My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various
trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
But let patience have it's perfect work, that you may be
perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
James 1:2-4
Definition of Joy:
Intense and especially ecstatic or exultant happiness
I can hear some of you say.. Joy in the midst of trials? Are you kidding? How am I supposed to be joyful when someone is hurt
or dying, or when I don't have enough money to go around,
or when my life feels miserable?
Let me ask you this pointed question. Does being sad make it
any better? What does being sad and depressed do to improve
your situation? To me it only clouds your thinking with a ton
of emotions that are almost unmanageable and out of control.
It makes it harder to have a clear, concise picture of your situation
and it controls your thinking. It actually drains you and
wears you out.
God said to bring every thought captive. Tall order
but absolutely necessary to be happy.
Can we do this when our emotions are ruling our spirit?
Why should we be joyful?
Jack Hayford said about this verse:
"The proper attitude in meeting adversity is to count it all
joy, which is NOT a emotional reaction but a deliberate
intelligent appraisal of the situation from God's perspective, viewing
trials as a means of moral and spiritual growth. We do not
rejoice in the trials themselves but in their possible results."
So we meet our problems face on with prayer, a sense of joy
that God will work things out in our lives and in the mean
while we will be growing and learning. Life contains many sorrows
and tragedies. WE can let it alter us until we are bitter
and depressed and forlorn or we can rise to the occasion and
face them and deal with them with courage, and a sense of
joy seeking God's wisdom and guidance and Fatherly provision
and love through it.
I am facing some big things ahead, and have just gone through
quite a few. I have learned to face them one day at a time,
one minute at a time if necessary and then, face what I must
as it comes. Don't look at tomorrow, don't fret about yesterday,
live in today and make the best of it you can. What you cannot
do, you must leave with God. You cannot live your life
in fear and sorrow and expect joy to be there. I choose to
be happy inspite of my circumstances.
I remember once reading a remark Rev. Billy Graham said
about the difficult times in his life:
"God I can hardly wait to see what you are going to do with this".
That my friends is a anticipation of faith in God.. .trusting, not
being afraid, relying on, clinging to and finding hope in Him.
Our circumstances do not RULE us. Our emotions should NOT
be controlled by them.
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ
2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV
Dear God, help me control my thoughts today. Help me to realize
there is a bigger picture than what I see. And that while I trust
in you and do the best I can, you will work all things out for your
glory. Help me realize that life will not always be easy and
many times will be hard and seem overwhelming. But this
too shall pass. And you promised you would never leave
me or forsake me. Help me to live a life of faith and trust
and not fear and despair. Remind me when I forget this Father.
Help me to please you in all I say and do.
In Jesus precious name.
Amen.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
A Quiet Place
Have you been still lately? I mean really still?
With no television or radio playing, no one to talk to.. just
sitting still?
I know I have told you we have a large back yard, full of
nurtured plants, a vegetable garden, and many rose bushes.
It is quiet back there. The only noise a occasional barking
of a dog, or the delightful song of a bird. It is so restful.
Just the surroundings of God's beautiful creation.
A quiet place. A place to restore our souls and find rest for our spirit,
away from the cacophony of the world.
We all need that quiet place within us.. where the world
cannot intrude, where our troubles don't take precedence,
and where we allow God's spirit to whisper to ours.
A place that is a garden of refreshing.. of hope, of renewal.
If you have not found that quiet time, that quiet spot
then you are missing out on the most important time
in your spiritual life daily. Time with God.
Nothing you do, will matter more than this time.
Nothing. Everything else will pass away.
Only time with God will prosper and last.
Love others, savor them, enjoy the day,
but don't neglect the God you need above all else.
Then today you can say, I walked in the garden with
God, and He refreshed me and held me close.
I knew then, everything would be ok.
Love
millie
ps. I wanted you all to know that both my husband and I have been
having health problems, that is why I have not sent out my devotions
as regularly as I used to. You all are in my heart, and I long to tell
you of the goodness of God in the land of the living. And I know as
time passes and I get stronger, I will send more to you. My love to you all.
For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed,
but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall
the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that
has mercy on thee.
Isaiah 54:10
Receive that blessed peace.. in the quiet times and small
corners of each day
"God Speaking"
The man whispered, "God, speak to me" And a
meadowlark sang.
But the man did not hear.
So the man yelled "God, speak to me" And the thunder
& lightning rolled across the sky. But the man did
not listen.
The man looked around and said, "God, let me see you."
And a star shined brightly. But the man did not see.
And, the man shouted, "God, show me a miracle" And a
life was born.
