How I Met God

How I Met God

Unlike majority of those who confess and profess to be "Christians" or "Muslims" and claim to know Almighty God, but have not met Him, I did not meet God through any religion. And I did not meet Him through any scripture or sermon by anyone.

I met God through His Holy Spirit as an innocent child during the NIgerian civil war of 1967-1970.

My mother of blessed memory, Mrs. Gladys Onuamaighiuwa Eke had lost three of her six children to kwasiorkor and I was dying before her very eyes. Everyone had given up hope that I would survive. Then suddenly I started to speak in tongues and I have never stopped speaking in tongues with the Holy Spirit of God. 

I have received emails from God sent through a Caucasian prophet in America I never knew before, but who contacted me and in one of the revelations, God said He has known before Creation; before Creation of the universes. And I believe Him absolutely. I am in love with Him in our Father and son relationship in His Holy Spirit.

If you don't have any relationship with the Holy Spirit, you don't have any relationship with God.

Don't mistake churchgoers for "Christians".

Almighty God has no religion.

Only fools drag God into their religious arguments and disputes and wars.

The true believers are only those who believe in God and obey Him and worship Him absolutely in Truth and in Spirit.

- Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,

Publisher and Editor,

The Rhema Blog,

Since 2005.

HALLELUJAH! For Another Glorious and Victorious Birthday!

#SundayExaltations👏💞💕💋🙌 

#God

#JESUS

#HolySpirit

#Birthday

#Newyear

HALLELUJAH!

HAPPY SUNDAY AND HAPPY NEW WEEK OF TRIUMPHANT OVERCOMERS AND VICTORIOUS CHAMPIONS WITH ALL THE THANKSGIVINGS TO OUR ONE AND ONLY ALMIGHTY FATHER GOD JEHOVAH JIREH.

Cheers all the way to the Top!

I thank Almighty God for my birthday.

What a Triumpant and Victorious Birthday of awesome testimonies of breaking new grounds and breakthroughs for #Nollywood.

Yes. 

I have been called the "Guiding Light" of Nollywood.

I give all the glory to Almighty God for many are called, but few are chosen. 

I secured the first International acquisition and distribution deals for Nigerian movies in 2022 in this month of January, the month of my birthday, the month of Victory 

January 30..

Almighty God chose the end of the month when my great father.of blessed memory, Sunday Eke would have collected his monthly salary, so that there would be money to take care of me and my beloved mother of blessed memory, daughter of God, Gladys Unuamaighiuwa Eke..

I thank Almighty God for giving me  such beautiful and wonderful parents to make sure that I look more attractive than many so called beauties in Nollywood without makeup. 

I thank Almighty God for beautiful long life and more prosperity.

Cheers all the way to the Top.

What Pleases Almighty God

Daily Exaltations 😇🙏💋💞

What pleases Almighty God

Is our faithful obedience to His Word.

And not what we do to impress the world.

Almighty God is neither on the side of poor nor the rich, but only on the side of those who obey His commandments. 

You are a Liar if you say you love God, but you disobey His commandments.

Quoting from the holy scriptures is meaningless to God, 

If you don't practice what you preach and teach.

There is no grace of God for those who disregard the obedience to God.

You cannot give what you don't have without the grace of God.

You may fool the whole world,

But you cannot fool God.

- Ekeyerengozi Michael Chima,

Publisher/Editor,

The Rhema Blog.

Since 2005.

I will appreciate your support for The Rhema Blog. See Support Page. 

The Scent of the Holy Spirit 1

The Scent of the Holy Spirit 1

The Holy Spirit is the essence of the existence of the Almighty God and it is supreme and infinite in space and time.

You cannot know God without His Holy Spirit. Anyone who claims or says he or she knows God, but does not have the Holy Spirit is a LIAR. 

Many of the so called pastors, bishops and ministers in Nigeria and the rest of the world are FAKE. But tragically, majority of their followers are also FAKE. 

Fake pastors have fake Followers.

Because, our MESSIAH JESUS Christ said as it is written in Matthew 7:16:

" Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?"

###

Matthew 22:1-14:

1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,

2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.

5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:

6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.

7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.

9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.

10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

He Provides A Shelter in the Storm

HALLELUJAH! 

Present residence in Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria since September, 2020. Safe from the floods of the torrential rainfalls in the stormy weather.

