WORLD BANKER MAKES STUNNING CONFESSION
Friday, September 20, 2013
Pensamentos de Deus
Uma compilação
“Pois os meus pensamentos não são os pensamentos de vocês, nem os seus caminhos são os meus caminhos", declara o Senhor. "Assim como os céus são mais altos do que a terra, também os meus caminhos são mais altos do que os seus caminhos e os meus pensamentos mais altos do que os seus pensamentos.”—Isaias 55:8–9[1]
*
O universo materializa um dos pensamentos de Deus.—Friedrich Schiller
*
É fato que astrônomos pesquisaram e estudaram galáxias a 12,3 bilhões de anos-luz da terra. Para entendermos essa distância, pensemos que a luz viaja 300 mil Km por segundo, percorrendo em apenas oito minutos os 150 milhões de Km entre o sol e o planeta terra. Ou seja, a luz chega até nós aos seus oito minutos de existência. Mas a luz de uma galáxia mais distante demora 12,3 bilhões de anos-luz para nos alcançar. É uma distância incompreensÃvel! E Deus diz que essa é no mÃnimo a distância entre os Seus pensamentos e os nossos pensamentos. Sendo assim, o nosso pensamento mais próximo do pensamento divino estaria a 12,3 bilhões de anos-luz da grandiosidade e bondade de Deus. —Mark Batterson[2]
*
Se deixarmos os pensamentos divinos revelados na Palavra penetrarem nossas mentes, teremos uma perspectiva bem diferente de Deus e de nós mesmos! Dar entrada aos pensamentos de Deus é como Jesus aparecendo no meio de um grupo de pessoas lamentando e dizendo: “Por que todo esse sofrimento e lágrimas? A menina não está morta, apenas dorme.”
Jesus convidou os músicos e os que choravam a morte da menina a se retirarem, e da mesma forma nossos pensamentos devem se retirar do nosso coração para darem lugar aos pensamentos de Deus. E então, no silêncio, a doce voz do Redentor se fará ouvir: “Menina, levante-se!”—William Hepburn Hewitson, adaptado
Os pensamentos de Deus, o Seu amor e juÃzos estão ligados ao homem. Estar à vontade, em casa, se traduz em pensar os pensamentos de Deus, escolher a Sua vontade, amar o que Ele ama, julgar como Ele, e saber que Ele está em nós.—George MacDonald
*
As pequenas criaturas da terra, do ar e do mar revelam o pensamento de Deus. os insetos são engenhosos. O vagalume brincando de esconde-esconde na noite de verão nos mostra que insetos já usavam lanterna bem antes de nós.
Isso é obra de Deus.
A vespa-da-madeira tem um ferrão que mais parece uma broca, com o qual ela consegue perfurar um buraco de 8 cm de profundidade em uma árvore e ali depositar seus ovos.
Isso é obra de Deus.
Os besouros e a abelha carpinteira ou mamangava, possuem ferrões. Esta última pode fazer uma perfuração de até 30 cm de profundidade.
Isso é obra de Deus.
Existe uma formiga que consegue cavar um túnel em uma pedra de 35 cm de espessura.
Isso é obra de Deus.
A mosca desfolhadora, que já estava em ação antes do homem sequer ver um serrote, corta sulcos nas árvores usando seus dois minúsculos serrotes que funcionam em movimentos para frente e para trás, alternadamente.
Isso é obra de Deus.
As aranhas são engenheiras natas, e em muitos sentidos bem mais capacitadas do que os arquitetos que desenharam a Brooklyn Bridge.
Isso é obra de Deus.
A lagarta junta as pontas de uma folha com um fio até montar um confortável abrigo onde se recolher.
Isso é obra de Deus.—Autor anônimo
*
Quero conhecer os pensamentos de Deus. O resto é detalhe.—Albert Einstein
*
Todos os poderes e todas as leis, não passam
De uma materialização dos pensamentos de Deus.—John Stuart Blackie
*
Deus demonstrou a nossa importância para Ele por meio de dois grandes atos. Primeiro, nos criou à Sua semelhança, e segundo—por meio de Jesus Cristo—morreu pelos nossos pecados. Deus pensou tanto em você, acreditou em você e o considerou tão valioso que deixou o Seu filho morrer para você poder ter vida. Depois que começamos a nos ver à luz dos atos de Deus em nosso favor, imediatamente ficamos mais confiantes. É de deixar qualquer um sem graça perceber que se fosse a única pessoa no mundo, Jesus teria morrido por ela, o que confere a você, como pessoa, um valor inestimável.—John C. Maxwell[3]
*
A Salvação pode ser definida da seguinte forma: Deus pensou; Jesus comprou; o EspÃrito Santo realizou; o Diabo a combateu, e eu ganhei.—David Brandt Berg
*
Como são preciosos para mim os teus pensamentos, ó Deus!
Como é grande a soma deles!
Se eu os contasse seriam mais do que os grãos de areia.
Se terminasse de contá-los, eu ainda estaria contigo.
—Salmo 139:17–18[4]
Você já tentou contar os grãos de areia na praia? Aqueles que tentaram descobriram que é absolutamente impossÃvel! São tantos em apenas uma mão cheia que não faz sentido acharmos que conseguirÃamos contá-los.
Neste versÃculo o salmista nos diz que os pensamentos de Deus por nós são em maior número do que os grãos de areia na praia! Que ilustração! O Pai, que nos criou e contou nossos dias, pensa em nós o tempo todo. Ele nunca deixa de pensar em você. … E não são pensamentos de juÃzo e condenação, mas pensamentos de amor. Quão preciosos são os Seus pensamentos para conosco!
