The “bull’s eye” may not be hit by the rifleman whose hand is uncertain, and his footing infirm. The goal will never be reached by the runner who swerves from a straight course, and wanders into a pathless wilderness. The student will accomplish nothing who flies from study to study with the restlessness of disease; and no man, whatever his condition or mental powers, will win or deserve success, unless he fixes upon some special object to be carried out, and through cloud and sunshine steadily perseveres in his settled purpose.
Purpose, indeed, is the very essence the main element of a heroic character. It was purpose which animated Ignatius Loyola in his ascetic labors; in persecution, and captivity, and physical suffering, still toiling at the fulfillment of his cherished design, the establishment of that “Society of Jesus,” whose influence on the world’s history has been so signal and remarkable. Martin Luther’s purpose” achieved the Reformation. Oliver Cromwell’s purpose” turned the tide of battle at Naseby, and placed him in the seat of the English Kings. Mahoney’s “purpose” built up a mighty empire and fixed the firm foundations of a new creed. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “purpose” was to build a powerful non violent movement and bring people of color excess to the ballot box. Barack Obama “purpose” was to create a movement of change that would propel him to the President of the United States of America and the leader of the free world.
The man who concentrates his energies upon the fulfillment of an unalterable design will assuredly wring success from the hands of a reluctant fortune. Such a man will take no heed of “impossibilities.” “Impossible?” exclaimed Napoleon, “there is nothing impossible; it is a word only found in the dictionary of fools.” Jesus said, “If you have the faith of a grain of mustard seed, nothing will be impossible for you.” The difference between genius and mediocrity lies chiefly in this matter of “purpose” for true genius has, what mediocrity usually wants, the capacity of labor. “Work and purpose” is the moral of every heroic life.
In everything we do, it is not the actual physical actions themselves that create the results, but it is the mindset we have while doing it. The physical actions themselves are a means by which we channel the energy of intent into physical manifestation. It is the energy of intent we do things with that determines the outcome we get. This is the secret that explains why different people can do the same exact things but get very different results. In truth, Mind is Principle over everything in life that we engage in.
Learning to use your mind power to control your physical body is your key to your weight reduction. There is no genie in the bottle that is going to help you lose weight. You can listen to all the commercials and so call experts tell you about the greatest methods they have discovered that will help you lose weight and you can end up spending hundreds and even thousands of dollars trying to drop those extra pounds and yes for a short time you might be able to lose a few of those pounds because someone has convinced you that you really could and you yourself has told yourself that you were going to do it this time.
Look around any city and you will see all kinds of gym springing up. Radio and TV commercials advertising great rates for the first time user, you see some people with great looking bodies coming out of those beautiful places and you say wow, I want to get my body looking like that. Well guest what, you can get your body into any desired physical condition that you may desire. And yes, going to the gym will help, but it is not the key to your body becoming physically sculptured.
The first thing you must remember is the word, “Desire” keep this word in the fore front of your mind. Pray on it, meditate on it, and write it down and all the time ask yourself, what is it that I desire? Why do I desire it? When you answer these questions, allow that desire to become a burning desire within you. So much so, that everywhere you go, and everything that you do, you will feel that burning desire deep within your soul to make a change in your life. It is that burning desire to make that change that will propel you into action in such a way that you will begin to feel thinner, you will look into the mirror and see yourself at the desired weight loss and sculptured figured you desired for yourself.
The second thing you must remember is the word, “Belief.” You see nothing happens until you can believe within your mind that it can happen. You can go to the gym and work out daily, take all kinds of diet pills, sign onto all the weight loss programs in the world, but until you believe it in your own mind that you really can lose 10, 20, 50, 100 pounds or any desired amount nothing is going to happen. The reason so many people become so discussed with their weight loss programs, is that the people don’t always tell you the whole truth. All they care about is getting your money and then you are really left on your own. Another reason is that a great many of them don’t understand the secret to weight loss and therefore how can they really help you when they have not come into the reality of how the power of the minds works. You must believe it in order to conceive it and then have it. Set your weight lost goal, set a reasonable time frame in which to achieve it, then believe in your mind that you are going to achieve it and then wow, you would have achieve what everyone has been telling you that could not be done.
