Repaying kindness – After a life of charity, she died without even money for a burial; now loved ones hope to raise enough for a service to pay respects – By MIKE TOLSON, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, Jan. 30, 2010, 7:21AM

If you have been in any Christian Churches, chances are you have heard the term “walking in love.” But what does it mean to walk in love? Where have we received the definition for it? And do we really know love? According to God’s Word, God IS love – 1 John 4:7-9 says:

See, the problem is that we have looked to the world and all that is in it for love that satisfies emotional and physical needs. We have watched movies and TV shows or read fictitious books that have tried to layout good love and romance scenes that definitely appeal to the emotions and flesh, but never seem to measure up in real life – why?

The truth about a real love walk – one that fits into a man and woman relationship or into walking in love toward other people – has no basis in emotion or flesh/physical. Real love starts when our hearts are changed and transformed by what God created love for – it’s why He is love! The great thing is that when you read about Sister Maggie’s life story, what jumps out is that she knew or at least must have know about this love walk that God has ordained for us because of the perfect example she set by her work. 1 Corinthians 13:3, says:

See, Sister Maggie could have done all the works that she did and gave all she had to take care of those less fortunate or needing whatever she had to give, but without love – the Love of God – I honestly do not believe we would have heard of her or seen this article. Why? Lack of love does not compel others to step forward and call to give a person like her a proper, respectful and paid in full burial. If she did all that she did and did not have love, no one would have done anything this respectful. The State or local government could have handled things and there would be no one there to pay respect to her – she would have been just another person that no one had anyway to contact family to let them know of her passing. But Sister Maggie was different! She had the Love of God! What does that look like? 1 Corinthians 13 goes on in vv. 4-8 to say:

Look at v.4 – it says, “Love suffers long and is kind….” The first step to walking in the Love of God is exactly where Sister Maggie would start – suffering long and being kind! Suffering many times is associated with dealing with the negative, but in God’s Word it means and comes from a root meaning to forbear or to have fortitude, being patiently enduring. What is the old saying…good things come to those that wait! And kind here really does not need defining, but God’s Word says that to be kind is to show oneself as useful in a manner or morals of goodness, gracious and being kind. The act of being patiently enduring and showing oneself as useful in a manner was exactly what was described here in Mike Tolson’s article. Its positive proof that Sister Maggie had the love walk working in her. And if she had this love walk working in her, then we know that it was God who was working in her. Why? Remember what 1 John 4 said? Well, if God is love, then it’s obvious that we could place God’s name everywhere in 1 Corinthians 13 that the word “love” appears – so it would read:

What wonderful Truth we receive when our hearts get full of this! When we realize that our loving, Heavenly Father is love and that He is all that 1 Corinthians 13 says He is, its hard NOT to walk in love toward anyone, especially if He lives in and through you, by the gift of our Lord and Savior Jesus, through the Holy Ghost! And look at the awesome, mighty promise, that we can ALWAYS lean on no matter what, in verse 8 – “GOD NEVER FAILS!” If He never fails and we have love in us, then He is in us! And that means we never fail! Sister Maggie never failed in her walk because she had love living in and through her. It was her calling and the calling of all those that are Christians!

We should be encouraged and take time to meditate on those things accomplished by God through Sister Maggie who was yielding and walking in the love of God. We do this by walking out and allowing God to perfect and deliver His love through us as detailed by 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. If you are a Christian, then just pray over yourself that the love of God, as designed by God and detailed in His Word, would work in and through you every day. As you do this the fruit of love will shine through in all that you are called to do. It all begins with the first step in your love walk.

And that is The Truth!
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Hard Rock Corporate – Histrory

I was digging through some old stuff that I had from when I was kid and found some papers, a menu, and a button from the first time I ever went to a Hard Rock Cafe. While I was parsing through those items and trying to determine if these little trinkets of my past were worth holding on to, I ran across one of the Hard Rock Cafe’s Corporate philosophy statements – “Love All – Serve All.”

