Stick to Your Calling

"Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God.... Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." (2 Timothy 1:6,9)

Are you doing what God called you to do?

If you haven't ever thought about it before, that may sound like an odd question to you. You may be tempted to shrug it off and say, "Oh, I'm not really called to do anything. I'm not a pastor or a teacher or a minister of any kind...I guess I'm just what you might call a little finger on the Body of Christ."

Pearl Harbor: The Tale of the Sundays

By Wallace Henley , Special to CP

December 7, 2012|8:39 am

The date President Franklin D. Roosevelt said "will live in infamy" was a Sunday, December 7, 1941.

Captain Mitsuo Fuchida and his Japanese fighters came roaring out of the Pacific vastness at 7:48 that Sunday morning, heading for the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. Like a squadron of giant hornets, they stung a hefty portion of the American Pacific fleet with destruction and death, then winged off into the sunrise.

I was born December 5, 1941, just two days before Fuchida's blast through Pearl Harbor. I came within 48 hours of having to hear my birthday solemnly dubbed for the rest of my life as a "day of infamy."

The Joseph Story

Written by John Grant

“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18

Recently, we attended a drama presentation of the story of Joseph and his family. The Bible story became alive to me as I witnessed one of the greatest stories of reconciliation.

God prepares His servants in many ways to accomplish His purpose. The story of Joseph is repeated every day in the lives of His people. The circumstances may be different, but the results are the same. God trains His servants through sometimes difficult “boot camps.” When that training is complete, He places them in strategic places to be a provider-both physically and spiritually.

Christ-likeness Is Produced Through the Holy Spirit

by Rick Warren

“God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (Philippians 2:13 NLT)

It is the Holy Spirit’s job to produce Christ-like character in you.

The Bible says, “As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT). This process of changing us to be more like Jesus is called sanctification.

Glimpses of Glory

Blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.   Psalm 72:19, NKJV

As our plane began its approach to the runway, I marveled at the way the lowering sun reflected off everything wet and metallic-streams became ribbons of molten silver, car windows flashed like golden shields, and puddles shone like shiny pennies. As a cemetery rushed toward me on the left side, I briefly noted that there were no headstones-only plates of brass, marking each grave. But I wasn't prepared for what happened next.

As we flew over, suddenly the sun exploded off the tops of hundreds of the brass markers in quick-fire succession. Bam! Bam! Bam! As the plane tilted, each marker ignited with a flash bright as a diamond. And then it was over, and our plane touched down. It happened so fast, as if in a twinkling of an eye. I had been looking out the window, dreaming about heaven, and the Lord opened the eyes of my heart to glimpse heaven's glory. I got a bird's-eye view of I Corinthians 15:51-52 when "we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-in a flash-in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed."

all things work together for good

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28

If you don't believe that God makes all things work together for His children, then just watch the top video below. 

It's one of many examples of God having a much bigger plan for us than we can even see. 

Have a nice day and God bless.

Dog Thrown Away in a Dumpster Saves a Little Girl from Death - Watch the Amazing Video! This video is very touching because not only does its how how precious a dog can be given the chance, but it also shows how God works in ways that we don't even realize. This little girl's dog, which was originally found in a garbage can, ended up saving her life. Amazing. http://www.godvine.com/Thrown-Away-Dog-Saves-a-Little-Girl-from-Death-671.html

GodVine.com

Seasons of Life

Written by Barbara Alpert

Are you in a hard season today? Come talk to a mentor. 

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Imagine if you had the option to start your life off like a fairy tale, “Once upon a time”, and write your own “and they lived happily ever after”. Most likely, the sweet script you envision entails joy, love, money, and every good thing life offers. Who would include hardship, suffering, and loss into their fairy tale life? However, real life, as we know, includes a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven. In Ecclesiastes 3 King Solomon notes all of the seasons of our lives:

Fine Pottery

O, man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay? —Romans 9:20-21

Once we grasp the purposeful will of God for our lives, we no longer desire to kick against the pricks. Instead, we will find ourselves free from fear, in humble submission to His will. But if we are not acquainted with His character, we have trouble releasing ourselves into His purpose.

The Potter takes the clay made from the dust of the ground, puts it on His wheel, and begins to shape it. Perhaps you have so many trials and tribulations in your life until you can't focus and start to lose your grip. You may feel as if you can't hold on much longer. But the Potter never takes His loving eyes away from you. God is working His plan in your life.