The third thing you must remember is the word, “Faith.” Faith must be your central focus point to keeping you on track towards reaching your desired goal. Remember what faith is: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1).” This is not a definition of faith, but it is a description of what faith does when one takes it and truly believes that it will work for them. This word substance means “essence” or “reality.” Faith treats things hoped for as reality. When your reality is centered upon your weight reduction program and you do not allow doubt to enter into your desired goal, the results will be faith in action. The word “Evidence” means “proof” or “conviction.” Faith itself proves that what is unseen is real. Whatever you have fixed in your mind to make happen in reducing your weight to your desired goal, although it may not be seen with the physical eye at this very moment, but the mind’s eye sees it, accepts it, and then begins to execute your request to bring it into reality at your desired date and time.
The fourth thing you must remember is the word, “Intent.” What is your intent for wanting to lose weight? What purpose will it serve you? Your intent must be clear and communicated to your mind through a clear thought process. Allowing your mind the opportunity to gather unto itself all the necessary forces of energy it needs to transform you into the person you desire to be. Be certain about what you want and why you want it. Let your intent become crystal clear in your mind.
The fifth and final point you must remember is the word, “Transform.” The word transform simply means to change. You see if you want to lose weight for any reason, there must be a change in your thinking. Everything begins and ends in the mind. In order for you to lose weight, you have to think it. If you want a sculptured body, thinking about how you would look, the clothes you would wear and how others would be attracted to you. Your mind is an energy field. It attracts to it the thoughts that are broad cast into it by your very own thoughts. A negative thought attracts negative things. Positive thoughts attract positive things. Therefore if you think eating health foods will help you be health and help to reduce your weight, it will do just that. The law of attraction is at work here. Weather it is good or bad, your mind will produce the desired results that you ask it to do. The Bible teaches us to ask, believe and we shall receive. You were created with the mind of God. A mind that can create, build up and tear down. Whatever you want your mind to do, it is there at your command waiting for instructions from you. You have the power to change whatever circumstances that you are now facing. Nothing in your life is impossible to you. The transforming from the old to the new begins with you. It all begins in your mind. You must change your thinking from the, “I can’t” to the “I can.” I can do all things through God who strengths me. The weight that I have on now is only temporary. I can reduce my weight by 50 pounds within the next 10 months by transforming my thinking, executing this formula and excepting nothing less than my own reality. With that in mind the brand new me is a done deal.
Paul says in Romans, chapter five, that we are justified by faith (v. 1). Faith means trustingGod to love us, because of what he did in Jesus Christ, and entrusting ourselves wholeheartedly to that divine love. Salvation is by grace — we do not deserve God’s favor toward us and we can never earn it. We access this grace by faith, which means that we must always look outside ourselves for our salvation (2 Tim. 1:12).
We cannot perform the work which results in our salvation, for Jesus has already done that, once for all time. We cannot add to that finished work, or improve on it. We can only trust God to be gracious to us as he promises in Christ. If we picture grace as the room of God’s favor, we may think of faith as the door into that room (Rom. 5:1-2).
God accepts us because of Christ’s work on our behalf. We enjoy that grace by accepting it as fact, trusting it as sufficient, and throwing ourselves on it in total and eternal abandon, to become servants of righteousness and true holiness in Christ. We do not earn God’s favor. We can not ever please Him enough to be given His blessings. We certainly could never pay for our own sins and be saved. But in Christ God has brought together the justice that is his nature and the weakness that is ours: Christ became a man and took our place.
God’s grace deals with the weakness of our flesh because salvation does not depend on our weak flesh — Jesus has earned it for us already! It also takes into account God’s holiness, because sin is punished — by the death of God’s sinless Son! And so Paul can say to the Ephesians’ Christians:
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast (Eph. 2:8-9).
FLOWERS ARE THE TRUE EXPRESSION OF GOD’S LOVE AND BEAUTY
LIVING IN THE ESSENCE AND BEAUTY OF MY FLOWER GARDEN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHIRLEY RHODES
Flowers are known as the reproductive organ in plants and when combined into a bouquet there’s beauty and sweet aroma to enjoy. So I set before you to enjoy the Essence and Beauty of My Flower Garden.
