THE GIVER OR THE GIFTS?

On Sunday morning I had the 'different' experience of sitting in our church back here in New Zealand - a member of a predominantly 'white' congregation listening to an African preacher! Completely the opposite of being the speaker to a Ugandan congregation!

The preacher, Luke Tamu, made a comment just in passing that caught my attention. In essence he asked whether we love 'the Giver', or 'the gifts' we receive from the Giver. This is a profound question, particularly in this day and age when the emphasis in life generally has turned from 'giving' towards 'receiving'. Most people in society today look for what they can get rather than what they can give. Regrettably this attitude has permeated much of the Church. So many of us attend church for what we can get out of it, rather than what we can put in. To receive gifts, rather than to glorify the Giver.

Yet the Bible is firmly based on the principle of 'giving'. Giving our love to God - and to others. It is the 'Golden Rule', the greatest commandment of all. Simply, it sums up our walk with Jesus. What we get should be a pleasant by-product, not the focus of our attention and effort. For God's order is different to that of man. To be raised up we must first be humbled. To give is more precious than to receive. And yes, to love is more important than to be loved.

As my walk with Jesus has deepened, I have found out more of the power of these truths that the world thinks of as being foolish. I love my God, honour, adore and worship Him. And I find, the more I do the more of His blessings I receive! But our love is not to be 'blessings dependant'. We are simply to love Him for who He is, and for no other reason at all. It's only then that we receive in full measure, all He has for each one of us.

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FROM THE WORD

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

" “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ”‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” " (Matthew 22:36-40)

DAVID'S DOODLINGS

*** We must exercise faith to accept God's grace. But once done, God returns the compliment in unlimited measure.

*** God creates a mountain of faith out of a molehill of obedience.

*** Grace and faith make God's world go round.

There are now over 400 David sayings for you to view at ...

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SINGAPORE - WHERE EAST AND WEST MEET

Singapore is a unique country in the world order. For in this amazing tiny island systematically housing a pulsating population of 4 million people, East and West are blended into a dynamic city state. It has attempted to select the best of the West and apply it in an Eastern way, often highly successfully, sometimes not so well.

My eyes were drawn not to the magnificent buildings, the focused educational or social systems, but to a taxi! A single taxi! As we were driving to the airport to catch the plane back to New Zealand, I caught a glimpse of the said vehicle as we passed it on the motorway. It was covered in advertising, as are so many taxis right round the world. That was quite normal. But my eyes were drawn directly to the wheels as iron to a magnet. For in each of the two hubcaps I could see, I was able to read a sponsor's word. This would be normal if the taxi had been stationery, but not when it was travelling at 80kmh! For the laws of physics and my experience automatically told me that the wheels should be revolving far too fast to read anything! Yet they weren't! Some clever person had designed a system where the wheel would revolve while the hubcap independently stayed still! Amazing! The ultimate in advertising! For some reason this typified the ingenuity of Singapore to me. A real cross cultural experience!

TAPE (MP3) OF THE WEEK

In association with Inspirational Tapes Ministries
inspirational.org.nz we are pleased to offer you this inspirational tape - absolutely free of charge!

THE GOD WHO MAJORS IN FORGIVENESS - Radio Broadcast 26/5/02

By Ian Coker

Ian runs an excellent, down to earth Radio Ministry in Australia. His material is well worth listening to and has proved very popular in the past.

Order your free tape or run the MP3 today at ...

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JUST JOKES

TECHNOLOGY
"If automotive technology had kept pace with computer technology over the past few decades," boasts Gates, "you would now be driving a V-32 instead of a V-8, and it would have a top speed of 10,000 miles per hour. Or, you could have an economy car that weighs 30 pounds and gets a thousand miles to a gallon of gas. In either case, the sticker price of a new car would be less than $50."

"Sure," says the GM chairman. "But would you really want to drive a car that crashes four times a day?"

ELEMENTARY
The other day I went to the bookstore to buy a dictionary. The clerk showed me a really cheap one. I couldn't find the words to thank him. I did, however, buy a thesaurus. I thought that was very nice, pleasurable, agreeable.

Visit our Just Jokes page for lots more fun at...

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FACTS FOR FUN

LAST WEEKS QUESTION: How far can a kangaroo jump?

ANSWER: A large kangaroo can clear more than thirty feet in one jump.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Where and when was the first underground train line opened?

Answer Next Week.

***SOME FUN FACTS***

A HEALTHY DIET!
According to a December BOSTON GLOBE report from Xi'an, China, the Three Brothers Scorpion Restaurant claims to be the first in the country to reintroduce the 18th-century fascination with the scorpion into domestic cuisine, based on the health benefits. Scorpion venom, reduced in potency by a six-month process of preparation, is believed to aid against fever, chills, skin problems, immune disorders, bad kidneys, and possibly tumours. Other favourite dishes of Three Brothers are silkworm larvae, cicadas on sticks, and poisonous tree ants. The cure worse than the problem?