But the man did not notice.
So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me, God, and
let me know you are here"
Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.
But the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.
I found this to be a great reminder that God is always
around us in the little and simple things that we take
for granted. .even in our electronic age . . . so I would
like to add one more:
The man cried "God, I need your help" . . . and an
e-mail arrived reaching out with good news and
encouragement. But the man deleted it and continued
crying.....
The good news is that you are loved. Don't miss out
on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way that
you expect.
Expect the unexpected....
It is called Faith :)
With no television or radio playing, no one to talk to.. just
sitting still?
I know I have told you we have a large back yard, full of
nurtured plants, a vegetable garden, and many rose bushes.
It is quiet back there. The only noise a occasional barking
of a dog, or the delightful song of a bird. It is so restful.
Just the surroundings of God's beautiful creation.
A quiet place. A place to restore our souls and find rest for our spirit,
away from the cacophony of the world.
We all need that quiet place within us.. where the world
cannot intrude, where our troubles don't take precedence,
and where we allow God's spirit to whisper to ours.
A place that is a garden of refreshing.. of hope, of renewal.
If you have not found that quiet time, that quiet spot
then you are missing out on the most important time
in your spiritual life daily. Time with God.
Nothing you do, will matter more than this time.
Nothing. Everything else will pass away.
Only time with God will prosper and last.
Love others, savor them, enjoy the day,
but don't neglect the God you need above all else.
Then today you can say, I walked in the garden with
God, and He refreshed me and held me close.
I knew then, everything would be ok.
Love
millie
ps. I wanted you all to know that both my husband and I have been
having health problems, that is why I have not sent out my devotions
as regularly as I used to. You all are in my heart, and I long to tell
you of the goodness of God in the land of the living. And I know as
time passes and I get stronger, I will send more to you. My love to you all.
For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed,
but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall
the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that
has mercy on thee.
Isaiah 54:10
Receive that blessed peace.. in the quiet times and small
corners of each day
"God Speaking"
The man whispered, "God, speak to me" And a
meadowlark sang.
But the man did not hear.
So the man yelled "God, speak to me" And the thunder
& lightning rolled across the sky. But the man did
not listen.
The man looked around and said, "God, let me see you."
And a star shined brightly. But the man did not see.
And, the man shouted, "God, show me a miracle" And a
life was born.
But the man did not notice.
So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me, God, and
let me know you are here"
Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.
But the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.
I found this to be a great reminder that God is always
around us in the little and simple things that we take
for granted. .even in our electronic age . . . so I would
like to add one more:
The man cried "God, I need your help" . . . and an
e-mail arrived reaching out with good news and
encouragement. But the man deleted it and continued
crying.....
The good news is that you are loved. Don't miss out
on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way that
you expect.
Expect the unexpected....
It is called Faith :)
Saturday, April 03, 2010
Proof of the Resurrection
Proof of the Resurrection
copyright Millie Plastaras
3/26/05 all rights reserved.
We hear many skeptics today say the resurrection was
made up to give people hope about this life. And that
there is no proof of it. They often challenge people to prove
it to them, sit back with their arms folded and say "show me".
Through many resources to help bring that proof to you. I am using
the resources that have done a great deal of study,
not only on Biblical history, but history of non christian
authors who wrote of it.
Hope you enjoy it, and find it useful in your witness for the Lord Jesus.
Evidence for the Resurrection
According to many resources I have read, the resurrection
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth is one of the most well attested
events in the ancient world.
Why is this important to us? Because the resurrection
was meant to set Jesus apart from anyone else that ever
lived. It would prove He was the son of God, able
to conquer death, and bring eternal life to the world
through His death.
For a 40 day period after he rose from the grave, he appeared
to many different people. Paul, in 56 AD wrote that over
500 people had seen the risen Jesus and that most of them
were still alive (1 Corinthians 15:6).
One of the greatest ways to disprove Jesus death would
have been for anyone to produce his body.
Let us take a look at that part of the resurrection story.
Who would have wanted to steal Jesus body, and
how would it have profited them?
WE know that Jesus could not have survived the
crucifixion. The romans were very thorough in checking
the body of those crucified to make sure they were dead
before they took them down from the cross.
Most people had their legs broken while still on the cross
so that it would hasten their death. The fact that the
soldiers did not do this, shows they felt he was already dead.
And according to Bible prophecy this has been predicted
that not one bone of his body would be broken.
IN John, it is recorded that when Jesus side was pierced,
blood and water came out of it. That would have been a
sign he was dead.