Para o nosso limitado entendimento isso é bom demais para ser verdade… mas é verdade.
Deus está pensando em você neste exato momento!—Autor anônimo[5]
*
As Palavras de Deus são os Seus pensamentos expressados verbalmente. A BÃblia fala bastante sobre os pensamentos de Deus.
Em Jeremias 29:11 diz: “Porque sou eu que conheço os planos que tenho para vocês", diz o Senhor, "planos de fazê-los prosperar e não de lhes causar dano, planos de dar-lhes esperança e um futuro.” E nos versÃculos 12 e13: “Então vocês clamarão a mim, virão orar a mim, e eu os ouvirei. Vocês me procurarão e me acharão quando me procurarem de todo o coração.” O Senhor pensa coisas boas a nosso respeito” … Ele tem planos de nos fazer prosperar, de cuidar do nosso future e nos dar esperança! ... Seus pensamentos em relação a nós são de paz e bondade. Ele tem bons pensamentos a nosso respeito. E para sabermos quais são basta Lhe perguntar...
Os bons pensamentos de Deus a nosso respeito são numerosos demais para relacionarmos. Mas devo mencionar Seus pensamentos sobre nós listados no Salmo 139. Vou parafrasear alguns deles, mas sugiro que leiam o capÃtulo. Primeiro, Ele nos criou, a nossa alma. Seus olhos viram nossos corpos ainda informes antes de nascermos. E todos os dias que foram ordenados para vivermos estavam escritos no Livro da Vida antes sequer de nascermos. Ele nos formou no ventre de nossas mães. Ele nos criou no lugar secreto, e fomos entrelaçados nas profundezas da terra. Deus conhece cada detalhe a nosso respeito, e todos os nossos caminhos. Sabe as palavras que vamos proferir antes de abrirmos a boca. Ele nos protege com Suas mãos poderosas. Não podemos ir a lugar algum na terra ou no espaço, sem Ele saber onde nos encontramos o tempo todo. Deus incide a Sua luz nas nossas trevas. Seus pensamentos a nossa respeito são preciosos demais e em grande conta de tal modo que não podemos enumerá-los pois seriam mais do que os grãos de areia. Deus nos ama! Somos amados de Deus. É isso o que somos!
Pense nisso! Deus pensou em nós primeiro… Ele nos visualizou! E por Seus pensamentos e palavras nós fomos criados! E lembre-se que fomos criados à Sua semelhança![6] É maravilhoso sermos tão importantes assim para Deus. Quando nos sentimos tentados a pensar coisas ruins a nosso respeito ou sobre os outros, devemos pensar no que Deus pensa de nós. Somos preciosos para Ele, Sua amada criação. E devemos também lembrar que se verbalizarmos nossos pensamentos ou agirmos de acordo com eles, poderemos materializar o que pensamos ou visualizamos. Se tivermos bons pensamentos, estes poderão criar coisas boas em nossas vidas. E se pensarmos os pensamentos de Deus (conforme a BÃblia mostra), Ele também dará um jeito de realizar a Sua Palavra em nossas vidas.[7]—Scott Seidel[8]
*
Senhor meu Deus! Quantas maravilhas tens feito! Não se pode relatar os planos que preparaste para nós! Eu queria proclamá-los e anunciá-los, mas são por demais numerosos!—Salmo 40:5[9]
Publicado no Âncora em setembro 2013. Tradução Hebe Rondon Flandoli.
[1] NVI.
[2] In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day (Editora Multnomah, 2006).
[3] Be a People Person (Thomas Nelson, 2002).
[4] NVI.
[5] http://www.fathersloveletter.com/Devotionals/24_FLLdevotional.html.
[6] Gênesis 1:26–27 NVI.
[7] Hebreus 1:3; Isaias 55:11 NVI.
[8] http://www.seidelfamily.org/page29/page46/page46.html.
[9] NVI.
“Pois os meus pensamentos não são os pensamentos de vocês, nem os seus caminhos são os meus caminhos", declara o Senhor. "Assim como os céus são mais altos do que a terra, também os meus caminhos são mais altos do que os seus caminhos e os meus pensamentos mais altos do que os seus pensamentos.”—Isaias 55:8–9[1]
*
O universo materializa um dos pensamentos de Deus.—Friedrich Schiller
*
É fato que astrônomos pesquisaram e estudaram galáxias a 12,3 bilhões de anos-luz da terra. Para entendermos essa distância, pensemos que a luz viaja 300 mil Km por segundo, percorrendo em apenas oito minutos os 150 milhões de Km entre o sol e o planeta terra. Ou seja, a luz chega até nós aos seus oito minutos de existência. Mas a luz de uma galáxia mais distante demora 12,3 bilhões de anos-luz para nos alcançar. É uma distância incompreensÃvel! E Deus diz que essa é no mÃnimo a distância entre os Seus pensamentos e os nossos pensamentos. Sendo assim, o nosso pensamento mais próximo do pensamento divino estaria a 12,3 bilhões de anos-luz da grandiosidade e bondade de Deus. —Mark Batterson[2]
*
Se deixarmos os pensamentos divinos revelados na Palavra penetrarem nossas mentes, teremos uma perspectiva bem diferente de Deus e de nós mesmos! Dar entrada aos pensamentos de Deus é como Jesus aparecendo no meio de um grupo de pessoas lamentando e dizendo: “Por que todo esse sofrimento e lágrimas? A menina não está morta, apenas dorme.”
