God is FOR You

Another great Fresh Start from Andy Richardson:

God is for you today.  The Bible puts it this way, “a good man’s steps are ordered by the Lord” (Psalm 37:23).  You may not be where you want to be yet, but God is getting you where you need to be.  The temptation is to look at the things that are wrong in your life, rather than to magnify God and the things that are going right.  If you focus on the things you don’t have control over, or the things that aren’t fixed yet, you will lose sight of the One who is busy at work ordering your steps.

• Ask for a renewed perspective on what God is doing in your life today.

Joseph almost lost sight of the fact that God was at work in his life.  His brothers had betrayed him.  He was unjustly accused and thrown in jail where he waited for years.  He felt forgotten and was filled with despair.  But God was at work ordering the steps of his life even when the darkness of a jail cell was his constant circumstance.  Years later, after rising to the most powerful position in the land, he was able to say, “you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).  Don’t forget that God is for you too today.

Kill Anger Before It Kills You or Your Marriage

"In marriage, anger rivals lust as a killer. My guess is that anger is a worse enemy than lust. It also destroys other kinds of camaraderie. Some people have more anger than they think, because it has disguises....."

A friend recently sent me this excellent article about anger by John Piper. I have only included the "snippets" but it is well worth reading the full article.





 

1. Ponder the rights of Christ to be angry, but how he endured the cross, as an example of long-suffering.
   
2. Ponder how much you have been forgiven, and how much mercy you have been shown.
   
3. Ponder your own sinfulness and take the beam out of your own eye.
   
4. Think about how you do not want to give place to the devil, because harbored anger is the one thing the Bible explicitly says opens a door and invites him in.
   
5. Ponder the folly of your own self-immolation, that is, numerous detrimental effects of anger to the one who is angry - some spiritual, some mental, some physical, and some relational.
   
6. Confess your sin of anger to some trusted friend as well and as possible with the offender. This is a great healing act.
   
7. Let your anger be the key to unlock the dungeons of pride and self-pity in your heart and replace them with love.
   
8. Remember that God is going to work it all for your good as you trust in his future grace. Your offender is even doing you good, if you will respond with love.
   
9. Remember that God will vindicate your just cause and settle all accounts better than you could. Either your offender will pay in hell, or Christ has paid for him. Your payback would be double jeopardy or an offense to the cross.

READ the full article by John Piper here

Less Like a Rat and More Like a Puppy

 Snuggling buddies....

 

 Bitty says, "I turn my back on you."

"Look Ma, I is Asian too!"

 

"Look Daddy! I'm a Dulin!"

 Jasper - 12 weeks old