As these words uttered in my head and in my Spirit, the Holy Spirit reminded me that the same philosophy was owned by one person over 2,000 years ago – Jesus. Regarding loving all, Jesus said the following in John 13:34-35:

Regarding serving all, Jesus said the following in Matthew 20:26-28:

It is clear from these two scriptures that Jesus already had the simple concept of “Love All – Serve All” before the Hard Rock Cafe came along. As you look at the ministry of Jesus, it becomes VERY clear that He did indeed Love ALL and Served ALL! Everything that Jesus did during His earthly ministry, as well as why He came and what He accomplished on the Cross was done through His love and serving of what God called Him to do. In fact, we are told in John 3:16-17 the following:

How unselfish! How full of love! Who would EVER sacrifice their only child for just one person, let alone the whole world full of people? Have you ever met anyone in this world that has had so great a love for people as this? But yet, it is clear from what Jesus taught us in the scriptures before this that when we love as He has loved us that the world will know us as Jesus’ followers and TRUE Christians if we love with His unconditional love. It won’t be through Christian music, or the little “Jesus fish” on the back of your car, or the WWJD necklace you where around your neck. It will only be through the love that you receive from God through our Lord Jesus Christ that they will know. This is why it is so important to Love All. Here at Herald of The Truth we have talked about this before and for further reading on loving all, be sure to revisit the article, “Love All!”

What about this serving of all? Look again at what Jesus said – he said we are to be servants to one another. In fact, he says that you are to be a slave to one another! A slave? That means surrendering all your rights, all your wants, all your desires, and all your comforts, to serve those things for others! You may be thinking, “Wait a minute! You mean Jesus wants me to give up my wants and desires to help provide the wants, desires and comfort by serving others? That sounds a bit unfair!” Well, isn’t this what Jesus had to do? Think about it for a minute – before Jesus came to this earth, where did he reside? Did he not reside in heaven with God? And if He was there, don’t you think that He lives in heavenly peace and did not know pain, bruising, bleeding, cutting, or any harm to Him? Do you think it was His desire, personally speaking, to be nailed to a cross and go through the torture and pain? Recall what even Jesus went through hours before being handed over to the Jews so that God’s Will may be fulfilled – Matthew 26:38-39:

Jesus prays to Father God about not having to endure what He knew He was going to have to do, but yet what prevails here? Jesus’ prayer is not His will be done, but that Father God’s will be done. What was Father God’s will to be done? We mentioned it earlier in John 3:16-17. Doing the will of the Father is being a servant. Jesus was serving the need also of all of humanity too! Had He decided not to do what His Father willed, we would never have the salvation that He completed through completing the will of God! And we have MUCH to be thankful for Jesus being obedient, even unto the completed work upon the cross! That is serving unselfishly and without thought of Himself – PRAISE BE TO JESUS!

Loving all and servant hood should be at the heart of every Christian and should drive us in all that we do. As we do these two things and step out to “Love All – Serve All” only then will the world see who Jesus is in and through us!

And that is The Truth!
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Newsvine.com Article from an Associated Press Writer: Ban on a type of prayer in school allowed to stand

Leader. Coach. Man of honor. A teacher that guides and instructs. Allowed to have authority over those known as his students. These are just some of the adjectives used to describe Coach Marcus Borden, per his job as a coach at an East Brunswick, New Jersey school. But couldn’t these same adjectives be used to describe Jesus Christ? Those that know Jesus would definitely agree. But yet, the same qualities we find within Jesus and Coach Borden, that is supposed to describe Coach Borden’s job, is under attack by the political correctness and continual violation of his free-speech rights. It appears that there is a severe disconnect in true definition of the job roles and descriptions that Coach Borden is to carry out – it’s as though it lacks granular detail….or does it?

According to the account given in this article, this apparently is not the first time that the Coach has been attacked by only “some” of the parents of these students. What is ironic is that even after all of the bans that have been placed on Coach Borden – Coach not being allowed to pray over the students before a game or lead them in praying over the food they were about to eat; Coach not being allowed to drop to one-knee and show respect while the STUDENTS lead their own prayer time; Coach not being allowed to bow his head while the STUDENTS lead their own prayer time – the STUDENTS STILL pray before a game and before they eat while Coach Borden is only allowed to stand at attention. Why? Because those parents of “some” of the students believe Coach should not advocate or endorse one particular “religion.”

The quote from the article that I want to draw from is this one:

“Coaches are not supposed to be promoting religion; that’s up to students and parents and pastors,”

Someone who has been placed into leadership, authority, and is teaching, leading and directing students, regardless of age, we are told are “shaping minds.” For some reason they seem to equivolate a teacher to a robot with no life, no life experiences, and for that matter, nothing of their personal characteristic that they are allowed to impart to those they teach. The irony is that if you do a quick search on how to teach anyone anything, one of the final, key steps to teaching is:

“Encourage practical application. Suggest a follow-up activity to reinforce what your audience has learned. Encourage the audience to apply what they have learned to everyday life, or teach the skill to someone else.”