The Jews, if they had wanted to prove Jesus did not rise from
the grave, would have produced the body and paraded
it throughout the streets to prove that theory.
Grave robbers would have had no reason to take it,
only anything worthy of selling or using would have been
their interest.
The romans had no reason to steal the body, they wanted to
keep the peace in Palestine. They had accomplished
their goal of putting him in the grave, they just wanted
to keep the peace.
The disciples had no reason to steal the body of Christ.
If you think about it, later they all died for their belief
in Christ, his life, death and resurrection. Why would they
have wanted to die for a lie?
There have been many who have studied this event,
who were not Christians and wanted to destroy the ancient
story of Jesus and how he came to save the world.
They spent hours pouring over ancient documentation,
historical accounts, and through their journey, accepted
Jesus as their savior. Why? The evidence was compelled,
and verified by man.
One of those men was Frank Morrison who was a agnostic
journalist. Another was Lee Strobel. Who was according to
his investigative reporting, wanted to disprove the outrageous
theory of Christ, and the resurrection. In his desire to
disprove it, he found evidence that changed his life
and made him turn to Christ as His savior.
There were many ancient writers who spoke about
the resurrection, here is just a list of a few of them:
The apostle Paul said in 55 or 56 A.D. that there were hundreds of actual eyewitnesses of the risen Christ who were still alive and could confirm the accounts of the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:6). The apostle Paul and the other disciples had to be accurate in what they reported because these living eyewitnesses would have been the first to dispute anything untrue that Paul or the disciples may have said. Another problem with this theory is that first-century historians and other writers of that time period have provided us with further information about the Resurrection, whether directly or indirectly. Here are some examples:
Flavius Josephus (Jewish historian), The Antiquities of the Jews (93 A.D.), book 18, chapter 3, paragraph 3.
Pliny the Younger (Plinius Secundus), Epistles (112 A.D.), volume 10, p.96, in a letter written to emperor Trajan concerning the Christians in Pliny's province (he was the governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor at the time).
Emperor Trajan's reply to Pliny's letter, recorded in Pliny's Epistles, volume 10, p. 97
Cornelius Tacitus (senator under the reign of Vespasian and governor of Asia from 112-113 A.D.), Annals (116 A.D.), volume 15, p.44.
Eusebius recorded in The History of the Church, volume 4, p.9, a letter from emperor Hadrian (who reigned from 117-138 A.D.) to Minucius Fundanus (governor of Asia) giving advice on handling charges against Christians.
Suetonius (Roman historian), Life of Claudius (120 A.D.), volume 25, p.4.
Suetonius, Life of Nero, p.16.
Lucian of Samosata (Greek satirist), The Death of Peregrine (170 A.D.), p.11-13.
Lucian of Samosata, Alexander the False Prophet, sections 25 and 29.
The most plausible explanation is that Christ did rise from the
grave, and all the eyewitnesses and writings about this
make it a plain case in evidence of his resurrection.
The truth is the disciples knew the difference between
a risen savior and a dead friend. They knew the
reason came, the reason He died, and the reason He
rose from the grave. And they gave their lives,
and died because of their firm, real belief in Him.
Peter said: For we did not follow cleverly devised tales
when we made known to you the power and the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His
majesty. 2 Peter 1:16
Click here: Evidence for the Resurrection
http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/num9.htm
Click here: The Evidence for the Death and Resurrection of Jesus
http://www.layhands.com/EvidenceForTheResurrection.htm
sources for this:
Answers to tough questions by Josh McDowell
(Wheaton, Illinois, Tyndale house publishers 1980)
Frank Morrison - Who Moved the Stone ( Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1971)
Lee Stroebel - The Case for Christ (Zondervan Publishing 1998)
Proof of the Resurrection published by Rose Publishing, 2004
copyright Millie Plastaras
3/26/05 all rights reserved.
We hear many skeptics today say the resurrection was
made up to give people hope about this life. And that
there is no proof of it. They often challenge people to prove
it to them, sit back with their arms folded and say "show me".
Through many resources to help bring that proof to you. I am using
the resources that have done a great deal of study,
not only on Biblical history, but history of non christian
authors who wrote of it.
Hope you enjoy it, and find it useful in your witness for the Lord Jesus.
Evidence for the Resurrection
According to many resources I have read, the resurrection
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth is one of the most well attested
events in the ancient world.
Why is this important to us? Because the resurrection
was meant to set Jesus apart from anyone else that ever
lived. It would prove He was the son of God, able
to conquer death, and bring eternal life to the world
through His death.