Near the University of Lagos and Yaba College of Technology. I thank Almighty God for the hygienic and safe residence, and providing the money for the rent. Yes, it is not cheap, but trust Almighty God JEHOVAH JIREH and  JEHOVAH Ebenezer to provide the money for the payments of the rents weekly and monthly. Since He has seen me through the storms thus far triumphantly and victoriously, He will surely lift me up to higher grounds of greater heights in the mighty name of our MESSIAH JESUS Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever. AMEN. I can pray, praise and worship HIM and shout loud HALLELUJAH and nobody has complained that my joyful noise is disturbing him or her.  

Baba modupe o!

HALLELUJAH!

If You Truly Know God, You Will Not Dare To Disobey Him

Ephesians 6:12:

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

1 John 4:1-5:
4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
² Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
³ And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
⁴ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
⁵ They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

###
They claim to know Him,
But they disobey Him.
They lie, because they don't know Him
If only they know Him, they will not dare to disobey His commandments.
If you don't obey His commandments, you don't know Him.
You are  deceiving yourself.

Proverbs 8:17:
" I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me."

No Human is Ordinary!

#God

#JESUS
#HolySpirit
#extraordinaryyou
#extraordinary

No Human is Ordinary!
None of us is ordinary, because our Creator is not ordinary.
He is Extraordinary and He made us in His image and after His likeness as it is written in Genesis 1:26:

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

We are Extraordinary beings created by an Extraordinary God.
Therefore, don't settle for less.
Refuse to be ordinary.
Don't let anyone or anything devalue you!
It is rebellion against Almighty God to disregard and downgrade your extraordinary status of the image and likeness of God.
Anyone who looks down at another person as an ordinary fellow is an enemy of God 

Our MESSIAH JESUS Christ confirmed our Extraordinary status  as it is written in Matthew 5:14-16:
"¹⁴ Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

¹⁵ Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
Then His anointed apostle, Saint Peter said in 1 Peter 2:9:
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;"

Refuse to be kept or to be left behind in backwardness and darkness by anyone or anything.
We are extraordinary sons and daughters of our Extraordinary Almighty Father God!
We are the Princes and Princesses of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who reigns in supreme majesty of the Holy Trinity in Eternity.
Manifest the best in the extraordinary image and likeness of Almighty God.

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
Publisher/Editor, The Rhema Blog
Google for books by Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima to see all the booksellers of my bopks, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Tower Books.

Happy New Month of July! Month of Fulfilment!

#thursdayexaltations✨💕

@pastoreaadeboyeofficial

@davidoyedepomin

HALELUJAH!

HAPPY NEW MONTH OF JULY TO THE INFINITE SUPREME GLORY OF OUR ONE AND ONLY ALMIGHTY GOD IN OUR ONE AND ONLY MESSIAH JESUS CHRIST. AMEN!

This the 7th month of the year of our Lord, 2021.

This is the month of Fulfilment of unfilled promises for this is the month of harvest for all your labour in the vineyard of the Lord and for all the true believers who have obeyed the commandments of Almighty God and the Revelations of The Beatitudes and 1 Corinthians 13.

My prayer for you in this new month is that the new month bring you new and exciting news that will gladden your heart today, all through the month and beyond. And may this beautiful new month bring you peace of mind and body. Happy New Month!

AMEN!

HALLELUJAH!

Ignorance Kills

Ignorance Kills

Disobedience to the Word of God begets violence and violence begets destruction.

You cannot know Almighty God and you cannot have any relationship with God if you don't have a relationship with the Holy Spirit of God.
Any religion without the Holy Spirit is false religion. And false religion begets rebellion and rebellion begets destruction.
False religion begets terrorism.
Whereas True religion begets peace. That is why our MESSIAH JESUS Christ said as it is written in Matthew 5:9:
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."
Therefore, cursed are the troublemakers, for they are children of Satan.
Yes, you are cursed if you are against peaceful coexistence of humans on Earth.

Many people are troublemakers by ignorance of the Truth and many people are troublemakers by arrogance in their conceit and deceit which they sooner or later manifest in the true colours of their characters.
Who is fooling who?
Fools who are fooling themselves, but they think they are fooling others.

