T.J.I.F.A.
THANK JESUS IT'S FRIDAY AGAIN!
PASS IT ON…& ON…& ON…& ON.
JULY 22, 2005
READERS, NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY EXTRA QUANTITIES OF SCHOOL SUPPLIES. YOU'LL ALWAYS NEED THEM, AND THEY'LL NEVER BE CHEAPER THAN NOW.
SUBJECT: "LOVE"
DO YOU EVER WONDER HOW JESUS COULD, CAN OR WILL LOVE YOU? THIS IS A SECRET WONDERING THAT MANY WON'T EVEN BREATHE. WELL, THIS WEEK, TJIFA GLANCES AT THIS AGE OLD THOUGHT. KEEP A STIFF UPPER LIP AS YOU…ENJOY – LOVE.
NOTEWORTHY: A QUOTE FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS REGARDING YOUR CHOSEN STATUS.
TJIFA'S BOOK SHELF: OUR BOOK CHOICE THIS MONTH IS "GETTING THROUGH THE TOUGH STUFF." BY CHARLES SWINDOLL. THE SUBJECTS OF THIS BOOK TOUCH THE HEART AND UNCOVER THE HIDDING PLACES WHERE SATAN HAS HAD DOMINION. IT'S A MUST KEEP FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.
FRIDAY'S WORD: THE LOVE OF GOD
IN THE MIRROR: A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
O TASTE AND SEE! PEACH COBBLER, WITH DOUBLE CRUST. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE COBBLER THAT OUR BFF GANG ENJOYED LAST WEEK. SUBMITTED BY FWR…ENJOY!
LOOKING FORWARD
SEE YA NEXT TIME!
TER
LOVE
John 14:1-3; 20,21; 23-25.
HOW COULD HE LOVE ME?
Gazing steadfastly into the mirror, I saw every flaw;
Every pimple, every wayward hair.
My skin was weather worn and irregular.
My eyes never really looked straight ahead;
They were always slightly off, even the color was indistinguishable.
My nose was either too big or too little;
only the observer knew.
BUT GOD . . .
Some say that my size was too little or too big;
My feet…the same.
Popular magazines and literature agreed that;
I was far from normal.
What is normal? Is normal poor or rich?
Is normal tall or short? Is it black, white, red, yellow or bronze?
Is normal an American, Chinese, Japanese, Russian,
African, Israeli, Mexican, or European?
What kind of food does normal eat?
Does normal eat once every other day, or three times a day?
Does normal live in a house or a shack?
What kind of car does normal drive? Or does normal even drive a car?
Where is the real normal?
With all of these prerequisites and standards, I know that I couldn't be…normal.
BUT GOD . . .
HOW CAN HE LOVE ME?
Through all of my misgivings and mistakes;
Through all of my bad choices and upside down thoughts;
Through the bad life and the so called, good life;
Through the rain of foggy thinking and no faith;
Through the snow of poverty, lack and want;
Through the thrills of sin and worthless living;
Through pain, trials, sickness and death;
Through despair, drunkenness, desire and depression;
Through the evils of prejudice, divorce, and doubt;
Through anxiety and fear;
Through scrambled mental states and suicide,
There is a redeeming factor.
BUT GOD . . .
HOW DID HE LOVE ME?
He divided the light from the darkness;
And He became the Light;
Which is the life of men.
He whispered into the ears of Prophets;
To shout His coming on the roof tops.
And, when every detail was established;
He brushed off His robe of royalty;
And coordinated a "Suit of Sorrows Acquainted with Grief."
He called fish into a net;
And men into His ministry…Even Judas.
He fed the hungry, healed the sick and caused sight to return to the blind;
He drove demons out of men, women, boys and girls.
He gave hope to the hopeless and faith to the faithless;
He exhibited His fiery shameless love to many.
He planted; watered; and caused to increase, the tree,
From which His cross was made.
He chose the nails;
That held Him to the cruel cross.
He petted, watered and fed, the sheep;
Who gave the wool for His seamless robe.
He pardoned a thief, like you and me;
Before He hung His head and died.
He gave life and strength to the guards ;
Who secured Him to the cross;
And cast lots for His seamless robe;
And, after His premature death, pierced His side;
To verify His fatal and final demise.
And…He died.
BUT GOD . . .
WHAT WILL HIS LOVE LOOK LIKE?
I was the reason for His sacrificial death.
BUT GOD…RAISED HIM UP FROM THE GRAVE ON THE THIRD DAY.
And even though I have misunderstanding and doubts;
Even though I'm not what the world would call ‘normal';
I have fears and anxieties;
BUT GOD SAID . . ."Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." JOHN 14: 1-3.
IS THIS HIS LOVE?
"20At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 21He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." John 14:20-21.
HOW WILL YOU KNOW MY LOVE FOR YOU, JESUS?
"23Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
25These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present WITH YOU." John 14: 23-25.
BUT GOD . . . truly loves me.
AND I . . . TRULY LOVE HIM, TOO!
LOOKING FORWARD
SEE YA NEXT TIME!
TER
NOTEWORTHY:
June 28
Held by the Grip of God
"I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me" (Philippians 3:12).
