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Thursday, November 29, 2007

"LOVE" -- In A Practical Way

A while back if you all remember, I asked some of you the following question:

"What is the primary way that God shows us His love day to day?"

Here are the responses I got...

1) Individually, HE is PRECISE with EACH life, with chords of love to draw us to HIM
2) By giving me life everyday
3) *For me, probably through my wife, and through his grace to get through challnges we survive all the time, and his mercy...he continues to work through me and in me dispite my helpless constant sinfullness.
4) *he first thing that came to my mind is that God's mercies are new every morning. He has shown his mercy to me by giving me health, a sane mind (although sometimes it can be questionable -kidding), being surrounded by people who love me and having a vision as to where I want to go in my life.
5) By wooing us, by romancing us.
6) *Through the kindness of believers - Christ in us, our hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)
7) "...The fact that we have the ability to breathe is the strongest indication that God Loves us day to day."
8) through His faithfulness in keeping His promises which are written in His word.
9) the gift of life, the being able to wake up every morning.
10) "Life"
11) The beauty of nature.
12) "I think through life itself ( in this world)...."
13) Today, in my life, He does this by taking me each step of the way.
14) *"Primarily by allowing everything to go right...after our day has gone haywire, God blesses us with a compliment from a friend, a thoughtful gesture by a family member, smooth traffic, a new job offer, a great devotional..."
15) by displaying his creation and beautiful sunny days!
16) "[By] His mercy, he allows us to wake up, and live life."
17) By communicating with me.
18) [By] His mercy in allowing me to live and have basic provisions and health to do normal life.
19) By filling me with His grace, love and mercy to deal with family day to day.
20) *He continues to supply the air I breathe, the water I drink, the food I eat, the relationships I enjoy and His unconditional love for me no matter how short I fall from perfection.
21) By forgiving our sins through the death of His Son.
22) By means of His many undesearve dayly blessings.
23) Dándonos la oportunidad de abrir los ojos a un nuevo día y saber que sus misericordias son nuevas cada mañana. (Spanish)
24) Through the Bible.
25) Through his word. (2nd answer)
26) The Lords supper....Remember his death for us.
27) I am still here, ( I am alive to enjoy His blessings one more day).

-- It was interesting to read your answers. Each answer was personal to each one of you. they are all right... BUT, Let me share the following thought with you, and let me lead you to that thought via the following questions...

Is God (Jesus Christ) physically here present to give you a shoulder to cry?
Does Jesus Christ HIMSELF bring you a warm bowl of soup when you are sick at home?
Is Jesus Christ physically present to cry with you as your hurt?
Is Jesus Christ physically present to jump up and down with you in a moment of joy and happyness?
Does Jesus Christ HIMSELF pull over the side of the road to help you fix that flat tire in your time of need?

Let me ask you this, HOW did you come to the knowledge of the Saving Grace of Jesus Christ?
By any chance, did Jesus Christ HIMSELF in your presense share with you the good news of the gospel? -- WHO shared with you the good news of the gift of eternal life?

You who are saved and have received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, why are you still around? Why has God not taken you to Heaven already since you have already accepted Him as your Savior?

Let me give you the ONE ANSWER that hit it RIGHT ON THE MONEY! --

28) "The first thing that came to my mind was...through others."

... I believe that the GREATEST and most practical way that God demonstrates His love for us in our daily lives, is through OTHERS.

Lately, God has been teaching me the following:

"But go and learn what this means: 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." - Matthew 9:13

COMPASSION - Compassion for the lost and the hurting. Compassion for my brother and sister of the faith!...

God has been showing me what it means to be be compassionate. He is giving me just a LITTLE bit of His burden of how much He loves others. With every passing day I realize more and more how Mercyful God has been with me and in turn, I am finding myself more and more sharing this mercy and love He has for me with OTHERS.

Greatest Act of Love - The Greatest act of kindness, love and compassion a person could ever demonstrate with another, is to share the love of Jesus Christ with them (starting with the good news of the gospel). -- Please pray for me, that I may be more compassionate with others by sharing with them the good news of eternal life.

My Life-Purpose Statement: "To live the 'dash' by knowing Him and making Him known by demonstrating the love and compassion (Matthew 9:13, Matthew 9:36) of Christ in obedience to the two greatest commandments found in Matthew 22:37-39 and through a life founded on His Word with a focus on eternity."

"37 And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' 38 "This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'" - Matthew 22:37-39

Matthew 25:31-45
31"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
32"All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;
33and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
34"Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
36naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'
37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?
38 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?
39'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
40 "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
41"Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;
42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;
43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.'
44 "Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?'
45 "Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'
46 "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Matthew 10:42
"And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward."

-- KEEP THE FAITH, Walk the Narrow Road!

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Kelly Belle Sierra


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Monday, November 26, 2007

:: North Bound ::

North Bound... 12 Hours of the hardest driving. Every hour takes me 75 miles farther from those I love the most!