The tragedy of many clerics and their followers is they don't have the gift of discernment.
They have eyes, but they cannot see beyond their noses.
They have ears, but they are deaf to the Truth and prefer to listen to lies of falsehood.

True believers and those who truly know God, don't look and don't see people and things through the eyes of the world.
They look and see things through the eyes of Almighty God.

The attitudes of True Christians are defined by the words of our Lord JESUS Christ in The Beatitudes as written in Matthew 5.
Finally,  only through the gift of discernment you can know the true sons and true daughters of God

John 1:11-13:

¹¹ He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.

¹² But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:

¹³ Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

- By EKENYERENGOZI Michael Chima,
Publisher/Editor, The Rhema Blog.

Try Audible Plus 

Bamboozled By Jesus: How God Tricked Me into the Life of My Dreams

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The Healing of A Man Suffering From Stroke

The Healing of A Man Suffering From Stroke 

Since 2019 I have been seeing the tall man looking ill and unkempt on Alara Street, in Onike walking to Sabo in Yaba on the mainland of Lagos city. He was always dressed in a shirt, black or cream coloured trousers and slippers. They said he had stroke and now walking with a shaking right hand and bent back. He was often talking to himself or thinking aloud.

I left Onike and relocated to Ikotun on the outskirts of Lagos. I returned to Yaba later after four months before Christmas. I saw the man again in the same condition. 

Then in September, 2020 when I moved into a guest house on Aggrey Street in Yaba GRA, I saw him almost every day in the estate and most likely was staying in the estate.

One day I saw him hailing a man riding on a bicycle in the Igbo language. The man brought out money and dropped it for him and rode on without even stopping. He picked up the note of naira and thanked the man. Then later I saw him begging passersby for money to feed.

One day, as I passed by to buy  items from a nearby supermarket ,I saw him beside a car parked under a tree opposite a new pharmacy called SHEBA. He asked me for money and I said I would give him after buying what I needed from the supermarket.

When I came back, I gave him some money and said: "What you really need is not money, but to be healed by God. "

"Yes. My brother is also praying for me," he replied.

Then I prayed to Almighty God to heal him.

Days later, I saw him still in the same condition and begging for money.

"You have been healed," I said, because I received the Word from within me that he was healed. 

I did not give him any money again and kept on repeatedly saying, "He has been healed." 

I received another Word of Knowledge saying, "But his brothers don't want to help him "

He has been healed, but his brothers don't want to help him. What he needed after his healing was his rehabilitation. 

Later, I saw him bending over a car by the sidewalk and he was writing on a piece of white paper with his right hand and it was steady and not shaking. HALLELUJAH! He has been healed indeed!

Later I saw him thinking aloud on the problems in Nigeria in good English!

Depart from Evil, and Do Good; Seek Peace, and Pursue It

HALLELUJAH!

HAPPY SUNDAY AND HAPPY NEW WEEK OF ALL ROUND SUCCESS, TRIUMPH AND VICTORY WITH ALL THE THANKSGIVINGS TO OUR ONE AND ONLY ALMIGHTY CREATOR FATHER GOD IN ETERNAL EXISTENCE. AMEN!

#Sundayexaltation✨💋✌🏼️

Psalm 34

1 I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

² My soul shall make her boast in theLord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

³ O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.

⁴ I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

⁵ They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.

⁶ This poor man cried, and the Lordheard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

⁷ The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

⁸ O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

⁹ O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

¹⁰ The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lordshall not want any good thing.

¹¹ Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of theLord.

¹² What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?

¹³ Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

¹⁴ Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

¹⁶ The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

¹⁷ The righteous cry, and the Lordheareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

¹⁸ The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

²⁰ He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.

²¹ Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.

²² The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

i Thank you God

I thank you God for everything you are doing in our favour.
Thank you God for giving us Jesus Christ to be our Lord, Saviour and Messiah.
Jesus Christ is the Answer to our daily prayer.

Pope Benedict Calls Homosexual Behavior a Violation

Pope Benedict Calls Homosexual Behavior a Violation

Pope Bebedict XVI spoke out recently against homosexual behavior, calling it a violation of the natural order. In an address to the Vatican hierarchy, the pope called for an "ecology of man" to protect man from "the destruction of himself."

He added, "The rain forests deserve our protection, but man as a creature indeed deserves no less." The Vatican, in keeping with Bible teaching, opposes same-sex marriage and considers homosexual acts sinful.