Jesus convidou os músicos e os que choravam a morte da menina a se retirarem, e da mesma forma nossos pensamentos devem se retirar do nosso coração para darem lugar aos pensamentos de Deus. E então, no silêncio, a doce voz do Redentor se fará ouvir: “Menina, levante-se!”—William Hepburn Hewitson, adaptado
Os pensamentos de Deus, o Seu amor e juÃzos estão ligados ao homem. Estar à vontade, em casa, se traduz em pensar os pensamentos de Deus, escolher a Sua vontade, amar o que Ele ama, julgar como Ele, e saber que Ele está em nós.—George MacDonald
*
As pequenas criaturas da terra, do ar e do mar revelam o pensamento de Deus. os insetos são engenhosos. O vagalume brincando de esconde-esconde na noite de verão nos mostra que insetos já usavam lanterna bem antes de nós.
Isso é obra de Deus.
A vespa-da-madeira tem um ferrão que mais parece uma broca, com o qual ela consegue perfurar um buraco de 8 cm de profundidade em uma árvore e ali depositar seus ovos.
Isso é obra de Deus.
Os besouros e a abelha carpinteira ou mamangava, possuem ferrões. Esta última pode fazer uma perfuração de até 30 cm de profundidade.
Isso é obra de Deus.
Existe uma formiga que consegue cavar um túnel em uma pedra de 35 cm de espessura.
Isso é obra de Deus.
A mosca desfolhadora, que já estava em ação antes do homem sequer ver um serrote, corta sulcos nas árvores usando seus dois minúsculos serrotes que funcionam em movimentos para frente e para trás, alternadamente.
Isso é obra de Deus.
As aranhas são engenheiras natas, e em muitos sentidos bem mais capacitadas do que os arquitetos que desenharam a Brooklyn Bridge.
Isso é obra de Deus.
A lagarta junta as pontas de uma folha com um fio até montar um confortável abrigo onde se recolher.
Isso é obra de Deus.—Autor anônimo
*
Quero conhecer os pensamentos de Deus. O resto é detalhe.—Albert Einstein
*
Todos os poderes e todas as leis, não passam
De uma materialização dos pensamentos de Deus.—John Stuart Blackie
*
Deus demonstrou a nossa importância para Ele por meio de dois grandes atos. Primeiro, nos criou à Sua semelhança, e segundo—por meio de Jesus Cristo—morreu pelos nossos pecados. Deus pensou tanto em você, acreditou em você e o considerou tão valioso que deixou o Seu filho morrer para você poder ter vida. Depois que começamos a nos ver à luz dos atos de Deus em nosso favor, imediatamente ficamos mais confiantes. É de deixar qualquer um sem graça perceber que se fosse a única pessoa no mundo, Jesus teria morrido por ela, o que confere a você, como pessoa, um valor inestimável.—John C. Maxwell[3]
*
A Salvação pode ser definida da seguinte forma: Deus pensou; Jesus comprou; o EspÃrito Santo realizou; o Diabo a combateu, e eu ganhei.—David Brandt Berg
*
Como são preciosos para mim os teus pensamentos, ó Deus!
Como é grande a soma deles!
Se eu os contasse seriam mais do que os grãos de areia.
Se terminasse de contá-los, eu ainda estaria contigo.
—Salmo 139:17–18[4]
Você já tentou contar os grãos de areia na praia? Aqueles que tentaram descobriram que é absolutamente impossÃvel! São tantos em apenas uma mão cheia que não faz sentido acharmos que conseguirÃamos contá-los.
Neste versÃculo o salmista nos diz que os pensamentos de Deus por nós são em maior número do que os grãos de areia na praia! Que ilustração! O Pai, que nos criou e contou nossos dias, pensa em nós o tempo todo. Ele nunca deixa de pensar em você. … E não são pensamentos de juÃzo e condenação, mas pensamentos de amor. Quão preciosos são os Seus pensamentos para conosco!
Para o nosso limitado entendimento isso é bom demais para ser verdade… mas é verdade.
Deus está pensando em você neste exato momento!—Autor anônimo[5]
*
As Palavras de Deus são os Seus pensamentos expressados verbalmente. A BÃblia fala bastante sobre os pensamentos de Deus.
Em Jeremias 29:11 diz: “Porque sou eu que conheço os planos que tenho para vocês", diz o Senhor, "planos de fazê-los prosperar e não de lhes causar dano, planos de dar-lhes esperança e um futuro.” E nos versÃculos 12 e13: “Então vocês clamarão a mim, virão orar a mim, e eu os ouvirei. Vocês me procurarão e me acharão quando me procurarem de todo o coração.” O Senhor pensa coisas boas a nosso respeito” … Ele tem planos de nos fazer prosperar, de cuidar do nosso future e nos dar esperança! ... Seus pensamentos em relação a nós são de paz e bondade. Ele tem bons pensamentos a nosso respeito. E para sabermos quais são basta Lhe perguntar...
Os bons pensamentos de Deus a nosso respeito são numerosos demais para relacionarmos. Mas devo mencionar Seus pensamentos sobre nós listados no Salmo 139. Vou parafrasear alguns deles, mas sugiro que leiam o capÃtulo. Primeiro, Ele nos criou, a nossa alma. Seus olhos viram nossos corpos ainda informes antes de nascermos. E todos os dias que foram ordenados para vivermos estavam escritos no Livro da Vida antes sequer de nascermos. Ele nos formou no ventre de nossas mães. Ele nos criou no lugar secreto, e fomos entrelaçados nas profundezas da terra. Deus conhece cada detalhe a nosso respeito, e todos os nossos caminhos. Sabe as palavras que vamos proferir antes de abrirmos a boca. Ele nos protege com Suas mãos poderosas. Não podemos ir a lugar algum na terra ou no espaço, sem Ele saber onde nos encontramos o tempo todo. Deus incide a Sua luz nas nossas trevas. Seus pensamentos a nossa respeito são preciosos demais e em grande conta de tal modo que não podemos enumerá-los pois seriam mais do que os grãos de areia. Deus nos ama! Somos amados de Deus. É isso o que somos!
