FROM FAITH IN GOD TO FAITH IN SELF

When we take a new step in God, it is generally one of faith. We rely on God to come up with the goods, to see us through. And he does! But the next time we go to do the same thing, we know how to do it! We don’t need to rely on God so much this time! And surprise, surprise, we so often fall flat on our face! The classic example to me, is new worship leaders in our former church. The church is really into worship, and following the leading of the Holy Spirit in it. It is recognised as being a challenging task, having a very public face if things go wrong! Almost invariably, the first time a new worship leader leads, the result is great worship, while the second time it is not so good. Over confidence in our own abilities and walking in our own strength may well only be in the subconscious, but they are still, so often, there.

Yes, relying on God, particularly in areas in which we have natural talent, can be a real challenge. God understands this too! For so often, He uses us more effectively in our areas of weakness, rather than in our strengths. It is a real sign of maturity when we reach the stage where God is able once again to use our strengths, because we have fully submitted them to Him. I long to be in that position of trust from Him. Only problem is though – I don’t know what my strengths are! Just kidding – I think!
And it doesn’t really matter too much. For He desires every area of our lives to be opened up to His direction. Yes, our strengths and weaknesses, He wants them all.

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FROM THE WORD

THE ‘LORD’ IN ROMANS (Part 2)
When Jesus is mentioned as ‘LORD’ (Capitals mine) in Romans, there is normally a special point being made. A sermon series here? Let’s have a look, shall we…

“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our LORD Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:9-11)

“The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD.” (Romans 5:20-21)

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our LORD.” (Romans 6:23)

DAVID’S DOODLINGS

TRUTH AND KNOWLEDGE (Part 2 of 5)

One of life’s challenges is learning to discern the difference between knowledge and truth. This need for this differentiation arose when satan convinced Adam and Eve that having knowledge would make both him and them like God. The deception and missing link in his offer was that truth was not part of the package. For God is truth and God’s truth is often at considerable divergence to human knowledge. As God followers we have the challenge of discerning between the two.

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

oooOooo

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

oooOooo

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

oooOooo

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

oooOooo

God created mankind to live in His truth. Satan’s temptation is to live in earthly knowledge. Which will we choose?

oooOooo

Satan was the first to substitute knowledge for truth. His plan hasn’t changed.

oooOooo

Knowledge is subject to rust and decay, but truth is golden.

oooOooo

Seek knowledge to wander, but truth to wonder at God’s great glory.

oooOooo

Worldly knowledge fills our brain, but godly understanding fulfils our life.

Please feel free to quote these quotes. Acknowledgement of David Tait as the author would be appreciated. There are now more than 700 David sayings for you to view at . . .

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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." ***

200. FRIENDS AND FAMILY
Three friends die in a car crash, and they find themselves at the Gates of Heaven. Before entering, they are each asked a question by St. Peter himself.

"When you are in your casket and friends and family are mourning upon you, what would you like to hear them say about you?" asks St. Peter.

The first guy says, "I would like to hear them say that I was a great doctor and a great family man."

The second guy says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and school teacher who made a huge difference in our children."

The last guy replies. "I would like to hear them say.... 'HEY LOOK!!! HE'S MOVING!'"

199. NO BRAIN
A college student was in a philosophy class, where there was a class discussion about whether or not God exists, The professor had the following logic:

"Has anyone in this class heard God?" Nobody spoke.
"Has anyone in this class touched God?" Again, nobody spoke.
"Has anyone in this class seen God?" When nobody spoke for the third time, he simply stated, "Then there is no God."

The student did not like the sound of this at all, and asked for permission to speak. The professor granted it, and the student stood up and asked the following questions of his classmates:

"Has anyone in this class heard our professor's brain?" Silence.
"Has anyone in this class touched our professor's brain?" Absolute silence.
"Has anyone in this class seen our professor's brain?" When nobody in the class dared to speak, the student concluded, "Then, according to our professor's logic, it must be true that our professor has no brain!"

Now one of the most comprehensive sources of Christian Humour on the Net with 550 sermon fillers for your entertainment and use at . . .

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FACTS FOR FUN

LAST WEEKS QUESTION: Is it true that each "human" year equals seven "dog" years?

ANSWER: No, not exactly as dogs mature very fast in their early years. Most of their growth occurs during the first two years and after that, development slows down. A one-year-old dog is like a teenage human and a two-year-old dog is like an adult in their mid-twenties. Only when the dog is older--more than ten--does a single dog year equal about seven human ones.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: How much do birds eat?

Answer Next Week.

SOME FUN FACTS
900. Identical Fingerprints?
Identical twins may be identical in every other way, but their fingerprints are unique. (On the outside, that is. For we are all unique, inside – sometimes too much so!)

901. Your Doppelganger
Your doppelganger is your double, the personification of another side of your character's personality, usually a dark or demonic side. It is said that seeing your ghostly double may be a portent of impending death. The word is derived from the German words "doppel" ("double") and "ganger" ("goer"). (Would prefer Jesus to be reflected in my personality.)

