GREENE STREET LETTERS: Be Ye Glad

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Be Ye Glad

I Chronicles 16:31
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad, and let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns."

My heart is filled with joy and gladness when I think on my Jesus.
When I think on the cross and the amount of suffering and pain He went through.....
Knowing that it was for me (and you) that he endured, I am overwhelmed with gladness.
When I think on the fact that I can get up this morning and have the ability and health to move around. To study His word. To pray and have a quiet time with Him.....I am filled with joy and gladness.

When I think on how far He has brought me, the troubles and trials that Vicki and I have faced, and through it all, one redeeming thought stands....God is at work in this world, and in this life.....I am filled with joy and gladness.

When my name is called across a room or as I'm walking down the street and I turn to see someone who came through the program, and they are doing well. I am filled with joy and gladness.

When life turns and hard and tries to beat me down, I turn my thoughts to the promises of God.....to heaven and how it will be in the presence of Jesus...then I am filled with joy and gladness. The emotional clouds part and the light of God floods my soul.

What an incredible gift God has given us in the form of joy and gladness. Oh the world has tired to copy it, but what they offer is a hollow shell compared to the real thing given from God's hand.

Don't let this life and this world rob you of finding God's joy and gladness this morning. Ask Him to fill you up, overflowing and running over. Then go out and face the day. Who knows....you might splash on someone else who needs a little joy and gladness.

God on you....
mb

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Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Be Ye Glad

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD