Dont waste anything

John 6 : 12 “When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’ ”

I was blind

John 9 : 25 “ ‘I don’t know whether he is a sinner,’ the man replied. ‘But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!’ ”

Give

Luke 6 : 38 

“Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Look beneath the surface

John 7 : 24  “Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.”

Run

Hebrews 12 : 1  2 “...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith...”

Grace

Romans 1 : 5  “It is through Him that we have received grace (God’s unmerited favor) and [our] apostleship to promote obedience to the faith and make disciples for His name’s sake among all the nations.”

Good work

Philippians 1 : 3 - 6  “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Your heritage

Ecclesiastes 5 : 18  “Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage.”

Run the race

Hebrews 12 : 1 - 2 “...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith...”

Grace

Romans 1: 5 “It is through Him that we have received grace (God’s unmerited favor) and [our] apostleship to promote obedience to the faith and make disciples for His name’s sake among all the nations.”

He will keep you safe

Psalm 27 : 5  “For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.”

Rejoice

1 Tessalonissense 5 " 16 - 18 “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Time

Psalm 31 : 15  “My times are in your hands...”

Run with endurance

Hebrews 12 : 1 - 2  “...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith...”

Grace

Romans 1 : 5  

“It is through Him that we have received grace (God’s unmerited favor) and [our] apostleship to promote obedience to the faith and make disciples for His name’s sake among all the nations.”

Mustard seed faith

Luke 17 : 6  "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the see’ and it will obey you."

A shield

Psalm 84 : 11 "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless."

God's ways

Isaiah 55 : 9  "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Too hard for God?

Genesis 18 : 14  "Is anything too hard for the LORD? . . ."

Praise God

Psalm 34 : 1  “I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.”

God's handiwork

Ephesians 2 : 10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Child of God

Romans 8 : 14 “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.”

A new heart

Ezekiel 36 : 26 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

God is for you

Romans 8 : 31 “...If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Long, long ago

Jeremiah 1 : 5  “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you...”

Your faith is genuine

1 Peter 1 : 7 “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold...”

Good plans

Jeremiah 29:11

“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…”

Don't worry

Matthew 6:25 -26

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

Shield of faith

Ephesians 6:16

"Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked..."

Have faith

Matthew 21:21-22

"And Jesus answered them, 'truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'be taken up and thrown into the sea, it will happen... And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive if you have faith..."

NOTHING is impossible

Luke 1:37

“For with God nothing will be impossible...” 

In need of wisdom?

James 1:4-8

“Perseverance must finish its work in you so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything…  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously, to all without finding fault, and it would be given to him…  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave in the sea, blown and tossed by the wind…  That man should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord…  He is a double minded man, unstable in all he does…”

His mercy

Psalm 103:11,17

“For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him … But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him…”

You will be amazed

1 Corinthians 2:9

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him…”

Praise God

1 Peter 4:11

“If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

I will instruct you

Psalm 32:8

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you…”

Tribulation

John 16:33

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” 

Come to me

Matthew 11:28-29

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls…”

Do not be afraid

Deuteronomy 31:6

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

He will not grow weary

Isaiah 40:28-30

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint…”

I will not fear

Psalm 23:4 

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;  your rod and your staff,  they comfort me…”

Who will you serve?

Joshua 24:15

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Gratitude

Colossians 3:15

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful…”

Peace

Philippians 4:6-7

“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus…”

What anxieties?

1 Peter 5:7

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you..."

Do not fear

Isaiah 41:10

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand..."

Know Him

Deuteronomy 7:9

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations…”

We shall reap

Galatians 6:9

“And let us not grow weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not…”

He watches over you

Psalm 121:7-8

“The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore…”

Cry to me

Jeremiah 33:3 

“Cry to me and I will hear thee: and I will show thee great things, and sure things which thou knowest not…”

God will not fail you

Hebrews 13:5 (Amplified Bible)

God has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support.  I will not, I will not.  I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down nor relax my hold on you!  Assuredly not!

Not forsaken

Psalm 9:9

“The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you…”

Joyfully look forward

Romans 5:2

“We confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has in mind for us to be…”

A fox in your wallet

Solomon 2: 15 "Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.

It's often not big things that holds us back, but the little ones. For example, we will easily spend a few bucks on coffee and a muffin or overspend on our grocery budget. All these little expenses and extras add up quickly and before you know it, your credit card becomes a problem.

If you think how many hours you put in to earn your salary ... getting up early ... no lunch ... extra hours without pay ... you should realize that you deny your own hard work when you do not keep your spending habits in check. How many of us, for example, check our slips after we shopped?

I usually just buy crystals for my cat’s sand box in winter. Two weeks ago I went over my slip back home and was shocked to notice that they charged me for two bags of crystals instead of the one I bought. Of course I addressed it with the shop and got a refund.

