Ralph Marston

When a huge trial comes your way and stays there for awhile, it seems as if it tries to become a part of you. If you are not careful, it can change your whole personality and make you go from being cheerful and lively to bitter, depressed or moody. God never intended for you to carry a huge burden on your own with no help from Him in any way.

Matthew 11: 28-30

Come to me, all you that labor and are heavy-laden and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

The following quote is from Charles Finney, who explains it very well.

1. Then let it be understood that Christ’s real yoke, or the true service of Christ, is never hard. His real yoke is never heavy. It is self-will and selfishness that at any time fault the yoke or the service of Christ.

2. If what we call religion is burdensome, it is not Christ’s yoke, it is not Christ’s religion. If we make an uphill business of it, and if we find it “hard to obey, and harder still to love,” Christ says to us, Who has required this at your hand? What I require of you is a love-service, not this slavish service. If you love me not, if you do not serve me from love, I abhor your doings. Let no one think himself truly religious whose religion is a bondage, and not the highest liberty.

3. Whatever is hard in religion is made so by our want of heart, our want of love, our want of confidence; and is therefore not Christ’s yoke at all. It is not true religion, it is not Christian liberty, but legal bondage.

4. All truly religious duties are easy. If we make them hard, they are not a love-service, and not what Christ requires. If we make them hard we spoil them. If we go complainingly about his service, grumbling about the difficulties and the hardness of his service, he loathes our bondage, he cannot accept it.

I know that many times I have lived in huge bondage because I took on burdens and problems that I should have given to God and left with Him to work out when the time was right.

Charles Finney has written such an awesome definition of the difference between living in bondage and living in freedom.

Make the choice right now that you will choose the way of Christ’s yoke of freedom!

Related posts:

1. From YOUR Heavy Burden To Letting God Bear The Burden
2. Great Story – How Heavy Are Your Burdens?
3. Are you a Giant or a Burden?

…God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.

I John 4: 18 AMP

There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection].

Fear – Phobos

To be put in fear, alarm or fright, exceedingly, fear, terror

Love – agape

Affection or benevolence, love feast – the highest kind of love

Perfect – teleios

Complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character). Completeness, of full man, perfect

Casteth – ballo

To throw, more or less violent or intense, arise, cast out, dung lay, lie, pour, send strike throw down

Out – exo

Away, forth, outside of, literally or figuratively

Torment (punishment) – kolas is

Penal infliction, punishment, torment

Perfect – teleioo

To complete, accomplish, consummate, consecrate, finish, fulfill

This definition different from the first perfect

It’s funny how you can read a verse for years and suddenly God opens your eyes to an aspect of it you have never seen before. The Bible speaks of love in several different places, and I always thought of it as being nice to others and trying my best to love them regardless of the way they treated me; but the Bible says that God is love and if we want His blessing on our lives we must truly love others.

Some people just seem unlovable or it makes us totally uncomfortable to be around them. It might seem much easier to stay away because things might get messy if we try to love them enough to help them change their lives instead of just applying a bandaid to the wound.

If we have “no fear in love” we won’t be afraid to go the extra mile in loving another person who doesn’t seem very lovable. Jesus went out of His way to eat with Zaccheus, who was a dreaded tax collector. Everyone disliked him because he gouged them by burdening them down with extra taxes, which made their daily lives extremely hard.

But Jesus knew that it would be well worth it to spend time with Zaccheus, because his heart would be radically changed. Zaccheus eventually more than made it right with everyone he had treated wrongly.

Jesus died on the cross for the most terrible and evil person on earth, and had a huge amount of love for them. He was not afraid to get His hands dirty to try to help even the worst of them, and He was able to do it because of a bold, fearless love that was so great it could change lives.

Jesus could see the heart of others and He knew who was ready for and needed help. He was not afraid to reach out to those people, but He also had God’s power on Him so strongly that those around Him were changed and healed. Many heathen people were changed dramatically because they knew He was genuine and truly had the power they were so looking for to change their lives. They recognized that His teachings were radically different from what they had been hearing from the Pharisees and Saducees. I also repeat this and want you to understand that Jesus knew who would be open to receive help and those are the ones that He spent time with.

The more the Holy Spirit takes control of your life, the more you will be able to discern those people who will be open to change, even if they don’t realize it at first. You will be able to love them with a true love, see them in a different light, and show them Jesus through your actions and deeds toward them. The Holy Spirit can truly change your attitude and heart towards another person if you will let Him.

I John 4: 20-21

But if we say we love God and don’t love each other, we are liars. We cannot see God. So how can we love God, if we don’t love the people we can see? The commandment that God has given us is: Love God and love each other!

Dake’s reference bible says this is the “acid test of a born again experience.”

By no means am I advocating that you should be a doormat for another person to trample on as they would like. Loving with a God kind of love and having the leadership of the Holy Spirit are instrumental in dealing with a person who constantly tries to belittle or take advantage of you.