Applying what they need to learn to everyday life reinforces what the student learns. But, let’s talk about this “everyday life” – I believe this holds the key to the contention between “some” parents and even “some” that have issues with Christians living their life, as defined by Jesus Christ. Basically, “some” of the people do not have a clear understanding of what “life” is to a Christian and thus the communication breakdown and issues.

The Bible and Jesus said, in John 14:6:

Notice, by definition, Jesus has told us Christians what “life” is – Jesus is life! When we take on the God-kind of life, we, as Christians, live a life that is Jesus. In fact, notice what God’s Word also says in John 1:4:

Jesus is life and life is in Him! And life – Jesus – is the light of men! Which men? Men like Coach Borden – men that don’t hide the light of Jesus Christ, but that live this life He gave us! The issue was not that Coach Borden was doing all these things, its that the parents of “some” of these students do not clearly understand what living a life like Jesus Christ looks like or means. And, as most things in this world, when it’s confusing or makes us afraid, as human beings, the first thing we want to do is get rid of it and remove it from our sight.

Coach Borden was living out of the Recreated Spirit he had been given through the Blood bought sacrifice of Jesus Christ! When someone else pays for something with their life and takes the life that you had and replaces it with a life that is free from the sin, pain, sickness, poverty, and all things that steal, kill and destroy your life what else are you to do other than to live a life that is consumed and all about Him! Without Jesus, Coach Borden would not have the New Life and nothing Coach Borden did, including his teaching of those students, would amount to imparting anything through his teaching.

While the article does not go into these areas, I’d love to know some statistics surrounding the athletic program that Coach Borden had while he was allowed to lead prayer and pray with his students. I wonder how many of the parents of “some” of these students could recall and give an account for the seasons that the students went without injuries? Or how many times they were blessed with the finances for doing what the students wanted to achieve, in terms of going to certain competitions or state events? Or how many times theses parents’ kids stayed out of real trouble or even potential danger because an imparted life application through Coach Borden’s teaching? I don’t know what the stats are, but, for an individual living a life like Jesus Christ, the word is clear that EVERYTHING he sets his hand to, prospers! I wonder how different things will be now that this Coach is not allowed to let his life in Jesus Christ be shared with any student?

Are you living a life like Jesus Christ? Are you letting what He did for you – that He freely laid down His life, took on sin, sickness, poverty, death and lack, so that you would not have to experience it – change and create the life you are to live in Him? It’s the John 3:16 verse that people miss the verse that follows what it says – they only get it half right and think that Jesus came to beat them down and condemn them and don’t understand why they need a life like Jesus. John 3:16-17 states:

Jesus did not come to condemn but to save us all! It for the whole world! And if you have not made this choice, we encourage you to read our “Free Gift” section here on Herald of The Truth that you might understand what living like Jesus means. If you have had an experience where Jesus Christ has stepped into you, made you a new creation, and changed you through this website, then we encourage you to contact us and share with us your experience! We are here to help you and guide you into all Truth and knowledge of Jesus Christ and know that living a life like Jesus Christ will change your life forever!

And that is The Truth!
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Yahoo! Finance Article – Why This Recession Seems Worse Than ’70s and ’80s

Yahoo! Finance Article – Foreclosures fall from December to January

Yahoo! News Article – U.S. January foreclosures fall: RealtyTrac

Yahoo! Finance Article – U.S. retail sales unexpectedly up 1 percent

Turn on the news and you will hear how we are in a recession and on the verge of another Great Depression. “The current situation has nothing in common with the Great Depression,” says economist Steve Hanke of the Cato Institute and Johns Hopkins University. “The sooner they [in Washington] stop spinning the bad news story and say nothing, the sooner we’ll be more confident.”

You probably have not heard the news that foreclosure went down since last month. There actually was a drop in foreclosures from December 2008 to January 2009. We are all being bombarded with negative words and predictions daily. David Jones, CEO of DMJ Advisors, is among those who see “hints of stability.” By that he means, the rate of decline in areas like retail appear to be slowing. “We’ll see the same thing happening on the housing side in the next couple months,” says Jones.

The Commerce Department said total retail sales rose 1 percent in January, advancing for the first time in seven months.

