Day: December 31, 2009

Categories
New Years Best of Countdown

Step by Step

Originally published on 5/27/2009

“Step by step ooh baby , Gonna get to you girl , Step by step ooh baby …. “ oh uh.. well, sometimes NKOTB just stays in your head.

But not today.  I had to google those lyrics, today I am singing about keeping in step with the Spirit in Gal 5:25.  I think the Message’s paraphrase is good.  We have more interesting things to do with our lives then to get got up comparing with each other.  Lets live by the spirit.  Lets turn this world upside down.

are you ready?

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

— Galatians 5:25 (NIV)

http://www.heartlight.org/gallery/1720.html

The Message (MSG)


25-26Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.

Categories
New Years Best of Countdown

Good Enough

Originally published on 5/19/2009

Have you thought that you were not doing enough, or not good enough for God.  Well, that’s a trap where we can find ourselves.  We can never do enough to be good enough for God.  Once we accept his gift and put on Christ, we will be continually transformed to be more like him.  We will strive for good works.  We will attempt to eliminate sin from our lives.  We will hold up the banner of righteousness.  However, we will never be good enough – without the death of Christ.

With Christ in you, and his grace and mercy washing you, you don’t have to try to be good enough.  You are! Christ has made you that may. And boy, when you can free yourselves from the bondage of works to achieve salvation – you are free.  So works – YES- works to honor, works to serve, works to glorify God.  But not works to repay, or works to earn.  And these works don’t have to be great spiritual events.  They can simple.  The way you interact with someone in the hallway.  The way you reach out to a child that is hurting.  The way you listen to you friends struggles.  You don’t have to be a ‘spiritual giant’ to be a recipient of his forgiveness.

Let the grace of God wash over you today.  Accept his gift. Live free, and serve the master.

The Message (MSG)

Romans 12

Place Your Life Before God

1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Categories
New Years Best of Countdown

useless?

originally published on 4/15/2009

1 Corinthians 15:14

14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.

Its one of those things.  If it didn’t happen were bad off, following a hoax.  So then it if did happen we are so blessed that its mind boggling!

This should give us some strength as we face the daily challenges of life.  I hope it strengthens you today.  Live like Christ.

Categories
New Years Best of Countdown

Freaks

originally published on 2/18/2009

You know you read this story below, and if you have not grown up with it, you might just have to think, what a bunch of freaks?  He walked 3 miles on Water!!!  3 Miles! 5K? or he walked all the way around the sea to join them?  I dunno, that’s pretty freaky.  But If its true, then… oh then we just get a glimpse of the power of our Savior.

I think I will join the freaks, and believe this one.  How about you?  Are you freaky today?

John 6:15-21New International Version (NIV)

15Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

Jesus Walks on the Water

16When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19When they had rowed three or three and a half miles,[a] they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. 20But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” 21Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

Categories
Daily Post

End of the Decade

Its the end of the decade today.  Tomorrow we will be in the teens, and that means new fashion, new music, new hairstyles, new fades, new designs – the whole shooting match.  One thing however will be the same.  That’s the power of Christ to change your life and to make you new.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”- 2 Corinthians 5:17

Since it is the end of the year/decade and since there are all sorts of countdowns and rewinds that happen.  The Daily Buffet will look back as well.  I have gone back and picked out 9 (since it is the end of 2009) favorite emails from early in this year and will post 1 every even hour from 8am until midnight.  FUN!  I hope you enjoy.

(oh , the pirate email is exclude, as it can only appear on September 18.

Happy New Year.