The Beggar’s Rags

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For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

It’s time to trade in your old rags…

The Beggar’s Rags
Author Unknown

A beggar lived near the king’s palace. One day he saw a proclamation posted outside the palace gate. The king was giving a great dinner. Anyone dressed in royal garments was invited to the party.

The beggar went on his way. He looked at the rags he was wearing and sighed. Surely only kings and their families wore royal robes, he thought. Slowly an idea crept into his mind. The audacity of it made him tremble. Would he dare?

He made his way back to the palace. He approached the guard at the gate. “Please, sire, I would like to speak to the king.” “Wait here,” the guard replied. In a few minutes, he was back. “His majesty will see you,” he said, and led the beggar in.

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My Megaphone

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I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. (Psalm 40:1-2)

My husband and I watched a great Louie Giglio DVD tonight called “Hope.”  God used it to speak exactly what I needed to hear.  I have been in a great deal of physical pain and to tell you the truth I have been waiting for the Lord to move.  Notice I said that I have been waiting for the Lord to move, but I did not say I have been patiently waiting.  Unfortunately, I cannot claim that I have been patient.  I have been in this same place before and I don’t honestly care for it.

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Springing into Action

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So—who is like me? Who holds a candle to me?’ says The Holy One. (Isaiah 40:25, MSG)

Have you ever been to a soccer, football, baseball, or hockey game and sat in the bleachers? Do you remember the feeling of cheering for your team? Do you remember when they made a mistake and how you might have wanted to step in and help them? Or maybe when they made a great score and you jumped for joy? Do you remember that moment in time?
I can think back to many of these moments in time, but in each one I was a spectator. I was sitting in the bleachers. I was on the bench. I wasn’t on the field or on the ice playing the game. I didn’t know the impact of scoring or the impact of making a mistake like the players did. Some of you are wondering where I’m going with this analogy, and I can tell you this has been running through my mind a lot lately. Read more

Kindness is Contagious

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The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:  “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. (Jeremiah 31:3)

Kindness is Contagious

Story Editor:
by Phyllis Yearick

My 9-year-old daughter and I were flying from our home in Charlotte, North Carolina, to spend a week with my husband in Miami, Florida. Mike had been in Florida for five months working for an Internet start-up company. We were excited about the trip because we had seen him only five times in five months, and Kallie missed her dad terribly.

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Nothing Left Undone

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Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)

“Being confident…”

Many Christians walk around quoting this verse, but I think few of us take the time to understand it word for word.  From the beginning of the verse, Paul, the author of Philippians, wants us to know that we are to live in a confident way.  He could have said, “Be confident…”  and that would have put emphasis on the word “confident”.  Instead, he says “Being confident…” which puts emphasis on the word “being”.  This is to remind us we are to be living in a confident way continuously.  There is never a time that we are not to live confidently.  We can be confident because of who Jesus Christ is in us.  Are you living in a confident way?  If not, what has kept you from being confident?

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