Pense nisso! Deus pensou em nós primeiro… Ele nos visualizou! E por Seus pensamentos e palavras nós fomos criados! E lembre-se que fomos criados à Sua semelhança![6] É maravilhoso sermos tão importantes assim para Deus. Quando nos sentimos tentados a pensar coisas ruins a nosso respeito ou sobre os outros, devemos pensar no que Deus pensa de nós. Somos preciosos para Ele, Sua amada criação. E devemos também lembrar que se verbalizarmos nossos pensamentos ou agirmos de acordo com eles, poderemos materializar o que pensamos ou visualizamos. Se tivermos bons pensamentos, estes poderão criar coisas boas em nossas vidas. E se pensarmos os pensamentos de Deus (conforme a BÃblia mostra), Ele também dará um jeito de realizar a Sua Palavra em nossas vidas.[7]—Scott Seidel[8]
*
Senhor meu Deus! Quantas maravilhas tens feito! Não se pode relatar os planos que preparaste para nós! Eu queria proclamá-los e anunciá-los, mas são por demais numerosos!—Salmo 40:5[9]
Publicado no Âncora em setembro 2013. Tradução Hebe Rondon Flandoli.
[1] NVI.
[2] In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day (Editora Multnomah, 2006).
[3] Be a People Person (Thomas Nelson, 2002).
[4] NVI.
[5] http://www.fathersloveletter.com/Devotionals/24_FLLdevotional.html.
[6] Gênesis 1:26–27 NVI.
[7] Hebreus 1:3; Isaias 55:11 NVI.
[8] http://www.seidelfamily.org/page29/page46/page46.html.
[9] NVI.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
God’s Thoughts
A compilation
Audio length: 11:34
Download Audio (10.5MB)
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”—Isaiah 55:8–91
*
The universe is one of God’s thoughts.—Friedrich Schiller
*
Astronomers have spied galaxies 12.3 billion light-years from earth. To put that distance into perspective, consider the fact that light, traveling 186,000 miles per second, only takes eight minutes to travel the 93 million miles between the sun and planet earth. By the time it reaches us, our sunlight is only eight minutes old. But light from the furthest galaxy takes 12.3 billion light years to get here. That distance is virtually incomprehensible! And God says that is at least the distance between His thoughts and our thoughts. Your best thought about God on your best day falls 12.3 billion light-years short of how great and how good God really is.—Mark Batterson2
*
If we let God’s thoughts, as they are revealed in the Word, come in and fill the chamber of our minds, our views and feelings regarding both God and ourselves will be so different! If we let God’s thoughts in, it will be like Jesus coming into the midst of the mourners and saying, “Why are you making such a commotion, and weeping? The damsel is not dead, but sleeping.”
As the minstrels and other mourners were put out of the house by Jesus, so must our thoughts be put out of our hearts by God’s thoughts. Then, all being still, the sweet voice of the Redeemer will be heard, “Maid, arise!”—William Hepburn Hewitson, adapted
God’s thoughts, his will, his love, his judgments are all man’s home. To think his thoughts, to choose his will, to love his loves, to judge his judgments, and thus to know that he is in us, is to be at home.—George MacDonald
*
The humble creatures of earth and air and sea show forth God’s thought. Insects are ingenious. The firefly that plays hide-and-seek on a summer night shows us that insects had a flashlight before we did.
God made it so.
The ichneumon fly has a drill with which she can bore a hole four inches deep in a tree and deposit her eggs.
God made it so.
Beetles and carpenter bees have drills. The carpenter bee can drill a hole fourteen inches deep.
God made it so.
There is a certain ant that makes a tunnel through a foot of solid stone.
God made it so.
The sawfly, which worked before man had a saw, has two tiny saws, working alternately back and forth, side by side, to produce grooves in trees.
God made it so.
Spiders are real engineers, surpassing the architects of the Brooklyn Bridge in many ways.
God made it so.
The oak tortrix draws the edges of a leaf together with thread until he has made a comfortable shelter for himself.
God made it so.—Author unknown
*
I want to know all God’s thoughts; all the rest are just details.—Albert Einstein
*
All powers, all laws, are but the fair
Embodied thoughts of God.—John Stuart Blackie
*
God demonstrated our importance to Him in two great acts. First He created us in His own image, and second He—through Jesus Christ—died for our sins. God thought so much of you, believed in you, and saw you as a person of such worth, that He allowed His Son to die so that you could live. When we begin to see ourselves in light of God’s actions on our behalf, then we immediately begin to have more confidence. There is nothing more humbling than the realization that if you were the only person on this earth, Jesus would have died for you. That makes you priceless.—John C. Maxwell3
*
Salvation is defined this way: God thought it. Jesus bought it. The Holy Spirit wrought it. The Devil fought it, and I’ve got it.—David Brandt Berg
*
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them,
Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I am awake, I am still with you.—Psalm 139:17–184
Have you ever tried to count the grains of sand on the seashore? For those of us who have tried, it is absolutely impossible! There are so many in just a scoop of your hand that it becomes incomprehensible to think that we could even begin to count them.
In this scripture verse, the psalmist tells us that God’s thoughts toward us even outnumber the grains of sand on the seashore! What imagery. The Father, who created us and who numbered all our days, is thinking about us all the time. He never stops thinking about you. ... And they are not thoughts of condemnation and judgment, but thoughts of love. How precious are His thoughts toward us.