The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land. Song of Solomon 2:12
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogantor rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35
I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon Hosea 14:5
My beloved has gone down to his garden to the beds of spices, to graze in the gardens and to gather lilies. I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine; he grazes among the lilies. Song of Solomon 6:2-3
Learning to listen to others requires much discipline, and discipline requires patience. We have gotten so use to babbling that we forgot how to listen and understand what others are saying. Now if you understood anything about those first two sentences, and are ready to listen to the words that are being to spoken you today, you might be able to walk in the newest of life and find much more joy, peace, contentment and happiness in your relationships.
Our mouth and that little thing called our tongue gets us into a world of trouble at times. If we would put a zipper on our mouth and be swift to listen and slow to speak, we can transform our lives in ways unimaginable at other times. For believers, this is a lesson you must practice daily. For non-believers, you must seek the Lord for guidance and salvation in order to begin the process, because God‘s perfect law must be put into practice in our speech. Why? Because God’s law is truth, and the law sets people free. It is only in obeying God that true freedom can be found. As Christian’s, we are saved by God’s grace, and salvation frees us from sin‘scontrol, speaking and not listen. As believers we are free to live as God created us to live. Of course, this does not mean that we are free to do as we please.
This image was selected as a picture of the week on the Czech Wikipedia for th week, 2007. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Now let us clearly understand this one truth, and that is, we must be swift to listen and slow to speak. The expression be quick to listen is a beautiful way of capturing the idea of active listening as it is taught in (James 1:19). James explains to us that we are not simply to refrain from speaking; we are to be ready and willing to listen. This “quick” listening is obviously to be done with discernment. We are to check what we hear with God’s word. If we don’t listen both carefully and quickly, we are liable to be led into all kinds of false teaching and error.
Quick to listen and slow to speak should be taken together as sides of the same coin. Slowness in speaking means speaking with humility and patience, not with hasty words or nonstop babbling. Constraint talking keeps a person from being able to hear. Wisdom is not always having something to say, it involves listening carefully, considering prayerfully, and speakingquietly. When we talk too much and listen too little, we communicate to others that we think our ideas are much more important than theirs. James wisely advises us to reverse this process. We need to put a mental stopwatch on our conversations and keep track of how much we talk and how much we listen. When people talk to us, do they feel that their viewpoints and ideas have value?
Putting a zipper on one’s mouth and learning to listen requires the same set of skills as an athlete. In order for an athlete to achieve greatest he must persevere in training in order to improve their abilities and endurance for competition, so do we, in order to persevere in spiritual training our senses need to be swift to listen and slow to speak, as we patiently endure testing that will bring maturity and completeness.
We must come to a point in our lives where we know that God’s long term goal for us is maturity and completeness, but his eternal goal for us is the crown of life, a rich expression of hope. We can only arrive at this point we learn to be obedient to the word of God. Know the truth and the truth will set you free. Be swift to listen and slow to speak.PUT A ZIPPER ON YOUR MOUTH AND LEARN TO LISTEN!
HOW THE ENEMY ATTEMPTS TO DESTROY YOU WHEN YOU ARE MINDING YOUR OWN BUSINESS
FREEDOM-A LESSON FROM THE BIRDS OF HOW TO MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS (PHOTO BY PASTOR DAVIS)
Today is a brand new day, and the beginning of a brand new week. You attended the Church of your choice and you were fed the spiritual bread of life by your Pastors that spoke the word of truth and sent you back out into the world to serve that others may be saved from their sins and torment of the old devil. But now you are standing at the gate being falsely accused of crimes against humanity that have no barreling on your life. And you ask WHY? Why me, I am a child of God, I am His Servant, I have not done any of those things that others are accusing me of? I have been minding my own business and doing what has been commanded of me. But still I stand falsely accused of wrong doing, when I am out and about doing the will of God.
Hostile accusers appear out of nowhere; they stand up and badger me. They pay me back misery for mercy, leaving my soul empty. When they were sick, I dressed in black; instead of eating, I prayed. My prayers were like lead in my gut like I’d lost my best friend, my brother. I paced, distraught as a motherless child, hunched and heavyhearted. But when I was down they threw a party! All the nameless riffraff of the town came chanting insults about me. Like barbarians desecrating a shrine, they destroyed my reputation. God, how long are you going to stand there doing nothing? Save me from their brutalities; everything I’ve got is being thrown to the lions. I will give you full credit when everyone gathers for worship; when the people turn out in force I will say my Hallelujahs.
