I was shocked, confused, bewildered

As I entered Heaven’s door,

Not by the beauty of it all,

Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven

Who made me sputter and gasp–

The thieves, the liars, the sinners,

The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade

Who swiped my lunch money twice.

Next to him was my old neighbor

Who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought

Was rotting away in hell,

Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,

Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, ‘What’s the deal?

I would love to hear Your take.

How’d all these sinners get up here?

God must’ve made a mistake.

‘And why is everyone so quiet,

So somber - give me a clue.’

‘Hush, child,’ He said, ‘they’re all in shock.

No one thought they’d be seeing you.’

JUDGE NOT!!

Remember, Just going to church doesn’t make you a

Christian any more than standing in your garage

makes you a car.

Every saint has a PAST…

Every sinner has a FUTURE!

I wonder who writes all these stuff - I was blessed by this one.

Many people get uncomfortable when they hear the word Repent. However when I think of this word, I am always very happy. To repent is to turn around. To stop doing the things that hurt you and others and begin to do things that build you and others. We are not to point fingers at others when they sin, we should simply encourage them to repent. To turn around and stay on the right path.

I know that many people would agree that staying on the right path can be very difficult. That is why we have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides us and teaches what we should do. And when we fail to do the right things, the Holy Spirit also convicts us of our sins. It is the Holy Spirit also that reminds us that through Christ Jesus, all our sins are forgiven and we can repent and enjoy the peace of God.

I am always happy when I repent because I know that from that moment, things will get better. Things will move in the right direction and God’s will in my life will be done. Although it does not feel good many time to find out that one is wrong but once we know that we are doing the wrong things, we should repent immediately and keep a very tender conscience.

Enjoy! I hope we all learn this Law! I have been informed that this law is the work of  David J. Pollay.

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!’ This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, ‘The Law of the Garbage Truck.’

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you.

Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so….. ‘Love the people who treat you right.. Pray for the ones who don’t.’

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it.

You can read the complete post  at http://davidjpollay.typepad.com/david_j_pollay/lawofthegarbagetruck.html and visit http://www.bewareofgarbagetrucks.com/ to know more about the law.

He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.(Luke 10:2NET)

How I wish we all could believe this truth. We need to believe that there are indeed millions of people in the world today who are ready and willing to receive the good news. Their circumstances have prepared their hearts, the Holy Spirit has drawn them and they are willing to surrender, however there are no workers to tell them the good news. Some are in far away places where there is limited civilization, but many are living right next to us. They have heard things about the good news. They have seen movies that ridicule the good news. They have even heard some form of the good news but for the past couple of weeks and even months since they got ready, no one has given them the authentic good news. 

In this chapter and the preceeding one, we see Jesus encouraging his disciple to go and spread the news of the Kingdom. He told them that they would be taken care of. I am sure that anyone called to serve the Lord will be taken care off. I remember in Jan 2007 when the Lord told me to go full-time into the ministry. God has been faithful. God has provided for us. Yes It has been tough. There have been days when we had no money at all and we had bills to pay that were in the thousands. There have been weeks and even not too long ago when we have not been able to do what we wanted to do because we had no money. But I can say also that God has provided.

We have received $5, $10, $100 and $1000. God has sent people to us from all over the world. I really encourage you to support the one who ministers to you. When you do so, you receive the reward just like the person would receive. There is a lady that supports our ministry. She gives 5% of whatever she gets. It’s not a lot but It has been very helpful and I know that she will never lack. You don’t support the work of God and lack. It can never happen. Regular support is the best way to support your ministers. However if you don’t have a lot, prayer is an even more powerful way. And you can give the little that you have. Remember that if everyone give a little, it goes a long way.

I look forward to the harvest in Kingston. I know that the harvest is plentiful. Oh Lord please send us more workers. If God is calling you to the field. Please respond because God will take care of you.

Some time afterward he went on through towns and villages, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him,

(Luke?8:1?NET)

There are a few things that make us shy away from sharing the good news regularly. Here is a list of some that comes to mind. I am sure I have experience each one at one point or the other.