In our limited understanding, this is just too good to be true ... but it is true.
God is thinking about you right now!—Author unknown5
*
God’s Words are His thoughts expressed in words. The Bible has much to say about God’s thoughts.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace (good) and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” The NIV says it this way, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you.” He goes on to say in verses 12–13, “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” The Lord thinks good thoughts about us! … He plans to prosper us, give us a future, and give us hope! … His thoughts toward us are thoughts of peace and good. He thinks good thoughts of us. And we can know what those thoughts are! All we have to do is ask Him. …
God’s good thoughts about us are too numerous to list all of them. But I must talk about His thoughts toward us that are written in Psalm 139. I will paraphrase some of them, but I encourage you to read it for yourself. First of all, He created us, in our innermost being. His eyes saw our unformed bodies before we were born. And all the days ordained for us were written in His Book of Life before we ever came into being. He knit us together in our mothers’ wombs. He made us in the secret place, and we were woven together in the depths of the earth. He knows us, every part of us, and is familiar with all our ways. He knows the words we are going to speak before we speak them. He protects us with His divine hand. There is no place we can go on this earth, or even into outer space, that He won’t be there with us at all times. He shines His light into our darkness. His thoughts toward us are so precious and vast that they would outnumber all the grains of sand. He loves us! We are the beloved of God. That’s who we are!
Think about it! He thought us first… He saw us in His mind’s eye! With His thoughts, His Words, we were created! And remember, we were created in His image!6 How wonderful it is that we are that important to God. When we are tempted to think wrong thoughts about ourselves, or each other, let’s think about how God sees us. We are all His precious, beloved creation. Also, let’s remember: the thoughts that we think, if spoken and acted upon, can create what we are thinking and seeing in our mind’s eye. If we think good thoughts, they can create good things in our lives. And, if we think God’s thoughts (those found in the Bible), He also goes to work to uphold and perform His Word in our lives.7—Scott Seidel8
*
Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.—Psalm 40:59
Published on Anchor September 2013. Read by Bryan Clark.
Music by Daniel Sozzi.
1 NIV.
2 In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day (Multnomah, 2006).
3 Be a People Person (Thomas Nelson, 2002).
4 NIV.
5 http://www.fathersloveletter.com/Devotionals/24_FLLdevotional.html.
6 Genesis 1:26–27.
7 Hebrews 1:3; Isaiah 55:11.
8 http://www.seidelfamily.org/page29/page46/page46.html.
9 NKJ.
Audio length: 11:34
Download Audio (10.5MB)
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”—Isaiah 55:8–91
*
The universe is one of God’s thoughts.—Friedrich Schiller
*
Astronomers have spied galaxies 12.3 billion light-years from earth. To put that distance into perspective, consider the fact that light, traveling 186,000 miles per second, only takes eight minutes to travel the 93 million miles between the sun and planet earth. By the time it reaches us, our sunlight is only eight minutes old. But light from the furthest galaxy takes 12.3 billion light years to get here. That distance is virtually incomprehensible! And God says that is at least the distance between His thoughts and our thoughts. Your best thought about God on your best day falls 12.3 billion light-years short of how great and how good God really is.—Mark Batterson2
*
If we let God’s thoughts, as they are revealed in the Word, come in and fill the chamber of our minds, our views and feelings regarding both God and ourselves will be so different! If we let God’s thoughts in, it will be like Jesus coming into the midst of the mourners and saying, “Why are you making such a commotion, and weeping? The damsel is not dead, but sleeping.”
As the minstrels and other mourners were put out of the house by Jesus, so must our thoughts be put out of our hearts by God’s thoughts. Then, all being still, the sweet voice of the Redeemer will be heard, “Maid, arise!”—William Hepburn Hewitson, adapted
God’s thoughts, his will, his love, his judgments are all man’s home. To think his thoughts, to choose his will, to love his loves, to judge his judgments, and thus to know that he is in us, is to be at home.—George MacDonald
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The humble creatures of earth and air and sea show forth God’s thought. Insects are ingenious. The firefly that plays hide-and-seek on a summer night shows us that insects had a flashlight before we did.
God made it so.
The ichneumon fly has a drill with which she can bore a hole four inches deep in a tree and deposit her eggs.
God made it so.
Beetles and carpenter bees have drills. The carpenter bee can drill a hole fourteen inches deep.
God made it so.
There is a certain ant that makes a tunnel through a foot of solid stone.
God made it so.
The sawfly, which worked before man had a saw, has two tiny saws, working alternately back and forth, side by side, to produce grooves in trees.
God made it so.
Spiders are real engineers, surpassing the architects of the Brooklyn Bridge in many ways.
God made it so.
The oak tortrix draws the edges of a leaf together with thread until he has made a comfortable shelter for himself.
God made it so.—Author unknown
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I want to know all God’s thoughts; all the rest are just details.—Albert Einstein
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All powers, all laws, are but the fair
Embodied thoughts of God.—John Stuart Blackie
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God demonstrated our importance to Him in two great acts. First He created us in His own image, and second He—through Jesus Christ—died for our sins. God thought so much of you, believed in you, and saw you as a person of such worth, that He allowed His Son to die so that you could live. When we begin to see ourselves in light of God’s actions on our behalf, then we immediately begin to have more confidence. There is nothing more humbling than the realization that if you were the only person on this earth, Jesus would have died for you. That makes you priceless.—John C. Maxwell3
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Salvation is defined this way: God thought it. Jesus bought it. The Holy Spirit wrought it. The Devil fought it, and I’ve got it.—David Brandt Berg
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How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them,
Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I am awake, I am still with you.—Psalm 139:17–184
Have you ever tried to count the grains of sand on the seashore? For those of us who have tried, it is absolutely impossible! There are so many in just a scoop of your hand that it becomes incomprehensible to think that we could even begin to count them.