Jesus knew when a person could be helped and he didn’t just give a handout that would help them on a temporary basis. He gave them something that would last long term to help them become a strong Christian; then they could in turn help others.

If you will follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit, you won’t get ” taken” by another person. He will show you exactly how to help them, even though it might not be exactly what they would want.

Doing things in the above way will ensure that you will truly be able to help others, and also ensure that you won’t be taken advantage of so much that you will get burnt out and give up on helping at all.

Instead of turning away from people who are hard to love or be around, ask the Holy Spirit what He desires your actions to be; then let Him change you into a person who can glorify God in every circumstance into which you are placed.

Doing things in this way will keep you from getting “burnt out” on helping others who would only take advantage of you and really don’t want to change.

Related posts:

1. Have you fallen in love with Jesus?
2. Video – Amazing Love
3. How Much Do You Love God?

-H. Blankenship-

I came across this quote and I have to admit that it made me think about this Bible verse in a whole new way.

The actual verses are written in Matthew 22: 37-40

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect.) This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment. And a second  is like it: You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets.   AMP

Jesus summed up in two verses what had been the whole Ten Commandments that had been given to the Israelites in the wilderness.

The word “shall” gives a command to do it – not just if you feel like it or agree with it.

Also we don’t get to choose one of the three ways to love God. He said with ALL our heart AND all our soul AND all our mind.

God wants every part of you to be able to produce the kind of fruit that can do some great damage to the kingdom of Satan here on earth.

I know it seems to be the popular thing to live life in a way that pleases you, but there is no greater feeling than knowing that God is in control. What an awesome thing that the Most High and Holy God would choose any human to do work on His behalf. He has not chosen just any human – he has chosen YOU.

Give your heart, soul, and mind to Him and let Him accomplish what He desires through your life.

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One particular day, Sally walked into the seminary and knew they were in for a fun day.

On the wall was a big target and on a nearby table were many
darts. Dr. Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone that
they disliked or someone who had made them angry, and he would allow
them to throw darts at the person’s picture.

Sally’s friend drew a picture of who had stolen her boyfriend.
Another friend drew a picture of his little brother. Sally drew a
picture of a  former friend, putting a great deal of detail into her
drawing, even drawing pimples on the face. Sally was pleased with the
overall effect she had achieved.

The class lined up and began throwing darts. Some of the
students threw their darts with such force that their targets were
ripping apart. Sally looked forward to her turn, and was filled with
disappointment when Dr. Smith, because of time limits, asked the
students to return to their seats. As Sally sat thinking about how angry
she was because she didn’t have a chance to throw any darts at her
target. Dr. Smith began removing the target from the wall.

Underneath the target was a picture of Jesus. A hush fell over
the room as each student viewed the mangled picture of Jesus; holes and
jagged marks covered His face and His eyes were pierced.

Dr. Smith said only these words…. ‘In as much as ye have done
it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me.’
Matthew 25:40.

No other words were necessary; the tear filled eyes of the
students focused only on the picture of Christ.

Related posts:

1. Throwing Darts Sure Can Hurt You!
2. A Story – The Devil and The Duck
3. Be Careful When You Open The Door!

Twice a year they send teams in to check on the kids and do preventive health maintenance. If they have a minor health problem, they are given medicine to treat it. Otherwise they are given vitamins and a worm pill to keep them healthy.

Each day was long as we saw several hundred kids, but even though I was tired each night I felt good. I think the children blessed me much more than I could have ever blessed them. They lived in worse conditions than us, yet they all had a ready smile on their face and wanted to interact with us even though we couldn’t speak the same language. When we drove down the road they would wave, smile and yell as we drove by.  We got a huge joy out of waving back to them. I found out that you can communicate quite a bit even if you don’t speak the same language.

Of course their customs are much different than ours in the United States, and many of them I think they have right and we are the ones who need to change. At 6:30 each morning several Haitian adults came to our compound for a Bible study. Most of it was not translated because the person leading it wanted it to continue to be about them instead of us. We were to be observers and learn from them.

They came into the room with only one thing in mind – to study the Bible and understand as much as they could about the passage they would read that morning. They didn’t fellowship, laugh, or talk about anything once they came into the room. They were intent on worshiping and learning about God.

One of the men brought a guitar and played and led some worship choruses. We recognized some of the music and sang along with our English words. Then they started in a certain place in the Bible and read a whole chapter. I couldn’t help but notice how intent everyone was in paying attention to the words being read aloud. Everyone did not own a Bible, but the ones who did seemed to treasure it. They would treat it very carefully and some were placed in plastic bags so they would not get dusty or dirty.

After the chapter was read, they had a chance to ask questions about anything they didn’t understand. Each day they asked enough questions to fill the hour, with more waiting to be answered. What an intense hunger they had for the WORD!