Don’t let these liars, my enemies, have a party at my expense. Those who hate me for no reason,
winking and rolling their eyes, No good is going to come from that crowd; They spend all their time cooking up gossip against those who mind their own business.
They open their mouths in ugly grins, Mocking, “Ha-ha, ha-ha, thought you’d get away with it?
We’ve caught you hands down!” Don’t you see what they’re doing, God? You’re not going to let them get by with it, are you? Not going to walk off without doing something, are you?
Please get up—wake up! Tend to my case. My God, my Lord—my life is on the line. Do what you think is right, God, my God, but don’t make me pay for their good time. Don’t let them say to themselves, “Ha-ha, we got what we wanted.” Don’t let them say, “We’ve chewed him up and spit him out.” Let those who are being hilarious at my expense be made to look ridiculous. Make them wear donkey’s ears; Pin them with the donkey’s tail, who made themselves so high and mighty!
But those who want the best for me, Let them have the last word—a glad shout!— and say, over and over and over, “God is great—everything works together for good for his servant.” I’ll tell the world how great and good you are, I’ll shout Hallelujah all day, every day. (Psalm 35:11-28 MSG)
BE ENCOURAGED, do not allow the enemy to still your joy, keep your hands in Gods’ hand and allow Him to fight your battles. Stay focus on the prize, and always MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!
Good Morning Children of God, if it’s Sunday, it is time for you to get your Praise on and we are here to help you do just that. God wants us to praise Him not just some times but at all times. We must be willing to lift Him up in high Praise no matter what the situation may be in our lives. Now let’s begin our praise Service with Psalm 150 performed by The Jubilation Gospel Choir.
This is truly a powerful message, and when you learn to praise God in the manner the Bible teaches us to do, don’t be surprise when God opens the windows of Heaven and pour you out a blessing that your bank account cannot contain.
SISTER SHIRLEY RHODES
Our Messenger for today’s service is: SISTER SHIRLEY RHODES
LET US PRAY!Heavenly Father, we lift up our Holy Hands and Bow our Heads before the throne of grace in honor of you Father, giving you all the Praise and Glory, for you are truly worthy to be praised. We thank you Father for this special honor of being placed in a position to minister your word of truth to all the people you bring into this ministry week in and week out to receive your word of truth. Father we pray that you will pour a special blessing out over each one of their lives, strengthen them where they are weak, healing them that are sick and flicked, fill the stomachs of those that are hunger and thirsty. Bring Salvation to those that are loss and drowning in sin. Use me Heavenly Father as your Servant, that all your Children may see in me your good works that they too may come before the throne of grace and cry out, “I yield, I yield, I yield, take me Father, for I too want to serve you anyway I can. In Jesus name, Amen!
God has brought us through the trials and tribulations of another week, giving us one more opportunity to praise and worship Him. He gave me a message to give to you, and this is the Message that God placed on my heart and commanded me to speak it to all His Children where ever they may be. The Message God has given me is titled: FINDING PEACE AND STRENGTH BY TRUSTING GOD
Joy (gladness): God is your salvation, strength, joy, and a song in your heart when you know that he is in every-thing you set forth to do. You can say to your soul, God is my salvation; I will trust him, I will not be afraid; therefore, you will draw water out of the wells of salvation (Isaiah: 12: 2-3).
As you set aside time to study and pray, free of distractions you find yourself in a position of revelation and receiving strength to move forward within the obstacle course of life. Even in the process there will always be moments you will feel the intense presence of the Holy Spirit, that’s when you are assured God’s favor is life, weeping may endure for a night but joy (singing) comes in the morning along with peace.
In Joy trust the Lord because he has made it known, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you are to go, I will guide you with my eye (Psalm32:8). No weapons formed against you shall prosper when you allow God to be the center of your life.
Joy should be one of your first praises when you wake and arise in the morning. Ask God to bring rain into drought stricken lives so that we all are able to start our day with praise and thanksgiving for his blessings. Thank him for your wellbeing and insight into his unlimited mercy and grace.
