Total Mind Body

That's My King!!!

2011-03-25T05:15:00.001-07:00

That's My King! from Albert Martin on Vimeo.

God's Unexpected Presence and Calling

2010-07-12T17:10:00.000-07:00

By: Stephen Stillman

Do you like unexpected surprises? Whether we like them or not, unexpected surprises occasionally come in unexpected places. It is always a wonderful surprise to find something good in an unexpected place. The Bible is full of this type of experience, and in most cases the unexpected is God.

Luke 1:26-38 tells the story of Mary being unexpectedly confronted by a messenger from heaven. Whatever Mary was doing that day, suddenly the angel Gabriel appeared to her. I am sure Gabriel’s sudden appearance bothered her somewhat, but what bothered her the most was his message. According to Luke, it was something on the order of “Congratulations! The Lord is very pleased with you.”

Mary knew her own national history well enough to know that being the object of God’s favor could be a rather uncertain honor from the human point of view. In fact, as Scripture describes it, having God’s favor is never a guarantee of sailing smoothly through life. In fact having God’s favor most often guarantees just the opposite. Following are some examples:

Noah was judged to be nothing more than a crazy man by his neighbors. They heckled him as he built the great boat God had instructed him to build, and especially when he gathered his family and all the animals.

Moses found favor with God and it got him a forty year assignment of leading a group of complaining people through the desert.

Jeremiah, the prophet, was another of God’s favored people. He was hated and rejected by his own people. He was despised so much that the people put him into an abandoned well just to get him out their sight.

Apparently, Mary had good reason to be troubled and uncertain at Gabriel’s unexpected announcement. Several lessons become clear in Mary’s situation.

1. Our lives are often reshaped by the unexpected intervention of God. The Bible is quite literally the story of how God unexpectedly breaks in to the lives of His people. Isn”t that also the wonder of our Christian experience? Unexpectedly, sins are forgiven and guilt is removed. God comes suddenly, and whole new prospects are opened. Dreams are reshaped, lives are recreated, hope is renewed, and faith is filled with live and energy. New opportunities, new directions, and new goals are presented.

2. God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Almost exclusively in the Bible, God used ordinary people to do tasks that were extraordinary. Mary appears to be as ordinary as any person you can find in the Bible. We somehow have the notion that when God speaks, His speaking is always accompanied by loud claps of thunder, rushing wind, or bright flashes of lightning. We are always looking for God in the dramatic occurrences of life. But in Mary’s encounter, there were no warnings. There were no bright lights, rushing wind, or thunder. The earth didn’t tremble or open up underneath Mary’s feet. She was just going about her daily affairs when God came to her.

For us, that means that every day there is the possibility that we may be confronted by an angel who has an announcement directly from heaven. What God says may seem impossible or a little crazy. If a messenger appears to us it will likely happen in the midst of our ordinary events of life.

3. God never forces His will upon us. God always asks for our cooperation. Even though God is all powerful, and in Him is concentrated all the power of the universe, God never forces Himself upon us. He always asks. This element of the story of Mary is not seen until the last verse of the text. Until that point, it almost seems that everything is already set and predetermined when Gabriel appears to Mary. Verse 35 says, “the Holy Spirit will come upon you…the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” The message all seems pretty definite and certain. It doesn’t appear Mary has much to say at all in it, but to interpret the story that way misses the whole point of the text. The point is, Mary did not have to say “yes”. All that God proposed and the angel announced were conditional upon Mary’s response. Would she say “yes” or “no”? Would she cooperate in God’s plan, or would she tell him to find someone else? Her response was not coerced. It was purely, simply, and wonderfully voluntary: “Here I am, Lord. May it be done to me as you have said.”

God calls us all. He gives each of us an opportunity to be a part of He is doing in our world. We may not be called as Mary was called, to bring the Savior into the world. Yet, in another sense, that is precisely what God has called us to do. He asks each of us to bring Jesus into our own personal world. We are called to bring Jesus into the place in which we live and move and find our existence. Like Mary, we can either say “yes” or “no”. God won’t make us do something that we don’t want to do.

Author Resource:-> I am an ordained minister, husband, father of two, and grandfather of four. I am the owner of www.amazingchristianproducts.com a website that offers great christian articles and a variety of religious products.

