Spiritual gifts for serving God by Rick Warren
 
Whoever does not have the Spirit cannot receive the gifts that come from God's Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:14 (TEV).
 
You can't earn your spiritual gifts or deserve them -- that's why they are called gifts! They're an expression of God's grace to you: "Christ has generously divided out his gifts to us." (Ephesians 4:7, CEV)
Nor do you get to choose which gifts you'd like to have. Paul explains that God determines...

The Rabbi's Gift
=================
A monastery had fallen upon hard times.
Once a great order, cultural changes over the past few hundred
years had sapped its strength. All of its branch houses were
closed and there were only five monks left in the decaying
mother house: the abbot and four others, all over 70 years of
age. Clearly it was a dying order.
In the deep woods surrounding the monastery there was a little
hut that a rabbi from a nearby town occasionally used for a
hermitage. The monks could...

THE CARPENTER’S TOOLS
Brother Hammer served as the chairman. The other members of the tool belt informed him that he must leave, because he was too noisy. But brother Hammer said, “If I have to leave this carpenter's shop, then brother Gimlet must go too. He's insignificant and makes a very small impression.”   (A gimlet is a small tool with a screw point, grooved shank, and a cross handle for boring holes).
Little brother Gimlet arose and said, “All right, but...

I HAVE NEED OF YOU        Some Christians don’t want to be connected to other members of the body of Christ.  They commune with Jesus, but they deliberately isolate themselves from other believers.  They want nothing to do with the body, other than the head.        But a body can’t be comprised of just a single member. Can you picture a head with only an arm growing out of it? Christ’s body can’t be made up of a head...

God's Provision: Trust God by Rick Warren
 
... Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:32-33 (NLT)
God promises to meet all your financial needs, if you (1) ask him for help; (2) learn to be content; (3) practice giving in faith; (4) maintain your integrity; and (5) trust him with your life --
Worry is really just a...

God's Provision: Maintain Integrity by Rick Warren
 
God cares about honesty in the workplace; your business is his business. Proverbs 16:11 (MSG)
God promises to meet all your financial needs, if you (1) ask him for help; (2) learn to be content; (3) practice giving in faith; and (4) maintain your integrity --
God doesn't bless dishonesty. Proverbs 16:11 (NLT) says, "The Lord demands fairness in every business deal." That includes wages, sales and taxes.
If you want God's blessing...

God's Provision: Faithful Giving by Rick Warren
 
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Proverbs 3:9 (NLT)
God promises to meet all your financial needs, if you (1) ask him for help; (2) learn to be content; and (3) practice giving in faith --
There is a universal law called the principle of sowing and reaping. If I sow criticism, I'm going to reap criticism. If I sow generosity, it's going to...

God's Provision: Contentment by Rick Warren
 
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 1 Timothy 6:6-7 (NIV)
God promises to meet all your financial needs, if you (1) ask him for help and (2) learn to be content --
If you've ever seen a baby born, you know they don't come into the world with a whole lot. They're not holding onto cigars, cars and a...

God's Financial Provision-Ask Him for Help by Rick Warren
 
You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Philippians 4:19 (MSG)
 
There is an amazing, incredible and all-encompassing promise in Philippians 4:19 (NIV) regarding provision: "... God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
Note the first two words: "God will ...." It doesn't say, "He might meet...

"Proof of Heaven"By Bob Perks
In his final years he longs for many things, most of which become impossible to attain.  Not in this lifetime anyway.
 
He often spoke about faraway places, imagined and real.
He could tell a story and make you feel like you were standingthere right next to him as it unfolded.
 
You knew most of the time it was "made up" but because you loved him so much you simply began to believe.
 
He's proof of heaven.
 
I can always remember...

Ministry: Shaped to serve by Rick Warren
 
Your hands shaped me and made me. Job 10:8 (NIV)
God formed every creature on this planet with a special area of expertise. Some animals run, some hop, some swim, some burrow, and some fly. Each has a particular role to play based on the way they were shaped by God. The same is true with humans. Each of us was uniquely designed, or "shaped" to do certain things.
Before architects design any new building...

THAT'S GRATITUDE FOR YOUCOLOSSIANS 3:15-17
A grandmother was watching her grandchild playing on the beach when a huge wave comes and takes him out to sea. She pleads, "Please God, save my only grandson. I beg of you, bring him back." And a big wave comes and washes the boy back onto the beach, good as new. She looks up to heaven and says: "He had a hat!"
That's gratitude for you, isn't it? Have you noticed that some people just...

IT'S NOT ME...
PROVERBS 19:3
A concerned husband goes to see the family doctor: "I think my wife
has a hearing problem. I often have to repeat things again and again
before she hears me."
"Well," the doctor replies, "When you go home tonight, stand about 15
feet from her and say something. If she doesn't reply, move about five
feet closer and say it again. Keep doing this so we can get an idea of
the severity of her problem."
So the husband goes home and does exactly...

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