Look at your physical body and be thankful that he chooses your temple as a place for his Spirit to dwell in. Let joy flow freely through your thoughts, attitudes, and character filled with fresh anointing as you embrace the splendid blessings of how beautiful and special you are in Gods’ eyes.
Joy allows us to awake every morning to directions and life filled with promise. You may face obstacles that seem unbearable through-out or at some point during your assigned journey and think “How in the world am I capable of accomplishing such a task?”
Think on this: The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. The life maps of God are right, showing the way to joy. The directions of God are plain… (Psalm: 19: 7-9, MGS).
Trust God, release whatever it is that seems to cause you to struggle, relax and watch him work, he will fulfill your joy at the time appointed; not your will but His will be done.
So, when you’ve come to the close of your day, week, month, and year, allow words of praise to flow freely to the One who has been your guide along the way. Better yet; Come, let’s shout praises to God, and let’s march into his presence singing praises, worship and bow before him because we are the people he pastures, the flock he feeds (Psalm: 95: 1-7). He is so worthy of all praise!
LET US PRAY! Father I thank you for using me as your messenger in this Prayer, Praise and Worship Service today. I thank you for all the people who took the time to fill their minds with your word of truth this morning. We ask you Heavenly Father to bless our leaders and our Nation and the World Body that we all may live in Peace and Contentment. In Jesus name, Amen!
Now let us leave you with this short Inspirational Video that it may fill any void that may be in your life at this very moment.
Thank you for visiting with us today and everyday that you enter into this ministry. We are here as Servants of God to serve you and for-fill the Great Commission of Matthews 28:19-20. We love you and truly do appreciate each one of you, may God add a blessing to your life this day. In Jesus name, Amen!
We as Children of God are living in a fasted paste time frame, and as we live and breathe in all that God has set before us, we seem to find little time for the most precious gift of them all, and that is the gift of CONTENTMENT AND PEACE.
Now let me explain, what the word of God says about CONTENTMENT; “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5 ESV)
Therefore, I encourage you to understand that CONTENTMENT destroys jealously and helps celebrate success in others, it is a trait found deep within and shines forth as light. Through your own CONTENTMENT you’re able to find peace and strength to endure what otherwise would push you to the breaking point.
CONTENTMENT unclaimed, un-recognized hinders ones’ FREEDOM; therefore, they will never truly be free unless this treasured source is tapped into; as the saying goes, “CONTENTMENT is great gain.” The amazing thing about CONTENTMENT is that it is instilled in each of us. Jesus has taught and given the gift of love and that love is unconditional love for all people.
CONTENTMENT is thankfulness for what God has already done in your life; with that, your gifts will bud and blossom touching lives in many ways some in which you may never know. Always remember this one thing; never allow anyone or anything to take away your confidence (faith) in God because he loves you without restrictions, when you allow him to become who you are. It is in Christ you can find PEACE and CONTENTMENT, much different than what the world offers.
Now I Encourage you to Find CONTENTMENT is all you are purposed to do and be at PEACE.
IS YOUR LEADERSHIP VISION CONSISTENT WITH GOD PURPOSE?
Jesus a visionary Leader-In-The-Wilderness-Ivan-Kramskoy
Few things are more important to effective leadership than a VISION. Godly leaders foresee something out there, vague as it might appear from the distance that others do not see. Godly leaders who are followers of Christ must first have a VISION of who God is and the future he holds for them. They must also have a sense of what God has called them to do. Once they understand it, then they must take hold of the leadership role that has been given to them and begin to fulfill the role with a godly vision.
What is the focus of your life? Are you a person of passion for the things of God, or is that passion just a sporadic experience for you? If you had to describe the compelling treasure as a visionary leader in your life, what would it look like?
It is crucial for a leader to know how to identify and cultivate a personal vision. However, where does such a visions originate? When you are in God’s will, understand God’s purpose for your life and are truly ready to follow God’s directions, he will create in you the vision for His will and His purpose for your life. When the Prophet Habakkuk was attempting to understand God’s purpose, he question God and this is what God told him to do, God said, “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” (Habakkuk 2:3-4 ESV)
In his book Visionary Leadership, Burt Nanus defines a VISION as “a realistic, credible, attractive future for your organization. It is your articulation of a destination toward which your organization should aim, a future that is better, more successful, or more desirable for your organization than is the present.” Nanus contends that the right vision “Is an idea so energizing that it in effect jump-starts the future by calling forth the skills, talents, and resources to make it happen.”