902. What is Jell-O (Jelly) Made of?
Primarily of gelatine. That sounds good. But gelatine is made up of boiled bones, hides, and sinews from pigs and cattle - basically any leftover animal parts. To make the gelatine taste and look good, food colouring, sugar, and flavouring are added. (Wish you’d never asked? You didn’t actually!)

A WORD PUZZLE FOR YOU
goal goal goal goal goal goal goal goal goal goal

Answer at the end of A David Musing

You can download a 250 item sample Trivia Book at Truly Trifling Trivia

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MARRIAGE AND FAMILY FACTS

COHABITATION AND PREMARITAL SEX IN THE USA
*** Individuals who cohabit before they marry face a significantly higher chance of getting divorced. Estimates of this divorce risk range from 33% (Cherlin 1992) to 48% (Bumpass and Sweet 1995).
*** "Cohabiting couples are less satisfied than married spouses with their partnerships, are not as close to their parents, are less committed to each other, and, if they eventually marry, have higher chances of divorce" (Nock 1998: 4).
*** About half of the population under age 40 has lived with an unmarried partner, with the highest rates of cohabitation found among the least educated Americans (Bumpass and Sweet 1995).
*** Teenage girls tend to seek relationship commitment and teenage boys tend to be more interested in sexual conquest. For instance, one study of teenagers found that 8 percent of girls wanted sexual intercourse when they were "going steady," but 45 percent of boys wanted sex at this stage of intimacy. Thus, teenage sexual activity tends to favor the interests of boys but not girls (Maccoby 1998).
The Importance of the Intact/Two-Parent/Biological Family
*** Boys raised outside of an intact nuclear family are more than twice as likely as other boys to end up in prison, even controlling for a range of social and economic factors (Harper and McLanahan 1998).
*** Children raised in a single-parent family are twice as likely to drop out of high school, and girls raised in such a family are more than twice as likely to have a child out-of-wedlock as a teenager compared to children who grow up with their biological parents (McLanahan and Sandefur 1994).
*** Children who grew up in a single parent home are twice as likely to get divorced than children who grew up in a two-parent biological family (Bumpass and Sweet 1995).
*** [Young] people from single-parent families or step-families were 2 to 3 times more likely to have had emotional or behavioral problems than those who had both of their biological parents present in the home." (Zill and Schoenborn 1990: p. 9)

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LIFES A LAUGH – WITH KIDS!

BABIES FOR SALE
A New Mum took her baby daughter to the supermarket for the first time. She dressed her in pink from head to toe. At the store, she placed her in the shopping cart and put her purchases around her.

At the checkout line a small boy and his mother were ahead of them. The child was crying and begging for some special treat. He wants some candy or gum and his mother won't let him have any, she thought.

Then she heard his mother's reply. "No!" she said, looking in her direction. "You may not have a baby sister today. That lady got the last one!"

A WEIGHTY MATTER
Somewhat skeptical of his son's newfound determination to become Charles Atlas, the father nevertheless followed the teenager over to the weight-lifting department, admiring a set of weights.

"Please, Dad," pleaded the boy, "I promise I'll use 'em every day."

"I don't know, Michael. It's really a commitment on your part," the father pointed out.

"Please, Dad?" the boy continued.

"They're not cheap either," the father came back.

"I'll use 'em Dad, I promise. You'll see."

Finally won over, the father paid for the equipment and headed for the door.

From the corner of the store he heard his son yelp, "What! You mean I have to carry them to the car?"

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BE INSPIRED WITH A MESSAGE FROM INSPIRATIONAL TAPES

This amazing New Zealand resource has over 4,000 messages ranging from old classics to the latest revelation and teaching. A number of free MP3 downloads are available or you can order tapes and CD’s from the site for worldwide delivery at a most reasonable cost. Our free weekly MP3 download selections will be available again from mid-October.

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A DAVID MUSING

An extract from “Eagles Fly High!”
25 November 1999: Kathy and I have just returned from a fortnight’s holiday on the beautiful tropical island of Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands. Sunshine, snorkelling amongst the coral, tropical fruits and lots more! Superb! The Cook Islands are located in the South Pacific Ocean, stretching north from just above the Tropic of Capricorn towards the Equator. Christianity was brought to the Cooks during the 1830’s by the London Missionary Society. The church, particularly the indigenous Cook Islands Christian Church, permeates the life and culture of the country. It may well be the most ‘religious’ Christian country in the world. Nobody locks their doors when they go out, yet their politicians are considered to be corrupt and there is an increasing alcohol and drug problem. The people are great, but things are far from perfect in this paradise. No, God has not yet finished with His creation mankind, for His perfect bride (the church) has not yet made herself ready for the return of the bridegroom (Jesus). We are not yet ready!

His servant and yours

David Tait

Today’s Word Puzzle Answer: Goal Line.

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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
3 Hetley Crescent
Taradale
Napier 4001
New Zealand

Phone: (06) 8449-377 International (+64) 8449-377
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!

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