INCORPORATING TGIF FROM THE ICOF

TGIF is now incorporated in PGIM. It is the same material, but which you will now receive on a Monday instead of a Friday.

Thank you for your consideration.

CHRISTIANITY - A CULTURE, ORGANISATION, OR A RELATIONSHIP?

As we saw last week, Jesus was very critical of the Rabbis, who put their 1000's of rules and regulations (theology) above the Scriptures. We also saw that there was a close comparison between the Rabbis and the theologians of today, who endlessly write, study, argue and disagree in books etc., ABOUT the Scriptures rather than studying and contemplating the Scriptures THEMSELVES, in order to develop a close personal relationship with Jesus. (We as people too, are not exempt, as we seek the latest book, TV preacher CD, DVD etc. about God rather than studying the Scriptures to find Him for ourselves.)

Jesus was more critical of the Rabbis than anyone else in His day. In Matthew 23:13-32 .....

Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. (40 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.” Mark 15:40)

People are side-tracked from the kingdom through needless arguments about the theology of 'your denomination or grouping', making you different and better to the church down the road!

15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

People are converted to become Catholics, Baptists, Presbyterian or Pentecostals rather than followers of Jesus.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

How often we worship the 'altar' of our church whether it be a physical place or beliefs that we are taught to hold sacred.

23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

We are taught to follow the 'legal' rules of our church system. What clothing is acceptable, our form of worship, tithing, acceptable behaviour, and many more.

25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

We are expected to look good on the outside, hale and hearty at church, but what happens at home is overlooked.

29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

Oh dear! If only..... Excuses, excuses.....

33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.

But there are some true teachers, centered upon Jesus and the Word who will come and bring the revelation of God for today. Inevitably, as has happened through the ages, the bearers of the next revelation will be persecuted by others, particularly those who had the last one!

James too, issued a warning to teachers....

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. (James 3:1)

Sadly, man gets in the way of God! It has been this way throughout all of history. From one of the oldest books in the Bible.....

Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction. 22 “God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him? 23 Who has prescribed his ways for him, or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’?

And from Psalms,,,,,

Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. 99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. 100 I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. (Psalm 119:98-100)

The Christian walk is centered upon relationship with our God, not our precious theology. May we, like King David in his, meditate upon and obey the statutes, the lifestyle witnessed and taught to us by Jesus. Then The Lord may be able to say about us too....

After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ (Acts 13:22)

Amen

Continued next week.

Find out more about us at.....

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FROM THE WORD

THE WORDS OF JESUS

May we hear what the Lord is saying to us.

Crippled Woman Healed on the Sabbath (Luke 13:10-17)
Contrary to accepted religious thought, with Jesus being criticized by the synagogue leader.

“You’re freed of your sickness.”
“You hypocrites! Doesn’t every one of you untie your ox or donkey from the stall and take it to drink? Why shouldn’t this woman, this daughter of Abraham whom Satan has kept tied up for eighteen years, be untied and set free this Sabbath day?”

Parables about a Mustard Seed and Yeast (Luke 13:18-21)
Kingdom illustrations.

“So what is the kingdom of God like? What should I compare it to? It’s like a mustard seed that a man planted in his garden. It grew into a tree, and the birds came and nested in its branches.”
He asked again, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It’s like yeast that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour which made the whole batch rise.”

The Jews Confront Jesus’ Claim to be The Christ (John 10:24-39)
In the Temple at the Feast of Dedication.

“I already told you and you refuse to believe it. The miracles I do in my Father’s name prove who I am. You don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. 27My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life; they shall never be lost, and no one can snatch them from me. My Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone else; no one can snatch them from him. I and the Father are one.”
“You’ve seen many good deeds that I’ve done from the Father. Which one are you stoning me for?”
“Isn’t it written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’?” He called those people ‘gods,’ the people to whom the word of God came—and Scripture can’t be altered. So why are you saying the one whom the Father set apart and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said ‘I am the Son of God’? If I’m not doing what my Father does, then don’t believe me. But if that is what I’m doing, even though you don’t believe me, you should believe because of the evidence of what I’ve done. That way you can know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.