Article From Christian Articles

Who Am I - Casting Crowns

2010-04-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

Who Am I, that the Lord of all the earth

Would care to know my name

Would care to feel my hurt

Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star

Would choose to light the way

For my ever wandering heart

Not because of who I am

But because of what You've done

Not because of what I've done

But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading

Here today and gone tomorrow

A wave tossed in the ocean

A vapor in the wind

Still You hear me when I'm calling

Lord, You catch me when I'm falling

And You've told me who I am

I am Yours, I am Yours

Who Am I, that the eyes that see my sin

Would look on me with love and watch me rise again

Who Am I, that the voice that calmed the sea

Would call out through the rain

And calm the storm in me

Not because of who I am

But because of what You've done

Not because of what I've done

But because of who You are

Voice of Truth - Casting Crowns

2010-04-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in
On to the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out His hand

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again, "Boy, You'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

But the Voice of Truth tells me a different story
The Voice of Truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
And the Voice of Truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe
The Voice of Truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again, "Boy, You'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

But the Voice of Truth tells me a different story
The Voice of Truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
And the Voice of Truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe
The Voice of Truth

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them lookin' down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

But the Voice of Truth tells me a different story
The Voice of Truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
And the Voice of Truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me(calling out to me)
I will choose to listen and believe(I will choose to listen and believe)
I will choose to listen and believe
The Voice of Truth

I will listen and believe
I will listen and believe
The Voice of Truth

I will listen and believe
Cause Jesus you are the Voice of Truth
And I will listen to you
you are

American Dream - Casting Crowns

2010-04-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

All work no play may have made Jack a dull boy
But all work no God has left Jack with a lost soul
But he's moving on full steam
He's chasing the American dream
And he's gonna give his family the finer things

Not this time son I've no time to waste
Maybe tomorrow we'll have time to play
And then he slips into his new BMW
And drives farther and farther and farther away

So He works all day and tries to sleep at night
He says things will get better;
Better in time

And he works and he builds with his own two hands
And he pours all he has in a castle made with sand
But the wind and the rain are comin' crashing in
Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands
His kingdom stands

His American Dream is beginning to seem
More and more like a nightmare
With every passing day
"Daddy, can you come to my game?"
"Oh Baby, please don't work late."
Another wasted weekend
And they are slipping away

'Cause he works all day and lies awake at night
He tells them things will get better
It'll just take a little more time

He used to say, "Whoever dies with the most toys wins"
But if he loses his soul, what has he gained in the end
I'll take a shack on the rock
Over a castle in the sand
Now he works all day and cries alone at night
It's not getting any better
Looks like he's running out of time
'Cause he worked and he built with his own two hands
And he poured all he had in a castle made with sand
But the wind and the rain are coming crashing in
Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands
His kingdom stands

All they really wanted was You
All they really wanted was You
All they really wanted was You

Active Word Daily Devotion

2010-02-20T09:29:00.000-08:00

Active Word Daily Devotion

Living The Solution

2010-01-30T06:29:00.001-08:00

Living The Solution

You may be asking yourself, "What is the answer to my problems?"

Certainly we all deal with problems. You would hardly be human if you didn't. Whatever your "problem" is, there is a solution. It may be obscured or hidden at the moment, but we truly believe that all problems, no matter how large they loom, have a solution.

We are glad that you are here. There is a reason for this…and we believe it is no accident. Let us speak plainly. In life you have a choice. You can live in the problem. Or you can live in the solution.

The Solution

The solution, we believe, is one that will help in any and all problems.
It is a journey. The path you travel will sometimes be smooth, sometimes rocky. Discovering how to live by universal spiritual principles means letting go of living on your limited power.

It is finding and coming to a personal relationship with God and Jesus Christ, and through that relationship living in a new way.
Living a spiritual life requires an act of faith. It may seem like the hardest thing in the world to do. Begin simply. All you need is a willingness to try. With that willingness you can open the door just enough to begin a new journey. This journey will take you places. Wonderful places — full of exciting revelations! Your life will take on new meaning. You will sense a flow of God consciousness that will bring a peace and happiness you have, perhaps, never before experienced.

Yes, we are talking about God. Yet, much more than that, we are speaking of having a relationship with God. It goes way beyond a belief. As you come to know your Heavenly Father you will realize that the solution is a way of life.

Ready?

People come to a relationship with God at different times and in many different places. Some come to the Lord early in life, others later. If you haven't found God yet you will if you sincerely and humbly search. The striking fact of all seekers is the eventual discovery that God was calling them. God has been preparing your heart so that you can know him.

So…you are standing at the door. Are you ready to open it? It is not locked to you. In fact, there is already someone knocking from the other side. Your Redeemer stands ready to come into your life.

Open the door