Coral Ridge Ministries: Dr. D. James Kennedy

10/9/2009

Jesus told us that the most important commandment is what we call the Great Commandment. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength”(Deuteronomy 6:5). Why The Ten Commandments Matter Would you spend time with someone you love? Would you cry when someone you love has been hurt? We would all say yes to those questions, but are we spending time in His Word? Being Filled With The Holy Spirit Do we love Him enough to do what He has commanded us to do? How can you love someone without spending time with them trying to get to know them better?

Recently I read about a pastor by the name of Craig Groeschel who, during a conference session, asked the question “Does your heart break for the things that break the heart of God?” WOW! Heart Care Do we take the time to pray for what we see going on in this world—or just criticize? Desire And Deceit Have we and our children digested what makes our Lord ill? Under God Our hearts should break when we see our neighbors without jobs. Have we made a dinner for them? Our hearts should break when we know a widow is lonely during the holidays. A Decembered Grief: Living With Loss While Others Are Celebrating Do we invite them to join our own family? Every Day Comfort Do we take the time to explain to a friend or family member (perhaps even someone in your church) why that book they are reading distorts the Truth? The Da Vinci Deception God’s heart is breaking. Is yours?

As always, when I feel led to focus on a topic, it is usually more of a message for me— I plead guilty on this again. As I attempt to read through the Bible each year, I have noticed that I seem to quickly read over some verses, instead of slowing down. The One Year Seasonal Bible I believe God’s heart breaks when I do that, and I am trying very hard to slow down. Perhaps it is time we all meditate more and read less.

We need to read His Word, meditate on His Word, and then LIVE His Word. New Every Morning Devotional I will keep after you as I try to “talk the talk —as well as walk the walk!”

| Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (2) | Published: 10/9/2009 11:29 AM

7/21/2009

How about those goats?

Goats! The Lord has the best sense of humor I can find, as He recently directed me to one of His creatures—the goat. My Creation Bible To be perfectly honest, I know very little about farming, and the only experience I have had with a goat is a very sad one.

When I was very young, our father bought a goat and kept it in a huge garage he had at our family business. My sisters and I petted it and walked it around, and since we had no other pets, it soon became one to us. We never asked questions about why Dad bought a goat, until one night at dinner, Mom served something we had never seen before. Dad said to try it, as it was very good for you. Have you ever tasted “goat brains”? We all had a very tearful night!

Goats are intelligent, and have a real disdain of any human dominion. It reminds me of our own reluctance to listen to God’s Word. Who's In Charge? He created us, and we need to listen. Goats, when in the wild, become easily scared Freedom From Financial Fear and will climb the highest hill or mountain around for refuge. We run away to hide in our addictions How To Talk To Your Kids About Drugs or just in relationships that do not honor His Word. Affair-Proofing Your Marriage We accept opinions over truth. Fast Facts on False Teachings Skeptics Answered We feel comfortable there—but most often, it will lead to danger.

There is a type of domestic goat that is called a Nubian. These goats have some of the loudest outbursts or yells you’ve ever heard. This cry is so horrific and dramatic that our word tragedy is derived from the Greek—tragoidia—the “cry of the goat.” How often we see tragedies around us today How To Deal With Discouragement when someone does not bathe themselves in prayer Where Was God? during difficult times—or read His Word. NASB Classic Reference Bible Updated

I continue to be intrigued by the goat. For example, why was the goat (in particular) used for the sin offering—stay tuned…..

| Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0) | Published: 7/21/2009 8:32 AM

6/25/2009

God Bless America!

Soon we will be enjoying the wonderful celebration of Independence Day. What a year to be thankful for what we have been blessed with in the United States of America. President Lincoln What They Believed understood that only in God’s presence could one find the peace and tranquility needed to overcome the abounding sense of fear and distress that many feel living in this tumultuous world.Fighting For America's Soul

Our forefathers America's Heritage did not rely on their own understanding, but on their trust in an Almighty God. “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose life is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3).

May we all take time to pray for this country Pray For Our Nation we call America and to remember those who are fighting A Nation Worth Fighting For to keep us free! On The Frontline

Happy July 4th

| Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0) | Published: 6/25/2009 5:01 PM

6/16/2009

Is He relevant?