“I’m just waiting for the shift in people’s expectations,” says Chris Rupkey of Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi. We have all watched the stock market rise and fall in a day, so dramatically based on fear of the unknown, have heard what the President is saying or not saying, and have kept up with the status of the stimulus plan. Yes, there has been a rise in unemployment since last year, but it is not as bad as everyone is claiming . We have heard that this is like the 70’s, but even though the sharp decline in payrolls over the past three months has been stunning, it is not as bad on a percentage basis as one period in 1974-1975, according to David Resler, chief economist at Nomura International. Resler says the economy would have to lose some 767,000 jobs a month over a three-month period from the current employment level to match that miserable performance.
Home foreclosure filings in January totaled 274,399, down 10 percent from December according to RealtyTrac’s (an online market of foreclosure properties) U.S. Foreclosure Market Report. The report depends on who you are listening to and I know for every bit of information in this article that I quoted there are other news stories saying doom and gloom things with no glimmer of hope.

Interesting thought – we can either speak good things over the economy or bad things. In Proverbs 18:21 of the New King James Version it says:

I also love the Message Bible translation of Proverbs 18:21. It says:

What are you choosing to say over the economy, your finances and your job? I am speaking good things over all of it. This goes beyond just being positive or looking on the bright side. We should speak “The Truth” in our lives. The truth comes from the Word of God!

The truth is found in Philippians 4:19 of New King James Version:

Another truth is found in Luke 6:38 in the New King James Version:

We all need to remember even in these times where the world is uncertain, when we give it will be given back to us. God’s children should still be giving and be in faith that their seed is multiplying.

The truth is that fear does not come from God. In 2 Timothy 1:7 of the New King James Version it says:

Personally, I am going to keep looking up to God who is Jehovah Jireh, My Provider ( Genesis 22:14). As the song goes I cannot be moved. Jesus is my Rock and Salvation (Psalm 62:2) and I shall not fear!

LD

Buffett says US in ‘economic Pearl Harbor’

Let me quote Timberly Ross’ article and more specifically Mr. Buffett’s comments:

This particular article really struck me as interesting and got my Spirit stirred up. Here is Warren Buffett – financial guru who is on top of everything and when asked about economic and financial decisions is quick to reply with his knowledge and understanding of what it takes to generate the numbers for businesses and money to make money. Yet, during this time of his interview, when questioned about this world’s economy, his response is in regards to a simple, yet life changing word – FEAR!

Now, any non Christian person will tell you that the life of fear is the last kind of life to live! People that live in fear are constantly looking over their shoulder. They worry, fret, and get concerned about the littlest things. They have no peace, no rest, and definitely cannot allow anything or anyone to handle any of their affairs for them. A person in fear is not their own and does nothing but live in the shadows of what COULD happen or what MIGHT happen. Nothing is ever positive and if anything ever positive drops in their laps, they never enjoy it for fear that it will turn negative.

So, as Mr. Buffett indicates, what happens to people living in fear is that they stop living in, doing things in, and acting on this life. They begin to breed fear. And if they do not have fear now, they begin to fear for lack of fear.

As Christians, we are to stop that madness and get our hands off of fear. Paul said in Romans 8:14-15

If we are Christians that truly believe that Jesus not only saved us and took away our sins but also freed us from all bondages, including the bondage of fear, are we to continue to live in the old way of bondage to sin and fear or are we to live free from that junk in Jesus’ finished work? We should have received a new life through the one Jesus Christ! When something is made new, restored, and redeemed, it means that the old things have all passed away and something new has been created and brought forth! Those old things are dead and gone and exist no more! Hence, as Paul says here, we did not receive fear as part of our newness of life from Jesus, so why are we accepting it and allowing it to have any place in our life? Why are we agreeing with the world and allowing fear in?

Faith and fear cannot operate together! When you are in fear you are not trust in Jesus and believing in The Truth of His Word! We must allow faith to remove fear from our lives. How do we do this – by walking in the command that Jesus gave us: that we walk in the love of Christ that has been shed abroad in our hearts!

Why is walking in love so important to our faith? Looks at 1 John 4:17-19 in the Amplified say:

Now, more than ever, love must be perfected in the hearts of Christians! Where there is His love, there is no fear! This is perfect love and that is why it casts out fear! You become perfect in love through receiving Christ’s love for you and then, in turn, giving His love to everyone and through everything you do! Look at what Jesus gave us – 2 Timothy 1:7:

So, what does love look like when it is manifest through us in what Jesus gave us? – 1 Corinthians 13:3-8:

Love has its perfect work when all of the “no-love-fruit” is gone! That means we must stop being impatient and unkind toward all. Jealousy and envy for others has no place in a person who gives love. Being selfish, prideful and rude must leave your attitude. Allow love to have its way in your life means that you are not provoking others to anger and you are not devising evil thoughts and plans. And love definitely does not have fun doing grossly immoral acts. Love is filled with joy in The Truth! And when this love is perfected, it never, ever fails, because Jesus IS LOVE!

