Avoid Short-term Thinking!

We live in God through faith. Our hope is to live a forever life with Him. We demonstrate our faith, hope and love through our actions. Jesus Christ demonstrated his love for us in His selfless sacrifice and service to those who crossed His path. He valued people more than power or possessions and saw people as unique creations of God, valuable beyond measure, worthy of sacrificial love. Do we say we love God? Then we will live and love as Christ did.

A Prayer begins . . .

Heavenly Father, you are worthy of our praise and the source of our peace. There is no other God than you. Teach us to be like you, to value what you value and to love as you love.

Selected book quotations begin . . .

Make The Most Of Your Life

Rick Warren's, The Purpose Driven Life, What on Earth am I Here For?, Zondervan, 2002, pp. 38, 39.
SoAmazing.com

Category: Christian Living
ISBN: 0310205719

If your time on earth were all there is to your life, I would suggest you start living it up immediately. You could forget about being good and ethical, and you wouldn't have to worry about any consequences of your actions. You could indulge yourself in total self-centeredness because your actions would have no long-term repercussions. But--and this makes all the difference--death is not the end of you! Death is not your termination, but your transition into eternity, so there are eternal consequences to everything you do on earth. Every act of our lives strikes some chord that will vibrate in eternity.

The most damaging aspect of contemporary living is short-term thinking. To make the most of your life, you must keep the vision of eternity continually in your mind and the value of it in your heart. There's far more to life than just here and now! Today is the visible tip of the iceberg. Eternity is all the rest you don't see underneath the surface.

What is it going to be like in eternity with God? Frankly, the capacity of our brains cannot handle the wonder and greatness of heaven. It would be like trying to describe the Internet to an ant. It's futile. Words have not been invented that could possibly convey the experience of eternity. The Bible says, 'No mere man has ever seen, heard or even imagined what wonderful things God has ready for those who love the Lord. James 1:12 GWT [God's World Translation]'"

SoAmazing Review: In The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, answers life's most important question: What on earth are you here for? Read the book to find out his answer.

Buy The Purpose Driven Life Now!   Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Christianbook.

Saul's Face Reddened

Richard Soule Peculiar People, A Novel About Aquila And Prisca, Xulon Press, 2003, pp. 86, 87. SoAmazing.com

Category: Historical Fiction
ISBN: 1591603897

'Have you heard?' he said. 'These followers of the man Jesus are now not only grave robbers, but I hear that yesterday they called upon some sort of evil magic, enlisting a deceiving power or principality to bewitch the people so that they might spread their foul deception.' Aquilla watched Saul's face redden and spittle begin to dribble down his chin as he continued his condemnation of Jesus and his disciples for several minutes.

When Saul said, 'If they are not stopped, the blasphemy of these madmen will most surely bring the wrath of Almighty God upon all of Israel,' Aquila found he could no longer remain silent.

'It is not they who are the madmen, sir, it is you,' he said. 'You speak evil of the Son of God, for which you invite God's judgment on yourself.'

A sudden silence fell across the three men. Saul was momentarily stunned at the unexpected words of Aquila, though he had yet to fully comprehend their meaning. Enoch was astonished by the power of Aquila's words--never before had his gentle son spoken with such authority, not even to anyone his own age. Furthermore, Enoch felt a pang of shame that he had failed to speak himself.

Neither Saul nor Enoch, however, was as surprised as Aquila himself. He could not believe the words that came from his own mouth. Yet even as he searched within himself for the source, he spoke again, 'Soon, Saul, the Lord will make this new Way apparent to even you, and when he does, you will regret your slanderous words and wicked deeds.'

Enoch saw a perplexed look on Aquila's face, then he watched as Saul reddened even further and formed his hands into fists, his body beginning to shake and his eyes widening as he took a small step toward Aquila.

Enoch quickly stepped between Saul and his son. 'Neither Aquila nor I will fight you Saul. He has spoken the truth; but your heart is too hard to accept it. Aquila and I were baptized into Christ yesterday and have received the Holy Spirit. We will say farewell to you now, but we will remain in prayer that you will soon understand what God has done here in Jerusalem in these days.'

'May it never be!' Saul shouted as Enoch and Aquila turned and walked away. He watched them for some time, slowly regaining his composure. Long after they had left his view, he shook his head and muttered, 'Fools!' Then he headed purposefully back toward Gamaliel's home, completely convinced the Jesus followers must be destroyed.

In the meantime, Enoch and Aquila walked briskly back towards the Inn, both remaining silent until they were well away from Saul. Enoch put his arm around Aquila's shoulder as they walked and finally Aquila said, 'I did not know where the words were coming from Father, but now I know it was the Holly Spirit James told us we received when we were baptized.'

'That is how it is with prophets, son,' Enoch responded. 'When Moses told God he did not have the words to speak to Pharaoh, God told him he would give him the words."

SoAmazing Review: Peculiar People, a meticulously researched historical fiction, brings to life Aquila and Prisca of the Bible. There are hundreds of fascinating vignettes in this wonderfully told story of the early years of the church in Ephesus and Rome. Enjoy hours of enjoyment curled up in your favorite reading chair.

Buy Peculiar People Now!   Amazon, Barnes&Noble. Christianbook.

Another Great Book Quotation

"We should season our world with the celebrant, confident, optimistic, and joyous nature of our position and privileges in Jesus. Because of all we have in Jesus, life is rich and free. By contrast, ultimately, life without Jesus is hollow, tasteless, and an empty pursuit. Our mission is to engage a world that has gone flat on itself with the zest and added value that Jesus brings to life." Joseph M. Stowell, Moody Publishers, 2003, p. 51. Buy The Trouble With Jesus, Now!

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