1) We really do not know that the message of the kingdom is good news because we have not yet experienced it at good news. I believe that anyone who does not see salvation and relationship with God as good news, awesome news really will not be able to share the message regularly

2) We think that it is our responsibility to make the people receive it with gladness. A look at the parable of the sower (Luke 8: 4-15) will show to us that we are only responsible for casting the seed every where. Different people will respond to the message in different ways at different points in their life. Someone who is hostile today can be very receptive tomorrow. I am reminded and encouraged to keep studying, keep sharing and keep watching to see the result of the sharing.

3) We are discouraged by the hostile reactions of some of the people - I agree that some people may respond with hostility, or some may simply reject the message and we assume that they are rejecting us or that we don’t know how to share the good news. Well the parable reminds us also that when people respond negatively (just like we did at first), it is because of what we are going through right now and the words sown can bring about a big change when next we meet this same people.

4) We think we are not good speakers and we assume that preaching from the Bible is the only authentic sharing of the gospel - Well I have since learnt that, the most powerful way to share the gospel is to read it, have compassion on people and tell them the secret of our “success” - JESUS.

Well my prayer is that I will take hold of every opportunity that opens up to make someone’s day or life by introducing them to the singular most powerful human that ever walked on earth. The one who surely will change their lives if they take the time to get to know Him.

This chapter reminds amongst many other things that sharing the good news of the kingdom of God is a natural and automatic response to our knowing and experiencing this kingdom. I find that I am usually unable to stop myself from sharing the good news of the kingdom in one way or the other. However, this verse reminds me once again that this was Jesus primary assignment and it should be ours also.

There are three different miracle stories in Luke chapter 7. In two of these stories, those who received from Jesus asked for or acted in a way to receive their miracles. A centurion sent the elders to Jesus to ask Jesus to pray for his servant (1-10) and A woman received forgiveness (more like approval and assurance of salvation) by weeping at the feet of Jesus and wiping his feet with her tears and so on (36 -50). In both cases Jesus commented about the faith of the recipients - The Centurion (verse 9) and the forgiven woman (V. 50).

The third recipient of a miracle was a widow who had lost her only son. She did not call on Jesus, but Jesus took the initiative to raise her son from the dead. We are told that when Jesus saw her,he had compassion on her (13). In this case, it was Jesus who initiated the whole process - The widow was only a recipient and a partaker of the blessing as Jesus displayed the glory of God.

It is therefore important to note that there are different ways of receiving from God. We could receive as a result of God’s sovereign action - this is unexplainable, unpredictable and usually infrequent. However on the other hand we could call on God, knowing that God is willing and able to cause a change in our situation.

We are also encouraged by God to pray - We are instructed to ask because there is an abundance prepared for the children of God. I choose to ask in faith believing that all that I need is available in God. I feel very blessed to know that I can ask and be sure to receive. I know that these blessings are available to anyone that asks. Let’s all keep asking in Faith.
Glory to GOD.

This is another one of those interesting forwarded emails. Enjoy!

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.

‘Well,’ she said, ‘I think I’ll braid my hair today.’  So she did and she had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.

‘H-M-M,’ she said, ‘I think I’ll part my hair down the middle today.’ So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.
‘Well,’ she said, ‘today I’m going to wear my hair in a pony tail.’

So she did, and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn’t a single hair on her head.

‘YAY!’ she exclaimed. ’I don’t have to fix my hair today!’

——————————-

Attitude is everything.
Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly…….
Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…
It’s about learning to dance in the rain.

Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all te surrounding region. Luke 4:14 NKJV

I find it quite interesting once again to note that in Luke, the writer by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is drawing our attention to the fact that Jesus was able to do what he did as a result of being filled with the Holy Spirit. In Luke 3:16 we are told that Jesus is the one that baptizes with the Holy Spirit and Fire and in verse 22, after the water baptism of Jesus, the Holy Spirit descended on him. In Luke 4:1 we are told again that Jesus being filled with the Holy Spirit was led by the spirit into the wilderness. Again in 4:18 Jesus reading from Isaiah says that the Spirit of the Lord is upon him and has anointed him.