Never choose to be a worker for God, but once God has placed His call on you, woe be to you if you "turn aside to the right hand or to the left" (Deuteronomy 5:32). We are not here to work for God because we have chosen to do so, but because God has "laid hold of" us. And once He has done so, we never have this thought, "Well, I'm really not suited for this." What you are to preach is also determined by God, not by your own natural leanings or desires. Keep your soul steadfastly related to God, and remember that you are called not simply to convey your testimony but also to preach the gospel. Every Christian must testify to the truth of God, but when it comes to the call to preach, there must be the agonizing grip of God's hand on you—your life is in the grip of God for that very purpose. How many of us are held like that?
Never water down the Word of God, but preach it in its undiluted sternness. There must be unflinching faithfulness to the Word of God, but when you come to personal dealings with others, remember who you are—you are not some special being created in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace.
"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do … I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13–14).
From: "My Utmost For His Highest." By Oswald Chambers.
TJIFA'S BOOKSHELF:
THE HOLY BIBLE
To be chosen to speak the Word of GOD is a great honor; but to be chosen, and not speak that which GOD has given you to speak; or to become puffed up with pride…makes you no better than the chosen donkey of Balaam. TER
"GETTING THROUGH THE TOUGH STUFF." By Charles Swindoll.
"Fast paced lives with high anxiety are the norm today and few get through life without facing crises along the way. Pastor and Author Charles Swindoll invite you to meet Christ at the crossroads and move beyond the tough times of life in ‘Getting through the Tough Stuff.' (Audio Book)
Life and tough stuff go hand in hand. They typically appear as gradually intensifying storms. Sometimes sudden winds of adversity hit hard against us as our barometers take a dive to the bottom of the gage. Maybe you're there right now; maybe that's why you chose this book." (Prologue)
Charles Swindoll has addressed many tough situations some of which are:
The tough stuff of: Temptations – which come like a fork in the road.
Misunderstanding – "To be great is to be misunderstood." Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Anxiety – What's making you bite your nails?
Shame – When it comes to public shame.
Few people think of Jesus when it comes to public shame.
Doubt – To a few, doubt represents rank unbelief, the worse kind of blasphemy; to others, doubt exposes more the raw side of honesty. That part of you that's never seen, until its probe with the penetrating questions of life.
Divorce – There's nothing pretty about divorce. The trauma may be eased by knowing that you can get through the tough stuff.
Confrontation – No one enjoys confrontation; but some people assault others with affronting THEM instead of confronting THEM. You need GOD's perspective to get through the process.
Pain – GOD'S revealed Word depicts Jesus as a man of sorrows acquainted with grief; but we would rather think of Him as the meek carpenter who spoke softly and performed many miracles. To think of Him going through the pain and sufferings of the cross (for us) is unsettling. But Jesus suffered great pain for everyone and until we taste or feel the crucible of pain, we'll not appreciate His sacrifice.
Prejudice – Do you remember the 1960's? A white author literally becomes black to expose racial prejudice.
Hypocrisy – Too many people link Christianity with hypocrisy. Why?
Inadequacy – Have you ever felt so inadequate that you were overwhelmed, and felt like giving up and walking away?
Death – "O death where is thy sting?;O grave where is thy victory?" (1st Cor.15:55)
Tough stuff happens no matter what stage of life you're going through. This easy read book or audio tape helps us understand the power of our Savior, Jesus Christ, in the tough times and stuff of this life.
"I've read it once, and I guarantee that I will keep it handy to go over the tough stuff help in dry places of my life." TER
FRIDAY'S WORD: The Love of God.
First in the consideration of the subject of "love" comes the love of God—He who is love, and from whom all love is derived. The love of God is that part of His nature—indeed His whole nature, for "God is love"—which leads Him to express Himself in terms of endearment toward His creatures, and actively to manifest that interest and affection in acts of loving care and self-sacrifice in behalf of the objects of His love. God is "love" (1 Jn 4:8, 16) just as truly as He is "light" (1 Jn 1:5), "truth" (1 Jn 1:6), and "spirit" (Jn 4:24). Spirit and light are expressions of His essential nature; love is the _expression of His personality corresponding to His nature. God not merely loves, but is love; it is His very nature, and He imparts this nature to be the sphere in which His children dwell, for "he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him" (1 Jn 4:16). Christianity is the only religion that sets forth the Supreme Being as Love. In heathen religions He is set forth as an angry being and in constant need of appeasing.
IN THE MIRROR:
Sitting here thinking of you, it seems appropriate to write you the letter that I most believe you would take time to share with me if there's any evidence of real love care, or true concern. I've been fueled by a positive feedback from you which I desire to use to develop an even stronger interaction which says, we both (all) get to see Jesus because we had the courage to exhort one another in love.
It's hard to get around such news events as the recent attack in London. Not able or willing to bring out any gory details, what seemed to take me the hardest was the person who was a bystander moments before the explosion on a tour bus, told a reporter, "How happy everybody aboard the bus were, waving as they passed by them going down the street." Then seconds from that point, a most unexpected event takes place that gets the attention of the world around.