Pope Benedict said saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour was just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction.
The Church "should also protect man from the destruction of himself. A sort of ecology of man is needed," the pontiff said in a holiday address to the Curia, the Vatican's central administration.
"The tropical forests do deserve our protection. But man, as a creature, does not deserve any less."

The Catholic Church teaches that while homosexuality is not sinful, homosexual acts are. It opposes "gay marriage". In October, a leading Vatican official called homosexuality "a deviation [that needs straightening out], an irregularity, a wound [that needs healing]."

The pope said humanity needed to "listen to the language of creation" to understand the intended roles of man and woman. He compared behavior beyond traditional heterosexual relations as "a destruction of God's work."
"The Church is contrary to legislation that criminalises homosexuality," Holy See (Vatican) spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said as debate raged over the Vatican statement.

Fr Lombardi said the Catholic Church is clearly against considering homosexuality a crime, but is wary of international declarations that use the issue to promote a political agenda based on sexual orientation.

In early December, Vatican nuncio to the United Nations, Archbishop Celestino Migliore drew criticism from "gay" rights groups when he said the Vatican opposed a proposed UN declaration to endorse the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality.
Archbishop Migliore said such a declaration might be used to put pressure on or discriminate against countries that do not recognise same-sex marriage.
Fr Lombardi, in his latest comments to reporters, said the Vatican was not conducting a battle against the United Nations or weakening its opposition to discrimination against homosexuals, which is clearly stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

"There is no question that the Church is contrary to legislation that criminalises homosexuality," Fr Lombardi said.

The Church's position stems from its respect for the rights and dignity of every person and explicitly excludes "any unjust discrimination on the basis of homosexuality," he said.

He noted that Archbishop Migliore's comments were made in response to a question about a draft declaration that had yet to be presented at the United Nations or in any public forum.

He said Archbishop Migliore's point was that it's one thing to argue against discrimination and criminalisation regarding homosexuality, but another to contend that anyone who makes a distinction based on sexual orientation is considered an adversary of human rights.

Specifically, Archbishop Migliore expressed the fear that the draft declaration could lead to a situation in which "states that do not recognise same sex unions as 'marriage' will be pilloried and put under pressure" to do so.


By Adeleke Adeyemi

"The stories people tell have a way of taking care of them" (Barry Lopez)

What's Your Story - Nexus Or Excuse?

Rules Vs. Relationships

Friday, May 23, 2008

1. Rules Vs. Relationships

"He [Jesus] looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored."1

God is not into rules. He's into relationships. For example, when Jesus healed the man with the withered hand on the Jewish Sabbath, the religious leaders began to plot how they might kill him. Jesus was angry with these Pharisees because, among other things, they loved their rigid rules more than they loved people. They may have had religion, but they certainly didn't have Christ, Christianity, or God!

What is even more absurd is that these same religious leaders who murdered Jesus insisted that he be taken off the cross before sundown (the beginning of their religious Sabbath day) on the day they killed him because it wasn't "lawful" for him to be hanging dead on the cross on their Sabbath. To leave him there would have broken one of their laws and they would have felt ceremoniously unclean! Imagine that!

As strange as it may seem to many, religion may send more people to hell than anything else! That is, religion that depends on one's own "good works" or man-made laws, rules or traditions. These will never get anyone to heaven. God's Word, the Bible, makes it very clear that: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."2

Again, God isn't into religion or rules. He's into relationships. Jesus died so that we could be reconnected to God and have a right relationship with him. He also wants to make us whole so we can have wholesome relationships with others and live in harmony with God's laws—not to get us into God's heaven, but so we can live wholesome lives.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that you gave your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for my sins so that I could have a right relationship with you, others and myself. Help me to live by your laws that give life and not be bound by man-made religion, legalistic rules, or traditions that are not based on your Word, the Bible. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Mark 3:5 (NIV).

2. Ephesians 2:8–9 (NKJV).

<:))))><

Successful Living

Thursday, May 22, 2008

1. Successful Living

"God's laws are perfect. They protect us, make us wise, and give us joy and light."1

Leonardo da Vinci once said, "Nature never breaks her own laws." Fortunately for us it doesn't. If it weren't for the law of gravity, for example, the earth wouldn't stay in its orbit and we'd all fly off into outer space. If we try to break nature's laws—such as the law of gravity, we can't. It will break or even kill us!