.... Once again, I COUNT THE COST.

They say "Home is where the heart is."
The problem is my heart is in 3 places...

Miami, Georgia AND Heaven!

Saturday, November 24, 2007

:: KBS x3 ::


Wowzers - My nieces are so precious!
How Blessed I am to have such an awesome growing family!

Sir John Bowing onces said
"A happy family is but an earlier heaven."
How TRUE!

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:: Days Without God ::

I got the following from an email:

Without God's love for YOU & ME, The days of the week would be...

Mournday,
Tearsday,
Wasteday,
Thirstday,
Fightday,
Shatterday
Sadday.

Give God the Glory who made the days a Blessing to US! :)

Thursday, November 22, 2007

:: Heavy Heart ::

My Heart is Heavy... Oh how hard on my heart are my visits to Miami... Oh how much joy my 3 nieces have given me today. My heart is full, but at the same time it is heavy.

How I love my Family!... Words could not begin to express...

:: MIA ::

How I long for my "Happily Ever After"...

....And so ends my 40 hour day.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

:: TRUE Meaning of Thanks Giving ::

I just heard this in the "Fox & Friends" morning show...

"The true meaning of thanks giving is giving back..." more or less along those lines... That's not a good and accurate meaning!

The true meaning of "Thanks Giving" is a recognition of God's goodness and His blessings in our lives...Which in turn should lead us into becoming more generous people. As we experience God's grace, we turn around and pass it unto others.

Historically, "Thanks Giving" was a day that the pilgrims set aside to give THANKS to GOD for helping them get through the hard winter. A winter that had claimed many of there lives, yet they new that God was with them and Helped them through it... That's what I remember from my History, unless it has been revised....

So lets remember how GOOD God has been to this Nation and its people, you and I.

-- "Lord, today I want to especially thank You for my family. Please let me have a safe trip to Miami and bless my time with my Loved ones. And thank You God for Your love mercy and grace; new and greater every day."

:: LOND Day!!! ::

So starts a 40 hour day...

:)

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

:: Eternal Life was NOT FREE! ::

I've been meditating on 1 Corinthians 6:20

18) Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19) Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20) For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

....I've been thinking about the fact that "I have been bought with a price"... A VERY HIGH price... The life of Jesus Christ!... Wow...

Salvation was not free... It cost God the life of is only son Jesus Christ. Christ paid the ultimate price for me so I would not have to.

"Lord, help me to glorify You with my body. Help me to live a life that brings You glory...."

:: Dantes Infernal ::

Dantes Infernal should have included one more level of punishment...

Being stuck in bumper to bumper rush hour traffic driving a standard transmission car in single lane road at night after working 9 hours standing up with hunger pains from not yet having eaten dinner!

....Good thing I like my job! ;-p Cause the driver is a duzzy...

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

:: Spirit Filled Life ::

"The nearer to heaven we get, the more conscious of hell we feel." - Unknown

Wowzers! Hmm...

(Reading: "Holy Spirit" By Billy Graham)

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:: Quiero Darte Mis Manos ::

Quiero darte mis manos, quiero darte mis pies
y siguiendo tus pasos, tu amor extender.
Quiero que sea tu boca, la que hable por mi
y que sea tu gloria, lo que fluya en mi.

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:: Altered Desires ::

"Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart." - Palm 37:4

....Delighting in the Lord alters [my] desires! :)

("Holy Spirit" By Billy Graham)

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Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Jykle & Hyde

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. - Romans 7:15

"Sin no longer reigns, but it still fights!" - Great Saint of The Faith (Unknown)

"It is never a question of how much you and I have of the Spirit, but how much He has of us." - "Holy Spirit" By: Billy Graham


"Oh Lord, how I long for the day of my Glorification! Continue to Sanctify me as You do Your miraculous work in my life. Give me strength and help me to live a pure life..."

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Friday, November 09, 2007

:: Heart Synchronization ::

It's amazing how I've been encouraged and edified by music lately. I find myself listening to songs by great song writers and musicians that are devoted to bringing worship to the Most High our God.

One of these is Jesus Adrian Romero's song "El aire de tu casa" -- I am finding that so many of the songs I've been listening to speak so perfecly clear what's in my heart...

....As I listened to and sang this song on my way to work, I heard the line below and it reminded me of another song by Mercy Me that also talks about having ONE heart beat in synchronization with God's. This has made me think more about having a "heart after God's own heart" (Like David did!)...

Part of J.A.R.'s song says, " Quiero estar tan cerca que te pueda respirar Y un solo latido pueda yo escuchar..." ("I want to be so close that I can breathe You in and only one heart beat hear") -- I want to hear only ONE heart beat, God's!... You know when you lay your head flat on its side on the pillow. sometimes you hear your heart beat; well, everytime I hear my heart beat at night I am reminded of these thoughts and I ask myself, is my heart in sycronization with God's? Are His desires my desires? Let me tell you, now more then ever I am beginning to hear only one heart beat!...