Once we are saved and know the Word of God, we sometimes tuck Him away. We all know how we remember Him at Christmas and Easter, and we love to see baby Jesus in the manger and watch our children and grandchildren perform in Christmas plays at church and at some schools. The cross Cross Purposes and the resurrection are things we bring up from time to time, Christianity: Cross Or Crutch?and unless you are fervently witnessing, as we all should be, even those conversations may be at a premium.

We focus so much on our performance in this world, we forget what Calvary has to do with how we live this life here in 2009. Now, do not misunderstand me, as I know most of us are sincerely grateful for salvation, The Way Of The Master but do we think about this during the day? All For Jesus As we pursue the “godliness” we pray to attain, have we forgotten Jesus?

I once read a comment that stated, “Are you more focused on your performance for Him—or His for you?” I like to do my Bible devotions in the evening, and many times, instead of feeling encouraged, there’s guilt and another promise from me that tomorrow, “Lord I will do better.”

What I should be doing during the day is concerning myself with how I reacted, or what I did that would please Him and not anyone else. How did He transform Transformation me today, and was He relevant in my life today? If the gospel is relevant, and we know it is—how relevant have I made it? Can we stop trying to prove ourselves? Let’s focus on pleasing HIM!

| Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0) | Published: 6/16/2009 12:48 PM

6/8/2009

A safe place

Have you recently taken a vacation and felt more exhausted than you were before you left? How about driving home from work and not remembering how you got there? Moving fast can take priority in your life. Stress: Peace Amid Pressure One thing is very important when it comes to time—time with the Lord cannot be rushed. The One Year Seasonal Bible

When you are in a hurry, your mind flitters back and forth between Him and the tasks ahead of you. My suggestion is for you to push back the demands pressing in on you, Give Us This Day create a safe place around you—a haven in which you can rest with Him. The Lord desires this time of focused attention Hope For Each Day and He uses it to bless you by strengthening and equipping you for the day ahead. Living Above Pain - Joy In The Midst Of Suffering Thus, spending time with Him is a wise investment, and we sure need more of those investments these days.

Bring Him the sacrifice of your precious time. Still Waters And Skyscrapers This creates a sacred space around you—space permeated with His Presence and His Peace.

Psalm 119: 27

Chronicles 16:9

Hebrews 13:15

| Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0) | Published: 6/8/2009 9:01 AM

5/29/2009

Giving To Others

I don’t know if you have watched the many stories lately in the news about people “making a difference” during these turbulent times, but they reassure me of the goodness God created in each of us. Footprints On The Sands Of Time There are college students giving up their “extra lunch plan meals” to buy food for homeless shelters, and elementary children collecting used books and sending them to those areas of the country where libraries may have been destroyed by natural disasters. The list goes on…

I sometimes feel that God allows painful experiences to come into our lives in order for us to understand and lessen the pain in others. Jesus was a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief . . . and so are we. Each of us may have had a very personal experience with business failure, Freedom From Financial Fear divorce, Why Some Marriages Fail And Others Succeed poverty, or the pain of loss. When Your Soul Aches Some may have addictions of one kind or another. How To Talk To Your Kids About Drugs God by his grace has restored you, and it was no accident.

Nothing is done solely for you, but that you can be used to bestow that grace Grow In Grace into the lives of others. Giving of yourself brings healing to others. It is about giving to others. At times it may be monetary giving, The Treasure Principle it may be emotional help, or simply offering to drive someone who may be physically impaired or recently lost their car to a destination.. Love and encouragement are so passionately needed. On Giving And Receiving Many times we ask what purpose God has for our lives. Reaching out and giving to others oftentimes shows us God’s plan for us.

Take some time to look around for ways that you can “make a difference” in someone’s life. Nothing can give a better return than that.

| Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0) | Published: 5/29/2009 3:29 PM

5/13/2009

Magnify!