The Word of God is truly a treasure and more valuable than diamonds for the Child of God. It is His instruction book to show us how to live a victorious life for Him. We all make a choice each 24 hours as to how we will fill the valuable time we have been allotted.

Make the study of God’s Word a priority each day. God has so much He wants to show you and He wants to change your life for the better. Ask Him to give you an intense hunger to study His Word and treasure it like those Haitians did. I came back extremely tired and it took me several days to catch up on sleep, but I have asked God to change me and mold me into a vessel that can be used for His Glory. What an awesome way to live life to the fullest each day!

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After Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, we were separated from God and had no way to reach Him on a personal level until Jesus died on the cross. He bridged that great gap and made it possible for us to have a personal relationship with the Living God once more.

The photo above gives a wonderful word picture of what Jesus did. He reached down and grabbed mankind with one hand and reached up to grab the Hand of God with the other. He became our intercessor and bridge to God when there was no other way to reach Him.

We can now come to our Heavenly Father without being afraid or ashamed, because Jesus is always interceding on our behalf and always has our best interest at heart. It is truly an amazing love that He had for mankind to endure the torture and suffering of the cross.

Don’t throw away what Jesus did for you on the cross. Run to Him, tell Him all your problems, and let Him intercede to the Father on your behalf. If you have asked Jesus to come into your heart, the Spirit of the Living God (Holy Spirit) lives inside you and is patiently waiting for you to ask Him to give you guidance in everyday situations.

Learn to hear Him when He speaks to you and be obedient. You will find that you never want to do things your own way again. There is so much peace and comfort in knowing that God only wants to give you His Very Best. That will be something different for each person, but it will always be exactly what you need at just the right time.

Check out my other sites:

Handbook for Victorious Christian Living – practical ways to learn to live a victorious Christian life

Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living

Power of the Living Word

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Why can’t we as Christians understand that everything we do matters to someone? Our Christian testimony goes with us in whatever we choose to do.

Somebody is always watching how you act and what you do when you face everyday situations and even major ones that you have no control over. First thing each morning, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in every step you make.

You may never know the positive effect you can have on people for eternity if you will remember that you affect others around you much more than you realize.

Check out my other sites:

Handbook for Victorious Christian Living - practical ways to learn to live a victorious Christian life

Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living

Power of the Living Word

No related posts.

Oh that we could really understand the scope of what He accomplished through His death on the cross. It would radically change our lives forever. I pray that God will truly help me understand!

Amazing Love Video

Check out my other sites:

Handbook for Victorious Christian Living - practical ways to learn to live a victorious Christian life

Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living

Power of the Living Word

Related posts:

1. Have you fallen in love with Jesus?
2. Jesus Died on the Cross to Make Things New Again – Video
3. Video – Oh What A Savior

Faith is hard until you get close enough to God to start to discover His True Character.

Start on that awesome journey right now. You won’t regret it.

I received this in an email, but it sure is an awesome word picture of what Jesus did for us on the cross!

Check out my other sites:

Handbook for Victorious Christian Living – practical ways to learn to live a victorious Christian life

Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living

Power of the Living Word

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But isn’t that what God wants? A person who will trust Him enough to completely step out on faith for something that will totally fail unless God is in it!

Read about this fascinating story below:

A first-hand account of it is in a sermon delivered December 1, 1912 by Russell H. Conwell, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Philadelphia.
Rev. Conwell said the little girl’s name was Hattie May Wiatt.  She lived near a church where the Sunday School was very crowded and he told her that one day they would have buildings big enough to allow every one to attend who wanted to.  Later, Hattie May Wiatt became sick and died.  Rev. Conwell was asked to do the funeral and the girl’s mother told him that Hattie May had been saving money to help build a bigger church and gave him the little purse in which she had saved 57 cents.  Rev. Conwell had the 57 cents turned into 57 pennies, told the congregation the story of little Hattie May and sold the pennies for a return of about $250.  In addition, 54 of the original 57 pennies were returned to Rev. Conwell and he later put them up on display.  This was in 1886 when 57 cents was no small savings account for a little girl from a poor family.  Some of the members of the church formed what they called the Wiatt Mite Society which was dedicated to making Hattie May’s 57 cents grow as much as possible and to buy the property for the Primary Department of the Sunday school.  A house nearby was purchased with the $250 that Hattie May’s 57 cents had produced and the rest is history.  The first classes of Temple College, later Temple University, were held in that house.  It was later sold to allow Temple College to move and the growth of Temple, along with the founding of the Good Samaritan Hospital (Now the Temple University Hospital) have been powerful testimonies to Hattie May Wiatt’s dream.

Click on the link below to read the full text of Dr. Conwell’s sermon.

The History of 57 Cents

Check out my other sites:

Handbook for Victorious Christian Living – Practical ways to learn to live a victorious Christian life

Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living

Power of the Living Word

No related posts.