(Continued next week.)

You can download the complete 'Words of Jesus' here.

http://www.wwj.org.nz/pdf/wwj46p57.pdf

***DAILY EZINE!*** 'DAVID'S DAILY DOODLINGS' Subscribe Today

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'THE WORDS OF JESUS' NOW AVAILABLE FOR PDF DOWNLOAD

Join the many who have downloaded the 'The Words of Jesus'. I am sure you will be blessed by it, as I have been.

One key element here is the setting out in chronological order (as far as it is possible to do so) our Lord's words drawn from all the Gospels, and the elimination of repetition between Gospels.

You may be surprised by the different perspective this presentation gives you both in understanding of His life and ministry, and in achieving a closer relationship with Him.

Download the free PDF here.....

http://www.wwj.org.nz/pdf/wwj46p57.pdf

DAVID'S DOODLINGS

TRUTH AND KNOWLEDGE

444. If I knew everything in the world, I would be most confused!

445. The pursuit of knowledge is excellent, the pursuit of truth, unsurpassable.

446. The more I learn, the less I know, so to my God I’d rather go.

447. Truth is like tightening a nut. There is only a small difference between maximum effectiveness and stripping the thread.

448. Human knowledge corrupts. Absolute knowledge corrupts absolutely.

449. Knowledge seeks truth but only God can reveal the truth.

450. Truth provides the foundation upon which the house of knowledge should be built.

451. Knowledge is relative, truth absolute. Problems arise when we confuse the two.

452. If I have all knowledge in the world but have not the truth, I am as nothing.

453. Computers are able to process endless knowledge, but only humans can discern truth.

Please feel free to quote these quotes. Acknowledgement of David Tait as the author would be appreciated. There are now over 1300 David sayings for you to view at ...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/dd.php

CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER

Visit the Toon Fever website for more cartoon fun..... http://www.toonfever.com TO READ THIS CARTOON AND SEE THE OTHER PICTURES IN THIS EMAIL YOU NEED TO BE ONLINE. Check it out at...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/wwword.php

TUESDAY TEACHINGS

THIS WEEK:SERMON ON THE MOUNT continues.....

Now we come to the other subjects that Jesus dealt with in His sermon, starting off with 'Salt and Light' and 'Fulfillment of the Law'

Check out all the available teachings at...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/teachings/index.php

*** ANOTHER DAILY EZINE FROM WWJ!*** 'LAUGHING AT OURSELVES' Subscribe Today

As Christians, if we can't laugh at ourselves, others will! A fun way to start your day. To register today, simply click here lao-on@wwj.org.nz and press send. Then it's done! Should you wish, check out early issues (where you can also subscribe) at...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/laughing/index.php

LAUGHING AT OURSELVES

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

*** Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others. ***

255. THE MONK'S SOUND
A man is driving down the road and breaks down near a monastery. He goes to the monastery, knocks on the door, and says, "My car broke down. Do you think I could stay the night?"

The monks graciously accept him, feed him dinner, even fix his car. As the man tries to fall asleep, he hears a strange sound. The next morning, he asks the monks what the sound was, but they say, "We can't tell you. You're not a monk."

The man is disappointed but thanks them anyway and goes about his merry way. Some years later, the same man breaks down in front of the same monastery. The monks again accept him, feed him, even fix his car. That night, he hears the same strange noise that he had heard years earlier.

The next morning, he asks what it is, but the monks reply, "We can't tell you. You're not a monk."

The man says, "All right, all right. I'm dying to know. If the only way I can find out what that sound was is to become a monk, how do I become a monk?"

The monks reply, "You must travel the earth and tell us how many blades of grass there are and the exact number of sand pebbles. When you find these numbers, you will become a monk."

The man sets about his task. Some forty-five years later, he returns and knocks on the door of the monastery. He says, "I have travelled the earth and have found what you have asked for. There are 256,897,103,145,236,284,232 blades of grass and 561,281,219,999,129,382,756,124,512,999 sand pebbles on the earth."