There are universal moral laws, too, without which our society would fall apart. If we defy these laws, they will also break us, or rather; we will break ourselves against them. Most man-made laws are important too. They make living together possible. Imagine driving on today's highways without any traffic laws!

There are also laws that govern human development. For example, every child needs considerable nurture, unconditional love, acceptance and approval throughout his developmental years. When this law is violated, so are our children—many of whom are left with broken lives. There are also laws that apply to adult health, happiness, and well-being. Defy, ignore or break these laws and we break ourselves.

God has also given us spiritual laws … not to take away our joy or freedom, but to give us the fullness of life as well as eternal life. We defy these laws to our eternal destruction.

We heed these laws not because we are legalists and have to obey them, but because we want and choose to obey them because we know we need to for our own well-being and that of our loved ones. As the Psalmist wrote, "God's laws are perfect. They protect us, make us wise, and give us joy and light. God's laws are pure, eternal, just. They are more desirable than gold. They are sweeter than honey dripping from a honeycomb. For they warn us away from harm and give success to those who obey them."2

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to understand that all of your laws are for my total well-being—both for this life and for the life to come. Give me the good sense and courage to always live in harmony with your laws so that I will live in harmony with myself, others and you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Psalm 19:7 (TLB).
2. Psalm 19:7–11 (TLB).

<:))))><

Love God ... Love People

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

1. Love God ... Love People

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'…and…'Love your neighbor as yourself'."1

Ron Clark of Tasmania, Australia, tells how he "read of a halfway house for men released from prison where they could stay until they got a job and somewhere to live. One young man had been in a penal institution for most of his adult life. One day as he sat in the lounge, the three-year-old daughter of the couple who ran the shelter crawled up onto his lap, put her arms around his neck and gave him a hug. With tears running down his cheeks he said, 'This is the first time I can remember anyone touching me in love.'

"A few weeks later he gave his life to Jesus Christ. God used that unique communication of physical contact and love to break the scars of all those years."

I recall reading in one of Leo Buscaglia's books about a fairly small child who went to a neighbor's house where a husband lived whose wife had died. When she returned home, her mother asked what she did. She said, "I just sat on his lap and helped him cry."

If there were one answer for the ills of the world, it could be summed up in the words of Jesus when he was asked by a lawyer, "Which was the greatest of all the commandments?" To which 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 neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."2

If we truly love God, we will serve him. We will also love people and do all we can to help them because we serve God by serving people.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to love you with all of my heart, soul and mind, and love my neighbor as myself, and to serve you by giving and ministering to others. And help me to always do this with a pure motive—one that will glorify you in all that I am and do. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV).
2. Matthew 22:37–40 (NIV).

<:))))><

What a Good Church Can Do for You, Part III

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

1. What a Good Church Can Do for You, Part III

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."1

Yesterday we pointed out three more benefits of a good church: friendship and a sense of belonging; personal care; and discovering a sense of inner peace and strength.

Regarding the latter, one hard-working electrical contractor explained his feeling this way, "I was tired of the everyday grind. I really felt all along that there was something missing. I went to church as a youth just about every Sunday. I went to boot camp. And then I lost it. I couldn't put my finger on it, even though I tried and tried again. My children started going to Sunday School, my wife started, and I said, 'Maybe this is what I'm missing.' So I tried it, and it was."2

Finding God and his will for your life. There are many more benefits gained from belonging to a good church, not the least being: learning about God; experiencing meaningful worship; finding inspiration and help for daily living; and having an opportunity to use your abilities to serve others.

Perhaps the most important benefit of all is that in a good church one can find God … and his will and direction for one's life.

The Gallup poll mentioned earlier also brought out an interesting facet of American life. At the time of this poll 61 percent of all Americans aged 18 and above want to follow God's will.

With God, life (even with all its hurts and frustrations) becomes more meaningful and purposeful. Furthermore, with God one can find forgiveness for all his sins and wrong-doing, make his or her peace with him, and receive the hope of eternal life.

