purpose is that everyone would have a personal relationship with Him through faith in Jesus Christ. And everyone can – through faith. Then there is more good news. God’s Word says, “I am confident…that He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Jesus’ coming.”

What a promise! Once we put our life and trust in God, He then promises us He’ll begin to reveal our life purpose to us. He’ll also provide the power needed to see that we get it done. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to discover your reason for living and live it out!
Rightfromtheheart.com

Here is the lesson to be learned from the scandals of Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. It’s not the initial act that destroys you, it’s the cover-up. This is also one of the great lessons we can learn from David and Bathsheba. First the sin was committed – adultery with a married woman. Then Bathsheba became pregnant, making it impossible to hide the sin. So, David devised a brilliant cover-up. He sent for Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, to be brought home and spend a few days with his wife. David figured that everybody would just assume the child was Uriah’s. A brilliant plan! But Uriah didn’t cooperate. Since his fellow soldiers were out on the battlefield, he felt it would be wrong for him to enjoy the pleasures of marriage. So he slept outdoors, rather than with his wife.

David’s approach to the cover-up wasn’t working, so he became more desperate. He finally succeeded by ordering that Uriah be placed on the front-line of the battlefield and be killed. By then, David was guilty of breaking a whole boatload of commandments: coveting another man’s wife, stealing, false witness, adultery, and murder. Perhaps he felt like his cover-up worked. The only problem is there is One who always knows. His name is God. No sin can be covered up from Him.

When you commit a sin, recognize the jig is up. God knows what happened; there can be no cover-up. Rather than compounding the chaos, confess your sin, ask forgiveness, and be willing to live with the consequences of your sin. God will forgive – but He will not remove the consequences, in hopes that we will not repeat our stupidity again.

When you’re in a serious relationship, don’t overlook the importance of praying for God’s will, letting the Holy Spirit guide and direct you. Here are a few practical questions to consider as you pray and seek God’s will for this important decision in your life.

• Is she/he my best friend?

• Do we have similar beliefs and values? Does s/he help me grow closer to God? Are we unified on church and how we will grow spiritually together?

• How do my family and friends feel about the relationship?

• Am I willing – eager – to make a lifetime commitment?

• Do I want this person to be a parent to my children? Do we agree on childraising and how careers will be dealt with?

• Does s/he have some unacceptable habits that I think I’ll be able to change someday? (Believe me, you won’t!)

• At the same time, do I recognize and accept his/her flaws and idiosyncrasies? (If not, it’s not real love, it’s infatuation.)

If you haven’t been able to confidently answer these questions in a way to indicate that you’ve chosen the right mate, maybe you need to slow down and give the relationship more time. Maybe you’re headed toward choosing second best, rather than God’s best for your life, and you need to back off. Spend more time in prayer, asking God to reveal His plan for you.

“Your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it, whenever you turn to the right or to the left.’” – Isaiah 30:21

Choosing the right mate isn’t easy. In a poll conducted several years ago by a Christian evangelical magazine, people were asked, “If you had it to do it all over again, would you choose the same mate?” Thirty-four percent said they wouldn’t – and remember, these were Christians who responded!

Part of the problem is that so often our decision is based only on physical attraction and we neglect the need for shared beliefs and values. In another time, parents and matchmakers arranged marriages – a practice that actually resulted in far lower divorce rates than we have today! The divorce rates were lower because the match was made on the basis of compatibility – similar values and shared beliefs. But wouldn’t young people today have a tizzy if their parents made this kind of decision for them!

Wouldn’t it be great if there were a matchmaker who could select a perfect mate? A mate you’d have passionate romantic love for, be compatible with, and share similar values and beliefs? Well, I’ve got good news for you. God IS the ultimate matchmaker and wants to serve in that role for you. He knows you and your future spouse better than anyone. Let God be your matchmaker, trusting Him to guide you to the best possible person for you.

Do you ever have doubts about God?

Most people do. Let me share with you what has caused me the most doubt through the years–the first four words of the Bible: “In the beginning God.” For, I wonder, how could God always exist? Where did He come from? What did He do before creation?

But “In the beginning God” also enriches my faith. For the Bible also says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God and the Word became flesh.” The Word is Jesus Christ and because of Jesus’ life, I can see what God is like. Because of His death I can see and experience His love. Because the evidence of His resurrection is overwhelming, I can believe in God’s power to do anything.

If Jesus rose from the dead, I can live with the questions I can’t understand about God–like Him always existing–because He is God and I’m not. We all have doubts about God, but Jesus is the reason I can believe in God.

Rightfromtheheart.com

In the spring of 1981, both Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II were shot and seriously wounded in assassination attempts. Even though each struggled to survive, both the President and the Pope made it a priority to forgive the very people who tried to kill them.

Ronald Reagan said, “I realized I couldn’t ask for God’s help while at the same time I felt hatred for the mixed up young man who had shot me. Isn’t that the meaning of the lost sheep? We’re all God’s children and therefore, equally beloved by Him. I began to pray for his soul and that he would find his way back into the fold.” And we also remember those amazing pictures of Pope John Paul II, seeking out the man who tried to kill him and there in his prison cell – sitting face to face – forgiving him.

Now these are not normal responses when someone tries to kill you! Where did these great men learn such actions? They learned it from Jesus! And not only did they learn it from Jesus, but also they were empowered by the Holy Spirit to be able to forgive. This ability and motivation to forgive under those circumstances could only come from one source – the One who said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they do.”

If Jesus can provide these leaders with the ability to forgive their assassins, don’t you think He can give you the power to forgive those who have offended you?

The Gnostic gospels received widespread attention after they were referred to in the novel and movie, The Da Vinci Code. These works triggered great interest and thrust the Gnostic writings into pop culture. This has caused a lot of conflict and confusion as people wonder why these “lost gospels” were not included within our Bible.

Let’s look at the answer to that. The gospels in the Bible were all written within twenty to sixty years after of the life of Jesus – soon enough so that the actual witnesses to Jesus’ words and deeds were available as a primary source. The Gnostics, however, were written in the second century, long after Jesus’ contemporaries had died. To give credibility to their stories, the Gnostics falsely attached the names of people who had long been dead, such as Thomas, Mary, and Phillip. So, not only was The Gospel of Thomas not written by Thomas, it wasn’t even written by someone who had ever met Thomas!

Also, here’s something I find interesting. The Gnostics are sometimes referred to as the “secret gospels.” (Now there is an oxymoron!) If God is going to inspire a gospel, He most certainly isn’t going to allow it to be kept secret! Also, because most were discovered in 1945, they have been called the “lost gospels.” Again, why would God inspire something only to allow it to be lost? Think about it.