I am loving the 'Are We There Yet?' album at the moment. We've just finished studying Revelations in our small group and this song is a reminder that Jesus is coming again. This should encourage us rather than make us afraid. It should also inform how we live.
In Acts 15, Paul and Barnabas visited Antioch to tell the Gentiles about Jesus. The other believers were happy to hear about what God was doing in other regions. There are thousands of people working in Countries other than their own, serving the poor and teaching people about Jesus. It makes me really happy to hear what God is doing around the world.
It makes you happy when you pray for and financially support missionaries. It also makes you happy when you serve on a missions trip. I have visited Cambodia four times to visit my sponsor children and serve in the centre where they learn English. It always makes me really happy to see how God is working in that Country. There are many short term mission trips that you can be involved with. You may even consider becoming a missionary one day. Proverbs 15:26 says, The Lord hates evil thoughts, but he is pleased with kind words.
Here are some Biblical truths about our thoughts: 1. God knows our thoughts. God already knows our deepest thoughts. Romans 8:27 2. Our words actions come from our thoughts. All these bad things begin in the mind: evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual sins, stealing, lying, and insulting people. Matthew 15:19. 3. God's Word judges our thoughts. God’s word is alive and working. It is sharper than the sharpest sword and cuts all the way into us. It cuts deep to the place where the soul and the spirit are joined. God’s word cuts to the center of our joints and our bones. It judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts. Hebrews 4:12. 4. We should think about good things. Brothers and sisters, continue to think about what is good and worthy of praise. Think about what is true and honourable and right and pure and beautiful and respected. Philippians 4:8 5. We should think about spiritual things, not earthly things. Think only about the things in heaven, not the things on earth. Colossians 3:2 How have your thoughts been recently? If you want your thoughts to line up with God's Word, you need to spend more time reading God's Word. Acts 11:23 says, Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith. When he went to Antioch and saw how God had blessed the believers there, he was very happy.
When some of the early Christians went and preached about Jesus in Antioch, many people became Christians. It brings God great joy when people follow him. It can also make us happy too. It makes me happy just watching videos of kids getting a new puppy. It makes me way happier when I see people choosing to follow Jesus. When I see people get baptised, I'm so happy it makes me cry. Luke 15:8-10 is the parable of the lost coin. Jesus told the people another story: What will a woman do if she has ten silver coins and loses one of them? Won't she light a lamp, sweep the floor, and look carefully until she finds it? Then she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, “Let's celebrate! I've found the coin I lost.” Jesus said, “In the same way God's angels are happy when even one person turns to him.” Even the angels are happy when someone repents and follows Jesus. Proverbs 15:16 says, It is better to be poor and respect the Lord than to be wealthy and have much trouble. Society puts so much value on making money and being successful. It is clear from reading the glossy magazines and watching the news that money and success don't make you happy. The Bible says that it's better to be poor and have Jesus, than to be rich and without him. Money. does not give you peace, contentment, happiness, joy, etc. - Jesus does!
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