Wow.. It is this same Holy Spirit that was operational in Jesus that is in us today. The power with which Jesus operated is available to us today through the operation of the Holy Spirit. Just like Jesus allowed the Holy Spirit to lead him (sometimes to the wilderness and other times to dinner parties) we must also be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. The secret of Jesus powerful ministry on earth was his submission to the control and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

In the Holy Spirit there is :

• Power to overcome temptations (Luke 4:1-13)
• Power to teach the words of God with authority (Luke 4:13-20)
• Power to cast out demons (Luke 4:33-37)
• Power to heal the sick and command sickness to leave (Luke 4:38-42)
• Power to know what to do at the right moment even in business (Luke 5: 4 -

There are so many other examples of what the Lord Jesus did as a result of the power of the Holy Spirit that he received at Baptism and after he returned from the wilderness. The message is that, there is nothing impossible for a person that is filled with the Holy Spirit. However we must realise that it is still the Holy Spirit that chooses what needs to be done.

It is important to note that it was only after Jesus returned from the wilderness and after fasting for 40days that we are told the “he returned in the power of the Holy Spirit”.

Two brothers worked together on the family farm. One was married and had a large family. The other was single. At the day’s end, the brothers shared everything equally, produce and profit.
Then one day the single brother said to himself, “It’s not right that we should share equally the produce and the profit. I’m alone and my needs are simple.” So each night he took a sack of grain from his bin and crept across the field between their houses, dumping it into his brother’s bin.
Meanwhile, the married brother said to himself, “Its not right that we should share the produce and the profit equally.
After all, I’m married and I have my wife and my children to look after me in years to come. My brother has no one, and no one to take care of his future.” So each night, he took a sack of grain and dumped it into his single brother’s bin. 
Both men were puzzled for years because their supply of grain never dwindled. Then one dark night the two brothers bumped into each other. Slowly it dawned on them what was happening. They dropped their sacks and embraced one another.

Ps:

This was sent to me by one of my friends

“For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (

Luke1:15?NKJV)

This Morning as I read the Gospel according to Luke chapters 1 and 2, I could not help but notice how many times the writer mentions that people were filled or will be filled with the Holy Spirit - Baby John (1:15), Mary (1:35), Elizabeth(1:35), Zacharias (1:67), Simeon [upon] (2:25).

I am reminded by these that being filled with the spirit of GOD or the Holy Spirit is to possess within one’s life the very life and essence of God. I think this is a very precious blessing. We humans as little as we are compared to the entire universe can possess within our hearts the very essence of the one who created the entire universe.

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit (as the above verses show), we are able to do things that are naturally impossible to us and we are able to be aware of things that we could not have known or perceived with our natural senses. Being filled with the Holy Spirit implies being filled with Love, Joy, Peace…and all the fruit of the spirit listed in Gal 5:21-22.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. I have a picture of a puppet which is brought to life by human hands. However in our case, we are not puppets because we are allowed to co-operate with the Holy Spirit. We allow the Holy Spirit to suspend our natural tendencies and inclinations so that GOD can be in control of our system. The Holy Spirit then manifests love, joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness, patience and so on. This is such a blessing.

Not only do we enjoy the presence of the Holy Spirit, we also enjoy the reward of the manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit. For example when the Holy Spirit manifests love in our lives we enjoy loving the people around us and we enjoy the blessings of a peaceful home, happy marriage, happy children and so on.

I believe we all must continue to seek to always be filled with the Holy Spirit. It is a continuous process because it requires our continuous surrendering to the Holy Spirit to be the one in charge of our lives. I believe that if we go out everyday asking the Holy Spirit to take control of our lives and we consciously ask God to lead us every moment of the day we will live really extraordinary lives.

Oh Lord thank you for this great blessing of being filled with the Holy Spirit. I ask you to fill me always and to work with me, in me and through me. Give me the right words to say to the people around me. Teach me all I need to know about Jesus and in my life. Grant me the wisdom to operate like Jesus in my days. I receive this fulness in Jesus Name.