To Faith

To faith

“Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5)

Isaiah said that faith that is firm is patient. Faith that is firm and is exercised can be seen. The friends of the paralytic exercised their faith and Jesus saw it.

Where do I need to exercise my faith today? What circumstances today are challenging my faith?

· Support

· Security

How do I exercise my faith on the above every day? The first thing is prayer. The second thing is to faith. I do this not on a global basis but one day at a time, one step at a time.

To Faith

To faith

“Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5)

Isaiah said that faith that is firm is patient. Faith that is firm and is exercised can be seen. The friends of the paralytic exercised their faith and Jesus saw it.

Where do I need to exercise my faith today? What circumstances today are challenging my faith?

· Support

· Security

How do I exercise my faith on the above every day? The first thing is prayer. The second thing is to faith. I do this not on a global basis but one day at a time, one step at a time.

The Power Within

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1: 8)

We have from Christ Jesus the power and authority to be his witnesses. (Acts 1: 8) This power and authority is not limited to witnessing but extends to overcoming evils in our lives. The first step in overcoming evil is to say No unequivocally to suggestions of sin. We have the power and authority to become overcomers and winners.

About ten years ago, I prayed constantly for an entire year to feel this power and authority in my life. One day, I heard from a homily that the power and authority that I prayed for was already there but dormant, waiting to be activated. Why have I not realized this truth? How can I exercise faith in the power of Christ within me? Lord Jesus, teach me.

Glorious Deeds of the Lord

Glorious Deeds of the Lord

“Declare to the generation to come the glorious deeds of the Lord and his strength and the wonders that he wrought.” (Psalm 78: 3 – 4)

After three months of the inception the Enterprise, I confided to my journal the following thoughts:

“The Lord has done glorious deeds for me in the first three months of the Enterprise:

· Daily Eucharist

· Deeper study of the word

· Prayer

· Library

· SAM

· Lector

· Blessings of home

· Health

· Opus Dei

· Spiritual direction

· Friendships

The Lord did these things for me that “I too might put my trust in God, and not forget the works of God, keeping his commandments.” (Psalm 78: 7)

How to Succeed

How to succeed

“Keep this book of the law on your lips. Recite it by day and by night, that you may observe carefully all that is written in it; then you will successfully attain your goal. I command you: be firm and steadfast! Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord, your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1: 8 – 9)

“Constantly remind the people about these laws, and you yourself must think about them every day and every night so that you will be sure to obey all of them. For only then will you succeed. Yes, be bold and strong! Banish fear and doubt! For remember, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Living Bible)

“Keep this book of the law on your lips. Recite it by day and night, that you may observe carefully all that is written in it; then you will successfully attain your goal. I command you: be firm and steadfast! Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go.” (New American Bible)

“My courage, hope of victory, and wisdom necessary for success are dependent upon my constant attention and inflexible adherence to the word of God.” (Wycliffe Bible Commentary)

“The only true wisdom is that obtained from God, whether in answer to prayer, or in meditation on his law.”

“Men,” says Calvin, “never act skillfully, except in so far as they allow themselves to be ruled by the word of God.”

“The Christian warrior of today, who contends not for himself but for his master may emulate Joshua’s courage and confidence, for the same promises are his as were Joshua’s.

The Christian who would conquer in his conflict with the powers of evil must be diligent in his study of God’s word, and careful to frame his life by its precepts.”

“The great ones have gone; that which made them great remains.” Some of the great ones: Paul, Peter, John, Augustine, Ignatius, Vincent de Paul, etc.

God's Plans

God’s Plans

“Yes I know what plans I have in mind for you, Yahweh declares, plans for peace, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) – New Jerusalem Bible.

“For surely I know the plan I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not your harm, to give you a future with hope.” (The New Oxford Bible)

“For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare not for your woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope.” (Catholic Study Bible)

Key words in Jeremiah 29: 11 – plan, welfare, know, hope, future.

Plan:

• · No plan of yours can be thwarted. (Job 42:2)
• · The Lord has planned and who can annul it? (Isaiah 14: 27)
• · The plans of the Lord stand forever. (Psalm 33: 11)
• · I will accomplish all my purpose. (Isaiah 46: 10)
• · God planned it long ago. (2 Kings 19: 25; Isaiah 22: 11; 25: 1; 37: 26)
• · The Lord planned it. (Isaiah 23: 9)
• · I know the plans I have for you. (Jeremiah 29: 11)
• · The people did whatever your hand predestined to occur (Acts 4: 28)
• · God prepared our good works beforehand (Ephesians 2: 10)
• · A man’s lifespan is predestined (Job 14: 5)

Thesaurus of the Bible

The Almighty shall be your gold

The Almighty shall be your gold

“And treat raw gold like dust and the fine gold from Ophir as pebbles from the brook. Then the Almighty himself shall be your gold and your sparkling silver.” (Job 22: 24 – 25)

“Let one who seeks not stop seeking until one finds.” (Gospel of St. Thomas)

Exciting Moment of truth

"If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry…" (Matthew 6: 30 31)

"While I plan to get an accommodation, God was weaving together another design and preparing a place of ministry for me. I saw it happen several times. There is no "No Vacancies" with God. I have a healthy respect for God's Placement Department as I look back over my life.

It's an exciting moment of truth to find out that God has put you in your house, in your apartment, on your street, in your town with an eternal plan in mind. It totally transforms the nuisance of inadequate urban planning, noise, pollution and even the strangeness of a new town.

It's easy to "care" for a whole town, a whole continent, or the people who live across town. It's not so easy to look on our block or in our own apartment. That is, until we catch hold of the idea that God has placed us where we are with a purpose in mind. And finding that purpose makes life sing!"

(Gladys Hunt, "You Can Start a Bible Study Group")