DEMOLISHING DISCOURAGEMENT WITH YOU THIS THANKSGIVING: Do you wake up thankful or do you slap the clock radio grouchy? Is your first thought in the morning full of gratitude or full of worry and oh,nos? I believe a thankful heart - even after only a few hours of sleep and for the promised daily strength your Papa will provide -- first thing in the morning -- sets you up for a more victorious day. If we can, in the morning, avoid the question, How am I feeling today? but rather answer the question: What do I believe today? we position ourselves for strength, wisdom and joy, even in the midst of weariness, confusion and sadness! What you believe is so important and Jesus and His promises are worthy of full dependence! This morning I am thankful for the following four truths that influence my world -- and yours too: 1) Interesting: Chinese authorities inspected the anuses and feathers of 10,000 doves for suspicious materials before releasing them in Tiananmen Square to celebrate a holiday. THE WEEK October 10, 2014 p. 6 Im so thankful that no matter how effectively any Jesus-rejecting government tries to control their people and the circumstances around them, they cannot control God himself. How ironic that they inspected doves, a symbol of the Holy Spirit in Scripture, but they cannot hinder the Spirit from bringing 25,000 people a day to saving faith in Jesus in that country and 30,000 per day into a relationship with the Christ in Indonesia! For God does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 Now thats something for which to give thanks to the King! Do it in America, God! 2) An Indonesian family torn apart by the 2004 tsunami has been reunited. Septi Rangkuti and his wife Jamaliah, thought their 4-year-old daughter, Jannah, and 7-year-old son, Arif, had drowned, but floodwaters carried the children to an island, where a fisherman rescued them. In June, an uncle happened to spot the now-teenage Jannah, who had since been adopted by a local family. Then, last week, a woman living 560 miles from the familys home saw a news report of the reunion and recognized a photo of the orphan boy who sometimes slept in her cafe. When she showed Arif a picture of Jamaliah, he exclaimed, Thats Mother! THE WEEK September 5, 2014 p. 2 Im grateful beyond words that God is not giving up on the nuclear relationship that He invented and which holds society together: Family! As you gather with yours this week and at Christmas, expect God to restore relationships, engender greater harmony, and bring family members to faith in Him (why should China have all the fun!?). For God is turning the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers! Malachi 4:6 Your prayers have been powerful and patient love will bear fruit! Please write and tell me when this happens for your family! The Kummers are stoked to announce that we are doing our part to restore families: We had our first meeting with a local adoption agency two weeks ago and are well underway to foster a young boy and then adopt him (Elisha wants a playmate and we desire to provide more children with a forever-home!). We are excited to add to our 14, 12 and 11-year-old gifts and wish we had a bigger home so we could adopt a sibling group! Thank you God for family! 3) I proclaim it out loud nearly every night as Susan and I fall asleep in prayer together: Thank you Jesus for my bride! In fact, based on the Relationship above all others where the LORD himself asks, Who is he who will devote himself to be close to me? (Jeremiah 30:21), we have determined to partner with the Dove and discover, How close can two human beings get? - in mind, body and spirit! Were doing it, but are hungry for more closeness! All so that this history becomes our story too: Archaeologists in Leicestershire, England uncovered a pair of skeletons in a church graveyard that were still holding hands after nearly 700 years in the ground. THE WEEK October 3, 2014 p. 4 He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord! Proverbs 18:22 4) Last, but most important, I am thankful for one more truth that makes even the worst day better, provides hope for the persecuted Christian languishing in prison, and is the antidote for the moment the doctor gives you bad news: Jesus rose from the dead! Because He lives, we will live too! Because He lives, nothing is impossible! The same power that raised Jesus from the dead, after paying the penalty for my sin and yours, is active today and gives life to our mortal bodies. Speaking of all Jesus-lovers, Christ said, They are Gods children, since they are children of the resurrection! Luke 20:36 Wow! Children of God! Children of the resurrection. If the worst thing that can happen to you as a Christian is that you die, then come back to life and are with Jesus forever, it doesnt get much better than that! Hah! Thanks, God! Thanks, God! What are you thankful for this week? Love, PPaul
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 06:17:50 +0000
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