"Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."Ephesians 4:3-6

A good pastor friend of ours told us that his congregation was experiencing some hardships and division. How often does this happen among us? It breaks my heart -- and I believe the Lord weeps over this too. Someone wrote a fable about four bulls who were the best of friends. They always kept close to each other so that in the event that danger came their way, they would face it together. They traveled together, grazed together, and lay down to rest together. One day, a hungry lion who lived nearby spotted these four friends and became determined to catch one. He was no match for all four of them at once, so he would follow them and watch carefully, hoping to catch one alone. Every time he saw one lagging the least bit behind, he would sneak up and whisper to him that the others had been saying unkind things about him. This, he did with each bull until finally all four began to feel suspicious and uneasy around one another. Each thought that the other three were plotting against him. When the lion succeeded in breaking the trust among them, the bulls went their separate ways....... and one by one, he devoured them. I'm sure you can see the analogy here. The enemy would love nothing more than to divide us and break the trust among us in the body of Messiah. He knows full well that if he can just get us separated, he can come in for the kill! Brothers & Sisters, let's not allow the devil to play out his wicked scheme! Be on guard! Don't gossip -- overlook offenses -- pray with one another and be determined to stick together, so that we may accomplish great and mighty things for God's kingdom! There's power in numbers -- and there's SO much work to be done! KEEP CLOSE!

"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."Revelation 22:12

Oh, friends, I am so tired of weak Christianity. Let us be out and out for Christ; let us give no uncertain sound. If the world wants to call us fools, let them to it. It is only a little while; the crowning day is coming. Thank God for the privilege we have of confessing Christ." Brothers & Sisters, need we say more? Let's ask the Lord to touch our lives with power today. That we may be released from our stresses, our problems and even our own desires -- that we may become focused on being available for the task at hand. HE;S LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD MEN (and women)!

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful."Colossians 3:15

A friend of mine wrote to me: "It is a bad world, Guide, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered, in the midst of it, a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy, which is a thousand times better than any of the pleasures of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They have overcome the world. These people, Guide, are Christians, and I am one of them." This is the kind of peace that we are supposed to experience as believers. The kind of peace that people notice, especially when we display it through our troubles. The kind of peace we can attain when we're despised -- when we're persecuted -- when everything is chaotic around us. Brothers & Sisters, yeah, it's a bad world, an incredibly bad world. But we have victory in our Lord. Let's determine to trust God for that victory in a way we haven't before. ARE YOU AT PEACE?

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."James 1:17

The education of our faith is incomplete [till] we learn that God's providence works through loss ... that there's a ministry to us through the failure and fading of things. The dwindling brook where Elijah sat is a picture of our lives. 'Some time later the brook dried up' (1 Kings 17:7) is the history of our yesterdays and a prophecy of our tomorrows ... learn the difference between trusting in the gift and trusting in the Giver. The gift may last for a season but the Giver is eternal. If the Lord had led Elijah directly to the widow at Zarephath, he'd have missed something that helped make him a better man -- living by faith. Whenever our earthly resources dry up it's so we may learn that our hope and help are in God." The world is engulfed in a financial crisis, and there are many that are wondering how they are going to pay their bills. God has always provided -- often at the very last minute! But something the Lord taught me early on -- if it's the Lord's will -- it's the Lord's bill! Brothers & Sisters, even though we're living in this "economy" -- if you are a saint of God then you're in His economy -- and in His economy, the resources are not limited. Let's keep our focus on the GIVER, instead of the gifts! LEARN TO TRUST THE GIVER!

"He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion."Psalms 111:4

A farmer was showing his visiting city dwelling friend around his farm. "Watch this!" he said. He gave a whistle and his little dog came running from the house, herded the cattle into the corral, then latched the gate with her paw. "Wow, that's some dog -- what's her name?" The forgetful farmer thought for a minute and then asked, "What do you call that red flower that smells good and has thorns on the stem?" "A rose?" "That's it!" The farmer turned to his wife. "Hey Rose, what do we call this dog?" Funny how we forget things, isn't it? But I'm not so sure God finds it all that funny! When we read about the children of Israel and their journeys through the wilderness for forty years, we see how God provided wonderful miracles for them, feeding them daily with manna, guiding them by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day, parting the Red Sea! How is it, then, that they became so very hard hearted toward Him? Over time, I think those miracles just became commonplace and they began to take them for granted! But then again when I look back on my life, I can't really blame them. It happens to the best of us! God has done miracles in our lives and I'm sure he's done many in each of yours as well! But we still get anxious when things aren't going quite the way we hoped, don't we? Recall a miracle of God in your life. Remember the joy you felt? We need to relive that joy today! The miracle of God's new birth in us and the many other miracles God has done are not ones to be quickly forgotten. We need to relive them daily! Brothers & Sisters, we never want to become cold toward God! Let's spend some time remembering the miracles He has done in our lives and strive to trust Him for the trials we face today! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN SOMETHING?

"Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day."Psalms 25:4-5

A father asked his son to carry a letter from their camp to the village. He pointed out a trail over which the lad had never gone before. "All right Dad, but I don't see how that path will ever reach the town," said the boy. "Well son, I'll tell you how. Do you see that big tree down the path?" asked the father. "Oh, yes, I see that far." "Well, when you get there by the tree, you'll see the trail a little farther ahead -- and farther down you'll see another big tree -- and when you reach that one you'll be closer and so on until you get within sight of the houses of the village." In the same way, I believe God wants to reveal the way for each one of us on our trails toward Him, one tree at a time. Sometimes we're convinced we need to see the end of our path, so that we can be reassured that there's something good down there, or that we're going in the right direction, or that we'll be able to see if it gets dark. We know first hand how it feels to walk in the darkness here in the Land and not know where the end will be -- and often how we'll have the strength and sustenance to get there. It's not easy to move forward and trust that God will light the path ahead and point us in the way we should go. But the fact is that it is a crucial step toward our growth and maturity in the Lord and we all need to get to there. Brothers & Sisters, let's give our hesitation and fear to the Lord. He will not fail us. He will be faithful to light our path and lead us in the way everlasting -- one day at a time. ONE DAY AT A TIME!

"But the LORD said unto Samuel, "Do no look at his appearance, or at the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."1 Samuel 16:7

Have you ever used the phrase "I have every reason in the world ....."? I sure have. But I was thinking about it. What I'm really saying when I say that is -- that I have every reason to do whatever it is I'm doing in the world's eyes --and not in my heavenly Fathers! When Samuel was called by God to anoint Israel's next king, he was sure that God's choice would be Jesse's first son Eliab -- but he wasn't exactly what the Lord had in mind. God chose the least likely of Jesse's sons, David, because he was a man after His own heart! While the world looks carefully on outward appearance, God is carefully examines the heart! Brothers & Sisters, when making decisions, we need to be sure to have the heart of God in the matter -- not our own reasoning, researching and weighing of circumstances. Are you facing a big decision today? What may seem like the perfect opportunity to us and the world around us may not necessarily be God's choice! Let's spend some time praying and seeking the Lord! WHAT IS YOUR REASONING?