“So she gleaned in the field until even.”
Ruth 2:17
Let me learn from Ruth, the gleaner. As she went out to gather the ears of corn, so must I go forth into the fields of prayer, meditation, the ordinances, and hearing the word to gather spiritual food. The gleaner gathers her portion ear by ear; her gains are little by little: so must I be content to search for single truths, if there be no greater plenty of them. Every ear helps to make a bundle, and every gospel lesson assists in making us wise unto salvation. The gleaner keeps her eyes open: if she stumbled among the stubble in a dream, she would have no load to carry home rejoicingly at eventide. I must be watchful in religious exercises lest they become unprofitable to me; I fear I have lost much already–O that I may rightly estimate my opportunities, and glean with greater diligence. The gleaner stoops for all she finds, and so must I. High spirits criticize and object, but lowly minds glean and receive benefit. A humble heart is a great help towards profitably hearing the gospel. The engrafted soul-saving word is not received except with meekness. A stiff back makes a bad gleaner; down, master pride, thou art a vile robber, not to be endured for a moment. What the gleaner gathers she holds: if she dropped one ear to find another, the result of her day’s work would be but scant; she is as careful to retain as to obtain, and so at last her gains are great. How often do I forget all that I hear; the second truth pushes the first out of my head, and so my reading and hearing end in much ado about nothing! Do I feel duly the importance of storing up the truth? A hungry belly makes the gleaner wise; if there be no corn in her hand, there will be no bread on her table; she labours under the sense of necessity, and hence her tread is nimble and her grasp is firm; I have even a greater necessity, Lord, help me to feel it, that it may urge me onward to glean in fields which yield so plenteous a reward to diligence.
Posted on July 29th, 2010 by Pastor Jeff in encouragement
“Nevertheless I am continually with Thee.”
Psalm 73:23
“Nevertheless,”–As if, notwithstanding all the foolishness and ignorance which David had just been confessing to God, not one atom the less was it true and certain that David was saved and accepted, and that the blessing of being constantly in God’s presence was undoubtedly his. Fully conscious of his own lost estate, and of the deceitfulness and vileness of his nature, yet, by a glorious outburst of faith, he sings “nevertheless I am continually with Thee.” Believer, you are forced to enter into Asaph’s confession and acknowledgment, endeavour in like spirit to say “nevertheless, since I belong to Christ I am continually with God!” By this is meant continually upon His mind, He is always thinking of me for my good. Continually before His eye;–the eye of the Lord never sleepeth, but is perpetually watching over my welfare. Continually in His hand, so that none shall be able to pluck me thence. Continually on His heart, worn there as a memorial, even as the high priest bore the names of the twelve tribes upon his heart for ever. Thou always thinkest of me, O God. The bowels of Thy love continually yearn towards me. Thou art always making providence work for my good. Thou hast set me as a signet upon thine arm; thy love is strong as death, many waters cannot quench it; neither can the floods drown it. Surprising grace! Thou seest me in Christ, and though in myself abhorred, Thou beholdest me as wearing Christ’s garments, and washed in His blood, and thus I stand accepted in Thy presence. I am thus continually in Thy favour–”continually with Thee.” Here is comfort for the tried and afflicted soul; vexed with the tempest within–look at the calm without. “Nevertheless”–O say it in thy heart, and take the peace it gives. “Nevertheless I am continually with Thee.”
Posted on July 28th, 2010 by Pastor Jeff in Stewardship
What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? This is a very challenging question. This means that even if I am wearing Prada shoes, own a Macbook Pro or driving a Gold Jaguar (there’s nothing wrong with all these) but forget about God or to not acknowledge Him at all, these things are of no meaning. Man’s soul is more important.
A good way to start your day is to have a heavy breakfast. Many say that breakfast should be the heaviest meal of the day. Spiritually, it would be a good habit to feed yourself with the word of God early in the morning. You can follow your Bible-reading plan and include it in your morning devotions. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on July 10th, 2010 by Pastor Jeff in Stewardship
Getting health insurance or health plans is one wise investment to make for a young professional. Aside from the required insurance like SSS for private companies and GSIS for the government, it is also good to invest in a private health plan like Blue Cross NC or the like. This can help one maximize his or her income and it is another way of taking care of medical emergencies.
Posted on July 10th, 2010 by Pastor Jeff in Uncategorized
One of the more popular judges of Israel was Samson. He grew up with a vow to not let his hair receive any quicktrim and God gave him supernatural strength to help subdue the Philistines. He had struggles when it came to women and that’s what made him fall.
We must remember that the enemy always targets believers in their weakest points. So the more you become useful for God the more you should be on your guard against areas of weaknesses. Be ridiculously cautious.
The search for the best acne treatments is on the rise that is why many who are involved in online marketing and SEO (search engine optimization) are targeting this niche and the keywords related to it. There are other niches that are in demand, such as money management topics, debt-related articles, travel, weight loss, detoxification and many others that are too many to mention. But whatever the niche is, as long as one targets long-tailed keywords then there is a big possibility of getting some decent amount of traffic in your site.