People are under a lot of pressure, and they yearn for a reassuring word. They may be dealing with discouragement. Discouragement The Lord has directed me to the life of David and the story of his chaos at Ziklag (1 Samuel 30) The One Year Seasonal Bible and how he finally recovered from this trauma. David didn’t sing a sad desperate song, but one that echoed the majesty and power of God. Commanded To Sing The Bible states that “David encouraged himself in the Lord his God” (Psalm 34). He could very well have dug himself deep into depression.

He sat where his home once stood and sang, “I will bless the Lord at all times” (Psalm 34). All times—good, bad, super bad, and horrific times. Later he sang, “Oh, magnify the LORD with me” (Psalm 34:3). What do those words mean—magnify the Lord? The word “magnify” means to “enlarge or to make bigger in perspective”—like when you use a magnifying glass or a microscope to see it more clearly. But we are not making the object any bigger; we are just changing the way we look at it. We cannot, in any way, make God any larger than He is, but we can change the perspective we have—either smaller or larger. We can be encouraged by things or depressed by things.

Reject the tendency to magnify the negative trouble you may be facing. Magnify the Lord! Say out loud all the great things He has done. Words To Live By Teach your children and grandchildren to do the same as they grow. Magnify Perhaps you may want to magnify by journaling and reading it aloud. Try it! When you are able to magnify the Lord, He becomes larger, and when He does, all those concerns and troubles become smaller. Turn It To Gold

Magnify His name……

| Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0) | Published: 5/13/2009 8:25 AM

4/23/2009

Notary Public for Jesus

no·ta·ry public - a public officer who attests or certifies writings (as a deed) to make them authentic and takes affidavits, depositions, and protests of negotiable paper —called also notary

– Miriam Webster Dictionary

A few weeks ago I was asked if I knew someone who was a notary public, as they needed some documents witnessed. When I thought about how we need someone to witness important documents in our lives from time to time, I reflected on how each and every one of us who knows the saving grace of Jesus Christ—is a notary. About My Father's Business

Have we certified His Word? Do we conduct ourselves with His Truth or our own truth each and every day? Absolute Truth? Are we still searching for a notary? I know it is a daily challenge for me. He is authentic, and we do not need a stamp to show it—we are the stamp. Oh, but how hard it is at times for others to see it. Equipping The Saints

We also need to begin early with our children and grandchildren and help them discover the biblical truths that formed the foundation of American values. We need to do this now more than ever! How To Share The Gospel And Our Christian Heritage Effectively

Sharing the love of Jesus with others and having someone come to the Lord—having the stamp on their heart—is the greatest gift. Sharing Your Faith With Friends And Family Anyone who has been involved in Evangelism Explosion or has been an EE trainer, as I have been, can attest to that ultimate joy! The Way Of The Master

God has total control over our circumstances, and what joy that can bring to those who do not know him. Living Above Pain - Joy In The Midst Of Suffering Read the Word each day, study the Word and possess that treasured faith …,” for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”(Matthew 6:21).

Be a Notary for JESUS!

| Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (2) | Published: 4/23/2009 8:43 AM

4/7/2009

Risen Indeed!

As we get closer to that glorious time where we celebrate Easter and our risen Lord, I pray you will bring someone with you to services on Easter and share with them that ....

He Is Risen!

Happy Resurrection Sunday

| Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0) | Published: 4/7/2009 12:43 PM

3/31/2009

Why? Because He Loves Us!

Jesus willingly subjected himself to what we know as a humiliating and excruciating form of torture. The Passion Many ask why? Why did Christ die? What could possibly have possessed someone to endure such a cruel punishment? You or I could not have done it. But Jesus knew what was ahead of Him, and it was the only way He could redeem us. The Meaning Of The Passion

He served as our substitute and paid the death penalty we deserved, because of our rebellion against almighty God. That is why He came into this world—that was His mission. It brings me to tears when I once again focus on the Cross this Easter. Love does that. How To Love God

As we come closer to my favorite time of year—Holy Week, I ask you to listen to those around you, family, friends and strangers and ask the question I ask each week in this Blog— Is That So? Never Dying Life Share the love that Jesus showed for us and share the Truth so hidden in the world today. Why did He die? He died because He loved us!

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep (John 10:11).

| Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0) | Published: 3/31/2009 3:56 PM

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