Over the course of his ministry, Jesus consistently cast an energizing vision of the coming kingdom of God. He repeatedly described the character and conduct that would define
citizens of that kingdom. The Lord’s vision was so compelling that the twelve disciples left everything to follow his lead. Thousands of others also took their direction from him.
Yet, in spite of the Lord’s consistent message, the disciples had a hard time grasping the fact that ushering in the kingdom of God would require suffering. When Jesus clearly explained his impending death, Peter rebuked him for making such an assertion. He was probably shocked when the Lord abruptly turned the tables and said, “Get behind me, Satan!” Peter’s problem was that he allowed his personal and self-centered agenda to box in God’s plan. Ultimately, such self-serving visions are satanically inspired.
Leaders need to be sure their vision is consistent with God’s purpose. Moreover, when cross currents threaten to sweep the vision into another channel, they must work to keep it heading in the right direction. They cannot allow self-serving interests—their own or someone else’s—to distort their vision of the future and prevent God’s purposes from being fulfilled. That is why we must continually ask the question, “IS YOUR LEADERSHIP VISION CONSISTENT WITH GOD PURPOSE?”
YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN Jesus said “Feed my sheep”(John 21:15-17).
WRITTEN BY SHIRLEY RHODES
Mt Airy Presbyterian Church Mt. Airy, Ga. (Photo by Pastor Davis)
Our Church leaders are Chosen Leaders, handpicked by God and called to suit up and go into the mission field on their assigned task to shepherd and guide, and then placed in the unique position to make defining decisions and choices that can have a profound impact on a few or many. Our leaders in the church are called and expected to keep diligent watch over the flock. That is the pattern and design expected when one accepts their calling knowing it comes with incredible responsibility.
Placed in their care are people who bring many loads of heavy burdens, looking for a way to find peace and joy as they are about this earthly journey. People from all walks of life seeking hope, lost, weary and tired wanting rest, a release from those things that keeps them in bondage.
Our leaders are therefore placed in position to minister to those souls as directed by the Holy Spirit, knowing they hold very fragile children in their hands. They are now given the authority through Christ to shape and mold lives for the kingdom of God, to feed the flock.
Remember, Jesus and how he was crucified outside the city gates–where he poured out the sacrificial blood that was brought to God’s alter to cleanse his people. His sacrifice is a reminder to our leaders as to their purpose and calling, who must walk in obedience, faith and be examples of godliness as he accepts the torch to carry out his mission as assigned. The mission of kingdom building is not one to be taken lightly or for granted because souls are at risk.
Our Leaders are to be visible and able to relate to the needs of their followers, meaning that in order to accomplish their assigned mission they should follow the pattern of Jesus. Scripture puts it this way; let’s go outside, where Jesus is, where the action is–not trying to be privileged insiders, but taking our Share in the abuse of Jesus. This “insider world” is not our home. We have eyes peeled for the City about to come. Let’s take our place outside with Jesus, no longer pouring out sacrificial blood of animals but pouring out praises from our lips to God in Jesus’ name (Hebrews 13:13-15, MGS).
We as seekers of peace and righteousness are to be responsive to pastoral leaders, listen to their counsel because they should be alert to the condition of our lives and work under the strict supervision of God. We are to contribute to the joy of their leadership, not drudgery; we are to pray for them that they be diligent in their assigned mission.
Our Leaders are accountable to God and its plain in Gods’ Word the responsibility expected of them. God says,” My sheep were scattered because they were without a shepherd and they became prey when they were scattered; I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock”. (Ezekiel: 34).
After Jesus had risen from the dead and before his ascension as he gave final instructions to his disciples: Jesus asked Peter, “Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me more than these”, three times. When he responded “Yes”, Jesus said, “Feed my sheep”(John 21:15-17). This is a reminder to our Leaders, don’t take your calling or position lightly. YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED, CHOSEN.
11/06/2008
PASTOR DAVIS/MASTER TEACHER