For a 40 day period after he rose from the grave, he appeared
to many different people. Paul, in 56 AD wrote that over
500 people had seen the risen Jesus and that most of them
were still alive (1 Corinthians 15:6).
One of the greatest ways to disprove Jesus death would
have been for anyone to produce his body.
Let us take a look at that part of the resurrection story.
Who would have wanted to steal Jesus body, and
how would it have profited them?
WE know that Jesus could not have survived the
crucifixion. The romans were very thorough in checking
the body of those crucified to make sure they were dead
before they took them down from the cross.
Most people had their legs broken while still on the cross
so that it would hasten their death. The fact that the
soldiers did not do this, shows they felt he was already dead.
And according to Bible prophecy this has been predicted
that not one bone of his body would be broken.
IN John, it is recorded that when Jesus side was pierced,
blood and water came out of it. That would have been a
sign he was dead.
The Jews, if they had wanted to prove Jesus did not rise from
the grave, would have produced the body and paraded
it throughout the streets to prove that theory.
Grave robbers would have had no reason to take it,
only anything worthy of selling or using would have been
their interest.
The romans had no reason to steal the body, they wanted to
keep the peace in Palestine. They had accomplished
their goal of putting him in the grave, they just wanted
to keep the peace.
The disciples had no reason to steal the body of Christ.
If you think about it, later they all died for their belief
in Christ, his life, death and resurrection. Why would they
have wanted to die for a lie?
There have been many who have studied this event,
who were not Christians and wanted to destroy the ancient
story of Jesus and how he came to save the world.
They spent hours pouring over ancient documentation,
historical accounts, and through their journey, accepted
Jesus as their savior. Why? The evidence was compelled,
and verified by man.
One of those men was Frank Morrison who was a agnostic
journalist. Another was Lee Strobel. Who was according to
his investigative reporting, wanted to disprove the outrageous
theory of Christ, and the resurrection. In his desire to
disprove it, he found evidence that changed his life
and made him turn to Christ as His savior.
There were many ancient writers who spoke about
the resurrection, here is just a list of a few of them:
The apostle Paul said in 55 or 56 A.D. that there were hundreds of actual eyewitnesses of the risen Christ who were still alive and could confirm the accounts of the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:6). The apostle Paul and the other disciples had to be accurate in what they reported because these living eyewitnesses would have been the first to dispute anything untrue that Paul or the disciples may have said. Another problem with this theory is that first-century historians and other writers of that time period have provided us with further information about the Resurrection, whether directly or indirectly. Here are some examples:
Flavius Josephus (Jewish historian), The Antiquities of the Jews (93 A.D.), book 18, chapter 3, paragraph 3.
Pliny the Younger (Plinius Secundus), Epistles (112 A.D.), volume 10, p.96, in a letter written to emperor Trajan concerning the Christians in Pliny's province (he was the governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor at the time).
Emperor Trajan's reply to Pliny's letter, recorded in Pliny's Epistles, volume 10, p. 97
Cornelius Tacitus (senator under the reign of Vespasian and governor of Asia from 112-113 A.D.), Annals (116 A.D.), volume 15, p.44.
Eusebius recorded in The History of the Church, volume 4, p.9, a letter from emperor Hadrian (who reigned from 117-138 A.D.) to Minucius Fundanus (governor of Asia) giving advice on handling charges against Christians.
Suetonius (Roman historian), Life of Claudius (120 A.D.), volume 25, p.4.
Suetonius, Life of Nero, p.16.
Lucian of Samosata (Greek satirist), The Death of Peregrine (170 A.D.), p.11-13.
Lucian of Samosata, Alexander the False Prophet, sections 25 and 29.
The most plausible explanation is that Christ did rise from the
grave, and all the eyewitnesses and writings about this
make it a plain case in evidence of his resurrection.
The truth is the disciples knew the difference between
a risen savior and a dead friend. They knew the
reason came, the reason He died, and the reason He
rose from the grave. And they gave their lives,
and died because of their firm, real belief in Him.
Peter said: For we did not follow cleverly devised tales
when we made known to you the power and the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His
majesty. 2 Peter 1:16
Click here: Evidence for the Resurrection
http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/num9.htm
Click here: The Evidence for the Death and Resurrection of Jesus
http://www.layhands.com/EvidenceForTheResurrection.htm
sources for this:
Answers to tough questions by Josh McDowell
(Wheaton, Illinois, Tyndale house publishers 1980)
Frank Morrison - Who Moved the Stone ( Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1971)
Lee Stroebel - The Case for Christ (Zondervan Publishing 1998)
Proof of the Resurrection published by Rose Publishing, 2004
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