It not only gives us more to pray about, but there's a greater sense of urgency in my spirit to intensify the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ to encourage the believer, and to better appeal to the unbeliever who may be struggling with what to believe in a world of such ‘uncertainty'.
I wonder more now than in times past if it could be that we've watched so many movies that we are actually desensitized when it comes to the real events which are affecting lives, and changing the spiritual climate around the world. Do we stop to think and realize when someone in a movie gets hurt or killed by any means, they just get back up when the cameras stop rolling, and walk away with a paycheck; but in real life, there is hurt, pain, agony, and almost unbearable grief. . . Do you see the point I'm trying to draw? No-one looks forward to pain, unless it leads to a healing process. (Cancer surgery is surely a painful operation, but if successful, it saves a life.)
Or will you look with me at another perspective. Have you ever noticed how many times the news channels show the pictures of the people responsible for the most heinous acts? They know exactly what the people want to see. We want to see them up close as possible, just in case they resemble the neighbor next door, or the person we work beside every day; We want to look into their eyes, and see if the stare, or glare in their eyes in any way matches the crime in which they're accused; We know the eyes have been said to be the ‘window' of the soul, so if we look long enough, and hard enough, maybe we'll know just what type of person to watch out for next time; and still we don't discern with the measure which only God knows. We tend to ask ourselves, "How could they?"
The Bible answers that question, but do we really want to accept the answer? Can we start with: Jeremiah 17:9,"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" He's referring to the heart of man. Your heart, and my heart. That's not something we're crazy about hearing about, but God has to open us up to His truths before the proper healing can occur.
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
For so long we've wanted to make ‘sin' an act, (as in something we do,) and then all we have to do is just compare ourselves with someone we are convinced is worst than we are, and then we're okay. Only problem is, that's not how God sees it.
Romans 8:3-6 can help us understand a little bit better: "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."
Our happiest moment imaginable is going to change as well as the worst thing imaginable. When you begin to read your Bible given the discernment of the Holy Spirit, God will give you the understanding of the proper balance we are to possess to get through the difficult times in which we live. It is the promise of Eternal Life and the Faith we've been given in Christ Jesus that illustrates our entire perspective and confidence.
God brings into every life a happiness. Its called ‘JOY'. Never contingent on the outer circumstances of our lives, but by a knowing His Spirit is living within us to constitute our joy, and our peace.
In John17:13, Jesus praying to the Father says; "And now come I to thee, and these things I speak into the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves."
There is a principle to be grasped here. God brings joy into our lives not by substitution, but by transformation. Everything that happens in our life, or the lives of others start off with a natural understanding, but the Christian is called to react with a spiritual response, based on the Word of God. Please don't forget we have this Word and we must learn to accept it on the basis of where our real hope, trust, and faith is established.
In closing, I'm reminded of the woman who kindly looked at me and said. . .
"When you die, its all over; That's it!" How's it with you? God Bless, SLC
O TASTE AND SEE!
DOUBLE CRUST PEACH COBBLER
INGREDIENTS:
8 CUPS SLICED FRESH PEACHES(APPROXIMATELY 5 POUNDS) 2CUPS SUGAR
3 TBLSPS. ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
½ TSP GROUND NUTMEG
1 TSP. ALMOND OR VANILLA EXTRACT
1/3 CUP BUTTER OR MARGARINE
PASTRY FOR DOUBLE CRUST 9 INCH PIE
DIRECTIONS:
STIR TOGETHER 1ST FOUR INGREDIENTS IN DUTCH OVEN. (SET ASIDE UNTIL SYRUP FORMS.)
BRING PEACH MIXTURE TO A BOIL; REDUCE TO LOW, AND COOK 10 MINUTES, OR UNTIL TENDER.
REMOVE FROM HEAT
ADD ALMOND EXTRACT OR VANILLA EXTRACT AND BUTTER.
STIR UNTIL BUTTER MELTS.
ROLL HALF OF THE PASTRY TO 1/8 INCH THICKNESS ON LIGHTLY FLOURED SURFACE. CUT PASTRY INTO A 9 INCH SQUARE.
SPOON ½ OF THE SYRUPY PEACHES INTO A BUTTERED 9 INCH SQUARE PAN. PLACE PASTRY SQUARE ON TOP OF THE PEACH MIXTURE.
BAKE AT 475 DEGREES f. FOR 12 MINUTES OR UNTIL LIGHTLY BROWN. REMOVE FROM OVEN.
SPOON THE REST OF THE PEACH MIXTURE ON TOP OF THE BROWNED PASTRY.
ROLL OUT THE SECOND HALF OF PASTRY TO 1/8 INCH THICKNESS ON LIGHTLY FLOURED SURFACE. FORM 9 INCH SQUARE AND CUT INTO 1 INCH STRIPS.
ARRANGE IN LATTICE DESIGN OVER PEACHES.
BAKE 15-18 MORE MINUTES OR UNTIL BROWN. REMOVE FROM OVEN.
SERVE WARM WITH FAVORITE ICE CREAM .
SUBMITTED BY: FWR . . .YOU'LL JUST LOVE IT!