The monks reply, "Congratulations. You are now a monk. We shall now show you the way to the sound."

The monks lead the man to a wooden door, where the head monk says, "The sound is right behind that door."

The man turns the knob, and behind that door he is amazed to find the source of that strange sound.

But I can't tell you what it is because you're not a monk.

253. WHICH VIRGIN?
A ten-year old, under the tutelage of her grandmother, was becoming quite knowledgeable about the Bible. Then one day she floored her grandmother by asking, "Which Virgin was the mother of Jesus? The virgin Mary or the King James Virgin?"

"FREE DOWNLOAD: You can now download the book 'Laughing At Ourselves' in PDF format at LAUGHING AT OURSELVES One of the most comprehensive sources of Christian Humour on the Net with 800 sermon fillers for your entertainment and use at ...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/laugh.php

FACTS FOR FUN

LAST WEEKS QUESTION: How do black and white stripes camouflage zebras?

ANSWER: It doesn't seem to make sense. For there isn't any black and white shrubbery in Africa for zebras to hide in! So how does being striped help them to avoid being someone else's dinner? The answer is in what scientists call ‘disruptive coloration’. The alternating stripes break up and obscure the outline of the zebra, making it difficult for predators to focus on the animal, particularly when many zebras are running together at once. Instead of a solid shape, the predator sees a jumble of apparently unrelated forms. Some experts think the stripes may serve another purpose - avoiding the tsetse fly. These biting flies prefer to snack on large, dark, moving animals. The zebra's stripes may well make it difficult for the biting bugs to find a single dark region to alight upon. (What about the ‘Stars and Stripes’?)

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: What is an egg tooth?

Answer Next Week.

SOME FUN FACTS

479. WHY DADDY?
A preacher's young daughter noticed that her father always bowed his head and closed his eyes for a few seconds before he went to the pulpit to preach. When she asks him why he did that, he explained, "I'm asking God to help me preach a good sermon."

His daughter thought about it for a minute and said, "Well daddy, Why doesn't he do it?"

478. THE THANK YOU NOTE
There was a Catholic priest, Jewish rabbi and Baptist minister. One day the priest went to get a hair cut. After the barber cut his hair the priest wanted to pay him. The barber said, "Oh no, I will not accept any money from a man of God." So the next day when the barber went to open his shop he saw a loaf of bread with a thank you note.

Well the rabbi came for a hair cut. Again the barber said, "Oh no, I will not accept any money from a man of God." So the next day the barber went to open his shop and found a bottle of wine and a thank you note.

Well, the Baptist minister came for his hair cut. Again the barber said, "Oh no, I will not accept any money from a man of God."

Well, the next day when the barber went to open his shop, he found 10 other Baptist ministers with a thank you note.

477. NOTHING THERE
Three friends decided to go hunting together. One was a lawyer, one a doctor, and the other a preacher. As they were walking, along came a big buck. The three of them shot simultaneously. Immediately the buck dropped to the ground and all three rushed up to see how big it actually was. Upon reaching it they found out that it was dead but had only one bullet hole.

Thus a debate followed concerning whose buck it was. 5 minutes later a game officer came by and asked what the problem was. The doctor told him their reason for the debate. The officer told them he would take a look and tell them who shot it. 5 seconds later he said he knew who shot the buck. He said with much confidence, "The pastor shot the buck!" They all wondered how he knew that so quickly. The officer said, "Easy. The bullet went in one ear and out the other."

A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU

Make another word from this word using all the letters.

LISTEN

Answer at the end of A David Musing

FREE DOWNLOAD: You can download the full version of our Trivia Book at TRULY TRIFFLING TRIVIA Or view all 1232 online at...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/facts.php

AN AFRICAN EXPERIENCE

I come now to my final African experience. It sums up some of the good and the bad in Africa.