In this scripture verse, the psalmist tells us that God’s thoughts toward us even outnumber the grains of sand on the seashore! What imagery. The Father, who created us and who numbered all our days, is thinking about us all the time. He never stops thinking about you. ... And they are not thoughts of condemnation and judgment, but thoughts of love. How precious are His thoughts toward us.
In our limited understanding, this is just too good to be true ... but it is true.
God is thinking about you right now!—Author unknown5
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God’s Words are His thoughts expressed in words. The Bible has much to say about God’s thoughts.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace (good) and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” The NIV says it this way, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you.” He goes on to say in verses 12–13, “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” The Lord thinks good thoughts about us! … He plans to prosper us, give us a future, and give us hope! … His thoughts toward us are thoughts of peace and good. He thinks good thoughts of us. And we can know what those thoughts are! All we have to do is ask Him. …
God’s good thoughts about us are too numerous to list all of them. But I must talk about His thoughts toward us that are written in Psalm 139. I will paraphrase some of them, but I encourage you to read it for yourself. First of all, He created us, in our innermost being. His eyes saw our unformed bodies before we were born. And all the days ordained for us were written in His Book of Life before we ever came into being. He knit us together in our mothers’ wombs. He made us in the secret place, and we were woven together in the depths of the earth. He knows us, every part of us, and is familiar with all our ways. He knows the words we are going to speak before we speak them. He protects us with His divine hand. There is no place we can go on this earth, or even into outer space, that He won’t be there with us at all times. He shines His light into our darkness. His thoughts toward us are so precious and vast that they would outnumber all the grains of sand. He loves us! We are the beloved of God. That’s who we are!
Think about it! He thought us first… He saw us in His mind’s eye! With His thoughts, His Words, we were created! And remember, we were created in His image!6 How wonderful it is that we are that important to God. When we are tempted to think wrong thoughts about ourselves, or each other, let’s think about how God sees us. We are all His precious, beloved creation. Also, let’s remember: the thoughts that we think, if spoken and acted upon, can create what we are thinking and seeing in our mind’s eye. If we think good thoughts, they can create good things in our lives. And, if we think God’s thoughts (those found in the Bible), He also goes to work to uphold and perform His Word in our lives.7—Scott Seidel8
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Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.—Psalm 40:59
Published on Anchor September 2013. Read by Bryan Clark.
Music by Daniel Sozzi.
1 NIV.
2 In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day (Multnomah, 2006).
3 Be a People Person (Thomas Nelson, 2002).
4 NIV.
5 http://www.fathersloveletter.com/Devotionals/24_FLLdevotional.html.
6 Genesis 1:26–27.
7 Hebrews 1:3; Isaiah 55:11.
8 http://www.seidelfamily.org/page29/page46/page46.html.
9 NKJ.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
How God Is Moving in Syria
Charisma News Staff, Sept. 10, 2013
In this exclusive interview with Charisma News, Jane (not her real name), a Syrian Christian, gave us a firsthand account of what it’s like to be a Christian in the war-torn country during this dangerous and uncertain time.
Charisma News: What do you see God doing in spite of all the persecution and what’s being reported?
Jane: We are now experiencing that this is the best spiritual time for Syria and other countries, like Egypt, because as much as their suffering is great, they are growing. We experience how refugees run away from their places because of the bombing from the government. They came to Damascus and to the churches, and they came to find the truth of the real God.
Many of the Muslim families came to our church, and now our church has 2,000 families of refugees. They told us, “We don’t know if this is the real Islam.” We said, “Yes, this is Islam. This is what they teach in Quran.” They said, “We don’t want to follow Muhammad anymore. We don’t want Islam. We want to know the real God.” So we give them New Testaments, and we follow up with them, have meetings, preach the gospel, and then we give them food. Thank God, we saw how He is moving among those families that before we couldn’t reach because they don’t even know there are Christians in this country. They are covered; it’s very hard. So we thank God, because everything happens because of His goodness.
We saw that this war is not from God because of how much the terrorists came and tried to strip the Christians, telling them to go out from the country—“This is our country. It’s our country.” At the same time, we are experiencing how much evil is active now because there is a big change on the other side, where we have a lot of opportunities to show Jesus Christ. And we have one prayer a day for the country for six months, inviting people from any denomination—Muslim denominations and Christian denominations—and we pray with them for the country. And when we pray, we pray for Sunni and Shia and Christians and Jews and enemy religions. We pray for all denominations, and we pray for all people. That prayer meeting, God opened from this prayer to make resolutions among Sunni and Shia.
We believe God is doing miracles because He promised us from 2004 that a big revival is coming. It wasn’t like we were expecting. We expected big places, a crowd of people would come to the place. But His way is opposite, not like our ways, because this is through the war. Thank God, at the same time, we believe that somebody is being saved. We are waiting and believe that God will change the situation for victor[y], and we are using the suffering time that believers get stronger and people come more. Even though we have a lot problems, a lot of suffering, a lot of hurting, we still, we can’t do anything but stand still.
Charisma News: How can we pray for the situation there?
Jane: American believers have to wake up and know that there are other members of the body who are suffering. It’s very important to have more information about what’s happening on the other side because suffering is caused by the people who are supported by your government, by your taxes and your money.
