Corrie Ten Boom

NEHEMIAH – GOD’S CALL TO BUILD THE WALL (Part 6)

(August 30, 2022) Hope Flinchbaugh shares some more insights about Nehemiah’s wall- building journey, bringing a challenge to leadership!

The heart of this month’s part six is A Leader’s Faith for Finances.

My friend, whatever God calls us to do will require faith in some realm or another because without faith it is impossible to please him. God looks for faith in action and leaders should be setting examples!

Let’s give God what is due Him and offer your faith, not your friends’ or your congregation’s wallets, in respect of the project in front of you.

God is the supplier of needs
Let me pause here and talk to all of us with platforms and microphones in churches! God called Nehemiah to lead to rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. As a leader, if we’re feeling a twinge of guilt about asking for another offering, we need to talk to God. God never ever said that the church would pay our way, He said that He would supply all of our needs.

If you’re feeling a twinge of guilt, stop right there. Don’t take one more offering until God’s leading you to do it. Talk about a leap of faith.

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A MYSTERIOUS DAY I’LL ALWAYS REMEMBER

(July 13, 2022) Kenneth Drinkald shares an amazing testimony of God’s caring…

I opened my eyes, not sure where I was. I was hot, sweaty; feeling nauseous, as though I wanted to be sick… and there was pressure in my chest and left arm.

Gently putting a hand to my hurting head, I felt blood dripping down the side of my face. I was laying on cold kitchen tiles, trying to make sense of what had happened.

Day began as normal 
I had promised to paint a lounge room for a friend. Arriving at Judy’s home I had begun by painting the ceiling, but after a while was feeling hot and clammy. Believing exertion from painting and the warm day to be the cause, I opened the windows and went outside to the porch.

After sitting out there for a while and giving the house time to cool down, I went back inside to continue painting. For some reason I left the front door open.

However, as I painted I found myself continually distracted by some pieces of paper in the lounge room. Strange… but I just couldn’t stop looking at them, wondering what they were – and at the same time scolding myself for being so inquisitive!

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TRUSTING GOD IN ‘EVERYTHING’

(February 20, 2022) Robert McQuillan challenges:

Seems that our main theme this month is on trusting God… and how vital that is as further disasters hit our already troubled world and people, including Christians, have many concerns, such as –

  • Storm Eunice hitting the UK, Ireland, and parts of Europe, following its predecessor Storm Dudley.
  • variants of viruses including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 and can/ may change over time.
  • Strange times, as some have put it, with strange things happening.
  • Possible war between Russian and Ukraine.
  • Hospital staff shortage and other medical concerns.
  • Matthew 24:8’s ‘All these are the beginning of birth pains’ mentioned by Jesus?
  • Possibility, maybe probability of really being close to that hour (known only by Father God – Matthew 24:36) when Jesus Christ returns as THE GREATEST KING OF ALL AND THE MOST POWERFUL LORD OF ALL (to quote capitalised Revelation 19:16NIrV).But prior to this, a one-world-government and currency, and the revealing of the anti-Christ (Read Daniel’s prophecies).

Worried? Well… remember how Jesus encouraged His troubled, worried disciples.

John 14:1GNB tells us: ‘Do not be worried and upset. Believe in God and believe also in me.’

That’s what faith and hope are really all about! Trusting God!  No wonder the Message Bible puts it even more pointedly: ‘Don’t let this throw you. You trust God, don’t you? Trust me.’

So let’s treat ‘this’ as ‘anything’ and not be ‘thrown’ as Jesus encourages. Why? Because it’s easy to think that Christians can’t be thrown by life’s curves – but it happens! Indeed, in life there are many things that throw us… if we let them.

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‘MANY CLAIM TO HAVE UNFAILING LOVE BUT…

(August 8, 2021) Geri B brings an insightful challenge…

… a faithful man who can find?’ asks the wise Solomon in Proverbs 20:6.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines ‘faithful’ as ‘steadfast in affection or allegiance, firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty, full of faith.’

In James’ epistle faith is intrinsically linked to deeds…  ‘What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save them?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”  Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds’ (James 2:14, 17-18). 

Hebrews 11 mentions those who lived their lives in faith by their deeds and we are exhorted to live in the same manner – whatever the circumstances we find ourselves in and the outcome.

However there is someone not mentioned in that chapter who also epitomises a life of faith… but he is often overlooked because of the woman he married.  However I would like to briefly examine his life to gain a little insight into what it can mean to live a faithful, full-of-faith life.  The ‘faith-ful’ life he lived was one of having the fear of God, being obedient and evidencing humility.

1. Fear
I speak of Joseph, a godly and righteous man, a descendant of King David, introduced in the book of Matthew as the fiancé of Mary, the mother of Jesus.  He was also a kind and gracious man who did not want to expose Mary to public disgrace by breaking their engagement due to her pregnancy, even though by the law he had every right to do so.

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YES, ‘LIFE WASN’T MEANT TO BE EASY’ – BUT JESUS SAID, ‘TRUST ME!’

Dr-Robert-&-Maureen-McQuillan_Photo

 

 Robert and Maureen McQuillan challenge:

Jesus covered a lot of territory when he encouraged his troubled disciples, ‘Do not be worried and upset. Believe in God and believe also in me’ (John 14:1GNB). The Message Bible puts it even more directly: ‘Don’t let this throw you. You trust God, don’t you? Trust me’ (Emphasis ours).

We can think of ‘this’ as ‘everything.’ After all, let’s face it…in life there are many things that throw us…things that could throw us if we were to let them and things that do throw us because we foolishly let them. (more…)