I was invited to a 15,000 person conference at, so I thought, Nairobi in Kenya. However, there were two problems! Firstly, it was instead in Fort Portal in Uganda! We gad been planning this for months, and the organizer had not corrected me when I wrote about Nairobi. That can so often be the African way - not wanting to offend by telling you when you make a mistake! Even though my mistake cost me a $1,000+ dollars in changed travel arrangements!

Secondly, when I got to the conference it was attended, not by 15,000 people, but 3-400! While numbers don't worry me, and I am used to African exaggeration, the extent of this one did surprise me! LOL!

Fort Portal is a pretty town, at altitude, which makes the climate very pleasant. Therefore it is not surprising that it was the preferred place of residence for the British colonial settlers. It is at the centre of a huge tea growing area.

I will tell you about the conference itself next week.

WHICH BOOK?

In which Gospel is this account found?

11: The Wedding Garment?

a. Matthew
b. Mark
c. Luke
d. John

Source: http://biblequizzes.org.uk

Heaps more fun and serious 'God Facts' are found at...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/gfacts.php

IF ONLY I'D THOUGHT OF IT!

"""OTHER'S SAYINGS TO ENLIGHTEN, AMUSE, OR BEMUSE"""

!!!!!!! Mankind is divided into two classes: those who earn their living by the sweat of their brow, and those who sell them handkerchiefs, cold drinks, and electric fans.

!!!!!! We can never see ourselves as others see us. Even the mirror shows us in reverse.

!!!!! Don't approach a goat from the front, a horse from the back or a fool from any side. - Yiddish Proverb

!!!! The highest reward for man's toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it. - John Ruskin

!!! Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud, and one sees the stars.
- Frederick Langbridge

!! A careful study of economics usually reveals that the best time to buy anything was last year.

! A picture may be worth a thousand words but it also uses up a thousand times more computer memory.

100'S MORE TO BE FOUND AT...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/thought.php

GREAT GROANERS

226. VERY QUICK QUIPS!
- Those who jump off a bridge in Paris are in Seine.
- A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking.
- Dijon vu - The same mustard as before.
- Vuja de - The feeling that what you are experiencing has never happened before.
- Shotgun wedding:? A case of wife or death.
- Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
- Reading while sunbathing makes you well red.
- When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I.
- A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two-tyred.
- Definition of a will: A dead give away.
- In democracy your vote counts.? In feudalism your Count votes.
- She was engaged to a boyfriend with a wooden leg but broke it off.
- A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
- With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
- When a clock is hungry, it goes back four seconds.
- The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.
- You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
- Local Area Network in Australia:? The LAN down under.
- Every calendar's days are numbered.
- A lot of money is tainted - It taint yours and it taint mine.
- A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.
- A midget fortune-teller who escapes from prison is a small medium at large.
- Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.
- Once you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall.
- Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead-to-know basis.
- Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
- Acupuncture is a jab well done.

227. FLYING
"How far do you travel on your yearly preaching circuit, Brother Tuck?"

"Last year I traveled to Japan and back!"

"Gee, you must be building up a lot of frequent friar miles!"


228. THE SECOND OPINION
A man runs into the vet's office carrying his dog, screaming for help. The vet rushes him back to an examination room and has him put his dog down on the examination table. The vet examines the still, limp body and after a few moments tells the man that his dog, regrettably, is dead. The man, clearly agitated and not willing to accept this, demands a second opinion.

The vet goes into the back room and comes out with a cat and puts the cat down next to the dog's body. The cat sniffs the body, walks from head to tail poking and sniffing the dog's body and finally looks at the vet and meows. The vet looks at the man and says, "I'm sorry, but the cat thinks that your dog is dead too."

The man is still unwilling to accept that his dog is dead.

The vet brings in a black Labrador. The lab sniffs the body, walks from head to tail, and finally looks at the vet and barks. The vet looks at the man and says, "I'm sorry, but the lab thinks your dog is dead too."

The man, finally resigned to the diagnosis, thanks the vet and asks how much he owes. The vet answers, "$650."

"$650 to tell me my dog is dead?" exclaimed the man....

"Well," the vet replies, "I would only have charged you $50 for my initial diagnosis. The additional $600 was for the cat scan and lab test."