Belonging to a good church is so beneficial for both individuals and families that it is well worth finding a church where leaders and members not only love God and believe and teach his Word, but also where they are loving, accepting, and non-judgmental; where they present grace with truth; and where they are committed to ministering to each others' needs. That's why God designed the church.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you above all that in a good church I can find you. Thank you, too, that a good church gives me a safe place to learn more about you, study your Word, discover your will for my life, share my struggles and failures, grow in maturity, faith, love and every grace, and find an opportunity to serve you by serving others. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus name, amen."

1. Hebrews 10:25 (NIV).
2. Why People Join the Church, p. 105-106.

<:))))><

What Will Matter

Monday, March 31, 2008

1. What Will Matter

Jesus said, "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. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."1

Today's Daily Encounter is by Michael Josephson of Character Counts (390.3).

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won't matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought but what you built, not what you got but what you gave. What will matter is not your success but your significance. What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught. What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example. What will matter is not your competence but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone. What will matter is not your memories but the memories that live in those who loved you. What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what. Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose to live a life that matters.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.2

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to live in light of eternal values so that my life will not be wasted but invested in the lives of others for all eternity so that my life will matter. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV).
2. © 2004 Josephson Institute of Ethics; reprinted with permission. Michael Josephson, one of the nation's leading ethicists, is the founder of the Josephson Institute of Ethics and the premier youth character education program, CHARACTER COUNTS! For further information visit www.charactercounts.org

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Celebrate Easter in Love and Peace

Friday, March 21, 2008

1. Celebrate Easter

He [Jesus] was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins!"1

This weekend we celebrate Good Friday and Easter...the time of the year when millions around the world celebrate the death and resurrection of the Savior of the world—the One who was rejected by men ... the One who came from heaven to earth to give his life a ransom for your sins and mine ... the One who is now in Heaven preparing a place for his followers ... the One who is coming again to take us to be with him in glory forever. How can we ever thank God and the Son of God enough for so great salvation? One of my favorite gospel songs written by Keith Green expresses my feelings very well. I trust it will yours too. Let's make this our prayer for today:

"Oh Lord, You're beautiful,
Your face is all I seek,
And when Your eyes are on this child,
Your grace abounds to me.

Chorus:
"I wanna take Your Word
and shine it all around.
But first help me just to live it, Lord!
And when I'm doing well.
Help me to never seek a crown.
For my reward is giving glory to You.

"Oh, Lord, You're wonderful,
Your touch is all I need,
And when Your hand is on this child,
Your healing I receive.

"Oh Lord, please light the fire,
That once burned bright and clear,
Replace the lamb of my first love,
That burned with holy fear."2

Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

To be sure you have accepted God's forgiveness and his gift of eternal life read, "How to Be Sure You're a real Christian Without Having to Be Religious" at: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9.

See also "The Glory of Easter" at: http://tinyurl.com/2g58uc

1. Isaiah 53:3-4 (NLT).
2. Keith Green.

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The Curse of Theological Rigidity

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

1. The Curse of Theological Rigidity

"Care for the flock of God entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don't lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your good example."1

People who are theologically rigid are the very opposite of what God's Word encourages leaders to be. They see themselves as being very spiritual and good Christians. The Pharisees of Jesus' day saw themselves in the same light.

The fact is that people who are theologically rigid are not spiritual at all. They are theologically rigid because they are emotionally rigid. And they are emotionally rigid because they are living in denial—denying their insecurities and inner unresolved painful issues. Some are very angry. Others are control freaks. Some are both.

Furthermore, theologically rigid people who become leaders in the church (or in politics or any other area) do great damage to people both psychologically and spiritually. They keep people immature, over-dependent, and in denial just as they themselves are. They, like the Pharisees, love their rules more than they love people. They use people to fulfill their own manipulative purposes. They are legalists who demand that others conform to their unrealistic expectations and, if they refuse to do so, they will be rejected—in some religious and political environments they can be totally ostracized and/or even killed.

God's word describes people who fall back into legalism as being bewitched.2 Remember though; they only control us if we allow them to. In some extreme cultures one may be forced to be controlled outwardly or be killed but it is important that, with God's help, one keeps control of his or her mind and beliefs.

Suggested prayer:

"Dear God, please deliver me from the trap and curse of theological rigidity and legalism and give me the insight to recognize it whenever it appears. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 1 Peter 5:2-3 (NLT).
2. Galatians 3:1.

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