7 “Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who keeps on asking receives, and he who keeps on seeking finds, and to him who keeps on knocking, it will be opened.” (Jesus) Matthew 7:7-8 AMP Read full chapter
Footnotes
Matthew 7:7 Here the use of Greek present imperatives (asking, seeking, knocking; vv 7, 8) emphasizes persistent, constant prayer.
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
Our extended family was all together for the holidays when something unusual happened. Pastor Mike challenged the congregation to go for a whole month without complaining.
Our family took on the challenge (all 8 of us). Christina had the idea that if you complained about something, you had to sing your words! Here are a couple of the “songs” that were sung at dinner that night:
“Is that kale in my salad?”
“I thought we were eating at 6:45!”
Naturally, these songs had everyone in hysterics!
Cousins, Christina and Patricia making dinner
Needless to say, it was a lot of fun! Not only that, it cut down on complaining because if anyone came even close to complaining, the others immediately made the guilty party sing it!
After I was caught complaining, I said, “But I’m just stating a fact!” Guess what? If the fact is negative, that’s complaining!
Our family kept this up for about 3 hours and I learned something. We complain and don’t even realize we’re doing it! (That is until you get caught!)
So why not take this family holiday challenge? God says,
“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.” Philippians 2:14-16 NIV (emphasis mine)
Have you ever been around someone who never complained? Nice, isn’t it? Have you ever been around anyone who complained constantly? Not so nice! It’s pretty straightforward. Complainers don’t make bright stars in the darkness.
God knows that complaining isn’t good for us. If only we would just obey Him! Science has proven that complaining is unhealthy. Consider this:
Complaining changes the way people see you. “According to Travis Bradberry, PhD, “Repeated complaining rewires your brain to make future complaining more likely. Over time, you find it’s easier to be negative than to be positive, regardless of what’s happening around you. Complaining becomes your default behavior, which changes how people perceive you.”
Complaining causes brain damage. Research from Stanford University has shown that complaining shrinks the hippocampus—an area of the brain that’s critical to problem-solving and intelligent thought. Damage to the hippocampus is scary, especially when you consider that it’s one of the primary brain areas destroyed by Alzheimer’s.
Complaining has negative health effects. When you complain, your body releases the stress hormone cortisol. One effect of cortisol, for example, is to raise your blood pressure and blood sugar… All the extra cortisol released by frequent complaining impairs your immune system and makes you more susceptible to high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. It even makes the brain more vulnerable to strokes.
So I challenge you to accept the “Don’t Complain Challenge”. For one month, you can’t complain about anything. See what happens. Pastor Mike guarantees that it will make you a happier, healthier, and more positive person. You will not only feel better, but you will become a person others like to be around.
You will be “seen as bright lights (stars or beacons shining out clearly) in the [dark] world, Holding out [to it] and offering [to all men] the Word of Life…” Philippians 2:15b-16a AMPC
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.” Psalm 37:23-24 NIV
My thoughts: I love this verse because it reassures me of God’s faithfulness, mercy, and love for this undeserving soul.
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
For believers in Jesus, Hanukkah is a sobering reminder of the evil force of antisemitism in the world. As believers, we should emulate God’s love for His chosen people by standing against antisemitism. (For an explanation of Hanukkah read this.)
I am shocked at the degree to which hatred has spread throughout our world today toward the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. Demonstrators chant “Free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea”. But when interviewed, less than half even knew what their chant meant. (Wall Street Journal)
“This terrifying pattern of antisemitic attacks has been relentless since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, with no signs of diminishing,” Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the ADL, said in a statement. “The lid to the sewers is off, and Jewish communities all across the country are being inundated with hate.
CBS News
God had a plan to bless the world through the Jews.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV
He sent His son, Jesus, to save the world. No wonder Satan hates and wants to destroy the Jewish people.
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:1-3 NIV (emphasis mine)
These words popped out to me today:
“and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
The Jewish people continue to bless the world even today. Although Jews are a small percentage of the population (0.2%), they have made an astounding number of contributions in the fields of medicine, science, art, and music for which everyone should be grateful.
Here are just a few:
Jonas Salk (creator of the first polio vaccine)
Albert Sabin (oral polio vaccine)
Galileo (pioneered the use of the telescope for observing the night sky. His discoveries undermined traditional ideas about a perfect and unchanging cosmos with the Earth at its center.)
Elie Wiesel (political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He authored 57 books)
Albert Einstein
Jerry Lewis (who raised more than $2 billion dollars for his Muscular Dystrophy Association Charity, Jerry’s Kids)
Isaac Singer (inventor of the sewing machine)
(This list could go on and on, but I’ll stop here for the sake of brevity.)
The pro-Hamas demonstrators, when interviewed, showed little to no knowledge of the history of Judaism or the establishment of the Jewish state.
Ignorance allows dictators and terrorists to pursue their objectives while a properly informed public preserves and protects what is important to a free and civilized society.
If you believe such things are important, offer some gratitude, not hostility, to the Jews.”
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools…” Romans 1:20-22 NIV (emphasis mine)
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
Our call is to engage with the world. Our mission as light in the darkness has not ended. In fact, it is greater now than it has ever been as the time of end draws near.”
Amir Tsarfati, Behold Israel
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
“Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God].” Proverbs 29:18 AMP Proverbs 29:18 in all English translations
My thoughts: You may have heard it said, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” KJV (leaving out the second part of the verse). When we look at the whole verse, it is clear that the word vision does not refer to some dream of success a person may have but to God’s Word. Unrestrained means that without the guidance of God’s Word, people abandon themselves to their own sinful ways.
In His Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?
Real Christian Women 