More wonderful groans here.....

http://www.wwj.org.nz/groans.php

Asian believers cast vision for massive outreach

PUBLISHED ON 23 November, 2015 BY Reagan Hoezee

Asia (MNN) — Believers in East Asia are planning something big. More than 900 pastors and church leaders from their country recently gathered to discuss the largest missionary-sending initiative in the nation’s history.

Over the next 15 years, this restricted-access country hopes to send 20,000 missionaries to some of the least-reached people groups in the world.

“[The country] did a survey of how many missionaries God had sent to their country over the last 200 years, and they realized it’s about 20,000 missionaries who brought the hope of Christ to their country,” says Joe Handley, president of Asian Access, a ministry dedicated to raising up Christian leaders within the continent. “As they reflected deeper and prayed, they had a sense that they owe it back to God to be a blessing to the nations that have yet to see this hope.”

The idea behind the initiative isn’t new. In its early days, it was known as the Back to Jerusalem movement, a Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim outreach initiative. However, this movement sat dormant for many years and never fully got off the ground.

It wasn’t until around 2011 when the nation’s idea of paying back this “spiritual debt” began to gain momentum, beginning through a gathering of Christians in Korea, which Asian Access attended.

The vision kept growing. Last year, 30 of the top Christian leaders from the country gathered to pray for their 2030 vision: to send 20,000 missionaries from their country to nations with little Gospel influence. They met again last month, this time with 900 pastors and church leaders, to discuss ways they can collaborate to accomplish their goal.

“For years, this church in this country has been sending missionaries, but it’s not been effective,” Handley says. “Many of them have come home discouraged, not supported. Now, they’re poised and looking for groups like Asian Access and many others that are coming alongside to help build capacity for a local indigenous sending movement.

“This is really stunning, because it’s not foreign agencies that are running this thing. It’s not actually groups like Asian Access, although we’re involved. It’s really local, indigenous expressions of mission societies and churches that are going to be at the forefront of this sending engine.”

Although support from groups like Asian Access is vital, the indigenous missionaries are in a unique position to make a difference. Their personal life experiences and nationality allow them to impact people in a way that many Western missionaries could not.

“They are a church that has faced persecution,” Handley says. “They have been living through it for decades. I personally know pastors that have spent many years in jail, many years under torture or oppression, many years under all sorts of different kinds of pressure, and so they’ve already been tested and tried. They have something that generally the Western church has not faced at all, in terms of the pressures that have been put on them.

“The second advantage is in many of these countries, there is a repulsion against the West. Many of these least-reached sectors of the world, many of the sectors of the world where you have persecution happening, there is no desire to have Western presence in those countries.”

You might not be able to personally impact persecuted believers, but you can always help those who can. Handley asks that you pray for believers in this country as they foster their missionary-sending vision, as well as for groups like Asian Access supporting them.

“I would say the key prayer point right now is praying for the capacity building of these nations, whether it’s in collaboration, leadership development, or setting up sending structures, having a church that can support from behind,” Handley says.

Source: Mission Network News

Via: OpenHeaven.com

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/03/what-isis-really-wants/384980/

DAVID'S DOWNLOADS

WHOSE CHURCH IS IT ANYWAY?

When asking the Lord what He wanted me to write about next, He has led me to look at HIS CHURCH, not in the way of standard church history, but from His viewpoint. I will try my best to be obedient to His wishes. But any errors will be mine!

As you will soon see, the history of His church revolves around the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit's activity upon the earth, rather than what we consider the church to be.

We look also at the future church, the kingdom church for whom Jesus is returning.
I trust it will both inform and challenge you about our future, both as individuals and the church as a whole.

Download your free PDF Files here.....

http://www.wwj.org.nz/pdf/wwj53p18.pdf

WAXING LYRICAL

I had no idea what to write today, so just started, and this is the result! Hope you find it an encouragement too, as I do!

All too often we don't consider the long term consequences of our choices in life.

CHOICES

Life comes, life goes,
Brings peaks, and lows.
We surely reap what we sow!
Our tide does ebb and flow.

