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Issue #473
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September 18, 2017 |
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Dear Friends,
Thank you for your encouragement and support. We pray you will be blessed daily through the Word. Please freely share this email with others.
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| Catch Don!
www.bibleteachingresources.
org 
Philippines radio
(MPR 105.3 FM)
Contact
Bible Teaching Resources
Donald Anderson
PO Box 6611
Tyler, TX 75711-6611
903-939-1201 (office)
1.877.326.7729 (toll free)
903.939.1204 (fax)
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Whine or Not ! Scripture ...that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; Ephesians 4:16 (NASB) ...and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God. Ephesians 4:19 (NASB) Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, "The Lord reigns!" All living things shall thank you, Lord, and your people will bless you. They will talk together about the glory of your kingdom and mention examples of your power. They will tell about your miracles and about the majesty and glory of your reign. Psalms 145:11,12 (The Living Bible) |
|  Whine or Not ! |
| I Hate Whining Except When I'm Doing it, by Sheila Rabe, is a fun book - most of the reading, that is. Some stories jumpstart memories that make me sad. I found small comfort in thinking, "Well, see, she did that too." Barbara Johnson offers a positive take on just about anything. In her words, "Instead of criticizing yourself when you do something goofy, find a way to laugh about it." She even backs it up with a quotation from the Bible: "The cheerful heart has a continual feast" (Proverbs 15:15). Out of context? Nah! Barbara Johnson also describes the "new" Barbie dolls, a depiction which will be funny to all except a small group of women who are rather touchy now anyway: Hot Flash Barbie: Press Barbie's bellybutton and watch her face turn beet red while tiny drops of perspiration appear on her forehead. Comes with handheld fan and tiny tissues. I hope my attempt a levity brought a smile or even a chuckle to your day. Why do children whine? Why do we whine? Children whine when they are tired, hungry, bored, or not getting something they want that is usually in the hands of a sibling who totally enjoys the uproar. Grown-ups use more finesse, but we whine when we bet on information overload, lose perspective, or believe our problems have become insurmountable. When we think this way, we think wrongly. Hope evaporates. Then we are in big trouble. The names shepherd and heavenly Father bring rest, comfort and peace. We must get back to a God-centered perspective. He will quiet us with His love. He will carry us in His arms. He will hold us close and gently feed, lead, and protect us. "Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed out the mountains and the hills? Who is able to advise the Spirit of the LORD? Who knows enough to be his teacher or counselor? Has the LORD ever needed anyone's advice? Does he need instruction about what is good or what is best? No, for all the nations of the world are nothing in comparison with him" (Isaiah 40:12 - 15a NLT). "I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me....You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever" (Psalm 16:8, 11 NLT). "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19 NASB). Friends, He has us covered. No reason to whine about anything. |
Dr. Haddon Robinson, one of the great preachers of our time, has caught the intensity of this whirlpool in his contrast of two disciples, Peter and Judas. According to Matthew 26:75, Peter "went outside and wept bitterly." A few verses later, we read, "When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse. Then he went away and hanged himself" (Matt. 27:3, 5).
"Two broken men appear side by side on the stage of Scripture," notes Dr. Robinson. "When life overwhelmed one man, it marked his end, but for the other it was a place to begin again. . . . One came to the end of the line and demanded, 'Stop the world; I want off.' The second arrived at the end of the line and requested a transfer.
pp. 76-77
The God Who Won't Let Go
by Dean Merrill
Availability has been defined as "being willing to start where you are, use what you have, and do the best you can." If that's the attitude you have, then God can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us (Eph. 3:20).
p. 53
Living Beyond the Limits
by Franklin Graham
From all that I said about our worried, over-filled lives, it is clear that we are usually surrounded by so much outer noise that it is hard to truly hear our God when he is speaking to us. We have often become deaf, unable to know when God calls us and unable to understand in which direction he calls us.
Thus our lives have become absurd. In the word absurd we find the Latin word surdus, which means "deaf." A spiritual life requires discipline because we need to learn to listen to God, who constantly speaks but whom we seldom hear.
When, however, we learn to listen, our lives become obedient lives. The word obedient comes from the Latin word audire, which means "listening." A spiritual discipline is necessary in order to move slowly from an absurd to an obedient life, from a life filled with noisy worries to a life in which there is some free inner space where we can listen to our God and follow his guidance.
Jesus' life was a life of obedience. He was always listening to the Father, always attentive to his voice, always alert for his directions. Jesus was "all ear." That is true prayer: being all ear for God. The core of all prayer is indeed listening, obediently standing in the presence of God.
-Henri J. M. Nouwen (1932- )
p. 95
Devotional Classics: Selected Readings for Individuals & Groups
edited by Richard J. Foster & James Bryan Smith
Another lady told me her husband just sat around with the remote in his hand. I comforted her with words I once heard someone say: "If you love something, set it free. If it returns, you haven't lost it. If it disappears, it wasn't truly yours to begin with. If it sits there watching television, unaware it's been set free, you probably already married it!"
p. 215
Boomerang Joy: Joy That Goes Around, Comes Around
by Barbara Johnson
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Prayer Requests
& Praises
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1. Pray: Do not complain, brethren, against one another, that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. James 5:9 (NASB)
2. Praise: For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2 Corinthians 5:4, 5 (NIV)
3. Pray: The Lord has done great things for us; We are glad. Psalm 126:3 (NASB)
4. Praise: Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance, and my God. Psalm 43:5 (NASB)
5. Pray: When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty. Jeremiah 15:16 (NIV)
6. Pray: He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. Ecclesiastes 5:20 (NIV)
7. Pray: For those impacted by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
8. Pray: Philippines radio & OnePlace.com broadcast.
Prayer: Lord, Your joy is my strength as I face this new day!
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Praise His name,
Pearl Anderson
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
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