It’s very hard for us when we are walking on the street and there are a lot of mortars above our heads and around us. Thank God He protects the believers. But this is the life we are living now. We walk down the street, and we don’t know if we will come back to our home or not. Everyone is going from Syria, from Damascus and Aleppo. We are leaving our home, and we don’t know if we will come back. It’s a very hard life because every moment we are expecting death. We hear of tortures, kidnappings, 500 die, 700 die, 200 die. This is a big problem. My area now is very dangerous, but we’re still alive, thank God.
You have to pray for awakening of your government. Because one day those people who are supported by your government, they will kill your people. Believe me, this is their aim. This is their goal. We want you to pray for that, that the country will stop the killing, stop the Syrian forces, that terrorists will not be supported by the Turkish board or the Muslim board. It’s very hard for us when we heard how much people come against our country. It’s very, very dangerous for us.
Please pray that God will stop the terrorists and not let them enter any more. Already we have 600,000 terrorists—from Afghanistan, Libya, Egypt and many areas.
At the same time, we are expecting more and more people coming to Jesus Christ, and we want you to pray for distributing the New Testament. We have had good experiences with this. Many years ago, our church had a vision to have one New Testament for each Syrian—that’s 23 million. In our country, the government gave us permission, and we distributed more than 300,000 New Testaments. But during the war, we distributed 50,000 and 20,000 audio New Testaments and 3,000 children Bibles. This is a big aim, and we are already doing it in no time. Thank God He is using this ministry, and we have many, many experiences about how God is using this ministry and people being blessed by the New Testament.
We want you to pray also for the children, for the situation, the economic situation. People are very down. People don’t work now. Prior to the situation, if someone has any problem, they can’t go to the police station because the police station is controlled by the terrorists, and we can’t have any solutions from the government. We need real protection and for God to stop this war.
Charisma News: Like you say, the reality of death is everywhere. I’m sure every time you step out, there is a supernatural protection on you.
Jane: We can be kidnapped any time because of our faith. We expect our daughters may be kidnapped. It’s not an easy life. We expect death. We are always prepared for death. I told my daughters that someone may come and kill us at our door.
The terrorists are full in this country. You will see some blood, you will have some pain, but He will open the heavens, and we will enjoy being with Jesus and angels, and He will say, “I forgive you, God loves you, Jesus loves you.” Many times He will use us and will glorify His name through our life, but we are in a very dangerous situation.
We need your prayers. We are blessed by this suffering, and we are aimed at winning. What’s happened in America? We are really worried. The Christians, the believers there, are sleeping. They don’t know anything about suffering in other countries. They are blind.
We are not supporting the regime, but we know that the regime with people is much better, and we can accept it, and we can live with them from Sunni. Before, we had a big freedom to worship God, and we could do huge events and no one would stop us—Muslim or other nations—because we had the freedom from our government. They gave us a church where we could do whatever wanted—even rent a big stadium. You can do what you want, and no one can stop you.
I had a female friend who was once asked, “Why do you get the New Testament in school?” She’s a believer from a Muslim background. The principal of the school is against her, but the government agreed that the people who are following what is written in the New Testament are the best and follow exactly what is written. “Go, and no one can stop you because of this book, we support printing it, and everyone who wants to read it can read it. Call me if someone stops you.” We have a lot of stories like this. In the end, people who produce the New Testament get protection from the Secret Police because it is very legal to distribute them in our country.
We had freedom before. Assad wasn’t against them and ministry, but his fault was he wanted to give freedom to all, and the last time, when we had freedom under Assad’s regime, it was like going crazy. In 10 years, they were building mosques in a crazy way and wondering why we have so many mosques. We are afraid one day they’ll say we don’t have freedom of religion. So Assad gives all people freedom. We are Christians. We keep the situation. While we are not weak, we begin to grow.
In this exclusive interview with Charisma News, Jane (not her real name), a Syrian Christian, gave us a firsthand account of what it’s like to be a Christian in the war-torn country during this dangerous and uncertain time.
Charisma News: What do you see God doing in spite of all the persecution and what’s being reported?
Jane: We are now experiencing that this is the best spiritual time for Syria and other countries, like Egypt, because as much as their suffering is great, they are growing. We experience how refugees run away from their places because of the bombing from the government. They came to Damascus and to the churches, and they came to find the truth of the real God.
Many of the Muslim families came to our church, and now our church has 2,000 families of refugees. They told us, “We don’t know if this is the real Islam.” We said, “Yes, this is Islam. This is what they teach in Quran.” They said, “We don’t want to follow Muhammad anymore. We don’t want Islam. We want to know the real God.” So we give them New Testaments, and we follow up with them, have meetings, preach the gospel, and then we give them food. Thank God, we saw how He is moving among those families that before we couldn’t reach because they don’t even know there are Christians in this country. They are covered; it’s very hard. So we thank God, because everything happens because of His goodness.
We saw that this war is not from God because of how much the terrorists came and tried to strip the Christians, telling them to go out from the country—“This is our country. It’s our country.” At the same time, we are experiencing how much evil is active now because there is a big change on the other side, where we have a lot of opportunities to show Jesus Christ. And we have one prayer a day for the country for six months, inviting people from any denomination—Muslim denominations and Christian denominations—and we pray with them for the country. And when we pray, we pray for Sunni and Shia and Christians and Jews and enemy religions. We pray for all denominations, and we pray for all people. That prayer meeting, God opened from this prayer to make resolutions among Sunni and Shia.
We believe God is doing miracles because He promised us from 2004 that a big revival is coming. It wasn’t like we were expecting. We expected big places, a crowd of people would come to the place. But His way is opposite, not like our ways, because this is through the war. Thank God, at the same time, we believe that somebody is being saved. We are waiting and believe that God will change the situation for victor[y], and we are using the suffering time that believers get stronger and people come more. Even though we have a lot problems, a lot of suffering, a lot of hurting, we still, we can’t do anything but stand still.