"Oh God, I want to have a heart after Your own! I want Your passions to be my passions! Continue to move in me through Your Holy Spirit and to do the Great Work You began in me. I love You! May I bring You Glory and Praise and Honor!"

Click Here if you would like to listen to the song along with the Lyrics...

Complete Lyrics To Song --

Quiero respirar el aire de tu casa
Disfrutar de tu fragancia y llenarme de ti
Quiero en tu presencia estar todos los días
Y llenarte de alegría en tu jardín

Quiero estar tan cerca que te pueda respirar
Y un solo latido pueda yo escuchar
Quiero estar tan cerca que te pueda yo tocar
Y que tu pureza pueda yo imitar
Quiero ser tu amigo... quiero estar contigo

Quiero navegar el mar de tu mirada
Y saber que no habrá nada
Que me aparte de ti
Quiero caminar siguiéndote los pasos
Y aprender en tu regazo
Lo que esperas de mí

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"JED & Kenia, sitting on a tree..."

Today is my Oldest Brother's wedding anniversary :)
I can't wait to go see him and Kenia and the girls! I'm counting the days!

You know what the best thing about my brothers is? They are also my best friends. Man how blessed I am to have such awesome brothers... AND sisters too! ;-D (Julie, Kenia and Jen!)

"God, bless my family! Thank You for who You have been and who You are in my family's lives."

This is the day that the Lord has made, SO REJOICE! :)

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Tuesday, November 06, 2007

:: O taste and see that the Lord is good[!] ::

"What will Thy presence be,
If such a life of joy can crown
Our walk on earth with Thee?"

Thank you God for giving us the Holy Spirit as Your Seal of assurance and your pledge of what is to come!... (2 Cor. 1:22)

(Currently reading "The Holy Spirit" by Billy Graham)

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Monday, November 05, 2007

:: Your Love ::

"Your love is taken me higher, higher then I've ever been before..."

So I watched one of my favorite movies today, Disney's "The Kid"

The last song during the credits is Bette Midler's "Higher & Higher" --

The song is about a human relationship, but as I had the song stuck in my head all day, I was thinking about how God's Love has taken ME higher!...

- Bette Midler Higher & Higher (Original Lyrics) -

Mm, your love is lifting me higher
than I ever been lifted before.
Ooh, baby, keep it up, sweet baby.
Quench my desire,
and I'll be at your side forever more.
'Cause your love is liftin' me higher and higher.
Your love keeps on liftin' me, oh, higher, higher.

Now once I was down-hearted,
and disappointment was my closest friend.
But then you came,
and he soon departed.
And you know I never seen,
I haven't seen his face again!

Your love is liftin' me
higher, higher, higher, higher.
Your love is liftin' me
higher, higher, higher and higher.

Your love keeps liftin' me,
keeps on liftin' me.
Your love keeps liftin' me
higher, higher.

Your love keeps liftin' me,
keeps on liftin' me.
Your love keeps liftin' me
higher, higher.

So glad I finally found you, babe.
You're the best for these old arms.
With those sweet, sweet lovin' arms around me,

I tell you I don't need,
I don't need,
I-oh-I don't need no disguise, no!

Your love is liftin' me,
keeps on liftin' me.
Your love keeps liftin' me
higher, higher.

Your love keeps liftin' me,
keeps on liftin' me.
Your love keeps liftin' me
higher, higher.

Your love is liftin' me,
whoa, higher, higher, higher, higher,
higher, higher, higher, higher.
Gettin' higher, gettin' higher,
gettin' higher, gettin' higher.
You lift me, you take me
higher and higher.
Higher, higher, yeah, higher, higher!
Keeps on liftin' me.
Keeps on liftin' me.
Keeps on liftin' me.
Keeps on liftin' me.

Higher, higher, oh, higher, higher,
higher, higher, higher, higher,
higher, higher, higher,
higher and higher . . .

Thursday, November 01, 2007

:: Life & Death ::

To die... That's a peace of cake! Heaven and God's Glory awaits me on the other side...

BUT to LIVE... To live means to die everyday!
To die to myself everyday and live for my creator as a Holy Living Sacrifice...

Thinking about it, being a "sacrifice" does not sound so appealing in it of itself... But some how living this life for God is so AWESOME!

The JOY, The PEACE! The HOPE... "O Taste and see that the Lord is [goooooood!]"

Do you not know? Have you not heard?..."

"I'm so excited, and I can't hide it..."

What or in whom do YOU hope in? For what do YOU live? What does life after physical death hold for YOU? Oh, you don't believe in existence after this life... Wow, that's a very sad state to be in... I really feel sadness for you if that's your case. Let me tell you...

GOD IS REAL! No doubt about!

....Ask me how I am so sure. I would really like to share my story with you.