Mr. Buffett is right to say that we are in a cycle of fear, if we define this current fear as one that has us blinded to The Truth of the love we were given through Jesus! We must take responsibility to deal with the fear – cast down all fear and take up faith and what God’s Word has to say – Hebrews 13:6(Amplified):

Pray, in Jesus name, this verse of Scripture (Hebrew 13:6) over you, your family, and any situation where fear tries to rise and believe that the perfect love of Jesus has cast out all fear. As you do, fear will have to release its grip on those areas and the peace and joy of the Lord will return!

And that is The Truth!
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Madoff’s stolen statue returned — with a ‘lesson’

Love all? Even Bernie Madoff? Love Bernie? Why would anyone do that after what he has done to everyone else? Why would the consideration even be given to have anything toward Bernie except anger, hatred, disgust, or any other contempt toward a man such as this? One reason – because Jesus said so!

In Matthew 5:38-40 (New King James), Jesus says the following:

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

The first and biggest thing we must establish as Christians that are of The Truth of God’s Word is that God’s Word is soverign and trumps all other things, including our mind, our will, and especially our emotions. During events and issues like this with Mr. Madoff, its amazing how many turn to their emotions instead of the Word of God – and yes, I’m talking about Christians!

Secondly, let’s look at what Jesus has instructed in context of what happened with Bernie’s statue. Jesus specifically says, in verses 44 and 45:

44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

I think we can all agree that what Bernie did has cursed many people’s and company’s finances and that Bernie has spitefully used many people and company’s finances for his own personal gain. Those are the facts, but look at what The Truth of God’s Word says – what are we to do to and for individuals like this? We are to “bless those that curse you” and “pray for those that spitefully use you.” Bless and pray for Bernie? Does he deserve that? What kind of God do we serve that commands that we “bless” and “pray” for someone like this?

Notice what Jesus says in verse 45 – “He (God) makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” What Jesus is saying here is that regardless of good or bad, just or unjust, right or wrong, God still gives His best for all to partake in because His love is available to all. Who are we to judge or say who should get what or how they should be treated when there is no partiality with God? It seems, to your mind, will and emotions, almost unfair that God would allow His best to still be available to a person like Bernie, but if God was a God that only loved the loveable, He would have never sent his Son, Jesus, and things would have been drastically different for all of us!

The Apostle Paul states in Romans 5:8 (New King James):

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

That love, a love that turned its back on the sin within us for the sake of saving us, recreating us, and bring us back to right standing before God, is the same love that should be in and through us that helps us to see how and why we should “bless” and “pray” for a man like Bernie. It takes nothing of God or of what Jesus did to react and respond out of your body and out of a sin nature to look for ways to get your “jab” in on him. Any ole’ sinner who does not know Christ can do that! But it takes living out of the recreated, changed Spirit of God that lives within you to tap into the Love of God and of His Son to “Bless” and “Pray” for Bernie.

What’s interesting about this is that regardless of the person, God is that kind of God that He makes all of His best, His goodness, and the same salvation and life changing experience available to everyone, even to the point of them breathing their last breath! Recall what happened at Calvary when Jesus was crucified with the two criminals. We don’t know what these two criminals did, but it must have been bad enough to label them criminals. But let’s pay more attention to the way that these two spoke to Jesus and what Jesus’ response was to them. One criminal blasphemed Jesus and mocked Him saying and acting excatly as Jesus’ false accusers had acted. The other criminal rebuked the blasphemer and then humbled himself to ask for Jesus to just remember him in Heaven – this criminal even went as far as to call Jesus his Lord, which means he had given his life to Him in the midst of this criminal’s death. And notice that Jesus told this criminal that that day he would be with Jesus in Heaven! Remember, these were criminals and the one who had petitioned Jesus had even said that they were being justly punished for their deeds which they freely chose, but with just one change of heart, one turn to recognize Jesus as who He was to this criminal, God’s love was so great to save him, regardless of his past! THAT is the power of God’s love! That is the love we are to not only know and share among other Believers but we are to give towards ALL, regardless!

And that is The Truth!

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