REDNECK HEAVEN
You name it; Americans will turn it into a contest. At the annual Redneck Games in East Dublin, GA, contestants compete at seed spitting, bobbing for pigs' feet, and mud pit belly-flopping, to name just a few of the unique events. More than red necks after this lot!

ALL BY CHANCE?
The epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin, sheds itself at a rate of about a million cells every 40 minutes. In the second it takes to turn the page of a book, you will lose about 3 million red blood cells. During that same second, your bone marrow will have produced the same number of new ones.

The average square inch of skin holds 650 sweat glands, 20 blood vessels, 60,000 melanocytes (pigment cells), and more than a thousand nerve endings. Not all by chance!

A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU!

Y
O
U
R
GAMBLING
L
I
F
E

Answer at the end of ‘A David Musing’

Find 150 fun facts and trivial trivia at ...

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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES

***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused***

GOOD PARENTAGE
A young woman teacher with obvious liberal tendencies explains to her class of small children that she is an atheist. She asks her class if they are atheists too. Not
really knowing what atheism is but wanting to be like their teacher, their hands explode into the air like fleshy fireworks.

There is, however, one exception. A beautiful girl named Lucy has not gone along with the crowd. The teacher asks her why she has decided to be different.

"Because I'm not an atheist."

Then, asks the teacher, "What are you?"

"I'm a Christian."

The teacher is a little perturbed now, her face slightly red. She asks Lucy why she is a Christian.

"Well, I was brought up knowing and loving Jesus. My mum is a Christian, and my dad is a Christian, so I am a Christian."

The teacher angrily says, "That's no reason."

"What if your mom was a moron, and your dad was a moron. What would you be then?"

She paused, smiled and said, "Then, I'd be an atheist."

125 sermon fillers for your entertainment and use at ...

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IF YOU HAVE TIME YOU MIGHT LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK AT...

This was my very first poem, written during a really hard period in my life. For we had
lost our business and I was fighting desperately, ultimately unsuccessfully, to stave off
bankruptcy. Written in the days before I became a Christian, (it took bankruptcy to do
that – some of us are slow learners!) but I was starting to look at what really are the
important things in life.

It can be found at...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/waxing.php?poemId=00016

SEEKING PRAYER PARTNERS

Every successful ministry is built upon the foundation of prayer. We are fortunate in having a diverse range of prayer partners right around the world. But we would like more, for we are greedy for prayer! An allowable greed, I'm sure! If you feel led to support our ministry in this very valuable way, please click on this link and drop me a line at

david@wwj.org.nz

It is not too onerous, as we only email a prayer letter detailing what is happening in the ministry, together with specific prayer requests, every month or so. We would love to have you on the team!

A DAVID MUSING

Home seems to be becoming a place to unpack the bags for just a little longer than places to be travelled to! It is amazing how God works - in his time. For we are now looking at a trip to India and perhaps Malaysia, during November. We still have a gap or two to fill to complete the trip, so if you feel we can help your ministry in these areas, please let me know on david@wwj.org.nz

When I look back on the past 12 months and see what has happened, both with this newsletter and the personal ministry opportunities it has opened up, I am just so grateful to God for His goodness. To Him be all the praise. For all that is required of us is to be open to doing His will. Sounds easy, but it isn't always. Particularly when we have to wait - and learn - and change! But that's just the way it is in the economy of our God. For He knows best!

His servant and yours

David Tait

Word Puzzle Answer: Gambling with your life.

LINKS

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ABOUT US

WALKING WITH JESUS MINISTRIES is a non-profit, non-denominational, Bible based ministry located in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. A ministry dedicated to developing discipleship, fostering unity amongst God’s people to achieve the Great Commission, and in doing so, preparing for Christ’s return. It is securely based upon the foundational principles of the Apostles Creed while recognising the wide and rich diversity of beliefs amongst Christians in other areas. In accordance with the Lord’s direction, materials produced by the ministry are available, free of charge, to genuine enquirers upon request. The ministry is solely funded by donations, as the Lord provides. A list of materials available (plus some fun!) is obtainable and freely downloadable from our website
wwj.org.nz or by contacting us as follows.

Walking With Jesus Ministries
P O Box 5160
Mount Maunganui
New Zealand

Phone: (07) 575-7164 International (0064) 7575-7164
Fax: (07) 575-7124 International (0064) 7575-7124
Email: enquiries@wwj.org.nz
Web: wwj.org.nz

Our role is to bless and encourage those in ministry while promoting co-operation and unity of direction amongst the body of Christ, as emphasised 3 times by Jesus in His longest prayer, immediately prior to His arrest and crucifixion. "… so that they may be one as we are one." (John 17:12, 21, 23-4) Our website is currently being developed to encourage your participation one with another, to share resources, and to enable you to promote events and items of interest to the body as a whole – and have a smile while doing it!

For comments upon and contributions to this service, please contact
david@wwj.org.nz