PROVEN LOVE FOR YOU!

How often have you talked about yourself in a negative way? "I'm such an idiot." (a common one for me!) "I never should have been born!" "What a Jerk!" We know it's wrong saying these things about other people, but we don't hesitate to say them about ourselves. After all...we aren't harming anyone by saying such things about US....are we? When I was a child, I remember saying these things about myself within hearing distance of my very wise mother. She said to me, "You know, that's not a nice thing to say about Jesus." I told her I wasn't saying that about Jesus. I was saying it about myself. She explained to me how God created me. He gave his Son to die for me. Saying these things about myself was criticising my Creator. That sure put a new perspective on my life! I still have times when I'm down on myself. But when I get too negative, I think about her words of wisdom. A year or so ago, our former worship leader seemed to have a similar experience. He told the congregation that he wasn't feeling too good about himself one night. While lying in bed, he said to his wife, "Does Jesus really love me?" She said, "He DIED for you!!!" Well answered! What more can we say! "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8
Next time you are feeling like "scum" or unworthy of anything (whether from something you've done, or the way someone else makes you feel), think of how God views you. This is what He says: "How beautiful you are , my darling; there is NO flaw in you!" Song of Songs 4:1

ABOVE ALL
by: Paul Baloche, Lenny LeBlanc

Above all powers above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began
Above all kingdoms above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure what You're worth

Crucified laid behind the stone
You lived to die rejected and alone
Like a Rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall and thought of me
Above all

HEART CHECK UP

Since it's National Heart Month, let's look at some SPIRITUAL heart conditions:

A diligent heart:
"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." Proverbs 4:23

A heart of action:

"Good people bring good things out of the good stored up in their heart, and evil people bring evil things out of the evil stored up in their heart. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." Luke 6:45

A pure heart:
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Matthew 5:8

A lackluster heart:

"But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward." Jeremiah 7:24; 23:17

A heart of right treasures:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." Matthew 6:18-20

A broken heart:

"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." 34:18 and "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3

A cheerful heart:

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:2

A giving heart:

"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

A seeking heart:

"I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands." Psalm 119:10
A wise heart:

"For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul." Proverbs 2:10

A trusting heart:

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;" Proverbs 3:5

Heart protection:

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs :23

A new heart:

"Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit." Ezekiel 18:31a

A hard working heart:

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men," Colossians 3:23

A sincere heart:

"let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." Hebrews 10:22

The state of our heart is obviously very important to God. A wonderful daily prayer for our heart:

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalm 51:10

GUIDANCE IS NOT IN THE STARS

Do you read your horoscope? Have your palm read? Consult a psychic? Whether you do this on your own, pay someone to do it for you, or even play around with these things at a party, you are participating in an occult practice. Webster: Occult: of or pertaining to magic, astrology, or any system claiming use or knowledge of secret or supernatural powers or agencies.
More importantly, what does the bible have to say about such practices? "Let no one be found among you ... practice divination." Deut. 18:10 Webster: Divination: the practice of attempting to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge by occult or supernatural means.
"They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped." Jeremiah 8:2
"And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon, and the stars...do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven."
Perhaps the strongest biblical support that astrology is condemned by God is this verse: "Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month...Surely they are like stubble. The fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves." Isaiah 47:13-14.
An extrabiblical argument against astrology: "Astrology is based on Ptolemy's misunderstanding that the earth was the center of the universe rather than the sun being the center. Therefore astrology is based on a false premise which in turn renders its conclusion false." From: Astrology & Psychic Phenomena, by Andre' Kole & Terry Holley, Zondervan Publishing House, 1998, pg. 73.
Our God is a jealous God. He wants us all to Himself. He created us. He knows what's best for us. He created the stars, the sun and the moon, the earth and everything in it for us to live in and enjoy - NOT to worship it. We are to worship our creator, NOT the created. To do so is to worship something other than God.
"Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." Exodus 34:14 Seeking advice and guidance from any other source other than God or His word and those entrusted in Him (preachers, Christian family and friends who worship God alone) is to worship the god of created things.
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12 Since this is true, why would we seek advice from anything other than Jesus alone? Need advice and counsel? "... seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33 and of His word: "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." God bless you as you seek Him alone in ALL that you do!