There’s an App for That!

All iphone, itouch, and ipad users have a common saying and that is “there’s an app for that”. There are a total of 52,060 active software applications that are written for these devices. With that astonishing number you would think there is an application for anything you might need. There is a app that will help you find the closes restaurant to your current location, one that allows you to take a picture of a plant and then tells you what kind of plant it is and how to take care of it, there several gaming apps that allow you to play with your friends and family from any location, there are voice recorder apps and text to speech apps, there are apps that allow you to read your bible, listen to Christian music, and read Christian literature online. Most of these apps were written in order to help take care of a problem or challenge that someone faces. Maybe one day there will be an app to help us make all the decision we have in our life. Or has that app already been developed?
II Timothy 3:15-17 15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
It seems that the bible app is just what we need in order to help us make decision for everything in our life. We know that all scriptures were created by God as a guide for us. All too often the problem we have is not having the right source of knowledge, but User Error by not looking first at his words of wisdom before jumping feet first into our decisions we make.
Although the most expensive application you can buy from the iTunes store is $999.99 (BarMax: California study guide to the bar exam). The free app of the bible will always help you the most. Check in on God’s word this week either by using your electronic device or grabbing your leather bound pages and see just what application you can get from it for your life
In Him, Joe

Kindness is a Action

When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people; as I grow older, I admire kind people. --Abraham Joshua Heschel

There are numerous examples of the kindness of Christ. He was kind to the lepers by healing them of their disease; he was kind to those who did not like him by praying for them, he was kind to those who were unthankful by reminding us that even God is kind to the unthankful and evil, he was kind to the poor by meeting their needs.  

You can have all the knowledge in the world and never save a soul if you don’t first show a person kindness. Showing kindness is one of the best ways that we can minister to people. The most fun I have had with people in ministry has been when we have worked together to help other people. I remember as a teenager working with our church on Saturdays to paint a elderly families home, working in a widow’s yards, watching children for a family who needed a break, and taking grocery’s to those in need. We did this as a church and those times I remember being as productive as we were reaching out in our community. We strengthen our relationship as a church as we worked together young and old and we were saving the lost by first showing them kindness. You should have seen the faces of those we offered to help. They were shocked and amazed and then the questions came:

Why would you take your Saturday and come and work for me?

Who is paying for all of this?

What makes a person want to be so kind?

Those are all leading question that create open doors to share the word of God with people, and that is what we are all looking for.

 
This week I pray that you will be given an open door to share your salvation. I challenge you to show anyone and everyone kindness just as the examples we have of Jesus.


In Him,
Joe

Tenderness

Isaiah 40:11
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.

There are no greater pasture’s than God’s own backyard…

From the Heart
God looks at us as one of his precious lambs. He knows all there is to know about our nature and who we are. Like a sheep that easily wanders astray, when you cry it brings him to your side in a moment. When you are hurting, he does not push you further away, but you feel his soothing love and tender touch, healing all your wounds. When you cannot walk by yourself he will carry you gently until you have safely reached green pastures again. Be grateful that you have a compassionate father. Without him our lives would be so much harder.

There is always a lot of opportunity’s for you to wander astray from the path that God has ask you to be on. Be aware of what it is that is a temptation for you and protect yourself from it. Use your Christian friends, family, and prayer to stay focused. Always remember that if you do stumble and sin that God will always be there to forgive you and love you. So many times we allow the guilt of our sins and our own pride to keep us away from the truth.

SIMPLICITY

Mathew 8:18-20

The Cost of Following Jesus
18When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
20Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

FROM THE HEART
So many times are wants far exceeds our needs. Things of this world will never be able to fill the gap that is in our soul. There is only one person who can fill those depths and that is God. We are all craving for a simple life with God.
How many times have you stopped and looked at your life and wanted it to just be simple. We organizing our lives, adjust our schedule, and purchase items to make our lives as simple as possible, but at the same time we create all kinds of turmoil in our lives by sliding things in the place of God. We just don’t understand how to have a simple life. A life like Jesus lived.
How do we just enjoy the things that God has blessed us with, but still know that there is only one thing we all need and that is God. We must treasure our relationship with him and understand the importance of it. We have to let it influence every other relationship with have here on this earth, and every decision or commitment that we make. True simplicity is allowing God to have full control of your life.

Let’s look at Jesus….
He had no home to call his own, no place to lay his head, no savings account, and no closet full of clothes. If the son of God could live such a simple life, then why can’t we? He has shown us that the simple things are the best.
Simplicity is not a fad-i-tude, but an attitude of heart.