When I look back on what I've done,
I see the storms, but also the sun.
For I have done good, at times been bad,
Sometimes am happy, sometimes am sad.

No, the time past I cannot now change,
But my future, yes, I may rearrange.
What will I do? Where will I go?
I may think, but God does know.

Will I put my life in His hand?
On His Rock, my days to stand.
Or will I build my house on the sand?
And His will for me, not understand.

Today I am charged to live the call.
Am I prepared to give Him my all?
Or will I continue in my earthly ways?
Seeking my own pleasure, all my days.

My time may well be short, it may be long,
Before joining Jesus, forever to belong,
What will He say that glorious day I see His face?
Knowing I've been saved, by His amazing grace.

Will it be, "Well done good and faithful servant",
Or will I seek my actions to quickly recant!
For on that day, I will surely see
The result of choices, made by me.

The past I can't change, the future neither,
But by my today's actions I can either
Build His kingdom here upon the earth,
Or make my own! My decision, my worth.

What will I do? Where will I go?
Will it be wheat or tares I sow?
Today I now have the choices to make,
Of what direction my life will take.

You too, my friend, today are in the very same boat,
To be a sheep of the Shepherd, or to be the goat.
What will be your choice of 'the way' to live?
All your life to Jesus, will you now give?

One day we will meet together with Jesus in heaven,
Having lived lives of fruitfulness, or of leaven.
The choices we now make on earth today,
Do determine what role we will play.

Let's now look towards
Our heavenly rewards.
The choice is mine,
The choice is thine!

More of David's poetry here.....

http://wwj.org.nz/waxing.php

A DAVID MUSING

Several weeks ago I planted a Swan Plant in our garden. These are the sole food source for Monarch Butterfly caterpillars, in New Zealand, at least.

The plant basically just sat in the ground, growing very slowly, but would take years to reach its normal 1.5 metre height. Then, about 3 days ago our temperatures hotted up, for we are at the end of Spring. As the night temperatures, in particular, raised, soil temperatures also started to increase. And our Swan Plant has taken off.

Made me think of my spiritual life. It grows when my spiritual preparation is 'hot'! When I spend time with the Lord, read my Bible, pray, worship and more. Unlike the Swan Plant which has to wait for nature to take its course, my, and your spiritual growth is in our own hands.

Worth thinking about?

So until next week.....

MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD

His servant and yours

David Tait

Today's 'Word Puzzle' Answer: SILENT

TODAY'S 'BIBLE QUESTION' b. Mark (4:26-29)

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Most weeks we get enquiries about reproducing, in electronic or print form, articles contained in 'PGIM!' We welcome and encourage you to utilize this material. Freely received, freely given. We would ask though, that the source be acknowledged as an encouragement to others to subscribe to this newsletter also.

CHANGING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS? NEWSLETTER STOPS COMING?

Each week we can lose up to 2% of our readers when they change email addresses without letting us know. Or sometimes, by your server acting strangely and just cutting us off! If you are about to change your address, please advise us of both your old and new addresses here at
enquiries@wwj.org.nz and we will happily change our records to ensure ongoing delivery. Thanks.

Please also keep our address in your address book, as sometimes servers will automatically delete your address if there is even a one off problem in delivery. If your newsletter doesn't arrive, please let us know and we will reinstate you.

LINKS

If you would like to link your web site to ours, and ours to yours, please advise us on
links@wwj.org.nz

DOES THIS EMAIL HAVE A BLUE BACKGROUND AND RED HEADINGS?

YES - Great!
NO - Your web browser needs to be set to 'Rich Text'. If you have an older 'Text Only' browser, this email may also be viewed on our web site at ...

http://www.wwj.org.nz/wwword.php

ABOUT US

WALKING WITH JESUS MINISTRIES is a non-profit, non-denominational, Bible based ministry located in Hastings, 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
7 Bull Street
Ahuriri
Napier
New Zealand

Phone: (06) 835 0567 International (+64) 6 835 0567

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