Charisma News: How can we pray for the situation there?
Jane: American believers have to wake up and know that there are other members of the body who are suffering. It’s very important to have more information about what’s happening on the other side because suffering is caused by the people who are supported by your government, by your taxes and your money.
It’s very hard for us when we are walking on the street and there are a lot of mortars above our heads and around us. Thank God He protects the believers. But this is the life we are living now. We walk down the street, and we don’t know if we will come back to our home or not. Everyone is going from Syria, from Damascus and Aleppo. We are leaving our home, and we don’t know if we will come back. It’s a very hard life because every moment we are expecting death. We hear of tortures, kidnappings, 500 die, 700 die, 200 die. This is a big problem. My area now is very dangerous, but we’re still alive, thank God.
You have to pray for awakening of your government. Because one day those people who are supported by your government, they will kill your people. Believe me, this is their aim. This is their goal. We want you to pray for that, that the country will stop the killing, stop the Syrian forces, that terrorists will not be supported by the Turkish board or the Muslim board. It’s very hard for us when we heard how much people come against our country. It’s very, very dangerous for us.
Please pray that God will stop the terrorists and not let them enter any more. Already we have 600,000 terrorists—from Afghanistan, Libya, Egypt and many areas.
At the same time, we are expecting more and more people coming to Jesus Christ, and we want you to pray for distributing the New Testament. We have had good experiences with this. Many years ago, our church had a vision to have one New Testament for each Syrian—that’s 23 million. In our country, the government gave us permission, and we distributed more than 300,000 New Testaments. But during the war, we distributed 50,000 and 20,000 audio New Testaments and 3,000 children Bibles. This is a big aim, and we are already doing it in no time. Thank God He is using this ministry, and we have many, many experiences about how God is using this ministry and people being blessed by the New Testament.
We want you to pray also for the children, for the situation, the economic situation. People are very down. People don’t work now. Prior to the situation, if someone has any problem, they can’t go to the police station because the police station is controlled by the terrorists, and we can’t have any solutions from the government. We need real protection and for God to stop this war.
Charisma News: Like you say, the reality of death is everywhere. I’m sure every time you step out, there is a supernatural protection on you.
Jane: We can be kidnapped any time because of our faith. We expect our daughters may be kidnapped. It’s not an easy life. We expect death. We are always prepared for death. I told my daughters that someone may come and kill us at our door.
The terrorists are full in this country. You will see some blood, you will have some pain, but He will open the heavens, and we will enjoy being with Jesus and angels, and He will say, “I forgive you, God loves you, Jesus loves you.” Many times He will use us and will glorify His name through our life, but we are in a very dangerous situation.
We need your prayers. We are blessed by this suffering, and we are aimed at winning. What’s happened in America? We are really worried. The Christians, the believers there, are sleeping. They don’t know anything about suffering in other countries. They are blind.
We are not supporting the regime, but we know that the regime with people is much better, and we can accept it, and we can live with them from Sunni. Before, we had a big freedom to worship God, and we could do huge events and no one would stop us—Muslim or other nations—because we had the freedom from our government. They gave us a church where we could do whatever wanted—even rent a big stadium. You can do what you want, and no one can stop you.
I had a female friend who was once asked, “Why do you get the New Testament in school?” She’s a believer from a Muslim background. The principal of the school is against her, but the government agreed that the people who are following what is written in the New Testament are the best and follow exactly what is written. “Go, and no one can stop you because of this book, we support printing it, and everyone who wants to read it can read it. Call me if someone stops you.” We have a lot of stories like this. In the end, people who produce the New Testament get protection from the Secret Police because it is very legal to distribute them in our country.
We had freedom before. Assad wasn’t against them and ministry, but his fault was he wanted to give freedom to all, and the last time, when we had freedom under Assad’s regime, it was like going crazy. In 10 years, they were building mosques in a crazy way and wondering why we have so many mosques. We are afraid one day they’ll say we don’t have freedom of religion. So Assad gives all people freedom. We are Christians. We keep the situation. While we are not weak, we begin to grow.
Praise Brings Peace!
Why endure another sleepless night? Why suffer from anxiety when you can give your cares to Me and I can give you peace of mind? Even in the bleakest circumstances, I can give you amazing peace that will relieve the mental and physical stress caused by worry and fear.
My peace comes to your heart when you turn your eyes from your troubles and toward Me. Stop worrying and think about Me. Find one thing to thank Me for- one special thing that I have done for you in the past- and praise Me for that. Or think of the worst thing that has ever happened to you, and the fact that you are still here, and turn your thoughts into prayer of thanksgiving. Even if you did not pray at the time, even if you did not yet know Me at the time, it was I who brought you through that situation. I have been watching over you your whole life, and I have either helped you through or spared you from more troubles than you can imagine- just like I am going to help you through your present problems.
The more you praise Me, the more My peace will fill your heart.
From Jesus With Love- For Troubled Times : page 15
My peace comes to your heart when you turn your eyes from your troubles and toward Me. Stop worrying and think about Me. Find one thing to thank Me for- one special thing that I have done for you in the past- and praise Me for that. Or think of the worst thing that has ever happened to you, and the fact that you are still here, and turn your thoughts into prayer of thanksgiving. Even if you did not pray at the time, even if you did not yet know Me at the time, it was I who brought you through that situation. I have been watching over you your whole life, and I have either helped you through or spared you from more troubles than you can imagine- just like I am going to help you through your present problems.
The more you praise Me, the more My peace will fill your heart.
From Jesus With Love- For Troubled Times : page 15