Similarly, you should also check your bank statements.  Ask them about new products that are affordable and presents value for money.  Status is not something you can eat.  So a platinum credit card, is great for your status, but it is normally the most expensive product.  You should also look at other aspects, such as your insurance. Your car depreciates in value, so does most of the items we specify. And yet insurance companies increases the premium annually. If you had no claims, and there are items that depreciated in value, you should insist on a reduction in premium, rather than an increase.

Do not let the little foxes destroy your financial vineyard. You are appointed as steward of your finances. Be responsible about it, but ask God what he wants you to spend your hard-earned money on before just wasting it.

Calm the storm yourself

Mark 4: 39 Then he got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still! "The wind ceased and there was a great calm.

What do you do when the storms of life are raging all around you? In Mark we read how Jesus accompanied the disciples in a boat onto the sea. Most of us would feel very safe with him with us in the boat, right? Well, the disciples were probably relieved too. However, the same disciples panicked when the storm raged and they were fearing for their lives. Suddenly Jesus’ presence wasn’t enough, they wanted to see him in action.  "Jesus get up. How can you sleep?  Jesus, surely you can do something."  Jesus spoke and calmed the storm.

Now for the surprise ... you will not be overwhelmed by anxiety and fear. Just as Jesus spoke to the storm, you can too. Really! The Bible teaches us that the same spirit that raised God from the dead, is within us. He lives in us, and He empowers us to experience victory in every aspect of our lives. Calm the storm yourself.  

Amazing, hey!

Giving

Mark 12 : 17 Jesus said to them, " Give to Caesar what is Caesar 's and to God what belongs to God." And they were amazed at him

It’s interesting how most of us won’t think twice about spending our money on just about anything, but the moment we have to give money to a beggar or the church, we become very tight fisted.  All of a sudden we start justifying why we are not ready to give… we first need to get our finances in order… the church is receiving way too much already… tithe of what?

It’s all about obedience.  You should first ask God what he expects of you.  And in all fairness, whatever you and I own, belongs to him in any case.

At the radio, we recently had a pledge.  God laid it on my heart to pledge a specific amount. The message was clear… I had to donate the money and request them to use it to put together a food hamper which should be given to someone who pledge from the little they have.  And so God started a miracle in someone’s life.  A man came to the radio and pledged R20.  He was unemployed and it was his last R20.  Do you know the impact a grown man’s tears can have on you? When he acted in obedience, he never knew that God was going to bless him with a food hamper.  He walked away blessed with so much more than the R20 he pledged.

Reality is that you cannot receive while your fists are clinched, holding on to what you have.  You have to open your hands, let go of what you have, in order to receive.  Someone once said: “You cannot out give God.”  Amen!

God's gift

Ephesians 2: 8 You have been saved by grace through faith. And that not of yourselves; it is a gift from God.

We serve a generous and loving God. If you have never loved someone, or if there is not someone who showered you with love, it would be difficult to imagine how great God's love for you really is. It is all-encompassing. He loves you so much that he would do anything to have a relationship with your. The Bible teaches us that sin separates man from God, but just remember that God does not want to be separated from you. This is precisely why He sent His Son to pay for our sins.

There are people who think they can earn their place in heaven. They think if they do enough good deeds or doing the right things or say the right things, it will be acceptable to God. Or they think that if they go to church and their sins are not too bad, they would still go to heaven.

Note, however, in today's verse, that salvation is a gift from God. We cannot earn or pay for it with good deeds. You only receive it, if you accept it as a gift from God.

If you have not yet accepted God as your Savior, I invite you to do so today. There is no better time than today to accept the gift.

May you be filled with a wonderful peace and comfort when you accept the precious gift.

See His amazing power

Ephesians 1: 19, and how enormous his power, which he exercises in us who believe.

Today I want to remind you of the power of God. It happens too often that we do not even bother to pour out our hearts to God. And it's not because we do not go through deep enough waters. No, it is because we unconsciously believes that there is no escape. And you know, it is precisely when there is no escape, because we do not call the right help in it.

Learn one thing today…that it is customary to approach God about anything. Discuss it with him ... pour out your heart ... let him hear dependence on him, and know that nothing can be done about your situation, unless he would intervene.

You may think that an omniscient God can see now what you're going through and that he ought to act as he is such a loving God. Think about the following situation. Someone close to you is struggling financially. Everything about them demonstrate their despairing, but they say not a word. You steer the conversation in a direction that you believe would give them the courage to speak, but they 'suffer in silence'. You use a birthday as an opportunity to give money as a gift, hoping that you help out, still no word. How would you feel? It's the same with God. He sees our suffering and tries to assist in subtle ways by sending people into our lives or a message, but we do not make use of the outstretched hand.

Would you like to see a miracle happen today? Would you like to once and for all get out of your situation? Then start today on your knees before this mighty God and ask Him for relief. You will be amazed at what he can do.